If I Were A Lead Singer, I'd Be Gwen Stefani

I have to admit, I’m not particularly a fan of reunion tours. Either the band in question is reuniting to obtain some of the fame and glimmer that they have once felt, or they want to cash in because their royalty payments are dwindling. In addition to both of these usual traits, the group often isn’t as strong as they used to be. With this in mind, I watched in horror as No Doubt took the stage on American Idol on May 6, 2009 and butchered one of their greatest hits, “Just a Girl”. While the band was relatively on par, lead songstress Gwen Stefani trebled the hell throughout the approximate four-minute song length and focused more on doing push ups and screaming to the fangirls who only know her for her mediocre solo work.

Despite the time I spent cringing about this performance, I decided to spend a quarter of a paycheck to see her at Nikon Jones Beach, along with opening acts Paramore and Janelle Monae.

Opening acts typically don't stand out for me, and this time was no exception. Jones Beach never had the best acoustics, particularly because the amphitheatre is outside. Perhaps they could be to blame for my distaste towards the first opener, Janelle Monae. Monae, introduced as Diddy’s newest protégé, was very out there. She was like a combination of a black Lady Gaga and Kanye West on 808’s and Heartbreaks. It seemed like she only performed three songs, one being a Michael Jackson tribute. It was confusing to see what sort of music she was aiming to make. She was futuristic, yet soulful. She was manically energetic, yet smooth. Along with dropping her mic stand about five times, her set was messy and left me confused.

I know Paramore more for the lead singer’s, Hayley Williams’s, bold hairstyles and personal dating life more than their music, but their music reminds me of the music that I listened to when I was thirteen. However, I outgrew the majority of my old taste and I just found Paramore annoying. Their fangirls are much more annoying, however. It felt like a third of the crowd solely paid to see Paramore’s 50-minute set, then went home after their mini-show was done.  Their music was forgettable, and I felt like turning emo when they performed that Twilight song. Strangely enough, it sounded like Williams’ voice began to give in near the end of the set. She better rest up her vocals or she’ll wear herself out within a few years.

Luckily, the concert majorly redeemed itself when No Doubt went on stage at 9:33. Along with two touring members, the band showed us loyal fans why we loved them in the first place. Touring solely for inspiration for their new album, Stefani and Company performed their greatest and most beloved hits. Along with that, each member often got to illustrate his or her immense talents throughout the show, specifically drummer Adrian Young and touring members Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair. Of course, Stefani is the quintessential leader, both showing off her impressive vocals and interacting with the audience to the point where she brought up a lucky audience member and hugged him. The quality that I appreciate most about No Doubt is the fact that everyone in the band seems like good friends. While they started in 1986, they interact the same as they did back then. They have a goofy, playful aura to their personalities, and it reflects in their vast catalog.

I often go to concerts and shows for the main act, and I try to block out any bad acts, should they be bad. I have already gotten the bad taste of Paramore out of my mouth, and I’ll probably give Monae a second listen. Solely focusing on No Doubt’s show, it was one of the better performances I have seen within the past year. 

Actors Gone Hickster?

When actors become ambitious and try to make it big in the music world, the majority of them become mockeries at the end of the day. The two main men who immediately come to mind are Eddie Murphy and Bruce Willis. Despite their immense amount of fame in the 80’s, they couldn’t bring that same legion of fans to the record stores. Most actors can’t because they’re not made to be musical artists. Then again, actors such as Murphy and Willis probably made the leap because their egos told them to do so. So, how would a critically acclaimed actor such as Jeff Daniels fare with his latest bluegrass show?

For those who don’t know Jeff Daniels by name, a brief biography would be best. Known for his breakout role in 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber”, he has been in a string of critical hits (“Pleasantville”, “The Squid and the Whale”, “The Hours”, “Good Night and Good Luck”), duds (“My Favorite Martian”, “Mama’s Boy”), and relatively lame kiddie flicks (“RV”, “101 Dalmatians”, “Fly Away Home”, “Because of Winn Dixie”). He showed off his singing chops in some of these movies, but not many knew of his second career as a twangy musician.

