Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Sons of Freedom Of the many alt-rock bands that came out of Canada in the ‘80s, probably the most underrated and forgotten has to be Sons of Freedom. Hailing from Toronto, the band managed to ride a wave of notoriety to small success bolstered by one of the best tracks of the era, “The Criminal.” Kicking off with a powerful, chugging riff, the band comes in droning, until frontman James Newton begins singing in a hypnotic tenor that you can’t escape. Singing about an ex and how’s he basically following her around, the lyrics are straight to the point and as a result, the song becomes all the more powerfully hypnotic. By the time the solo comes around, everything comes together and the band collides together at once and the begins coming to a kickass end. Unfortunately, despite the song’s power, the band ended up getting bogged down in label politics. By the time of their next record, 1991’s Gump , they had essentially fallen off the proverbial pop culture ...

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Stabbing Westward Stabbing Westward are now looked at as basically another band to jump on the industrial bandwagon that was so huge in the mid-‘90s but for a time they were one of the most popular bands in the country. In 1996, they hit it big with “What Do I Have to Do?” a kind of industrial ballad that was their calling card. But it was the second single off of Wither Blister Burn + Peel that was their best song: “Shame.” Kicking off with a slow burning intro, the band soon kicks in with a kind of mid-tempo approach that really gives the song its kicks. Vocalist Christopher Hall then begins singing in his normal soulful croon that really fits in with the song’s vibe. While most of Stabbing Westward’s songs deal with life and love, the haunting creepiness of “Shame” sticks out in their catalog. As the song continues, the breakdown allows Christopher the chance to explore his vocals and to give the song heightened atmospherics. Then as the band comes back...

Back in the late 80s, goof-pop was everywhere, thanks to the likes of the Dead Milkmen, early Ween and New York's own Too Much Joy. Songs like "If I Was a Mekon," "Making Fun of Bums," "Take a Lot of Drugs" and the immortal "Clowns." Bands like this did not come around that often and when they did, they usually didn't stick around long. Fortunately for TMJ, their songs and legacy have endured because of their website, http://www.toomuchjoy.com/ and through the work of frontman Tim Quirk, who now works for Rhapsody. The following are two interviews conducted in about 2008 with Mr. Quirk as well as drummer/former NYC cop Tommy Vinton. Tim's Interview: What was it like when you guys got started? Depends what you mean by “it.” The business was radically different – it was a lot more difficult (and expensive) to record quality-sounding material, but since that meant there were fewer other releases to compete with, it was much easier than ...

Forgotten Album of the Month: Anthrax Anthrax were already thrash metal giants by the time of their signing with Elektra Records in 1992 but then they dropped a bombshell; they were firing longtime frontman Joey Belladonna and replacing him with John Bush of the recently disbanded Armored Saint. Longtime fans were immediately wondering what Bush would do and how he would be able to accommodate to Anthrax’s sound. Everyone got their answer with the release of 1993’s Sound of White Noise . Right off the bat, the fans were rewarded with the hardest sounding Anthrax record since State of Euphoria in 1988. Songs like “Only” and “Potters Field” were not only hard and loud as all hell but were also catchy and could’ve easily been played on rock radio of the time. The fact that the band took on a bit of an alternative sound caught many people off guard but with the shifting tides of music, the band were able to adapt and adapt well. One song in particular, “Room for One More,” is hands down o...