Rusty Moe

New Christmas Single from Rusty Moe

2009-12-17T01:32:00.003+05:30

As a band we wanted to try something new and something fun, and something that probably no band in India has tried before. So we decided to record a song for Christmas. This is our version of a 1958 Johnny Marks classic, "Rockin Around The Christmas Tree". Thanks to Toby, who helped us with the recording and mixing. As always, we believe that music, which is one of the best things in life, should be easily accessible for all. So go ahead, you can download or even just listen to the track. Do pass it on and continue to support the band.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Rusty Moe XMAS

2009-12-06T11:59:00.002+05:30

Come celebrate Christmas with Rusty Moe, at the Unwind center. Watch us perform some Christmas classics in true Rusty Moe style, along with one or two of our own numbers. Also come and watch Blues Conscience, Sapphyra and 044 in action.

Venue: Unwind Center, Adyar

Date: 11th December

Time: 7:00pm

Upcoming Shows for August-September

2009-08-22T02:27:00.002+05:30

Upcoming Rusty Moe shows:
Catch us at any of the upcoming shows.
22nd - Alliance Francaise Chennai,
29th - Tribute to MJ (Bangalore),
06th - W.O.L Chennai,
12th - Powerhouse Band Festival (as DOXA), |
15th - Coimbatore, 18th - Pvt Show, Ooty,

Independence rock, somewhere inbetween all this.

Fete de la Musique

2009-06-18T01:52:00.001+05:30

Date:	Sunday, June 21, 2009
Time:	10:00am - 10:00pm
Location:	Top Storey, Alliance de Francaise
Street:	Nungambakkam
City/Town:	Chennai, India

2009-06-10T23:36:00.001+05:30

Dreams Untrue

2009-06-09T02:08:00.002+05:30

The very first single from Rusty Moe, titled "Dreams Untrue"

Listen to the track HERE.

Click HERE to download and listen.

Acoustic & Acapella Fest

2009-06-05T01:38:00.000+05:30

UNWIND - MCC Rocks

2009-02-05T00:35:00.002+05:30

Date:: 6^th Feb 2009 @ 7pm

Venue:: Unwind Center, 67, 3^rd Cross Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Che – 20

Entry:: Rs.100/-

Pocketful Of Memories - 2

2008-11-06T03:52:00.002+05:30

Pocketful of Memories - II

LIVE Retro Music

Sujan Daniel and the Live Martini

Venue: Museum Theater

Date: 15th November, 7:00pm

Blues Meet Rock

2008-10-15T14:27:00.002+05:30

Rusty Moe at the "Blues Meets Rock" show at Bella Ciao

Here are some snaps from the last Blues Meets Rock show at Bella Ciao on the 10th of October. The set list included:

Start Me Up - Rolling Stones

Stuck on You - Elvis

Good Golly Miss Molly - CCR

Jailhouse Rock - Elvis

Slide It In - Whitesnake

Guilty of Love - Whitesnake

Highway Star - Deep Purple

Stay tuned for info about upcoming shows and Jam sessions.

Blues Meets Rock

2008-10-06T12:27:00.004+05:30

Featuring:

Rainbow Bridge

Rusty Moe

Panatella

Blues Conscience

Venue:

Bella Ciao,

Kottivakkam

Chennai

Time and Date:

October 10th, 6:00pm

OCTAVIA 2008

2008-09-22T12:59:00.003+05:30

Rusty Moe will be the opening act for Octavia 2008.

Date: 4th October, 2008

Time: 10:00am onwards

Venue: Bishop Heber Hall, Madras Christian College

Tickets Available at the Venue

Covers from Bella Ciao

2008-09-04T00:01:00.003+05:30

Here are some videos that have been uploaded from the Bella Ciao show that happened a while ago.

Stuck on you (Elvis)

My Ding-a-Ling (Chuck Berry)

All Shook Up (Elvis)

Enjoy...!

