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Artist of the Week (Legend Series)-Buzzcocks

– April 27, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week, The Blogs

Ending our fine April we have one last Coachella attendee. While our punk month has come and gone, we’ve got one more punk artist who should have definitely made the grade. Having played with the best and recorded some of the most underrated, yet extremely energetic punk since its invention, our artist proves to be an excellent addition to our legend series. This week we recognize the timeless and entertaining Buzzcocks as our Legendary Artist of the Week.

Formed in 1976, the Buzzcocks of Bolton, England began with Peter Shelley answering Howard Devoto’s want-ad to start a band while at the Bolton Institute of Technology. Sharing a fondness for the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks set out to start their own punk band, all the while trying to lure the Pistols themselves in to their realm and perform with them. Their hard work and wishes were granted, after a few short months of having been a band themselves (with Steve Diggle and others later recruited), the Buzzcocks managed to snag said Pistols for a show in Manchester, opening for them in July of 1976, which just so happened to be their first show. The band progressed, and Devoto departed, but the Buzzcocks survived with Shelley and Diggle as the two constant members, lasting until today.

While certainly admiring and taking a page from the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks were not the politically-driven punk rock band that the Pistols were. Instead they wrote intelligent (not saying the Pistols weren’t) and funny songs about growing up and experiencing affections for the opposite sex. At least in this blogger’s eyes, those tend to make for better music than simply raving about heads of state and various degrees of ruling and taxation (though there is certainly a time and place for political punk, but the timelessness of the woes of adolescence tends to leave a more lasting impression). The Buzzcocks are also able to out-do the Sex Pistols in their range of influences and sounds in their fast-paced tunes. The Buzzcocks are often cited as an influence to subsequent bands for their uncanny ability to blend pop, power-pop, and indie sounds into their three-minute jams, making them a versatile and accessible.

The Buzzcocks went through a break-up in 1981 after some disputes and altercations with their record label and decided it was best to part ways. Shelley went on to a solo career and Diggle tried his hand at other bands, but the temptation of playing as the Buzzcocks never faded as in 1989 the band reunited and made the reunion permanent. Though time off has been taken and albums come out every five years or so, the Buzzcocks maintain a fairly steady touring schedule so that fans can get their fill of the punk band that inspired many others to follow. Their most recent album was Flat-Pack Philosphy, released back in 2006, meaning another should be on the way, but until it has been announced, we can only hope and reminisce on the music they’ve left for us thus far. In any case, get your fix below and enjoy!

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Artist of the Week-Kasabian

Andy

– April 20, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week, The Blogs

With everyone buzzing with the massive event that is Coachella we, too, are getting our fill with our artist of the week. This week we have another band that got their start in the 90’s and made it big in the early 2000’s. Taking a dive into the progressive and psychedelic worlds, our artist has been showing audiences that they can melt faces with their sound and style while keeping up the pace for years. Our artist this week is our mental and musical getaway driver, Kasabian.

Formed in 1997 in Leicester as teens, Kasabian began their musical career with a heavy influence from bands like the Stone Roses and Oasis. Taking their name from Charles Manson’s getaway driver, Kasabian set out to entertain both in the field of music as well as the rock-star/artistic persona. Taking a page from the Band, Kasabian retreated to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere to record their music. On top of that, lead singer Tom Meighan became a great outlet for the media as his ability to entertain through his less-than-friendly attitude during interviews. To add to the allure of the band, they were able to market their first singles leading up to their self-titled 2004 debut album quite well. With eye-catching cover art and posters to accompany their music, their marketing strategies could make advertising agencies jealous.

Kasabian steadily became more and more popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Since the release of Kasabian, the band received nominations and titles for various musical categories including “Best British Rock Act,” “Best Album,” “Best Live Band,” and “Song of the Year.” They followed the success of their debut album with Empire in 2006, whose title track reached number 9 in the UK singles chart. And to prove the band wasn’t slowing down, they came right back with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 2009 showing that they had no intention of slowing down the melting of faces.

