The Greatest American Band Debate: Nirvana

For the greatest American band today, I'm going to go back to the grunge era. Grunge was pretty pivotal in my life. I was a pre teen and teenager right when the music style became huge. Grunge was a newer style of music that I had never heard before and I was into it. I liked the drums, guitars and the gruff singing that came along with it and it got no better than Nirvana.

Nirvana may be the greatest grunge band of all time. They are definitely the most influential, and I don't think that is arguable at all. Nirvana exploded on the scene with their mega hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". This was like no other song that I had ever listened to before. The guitar would start out kind of slower and quiet, then it would build and get much more rough, in a good way, and Kurt Cobain would squeal the chorus. That chorus, while it may be impossible to know exactly what Cobain was singing, is the most memorable chorus from the 90's, in my opinion. The video was pretty groundbreaking as well. The band playing in a school gym with some cheerleaders and kids dancing to this very gloomy song about the plight of teenagers. The video was sad, but it was made to be sad. The teenagers were brain dead, that is what the song is essentially about.

After seeing the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I needed to hear more music from this band. I was very intrigued by their sound. They only released three albums of original music, but I only ever bought two of them. "Bleach" was put out a few years before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit it big, but I never really listened to that record. But "Nevermind", that was where it was at. That record is wonderful. It is the best grunge album, hands down. It takes every good thing about grunge music and makes it truly great. There is obviously "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the record, but there is some other big time hits on that record. Songs like "Come As You Are", "Lithium", "On a Plain", "Drain You" and "Polly". Let us not forget their 20 minute epic, it's actually 13 minutes, then 10 minutes of silence, to close out the album, "Something in the Way". That song is their best Velvet Underground impression, and it sounds like something that could have easily been on "White Light, White Heat". But, those other songs I mentioned, they are grunge classics. They use distortion and loud drums and exceptional bass playing and Cobain's perfectly written lyrics are phenomenal. The songs on this record are, by far, the best music of the entire grunge era. Nirvana came at the exact right time and they capitalized on their gift for writing and playing grunge music.

Once Nirvana had the enormous success that was "Nevermind", they released "In Utero" two years later, and that album is also very fantastic. There are some mega hits on that record as well. "In Utero" has songs like "Heart Shaped Box", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "All Apologies". I mean, come on, those are some massive hits just two short years apart. No matter if you like or dislike Kurt Cobain, you have to admit, he was one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He had a knack for writing some touching, yet very sad and very gloomy music, and in the early 90's, that's what the people wanted to hear. Most people were sick of bubble gum pop and how boring and generic rock and roll had become, but then here came this band singing and playing sad, touching and poignant music, and the majority of the country was enthralled. The video for "Heart Shaped Box" was almost as weird and scary as Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun", but both of those songs were great. I prefer "Heart Shaped Box", but that's just me. "Pennyroyal Tea" is a beautifully written and played song. It is one of my all time favorite Nirvana songs. "All Apologies" may be the saddest song to ever make the top ten of the Billboard charts. That song is heart wrenching, but damn if that chorus is not catchy as hell.

With "Nevermind" and "In Utero", it seemed like Nirvana was going to be making great music for many years to come. But, Kurt Cobain took his own life, if that is what you choose to believe, because he couldn't handle the fame. I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here, but I don't think, for one single second, that he killed himself. At the time of his death, Cobain was married to another musician, Courtney Love, and I firmly believe that she was incredibly jealous of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain's fame, and I will go to my grave believing that she had something to do with the death of Cobain. I am not the only one who believes this. She couldn't handle the fact that her significant other was so much more successful and, quite frankly, better at making music than her.  Cobain's death gave her immediate fame and people came to her defense and started talking about how good her band, Hole, was. Courtney Love became the poster child for someone that lost someone they loved way too soon and she started to get more acting jobs and Hole was a band that everyone wanted to play at their venue or their festival. Many people think Courtney Love did something, I don't know if she actually killed him, but I have my thoughts. You will never shake my belief of this.

After Cobain's untimely death, the remaining members of Nirvana, who are the exceptional Krist Novaselic and the still working Dave Grohl, released a couple of albums posthumously. A lot of them are straight up greatest hits records, but they released their "MTV's Unplugged" record almost right after his death, and that record is incredible. The band was stripped down and they did mostly covers and it is one of the best records of all time. It is, by far, the best of the entire "Unplugged" series. Kurt Cobain, who was usually stand offish and quiet and could even be mean during one on one interviews, seemed to be happy and was cracking jokes and playing and singing some great, great songs. Cobain seemed at peace doing this unplugged sets. That record is exceptional and everyone should go out, buy it and listen to it right now. You will be amazed at how great of a band Nirvana truly was.

I don't know any other word to describe him, but Cobain was a musical genius. He had a knack for written lyrics and composing music. He was the lynchpin to Nirvana being as famous as they were. The other members of the band were very talented as well. Krist Novaselic was and is a great bass player. He can play almost any style of music and play it well. He is one of the better bass players of all time. He is still making music to this day as well. Then there is Dave Grohl. Everyone that has heard any music knows something about Dave Grohl. He is the front man for Foo Fighters. He has produced many metal bands, especially RD's favorite, Probot. He has a great HBO series that is all about the roots and start of music. He has done tons of things with Tenacious D. Basically, Dave Grohl is one of rock and roll's hardest working men. And he is pretty darn good at making and playing music.

Look, we couldn't do this debate without adding Nirvana. I feel like, as the millennial of the website, it would be best that I write about them because they were so influential in my formative years. I love Nirvana and they are definitely one of America's greatest bands of all time. I do not think anyone will disagree with me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may buy into some conspiracy theories surrounding Nirvana, but he does not buy that Kurt Cobain faked his own death and is really Rivers Cuomo. That is just silly. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Widespread Panic

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

For the greatest American band debate today, I'm going to dip my toes into the jam band scene. Full disclosure, I went through about a decade long jam music obsession, but that time has passed me by now. I can sit through a 2 hour show, at most, now. I do not have the patience I once held for jam music. Also, the band I will be talking about today has put out a lot of very good records, but their studio music is not why I am nominating them, it is for their live performances. They have been on the road for nearly 30 years now and have built a rabid fan base that will follow them from city to city to see them play live. They are in this discussion for the live shows, the touring and the massive fan base they have created, not for studio work. The band I'm going to nominate today is Widespread Panic.

The band Widespread Panic was discussed on the podcast before when I interviewed another brother of mine, Seth, and we talked about his idea of the greatest American bands. Seth is one of the rabid fans that I just spoke of earlier. I was a very big fan for a long time too. Widespread Panic made their name through word of mouth and talk at live shows. They didn't get played on the radio unless it was in their hometown of Athens, Georgia. They weren't widely known to the pop or even rock music listening circles. They didn't have their music videos played on MTV or MTV 2 or even VH1. Widespread was, at least when I heard of them, a band that friends who had seen them play live told you that you had to listen to. I was exposed to them by Seth and my other brother Ross while going through my jam band phase. I had listened to bands like String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Keller Williams, just to name a few, but none held a candle to when I first heard Widespread Panic. My oldest brother played a live CD of theirs and I was absolutely blown away. They did things that other jam bands didn't do. They played old blues songs. They played old rock songs. They played old funk and R&B songs. Their originals were also fantastic and had their particular sound.

What separated Widespread Panic from other jam bands was the structure behind their epic jams. The jams didn't just go aimlessly in any direction, there was always a flow. They seemed to have their jams almost timed out, they worked that well. Fans knew when it was going to be a certain member of the band's turn to rock out. We knew when the drums would take over for 8 minutes. We anticipated the wonderfully fantastic guitar solos that JB and Mikey would perform. We knew that there was going to be a moment when Schools, the bass player, was going to shine. It all had a specific structure. That's what drew me to this band in the first place. Leftover Salmon and String Cheese Incident never seemed to have this structure. They played like a poor man's Grateful Dead, and you all know how I feel about Grateful Dead. Their jams were misplaced and misconstrued and unstructured. It was like all the worst things about experimental jazz. But, Widespread Panic did not do that. They always made sure the jam portion flowed within the song and they were always very easily able to return to the bare bones of whatever song they would be performing. This was a very big deal to me back then.

Widespread's live shows were also a thing of beauty. This was the closest I have ever been to that "community" feel that longtime concert goers speak of. Everyone had their place at these shows and everyone was welcome. I'm a jock and a non drinker or smoker of anything, be it tobacco or drugs, but I was never looked at as a square or a narc, I was accepted by these people. They knew that I was there to enjoy the music and they loved that. Sure, I'd venture a guess to say that about 90 to 95 percent of the crowd was stoned, but there was that 5 percent that was just like me, but we were all welcomed with open arms because the music and the show brought us together. Widespread even had tents at their live shows where all the sober people could hang out. I made a lot of concert friends at those shows in those tents. But, we didn't just stay in our tents, we mingled with everyone because everyone was accepted. That is one of the greatest aspects of a live Widespread show, the togetherness of it all. Then, the band would be on stage just absolutely killing it. They would play so many songs and the show would last for 3 to 3 and a half, and sometimes even 4 hours. They were the first band I ever saw live that did an intermission. Usually, after the first drum jam, they'd break for about 45 minutes, this would be 90 minutes into the show, then they'd come back out and play another 90 minutes or 2 hours. It was long, but it was epic and for jam fans, it was the best.

I've seen Widespread Panic at festivals and at outdoor venues like the crummy Riverport here in Saint Louis and the crowd would be very hyped. But, nothing compared to the few times I saw them at the Fox, my favorite concert venue in Saint Louis. The Fox is an old, very nice, very well established venue with a ton of history and beautiful art work everywhere you look. Most of the shows I've seen at the Fox are sit down, respectable shows, but something about Widespread just makes the fans want to get up and move. The Fox was as raucous as I have ever seen it, and it was great. Nobody was sitting in their seats, we were all dancing. I'm pretty quiet and calm at shows, generally I just want to watch the musicians perform, but even I was moving my feet and arms and every other body part because I was into the music. Those shows at the Fox were some of the best that I have ever seen.

Widespread is also the band I have seen the most live. I have seen them 10 times. It was during my jam phase, but I still remember how great and inviting and cool and awesome those shows were. I wouldn't go see them again, but I'm glad I got to see them and I wouldn't change a thing from the past. I have great memories from those shows. I got to go see them in Red Rocks when my brother Seth still lived in Colorado. That place is Mecca for concert goers. Every person that loves live music needs to see a show there, it will change your life. They played everything at those shows too. Their originals are always great, but the covers, those were dynamite. They did some of the best Talking Heads, Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield and, my favorite, Robert Johnson covers I have ever heard. They put their unique spin while sticking as close to the source material as possible. The covers were my favorite part of those live shows.

While that jam phase has passed, I still have great memories and I still think Widespread Panic is one of the greatest American bands of all time. As I said before, they have studio albums, but to get the real experience, you have to see them live. Seth told me recently that they aren't going to tour for awhile, but they have said that before and they come back and they sound better than ever. If you like jam music, you have to see Widespread Panic. But, if you are just a casual fan of music, I'd still recommend checking them out because they are truly one of America's greatest bands.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once attended a jam concert and 30 minutes in realized that he had stumbled upon an Insane Clown Posse show. Ty has never been to a jam concert since. There is this thing called twitter, and Ty is on it. Go follow him @tykulik.

Relive, and Debate, Great Music with "The Rap Yearbook"

Time to download the book about all of our favorite downloaded songs

I just finished another book by another former Grantland writer, and, once again, I really enjoyed it. I just recently finished and reviewed the very excellent "Boys Among Men: The Preps to Pro Generation that Changed the NBA" by Jonathan Abrams. So, naturally I figured another Grantland writer would have an equally as good book. The book I chose was "The Rap Yearbook" by Shea Serrano.

"The Rap Yearbook" was given to me as a gift, and I was putting off reading it until I caught up on some other reading, but boy am I glad that I read this book. It is widely known that I'm a big hip hop fan. I've written about a lot of hip hop groups and have been listening to hip hop for many, many years. This book is a great read about the most important, not best, rap songs from the years 1979 to 2014. It was absolutely fascinating. Serrano is just around my age, so we have very similar taste in older hip hop, but very different taste in more recent hip hop.

