Root Down in the Shadow

Back in '96 I fell in love with a Ska band Reel Big Fish   I heard 'Everything Sucks' from a CMJ New Music Monthly CD, and bought Turn the Radio Off as soon as I could.  At the time, I had heard nothing like it.  I was introduced to Ska/Reggae in high school but the Mighty Mighty Bosstones were really all I knew, and were heavier and less sophomoric.   I had listened to a little Bob Marley but at the time, that seemed so far removed for me. The tracks were incredible.  For the album, I have every track rated with 5 stars in my iTunes.  It's excellent on the disc, it's excellent live, and the songs just get in your head.   One song for example, 'Nothin', it's simple, it's fast, it's repetitive, BAM it's done.   Lyrics for 'Nothin' by Reel Big Fish everytime i try so hard i get nothin' (nothin') they say try and you won't fail, i get nothin' (nothin') i did all that i could i got nothin' (nothin') i...

Back in '96, I had a semester abroad in Bristol, England .  Bristol and it's surrounding area was booming with Big Beat and Trip Hop.  The "Bristol Sound" included  Portishead , named after the town across the way, Massive Attack, and Tricky.   Being young (19) and carefree at the time (I rarely had class, and even less was expected of me as a foreign student), made it extremely easy to see this scene in it's prime.  I was frequently being asked by a young french co-ed, named Julie to accompany her to the clubs to partake.  But, I was into this German girl named Annette , and I totally missed it.    ALL OF IT. The sounds, the scene, everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't even know what I missed until a few years later.  I did, however, start my journey into Big Beat, Trip Hop and Electronica, a year later.  I had been receiving CMJ New Music Monthly for a few years at this point, and during my junior year of college, I was getting ...

Really, there is nothing worse that falling for a band/artist looking forward to what's coming next, to only find that there is no next.  Back in college, I was receiving the CMJ New Music Monthly , at the time a premier music magazine full of reviews, great articles and awesome musical tidbits.  My favorite were the R.I.Y.L. section of the album reviews.  The reviewer would mention a couple other bands that were similar or reminiscient.   It always made me think, rather than hey here's four bands just like this new band, I'd much rather read, something like the classic Tenacious D intro: "Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Molly Hatchet could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Tenacious D." In the case of the Getaway People , after hearing 'She Gave Me Love' via CMJ New Music Monthly  I felt Beck and  G. Love had many an every so poptastic funky offspring. the Getaway People - ...