Listening to Kasabian you often feel as though you’re in a trance. Their incorporation of processed beats with their heavy guitar and bass suck you in and (at least in this blogger’s opinion) often give you the feeling of being in some sort of science fiction action movie wherein you play the lead role. The sense that you’re either in space and/or about to kick some major ass with explosions and all the typical action fix-ins are highly prevalent in their licks and riffs. It’s no wonder the band has won the Q Award for “Best Act in the World Today”: they make you feel like a bad ass with each song!

With their most recent album, Velociraptor!, having been released last year, Kasabian has been touring steadily in support of it. Their stint here in the States is soon coming to a close with Coachella being their penultimate stop, but they look to pick things back up in June. If you happen to be in Europe, I highly recommend forking over some of your hard-earned cash to take part in their live experience as you won’t regret it. But if you’re not fortunate enough, as always you can get your fix below. Enjoy!

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Artist of the Week-The Hives

Andy

– April 13, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week, The Blogs

We’ve reached that time of year where Southern Californians can rejoice in festival magic. Yes, Coachella is here and this year it’s bigger than ever. For those unaware of the changes made to the schedule, the festival is now a two-weekend event. Due to the rapid selling of tickets, the same line-up will play two weeks in a row. Given that these artists will be waiting a week after one gig to play the same place a week later, it means that during that week many of those artists will bring their wonderful music to smaller venues around the Southern California (more specifically: Los Angeles) area. In anticipation of the festival and these shows, we’ll be dedicating the next two Artists of the Week to the festival that brings us Southern Californians a plethora of excellent music. This week we’ve got the always entertaining Hives as our artist of the week.

Perhaps known best for their early 2000’s rise to fame with their hit album Veni Vidi Vicious, the Hives had been paving their way in the garage rock world years before. The Hives formed as teens in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden with Nicholaus Arson, Howlin’ Pelle Armqvist, Dr. Matt Destruction, Vigilante Carlstroem, and Chris Dangerous. Taking on the sharply-dressed, aggressive persona the Swedish quintet belted out fast, catchy garage rock tunes that would come to make the band internationally popular. In 1995 the band signed with Burning Heart and released their debut EP, Oh Lord! When? How? This was followed two years later by their first full-length album, Barely Legal, though “full-length” may be a stretch as their goal was to make 30-minute albums…which they did. Successfully. For their first three albums.

With the arrival of Veni Vidi Vicious in 2001 and Tyrannosaurus Hives in 2004 the world saw the gritty, intense, fast-paced sound that these Swedes could pump out. The three-minute song and the thirty-minute album were working extremely well and their popularity was skyrocketing to where the Hives became a household name. The case was the same in the house of Pharrell Williams, a producer whose main experience was with hip hop. Pharrell wanting to take a dive into the world of rock, and the Hives taking their first trip with a major label, the two got together to make some good tunes, which resulted in 2007’s Black and White album. Showing maturity with a side of grunge, the band was able to release even more hit singles while still maintaining the core persona that they’d been perfecting for the past 14 years, proving that they still had what it took to rock faces while moving their drive for half-hour albums in a different direction.

One of the things I find respectable (and pretty nifty) about the Hives is that they are able to put out excellent music in English despite it being a second language. While Sweden may teach English to students at an early age, and 89% of the population claims at least basic conversational skills in the English language, the fact that the band strives to appeal to a larger market is admirable. That the band did appeal to a larger audience and has become incredibly famous makes them all the more admirable in this blogger’s opinion.

As mentioned earlier, the Hives will be in the Southern California area for the Coachella music festival. While here they’ll play a few shows outside of the festival, meaning that if you happen to be in the area, hurry up and get yourself a ticket if you don’t have one already. And should that fail, you can catch their next album, Lex Hives, on sale later on this year. But before you do any of that, as always, get your fix below. Enjoy!