Serrano picked the most important song for each year, so it wasn't necessarily the best. It was the most important/influential song during it's particular year. The early years are easy to agree with. In 1979 he has Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". Obvious choice. Some other obvious choices that are very hard to disagree with, 1980 Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks", 1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message", 1987 Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full", 1988 N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton", basically all the late 80's, early 90's stuff is easily and correctly chosen. He also writes a few paragraphs as to why the song is the most important. He points out what the song is about, why it's important, the influence it had, the message it sends, Serrano pretty much breaks down every legit reason why the particular song is the song of the year.

The author and I definitely differ when it comes to 21st century hip hop, and that makes this book great. Serrano seems to think that more popular artist put out more significant songs. I understand why he thinks this. The more popular the artist, the more people it reaches, thus making it more important. I just prefer more underground, lesser known hip hop artists. That's my particular taste. I'd rather listen to Murs or Mr. Lif or Dilated Peoples than Kanye or Drake or, god help me, Macklemore. But, as I said above, I totally understand why he picks those people. Serrano may like more lesser known artists too, but that would not make for a good book for more than half the hip hop listening community. So, in the 21st century, he picks some songs that I disagree with. In 2005, he picks Kanye West's "Gold digger". Yeah, it's a popular song, with a very good beat, but I don't think any song featuring an actor, Jamie Foxx, should be considered. Also, the song is very misogynistic. But, I don't know what I would put in it's place. That's where Serrano has me beat. Serrano also picks other stuff I don't agree with in the 2000's. Stuff like 2008 Lil Wayne's "A Milli". It's a fine song, but Lil Wayne had peaked already by that time and he was definitely on a down swing. It felt more like a lifetime achievement to put him in this book. For 2009 he picked Drake's "Best I Ever Had". Drake is a terrible rapper and an even worse bandwagon sports fan. Drake stinks, his music stinks and he will be irrelevant in about 5 years. Drake does not belong in this book. For 2012, he picks Macklemore's "Same Love". Sure, the song has a very good message, but it is not a good rap song. Macklemore is the biggest poser in the history of music. He is worse than Elvis. He calls himself independent, but he does nation wide commercials and carries himself like a jackass. "Same Love" is important, but not because of Macklemore and I'm sure there is much better, much more important songs from 2012. Macklemore, in my opinion, is as bad as Drake. They are corporate rappers that make corporate, shitty rap music. For 2013 and 2014 Serrano picked two songs I didn't recognize. For 2013 he picked Big Sean's "Control" and it wasn't until I read why he picked it that it was the coming out party for Kendrick Lamar. Personally, he could've picked any song from Lamar's debut album, "good kid, m.A.A.d city" as the most important song of 2013 and it would have been a better choice. In 2014 he picked a song I never heard of by Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug called "Lifestyle". His reasoning was more about the emergence and weirdness of Young Thug than the music. Ok by me.

Another thing that makes "The Rap Yearbook" a great book is the collaborations. In each chapter, Serrano brings a fellow writer or friend in and they give their rebuttal to what should be the song of the year. So, we get at least two different perspectives in each chapter. Serrano isn't married to his choice and that makes him a wonderfully gifted writer. He wants outsiders points of view and ideas. He's open to hearing why he is wrong and why someone else is right. I love that.

"The Rap Yearbook" is a must read for all fans of rap music and music in general. It's fascinating and it brings you back to that time in your life. I knew exactly where I was when I first heard his 1999 choice, Eminem's "My Name Is". I can picture 16 year old me bobbing my head to his 1998 pick, DMX's "Ruff Ryder's Anthem". I vividly remember arguing with friends and family that Jay Z was the clear winner in his beef with Nas, and Serrano picked "Takeover" vs. "Ether" for his 2001 songs. This book is wonderful. Go out, buy it and read it. You won't be disappointed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is sorry to tell the head editor that 3rd Bass did not make the book. The head editor gave Ty the gas face. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Jon Lajoie's song "Stay at Home Dad" is True to Life

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

A couple of weeks back I wrote about a band called Wolfie's Just Fine. I really liked their new album and I put a full review on the site. As I mentioned in that blog, the lead singer is actor/musician/comedian Jon Lajoie. I'm a big Lajoie fan.

After listening to Wolfie's Just Fine new album on repeat for a couple of weeks, I decided I wanted to revisit Lajoie's comedy music. I own all of his music, but, my absolute favorite song is called "Stay At Home Dad". Now, most of you know that I am a stay at home dad, as I have written a piece about it and I have recorded a podcast about it. So, being that I'm a stay at home dad and a Lajoie fan, I wanted to really dig deep into the song and see how closely Lajoie's comedic version is to my real life. I'm going to break down the song, analyzing each lyric, don't worry, the song is short, and I will also break down the chorus, comparing it to my life.

Let's go.

The song opens with the chorus. The chorus is as follows, "I'm a stay at home dad/ I'm on paternity leave/ I'm a stay at home dad/ It's just the baby and me/ I'm a stay at home dad/ While my wife's at work/ I got a bottle in my hand and spit up on my shirt". So, yes, I too am a stay at home dad, obviously. That's an easy comparison. But, I am not on paternity leave. I was with our first kid, and it was great. It was so nice to be at home with my wife after we had our son. Now, with my daughter, I am the stay at home parent, so no paternity leave. It's just my straight up job. Which leads me to, "it's just the baby and me". Two days a week, my four year old is at school, so it is just the baby and me. I truly enjoy these days. This is when I really learn what my daughter likes and dislikes. This is also how we get on a schedule. The one on one time you get with kids is crucial. I got that with my son and now, I'm getting it with my daughter. Then, my wife does go to work, five days a week, 8 hours a day. She leaves the house at 7am and she doesn't get home until 4. So, another thing I relate to. And then there's the bottle in my hand and the inevitable spit up on my shirt or burp cloth. My daughter tends to wake up about an hour after my wife leaves and that's when I make my daughter's breakfast, which includes a 6 ounce bottle of formula. Sometimes, she eats it all, other times, she just wants the food and a little formula, but spit up is always the recurring theme. I have spit up on not only my shirt, but it's on my pants, socks and burp cloth. My baby loves to spit up. Lajoie nails this part. He is one hundred percent right about this. so, that's the chorus. It comes up a couple of times in the song later, but I just hashed it all out here, so I won't have to do it again. I will say though, for the most part, Lajoie is about 90 to 95 percent correct with all the stuff he says about being a stay at home dad. The only part that isn't that similar anymore is the paternity leave thing, but that's it.

Then, the first verse. It goes as follows, "baby wakes up around 5am/ kicking and screaming until his face turns red/ he usually tends to calm down once he's fed/ I give his bottle my wife gets out of bed". Okay, first off, I already said my baby sleeps until about 8 am my time. so, thankfully I don't have to deal with the 5am wake up call, but I think this makes me an anomaly. Most kids do get up very early, but my kids are pretty decent sleepers. Now, that's not to say that I haven't had early wake up calls, but it's not an everyday occurrence. The kicking and screaming only happens about 50 percent of the time. Some mornings I catch her before she starts to really freak out, but other days, it is the kicking and screaming and the red face. This definitely has happened to me on more than one occurrence. And yes, once I feed my daughter, and my son was the exact same, they immediately calm down after they get that first sip from their bottle. the crying stops and everything goes back to being calm and quiet. My wife is already on her way to work when I feed her, so she has been out of bed for awhile prior to the first feeding. This verse is very different from my everyday life, but I bet most stay at home parents deal with Lajoie's version much more so than my version. My kids are decent sleepers and my wife leaves before they wake up.

Then the second verse goes, " cook my wife breakfast while she's getting ready/ uh oh uh oh someone's diaper is smelly/ uh oh uh oh it leaked all over his belly/ uh oh uh oh it looks like mustard and jelly". So, all of this has, and will continue to happen to me, unitl my daughter is out of diapers. Also, my wife takes breakfast to work or makes her own breakfast. She is a much better cook than I will ever be. But, the smelly diaper, the leaky diaper, the mustard and jelly look of a leaky diaper, it's all true and it has all happened to me about a dozen times. My life very much mimics this verse, minus the cooking breakfast, to a T.

This verse is followed by, " kiss my wife good bye while I clean up his bum bum/ it's time for his bath/ this is going to be fun fun/ I try not to get soap in his eye/ he really doesn't like it, it makes him cry". Yes, a good bye kiss happens every morning, but not while I'm changing a diaper. But, after a leaky diaper, there is always a bath. My daughter loves baths. She soaks it all in. She doesn't even care about getting soap in her eye. We also buy the tear free shampoo too. So, this verse is different from my life. But, as I have said before, I'm in the minority. I'm sure a lot more parents deal with what Lajoie has to say, I just don't. I'm lucky I suppose.

The next part of the song goes, " but if he cries I've got a trick/ I make funny noises with my mouth like this/ goo goo ga ga ga/ then we play peekaboo/ it makes him laugh". When my daughter cries I do all the same stuff and more. I make funny noises. I make her laugh. We play peekaboo a ton. She loves it all and I do it all. Totally parallels my real life. Then we get the chorus. It's the same, with a few changes. He mentions he likes his job a lot. I do as well. He mentions that it's a full time job. It sure as hell is. He mentions having an afternoon snack and watching shows during afternoon naps. That's when I watch movies and my shows and when I eat lunch. So, spot on.

The final verse has the lyrics, " if I have to run errands I take the van/ strap him in his car seat/ and take the baby bag/ I always make sure his seat is well strapped in/ my baby's security is important/ groceries, pay some bills, visit grandma/ but I have to be back by 4 o' clock/ so I can prepare supper while I watch "Oprah"/ what sounds good tonight, maybe some pasta/ and a Caesar salad, my wife likes that/ 5 o' clock is the time she gets back/ she asks me how my day was I say not bad/ it's all in a days work as a stay at home dad". So, the errands. My life is running errands and I always take the SUV. I always make sure my daughter is comfortable and safe in her seat. I NEVER leave the house without my diaper bag. So far, 100 percent correct. We visit my kids grandparents all the time and we always make sure we make it home before my wife gets home so my kids can wind down. However, I do not prepare supper or watch "Oprah". I'm not a good cook, see above, and I don't care for afternoon talk shows. My wife gets home an hour earlier, but still pretty much the same. We always ask each other about our days and we always seem to say the same thing, it's a days work. This verse is pretty much one hundred percent straight on. It is a near perfect representation of my life.

The ending is the chorus as well, with some extra stuff added in. Lajoie mentions he gets high on baby hugs and watches movies and shows with the kids. I do both of these things, but my favorite Disney movie is the "Lion King", not the "Lion King 2". Then he finishes it off by repeating, "that's right I take care of my children" over and over again.

This song is almost the perfect representation of my daily life. I think about 75 to 80 percent of it is an exact parallel of my daily life. Lajoie is a genius comedian and song writer and "Stay At Home Dad" is his piece de resistance. It's an excellent, and very true, song.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does not need "Oprah" in his day, he already has Ina. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

"A Moon Shaped Pool" is Further Proof that Radiohead is the Best Band in the World

Make your ears, heart, and mind happy with some good music

News alert, Radiohead released a new album yesterday. I bought it, but I waited until today to listen to it, and it is incredible, just like everything else Radiohead does. The record, "A Moon Shaped Pool" shows the growth and the same experimentation that the band has done since they busted out on the scene in the 90's. The record has rock, ethereal music, slow songs, touching songs, basically, it has everything we expect and love from Radiohead.

I know that there are other guys in the band, but Radiohead is really all about Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood. They are the two geniuses behind this wonderful band. Yorke is the eccentric, yet super talented front man that does a little bit of everything. Greenwood is the genius that writes and sonically puts all the music together. "A Moon Shaped Pool" has their separate genius on full display. Yoke croons and masterfully sings his way through the entire 11 song album. Greenwood's touch and elegance is all over the place in the music. Johnny Greenwood may be the greatest and most interesting person currently working in music. He is a true genius. You have to look no further than the second track on the album, "Daydreaming", to hear and realize how awesome Greenwood is. The song reminds me a lot of the slower stuff that was on "Kid A", but this song sounds a bit more grown up and put together with a purpose. I love the slower, weirder stuff on "Kid A", but it seems slapdash and spackled together. It's weird for the sake of weird. But on "Daydreaming", the weirdness and the etherealness has a real place in the song. It's structured and so well put together. The song has a base, verse, chorus, verse, but Greenwood has his trademark sound, and it is incredible.