Secrets of Success Concert

2008-08-05T23:48:00.001+05:30

L - R: Divyan, Mallaika, Timmy, Sujan, Angie, Jonathan

UNPLUGGED: At Bella Ciao

2008-07-21T01:48:00.009+05:30

Rusty Moe did their first unplugged show at the Bella Ciao, on Saturday the 19th. In true Moe style, the boys played tight and belted out some classics from Elvis, Beatles, Warrant, Dr Hook, Def Leppard, Thunder, Mr Big etc. The band got on stage around 8:15pm and played for a little more than 30 minutes. They were joined by Angie and Mallaika on backing vocals. The crowd played hard to please, mostly because the crowd consisted of other bands and their supporters. However, most of them could not help jiving a bit when the band rocked them with some classic Elvis.

The set list for the night was:

1. Stuck on You - Elvis
2. Squeeze - Rusty Moe
3. Heaven - Warrant
4. When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
6. My Dingaling - Dr. Hook
7. Better Man - Thunder
8. Be With You - Mr. Big
9. I Feel Fine - Beatles
10. Wham Bam, Thank You Ma'am - Rusty Moe
11. All Shook Up - Elvis

Here are some more shots from the show.

The band, while covering "Better Man", by Thunder. (above)

Sujan - Vocals, Guitar

Mallaika and Angie - Backing Vocals

Tim Elliot - Guitars, Backing Vocals

Jonathan - Bass

Divyan - Drums, Guitars

UNPLUGGED

2008-07-14T11:22:00.002+05:30

RUSTY MOE will be performing at the Acoustic Festival, to be held at Bella Ciao, the Italian Restaurant, on 19th July, Saturday from 2:00pm onwards. The show includes many more bands from Chennai as well as from Bangalore. Rusty Moe will take the crowd on a trip back in time, with their covers of Elvis, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Mr Big and lots more. So if you are in Chennai and want to unwind with some mellow unplugged music, you know where to be.

Rusty Moe

2008-07-13T01:24:00.005+05:30

The members of RUSTY MOE are definitely not new to each other. Having been in the same college (MCC) for few years, and having played small shows occasionally, each one went his own way once out of college. Now, almost eight years later, the new line up takes shape and this time, with the perfect blend, it's for good. With death metal and nu-metal taking over the music scene in Chennai, RUSTY MOE felt that they needed to keep the classic rock genre alive. Though not viewed as a career option, RUSTY MOE plays for the love of music. The band will stick to playing mostly covers and give the newer audiences a feel of the good ol' classics from bands like Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Dio, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, RHCP, Poison, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy and lots more.

A professional vocalist with years of experience, Sujan "sweaty moe" Daniel has moved into the forefront of the music scenario with his unquenched passion for music. He has been a part of number of bands like, Inspirations, Sound Sleep, etc. He has also forayed into the theater scene and recently played the lead role in "The Fallen" which was Indian first rock opera. Sujan also plays along with Timmy in their side project, Live Martini. Sujan also has his own ornamental fish breeding business.

Tim "jealous moe" Elliot, the guitarist with adrenalin packed stage act always leaves the audience with unforgettable memories of his antics. Influenced by the likes of Angus Young, Ritchie Blackmore etc, Tim never fails to impress. Having previously played in Sound Sleep, Tim currently plays for the Live Martini with Sujan, as well as Blood Covenant, which is a death metal gospel band. Tim also works in his own factory during the week.

Jonathan "spotty moe" Tillich on Bass provides the ultimate punch that the band needs. This six feet plus string slammer, has played with the College band while in college and has collaborated with most of the big names in the Chennai music scene over the years as a freelance musician. He has finally found his calling with RUSTY MOE and has decided to quit freelancing and dedicate his time to playing with RUSTY MOE. Jonathan also works full time in the ITES sector, for a leading company in Chennai.

Divyan "blind moe" George takes his place behind the skins after a hiatus of more than four years. A hard hitter on the drums, he has previously played with bands like Sound Sleep and Brothers in Arms. Though not very animated on stage, he plays tight and brings in the punch for the band. Divyan is also a certified Marriage Therapist and has his own private practice.

As a band, RUSTY MOE have decided to not make money as the only motive. They play for the love of music and would not miss a chance to reintroduce pure unadulterated classic rock to the audience, and transport them back to the 80's. We hope to keep updating everyone about upcoming shows and events where the band would be performing. Keep on rocking. Peace..!!!