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Artist of the Week-My Drug Hell

Andy

– April 6, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week, The Blogs

Well folks, it’s April and that marks a milestone in this blogger’s eyes. That’s right; yours truly is celebrating his Enter the Shell anniversary! Can you believe it ladies and gents? A whole year of Artist of the Week! Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: That guy’s still around? In any case, that’s what I was thinking when I noticed the approach of my year-long stint here (a surprise that I was tolerated for so long by my loving superiors, more than anything). And that’s exactly what I thought when I discovered that our Artist of the Week was still operating. Back on the radar for your Artist of the Week is My Drug Hell.

Formed in the early 90’s, My Drug Hell was Tim Briffa, Dave Preston, and Joe Bultitude. The London-based band, intent on keeping the 60’s alive, had plenty of obstacles in getting their music off the ground. Looking into the story, it’s almost unbelievable given the circumstances. From inheriting money from a deceased grandmother to pay for the recording of their album, to their record companies going under, to having engineers accidentally erase their tracks to band members quitting. Seemingly ages later and what seemed like a hellish life rather than a drug hell, in 1998, My Drug Hell finally released their debut album, This is My Drug Hell.

To say that My Drug Hell is a 60’s revivalist band would be an insult to the band. Writer, vocalist, and guitarist Tim Briffa has lived and breathed the 60’s practically his entire life. While the sound is emulated in their music, if one would listen to My Drug Hell without knowing they were formed in the 90’s, they would think My Drug Hell might have played shows alongside the Velvet Underground. Briffa and My Drug Hell didn’t bring the 60’s back, they simply never left it behind (style, super 8, and 8-track included). The psychedelic/garage sound that the band plays so well along with the solid songwriting is what makes this band so appealing to so many. If ever you wanted to know what indie music was before it became commercial, you’ll definitely dig My Drug Hell.

As mentioned earlier, My Drug Hell’s debut album was released in 1998, and with it came much critical acclaim. Their single “Girl at the Bus Stop” had been granted ample amounts of air time both in the UK as well as here in the US, and they had even managed to land their single in a Miller beer advertisement. Yes, after the initial aforementioned hold-ups with the release of the album, it seemed like things were going well for My Drug Hell…until they disappeared. After their debut album the band seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, only to resurface a decade later with talk of a new album entitled My Drug Hell 2. Thinking the dust had settled and the band gone, this blogger was surprised (and pleased) to find out a new album was on its way (along with a reissue of This is My Drug Hell), and in 2009 they released MDH2. Bringing the same charm and style that they’d done in ’98 and before, My Drug Hell delivered the goods with their sophomore album, and already have promised a third. While they like to claim the release is for next year, given the time it’s taken for two albums to come out, I’m expecting it no later than 2016 (just don’t want to get my hopes up).

Bands like My Drug Hell don’t come around too often, and when they do they’re definitely worth checking out. Though the band seems to be very low-key in their advertisement, it just makes them that much more enticing. Nearly 15 years after their first album and a few after their second, there are still only a handful of people who have been fortunate enough to catch on, but they set a rule that other underground musicians should do their best to follow, and that is that no matter what kind of crap gets thrown at you, keep at it. Get your fix below and enjoy!

Useful Links

Official Site

Myspace

Given the lack of sites to check them out on, I’ll post a couple of their videos instead:

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Artist of the Week (Legend Series)-Social Distortion

Andy

– March 30, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

Bringing March to a close, this week we bring you not only a band that has been playing for nearly 35 years, spanning several different varieties of the punk genre, but an artist that has occupied a good portion of this blogger’s formative years. A Southern California native that puts heart and soul into every song, our artist has been a big player the world over. Ladies and gentlemen, your Legendary Artist of the Week is the great Social Distortion.

The late 70’s saw the rise of punk and with its rise came Social Distortion. Formed in 1978 by frontman, guitarist, and vocalist Mike Ness, Casey Royer, and Frank and Rikk Agnew the band took on the sound of the L.A. punk scene, producing a sound similar to that of L.A. punk greats, X. The first few years of Social Distortion saw a line-up that seemed to change on a regular basis, but by the time their debut album, Mommy’s Little Monster, hit shelves they seemed to have at least settled on two permanent members: Ness, and Dennis Danell. The two would be the core that embodied the band for years to come.