The rest of the album is just as good. The opener, "Burn the Witch", is what a band like U2 strives to sound like, but they can't get there. Radiohead out does U2 on a song that sounds like U2. It's a great way to start out the new album. Yorke sings the hell out of it and the band sounds great. The third track, "Decks Dark" is currently my favorite song. It has acoustic guitar at the beginning, with slower singing, and it builds and only gets a lot better from there. Yorke absolutely crushes this song. It sounds like something off "The Bends", but it is better. They have some longer songs, a la stuff on "Kid A" or "OK Computer", like "Ful Stop", "The Numbers" and "Present Tense" that are great as well. As I've said, they sound grown up and mature on this record. You can tell they worked very, very hard on this record. These three songs are really good too. Sometimes slower, more musically charged Radiohead songs can feel a bit like a chore, but not on this record. They all fit in perfectly and they are perfectly placed on the record. They are all in the exact right spot. One of these will follow a faster or sweeter song and it's excellent placement. The last two tracks on the album are dynamite. Track 10, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief" has an incredibly long title and it is an incredibly awesome song. Yorke, once again, sings perfectly. He has that lower, almost scary type voice that gets louder and nicer as the tune goes on. The music accompanying him is just as good. There's great guitar, drums, bass and whatever the hell else Radiohead wants to do because they are the best. The song builds and builds and it is quite fantastic. The closer, "True Loves Waits" is absolutely beautiful and kind of sad. Yorke croons and moans and wails his way through the song and it is magical. His voice portrays love, hurt and pain so well. You can sympathize with him so easily. He makes you feel his hurt and his pain and we all can relate. The music is quiet, but just as important as Yorke's vocals. It is all so perfectly made and perfectly recorded by the perfect band.

Obviously, I love this record and I love this band. We all knew that something was coming when Radiohead went off all of social media one day before the announcement of the record, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome of their one day hiatus from social media. Radiohead can do no wrong, in my opinion. They are, and always will be, the perfect band. They are timeless. They make some of the best music that have ever been written and released. They are geniuses. And they know exactly how to market and promote themselves in the new digital age. They were one of the first, if not the first, band that let people decide what they wanted to pay for a record when they released "In Rainbows", and now, they can release a record on a Saturday, on Mother's Day, and it will be the talk of the internet for the next 7 days. They are awesome.

To all the people, the hipsters that is, complaining that Radiohead is "overrated" or "need to stop making music" or "old", shut up. This band is the best and we should be lucky that they are still creating some of the best music ever for us to listen to. The hipsters complaining about Radiohead are the same assholes that wear skinny jeans, collect vinyl, wax their mustaches and work in coffee houses that only do slow drip or French press coffee. These hipsters are the problem and they are the main ones complaining about a new Radiohead album. Get over yourself and start dressing more normal and stop judging me because I'm an unabashed fan of Radiohead. I will buy all their records, no matter how many they release and I'm sure I will love them all. These are the same people that still badmouth "The Simpsons" and complain about not having enough room to ride their unicycles because of people driving their cars. So, don't listen to the hipsters, listen to me and buy this new Radiohead album, it is awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may have a big bushy beard, but he is no hipster. Make sure you follow all of Ty's non-hipster thoughts on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Soundgarden

For the greatest American band debate today I'm going to take my first, but definitely not last, plunge into grunge music. There is a lot of influential grunge bands out there and the first one I want to highlight is Soundgarden.

Now, let's get this right out of the way at the start, I did not listen to Soundgarden until much, much later in my life. I mean, they had been broken up, reunited and broken up again before I came to their music. When they first hit the music scene, they were not anywhere near my radar. I was listening to more hip hop and comedy records when Soundgarden made their first appearance. But, as I got older, in my late 20's, I "rediscovered" Soundgardean and, my god were they incredible.

The stuff I heard sounded like grunge mixed with psychedelic music. It was intense and weird, but it was also really good and very interesting. I obviously remember "Black Hole Sun", but to be quite frank, that video scared the hell out of me. All those weird, melting faces with permanent smiles, it was terrifying. But, listening to the song as an adult, it is incredible. I love that a song like that got so much airplay and so much face time on MTV and popular radio stations. That is a dark and depressing song, but it sounds catchy, so the people at those radio stations and at MTV deemed it okay enough to be played. The song is basically about an apocalypse of sorts. Lyrics like, "black hole sun, won't you come and wash away the rain", I mean, that is some depressing stuff. Or, you get stuff like "boiling heat, summer stench, beneath the black the sky looks dead" and that is immediately followed by, "call my name through the cream and I'll hear you scream again". Those are some of the darkest lyrics I had ever heard on pop radio and MTV. This song is about death and decay, but it's got Chris Cornell's unique voice and the band wailing away on their instruments to perfection, and it sounded oddly upbeat. This was a great way to get airplay back in the 90's. You could write dark and depressing stuff, but if it sounded nice, filled with major chords and a kick ass guitar solo, you got airplay. And Soundgarden did it all so well on "Black Hole Sun". Now, in my 30's, not only do I really like the song, but I also LOVE the video. It is so weird and bizarre, but it is perfect for what that song is about.

Soundgarden isn't just about "Black Hole Sun" and Chris Cornell, not by a long shot. First of all, the band behind Cornell is dynamite. Matt Cameron is a very good drummer. They've had five or six different bass players that are all very good, Cornell, while being lead vocalist, also played guitar, but then there is Kim Thayil on lead guitar. Thayil is a master guitar player. The way he used effects and distortion and reverb was quintessential 90's grunge and he was damn good too. He was a joy to watch play. He would whip his incredibly long hair while thrashing away on his guitar. Some of his solos are some of the best that I have ever heard. Thayil was, and still is, one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. In fact, I personally think Thayil is a much better guitar player than a guy like Slash, but he doesn't get the acclaim. That's a shame. Go back and only listen to Thayil and be amazed at how wonderful and unique and awesome his work is on guitar. Thayil is a legend. Chris Cornell has his place, but I think he is a bit overrated as a singer and guitar player. He got very lucky to be in a band with Thayil. But, without his unique vocals, Soundgarden may have never hit the big time. Cornell has gone on to do other things, but nothing comes close to comparing his work in Soundgarden. The band that he and the members of Rage Against the Machine, minus Zack De La Rocha, started, Audioslave, is a joke. Don't listen to Audioslave. Listen to Rage or Soundgarden. They are both far superior. 

Then there is the actual music. I have mentioned and talked about "Black Hole Sun", but that whole album, "Superunknown" is awesome. It was their fourth album, but it is the one that put them on the map and it is the only one of their albums that really needs to be mentioned. "Superunknown" is incredible. It perfectly melded grunge with rock and had elements of psychedelic music as well. We have the aforementioned "Black Hole Sun", but there is also some great songs like, "Spoonman", "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave" and "Fell on Black Days". All these songs are dark and depressing and beautiful. The musicianship is incredible. These guys know how to play and play very well together. I know I said before that I'm not a big fan of Cornell's, but his vocals are perfect on this album for this genre of music. As I said before, I came to this band very late in my life, but this album one hundred percent holds up. They made some records before, and even 2 after "Superunknown", but we don't even need to touch on those because "Superunknown" is so great and such a perfect representation of grunge and 90's popular music. I'm serious, go back and listen to that record and you will be transported to wherever you where in that time of your life. I hear it now and I think back to hearing it for the first time and not understanding it and being scared by it. I was too young to get it when it first came out in 1994. But, 22 years later, I understand and recognize how truly great that record is. That album gave the whole world Soundgarden. Before then, the only people who knew of them where people that lived in Seattle and big time grunge nerds that needed to listen to every grunge band. "Superunkown" unleashed this incredible band for everyone to hear. It is truly one album that allows me to put this band in this conversation. Most of the other bands I have written about have multiple albums that makes it easier to put in the debate, but Soundgarden, while having 6 full EP's, only really needs just this one, and it's more than enough to put them up for greatest American band.

I'm a pretty big Soundgarden fan now. They have tried to make it work recently, but they will never be as good as they were in 1994. They came along at the exact right time for them and they grabbed their chance and ran with it. I really enjoy Soundgarden, especially Thayil, and you really only need to hear "Superunknown" and I think you will agree with me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Have you missed any of our previous Greatest American Bands? You can find them all right here. Ty has a twitter, go follow him @tykulik.

The Arcs are Currently Touring, and You Need to See Them Live.

There was a lot more going on than a guitar and drums.

Last night my brother and I went to see the Arcs at the Pageant here in Saint Louis, and it was a very good show. The Arcs is Black Keys front man and lead guitarist Dan Auerbach's side project. I've written about them a couple of times on the site before, but last night was the first time I had seen them live. They were very good.

The band was very tight and you could tell that they enjoy playing music with one another. Auerbach seemed a bit more relaxed on stage as well. Not that he isn't relaxed with the Black Keys, he just exerts so much energy when performing live with the Black Keys because they are a two piece band. The Arcs, on the other hand, they had Auerbach on lead vocals and lead guitar, they had a bass player, a piano/saxophone player, a guy that doubled as a drummer and rhythm guitar player and Richard Swift playing drums as well as keyboards and a beat machine. They also had their openers, an all female mariachi band, come on and do background vocals and play some instruments on a few songs. This was a full band. I absolutely adore the sound and the show that is the Black Keys, I love two piece bands, but it's nice to see Auerbach venture out with a full band, and it sounds good. He also didn't look extremely exhausted at the end of the show last night, much like he does after a Black Keys show.

The Arcs are a very good band and they proved that last night with this show. They opened with "Velvet Ditch", which is a slower burning, almost psychedelic rock song and they crushed it. I knew I was in for a good 90 minutes after they opened the show so well. they went on to play 14 more songs, but not everything was off their album, which was nice. The majority of the show was from "Yours Dreamily", but they also did a new song, a few covers and they played the excellent "Lake Superior".

"Lake Superior" was written after they saw the Netflix show "Making A Murderer", and it's about the unjust way these people were treated and later convicted of a crime they may not have done. The song is eerie, but the melody and the music is upbeat in a weird way. I was very happy to hear them play this song live. I loved it when it came out, I listen to it on my iPod all the time, so it was great to get to hear it live.

The covers were old timey tunes. They played the Temptations "Smiling Faces Sometimes", The Blue Rondos "Little Baby" and they closed the night with Gary "U.S" Bonds "I Wanna Holler". Each song was great and they put their sound on each one. "Smiling Faces Sometimes" was slowed a bit and made a little more psychedelic, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Auerbach's solo's were clutch on this song. "Little Baby" was played just like the old time tune it is and I loved that. They played the sped up time signature, they sang it like the original band and the female mariachi backing band sounded really good on this song. Closing the show with a cover is always a little suspect to me, but they did and excellent job with "I Wanna Holler". It was a good choice by the band to play a song that is similar to their sound already and they did a great job covering it.

They played a newer song that they recently wrote called "Maybe I'm the Only One For Me". It was a very good, slow song. I liked the lyrics and the music. There was some great reverb from the guitar, the drums were slowed down to an excellent groove and Auerbach's vocals were awesome. They played a couple of other tunes that I'm not too familiar with. Right after "Velvet Ditch", they played "Bad Girl". This was a good, slower song, that had Auerbach using his newfound falsetto voice. It was trippy, but good. Right after that they played "Keep On Dreamin", which I think might be on the album, but I'm not 100 percent sure. It was good too though. Very good guitar and very good drums on the song. I liked it a lot. Their other encore song was a song called "Eyez". I think the Arcs were trying out a lot of newer material and that makes me happy. I like that they are giving the crowds at these shows a chance to hear stuff they've been working on. I liked this song too. It had a 50's sound to it, but spliced with their sound meaning, distorted guitars and loud drums. It was pretty good. 

