by Mary’s Danish

~ “identity crisis”, the band ~

Are they a ska band that plays too fast?

Are they a skate band that plays too well?

Are they the Indigo Girls of punk rock?

No one could ever quite figure out what these guys were, which made them perfect for the mid-90s mishmash of genres that also brought you Rage Against The Machine playing hard rock hip hop, and White Trash playing heavy metal with a brass section, not to mention the Beastie Boys cranking up the flute.

This two-song intro to their live EP really showcases their frantic energy and insane musicianship. It also showcases the acquired taste of the twin female vocalists. They’re singing about as much as Anthony Kiedis “sings” for the Chili Peppers, but it does seem to fit the style of the music. Off the beaten path, but still talented and fun.

by Night Ranger

~ The forgotten followup ~

It’s amazing how many people considered Night Ranger to be a one-hit wonder on the strength of “Sister Christian”.  They completely forget tunes like “When You Close Your Eyes” or “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” or “Goodbye” that all hit the charts.

But after their massive tour in support of Midnight Madness and “Sister Christian,” they recorded an ambitious follow-up that was arguably a much better album, both musically & lyrically. Unfortunately, it got released in 1985 when hard rock was on the run from a combination of hairspray fatigue and the PMRC. Hip hop was starting to invade MTV, and the follow-up albums from people like Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard hadn’t dropped just yet.

Into that hard rock wasteland, 7 Wishes appeared and the world yawned. It’s unfortunate too, because there are some great moments of hard rock radio quality tunes all over this album:

I got holes in my conscience / shot with a vengeance

Just make you wonder what was happening at 4 in the morning.

Oh, and the video is goofy as hell too

by Primal Scream

~ They sure don’t sound like they’re from Scotland ~

Half of their songs sound like they’re a Black Crowes cover band, and the other half sound like someone dared them to play faster so they went as fast as the drummer could keep up. This one starts to fall into the latter category, and while it’s not as fast as some DC punk bands, it’s still faster than most of their other songs. But it’s a driving beat that keeps people chugging along and lyrics that sound just socially conscious enough that you feel like you’re listening to something more than just booze and boobs while you’re air drumming along in your car.

by Triumph

~ 14-year-old me could relate ~

I spent a lot of the 80s living out of suitcases given that my father was in the military and when we weren’t moving, we were traveling. Not only did we bounce around the US a bit, but for 8-1/2 years we lived in Germany (over 2 tours) and took a lot of trips to see a lot of Europe while we had the opportunity.

Although this album was released several years before I knew who Triumph were, I packed most of the cassettes to go with my Walkman on a lot of our trips in the 80s. This particular one (Just A Game) I played a lot during the summer of ’87 when I was in the US visiting my grandparents for a few weeks. As much as I love my grandparents, there was only so much that 14-year-old me was going to have in common with 65-year-old them. That left me with a lot of cassettes, comic books, Astros games on UHF TV, and RPG products that I couldn’t find in the exchange over in Europe.

Living out of a suitcase just seems very relatable for those few years.

by The Struts

~ The 8-year-old on the rail ~

This is my daughter’s first real concert. We drove into a town that I absolutely hate just for her and my wife to be able to see these guys after my son and I had caught them in a club the previous Fall. We even managed to wrangle radio station passes and didn’t even have to pay for the show. The opening act was okay, high energy and low comprehension. Nothing special but a good table-setter.

Since it was her first show, and general admission, I took her up to the rail for the opening number. Folks are more than happy to let the 8-year-old kid with the cat ears headband get right up front for when the band hit the stage.

As the power chords start ringing out in the amphitheater and then Luke hits that opening line “HEY YOU! / Don’t you know who I think I am?” he’s singing right to her face. Unfortunately, I had put the phone down and wasn’t recording that moment because I had my arms around her in case there was a rush towards the stage. Given how friendly everyone was getting her up there, I should have known better and expected they would be fine with her there and I would have had my 8-year-old daughter and the lead singer of one of the best up-and-coming bands in the world having their moment to kick off what turned out to be a pretty incredible show. 

The full set list is down below. If you get a chance to see The Struts live you better damn well take it or I will find you and kick your ass.

Set list

• Primadonna Like Me
• Body Talks
• In Love With The Camera
• Kiss This
• Fire
• Dirty Sexy Money
• Old Switcheroo
• One Night Only
• Do It So Well
• Bulletproof Baby
• Somebody New
• Put Your Money on Me
• Where Did She Go
• Don’t Stop Me Now
• Ashes
• Could Have Been Me

by Gilby Clarke

~ Slide guitar nirvana meets hard rock meets Americana ~

Gilby has lived a charmed musical career with several reinventions of himself. But his first solo album actually got him some attention as it was released shortly after he left Guns n’ Roses, following the Spaghetti Incident? album and tour. Most folks showed up for the crunchy guitars of the lead single (“Cure Me or Kill Me”).  This country-flavored one though, grabs your attention because it sticks out as something so obviously different from the rest of the record and different from everything else Gilby had done up to that point.

The combination of mouth harp and slide guitar give this a roots-rock feel that would become popular 20+ years later as more country-influenced blues acts started showing up on the radio. This is a little peppy for much of what passes as Americana these days, but really, you can totally see the Avett Brothers covering this.

The lyrics aren’t spectacular, but they’re a pretty good look inside the mind of a guy who has watched his life waste away and has no idea what to do next. Maybe Gilby was actually feeling that way when he wrote and recorded this. It wouldn’t be a surprise after having spent a few years with GNR. But given where he ended up over the next 15 years, he didn’t do too bad.