One of the most inviting and accessible parts of Social Distortion is the truth in much of their music and its maturation over the years. While Ness has written some pieces that are truly fictional pieces, like many of the songs on Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, he often writes of his own personal experiences, be they struggles or happier moments. Mommy’s Little Monster detailed the plight of youth wanting independence and the feeling of being misunderstood by society as a whole and as would only be proper, the sound of the album matches the mood: Fast, angry, in-your-face. But as the band grew, so did their style of music. Slowly Social Distortion gained more of a rockabilly sound, then blues, then country. As with the change of aural direction, each album also highlighted new highs and lows from the chapters of Ness’s life from the darkness portrayed in White Light, White Heat, White Trash to the more uplifting Sex, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

As Social Distortion matured and began to find its place in the world with their evolving style of punk, they also began to gain more and more notoriety. Generating more air-play, booking more shows, collecting more fans, Social Distortion was doing something right. Despite the hardships Ness faced in his personal life and band hiatuses, they persevered. Then in 2000 tragedy struck as guitarist Dennis Danell passed away due to an aneurysm at the age of 38. Though Ness had lost a long-time friend, he went back to doing what he has said helped him through difficult times: writing music. Since Danell’s death Social Distortion has released two subsequent albums: Sex, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll in 2004 and last year’s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes and have another album set to release sometime next year. While Ness still remains the driving force behind the band, his backing band has yet again changed, with Johnny Wickersham taking over Danell’s position on guitar since his passing. The band continuously manages to deliver the high-energy, fast-paced shows for which the fans have the fondest admiration.

As mentioned earlier, Social Distortion played a large role in the shaping of a good part of my life. Social Distortion represented in me my first growth of independence. They were my first punk band to listen to, my first mosh pit, my first choice when talking about favorite bands. Social Distortion helped me through my awkward youth, set me apart from other kids, they aided me in finding my identity, in dealing with rejection, in finding understanding when it seemed as though the rest of the world had none, and in helping me to relieve the stresses of teen (and pre-teen) life by giving me an outlet. For that I thank them, and for that they are this month’s Legend. Get your fix below!

Useful Links

Mommy’s Little Monster

King of Fools (acoustic)

Prison Bound

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Artist of the Week-Riverboat Gamblers

Andy

– March 23, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

Now that things are warming up outside, so is our music. This week we’ve got a punk band that has been rising in the ranks for a few years now. Bringing listeners intense and care-free skate-punk, our artist is a band that deserves more recognition than they’ve gotten. Fortunately for everyone, we here at Enter the Shell (dot com) are here to spread the word. Ladies and gents, we bring you Riverboat Gamblers as your artist of the week.

Riverboat Gamblers started as Pat Lillard, Fadi el-Assad, and Mike Wiebe in the university town of Denton, Texas. Formed in the late 90’s, the Gamblers were a staple of the University of North Texas community for several years until their 2001 single, “Jenna (Is A No Show),” put them on the path to skate-punk success. Two thousand three saw the band make a break-out performance at South by Southwest, garnering attention from multiple interested parties. While courted by several major-labels, Riverboat Gamblers went the direction of Gearhead Records, pushing away the temptations that major record companies offer (which the Gamblers sing about in “The Biz Loves Sluts”).

Fast, fun, and not overbearing in their delivery of a message, Riverboat Gamblers manage to come out as a force to be reckoned with in the skate-punk realm. Their songs about drinking, the state of the commercial music business, all things fun, and (of course) gambling, make them accessible and likable by any who enjoy catchy punk anthems that you can easily pick up and sing along to. What makes Riverboat Gamblers even more appealing is the fact that they don’t take themselves seriously. While we can all appreciate songs trying to change the world or bring light to an important cause, Riverboat Gamblers remember that sometimes you just need to cut loose, have fun, and dance like an idiot.