The rest of the show featured songs off their record. They played, "Put a Flower In Your Pocket", "Pistol Made of Bones", "Stay In My Corner", "Chains of Love", "The Arc", "Cold Companion" and "Outta My Mind". I'm already a huge fan of "Put A Flower in Your Pocket", so to hear it live was a delight. They played it excellently and they even had the weird, choppy effect that starts on the song on the record while they played it live. Auerbach's vocals really shine on that song as well. "Pistol Made of Bones" is my sons favorite song and I got to say, they played it really well. Once again, great vocals and guitar from Auerbach, but the drums, with the loud splash when they sing, "I was shot!", was fantastic. "Stay in My Corner" was sweet and pretty and the solo was very well played. They even had a nice floral arrangement as their lights for this song. It was beautiful visually and sonically. "Chains of Love" was where the female mariachi band got their moment to shine. They got to sing the chorus and the added lines and they sounded great. Really excellent guitar on this one as well. "The Arc" and "Cold Companion" both sounded very similar, but very good. They sound alike on the record and the live show wasn't very different. Don't get me wrong, I loved hearing them both, they just sounded kind of the same. And "Outta My Mind" was great. It's a good song to begin with, but hearing it live and seeing the weird clips they added in the background made it that much better. It was done very well.

I knew going in that I was going to enjoy myself last night. I'm an unapologetic Black Keys fan, so anything that Dan Auerbach or Patrick Carney do outside of that, I'm probably going to enjoy and the Arcs, well I enjoy them quite a bit. It was a fun, fast in a good way and well done show. I liked it being in a smaller venue with a smaller crowd too, more intimate that way. The Arcs are a great band and they deliver when it comes to a live show. If they are coming close to your town, I highly recommend checking them out because you will have a good time. It was a very, very good show last night.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would love to talk about your show in St. Louis. If you are a musician, comedian, or something in between, let us know and Ty will come to your show. Also make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: N.W.A.

Getting back to the greatest American band debate for me today, I'm going to dip back in the world of rap and nominate N.W.A.

N.W.A. are one of the most influential bands of all time. Their members were creators of an all new genre of rap music. They, for all intents and purposes, created listenable gangster rap. Their music wasn't just for the people from Compton, it was for everyone everywhere in the US. They made gangster rap accessible. Sure, people that lived in the suburbs of Missouri, Michigan and Tennessee didn't want to visit Compton, but N.W.A painted such a clear picture through their words, you knew what they were talking about, or you at least had your own idea.

What makes N.W.A. even better, they did all of this on one album. The group only released one full length record, but that record is so influential. Sure, they released other albums under the name N.W.A, but nothing compares to the magnitude of "Straight Outta Compton". That album is an absolute masterpiece. As I said, it gave the entire world a view of the gangster lifestyle and how tough it was to be a young, black man in the ghetto. I have not spent one single second in a ghetto, but this album gives me a vision of a horrible, scary and ruthless place. They do such a great job of portraying this. The album is also full of all time hits. Songs like "Straight Outta Compton", "Boyz in the Hood", "F&^k tha Police" and "Express Yourself" are absolutely phenomenal. When you open the album with "Straight Outta Compton", it lets you know and hear how great the members of this group truly were. Ice Cube explodes on the record, rapping with a vicious and ferocious rhyme scheme and it is awesome. He rips apart the lyrics and just crushes his verses throughout the whole song. When you hear the first lyrics, I get goosebumps and I'm ready to hear one of the greatest rap songs of all time. Dr. Dre kills it on the production and scratching of this song. He was/is truly a musical genius. He was pretty much the catalyst for this group to get started and you can hear his influence on this track. Eazy E is incredible, as he is on all of their songs. He has that high pitched, almost whiny cadence, but damn, it is infectious and he is a master on the mic. I really like his voice and I still haven't heard anyone like him to this day. "Straight Outta Compton" is the most perfect gateway song to the world of N.W.A. It tells you almost everything you need to know about this band.

Right after "Straight Outta Compton", we get what may be their most popular and most recognizable song, "F&*K tha Police". This track is a masterpiece. This song came from all the abuse that the members took from the police in Compton and, once again, they paint a very real picture that almost everyone can imagine, but not relate to. I've been harassed by the police before, in my teen years I had dreads and listened to a ton of Bob Marley, but I never experienced anything they rap about on the song. Once again, Ice Cube is at the forefront of this track and, once again, he is truly killing it. Ice Cube, who is very famous, and I will touch on that in a bit, but he is the most underrated person in N.W.A. He is just as important as Dr. Dre and Eazy E, but not everyone talks about him the same way they do about the others. On "F&*k tha Police", he comes out and calls the police racist and points out that, since they have authority, they choose to only go after minorities. His words and his lyricism are timeless and incredible. This song is so true and so bleak and so heart breaking, but it is so good. I, much like every fan of N.W.A, love this song.

"Express Yourself" is Dr. Dre at his best. He didn't rap a whole lot when he was in N.W.A, but his producing and beat making are top notch and this track is a primary example of his genius. He samples an old funk/rock song, that goes by the same name, and puts the emcees, Eazy E, Ice Cube and MC Ren, on full display. "Express Yourself" has one of the best beats in all of rap music and it is 100 percent due to Dr. Dre. It is a really, really good song.

Then, there's Eazy E's introduction to the world on "Boyz in the Hood". This song introduced us to the tiny, whiny, but super infectious cadence of Eazy E. When he starts rapping on "Boyz in the Hood", I can't help but rap along with him. When he starts out, "rolling down the street in my 6 4", I know that I'm in for a great time, accompanied by Eazy E's super unique style of rapping. This song is so great and Eazy E is so great. I love that he was a dope dealer, was friends with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, and they just threw him on a track, and he absolutely killed it. I love that song.

N.W.A is one of the greatest rap groups of all time. Hell, they are one of the greatest groups of all time. They gave us gangster rap. They made it accessible for everyone. They painted a real picture of how tough it is to be young and black in the ghetto. They are pioneers and they did it on one record. Imagine what they would have become had Eazy E not gotten sick with AIDS. Eazy E was a great rapper, but he needed those other guys with him. He was the guy that bank rolled the group in their early years, but he became a star while recording with N.W.A. MC Ren was a very good rapper and was a perfect fit in N.W.A. He had a hard edge to his voice and was a great counter to the style of Eazy E. He has done some other stuff, like creating his own label, but he is most famous for his work in N.W.A. DJ Yella was a great DJ, but he pales in comparison to Dr. Dre. He's done other stuff, most notably with the group the Wrecking Crew, with Dr. Dre, but he will also be best known for his work in N.W.A.

Dr. Dre is ultra famous. I think we all know that. He was the driving force behind N.W.A and he was easily one of the harder workers and that shows in his later work. After leaving N.W.A, he and Suge Knight founded Death Row Records. In doing this, he discovered and helped some of the best talent to ever rap. He introduced the world to Snoop Dog on "Nuthin But a G Thang" on his classic record "The Chronic". Snoop was a very little known rapper until he met Dr. Dre and then he absolutely blew up. Dr. Dre also worked a ton with Tupac while both were on Death Row Records. They recorded some of the best rap songs of all time, most notably, "California Love". After leaving Death Row, he started his own label, Aftermath, and he has achieved great success. He discovered guys like Eminem and 50 Cent, just to name a few. Dr. Dre also created his own line of headphones, Beats by Dre, that have taken over the world. His hard work has paid off, and then some.

Then, there's Ice Cube. He left N.W.A after recording "Straight Outta Compton", due to not getting what he deserved, and went on to have an incredible solo career. He released many great solo records that went platinum a bunch of times. He solidified himself as a great rapper, but more so, a great lyricist and writer. He had a knack and a way with words that was incredible. He is a genius. He also has expanded into the world of acting with great success. He had a star making turn in "Boys in the Hood". He wrote and starred in every version of "Friday". Two of the three of those are very good, especially the first one. He has done some not so great stuff, but he usually delivers in the movies he has bit parts in. Just reference his small role in both "Jump Street" movies. He is hilarious and does a great job. So, yeah I'll deal with an "Are We There Yet" or a "Ride Along" if I can get a "Friday" or a "21 Jump Street". He has become a major, major ultra famous star in music, television and movies.

N.W.A. was incredible and they belong in the conversation. Side note, the movie "Straight Outta Compton", that came out last year, is so good and a great representation of what this group went through and how they dealt with their problems. It's a really good movie. I love N.W.A and I know a lot of people do too. They were great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks N.W.A. is 1000 times more deserving to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than KISS. Gene Simmons has no idea what real rock music is. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Greatest American Band Debate: Any Band that Prince Was In Part I - The Revolution

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Dig if you will Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, sitting alone playing the piano. He is working through the construction of his groundbreaking opera The Magic Flute. Later in the week he invites friends over to his home, and Mozart plays through the entirety of his masterpiece, just the man and his piano. The assembled guest would probably have been blown away. The master, his music, and his piano. Once the last key has been struck, Mozart would tell the guests that his music can only truly be appreciated with a variety of people playing various music instruments together. There needs to be a variety of vocals to complement the complex score. Mozart is a genius, but his genius can best be experienced with a band working in concert with the creator. Every great artist has become transcendent with their often forgotten bands who elevate the music to its true greatness.

The death of Prince has rekindled an intense interest in the artist's incredible music. With a catalog that starts in the late 1970's and ends late last year, Prince left a musically legacy that has very few peers. This legacy began in Minneapolis Minnesota when a very young Prince was gathering friends together to perform music that had never been heard in human history. The loose group of friends, later known as The Revolution, would play clubs in the twin cities creating what would be known as the Minneapolis Sound. Hit songs like  Controversy, 1999, and Little Red Corvette were not directly credited to the Revolution, yet the band members were instrumental in crafting these hits. It would be a few more years until the general public was fully aware of The Revolution.

In 1984 the film and album Purple Rain hit America. The music on Purple Rain is some of the most famous pop music to have ever been made. Songs like When Doves Cry, Lets Go Crazy, I Would Die for U, and Purple Rain have more than stood the test of time. The members of the Revolution not only contributed to the album, but they also played fictional versions of themselves in the film. Wendy Melvoin on guitar and vocals, Brown Mark on bass guitar and vocals, Lisa Coleman on keyboards, piano, and vocals, Matt "Doctor: Fink on keyboards and vocals, and Bobby Z. on drums - this was the most famous, and prolific, version of the Revolution. Coleman, Fink, Mark, and Z were with the band at the beginning, but the addition Wendy Melvoin catapulted the Revolution's sound.

After the success of Purple Rain, Prince would continue to expand the Revolution with members from other bands. Morris Day's band The Time and Sheila E's The Counter-Revolution would add members to the Revolution's line up. The albums Around the World in a Day and  Parade added more hits with songs like Raspberry Beret and Kiss. The band also released a live album in 1985 simply titled Prince and the Revolution: Live. 

Each new hit single also brought a new music video to the young, and still music video playing, MTV. The Revolution was becoming instantly recognizable outside of their iconic leader. Everyone started to know why Matt Fink was called Doctor Fink. Former band mate Dez Dickerson face and voice was instantly recognizable because of 1999. The many videos for the hits off of Purple Rain heavily featured the band with scenes from the movie. Prince, along with his band, had conquered everything music had to offer.

In 1986 Prince and the Revolution started to plan out and record the double LP Dream Factory. The band was having a lot of trouble getting along. Many members were frustrated with how big the Revolution was becoming due to all the new additions. Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin quit due to not be able to get along with Prince. The duo has had an extremely successful career post Revolution. Brown Mark left after one of the bands tours and went on to become a producer. Bobby Z was replaced by Sheila E on drums and went on to release a solo album in 1989. Matt Fink stayed with the band until it's eventual dissolution 1991 and has gone on to make music for video games and work at K-Tel Records. The final Revolution album Dream Factory was never released. 

In the early to mid 1980's no body was making music as innovative and exciting as the Revolution. Many people to this day credit these hits solely to Prince. The artist that Prince was has no equal. His genius left an unmatched mark on music. Like Mozart that genius needed input, and talent, of others who were singularly talented. The Revolution could match Prince's genius and create incredible music. Dearly beloved. we are gathered together to celebrate The Revolution. When you listen to their contribution to Prince's genius, you will go crazy.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is nowhere near done with highlighting the greatness of Prince. Next up - The New Power Generation. Do you have a Prince band, or any other band, to praise? Come write for SeedSing. 

Prince is Immortal

Prince dead at 57

I was doing some research for an article this afternoon and happened upon the Huffington Post. The top headline, with a breaking news alarm, was that musical legend Prince had died. I thought the story was fake. Immediately I went out to search for the truth. I found the truth, and then my heart sank.

