In 1982; videos, music and dance changed the industry and brought back Motown! Whether you admit it it or not. Love him or hate him. Gotta give credit where credit is due! Michael Jackson’s Thriller was a groundbreaking album that defined my youth in the early 80’s…..
I tried really hard to determine which album released in 1982, belonged on my list. Prince, Duran Duran, Iron Maiden, Dire Straits and Roxy Music all released albums that year. But they truly paled in comparison to this one.
Songs like “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” rocked the airwaves!
It won 8 Grammy Awards including Best Album. It is also one of the best selling albums of all time.
His dance moves, charisma, pop style and catchy beats with massive production by Quincy Jones made this album an Epic Masterpiece!
As a 6 year old boy, I remembered my mom buying the vinyl record and singing along to Billie Jean in the kitchen. As kids we tried to immitate his infamous dance move….”The Moonwalk!”
He was the man! That epic short film/music video THRILLER is one of the greatest moments in music video history:
I really love indie rock music! Something moody and hypnotic is pleasant on my ears.
Intricate guitar jams mixed with a steady drumbeat and angelic female voices in harmony are the essence of what my wife and I experienced last night
WARPAINT is the name of the band that I truly enjoy following. Four young ladies from Los Angeles make up this dream pop group. Their style of music melodies calm my nerves on any day. Sunday night at the Vic Theater was no exception to that mellow feeling.
Strobe lights, stage lighting, lots and lots of lights were draped on the stage & certainly giving off calm red and blue colors. A shadowy collage of the four ladies were on display on the backdrop cloth. Fog set a gloomy atmosphere allowing unique shadows to be cast.
This vaudeville theater had spectacular acoustics. Perfect setting for this band. The keyboards and synthesizers blended well with the chill vibe among the 1,000 of us spectators. Vocals were ran through real cool echoey distortion pedals that had a deep distinct 80’s sound.
They engaged the crowd and jumped around the stage at times. I was reminded of The Cure with female vocals and I fell madly in love with my wife all over again. Everything was in its right place last night with some Angry Orchard Cider by my side and breathtaking trip rock in my brain in Chi Town.
The Empty Bottle is simply a dive bar and a surprisingly relaxing and fun music venue located in Chicago, Illinois. This is one of the coolest venues for Chicago’s alternative music scene. The place hosts several kinds of music. There is plenty of indie-rock, punk, metal, rock’n’roll, hip-hop, electronic, experimental, ambience and jazz. This club/bar opened in 1992 and was originally a regular neighborhood bar. There’s plenty of CHEAP beer too! It’s like being in a large basement with brick walls and little coves that sneak around corners.
Pinball games, Ms Pac-Man arcade for only a quarter, a pool table and several water jugs strategically place all around the place with plastic cups stacked near them too. Its a nice gesture to offer free water to someone low on cash but just plain thirsty. They also just have a really nice space that’s conducive to having a lot of different experiences. It is hard to have a bad view of the stage where artists perform, whether you are early or late to the show. I definitely need to return.
Now let me cut right to the chase. My wife and I celebrated a special anniversary on this day of March 31st. We met on a train 7 years ago and celebrated by attending a Dum Dum Girls show. Who are they you ask? Dum Dum Girls are an American rock band, formed about six years ago. In the beginning, it was a bedroom recording project of lead singer and songwriter Dee Dee Penny in Los Angeles. She is currently living in New York City. I try to keep up with today’s music. These four talented females have very nice glossy melodies that you don’t hear from today’s bands. It rocks, it waves, it pounds through awesome songwriting!
This music they play is slick and focused. Post punk, garage punk, dreamy and pouty 80’s pop. That’s essentially how I would describe their music. Fuzzy guitar riffs, eyeliner distortion and 1960s girl-group sensibilities.Too True, their newest album, toggles between ethereal and punk, gothic and 80s dance party, and provides a strong and welcomed addition to the Dum Dum Girls catalog. The name pays homage to The Vaselines’ album Dum Dum and an Iggy Pop song called “Dum Dum Boys”. Dee Dee Penny’s stage name was not inspired by Dee Dee Ramone. It’s a coincidence.
Appearance-wise onstage they are quite a sight. Short skirts and long legs. Leather outfits. I am reminded of those imfamous Robert Palmer ADDICTED TO LOVE videos. You know? The ones with the sexy girls pretending to play guitars? Only these girls are most definitely playing vintage Silvertone guitars through glorious RAT amps. The stage is smokey blue with christmas lights dangling from the ceiling. A large BLUE lit up cut-out heart is draped in the background. Their microphones are donned with fiberoptic roses and spare red picks arranged all pretty-like. The whole thing was mesmorizing and a real nice trip back in time to that underground gothic-like and dreamy-like club.
Songs like “Too True To Be Good,” “Rimbaud Eyes,” “Lost Boys & Girls Club” and “Are you Ok” were intense highlights! DEE DEE and the ladies are obviously a big fan of the cooler music that came out of 80s/early 90s and it comes through in their music. Sometimes I am reminded of Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders) vocals. Penny’s voice is quite stellar. She opens up her sound on large and gorgeous ballads like “Coming Down.” The show hypnotized me and then I had to drive home at 1:00 a.m.
But I was left with incredible memories and hard rocking chicks! Here’s a video that gives you a better idea of their awesome sounds going down:
“The Bones of What You Believe” is such a fantastic album. It tortures me to have this one only in the fourth spot on my top twenty countdown. But I love this record so much! It’s crazy awesome 80’s synthpop! What a fine tribute to the MTV new wave generation. Remember groups like Depeche Mode and Human League? You can hear the influence all over the record. So, they are two guys and a girl from Scotland. Each of them have enormous talent and musicianship. Synthesizers, samplers, guitars and gorgeous vocals coming from an awesome girl named Lauren. Did you know she has a Law Degree and was a Journalism major? Her voice is rather pretty and makes you wanna dance or go for a long drive and absorb this grand life. It’s organic because it flows through you like “tickle fits!”
Chvrches is pronounced like Churches, by the way.
The two dudes, Ian and Martin, are quite focused on their musical instruments and occasionally provide some cool masculine vocals as well. Every song gives me chills. What an addictive sound! It draws you in. It’s got this gigantic POP ENERGY that rushes through you like sugar on a sunny day. I suppose this video below will give you a nice taste. But you’re gonna want to drink a gallon of this ocean wave of pure poppy, bubble gum and highly accessible delightful hurricane buzz juice.
The Music Bard 