Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Fighting Gravity This is going to be more of a personal preference but that’s alright because I’m the one updating this blog. Fighting Gravity are probably one of the best known, least known bands to break out of Virginia in the late ‘90s. The band were one of the biggest concert attractions in the city of Richmond and grew a devoted fan base that got so big they had a seven page article in Rolling Stone before they’d even signed with a major label. Once that happened with Mercury Records in 1997, the band released You and Everybody Else in 1998 and launched the album with “Wait for You.” The song, produced by Cracker’s David Lowery, is a great pop song that deserved to be bigger but wasn’t. Led by frontman Schiavone McGee, the band immediately launch into a perfect blend of harmony and melody that explodes into an instantly memorable chorus. This method was always one of the band’s biggest trademarks and while always capable of writing great pop songs, th...

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Sparta When at-the-drive-in disbanded suddenly in 2000, people were left scratching their heads and asking questions like, “What the hell are these guys going to do now?” The first ones out of the gate with new projects were Tony Hajjar, Paul Hinojos and Jim Ward with the powerful Sparta. Just over a year later, Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez came out with the Mars Volta, which everybody who was anybody jumped on and proclaimed one of the greatest bands of the 21st century. After that happened, Sparta were left behind and had to struggle for every bit of attention they received which is more than unfair because in my opinion, The Mars Volta are one of the most overrated bands of all time. But anyways, Sparta came out first in 2002 with The Wiretap Scars and one of the greatest debut singles of all time, “Cut Your Ribbon.” Beginning with a great drum intro courtesy of Tony Hajjar, frontman Jim Ward launches into a diatribe against a nameless perso...