I love Prince. He and I were both born in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. When the movie Purple Rain was released on VHS, my older brother and I rented it and watched it eight consecutive times. When I got a CD player, the Hits 1 and 2 were some of the first pieces of music I purchased from Columbia House. In college my friends and I held numerous viewings of Purple Rain followed by a party set to the music of Prince. One of the greatest concerts I have ever seen was Prince rocking for hours. The usually horrible Super Bowl halftime show was absolutely owned by Prince.  His music is always playing in my world. The song "Purple Rain" is the greatest song ever. Working out, anything from the Revolution Days is in my ears. Relaxing, I love the music he has released in the 21st century. Late night in bed, tunes from the New Power Generation and symbol years always gets me in the mood. I really, really love Prince.

Today Prince left us. When Elvis and John Lennon died, the baby boomers lost an icon. Today the greatest artist of Generation X was taken too soon. Prince may have been part of the baby boomer generation, but he belonged to Generation X. He did not look or act like the artist of our parents generation. He was a musical and performance genius. His look and sound were unlike anything else. Once he became famous, Prince railed against an old and corrupt music business. He was the voice of ownership for any artist who creates. Prince made an impact on the world by not being like everyone else before him. He was a creator, not a follower.

Most people mourning Prince keep talking about his hit music from the 1980's. That is because this was the music that made Generation X love music. Prince's lyrics moved an entire age group into puberty. His performances inspired awe and imagination. His persona gave us a living avatar of sexiness. Now Prince is gone.

As I personally reflected on how Prince influenced myself and all of Generation X, I started to realize how selfish I was acting. Prince's greatness is not just for me and my fellow generation, Prince is timeless. Justin Timberlake said that Prince is not once in a lifetime, he is a once in forever (I am paraphrasing). I read those words and came to the realization that Prince is not gone. Prince will live forever.

Any artist will have their work outlive them, but Prince as a person is still alive. His music will never know a time or generation. His performances will spark imagination until the end of time. His fight for artist ownership rights will assure us that new and innovative music will always be with us. Prince did not just leave us a catalog of incredible music, he assured us a legacy of creation. This legacy named Prince will outlive us.

The news of Prince's passing has made me incredibly sad. I will not get any new music from my favorite artist. I will not be able to watch live one of the greatest guitar players rock out for hours. Yet I am strangely happy. What Prince did with his 57 years, and incredible talent, is make sure that the next Prince has a chance. He made sure that the next genius can be defined on his or her own terms. Prince is forever.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man Podcast

Cloves and Fedoras: Har Mar Superstar's "Best Summer Ever" Belongs on Your Playlist

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

Today an album came out that I have been waiting for over a year now. Har Mar Superstar released his newest album this morning, "Best Summer Ever", and it is weird and great and different and awesome and like nothing and everything of his that I own.

I own all his albums as Har Mar. He's gone by other names and been in different bands, Calvin Crime is probably the best known, but for me, I love his Har Mar persona the best. The music he makes as Har Mar is, by far, my favorite. His early stuff was more poppy, but he put his slant on it. It was goofy, but catchy as hell. He has some great, funny early records. Songs like "Even Gangsters Want To Cuddle Me", "DUI" and "EZ Pass" are wonderfully delightful pop songs. They're upbeat, catchy, funny and Har Mar has a very good voice for pop music. Even his cover of "Alone Again, Naturally", on one of his first albums, is great. He does a very good service to the song.

Then, a little over a year ago, he released one of the best records I had ever heard, "Bye Bye 17". That album is absolutely phenomenal. Every song on it is great. That was the album that introduced me to Har Mar. I first knew of him through his old podcast, "Nocturnal Emotions", and through that was how I found out he was a singer, songwriter and musician. I should have known because the theme song for the podcast was awesome and it was him singing it. Then, during an ad read on his podcast, he mentioned he had a new album coming out, that was "Bye Bye 17", and he would play a snippet of the single, "Lady, You Shot Me". That song is a classic throwback R&B song, and Har Mar nailed it. The rest of that album is much of the same. It's very old school R&B sung by a chubby, balding white dude that looks like Ron Jeremy, and it is so awesome. He portrayed himself as a sex symbol, and me being a bit overweight and chunky, I loved his confidence. Even my wife, who when I showed her his picture was dumbfounded, said she likes the confidence with which he carries himself and she too loves his voice. "Bye Bye 17" was a revelation and it opened the door to me to get all his old records.

As I stated, the early stuff is poppy and "Bye Bye17" is R&B, so I was on pins and needles when I found out he was recording a new record. I didn't know what to expect. So, when I woke up this morning, the first thing I did, after feeding my children, was buy "Best Summer Ever". As I sat down to breakfast I turned the album on. When myself and my kids are eating breakfast, we tend to listen to music in the morning as opposed to watching TV or just sitting in silence. My 4 year old loves to have dance parties in the morning and my 6 month old likes the sound of music, it calms her body. So, I decided we would listen to Har Mar's new record. I put it on and was immediately intrigued by how different it sounded from any of his old records. The opening track, "I Hope", is a short, new wave rock song. It sounded like something Duran Duran or The Cars would have released during the beginning of the new wave phenomenon. I was shook at how good and how weird it sounded. Har Mar's voice was deeper and different from before. It almost seems like he is taking music seriously, not that he didn't before, but this album is devoid of funny lyrics, it's a straight up new wave album, and I love it. After "I Hope", there was one great song after another. I particularly enjoy songs like "Anybody's Game", "Haircut" and "It Was Only Dancing(Sex)". They all have that new wave sound. You know what I'm talking about. There's a synthesizer, muffled, reverberated vocals and gruff guitars. The band sounds so tight on this album and these three songs really show it. To hear Har Mar sing with different vocal stylings is so awesome. He nailed the pop and R&B, and now he nails the new wave sound. His voice is so great on this whole record. He does do some R&B type songs on this record. The one that instantly comes to mind is the albums closer, "Confidence". It's actually a mix of new wave, R&B and 50's style love song. It's so good. He also does a one minute long acoustic tune that's dynamite called "My Radiator". It's a totally different change of pace from the rest of the album, but it totally works. He even has a punkish song called "Famous Last Words" on this album. He plays power chords and yell sings the lyrics, and much like the rest of the album, the song is wonderful.

Obviously, I really, really enjoy this album. It's so different from what I'm used to, but that is a sign of an artist growing and experimenting, and we all know that I like when the bands and musicians I listen to try new stuff. Going back to the dance parties my four year old likes to have for a minute. He got up from his seat at the breakfast table this morning and told me he needed to dance because "this music is really neat". That's a great endorsement if you ask me.

Har Mar did it once again. He made yet another great album. I don't understand why he isn't more well known, but hey, I'll gladly continue to pay 12 bucks to see him in smaller clubs. That's how I like my live music and that's exactly what I will be doing in less than a month now when he comes to play the Firebird here in Saint Louis. I cannot wait to see him play these new songs live.

If you're a fan of Har Mar's, buy "Best Summer Ever" because its' great and it shows growth. It's a really good album and hopefully it will start to get him the recognition he deserves. I highly recommend it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Are you an artist who will be performing in St. Louis this year? Contact Ty and he will review your show. The best place to find Ty is on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Listen and Enjoy Wolfie's Just Fine Debut Album "I Remember But Then I Forgot"

Last week the band Wolfie's Just Fine released their debut album, "I Remembered But Then I Forgot", and it is really good. Now, for those of you that haven't heard of Wolfie's Just Fine, I bet most of you know their lead singer and guitar player, Jon Lajoie.

Lajoie is a comedian and actor from Canada. He has had small parts in movies and TV shows, but he is best known for playing the role of Taco on "The League". He and Rafi(Jason Mantzoukas) were my personal favorite characters on the show. Taco was the younger, stoner brother of Kevin(Steve Ranizzissi). He was always broke, but coming up with new business ventures. Anytime Lajoie was on, it was bound to be hilarious. He also has released solo, comedy music records under his own name. I own these albums as well. I bought them after I heard him sing on "The League". I thought the stuff he did on the show was funny, and the albums are just the same. It's goofy music. He sings folk, rock, pop and rap songs, but they are all very vulgar and very hilarious. He has some great songs on his first couple of solo records. Some of my favorites are "Stay At Home Dad", a Rage Against the Machineesque rock song about changing diapers, feeding his baby and making dinner for the family. He also has a folksy tune about the horrifying "2 Girls One Cup" video, where he almost makes it a love song. It's disgusting and terrifying and awful, but damn it's catchy. He has a fake, almost comically bad rap song called "Show Me Your Genitals", that is exactly what you think it's about. The way Lajoie raps the song is great and very funny. Basically, all his early music and his YouTube channel is based on comedy. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and I like that.

About a month ago, I had heard rumors that he was going to make a "real" album. No jokes, very little swear words and have a real, straight up folk band backing him up. I was intrigued. This wasn't the same feeling I experienced with Donald Glover when I found out he was a rapper who went by Childish Gambino. I thought he would be jokey, but he is a straight up rapper, and he is very good. The feeling I had when hearing that Lajoie was going to put out a real folk album was gloom. I didn't know if it would work. His comedy stuff is so funny and plays to his persona so well, I didn't want him to stray from that.

Then, about 2 or 3 weeks ago, Lajoie released the first single from Wolfie's Just Fine, "It's a Job", and I listened with caution. Instead of the gloom I initially felt, I immediately loved the song. His voice was a perfect fit for this style and genre of music. The backing band was great, never playing too loudly or too softly, they hit the sweet spot. I don't know why I had the gloom feeling at first, because a lot of his comedy music is folk based. So, instead of being dirty or gross, he just wrote and sang regular old folk songs and the single is awesome.

The album came out last Friday and I bought it that day. I have listened to the album three full times now, and it gets better and better to me every time. I love Lajoie's voice on every song. I love the band on every song. I love the lyrics and I love the music. I genuinely love this entire album. It's all folk, but the band does both slow and upbeat folk songs. It's really good guys.

Besides, "It's a Job", there are some other great songs like "I Forgot", "Todd and Janelle", "Never Me", "Marie-Eve" and "Running From My Savior". "I Forgot" is one of the slower folk songs, with a great guitar riff and great lyrics. The song slow burns and the riff running through the whole song is wonderful. It's a beautifully slow, throw back folk song. "Todd and Janelle" is a great, faster love song about two people that don't seem to really like each other. It's the only song with swear words on it, but it's not to shock, it's needed to explain the relationship between the two title characters. The music is faster, with a great drum groove. I didn't like the song at first, but on the third listen, I was on board and it's one of my favorite tunes on the whole record. "Never Me" has a great piano groove and awesome vocals from Lajoie. The song is very Billy Joel esque, but in a good way. I don't care for Joel personally, but I do enjoy his faster piano music and this is Lajoie's best interpretation of a good Billy Joel song. It's one of the more fun songs on the record. "Marie-Eve" is a wonderful love song. It's all the best things about old school folk stuffed into one 3 minute song. This song could have easily been written and sung by a young Bob Dylan. I wouldn't have been surprised had it been on the soundtrack for "Inside Llewyn Davis" had it been released at the time. I love this song. It's probably my favorite song on the whole record. The closer, "Running From My Savior" is so good and kind of boastful. It's a very good mix of rock and folk, definitely leaning more folk, and it finds Lajoie calling himself a God at the end of the song and during the chorus. I like that he can still be boastful, even when making a legit album. It also doesn't hurt that the song is very well written and very well played by the band.

I love this whole album, obviously. I hope Lajoie continues to do both styles of music. I still really enjoy his comedy music, but I really, really like this new direction he has taken. As I've written many times before, it's nice when musicians and singers take chances, and this is a huge risk taken by Lajoie, that totally pays off. I hope this album gets Lajoie noticed and recognized more in the music business. He's a well known actor by now, but he needs to be more well known as a musician.

Remember when listening to Wolfie's Just Fine, if you are already a Lajoie fan, it is not comedy, it is legit music. Don't expect jokes. But, I think if you are a true fan of his, you will really enjoy this album and really like this direction he is moving in. I love the band and I love the album. Go check it out if you are already a fan of Lajoie's, but also check it out if you are a fan of folk music. It's worth a listen, and I think all fans will really like it. I know that I do.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is getting more and more interested in the world of comedy - music fusion. His most anticipated film of 2016 fits this bill. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: We Miss Deadboy and the Elephantmen and also Ben Kweller

Instead of singling out one band for the greatest American band debate today, I want to talk about one band and one musician, that I'm a huge fan of both, that just kind of disappeared in the last five or six years. I was very high on both when they released new records, but one day, they both just vanished. I still listen to them in my car, but there has been no new music, at least to the best of my knowledge, from these two in a long time. This won't be like one of my previous blogs when I talked about bands I used to like, like Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals and the White Stripes, who I don't care for anymore. And it will not be like another blog when I wrote about bands on the cusp of greatness, like Alabama Shakes and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. These two each had potential, but they just up and vanished and I have been craving new music from each of them, but I don't know that it will ever happen again.

