Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Rock Dose

The Rock Dose

Woodstock 1969, A Part Of American History

Posted: 11 Mar 2009 08:52 AM PDT

MORRISON HOTEL GALLERY JIMI HENDRIX The year was 1969. America was in conflict in Viet Nam, the African-American civil rights movement was “over” according to our history books and a sexual revolution was still taking place. Musicians were writing music not to make money and records, but to make a statement…well, some of them were anyway. They were writing songs of inspiration, political disgust, and love and equality for human kind. It was an era that will be forever imprinted in the history of America.

When most people think of Woodstock ‘69 and that time of revolution, they only think of drugged up hippies. Those drugged up (and the not so drugged up hippies) had an outlook on life of peace and love. No war, religion, possessions and an equality for all mankind. Sadly it was a pipe dream. I say that because no matter where we go as a country, no matter what steps we take, there will always be those problems.

We’ve become a nation and world of consumption and greed. Religion has always been a reason for war, whether it be the main reason or an underlying justification for crimes against humanity in the warped mind of a leader. Although we’ve taken giant leaps in terms of racial and gender equality, there will always be those that have a superiority complex and think that someone’s race, religion or sex is inferior to their own.

Woodstock was merely three days for the people to express themselves through music and bring together people in peace, love and harmony. It had it’s bad moments and it had it’s great moments. 40 years later we remember the Woodstock 1969 event, and not the money grubbing concerts that were Woodstock 94 and the atrocity they called Woodstock 99.

VH1 History and VH1 Classic has teamed up with Warner Music to bring us Woodstock: 40 years later (That’s the current working title). A retrospective look back at Woodstock. This is scheduled to air in August.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, VH1 has partnered with Warner Home Video on several cross-marketing initiatives in support of each other’s Woodstock-related projects. Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music — the four-hour director’s cut of the 1970 Oscar(R)-winning documentary about the landmark music event that featured some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performers in history — will be released this summer in a spectacular new Blu-ray and DVD Ultimate Collector’s Edition (UCE). With two extra hours of rare performance footage — some of it newly-discovered, some only seen in part and some never seen at all — the UCE is destined to make its own history.

There will never be another Woodstock like the one in 1969, just as there will never be another Gettysburg Address or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech at the March On Washington in 1963. You can not emulate, recreate or fabricate events like these. You can only remember them and cherish them for what they were. I know it’s a little odd comparing Woodstock to the other two  great events that molded our nation, but Woodstock is also a part of our nation’s history. It may not have changed history, but it made it’s impact.

Image: Newscom

Block Quote from PR Newswire press release

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2-4-1 Review Special: D’Haene-Vinyl and Tongues

Posted: 11 Mar 2009 06:53 AM PDT

DHaene6 tonguescover

This year has been a great year for introduction of new, more underground musicians in the rock genre. I have two more in bands in addition to the few that I have already mentioned this year that I have been quite impressed with.

I love simplicity when it comes to rock. I like bands that focus on the music they love instead of how much tail they plan on getting when they “make it big”. Some bands may become huge in the mainstream, but in the long run they are forgettable. A lot of mainstream acts don’t have the impact that some of the bands of yesterday do. They catch a records execs. “Green eye” and they are thrown in the spotlight, showered with pr, and when they stop selling albums they are discarded like a used battery. The ones that really touch us in our hearts and deep down in our souls are the bands that we never forget and still sell records 30 years after they disband.

I like the blues but not enough to go buy up records every chance I get, I dig the genre, but I’m not a blues connoisseur per se . What I love about the blues is the same thing I love about soul music. It’s deep and passionate. Both genres are unique as the musicians that write and perform blues or soul music have a deep passion for what they do. They put their everything in to it. I found the fusion of rock and soul music an extravagant thing. I don’t habitually listen to soul, but I enjoy it when I hear it. Soul and blues mixed with rock and roll and I’m feeling at peace with myself and everything around me.

DHaene6 With that said, let me introduce to you D’Haene. D’Haene, pronounced d’Hain, was formed on 2003 in NYC and consists of 5 members. Bob D’Haene, for whom the band is named after is the songwriter, vocalist and rhythm and lead guitar player. Backing up Bob on rhythm and lead guitar as well as the lap steel is Riley McMahon. Sammy K handles the percussionist duties while Tim McCracken covers keyboards and backing vocals. Let’s not forget Rick Guetschow on Bass guitar.

D’Haene’s latest release entitle Vinyl is such a great mix of rock and soul. I would almost venture to say that it’s more of a soul sound with a mix of rock at times. Vinyl makes me wish there were more band out there that made music like this. It’s a mixing pot of late 60’s and 70’s soul, jazz and rock but modern enough to make it as relevant as any other album being released.

I’ve had this album in my possession for a couple of weeks now and I started listening late one day but didn’t get through the opening track before getting side-tracked by something else. Today I went to search on my iPod for Derek Jordan and I saw “D’Haene” and something sparked in my mind, so I gave it a spin and it made my day so much better. D’Haene have been added to my list of bands that are slowly restoring my faith in modern rock. Listen for yourself at http://www.dhaeneband.com/, and just click on the “music” tab. D’Haene’s Vinyl will be available in April.

tonguescover And now, Tongues. Remember when I said that I liked simplicity a minute ago. Tongues is what I was talking about. When I first saw the album art to Tongues I thought it was going to be the typical modern rock of today. I was completely wrong. Born out of various other Chicago based bands, Tongues brings a raw edged traditional rock sound with enough hard rock and hardcore punk influenced sound to keep it interesting. Tongues also has catchy modern sound with a slight pop/rock and at times, grunge bite to it that has you reminiscing a little about the 80’s and 90’s. Simplistic, edgy and catchy songs keep you listening through the 12 songs that stretch out over 45  plus minutes.

Tongues is Todd Pat on vocals, Sean Shipley and Frank Gilbert on lead guitar, Andy Peterson on drums and Erik Bocek on bass. Look for Tongues on Couchhouse Collective.

Tongues image via Coachhouse Collective

D’Haene Image courtesy of Bob D’Haene

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