The Gamblers moved from Gearhead Records to Volcom Entertainment in 2005 and have remained their ever since. Though the band has gone through several lineup changes, Wiebe (AKA Teko) on vocals, and el-Assad (AKA Freddy Castro) on guitar have remained the only original members of the band. Their 2009 release, Underneath the Owl saw more of Riverboat Gamblers delivering the high-energy punk that they are known for, but with a more mature sound, and their 2011 EP Smash/Grab continues in that trend.

The Riverboat Gamblers recently finished two shows at the ever-popular (and important) South by Southwest. They’re set to have their next album, 2012: Soundtrack to the End of the World (though I’m not certain that’s the official title), released sometime this year. With six albums under their belts, their most recent EP released last year, their album on the way, shows with the likes of Flogging Molly, Rise Against, and Rancid, not to mention their music featured in a number of various video games, you can bet that the Gamblers will be keeping their music constantly rocking, the fists never-endingly pumping, and this blogger enthusiastically listening. Get your fix below and enjoy!

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Artist of the Week-Stiff Little Fingers

Andy

– March 16, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

Today there are many varying styles of punk music, but whether talking about how growing up sucks, the state of affairs in the world, or the failures of political systems, they all share one thing in common: they’re bringing light to an issue or a cause that they feel is important enough to talk about. Our artist this week has been in the punk scene for 35 years and knows all about playing music for a cause. This week we bring you Stiff Little Fingers who helped set trends and standards in the punk world.

Formed in Belfast in 1977, Jake Burns was inspired to put together a punk band after seeing the Clash play. What one night of punk turned into was a career in the world of punk music and a name as a well-respected punk band. Several days after Burns’ encounter with the Clash, he turned out two of the band’s most notable and memorable songs, “Wasted Life,” and “Suspect Device” (which Ted Leo does an excellent cover of). With Burns’ raspy vocals backing the in-your-face tracks filled with the high-energy of the Clash’s early albums, it wasn’t long before Stiff Little Fingers were being compared to the Clash themselves.

In 1978 Stiff Little Fingers released their first LP and quite possibly their most highly acclaimed and unforgettable album, Inflammable Material which included the two songs mentioned above, as well as “Alternative Ulster” and a (spectacular) cover of Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was”. Gaining popularity, Stiff Little Fingers managed to gain a loyal following. It is easy to see why: as with any punk band, inspiration often comes from personal experience and Jake Burns had plenty to use. Fueled politically by turmoil in Ireland, Burns was able to reach inside, write, and sing about his perspective and understanding of the things around him. This later expanded to world events and Burns continues to write about political climates in his more recent material, keeping the punk ethos alive in his work.

Not everything was peachy for Stiff Little Fingers. As with many bands, they had their ups and downs throughout their musical career. Burns and bassist Ali McMordie had their disputes and in 1983 the band split, and four years later they got back together to write more music. Stiff Little Fingers have also gone through numerous line-ups with Burns being the constant throughout. McMordie was unable to commit his entire time to Stiff Little Fingers come the early nineties, so for about 15 years Bruce Foxton, former bassist of the Jam, had stepped in and been a member of the band until 2006 when he amicably departed. With Foxton’s departure, McMordie returned once again and remains with Stiff Little Fingers until this day.

Stiff Little Fingers are due to release a new album entitled Liars Club sometime in the near future (named after a bar Burns passed by while listening to news about particular politicians). While currently lacking a solid release date, fans and skeptics believe it will be released sometime this year to coincide with their 35^th anniversary (though is it still a 35 year anniversary with a 4-year break-up?), but given the fact that it’s been in production for five years this blogger is hesitant to say anything with certainty. Despite the wait for the album, Stiff Little Fingers has earned its way into the punk history books and remains a vital part of any enthusiast’s punk collection. Fortunately you can still catch them for live shows, keeping their energy at peak and with Burns bouncing around stage as though he were 35 years younger. Get your fix below, and enjoy!

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Artist of the Week-Ten Foot Pole

Andy

– March 9, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

March is here and spring is upon us (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere). And with spring we are granted new life, nice weather, and that great American pastime known as baseball. This week we’re getting a little bit of everything! Our artist this week is one of those great California skate-punk bands that should have been much bigger than they ever got to be, but it’s ok because their following is comprised of devoted fans who really appreciate their music. Ladies and gents, your artist of the week is the great Ten Foot Pole.