First, I'm going to address the band. The band that I'm talking about is Deadboy and the Elephantmen. This band was, and is still, great. This was a two piece band, consisting of guitar and drums. They came out in the early to mid 2000's and really used the two piece phenomenon to their advantage. The White Stripes and the Black Keys both started to gain notoriety in the mid 2000's , and a lot of 2 piece bands starting showing up. I listened to most of them, but besides the Black Keys, Deadboy and the Elephantmen really stuck with me. I really enjoyed their sound. It was one guy and one girl. They did the White Stripes thing, the guy playing guitar and being the lead singer and the girl on drums. They did branch out a bit, letting the lady do lead vocals on some songs. They sounded awesome together.

You may be reading this and saying that you have never heard of this band, but I know that you know at least one of their songs. The song that introduced me to this bad was called "Stop, I'm Already Dead". This song was played a ton, and it is still being played. In fact, it's the opening theme song to the show "I Zombie". It was a great, hard rocking song. They sounded a bit like early Black Keys, so I was on board. I loved the single, and I bought the whole album almost immediately. The rest of the record is fantastic. They play mostly rock songs, but there is also some slower, ballady type stuff on the record. I was really intrigued by their sound and I thought that they could take it in all kinds of different directions. I listened to the record on repeat for a long time. I figured they'd be coming out with new stuff soon because their debut album was awesome.

Eight or nine years later, and there is nothing. I don't know if I missed new material or if they just stopped after one record. I really liked this band a lot and I was hoping for a lot of records from them over the next decade. That unfortunately hasn't happened and I don't know what happened to them. I love and miss Deadboy and the Elephantmen. I truly expected great things from them, but I guess I will have to settle for their one record. At least it is a very good, very solid album.

The next person was one of my favorites. He's a solo artist and he is extremely talented. There were rumors that he'd play every instrument on the recordings of his records. His concert is one that RD and I have mentioned on the podcast a couple of times. That artist is Ben Kweller.

Straight out of high school, I loved Ben Kweller. I saw the video for "Wasted and Ready", and I was enamored. Kweller perfectly blended the lines of rock, pop, and even threw some punk in there for good measure. He also knew how to write a beautiful, acoustic love song. This dude was awesome. His first album, "Sha Sha", is about 35 minutes of some of the best rock/pop music that has ever been released. Every song on the record is awesome. The aforementioned "Wasted and Ready", "How it Should Be", "Family Tree" and "Lizzy" are all great and they are all mixed genres. This album was crucial listening in my town house for me and my roommates, one of which was RD. I was hooked on Ben Kweller after this. Just two years later, he released "On My Way". It wasn't as good as "Sha Sha", but I still loved it. This record was more love songs and more ballads, but, as I just said, it was great. I listened to it, and learned a lot of it on guitar, in about 2 weeks. Kweller was still big in my life as an early 20 year old. I anxiously awaited his next album, and two more years later, he released his self titled album. This was good, but it was a bit of a letdown for me personally. There wasn't much growth. He was really honing in on the pop/rock, and I had heard the same thing for two straight records. I still listened to the album, but I wanted something different from Kweller.

With his next album, I got exactly what I wanted. A lot of people aren't huge fans of "Changing Horses", but I think it is wonderful. I wanted different and "Changing Horses" is just that. This record is pure folk. Kweller wrote and plays everything on this album. He can write one hell of a folk song and he is masterful on slide guitar. I loved this departure from the norm. It was a breath of fresh air. He showed me, and his fans, that he could do something different. He didn't just have to write pop songs, he could really branch out. I think this record is a classic, but a lot of his fans will disagree.

I was hoping Kweller would take more chances. But in 2012, he released "Go Fly A Kite", and it was back to his pop roots. It's still good, but after the masterful "Changing Horses", I couldn't help but feel let down. The best thing about "Go Fly A Kite" was the fact that he released the tablature for the whole album. This made it even easier to learn his songs from this album on guitar. But, since then, Kweller has not released any music. It's been four years now, and I don't know if he quit making music, if he got bored of making music, or if he just wanted to focus on being a dad and husband, but I miss his music. I still have all his albums, but "Changing Horses" and "Sha Sha" are the two I listen to the most. Hopefully, he will return to making music, but you never know, and four years is a long layoff for someone that is not that famous.

I loved, and still love both Ben Kweller and Deadboy and the Elephantmen, I just wish they kept making more music. They were both unique and interesting in their own ways and I could only imagine how much better and more experimental they could have gotten, had they continued to make music. I miss you guys and I hope you reunite, Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and I hope you get the urge to write and record more, Ben Kweller, because the music business and the fans miss you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Did you know Ty likes guitar music? He even has a favorite kind of guitar. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: What is Hip and Cool is Always Changing

So, I never really thought I was getting old until very recently. Now, I'm not old by any means. I'm 33 and I'll turn 34 near the end of 2016. But, working with younger kids has made me feel kind of old. I will reference players that I assume everyone knows, even if that everyone includes children that were born in 2010. I made a reference to Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Kemp during basketball season, and the kids, especially the 5 and 6 year olds stared at me blankly. I didn't realize they have no idea who those guys are and Shaq is a sure fire hall of famer. But, the younger players only know of LeBron James and Steph Curry. At least most know who Michael Jordan is, even if it only means they know about his sneakers, they at least know the name.

But, sports aside, I am getting pretty old when it comes to pop music and music played on the radio. I recently sat down with my 12 and 9 year old nieces, you'll hear them on the podcast tomorrow, and the people they were telling me about, I maybe knew 1/3 or even a 1/4 of their names. I looked at them as blankly as my young athletes looked at me. I consider myself a pretty hip and knowledgeable person when it comes to music. But, with that being said, I do not care for pretty much all of modern pop music. There's a few people I enjoy. I like Hozier, I've written about Alabama Shakes and I'm a humongous Black Keys fan, but I was also told by my nieces that those aren't really pop bands and musicians. Their music is more rock they said.

This was the exact moment when I felt old.

This must have been what my parents felt like when I was listening to Puff Daddy and Mase and I told them that their music was old and stuffy and uncool. I finally understood what they said to me back then. I would get older one day, and what I like will not be popular anymore, if it ever was. I thought they were crazy, but they were right, as they always have been. My nieces threw some bands and singers at me and they may as well have been speaking a foreign language. As I said, they will name all these people on the podcast, but I still don't remember the names. I know of people like Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and One Direction, which the 9 year old rants about, but those people weren't even really on their radar anymore. They've already moved on from these bands and found new singers and bands to adore.

While this makes me feel old, I also feel like this is a big problem with modern pop music. No one sticks around that long anymore. Sure, some will have two or even three hits, but the majority are new versions of "one hit wonders". There's so many bands and singers that have one hit song, but they never do anything after that. At least nothing that's played on the radio. This doesn't make them bad singers or bad bands, it just means they capitalize on one song and on a very young fan base who's musical taste isn't fully developed yet. This is not meant to be a slight, I just said I listened to Puff Daddy and Mase, but then I grew up and, in my opinion, I got way better taste in music.

I also listened to what my dad said and listened to the music he lent me the older and more mature I became. My dad introduced me to Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Robert Johnson, among many, many others. This makes me hopeful that my nieces parents will do the same. Their dad is my oldest brother and he and I have similar taste in music. I hope he does what our dad did for me, but I also know that he plays good music, like Radiohead and TV on the Radio in their house, so the girls are being exposed to good music, they just don't recognize it yet, just like I didn't when my father was playing good music in the house.

I know they will come around at some point, with urging from their parents, but it was equally fascinating and upsetting at their knowledge of modern pop music. They both really do listen to everything they can, that's great and very fascinating. They devour as much pop music as they can. It's awesome that young kids still listen to so much music, even if it's stuff I don't care for. But, it's also upsetting because this is the first time that I have truly felt old. I just had no idea of what they were talking about at times and I was that old man berating young kids and their music these days. I feel like I will try and listen to some of the stuff they mentioned, but I know I won't like most of it, even before I listen to it. Modern pop is just not for me, but it has its many fans and its many fans are very young.

Both my nieces give some wonderful insight and they make me happy because they truly do love music. Music makes everyone happy and there is something for everyone. You will get old and young kids music will sound weird to you, but just think of how you felt when you were a kid and your folks wanted to listen to their music. It took me 33 years, but what I thought would never happen happened. I felt old, but it's not that bad. That's what's supposed to happen. As we get older things change and change can be odd and weird, but you will always have your thing and your music. That will never change.

I also would like to thank my nieces for talking to me and trying to open my mind to new music. It didn't work, but they put out an excellent effort. Listen to the podcast tomorrow because it's was a delight to record and I know everyone, be they 80 or 8, will really enjoy the two conversations I had with my two nieces. They were funny, insightful and a lot of fun to chat with, even though they made me feel old.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Like Grandpa Simpson, Ty was once cool, but what was cool to Ty just changed, and now it is scary. Listen to the X Millennial Man Podcast tomorrow to hear the tale, and make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: The Moldy Peaches

For the greatest American band debate today, I'm going to nominate a band that is way off the realm from almost any band I've written about to date. You could call this band genre-less or you could say that they span many, many different genres of music. They play folk, rock, metal, ballads and they even rap on a few songs here and there. They also only put out one official album. They had LP's and EP's, but they only truly released one record in their short run. Now, I absolutely adore this band and they were also the first band that I heard that made me think, professional music can be easily done, if you know how to manipulate equipment the right way. They also did everything themselves. They recorded, produced, wrote and released everything on their own dime, to the best of my knowledge. This band will not be a popular pick for some, but as I said, I adore this group and I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize how influential they were and how they gave me true and real hope of becoming a professional musician. The band that I speak of is the Moldy Peaches.

I LOVE the Moldy Peaches. I first heard them when I was a teenager and my love has only grown from there, and they only have one real album. I cannot stress that fact enough. I don't know how they crept in my mind and stayed there for so long with such little material, but dammit, they have stuck around. I still listen to their self titled album in my car to this day. Sure, they released live and rare stuff that only hardcore fans of the band like myself own, but their self titled is the only real commercial record they have. And it is great. They have had as many as 11 unofficial members in the band, including Toby Goodshank, who I saw recently and he is great, but the Moldy Peaches is primarily, and most importantly, all about Kimya Dawson and Adam Green.

Everyone by now knows of Kimya Dawson. She is a folk singer that did all of the original music for the movie "Juno". She kind of blew up after that soundtrack and movie were released. It was well deserved because she has a unique voice, can play decent guitar and writes poignant, beautiful and silly songs. She has continued her musical career post Moldy Peaches very well. She tours and records new stuff to this day, but I will always love the Moldy Peaches stuff the most.

Adam Green may not be as well known as Kimya. Yes, he still plays and records, but he hasn't gotten the acclaim that his former girlfriend and bandmate has achieved. This is partly his doing and partly the industry's doing. He's very talented, but he is also heavily involved with drugs and art and making weird short films that make no sense. He does art with Macauly Caulkin. In fact, they have had a show and boutique of their drawings and paintings and they are very, very bizarre. Green has also played music with a lot of people including Ben Kweller, Binki Shapiro and Har Mar Superstar. He is a much better musician than artist or filmmaker, in my opinion. He, much like Dawson, knows how to write and craft sweet, but very silly and very weird songs. And, also much like Dawson, I enjoy his Moldy Peaches stuff the most. I have seen him live, and we discussed the show on a previous podcast, but, that show was weird and he walked off stage after playing wrong chords and singing wrong words. But, while I enjoyed the majority of his show, before he walked off stage, this was were I decided to buy not only his solo album, but the Moldy Peaches album.

