Year 8, Day 92

Hey guys. Today's song is Sweet FA by Peach Pit.

Photo by: Michelle Edwards

These guys are an indie pop band from BC active since 2016 and made up of Neil Smith, Mikey Pascuzzi, Peter Wilton, and Christopher Vanderkooy. Since then, they've released an EP in 2016 and three albums, the first in 2017 with another in 2020 and their most recent once coming out earlier this year. I've featured them before so this shouldn't be a new name for you who've been around for awhile. Smith was the only one that had been working in other bands prior to their forming, with the rest having regular jobs, but they all quit to pursue this group and have been touring since banding together. While the band considers their sound to be "chewed bubblegum pop", they've been classified by others as surf rock or sad pop. I don't know if any one description fits their sound, but I'll let you decide for yourselves.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 91

Hey guys. Today's song is As Innocent Looking As Candy by Night Moves.

This is an American indie rock band formed in 2010 and is made up of John Pelant, Micky Alfano, Mark Hanson, Charles Murlowski. They're signed with Domino Records, and have released two EPs, one in 2017 and another this year. They've also released three albums, the first in 2012, with another in 2016 and another in 2019. This is one of their newer songs, from their EP from this year, so if you like it, you should go check out their earlier stuff. Enjoy!

Peace.

Year 8, Day 90

Hey guys. Today's song is When I See You Smile by Bad English.

This is a British/American glamgroup active from 1987 to 1991 and made up of John Waite, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ricky Phillips, and Deen Castronovo. The name of the band actually came from a game of pool, where English refers to the spin put on the cue ball. Waite missed a shot and Cain comment on his bad English and I guess it stuck. Cain and Schon had formerly been in Journey (which I think we all know after Glee) so the guys joined Waite to form this band after Journey disbanded. Phillips had previously made albums with Wait and Cain, and also joined the group. Their debut album came out in 1989 and was a big hit, which is also where this song is from. They released a second album in 1991 which really didn't move the needle and the group ended up breaking up after disputes about the style of music they wanted to make. Waite went back to being solo, Schon and Castronovo both joined a band together briefly before leaving with Castronovo joining Ozzy Osbourne's band and Schon working on other stuff. Later in the 90's Schon, Cain, and Castronovo would all join a reformed Journey. As for Phillips he did session work recording with a bunch of different artists before joining the band Styx in the 2000's. Though the band itself didn't have a long career, all these guys clearly did in their other musical pursuits and I hope you check them out in those. 

Peace.

Year 8, Day 89

Hey guys. Today's song is You're My Best Friend by Queen.

Photos from: Compadre Edua'h, Carl Lender, Eddie, Thomas Steffan

So I'm going to make this really brief because I just finished writing yesterday's post while trying to get caught up and it was so long! I'm tired. And you guys all know Queen by now. Around since 1970, members include Brian May, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, and John Deacon. They released 15 albums from the 70's to the 90's and shaped what rock is today. They've had a ton of hits, many that I've featured here before, including the one today. So I hope you like it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 88

Hey guys. Today's song is Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac.

So this is a band that was active from 1967 until 1995, then again since 1997 with members currently being Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mike Campbell, Neil  Flynn. Past members include a lot of people, them being Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Bob Brunning, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, Bob Weston, Dave Walker, Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, Bekka Bramlett, and Dave Mason, plus an equally long list of touring members. Over the band's career they released 17 albums, with only one of those being since they came back. Green, Fleetwood, Spencer, and Brunning were the original members, although Brunning was only meant to stay until John McVie joined, and actually the groups name of Fleetwood Mac includes his nickname (Mac) because the Fleetwood and Green wanted him in, which he was after a few weeks. After two albums Kirwan joined which developed their sound since he had a unique style. In 1970 Green left the band, I don't know the reason, but during their last tour he had been doing drugs and had a bad LSD trip that changed him. Christine McVie (originally Perfect) had done some album art and backup vocals before marrying McVie and joining the group after having her own solo work. In 2971 Spencer went missing, later being found having joined a "religious group" (though it sounds more like a cult) so Green came back temporarily to help with the band's obligations before their new guitarist was found in Welch. After a couple albums, the touring started to become problematic with Kirwan becoming alcohol dependent and causing chaos, essentially having a breakdown. He was fired for it, leading to hiring Weston and Walker, but after recording an album they got rid of Walker because they felt his style and attitude was wrong for them. They had another album but then personal problems led to cancelled tours and Weston being fired for having an affair with Fleetwood's wife. Ultimately the band decided to split up. 

