Don’t tell that to Chad Smith’s unwitting fans, though. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are arguably as famous, if not moreso, than Will Ferrell. But drum-pounder Chad Smith still suffers from mistaken identity. “I’m nice to these people,” Smith says. “(I say) ‘No, I’m not.’ But they’re like, ‘I loved you in Old School. You’re so funny.'” We suggest that Smith get a more distinct persona, like Flea. Now that guy you wouldn’t mistake for a movie star. source
A word of warning: This is not a top songs of the year list for us. Rather, these are five good songs from 2000 that are worth your time. And yes, we plan on doing this with every year of the decade over the next few months. Agree with these choices? Disagree? Debate here.
1. Elliott Smith’s later period is one highly debated by fans. He went big around the time of “XO” and went even bigger around the time of 2000’s “Figure 8.” For some fans, this made the album a bit of a wash, but the single, “Son of Sam,” still holds strong nearly a decade later. 2. It’s easy to forget, but The Mars Volta started from the split of the At the Drive-In, a band which did more to justify Thursday’s existence than it did The Mars Volta. A precursor to screamo, “One-Armed Scissor” is far less embarrassing than that descripiton sounds. 3. What a shame. Grandaddy’s “The Sophtware Slump” is a great album best known as the answer to a trivia question. The question: “What album was Jason Lee’s son, Pilot Inspektor, named for?” A damn shame for a great album. “Jed the Humanoid” is a definite highlight for sure. 4. Yo La Tengo will likely never break out of its cult audience, but they make great musical arguments why they should. “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out” is one of the band’s peaks, and “You Can Have it All” is a quiet triumph. 5. For us, hearing Radiohead’s “Nude” on 2007’s “In Rainbows” gave “Motion Picture Soundtrack” context. Many superfans were spoiled by a spare acoustic version of the song that made the “Kid A” version seem overly grand. But in the context of “Nude,” you see exactly what the band was going for. Worth revisiting for sure.source
In our continuing effort to try new things, here’s our latest: Band coverage! This time, SUNBEARS! completely ignores our rules on brevity, but because we like their pop-laden music so much, we learn not to be such sticklers. Want to see your band here? E-mail us or bug us on Twitter!
Listen to them
Q1: In 15 words or less, describe your sound:
Interesting music with a bit of pop-sensibility.
Q2: Name three influences that inspire you, with three words each on why they’re awesome: Scriptures/texts (any religious/philosophical scripture/text will do): To get inside the heads of thinkers/spiritualists long past no matter how bonkers or completely boring they may be. The outdoors: Because there’s always something more to look at. Real smiles: Because it’s always inspiring to witness someone being truly happy.
Q3: What’s a recent song you’ve been digging? Write ten words explaining why: Animal Collective – “My Girls”: I love the beginning with the triplet synth part, how swimmy it all is, until the beat drops on brings it all together.
Q4: In 140 characters or less, how do you use social networking to get the word out: Just using things like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to communicate with people in an everyday sort of way. “What’s up? What’s happening!? These are my thoughts…”
Q5: In 15 words or less, what’s next for you?
To keep pushing forward. Writing more tunes, Playing more shows. source
1. The Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” is one of those albums that feels like you’ve heard it a million times, even if it’s only your first time. Phil Lesh’s coming-out party as a lead vocalist, “Box of Rain,” is the album’s honest, emotive high point. 2. The Beach Boys hit creative peaks long after Brian Wilson hit his personal creative peak, especially on the less-Beach-more-Boys classic “Sunflower.” The album was a truly collective work, and songs like “Add Some Music to Your Day” earned accolades, if not chart success. 3. When critics call Wilco “dad rock,” it’s because they think Wilco sounds like America. We’d prefer to leave that comparison alone and just appreciate the fact that “Sister Golden Hair” is a worthy guilty pleasure. 4. Neil Young is one of those guys who records music by the bucketful but is very picky about how it’s released. It took nearly 30 years for “On The Beach,” one of his best albums, to reach the CD format. Screw “Heart of Gold” – the dim, bluesy “For the Turnstiles” is how Neil Young should be remembered. 5. Did someone say AM Gold? Because you don’t get more golden than The Hollies‘ “The Air That I Breathe,” perhaps the best cheesy pop song to come out of the 1970s. Fun fact: Albert Hammond co-wrote this; his son, Albert Hammond, Jr., is The Strokes’ guitarist.source
Paul, a jazz musician, decided to get more sound out of his guitar by putting a log in the middle. In the process, he invented the solid-body guitar. source
Paul experiments with a tape recorder in his garage. He layers his guitar’s tone on one song, “Lover,” and invents multi-track recording. source
Paul divorces his first wife and marries Mary Ford, his music partner. The two spend much of the early 1950s as major musical stars, notching hits until 1955. source
Gibson asks Paul to promote its new solid-body guitar; Paul influenced the guitar’s design only a little, but the guitar’s name helped build Paul’s legend. source
Paul never gave up his craft and continued to be a musical icon late in life, playing NYC clubs well into his 90s. Paul died Thursday at 94. His legacy is insane. source
They were critical successes. Alas. Brooks & Dunn, a duo that sold a lot of records and won lots of awards in country circles, announced they were breaking up today. Stop sobbing, you big baby. We know it's really sad. source
” is one of those albums that feels like you’ve heard it a million times, even if it’s only your first time. Phil Lesh’s coming-out party as a lead vocalist, “Box of Rain,” is the album’s honest, emotive high point.
.” The album was a truly collective work, and songs like “Add Some Music to Your Day” earned accolades, if not chart success.
” is a worthy guilty pleasure.
,” one of his best albums, to reach the CD format. Screw “Heart of Gold” – the dim, bluesy “For the Turnstiles” is how Neil Young should be remembered.
‘ “The Air That I Breathe,” perhaps the best cheesy pop song to come out of the 1970s. Fun fact: Albert Hammond co-wrote this; his son, Albert Hammond, Jr., is The Strokes’ guitarist.