Forgotten Songs of the '80s: Miracle Legion

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Miracle Legion-“The Backyard”

Connecticut isn’t really known as a hybrid for good modern rock but when the ‘80s came around, that all seemed to change. Miracle Legion came out of nowhere with one of the most haunting and gorgeous alt-rock songs of the whole decade. “The Backyard” speaks to memories of time past and harkens back to a time when life was simpler and people took pleasure in their work, including cutting down apple trees and watching them burn.

The simple melody carried all throughout the song is handled excellently and Mark Mulcahy’s somewhat nasally vocal keeps bringing the memories further into the listener’s mind. The easy as pie riff courtesy of Mr. Ray Neal is one of the most recognizable and forgotten of the eighties. Just being able to listen and here the ease with which everything comes together is phenomenal. Thankfully, this wasn’t their only good song, but unfortunately their entire catalog is out of print.

Maybe it was because of the record’s lack of distribution, being self-released initially before being picked up by Rough Trade; lack of current availability, essentially out of print except for some Best of the ‘80s: New Wave, Volume 80 compilations. Regardless, the song deserves to be heard, either used in a commercial for some shitball restaurant or ritzy soft drink, but the people need to hear it and need to be able to respect the band for achieving absolute greatness on their debut single.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhndh2HSiQQ

More Forgotten Songs of the '90s: fulflej-Microwave

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: fulflej-“Microwave”

Ask people about fulflej now and you won’t even get a shrug of the shoulders and that’s a fucked-up shame. Coming out of Richmond, VA in the mid-‘90s, the band were one of the first signed to Scratchie Records, formed by D’Arcy and James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, ultimately known as one of the biggest label failures of the decade. Part pop, punk, shoegaze and even rap, fulflej were one of a kind and their masterpiece of econo living, “Microwave” speaks volumes to this.

Jason Gretchke talks in a kid’s voice about not having, among other things, CD’s, microwaves, VCR’s and other luxuries. But about halfway through is when the music kicks into full gear and starts going all over the place. With Iha flailing away on an e-bow, the band careens faster and faster down the hill until the denouement where Gretchke screams, “I OWN ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!”

After that, the band just excels in everything else going on and the music and the message just gets more powerful. By the end, the band and the listener are totally exhausted and ultimately, the listener walks away from everything like they’ve been on a hallucinogenic trip. One wonders why this quirky band didn’t break through, all you have to do is listen to the music and draw your own conclusions.

The band plowed on before drummer Matt Nelson left and recorded an unreleased album called To Keep a Long Story Long before disbanding. While the band's music is out of print, people should still try and seek it out, in order for their minds to be properly blown!

You can check out drummer Matt Nelson's fabric art here: http://designrustler.fatcow.com

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Jawbreaker

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Jawbreaker-“Fireman”

Signed in the major-label feeding frenzy in the wake of Green Day and the Offspring, San Francisco’s Jawbreaker released one album on a major label before breaking up but that album contained one of the catchiest alterna-rock songs of the late ‘90s: “Fireman.”

Before the release of their lone shot at the big-time, 1995’s Dear You on DGC/Geffen, Jawbreaker had released four albums on an indie, each with more success than the last. The surrounding hype led to a deal with Geffen and a shot at working with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo. The result, Dear You was critically ignored and initiated a huge backlash from their fanbase which didn’t seem to understand the direction the band was heading in.

“Fireman” starts off like other songs of the era but instantly sets itself apart from the rest as soon as Blake Schwartzenbach begins singing. His raspy style, the result of recent surgery to remove nodes on his vocal chords, gives the song an airy style not heard on the radio circa 1995. The rhythm section of drummer Adam Phaler and bassist Chris Bauermeister find the groove and never let go of it. Overtop of it all, Schwartzenbach jams along on the main riff and carries the song. During the breakdown, his vocals take on an eerie vibe, in line with the song. The idea of following an ex-love around has been seen in dozens of films and heard in dozens of songs but Jawbreaker were able to make the subject sound all the more creepy.

Alas, punk fans weren’t ready for this quite yet; it appears they were willing to wait for the likes of Fall Out Boy and The Starting Line and consequently Jawbreaker and the single flopped with the general public and the band ended up calling it quits a year after Dear You’s release. But the band and subsequently, the album’s legacy have grown over the years and will most likely continue to expand as more people hear Jawbreaker and “Fireman” for the first time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMtEDzOfwOQ

Forgotten Songs of the '80s: Masters of Reality

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Masters of Reality-“The Candy Song”

When the first notes of “The Candy Song” came blaring out of some speakers, one couldn’t anticipate much. But that’s where Chris Goss, Googe and the others get you.

As soon as the main groove hits you, you realize “holy shit, is this different!” Chris’ smooth, almost soulful vocals come in and you are alerted to the fact that you’re listening to one of the smoothest alterna-rock songs of the ‘80s. The groove and melody flow together in a way that seems to predict the onslaught of stoner rock.

But unfortunately, many people wouldn’t get to hear it. The self-titled debut album the track came off if was first released by Rick Rubin’s Def American label in 1988. About a year later, the Dust Brothers purchased the album and re-released it on their Delicious Vinyl label in 1990. Consequently, the album managed to sink without a trace twice.

Despite an interesting video, which is how I was first exposed to the song (thank you VH1 Classic), the band never broke through to the mainstream. Even after hiring the legendary Ginger Baker of Cream/Blind Faith fame to play and tour the album’s follow-up, 1993’s Sunrise of the Sufferbus and having a minor hit with “She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)” wasn’t enough. Chris still makes records from time and time and maybe one day we’ll hear another “Candy Song.”