 But the band manager didn't like that since he had a tour booked but no band, so he hired a new band and called them the New Fleetwod Mac, claiming that it was done with the OK of the band and that Fleetwood would join them later on the tour. Obviously this was a lie, and even though the band was great and sounded like they were totally innocent of anything, the crowds became hostile to them which led to members quitting and the band being dissolved. I really feel for those guys. After that there was a lawsuit about who owned the band name, and actually led to the band relocating from England to America in 1974. They elected to manage themselves instead of having a manager (I would too after that snake) and released their ninth album. They added Graves but that ended up being temporary, replaced with Hunt, then Welch left afterwards, tired of touring and fighting legal battles. He was replaced with Buckingham, who would only join if Nicks was included too. Their next album in 1975 was a breakthrough album for them, but in 1976 the band was severely stressed: Buckingham and Nicks broke up, the McVies got divorced, and Fleetwood was in the process of  getting divorced. A couple more albums were released, some solos for some members, and a world tour before the band went on hiatus because the member seemed to all be having various problems that needed to be dealt with. After a blowout meeting in 1987, Buckingham left the group then was replaced with Burnette and Vito. They released an album which had a new sound without Buckingham at the helm. In 1990 Christine McVie said it would be her last tour, but she'd still record with them, and in 1991 Nicks and Vito both left the group. A lineup of the McVies, Fleetwood, Buckingham and Nicks reunited in 1993 at the request of Bill Clinton. After Fleetwood, the McVies, and Burnette did an album before Burnette left being replaced with Bramlett, though Burnette rejoined a year later. They did another album before Christine quit, then the band disbanded altogether. Except not really because they kept working together with past member and essentially jumped right back in. I'm gonna leave it off here because honestly I can't write anymore about these people. They may make good music, but their whole career feels like a teenage romance where they break up and get back together every day and I find I don't care anymore. I mean props to keep working with your exes and rivals and stuff you guys do you. If you want to know more about their reforming days go look them up, it'll probably have a lot more lineups. Good luck.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 87

Hey guys. Today's song is Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles.

So The Beatles was a British band made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The group only lasted ten years, from 1960 until 1970, but they all did solo stuff as well. Two of them are gone now, but the other two are still active. In the early formation of the band there were other members that didn't last, and those people are Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe, Chas Newby, Norman Chapman, and Tommy Moore; plus one touring drummer named Jimmie Nicol. The Beatles led the British Invasion (of music). The British invasion basically means that in America suddenly British culture was becoming popular. The same thing happened a few years ago when suddenly the American music market was flooded with Raggaeton music from artists popular in Latin America. The British Invasion though was huge and unheard of at the time. Over the decade, the Beatles released 13 albums and one compilation album, and most of those songs are still popular today. They are the best-selling band in history and basically set every possible record there is. Only recently have people been surpassing them in some of those, which is kind of insane. So today is a day for some more of the Beatles.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 86

Hey guys. Today's song is It's Still Rock and Roll To Me by Billy Joel.

Photo by: Samira Khan

Billy Joel was born to Jewish parents, and his family has a lot of music in their blood. His parents ended up splitting up, and he would take jobs playing piano at bars while going to school to help his mom make ends meet. When he failed to graduate (because of the playing) he decided to just skip it and foray into his music career. He started with a band called the Echoes, but changed the name to the Emeralds, then to the Lost Souls. He left after two years and joined a band called the Hassles who ultimately failed and then split from there to form a duo with the drummer. That group also failed when he had an affair with the drummer's wife (soon to become his first wife). He signed as a solo artist in 1970, but because of a studio fuck up his music didn't do well at first. It wasn't until people heard live versions that he started to get noticed. By 1973, he signed with (and could actually make music on) a new label, and Piano Man was born. For the next decade he popped out hits left and right, songs that are still classics today. At that point he was starting to get branded as a soft rocker which he took offense to, so he spent a couple years playing with his sound and being more adventurous in his topics. In 1983 he went back to lighter music with a tribute to the doo wop era, which is where this song comes from. The 90's saw an upheaval of the people he kept around him with most being pushed out of the picture and a couple different lawsuits for fraud being filed. By this time he was on to wife number two. By 1994 he was divorced again, and playing concerts with Elton John. Which is perfect because my brain always pairs them up. He continued touring in the 2000's and by 2007 was recording music again (which he hadn't done for 14 years at that point). He's continued on this way and still does today, so I don't know if retirement will ever be a thing for him, but he sure has had a lasting career and has shattered records. It's kind of amazing.

Peace.