Megadeth, Machinehead: Rock In India

2007-12-17T17:21:00.000+05:30

This may not be a Woodstock or Wacken, but the Rock In India festival will hit Bangalore on March 14th, 2008. Megadeth will be the headliners for this event. Machine Head is the other international act confirmed as of now, and there might be another big name in the list, which might be announced in the near future. Indian bands Pentagram and Junkyard Groove have been confirmed for the show as of now. Palace grounds will be the usual venue for this festival and the tickets have already gone on sale. At just Rs 1000, its a huge steal and its guaranteed to sell out pretty fast.

Without doubt, Megadeth are the biggest attraction in this line up. We can be thankful that Mustaine was kicked out from Metallica, because otherwise we would not have had Megadeth. The bands last album, United Abominations that was released earlier this year made its debut at #8 on the Billboard charts. They have a huge fan following in India and that is evident from the number of Megadeth covers that are belted out by the local bands at any shows.

So, get your tickets soon and clear your dates, and head to the Palace Grounds, for Bangalore will be one rocking place in March.

Iron Maiden in India - Somewhere Back In Time

2007-12-05T09:32:00.001+05:30

Iron Maiden rocked Bangalore a few months ago, and front man Bruce Dickinson said that India would not have to wait that long for another Maiden show. He has kept his word and they are going to be back, this time in Mumbai. The band will kick off their Somewhere Back In Time world tour, from the Bandra Kurla Complex in mumbai on the 1st of February, 2008.

The tour will coincide with the release of the Live After Death and Maiden England concerts on DVD. The set list for this show will be based on the Powerslave tour era and would include most of the classic Maiden tunes. The stage set up and design would also reflect the Powerslave era. There is no doubt that no one who attends the concert will go back home disappointed. If the show in Bangalore is anything to go by, then this one promises to be of a much more greater scale. This time around, the band is going to fly all their equipment on their own, in their own customized Boeing. The tail will feature the mascot Eddie. The plane is being modified to be able to accommodate the band in comfort, as well as the tons of equipment. In doing so, this would solve a lot of problems on the logistics front. The whole process is a lot easier when the equipment travels along with the band.

When the plane touches down in Mumbai airport, it would be the first stop for Iron Maiden on this tour and also the bands first, with their own customized plane. The tickets have not gone on sale yet, but it should be out in the coming weeks. With the high entertainment tax in Mumbai, be prepared to pay a much higher price than what you paid in Bangalore. For a die hard Maiden fan, the cost might be the last thing on his mind. Nothing can beat the feeling one gets when you come face to face with God.
Up the Irons...!! And welcome to India, again.

Nightwish: Dark Passion Play

2007-11-21T13:01:00.001+05:30

When Tarja Turunen was fired from Nightwish in 2005, I honestly thought that it signalled the end of another awesome and powerful band. Her powerful and commanding voice made her the core of the band. That was what the band was recognized by. I did not expect much when the band announced Anette Olzon as the replacement. After all, not many bands have done well after the departure of their original singer. Iron Maiden took a dip when Bruce was not in the band. Judas Priest too went below with the absence of Halford. For me, Nightwish was also headed the same way. However, I was wrong.

Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studio in London, Dark Passion Play is the sixth studio offering from the Finnish rockers, and their first album with Anette on vocals. Before I heard this album, I had already conditioned myself to approach this album with an open mind. I had to be open to appreciating a new talent. After all, Anette is in the band for a reason. I must admit that the album blew me away. It would easily be rated high among the other Nightwish albums and Anette has more than easily fitted into Tarja's shoes. Her voice sure sounds different, but it does not lack the power, punch and command that Tarja had. It remains very much strong, if not more. Many were skeptical and mentioned that Anette may be able to sing the new songs well, but she would never be able to do a good job on the older ones sung by Tarja. These doubts were buried as soon as the band embarked on their world tour where the set list included a lot of old numbers, which were easily handled by Anette. The album has two songs that are sung along with bassist Marco Hietala and he even sings one on his own.

Track listing:

The Poet and The Pendulum
Bye Bye Beautiful
Amaranth
Cadence of Her Last Breath
Master Passion Greed
Eva
Sahara
Whoever Brings The Night
For The Heart I Once Had
The Islander
Last Of The Wilds
7 Days To The Wolves
Meadows Of Heaven

Overall, a really great album, with absolutely no room for disappointment for any die hard Nightwish fans. With the new singer being well accepted, there doesn't seem to be any scope for a Tarja return in future. We wont complain for now, because Dark Passion Play is awesome.

Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain

2007-05-22T12:38:00.002+05:30

The madman's first studio album in six years, titled "Black Rain" has been released today. I managed to pre-order a copy and received it one full day before its release. The new bassist is Rob Nicholson, who was previously with Rob Zombie. Zakk Wylde and Mike Bordin continue their work with the ozzman on this album. The first single from the album is "I don't wanna stop."

The album is a slight improvement from the previous "Down to Earth" album, but the format is pretty much similar. A real crunchy opening track with heavy riffs, followed by the single and not to forget two ballads thrown in. There is no doubt that the ozzman is still going strong, even at age 59, and Black Rain proves just that. Zakk Wylde played his part in co-writing this album unlike the last one. If Black Rain will live up to expectations or not is yet to be known. In no way does it match up to Blizzard of Ozz or even No More Tears and I might give it a personal rating of 3.5 out of 5. Some people might require repeated listening before they get to like it.

The positive aspects of this album is that this is an Ozzy album and any Ozzy freaks would love this. Not to forget codes to get two tickets to ozzfest. The negatives are that the packaging is sad. It comes in a digi-pack, thin cardboard case, without the original artwork. There is no booklet, no lyrics, no pictures. Nothing. It feels like the case itself could scratch the CD. Whoever designed this, must be an idiot, or maybe this is a very clever ploy to save some cash, since the ozzfest is free this year. In the end, the consumer is the loser. I believe that this is a promotional offer and it comes with the free codes for the ozzfest tickets. A different version of the album with complete artwork could be released later. Another trick to make the customer pay twice.

Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
Zakk Wylde - Guitar
Rob "Blasko" Nicholson - Bass
Mike Bordin - Drum

Track Listing:

1. Not Going Away

2. I Don't Wanna Stop

3. Black Rain

4. Lay Your World on Me

5. The Almighty Dollar

6. 11 Silver

7. Civilize the Universe

8. Here For You

9. Countdown's Begun

10. Trap Door

For a limited time, you can listen to the whole album at this location.

Aerosmith - Taste of India

2007-05-03T09:22:00.000+05:30

Following the success of Iron Maiden, it is now the turn of the Bad Boys from Boston, Aerosmith, to pay homage to India. Formed in 1970 and with the release of their self titled debut album in 1973, they have gone further to become crowned as one of the greatest Rock N' Roll bands of all time. 37 plus years as a unit, fourteen studio album, various compilation and live albums, 140 million plus album sales, and record breaking multi platinum hits later, Aerosmith is still going strong and is a force to reckon with. Having created a global fanbase that spans across three generations, they have toured all over the world. This present would tour takes them to places they have never been before, like Dubai and Bangalore.

On the 2nd of June, Palace Grounds in Bangalore, will host Aerosmith. Originally scheduled to perform in Mumbai, the venue was changed recently. The real reason is not known yet, but the grand success of the Iron Maiden show in Bangalore could be one reason. The lower entertainment tax could be another reason. Whatever the reason may be, Bangalore has sealed its place as the rock mecca of India. The tickets will be priced at Rs. 1200 and 1800 and is going on sale on the 3rd on May. This will be the bands first trip to India to perform, though most of the members have been to India before for personal trips.

Frontman Steven Tyler has exposed his fascination for Indian culture through some of his songs. The album Nine Lives has a song titled, Taste of India. The original artwork for the album showed a cat, dressed in Indian attire, dancing on top of snakes (seen above). This artwork faced large scale criticism from different quarters in India as it hurt some religious sentiments. The original artwork was withdrawn and the album was later released with a different cover art.

Will the turn out be as good as the Iron Maiden show? Will it exceed all expectations? We will know after the 2nd of June. Either way, the real winners here are none other then the rock n' roll fans. Do not miss this show as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This band is a part of history and you just have to be there and become a part of history.

Steven Tyler - lead vocals, piano, harmonica, percussion
Joe Perry - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
Brad Whitford - rhythm & lead guitars
Tom Hamilton - bass, backing vocals
Joey Kramer - drums & percussion

Check out the 2007 world tour itinerary.

