The members of Sublime come from Long Beach in southern California.  They are Eric Wilson, Bud Gaugh and Brad Nowell.  Their first gig wasin a small club on the fourth of July in 1988.  According to folk lore, the band started a riot that night, which led to seven arrests.

In 1992 they debuted their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom.  The album had such hits as Smoke Two Joints and 40 Oz. to Freedom.

As the trio gained popularity in the So-Cal region, they were asked to play in the inaugural touring of Van’s Warped Tour.  It became obvious that Sublime was the most popular act on stage.  However, there were complications as the tour wore on.  The constant substance abuse of the band members was always an issue.  There were very few sober nights on that tour.  Additionally, the drummer (Bud Gaugh) was arrested on several occasions for possession of marijuana.  During performances, aside from the constant drug abuse, the band also liked to bring their dogs on stage.  This led to several instances of audience members being bitten.  Essentially, this popular act was the biggest liability that Vans could’ve asked for.  However, the public couldn’t get enough of them.

The band released their second album, Robbin’ the Hood in 1994 and then their final album in 1996.  The final album, called Sublime, was originally named Killin’ it.  However, shortly before the album’s release, Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose and the album’s name was changed out of respect.

This album included the hits, Santeria, Wrong Way, Caress Me Down and What I Got.

Sublime’s music is mellow and inspirational.  The message in most of their songs is one of patience and relaxing.  Even if life sucks, your attitude is the only thing that determines how you feel.  Just love the music and live the life you love.

Paramore is an American rock band that formed in 2004.  The members are lead singer and keyboardist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Josh Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis and Zac Farro on the drums.  Hayley and the Farro brothers went to private school with each other where they met and began playing.

The name Paramore comes from the maiden name of one of the original band members, which was Paramour.  This is translated as “secret lover.”  Changing the spelling to look more American, the band was formed.  As always, enjoy the music!

In 2005 the band released their first album All We Know is Falling.  This album had such hits as All We Know, Pressure and Emergency.

Gaining popularity through touring and online music sharing, the band quickly became a hit.  Paramore solidified their success in the summer of 2007 with the release of their second album, Riot!  This album had such hits as Crushcrushcrush, Hallelujha, That’s What You Get and Misery Business.

I like Paramore for their upbeat music and powerful instrumentals.  Additionally, I believe that a great strength of the band lies in their vocals.  Female vocalists in the rock and roll world are too few and far between.  I’m not denying that there are other wonderful female vocalists out there.  But to see a rock band put a women up as the lead singer is a refreshing change.  This is especially true when listening to the way she dominates each song and makes it her own.

OK so I’m not really talking about Hannah Montana. Sorry if I got anyone’s hopes up.

This week I’ll actually be talking about an extremely talented rock band (also my personal favorite band of all time) The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Formed twenty five years ago in LA the Chili Peppers continue to gain fans at a staggering rate. This is why they’re my favorite band. Despite the fact that they began playing when most of our parents were our age, the Chili Peppers are appealing to anyone and everyone. Old or young, girl or boy, black or white, Catholic or Muslim; the fan base is completely non-discriminate.

Their music is described as an alternative rock sound that uses a lot of funk. So essentially, that means that, even though they’re playing rock music, each one of their songs is fun to dance to. Also, the Chili Peppers always put on an amazing show full of energy and fun.

Here’s a list of some of their most notable songs:

Under the Bridge

Snow

Can’t Stop

Aeroplane

By the Way

Californication

Dani California

There are so many more great songs that the Chili Peppers have made and most of them, unfortunately for my blog, don’t even have music videos on youtube that I can show you. However, if you’ve never taken the time to listen to this band I strongly recommend that you do. Not only as one of their biggest fans, but as someone who is truly in love with music.

As always, enjoy the music!

This band is the newest of any band I’ve talked about so far. They were formed five years ago by the bassist/keyboardist Jeremy Dawson and Vocalist/Guitarist Chad Petree who were previously part of bands Cloud2Ground and Slyder. Both of these bands were known as American electronic/rock bands. After leaving Slyder, Jeremy and Chad began playing together and named themselves Shiny Toy Guns. They gained popularity on Myspace and by 2004 they picked up singer Carah Faye Charnow and drummer Mikey Martin.

