Today has been a busy day but now it's time to relax with some great music and prepare for Mother's Day weekend...or just get the weekend started off on the right note. Today, two bands...one out of New York City and the other Rhode Island. (See, I don't always gravitate to Vancouver, it really was just random, honest!)
The Shake hearkens back to the sixties and the British Invasion sound of the time, from the vocals to the beat. The lyrics though tend to be contemporary (sort of) and hard rock riffs aren't forgotten in the intertwining powerpop and classic rock melodies.
In their own words, found by me to be most appropriate...Unlike other groups, each member of THE SHAKE is schooled in a different style of music, and draws from a wide pool of influences including rock, blues, jazz, and punk. The result is what they call “a constantly evolving, more musically diverse style of rock that utilizes distinct melodies and harmonies in order to maintain a straightforward and familiar feel hearkening back to the days of the original British Invasion, when rock and roll could change the world.”I could hear ghosts of the Kinks and the Yardbirds here as well as typical rockabilly rocking and rolling combined with Pink Floyd like psychedelic guitar runs, all intermixed together. I even thought I heard a Moog. I didn't detect much by way of blues, jazz or punk, but perhaps I missed it among the rest of this evolving and interesting retro yet progressive mix.
A fun ride, hard to categorize, which may prove challenging in promoting them and getting them air time, but fun, nonetheless. They definitely shake it up and prove that music doesn't have to be repetitive and duplicative. Personally, of the four very different offerings on their myspace site, Dyin' though the least played, was still my favorite, and with some great guitar riffs and Creedance Clearwater (and similar bands) -like lyrics.
Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband
The second band (or duo, rather) of note today lies within the realm of experimental, pop and rock. Flat 12 is a studio project by Dave Witham (ex frontman for Of The Hour) and Italian composer
and producer, Mauro Colangelo. That combo is certainly one to turn heads but there is no denying the beauty and power of the music they are creating.Brooding, powerful, electronica-ridden, melodic vocals, eerie, driving then relaxed...you name it, you'll probably find it in this trio of songs. Great to listen to but hard to categorize, as changeable as the wind but just as powerful in an underrated way. Just grab a glass of wine and don't worry about finding meaning or message in the lyrics, even as certain as one might be that they are there--just hidden and hypotizing. Just drink the darn wine and stop fretting about figuring out why you like this music. That's what I'm doing.
Check Flat 12 out at http://www.myspace.com/flat12
Have a great weekend! Happy Mother's Day!
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
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