Iron Maiden In India

2007-05-03T08:56:00.000+05:30

They said it would never happen. They said it will snow in Chennai before Iron Maiden ever set foot in India. The reasons were plenty, and all of them believable. The logistics would be hard towork out. It would be impossible to transport all the equipment all the way to India in an economical manner, and make a profit from ticket sales, as the takers for such a band would be very few in India. I had heard about this news many months ago, from a very reliable inside source in DNA networks, the ones responsible for this gig. A part of me believed it but I also ignored it and thought to myself that I would believe it when it happens, even though my source was very reliable. So all said and done, it finally is happening. Iron Maiden will be performing in Bangalore, Palace grounds, on the 17th of March. A much awaited and much needed concert for metal crazy fans in India. It would be a dream come true for many. Those who believed that it would never ever happen, can now go and eat some shit (you know who you are).

Iron Maiden have always had a huge fan base in India. Anyone who listens to rock music knows Maiden. Those who have no clue clue about heavy metal, love Maiden. Every rock band covers tunes by Maiden. Go to any college rock fest and you can hear chants of "Maiden Maiden Maiden" ring out from the crowd. It however came as a surprise to everyone, including the band, when their latest album, "A Matter of Life and Death" reached an amazing #2 on the Indian music charts, in terms of sales and popularity. It climbed over many popular Bollywood hits and pop hits. This is the highest rating that any international musical act has ever received in India. With all these, Iron Maiden deserves to perform in India, and more than that, the loyal fans in India deserve to see Maiden. We have waited for years, with nothing but hopes of seeing them live someday. With ever new album, the fans lapped up more and more of Maiden and at the same time trying hard to hide their envy at the more fortunate western nations where the band constantly performs. All i can say is, the wait is over. The doors were opened few years ago when Deep Purple, Scorpions, Roger Waters, Sting, Bon Jovi and many more performed in India. This is another big step, for greater things to come.

The word out is that a lot of fans have made travel plans from places as far as Mumbai, Delhi and many other cities all over. With the tickets being priced moderately (900 and 1500) it should be an added bonus to the cash strapped fan. Parikrama is one of the opening acts and so is Laureen Harris, daughter of Steve Harris, the bassist of Maiden. I personally am not so sure that Parikrama should be opening for Maiden. Another opening act is F.T.N (Fuck the Name), who won the campus rock idols. Three opening acts would only eat into the time reserved for Maiden. I wonder how long they would play. I would have been happy to see just one opening act, maybe F.T.N. Either way, Bangalore is all set to rock to classic Maiden.

ps: If my reliable source from DNA is to be believed, then stay tuned for none other than GN'R, Aerosmith and a lot more.

Nashville - The Home of Country

2007-05-03T08:54:00.000+05:30

I did not expect much out of Nashville. It was just a very casual trip and lasted just 2 days. The weather was probably the first thing i noticed as soon as I landed. It wasn't as cold as Indy, and I was real glad to escape the snow and frost that had been dominating Indy for the last few weeks. Even though it was slightly cold in Nashville, there was still a lot of greenery left, which I happily savored. No time for any sight seeing, but i couldn't have come back without a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Nashville is known as the home of country music, even though it did not really originate there. It had its roots through the south of the United States, and its a mix of Folk, Blues, Celtic and probably a lot more. It was only in the late 60's that country music made Nashville as its base and soon almost anything country was originating out of Nashville. Many claim that the original country music lost its way as it moved to Nashville and that the shift had given it a different sort of sound and twist. The positive was that this new twist introduced country music to a whole new audience that was more diverse. Those who were not so open to country before now began to be attracted to its new sound. With Nashville becoming the headquarters of country, almost every single artist was now based in and working out of Nashville. Other major record labels that were based outside Nashville began to drop big time country names from their list. This was also probably another reason they all came flocking to Nashville.

For me, personally it was a good experience being in Nashville. The only music you hear from car stereos all over, is country music. You can hear country music in any store that you step into. A visit to the Hall of Fame is worth it. It takes you through the evolution of country music and takes you through its progression while paying tribute to the greats, like Cash, Hank Williams, Dolly Parton and lots more. A sudden sense of nostalgia enveloped me while i drifted through the museum and listened to the music floating out. Not that I have ever been to Nashville before, but I assume it must be from my experience of waking up every morning as a kid and listening to mom playing country music on the stereo. So in a way i grew up with country, even though i never actively listened to it. Its so much a part of me right now that I can easily relate to it.