So, this wacky and wild show was my gateway to one of my favorite bands. I went home the next day, listened to Green's solo album first, enjoyed it, then listened to the Moldy Peaches record and immediately adored it. It played on repeat in my car stereo and apartment for the next two or three months straight. Friends and family would come over and be very confused with what I was listening to, then that confusion would turn to, typical Ty, listening to some weird folk music. Everyone, with my brothers Seth and our editor RD being the lone exceptions, blew off this weird band I was suddenly enamored with. That didn't stop me. I listened to this record so much, I knew all the words to all the songs within a week. I love every song on this record. There are some great tracks like "Lucky Number Nine", "Nothing Came Out", "Downloading Porn With Davo", "Steak for Chicken", "Anyone Else But You", "Little Bunny Foo Foo", "Who's Got the Crack" and "Lazy Confessions". In my mind, these are all classics. These songs span all kinds of genres of music and they do it quite well, considering that they seem to be recording on either a tape recorder or an old school eight track recorder. I love that. "Lucky Number Nine" is a great, folksy opener to the album. It's very simplistic in it's skeleton, it's just drums, guitar and bass. But, Kimya Dawson's vocals are very good and Green's backing vocals are great. It's an awesome song. "Nothing Came Out" is also a very slow folk song, but it's also dirty and silly. Quintessential Moldy Peaches. "Downloading Porn With Davo" is raunchy, pop punk, silly and awesome. I'm not a big fan of pop punk music, but the Moldy Peaches do it extremely well. "Steak for Chicken" is so weird and absurd, but the music is classic rock and roll, with Green playing some really good, really underrated guitar. It's like Andy Kaufman wrote a song and the Moldy Peaches recorded it. It's a perfect marriage. "Anyone Else But You" is probably their most famous and sweetest song. You may think you don't know it, but you do. It's the song that Michael Cera and Ellen Page sing to each other at the end of "Juno". The song shows love from both the man and woman's perspective, but the woman is more aggressive and the man is a bit of a whipping boy. I absolutely adore this song. This song should be played at every wedding everywhere. It's wonderful. "Little Bunny Foo Foo", the old traditional kid song, is turned into a punk rock song, with Dawson yell singing the vocals by the end. I love it. "Who's Got the Crack" is everything that is great about Moldy Peaches. They sing slow and fast. They pay their instruments slow and fast. And the song is one of the most absurd and one of the dirtiest songs I've ever heard. It's incredibly vulgar and weird, but it is also tremendous. "Lazy Confessions" is a return to slower folk music and I absolutely love Dawson's vocals on this song. The whole album is great, but these particular songs are my favorites.

I love how weird and how primitive the Moldy Peaches were. Both Green and Dawson are still kind of primitive in their solo stuff, but nothing compares to what they did in the Moldy Peaches. Dawson has achieved more success, which isn't surprising, but I'm kind of shocked that Green isn't more famous. Anyway, I love the Moldy Peaches and I could not continue with this greatest American band debate without mentioning them. Don't listen to them with your kids, but listen by yourself and I can almost guarantee that after three or four listens, you will get what I'm saying and you will become a fan.

Did I mention that I love the Moldy Peaches.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do you have a greatest american band nominee? Tell us all about it. While you think of your favorite band, follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Thank You Phife Dawg

I was going to write about one of my favorite bands today for the greatest American band debate but, I woke up and received a text from a friend of mine that Phife from A Tribe Called Quest had passed away. I know, I wrote a very extensive piece on ATCQ as one of the greatest American bands, but Phife's passing deserves a piece solely based on him.

I love ATCQ, but I really loved Phife. As I wrote in that blog, he was, by far, my favorite member of the group. I loved his delivery. The way he rhymed was ferocious and fiery. He could spit so fast, but you could also understand what he was saying. He was a killer on some of their most popular and famous songs. Go back and listen to him on tracks like "Stir it Up", "Stressed Out", "Can I Kick It", "Buggin Out", I mean, the list could go on and on. He had a delivery like no one else then or now in rap music. He's said that he didn't like his voice at first because it sounded so high pitched, but I loved it then and I loved it when it got gruffer. He was the best in one of the best groups of all time. Sure, he and Q Tip fought all the time, but who wouldn't get angry with someone that they've been friends with since they were toddlers. In the excellent Michael Rappaport documentary, "Beats, Rhymes and Life", I found myself siding with Phife over Q Tip in every argument that they had. He seemed like the more reasonable one of the two.

It's a shame that he's gone too because he never really did any solo work. He released one solo album in the early 2000's that's okay. But, he was working with renowned DJ, J Dilla, on a new album. That would have been tremendous. I knew that he had a lot of health issues. He had to get a new kidney awhile back and he was a severe diabetic. His diabetes was so bad, he'd miss shows and appearances because he couldn't function well enough to perform. He said himself that sugar was a drug to him. He couldn't get enough no matter how much he had. He even talked about things like Dr Pepper in his lyrics, so you know he loved sugar.

All this being said though, I thought he had so much more time left to live. He said in a recent interview that he was "in a good spot" and was "feeling pretty good". I took these words to heart. Being a fan, I just wanted him to be okay. I wanted to hear more music from him. I wanted ATCQ to get back together and perform some more live shows. I assumed all this was on the table. But, then I woke up to that text. Naturally, I had to check for myself and Google and Twitter confirmed my fears that he was gone. This is a real travesty. It's not on level of what happened yesterday in Brussels, but for the music world, this stinks. Phife will be missed deeply by myself and countless others. He was a true emcee and one of the best of all time.

Go back and read my piece on them, I heap the most praise on Phife, and it's not even close. I know I will be listening to ATCQ the rest of the day. It will make me sad, but also happy that, at the very least, I have five albums to hear Phife's great and timeless work. RIP Phife Dawg, you were a true legend and will go down as such in the future. I miss you already.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: The Mars Volta

For the greatest American band today, I'm going to nominate the Mars Volta. I truly adore this band, but it took awhile for me to get on board. When I first heard them, I just didn't get it. It sounded loud and weird and very distorted. I'd be lying if I didn't say, it kind of felt unlistenable. But, I gave them another try and I'm very happy that I did. I started to get it after three and four listens. I started to understand what they were doing and the type of music they were playing.

This could be a surprise to some, but Mars Volta was my first taste of prog rock. I had never heard anything like it before, so I feel like that's why it may have been so weird to me at first listen. But, before I gave them a second try, I started to listen to bands like King Crimson, Tool, Procol Harum and ELO. I allowed my musical mind to be expanded to different and newer types of music. I was instantly intrigued by both King Crimson and Tool. Those two bands are absolutely incredible. I've already made quick mention of King Crimson on the site before, but they're not eligible for this debate because they're from England. Tool, who I will most definitely write about at a later date, is eligible and they are some of the most talented and eccentric musicians that I've ever listened to and seen live. They're awesome. Procol Harum was a bit more rock heavy, but they still did prog rock stuff and it was great and way ahead of it's time. And ELO, a band that I avoided for years and years because I thought they were too poppy, is so good. People out there, give them a listen, especially if you like prog rock, because they are tremendous.

All  this new prog rock I had found made me want to give Mars Volta another chance. They also had a semi popular song come out around the same time that I revisited them. That song was "The Widow" off the album, "De-Loused in the Comatoruim". I loved the song. When I heard it on MTV, yes they still had videos and played songs once upon a time, I couldn't get enough of it and I also couldn't believe it was from a band that I once thought was not very good. The song was weird, but in a good way, loud, but in a good way and the distorted vocals and guitar were there and they were excellent. This is one time on my life when one song actually made me change my mind about a band. "The Widow" converted me to a big fan after one listen. It's a great and epic song from Mars Volta. 

After falling back in love with this band, I did some research on them so I could learn more. I learned that the two founding members, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, were in a band before this called At the Drive In. I researched and listened to them, and while they are good, they lean a little more emo rock and they are not as good as Mars Volta. I also learned that Bixler-Zavala was a pretty heavy drug addict and he barely survived after At the Drive In broke up. Thankfully, he had a great friend and a real professional musician, Rodriguez-Lopez, that helped get his head back on straight and convinced him to get back to making music. After getting clean, Zivala teamed back up with Lopez and they formed Mars Volta. What a great friendship and band they had after getting clean.

Their sound was weird prog rock, and after my first misstep, I'm so glad that they stuck around long enough to make excellent and weird music. I've already mentioned "The Widow", but they also have some other great, classic prog rock songs like, "Roulette Dares", "Televators", "Viscera Eyes", "Wax Simulacra", "Goliath", "Since We've Been Wrong" and "The Malkin Jewels". Now, when listening to these songs, know that most of them are 8 minutes plus and they go in very weird and odd directions. They constantly change time signatures, chords, keys and drum beats, but it all works to perfection. Zavala's vocals are some of the loudest and most ear piercing words I've ever heard sung, but he makes it so good. Go and listen to "Roulette Dares" and "The Widow" and be blown away by how extremely awesome his singing is on those songs. It's incredible.

But, the crème de la crème of Mars Volta is Lopez's guitar playing. He is a wizard playing six strings. He does some of the weirdest and wildest stuff that anyone has ever done on guitar. He is my generations Jimi Hendrix and no, I don't think that's blasphemy. Lopez is a guitar genius. I love guys like Dan Auerbach and Tom Morello and think that they are some of the best guitar players ever, but Lopez is better. While I may like the overall music of the other guys better, the things Lopez does is like nothing I've ever heard before. He uses distortion like no one has ever used it before. His pedal board holds all kinds of different effects and noises that he manipulates wonderfully. When I saw them live about 7 years ago, I was amazed at what he was doing and I couldn't take my eyes off him while he was on stage. Lopez held my attention for the entirety of the show and I couldn't have been happier. Lopez is one of the best guitarist of all time and he is probably one of the most underrated as well. The dude is a wizard.

Mars Volta has won Grammy's and been in the Billboard 100 multiple times and they've had their albums ranked in top 100 lists by most publications, but they never seemed to get mentioned as an al time great band. Well, that changes today, because they belong in our greatest American band debate for all the reasons I mentioned above. I may not have liked them at first, but I adore them now and I will adore them forever. Mars Volta rocks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. For ever a decade he thought height of prog rock was Styx. He has since learned of better music. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band

For the greatest American band debate I'm going to nominate Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

I fell in love with this band right after I discovered the Black Keys. I read an article where Dan Auerbach called Captain Beefeheart one of his biggest influences in music and I had to hear this guy immediately. It was awesome. The first record I bought was "Safe As Milk", and let me tell you, this thing is the earliest form of garage rock that I ever heard and it was totally awesome. The sound that his band made with their instruments, the distortion and reverb from guitars, the fuzzy bass, the weird drum lines and fills, and Beefheart's voice, it was incredible. I had heard stuff like this before, but not this good. I like garage music. Bands like the Black Keys, the White Stripes, the Hives, Bloc Party and the Heavy are all in my normal rotation, except for the White Stripes now, and it is all great, but it is not Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

Look at some of the songs on "Safe As Milk". You have stuff like "I'm Glad", "Abba Zabba", "Zig Zag Wanderer", "Grown So Ugly" and "Sure 'Nuff n Yes I Do". All classic and all very different from each other. That's the sign of a great songwriter and a great band. When you can change genres in the course of one album, that takes a boat load of talent and ingenuity. "I'm Glad" is a slower, almost love song, but with the funky instruments playing very fuzzy riffs makes it awesome. "I'm Glad" also has some beautifully written lyrics that come off as legit poetry. Beefheart opining for the good days, saying stuff like, "when we met I was sad, at times I felt really bad, but now I'm glad, I'm glad about the good times, oh, that we had". Wonderful. His backing band, almost sounding like doo wop, is such a great added bonus. "Abba Zabba" is a classic throwback rock song with Beefheart gruffly singing the words to perfection. When he needs to hit higher notes on "Abba Zabba", he knocks that out of the park as well.

Beefheart, his real name is Van Vilet, is one of the greatest writers and musicians of all time. "Zig Zag Wanderer" is your typical 60's rock and roll song made that much cooler by the Magic Band. The guitar and bass are distorted perfection and I could listen to this song over and over again. "Grown So Ugly" has some of the most unique and interesting time changes I've ever heard in one 2 and a half minute song. They start out fast with a heavy guitar riff and Beefheart screaming the lyrics, then just stop completely, come back slow for the verse, then do that over and over again for the glorious duration of the song. I love the Black Keys version of this song,  but the original is so much better and so phenomenal considering when it was recorded.