In 2005, on the record label Southwest International, (I’ve never heard of them either) they released their first album We Are Pilots. After touring America, the album was re released more than once as the band switched record labels, finally landing with Universal Records.

The band hasn’t released a new album yet. However, the one that’s out right now is pretty sick (sick in a good way). They hold on to their rock influences, but the electronic sound makes any of their songs easy to dance to. But how about this. Instead of me talking about the music, why don’t you just listen to it. These are a few of their singles from their album. You Are the One, Le Disko and my personal favorite, Rainy Monday.

If you’re still interested in these guys, Here is their myspace page.

Enjoy the music!

Hailing from Indiana, this four person alternative rock band has caught the attention of a growing underground population. This group may sound like a hardcore, metal, head banging extravaganza. But don’t let the dark and sinister name fool you. The name, Murder by Death comes from a 1976 Robert Moore movie of the same name. The band uses the traditional instruments that any other rock band uses; including guitar, drums and bass. However, what gives the group their unique sound is an electric cello. Played by Sarah Balliet, the only girl of the group, the cello lends the band a western saloon style sound, which is being called “Americana noir” and is complimented perfectly by Adam Turla’s (lead guitarist and vocalist) deep, Johnny Cash like, vocals.

The group is infamous for creating concept albums. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an album that tells a story. The Who’s “Tommy” or Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” are examples of this. Since they began touring back in 2000, Murder by Death has released four albums. Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing, Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them?, In Bocca Al Lupo and their most recent (which came out just this March) Red of Tooth and Claw. Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them? is the story of the devil going to a town in New Mexico and the battle that ensues between him and the people of the village. The album has such hits as Killbot 2000 and Until Morale Improves the Beatings will Continue. In Bocca Al Lupo is also a concept album, which is translated from Italian as “in the mouth of the wolf.” However, instead of each song being part of a larger story, Adam Turla has said that it is more of an anthology of short stories, all of which are about guilt, redemption and sin. Some hits off of this album are Boy Decide, Dead Men and Sinners, Brother and Sometimes the Line Walks You.

If anyone is reading this on Wednesday (the day I’m posting it) Murder by Death is actually playing TONIGHT at Valentine’s on New Scotland Ave. Tickets should be no more than $12 if you’re interested. Enjoy the tunes!

The Decemberists are an American quintet from Portland Oregon. The lead guitarist and song writer is Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk, who plays the guitar as well. Jenny Conlee is the band’s lead accordionists and keyboardist. She is even featured playing the violin in some songs. Nate Query is the band’s lead bassist and John Moen is on the drums.

The band’s name has it’s origins in the Russian Decemberist Revolt of 1825, in which a small legion of Russia’s army tried to overthrow the self proclaimed Czar of the time. This may also explain why the band has been known to open concerts with the National Anthem of the Soviet Union.

The Decemberists’ songs are usually mellow ballads that tell a story over the course of the whole track. Their indie rock sound has often been compared to the sound of 90′s band, Neutral Milk Hotel. If you’re a fan of Neutral Milk, then The Decemberists might be your kind of music.

The Decemberists were also the first band to release a music video via bit torrent with their song, 16 Military Wives, from the album, Picaresque.

If you think that you like The Decemberists  or you’re just interested in listening to some of their music, here are a few of their more notable songs from varying albums.  Summer Song, from the album, Picaresque. The Mariner’s Revenge Song, from the album, The Crane Wife. The Legionnaire’s Lament, from the album, Castaways and Cutouts.

The band hails from the English county of Devon. The members are Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme. Chris is the bassist for the group and Matt is more than proficient as the lead guitarist. However, both of them grace the band with unrivaled vocals set to inspiring lyrics. Dominic Howard completes the band with an unprecedented affinity for the drums.