As I browsed through a store, looking at Cd's and other country collectables, I suddenly envisioned myself many many years down the line, sitting on the porch of my house with my pet dog, a cup of coffee, cigarette and the likes of Cash, Willie Nelson, Jim Reeves playing from inside my house. Yes, I could definitely see myself doing that.

On a different note:
What do you get when you play country music backwards??

You get your house, job, dog and girlfriend back.

Have Yourself A Twisted Christmas

2007-05-03T08:50:00.000+05:30

Its that wonderful time of the year. As we partake in the joy of giving, many cash registers across the globe are ringing overtime. Everyone is cashing in on this time of the year and that includes veteran rockers Twisted Sisters who have released a full length Christmas album titled Twisted Christmas. You can listen to the full album on the official site for a limited time. As far as i can remember, i don't think there has been a real heavy metal Christmas album to boast about. Many metal artists have released Christmas singles, like Ozzy for example who stumped everyone when he recorded Winter Wonderland with none other than Jessica Simpson(sigh). Check the video here.

Twisted Sisters have taken a huge step in going the whole way and releasing a whole album. I personally would not rate this album very highly. Sure its a heavy metal Christmas album, but its just the traditional Christmas songs thrown in. I would have appreciated it and valued it much more if they had written some songs themselves rather than cover the classics. The track list includes songs such as O Come All Ye Faithful which has been sung to the rhythm of their cult classic We're Not Gonna Take It, which i would call as the highlight of this album along with Have yourself a Merry Christmas. Other tracks include I'll Be Home For Christmas, a duet with Lita Ford, Let It Snow and other classics that emerge out of tunes borrowed heavily from other bands like AC/DC's "Problem Child" becomes Silver Bells, Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Coming" becomes I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and Black Sabbath's "Never Say Die" and "War Pigs" are blended into Deck The Halls and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Someone who is in love with traditional carols will not appreciate this album. Someone who has real high expectations from Twisted Sisters too will find it hard to appreciate this album. We got to give them credit for their past glory. There was a time when they ruled. The 80's belonged to bands like them, but now it seems they have run out of steam. They regrouped four years ago and continued touring and are now due to split up next year. This was probably a last minute statement they made to the world and to the Twisted fans. Not the best kind of goodbye i expected from them.

My final verdict: This is an OK album. I will keep it in my play list and maybe even listen on the road during the season. This is only because there are no other dedicated metal Christmas albums. Maybe next year if another metal band decides to do an album, Twisted Christmas may be gathering dust in my room somewhere. But till then, have yourself a Twisted Christmas

Watch the video for O Come All Yea Faithful

Where Are They Now? - One Hit Wonders

2007-05-03T08:38:00.000+05:30

Compiling a list can be really a hard job. It can be subjective. Who do you include and who do u leave out? Who really gets to decide that? Anyway, I thought I would do my best to create a list of some bands and their songs that I used to listen to back in the 90's. It was just one single song that caught my attention and my wait for another hit from these bands proved to be futile. Will they ever be able to produce another hit like the one before? Are they even a band now?

Blind Melon - No Rain
Their first album received no success when it was released. When the first video was released for "No Rain" it became a raging success and soon this song was heard on the radio and the video was regular on MTV. The album went platinum x 3. The little girl who played the bee girl became a common figure that would be associated with Blind Melon for a long time. Constant cocaine problems with the singer Shannon Hoon was a roadblock in creating more hits for the band. Hoon soon died while on tour with the band and that was the end of Blind Melon. They did release two more albums after their first, but it mostly went unnoticed and during its very short lifespan, the band rode on the success of "No Rain" and for some of us, that's all we know about Blind Melon.

4 Non Blondes - what's Up?
Four girls who choose the name "4 Non Blondes" because none of them had blonde hair in the band. Not very creative. With only one released album to their name in 1993, they managed a big hit with "what's Up?" which received huge airplay on radio and MTV. The band was well accepted because they were probably the first all girl band to emerge out of the alternative music scene with some success. Hanging on to the success of what's Up, they went on to record their second album which for some unknown reason was not released. The band broke up and they all went their different ways. We may never hear from them again, but we do have what's Up to remind us that such a band did exist.

Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm
How can we forget the deep voice that sang about the girl who wouldn't change with others in the change room because she had birth marks all over her body and about the kid who got into an accident and could not come to school. Their album titled God Shuffled his Feet had gone platinum and earned the band three grammy nominations, based on the power of their single titled Mmm Mmm Mmm. It was this single that made the world take notice of this band, even though they did have an album before this. They released many more albums, even as recent as 2004. They even had a Christmas album titled Jingle All The Way but none of these came close to Mmm Mmm Mmm and as a result this is till date probably the only song by Crash Test Dummies that most people have heard.

Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
Its hard to believe that they were formed as early as 1983 and had five albums released before they saw some success. Their 1992 album Grave Dancers Union went platinum x 2 due to the strength of their single Runaway Train. This was the first big hit for the band and this song received huge airplay both on radio and MTV. The video of this song featured pictures of missing children and a contact number. In different parts of the world, this video featured missing children from that particular region. This video was also responsible for reuniting many lost children with their parents. Few more years down the line and three more albums later, people still associate Soul Asylum with Runaway Train. Can we expect another hit from them?

I really wish that all the above bands would spawn a few more hits and keep going. Some of them still play and release albums but go unnoticed. Some of them have broken up due to many reasons. Then there are some bands in whose case we should be so thankful that common sense prevailed and they stopped with just one hit. These would be bands like:

Chumbawumba - Tubthumper
Hanson - MMMBop
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

There are plenty more to write about and as always the list can go on and on. Your inputs welcome.

Used And Abused Songs

2007-05-03T08:35:00.000+05:30

I have to admit that i stopped experimenting with new bands with the dawn of the the new millennium. I drew the line at the year 2000. I did try to listen and experiment but i could not get myself to fall in love with any bands. My favorite decade is without doubt the 80's, the era of glam rock, leather, hair spray, make up and chick like looks. For me, bands like Europe, Whitesnake, Metallica, GNR, Dokken, Winger, Motley Crue etc stand out from this decade. This time frame is closely followed by my next favorite, the 90's. The new sound of the 90's broke into the scene with the success of Nirvana. Soon bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney etc became well known. A lot of them were from Seattle and soon Seattle was known as the birth place of Grunge. Now grunge was not only about music. It was all about torn clothes and a carefree attitude towards the world. If you woke up in the morning and did not brush your teeth and if you always wore torn clothes and listened to Nirvana or Pearl Jam, you were a grunge fan. My next favorite decade is the 70's. This era was dominated by Rock N' Roll and bands like Zeppelin, Sabbath etc were responsible for setting the gauge by which bands would be rated and measured even decades later. These three decades gave rise to a large number of hit singles. Bands rose to fame, bands fell from fame, many individuals died. I believe that if people like Lennon, Hendrix, Joplin, Randy Rhodes, Cliff Burton, Kurt Cobain etc were still alive today, would would have been listening to different tunes today. Every band has been guilty of making commercial hits. Some of these hits have taken these bands way beyond their fan base and they have had wider record sales and more air time on the radio. Some of these songs have been used and abused over and over again. Raped to the core. For example a person who has no idea who Pink Floyd are, will know the song "Another Brick in the Wall". Ask him if he knows Pink Floyd and you will get blank stares. So this is my personal list of songs that i believe that has been used and abused by non-fans.

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall.
No doubts that these guys are the greatest ever. No doubts that "The Wall" was one of their greatest piece of work. Waters is the greatest song writer and Gilmore is one of the best guitarist alive. But there is a lot more to The Wall than Another Brick in the Wall. Get a life guys. You cannot listen to just one song on the album. This is a concept album and each song leads into the other. The whole album has been made in such a way that if you put your player in repeat mode, you would not know when the last track has ended and when the first one has begun. You probably listen to this single and love the melody, but have no clue what he is singing about. NO, he is not singing about construction.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid
One of the greatest bands ever. The first band to explore the dark side of everything. Ozzy was the perfect frontman for Sabbath. Iommi was the perfect guitarist, playing with two fingers less, his riffs were never below par. With each new album, his riffs got better and better. Paranoid was not even supposed to be on the album. After the band finished recording the album, they needed one more song to fill in space on the record. Iommi came up with the riff and Ozzy sang to it. The whole song was a last minute jam result that was recorded in less than a few hours and filled the album. The album was even named Paranoid. This single became a commercial success and went to Number one and received a lot of air play. Non sabbath fans too liked this song. These days everyone knows the song paronoid, but some dont even know that Ozzy used to sing for Sabbath. Shame.

