Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Single Bullet Theory One of the coolest bands to ever come out of Virginia, Single Bullet Theory formed in Richmond, not Norfolk as has been stated in several books. But over the last few years, a small cult following has been building because of the music and in particular, 1982’s “Keep It Tight.” The song is bouncy as hell and though typical of new wave around that time, still sounds great today. That’s a testament to the production and the power of the music, with the band sounding incredibly strong but relaxed. The vocals of Michael Garrett carry the song to its highest point and never drops. The keyboards sound like the organist at a baseball game but help the song to remain bouncy and upbeat. The song never got the full push it totally deserved and only peaked in the seventies on the national singles chart but over the years, the song’s reputation has grown considerably. Upon hearing the song for the first time, people are usually considerably surpris...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Howlin’ Maggie When one thinks about Howlin’ Maggie, if one thinks of them at all, it’s hard to remember exactly what song they released in 1996. But if one does some looking, they’ll find a song with perhaps one of the coolest titles of the decade: “I’m a Slut.” Kicking off with the immortal opening line “I’m a slut, that’s why you love me, that’s why you hate me to,” the song immediately sticks out from the rest of the alt-rock pack of ’96. The reason why it’s so different is because of the groove that rides throughout. The keyboards and vocals of Harold Chichester are memorable and help the song ride the waves. The rest of the band click and never let go of the groove and flow and bring the song to its crescendo about midway through when the band comes crashing together in what basically amounts to a breakdown of sound. When it all happens, it takes the song to a different groove but one just as good. It’s a shame that the song got ignored, maybe it may ...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Tad Tad are one of the most underrated bands of the whole grunge scene and that’s saying a lot because there were a ton of bands in that same predicament. But Tad were different because not only did they have the sound and the power but they also had the lyrical ability to back up the sound. It’s all clearly demonstrated best on 1991’s 8-Way Santa . The album was produced by Butch Vig, before Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins and he does an amazing job here. The sound is phenomenal and even the weak tracks still hold up almost twenty years later. While Tad Doyle’s vocals are a bit rough and wouldn’t sound totally together until 1993’s Inhaler, you have to give him props because he’s singing with all of his power and it’s only making the songs that much stronger. While songs like “Jinx,” “Giant Killer” and “Flame Tavern” get the blood flowing and the head throbbing, it’s gems like “Jack Pepsi,” which later got the band in a heap of legal problems as well as “3...