The band was formed in 1994 under the title of Rocket Baby Dolls. One evening the band preformed at a local battle of the bands and, in a form of protest, destroyed their equipment during the performance. What happened next, shocked the members of Rocket Baby Dolls more than anyone. They won the battle of the bands. Astounded that the crowd actually liked their gig, the members of the band decided to adopt a more serious attitude towards managing their music. This new leaf involved each of the band members quiting school and/or work and changing the band’s name to “Muse.”

Muse’s music incorporates alternative and hard rock with classical and electronic sounds to create a genre that some call, “new prog.” Some other bands who are considered to be in this genre are Coheed and Cambria and Mystery Jets. So if you like either of those bands, I would definitely suggest checking out Muse.

Muse’s second album, Origins of Symmetry, which was released in 2001, was a chance for the band to experiment with some instruments such as church organs or an expanded drum set. Some tracks from the album are, New Born, Plug in Baby and Bliss.

Muse’s most recent album, Black Holes and Revelations was hailed as one of the greatest albums of the year when it was released in July of 2006. Some of the songs from that album are Starlight, Knights of Cydonia, and Supermassive Black Hole.

Formed in 2004, Head Automatica was formed by it’s lead singer, Daryl Palumbo. Daryl started off as the front man for the underground band Glassjaw in 1993. After gaining considerable popularity in the underground music scene, the band decided to take a hiatus. During this hiatus, Daryl decided to form his own music project with producer Dan Nakamura, who he supposedly met at a party. The two of them began working on Head Automatica’s first album. The album Decadence, featured such hits as Brooklyn is Burning, Beating Heart Baby, and The Razor.

These songs gained popularity quickly. The successful sound that Head Automatica showcases contains strong influences from the British invasion of the sixties. Although the band isn’t British itself, the sound, which includes clear vocals, an upbeat register and few guitar solos, is catchy.

The band has been touring for the past four years and continues to bring out more fans each time around. If you’re interested in seeing them live, they’re playing on April 26th in Oneonta. They will be headlining the event with other bands for a day of music called Oh Fest.

If you’re interested in listening to anything else by them, check out the songs Graduation Day and Lying Through Your Teeth. They’re just a few more of the band’s greatest hits so far.

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of OAR is that the band was born, gained popularity and to this day thrives on the internet. The band’s music became known amongst American college students through file sharing. However, the publicity was all the band needed to get to where they are now.

The band comprises of lead vocalist and guitarist Marc Roberge, Chris Culos on the drums, Richard On also sings and plays guitar, Benj Gershman is the bassist, Jerry DePizzo plays the saxophone and Mikel Paris on the keyboard.

The band has released five studio recored albums and are currently hard at work on another which is due to come out early this year.

As always, if this is the first time you’re hearing about this band I suggest that you listen to some of their music. Love and Memories is hailed as the band’s greatest hit and I love the song. However, it’s overplayed and can often shadow the rest of the band’s work. So if you’re feeling extra adventurous, go ahead and listen to the other two songs. Hope you enjoy it!

As I said, the word “Incubus” is originally the name given to ancient demons who would sneak into a woman’s bedroom and use her to spawn demonic babies. The music of the current day band, which holds the same name, is described by some to be equally supernatural.

The band formed in 1992 with lead vocalist, Brad Boyd, guitarist, Mike Einzinger, and drummer, Jose Stanulonis. The three grew up together in California and started making music as soon as they could afford the instruments. Through a series of small record company endorsements and a a couple of small tours, word got out about the band and their new sound. The band would eventually land a record deal with Epic Records and bassist Ben Kenney would join the group.

The band is famous for their stunning vocals and powerful but controlled music. Some of their most famous songs are Megalomaniac from the album A Crow Left of the Murder…, Drive from the album Make Yourself, Pardon Me from the same album as Drive, and Dig. Dig is from the band’s newest album, Light Grenades.

I suggest to anyone who hasn’t heard the band’s work before, that you take the time to listen to a couple of these songs. Even if you’re not a huge fan of alternative rock, there’s no disputing the fact that these guys are talented. Enjoy!