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
Where do i even start with this one? Every one likes GNR. Every person who listens to rock, has at some point come across this band. In fact, GNR was the first rock band i listened to and it was through GNR that i got inducted into the world of rock n roll. Initially my world of GNR consisted of, yes, you guessed it, Sweet child O' mine and of course Knocking on Heavens Door. As for the latter, i bet most people think that GNR wrote it. For someone who has never listened to rock, GNR is a good band to start with. These two songs set the right tone. Not too heavy, and not too soft. Has good melody and the lead to Sweet Child has an attractive ring to it, that could attract even the most hard core rock n roll hater. But guys, please move on. There is a lot more to GNR than Sweet Child. Dont be stuck and get left behind. Its like tasting one dish in the buffet and saying that the buffet was awesome.

AC/DC - You Shook me all Night Long.
These Australian rockers created a new genre of music all by themselves. Monotonous straight drumming, high pitched vocals and blues based guitaring by the Young brothers, Malcom and Angus, sets AC/DC apart from any other band. Songs like Higway to Hell and Hells Bells earned them flak and at the same cult status among the fans. However it was the song You Shook me all Night Long that made them heard outside their fan base. Radio stations that refused to play regular AC/DC songs, began to play this one more than once each day. Sure its a crowd puller and no doubts that its an awesome song, but this is not the real AC/DC.

Eagles - Hotel California
I could write a whole new article on just this one song. This song was a winner for the band but at the same time this has been dragged into controversies. The band has been accused of forming an alliance with the devil himself and many say that this song directly refers to the Satanic Church in California. Every eagles fan will know this song. Ever person who has never heard of the Eagles will know this song. Every single person who have never heard a single song or owns a single CD, will know this song. Some like it for its commercial smell, some listen to it because somehow it feels cool to listen to something that has been knee deep in controversy. This song successfully breaks all barriers including language. You can find versions of this song in almost any language on earth. Almost every single cover band playes a cover of this song at one of theor concerts. Ask them, "do you like any other song by Don Henley" and you will hear, "Henley?? Don who?

The Madcap Laughs

2007-05-03T08:27:00.001+05:30

Syd Barrett: 1946-2006

"Shine On you Crazy Diamond"

For those of you who were into rock n' roll way back in the days will need no introduction to the madcap. Sometimes i feel that too much has been said about him and yet there are times when i feel that not much has been said about him. Syd was one of the founding members of the legendary Pink Floyd and he was responsible for almost all of the early floyd tunes.

It was no secret that he was heavily influenced by LSD and when he had less control over his actions on stage, Gilmour was brought into the band. Syd began to have less and less of a role. Gilmour began to take over the music and Waters took care of the lyrics. Syd would be so lost that sometimes he would strum one single note on his guitar and stay that way through out the whole concert, while the rest of the band kept playing. Its came to a point where Syd had to leave the band and he soon moved into a quiet home in Cambridge, England, where he remained till his last days. Not many people knew about where Syd was after he left Floyd, but his former bandmates always watched out for him and checked on him often.

Floyd recorded many albums and most of them had references to Syd. "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" "Brain Damage" "Wish you were Here" and even the ever famous "Comfortably numb" can be well related to Syd and this just goes to show how much of an influence he was to Floyd and how much his presence was missed by rest of the band. Waters and Gilmour split ways but they both always remembered Syd through their songs and concerts. Who can ever forget the "In The Flesh" tour of waters where the huge backdrop flashed images of Syd while the band belted out "Shine on you Crazy Diamond". Syd passed away a few days ago in his quiet home in Cambridge. Syd the person may have left us, like we all have to do some day, but Syd the spirit still remains and always will till the end of time. There is no doubt about that. It is impossible for us to just ignore the madcap and walk on.

Pile on many more layers, and ill be joining you there. Shine on you Crazy Diamond.

RUSTY MOE

2006-12-15T12:00:00.000+05:30

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