One wouldn’t expect bluegrass as decent background music for a classy place like City Winery, filled with wine bottles, kegs, and an abundance of cheese. Come to think of it, the setting does seem appropriate for a Midwestern good time. Surrounded by male tourists with long ponytails and families who traveled to Manhattan to see Jeff Daniels, my date and myself were served platters of exotic cheeses and salamis as Daniels awkwardly walked on stage with his guitar and fedora.

From the first word uttered by Daniels to the first strum of his guitar, I was pleasantly surprised as to how good of a showman he was. He began his first song with requesting that the audience get pictures out of the way, which led to him making silly faces for the crowds’ many flashes. Each song came with personal commentary, varying from how bad of a driver her daughter is to how he lost his wife at a gas station while driving a recreational vehicle cross country. His songs were relatable and poignant, doused with hints of sentiment and humor. His strongest song, “The Dirty Harry Blues”, stemmed from a ‘deadly’ encounter he had with the legendary Clint Eastwood during his stint in “Blood Work”. Any artist who sings about getting brutally killed by Dirty Harry should automatically be considered a badass.

For my first bluegrass show, it was certainly a unique night, despite me not really knowing whether this was a legitimate bluegrass concert. In terms of actors-turned-singers, Jeff Daniels ranks higher than most. However, he knows that he shouldn’t give up his day job to do permanent touring. Perhaps this is the best route to lead, since he might lose his anecdotal charm should he ever follow through with such.

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too - A Review

There are certain acts that are clearly out of my musical league. As an avid lover of the embarrassing Guilty Pleasure, I appreciate lyrics that are even too cheesy for Hannah Montana fans to bear and instrumentals that are sub-par and oh-so catchy. While I do happen to listen to critically panned on an hourly basis, I also appreciate the unsung heroes of the music industry. You know the type: a person or group that isn’t afraid to express themselves wholeheartedly and tests the boundaries with their daring attempts at entering harmonious infamy. This is where Gregg Alexander enters the picture.

After two failed attempts at solo stardom earlier in the 1990s, Alexander decided in late 1998 that his luck might change with the creation of New Radicals, comprised of himself, vocalist Danielle Brisebois, and a string of other unaccredited band members. The first track released off Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed, Too, “You Get What You Give” is mainly known to casual listeners as The Song That Enraged Marilyn Manson More Than It Should Have. Aside from that, “You Get What You Give” is an exceptional example of how a first single should sound. The first twenty-five seconds opens with a futuristic feel (due to the taint of synthesizer here and there) and a countdown from Alexander that throws the listener ten years into the future. The song holds a message of straying away from conforming to the ugliness of society, but is ironically hidden behind the joyful keyboarding and upbeat tempo.

The remaining eleven songs are just as innovative as “You Get What You Give”, but receive little-to-no credit for their brilliance. While the album eventually went platinum, most people only know the leading single and “Someday We’ll Know” and “Mother We Just Can’t Get Enough”, known most memorably for being on the Walk to Remember soundtrack. While both songs are supposed to resemble the ecstasy one is supposed to feel while being in a relationship, they are also the weakest links on a track list that is otherwise innovative and ingenious. A personal favorite, “Flowers” tells of a better love story, where the protagonist is trying to convince his love that their love is “as real as the flowers [she] smoke[s] to get high”. The Beatles-esque guitar strumming and simple piano composition brings the tune together and makes listeners imagine themselves in the same dreamy scenario almost resembling a very pleasant acid trip. Another song, “I Hope I Didn’t Just Give Away the Ending” is particularly haunting due to the internal conflict going on in Alexander’s head for the first two minutes, breaking free by telling himself to “SHUT UP!” and goes into a tale contaminated by cocaine addiction and desperate pleas to get away from living such a life involving making pornographic films to pay for drugs. Truly a terrible story, but it is executed perfectly and will probably be stuck in your head after a first listen. The album’s concluding ballad, “Crying Like a Church on Monday” is a perfect way to end this album of self-discovery and self-loathing. “Monday” is a hopeful plea to try to make life worth living.