There are two different origins that people consider when thinking of Ten Foot Pole, there’s the “nardcore” straight-edge band of the 80’s that was the precursor to Ten Foot Pole called Scared Straight. Then there was the new life the band gained with the early 90’s incarnation when Scared Straight changed their name to Ten Foot Pole and started recording albums. Either way, the band began as Dennis Jagard, Steve von Treetrunk, Jordan Burns, and (then future) MLB pitcher, Scott Radinsky.

As with the origins, there are also two different Ten Foot Poles that people typically associate with: the Radinsky Ten Foot Pole and the Jagard Ten Foot Pole. With Scott Radinsky, the band released its first two albums, Swill and Rev, with his vocals bleating out the tracks. It’s often this particular sound that people associate with Ten Foot Pole. But due to Radinsky’s career as a Major League pitcher he was kicked out of the band and Jagard took over on vocal duties. Though his voice was not as nasally and his themes slightly changed, the band kept the same edge and life as with Radinsky. Fans of the early Ten Foot Pole albums and followers of Radinsky likely followed him to his subsequent band, Pulley.

Ten Foot Pole demonstrates the power and energy of other punk bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, and Bad Religion, but they were seemingly more deserving of the attention. Their albums, while excellent, show that the band is truly meant to be listened to live. Their content is a range from positive influences to failing relationships to bad days at work to wanting privacy from the pictures relatives passed away so they can have a moment to rub one out in peace. While punk usually has an aggression or a seeming anger to go along with it, Ten Foot Pole never really gets to the point neither of anger nor of writing things off as too soft. While adrenaline filled and mosh-pit inducing, their music seems to maintain a balance of the crooning punks and the in-your-face anger.

While Ten Foot Pole has been around for some time and has put out several albums, their last endeavor was 2004’s Subliminal Messages. Though their music production seems to have slowed, you can still catch live shows here and there. And if you’re a fan of punk, you’d definitely enjoy one of their live shows. The fact that the band never really acquired commercial success, the atmosphere is extremely intimate. The fans sing-along, push each other, and have a great time, the way punk should be. Hopefully we’ll hear more from them in the future, but until then get your fix here. Enjoy!

Useful Links

Official Site/Facebook

Myspace

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Artist of the Week (Legend Series)-Elvis Costello

Andy

– March 2, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

February has come to a close and with it our unofficial theme is ending as well. While the rest of the month we have been highlighting power-pop artists, our legend this month, while not a power-pop artist definitively, I regard with having aided the genre by setting the bar of intellectual lyrics with the self-aware styling that makes power-pop so accessible. Ladies and gentlemen, this month Enter the Shell brings you the man that has helped innumerable people deal with growing pains and the frustrations of life and love. We welcome Elvis Costello as our Legendary Artist of the Week.

Last week we spoke about the ability of a power-pop musician to not only write great lyrics, but their talents in drawing from their emotions and personal experiences in order to convey to others the meaning and feeling that they have felt. In this blogger’s eyes there are few who match Elvis Costello’s honesty and strength as a song-writer and musician. Dealing particularly with Costello’s first few albums, the bitterness of rejection and the difficulties of wooing a partner are laid thick as listeners can relate to Costello’s own struggles, summoning forth the pain and frustration that the want of a significant other can cause. Through Costello’s talents as a writer and passion as a musician, it’s no surprise that friend and inspiration (and former AotW Legend) Nick Lowe would want to produce such an incredible wordsmith on the Stiff label, home to other great musicians like Graham Parker, and Huey Lewis and the News (before they were Huey Lewis and the News).

Costello’s work showcases extremely well the range of human emotion. Whether he is singing about divorce, politics, road life, substance abuse, or just playing good old fashioned rock and roll, Costello is able to captivate an audience and draw images that help listeners to sit back and say something in the likeness of “yeah, this guy knows exactly what I’m going through right now…and he can rock my socks off, too!” While Costello has such a broad array of musical styles and sounds, he has a little something for everybody.