Maybe.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=27721256

Forgotten Songs of the Nineties: For Squirrels

Forgotten Songs of the 90’s: For Squirrels-“8:02 PM”

When most people think about For Squirrels, they mostly think of “Mighty K.C.,” their tribute to Kurt Cobain. If anything else, they think about the unspeakable tragedy that befell the band before the release of their major-label debut Example.

On September 8, 1995, the band was traveling back to their hometown of Gainesville, Florida from playing a triumphant set at the CMJ Music Festival. Frontman Jack Vigilitura was driving the van carrying him, guitarist Travis Tooke, bassist Bill White, drummer Jack Griego and tour manager Tim Bender through Georgia when a tire popped. Vigilitura lost control and the van flipped. Vigilitura and Bender were dead at the scene and White died later. The accident happened a month before the record was released but Griego and Tooke opted on to carry out the release as is, with no changes to the liner notes or anything.

“8:02 PM” was the first single released from the record and immediately catches the ears with an interesting guitar lick and starts out slowly before the whole band kicks in and the listener clearly knows that something interesting is being heard. Vigilitura’s voice was very much in line with many other voices heard on modern rock radio at the time but the music was clearly something else.

Tooke’s guitar takes the music to an interesting kick while White and Griego groove and thrash along behind him. The more melodic breakdowns help the song immensely as does the kind of dirty production courtesy of Midnight Oil and future silverchair producer Nick Launay.

As the record comes to its conclusion the sound becomes heavier and denser resulting in something that might be described as a little heavier than R.E.M. circa Monster. Overall, the record is one hell of an introduction to everything else present on the record. The band was all over the place rhythmically but musically stayed on the same path as old school R.E.M. and other college rock they grew up on.

The single failed to chart but when “Mighty K.C.” was released, the record took off and ended up selling over 100,000 copies. After Griego and Tooke recovered, they recruited bassist Andy Jim Lord and went out on the road to support Example.

When it came time to work on a second record, they all decided they didn’t want to carry on as For Squirrels, so they changed their name to Subrosa, which means “under the rose.” Reuniting with Launay, they returned in 1997 with the hard as shit Never Bet the Devil Your Head. Unfortunately, Epic didn’t promote the album at all, and after touring for a year, two of those tours with a fledgling Florida band called Creed, Griego left the band. They then had to sue Epic to get off the label and ended up calling in quits sometime in 1999. Tooke then took an extended hiatus from music before reemerging in 2007 on an indie label with the return to form Artichoke. For Squirrels may end up being known more for tragedy than tune but the people who have heard the music respect the band and those lost for what they were able to bring to the world.

An Interview with Dramarama's John Easdale

What can you say about Dramarama and their dynamic leader/songwriter John Easdale that hasn't already been said. The band was one of the first modern rock bands before the format even existed.

While time was not kind to the band in the beginning, their legacy has begun to grow exponentially over the years and looks to grow even more with time. So with that, take it away Mr. Easdale.

What was it like when you guys got started?

We were just having fun, playing in the basement of a record store we ran in Wayne, NJ, called Looney Tunez. No thoughts of making a career out of music, just enjoying ourselves!

> What happened when you signed with a French label, were there problems with an American label?

Our first two releases were D.I.Y., and the French label, New Rose, was kind enough to offer to put out an album in France. It came back to America as an import, and that's how it ended up on the radio.

> When did you guys sign with Chameleon and how did you feel about it?

We signed with Chameleon after we had recorded our third album, Stuck in Wonderamaland. It felt wonderful not to have to do everything ourselves!

> What was success like?

Incredibly surreal...still can't believe it's all not just some crazy dream. Also, although we've been around for years, we've never been extremely successful financially...not complaining, just explaining.You have to sell millions of albums and t-shirts and tickets to make lots of money.

> What all happened with Jesse?

He quit the band about a week before we were scheduled to go out on another tour. In retrospect, i don't blame him, but at the time, we were angry! He lives in Canada now...

> Were there any label problems or anything like that around the time of "Vinyl?"

Oh yes, but it was both our fault and the labels. Having been Doing it ourselves for the most part since the beginning, we had very specific ideas about how things should be done, and weren't shy about sharing!Unfortunately, our bass player shared with a journalist, so a big article came out in the "New Times" weekly that featured him complaining about what a bad job they were doing...oops!

> When did you guys decide to call it quits and how did you deal with it?

In 1994, I was struggling with substance abuse, and the band was struggling with finding a place in the post-Nirvana world of modern rock. So we called a halt to the proceedings. It was difficult in some ways, extremely beneficial in others. For instance, I'm still alive and not completely burned out.

> How was "Bands Reunited" and did it fully inspire the three of you to reunite?

Actually, that experience started out wonderfully, but by the end of the evening, it was obvious that a bit too much time had passed to just pick up where we left off...there had been personality shifts, and some of us (okay, it was me) weren't willing to fall back into our old ways...we had committed to doing another concert, so Peter, Mark and I, along with the rhythm section I'd been playing with since the mid-90s, decided to fulfill that obligation. it was gonna be our last hurrah, but the response from the audience was incredible andoverwhelming, so we've soldiered on for another five years, with no end in sight!

> Are you still in touch with Chris?

Yes indeed, we are like brothers. He just has moved on from being a bass player, and has produced an award winning film, managed a lot of bands and hosts a weekly radio show on a big station out here in LosAngeles

> What is the status of the band as of now?

We play as often as possible. We put out a new album in 2005, and are in the middle of recording another one.

> What are you up to now and how is the family?

My family is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and they're all excellent. I'm happier than ever, still reasonably healthy for an old man, and in addition to the band I still do some freelance writing.

> Final question: Favorite song and least favorite song?

I love all my children.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/dramarama/videos/view/anything-anything--2141319

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqBjG2PnFTQ