Unfortunately, “Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed, Too” was the only album created for New Radicals. A few days after attempting to release “Someday We’ll Know” as a second single, Gregg Alexander decided to disband the musical experiment, insisting that he didn’t want to live a life of touring and interviews anymore. Alexander may be a big-time producer for the likes of Santana and The Bangles now, but New Radicals’ single album should remain a model for budding bands that hope on making a significant impact on the music industry. 

New York Romance

I have an interesting relationship with the five boroughs that lie within New York City. All five of them have drastic differences that separate them from each other, and the stories I hold from each borough are vastly different, as well. I’m fond of the Queens region because I’m technically a Queens baby (for only a month before moving to the Suburbs of Long Island, but that could be overlooked). The Brooklyn area holds a special place in my heart after endless thrifting trips, aimless bouts of roaming around nameless neighborhoods after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and discovering that I could fall in love with the red velvet cake from the Cake Man. I have to respect the Bronx, since I have fond memories from my childhood going to my Nana’s house and having authentically Italian meatballs and bakery goods. While Staten Island gets a bad rep for being the birthing place of guidos, the area is a highly decent area that I should really explore more in-depth one of these days. Finally, I could go on about Manhattan. I’ll choose not to ramble, but living here has, in some way, helped me mature and made me realize what kind of person I really am.

Being an avid music lover, I find elements in certain songs that put me in a New York state of mind and remind me of the life that I’m living here. Certain beats, instruments, lyrics, and vocals bring me onto the streets of the city and enhance the overall experience of being here and just existing. Without further ado, here is my top three songs based around my beloved city.

Coney Island Baby – Lou Reed – Notorious for writing some of modern music history’s bleaker songs, Lou Reed released this song off of his solo debut in 1976 and highlighted his reflective side. The song is a reaffirmation of life of sorts, after all of the treacherous events that Reed has gone through during his lifetime. While he is contemplating every little aspect of life, the background could be mistake for the eerie serenity of Coney Island at night. He even compares his love for a transvestite named Rachel to how much he is infatuated with Coney Island. As trashy and nostalgic as the place seems in the daytime, one cannot help but fall in love with the place, regardless of time of day.

Harlem – Bill Withers – Back in the 1960’s and 70’s when Upper Manhattan was known for the explosion of Motown and soul music, Bill Withers was an icon for putting real heart into his verses. Withers even had the power to add an extra kick to a song simply about how he and those around him lived their lives up in the misunderstood neighborhood of Harlem. The main message he tries to convey in his classic song is that while one’s personal situation may not be all that great, he or she could still have a good time. Extreme heat or cold, lack of food, or confronting lying preacher men every day doesn’t have to stop a person when he or she can look forward to dancing with their friends and acquaintances until the wee hours of the morning.

New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down – LCD Soundsystem – Every person can grow disappointed with his or her own residency after a while. Residents of New York City are no exception. LCD Soundsystem puts the culture of New York into perspective and tries to come to the conclusion as to why the city is letting them down. Closely reading the lyrics, the average man can easily be disappointed with the ‘good life’ found in the five boroughs. They expect to live a life such as Carrie Bradshaw or the cast of Friends, but discover anything but when actually experiencing the city for themselves. People expect all the boroughs to be like glamorous Manhattan, but that is far from being true. Even if the common person does reside in Manhattan, they have to work their butts off to get what they want. Even when one gets what he or she wants, they will discover that the city doesn’t have the same diverse culture like it used to. The city isn’t as gritty as it was decades prior, and it seems like the majority of the region is trying to cater to the upper class, which can easily get a person down very quickly. Despite all of the disappointments found all about, there are a few glimmers of hope in the strangest places. They can discover the beauty of Battery Park in the middle of the night, or could stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall Australian meat pie joint in Alphabet City and eat the best pulled pork meat pie outside of Australia, or could perhaps find an epic outdoor book sale and buy half a library for fifty dollars. Moments such as this keep the doubtful around for a little while longer, and LCD Soundsystem know this holds true for aplenty of skeptics.