With 35 years and 30 albums under the moniker of Elvis Costello, the man has certainly made a name for himself in the world of music. Not only has he put out a phenomenal amount of his own music (his most recent being 2010’s National Ransom), he has also collaborated extensively with seemingly just about everyone in existence. A few years ago he and Elton John produced their own television show, Spectacle which ran for two seasons and had Costello interviewing various musicians (and one president) where in between questions they would play music together. Costello has produced bands such as the Specials and the Pogues and has collaborated with the likes of Paul McCartney and Sesame Street, and has even appeared in a few movies (by the way, Costello is the original Napoleon Dynamite).

While the life of Elvis Costello may be too much to track in a brief AotW segment, the man has certainly accomplished a great amount and, with his track record, does not appear to be slowing down. The 57 year old musician still tours regularly, tends to his side-projects, and writes captivating new music. While not all of his albums have been stellar, throughout the 30 albums released his gems do stand out and you’ll never be lacking a new avenue of Elvis to explore. Get your fix below and enjoy!

Useful Links

Spectacle episodes on Sundance

IFRAME Embed for Youtube

Artist of the Week-Mike Viola

Andy

– February 24, 2012Posted in: Artist of the Week

Given our pseudo-theme of the month, I felt it was only appropriate that we carried on for a couple more weeks. This month has all been centered around power-pop artists and this week is yet another artist who has the ability to belt out catchy, meaningful, and often playful tunes. While power-pop may not be everyone’s favorite style of music, this blogger finds that it is an often underappreciated style of play and one that contains some of the brightest lyrical minds in the music world. This week we recognize an artist who just nearly made legendary status. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Mike Viola to Enter the Shell’s Artist of the week.

When you bring up the name Mike Viola, not many people are going to jump up and say “yeah, I know that guy, he’s a great musician!” And while he is certainly a great musician, the reason most people won’t jump and hoot in support of Mr. Viola is that they probably haven’t heard of him…that is until you tell them what he’s worked on. Much like last week’s Fountains of Wayne (who Mike Viola is close friends with), our artist has been a part of film and has collaborated with other artists who seem to get more attention than he himself does. Mike Viola co-wrote with Adam Schlesinger the title song for That Thing You Do! (he performed it, too) as well as many of the songs for 2007’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Aside from those movie initiatives, he has also been Mandy Moore’s musical director, and toured with acts like They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, and Robyn Hitchcock.

Mike Viola is an artist who has been in the game for many years. He’s played in various bands, collaborations, and teamed up with others to help add to their music (or just to have fun). A Massachusetts native, Viola had been in the music scene since the 80’s, but it wasn’t until his mid-90’s band, the Candy Butchers, that his music really began gaining attention. It was during this time that he and Schlesinger penned the title track for That Thing You Do! that reached number 41 in Billboard’s Hot 100 songs of 1996. The Candy Butchers demonstrated Viola’s exquisite writing abilities, which often focused on the eternally relatable subject of failing and functioning love lives. The Candy Butchers were excellent at writing songs that you could tap your toes and sing-along to all without getting embarrassed about what it was you were listening to.

While the pop songs were great, it was 2004’s Hang On, Mike that really displayed his talent and emotional spectrum as a writer. Dealing with topics from his best friend’s introducing him to Kiss Alive II, to bringing children into the world, to the tragic story of coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. The mark of a great power-pop artist is not only to write catchy and lyrically astute music, but to be able to bridge the spectrum of emotions by drawing from personal experience. I find few better at this than Mike Viola.

Though Viola has dropped the Candy Butcher moniker, he has gone on to work in other collaborative efforts and has pursued his own solo career. Having recently moved out to Los Angeles, those local readers who think they might want to check him out will definitely have their opportunity. Mike Viola’s most recent venture was 2011’s Electro de Perfecto which continues to prove his musical prowess by serving up an offering of more tunes worth singing-along to. As usual, get your fix below. Enjoy!

Useful Links