The opening track to "Safe As Milk", "Sure 'Nuff n Yes I Do" was the perfect gateway to their music for me. It starts out with a fuzzy slide guitar riff, so I'm immediately on board, and it just gets better from there, growing louder and faster and ending with a boom. This song opened my mind to true, original garage rock. Captain Beefeheart and his Magic Band have put out a ton of albums, 9 to be exact, but "Safe As Milk" is the cream of the crop for me. Don't get wrong, their other stuff is very, very good, I just really love "Safe As Milk".

What I really want to touch on for the rest of the blog is the many, many bands that they have influenced and Captain Beefheart's relationship with Frank Zappa. Let's look at the people they have influenced first, There's the afformentioned Black Keys and White Stripes, but they also made a mark with bands and musicians like PJ Harvey, Beck, Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, Kurt Cobain, Black Francis of the Pixies, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and my brother Seth's favorite, Tom Waits. That is a murderer's row of very famous singers, bands, songwriters and musicians. I mean, a guy like Beck, who bends all genres of music, calling Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band is a huge feather in their cap and shows how great of a band they truly were. Even a band like LCD Soundsysytem, that mainly dabbles in the electronica notes how influential they were and covers some of their songs on their records. They may be one of the underrated American bands as well as one of the greatest American bands. That list of people they influenced could go on and on.

Beefheart's friendship and relationship with Frank Zappa helped explain a lot of things abut his musical stylings and just the flat out bizarre stuff he did as a musician. They met each other when they were teenagers and bonded over their love for blues and R&B, according to Wikipedia. They also recorded very early, like when they both broke into the industry, and Zappa helped cultivate the Captain Beefheart persona. Before Beefeheart, Van Vilet was just your everyday studio musician and he performed live with Zappa's band, the Mothers of Invention, who I will definitely write about at another date. As they got older and grew in the industry, sometimes their friendship would turn into a rivalry, like when two brothers fight. They fought because they couldn't tour independently due to contract obligations, thanks again Wikipedia. They fought so much at this time, they wouldn't speak to each other, much like when two brothers fight. They went their separate ways for awhile, but when Zappa was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually take his life, they reconnected. They went back to recording together in the studio and put out some great songs. Stuff like "Muffin Man" and "Willie the Pimp". They remained friends through Zappa's untimely death and I'm positive they were happy they buried the hatchet and became friends again. Anyone that can work with and be almost as musically accomplished as Frank Zappa is a genius in my book and Van Vilet AKA Captain Beefheart is just that.

I suggest, for the young kids out there, if you like the Black Keys and other similar bands, go back and check out Captain Beefeheart and his Magic Band. That was where they all got their influence.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. His early musical influences included Rockapella, The Zack Attack, and The B Sharps. Be influenced by Ty and follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Rick Rubin and Brian Burton

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

In lieu of talking about another band today for the greatest American band debate, I'm going to talk about two producers. These guys are legends in the music business and without them, we would never have gotten some of the greatest bands of all time. They're both mainly producers, but one also doubles as a pretty good musician. The two people I'm going to talk about today are Rick Rubin and Brian Burton, AKA Danger Mouse.

Let's first start with Brian Burton. Danger Mouse bust onto the music scene with the legendary "Grey Album". This was a "mashup" of the Beatles "White Album" and Jay Z's "Black Album". This record was incredible. He perfectly blended Beatles with Jay Z. We had never heard anything like this before. Now, it's commonplace for DJ's and producers to do "mashups", but Danger Mouse was one of the first. This record was also impossible to come by. He didn't get permission from the powers that be to make it, so the few that got released were hard to get your hands on. You had to know someone who knew someone that had a copy just so you could get one. It's a masterpiece.

With the acclaim that followed "The Grey Album", Danger Mouse was in high demand. He began to work with a lot of artists. He, along with Cee Lo Green started the band Gnarls Barkley. An awesome concept for this band. Green did the vocals and Danger Mouse did everything else. They put out two awesome albums. The way he met Green was working with him on the "Danger Doom" album. This was Danger Mouse and MF Doom. MF Doom is an awesome, but under appreciated rapper. Their "Danger Doom" record is an excellent concept album. They used Adult Swim cartoons as their base and wrote rap songs to go along with it. Some Adult Swim people that appear are Master Shake, Harvey Birdman and Meatwad, to name a few.

Later on, Danger Mouse was called upon by the Black Keys, one of my all time favorite bands, to be the first outsider to produce one of their albums. He came to work with them on "Attack and Release", their first real ambitious album. He's since worked almost exclusively with them, making their sound more complete. He's added bass where needed and piano as a cherry on top of their unique sound. He was one of the driving forces behind their most recent and most ambitious record, "Turn Blue", and I will be forever grateful to him for making the Black Keys take some much needed steps to further their sound and push the limits.

Danger Mouse also has the band Broken Bells. This is him and Shins frontman James Mercer's side project. This is a great platform for Mercer to step away from the indie rock sound and really take some big vocal chances. He has to hit so many high notes with Broken Bells and he does great. That's something he would have never done in the Shins. Broken Bells is great.

Danger Mouse has also done work with a lot of other famous artists, Jack White, Norah Jones and Sparklehorse among many, many others. Danger Mouse is probably the second most in demand producer right now, and everything he's done so far has been pretty great. He's a top of the line producer.

The only guy that may be more in demand than Danger Mouse has got to be Rick Rubin. I mean, the dude co created Def Jam Records first of all. Just google Def Jam and look at all the ultra famous people that have been on that label, it's astonishing. He and Russell Simmons created an empire. They both created probably the best rap label of all time. Bands like Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and Run DMC owe their fame to Simmons and Rubin. Even a guy like LL Cool J they made famous. Rubin is a total recluse, but when he emerges from his cocoon to work, this guy never disappoints. He was the producer on the "Black Album", Jay Z's best in my opinion.

Rubin has worked outside of rap music as well. His clientele includes  the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, the Avett Brothers, the Dixie Chicks, Adele, Rage Against the Machine, Slayer, Mars Volta, Mick Jagger, the list could go on for days and days. He's even done stuff with Lady Gaga, Shakira and Ed Sheerhan. He has definitely expanded his grasp on all music.

The one thing you hear when people talk about working with Rubin is what a great professional he truly is. He has a knack for hearing and knowing great music. Before him, the Avett Brothers were just another run of the mill folk group. Rubin made them great. Same thing can be said about the Dixie Chicks. He produced their only listenable record. Rage Against the Machine knew they were working with a legend and let him do his thing, ending with great results. Lady Ga Ga, Shakira and Ed Sheerhan should thank their lucky stars that Rubin agreed to work with them. That's a huge compliment. Slayer and Mars Volta made their best stuff with Rubin on board. He's a genius, there's no other word that better describes him. Rubin's talent was on full display when he  got the absolute best out of an almost dead Johnny Cash. Those last two albums of his are masterpieces and a lot of that has to do with Rick Rubin being the producer.

They may not be a band, but we cannot talk great American music without mentioning these two guys that have helped produce so much of it. I can't wait to see what Danger Mouse and Rick Rubin do next.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. As a kid he thought Puff Daddy was the only producer in music. He has since become aware of others. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

A Bad Crowd takes Away from an Awesome Gary Clark Jr.

Thank god the guitar was sober

Instead of watching the stupid Oscars last night (ed note: we will talk about how stupid they were in writing tomorrow and in talking on Wednesday), I went to a concert here in Saint Louis. I feel like I made the right decision.

I saw Gary Clark Jr at The Pageant last night and it was good and it was bad. I'll start with the bad. When you are watching a musician as talented and skilled as Gary Clark Jr, you go to watch that musician. Well, at least where my father and I were standing, that was not the case. First of all, how many drinks do people need at one two hour concert (ed note: fifteen?)? I saw the same people walk to the bar multiple times to get multiple drinks in two hours. That is a total waste of money, in my opinion, I'm not a drinker, and that mars your concert going experience. For example, three guys tried to fight each other not once, but twice because they had way too many mixed drinks and PBR. I was embarrassed for them, but they didn't seem to be embarrassed at all. Some douchebag in a white suit coat tried to start a fight twice and had the fights started, he would have gotten his ass kicked. The fact that the crew working and the police let him back in is appalling. One strike at a live concert and you should be out. That was, unfortunately, not the case last night. Two of these same guys that were trying to fight also decided that a loud, live concert was a good time for them to catch up. I mean, what the hell! It was super loud, Gary Clark Jr uses a lot of distortion, so, how could these guys converse you may ask. Well, they shouted at each other for the first 80 minutes of the show. Thankfully, there was a gentleman standing in front of my father and I that asked them to shut up because he couldn't hear. Thank you sir and screw you assholes that thought a loud rock show was the right time to chit chat. What a couple of assholes. The third and final thing that made it bad was the fact that the show seemed to be oversold. The venue was sold out, but I feel like they really stretched the limit of people allowed in one area for an extended period of time. Nothing can take you out of the groove of a song you love than multiple people bumping into you because they are drunk and they need to get to the bar to get another drink. I had to move seemingly every 2 to 3 minutes so someone could get to the bar. It was maddening. Crowds can make a show great, but they can also make it very annoying and take your attention away from the stage. What's happening on stage is the only thing that should matter at a live show, not drunken assholes, talking too loud and looking for a fight. I hope for the other people on the other side of the venue that they didn't have to deal with this nonsense last night. This could have been a great show, but the crowd around my father and I made it annoying and frustrating.

Let's get to the good part now. Gary Clark Jr is an awesome guitar player and a really good performer. He shreds guitar. When he was soloing last night, I mean my god was it incredible. He has such a knack and a skill that borders on expertise when playing complicated solos. He makes these incredibly hard solos sound easy. He has such control of his guitar and it was amazing to see him live. He opened the show with his most famous song "Bright Lights" and crushed it. The slow burn of the intro into the verse and chorus was just tremendous and then he soloed. It was awesome. It sounded like the album, but with a few added notes and some slight change to what was recorded, he made it sound ten times better. A great start to the show. He then proceeded to play mostly stuff off his first album and that made me happy. Don't get me wrong, I really like his newer album "The Story of Sonny Boy Slim", but I love every song on "Blak and Blu" and on his much loved 4 song EP. He played "Travis County" in the middle. "Travis County" is like country mixed with blues mixed with rock and roll and it is totally awesome live. You could tell he has so much fun playing this song at shows. He ripped through it, adding great solos and singing the song to perfection. I was thrilled when I heard it. He also played "Numb" a little later and that was absolutely amazing. That slow open to the song was awesome live. It is a very slow burn, then he hits a very distorted chord and that's when you know you are in for a great song. "Numb" is my favorite song by him and he destroyed it, in a good way, at this show. It was everything I hoped for and then some. He played a very elongated solo in the middle, trading riffs with his rhythm guitarist, who is also absolutely incredible, and it was a sight to see and a treat for your ears. "Numb" is phenomenal live. He even did a great cover of "If Trouble Was Money". He slowed it down a bit, but he still paid tribute to the legends that have done this song before him. Gary Clark Jr has that old timey blues sound to his voice and he uses it so very well. I loved his version of this old blues classic. Even his slower love songs that I'm not a huge fan of were wonderful live. He brought an added energy to the songs and added some solos that made them that much better. Basically, when I could hear and see him, everything he did was amazing. He has such a great stage presence and commands the attention of the audience that is there to see him, not to fight or get black out drunk.

Gary Clark Jr is great live and I highly recommend going to see him when he comes to your town. Hopefully you get a better crowd experience than my father and I did because Gary Clark Jr is incredible. He is going to be a world wide star if he continues on this path and the next time he comes to Saint Louis, hopefully it will be at a venue where they require silence and don't allow stupidity. This show would have gotten a 10 out of 10 for me if it wasn't for the dumbass people around me last night. Because of these few morons, I'd give it a 7 out of 10, but that is not a slight to Gary Clark Jr, he is amazing. Clean your act up Pageant because I'm coming to see Leon Bridges there in June and I better not have to deal with this nonsense again.

Screw the crowd around me, but Gary Clark Jr, you were awesome. Thank you for being so good that we were able to get through this show even though we had complete idiots surrounding us all night.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. This was not the first time he had to deal with a drunken idiot at a concert, go hear the tale on a classic edition of the X Millennial Man podcast. You can console Ty by following him on twitter @tykulik.