The Music Elitist

This is the trailer for the new White Stripes documentary: “Under Great White Northern Lights”. If you say this looks lame, you’re a communist.

I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and something I hear from people constantly is “I hate the radio” or “The radio sucks.” If you’ve ever listened to radio in Florida, you know those statements aren’t an exaggeration. But while all radio does in one way or another suck (no matter what state you’re in) I want to focus mainly on rock station formats in Florida.

I never listen to the radio in Orlando because the only rock station I get here is 101.1 Real Rock. This station is absolutely deplorable. Just take a look at the songs they have played in the last hour:

• Sixx A.M. – Life is Beautiful
• Silverchair – Tomorrow
• Sublime – What I Got
• Papa Roach – Lifeline
• Foo Fighters – My Hero
• Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People
• Saving Abel – Drowning (Face Down)
• Third Eye Blind – Graduate
• Saliva – Family Reunion
• Nirvana – Lake of Fire
• AC/DC – Rock ‘n Roll Train
• Godsmack – Awake
• Slipknot – Dead Memories
• Drowning Pool – Bodies

Now, with the exception of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Sublime and Third Eye Blind, that’s a pretty awful hour of music. Like I said, I have lived in Florida my entire life and radio has pretty much been this way the whole time. Even when I was living in South Florida the rock stations just constantly played bad music like this (with the exception of 103.1 The Buzz, but they’re not owned by Clear Channel so that’s probably why). I assumed it was just the fact that big radio stations owned by Clear Channel all play horrible music. But when I visited California last summer, my eyes were opened. Here’s KROQ’s current Top 25 most played songs:

1. Green Day – Know Your Enemy
2. Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch
3. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
4. Apocalyptica feat. Adam Gontier – I Don’t Care
5. Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
6. Big B feat. Scott Russo – Sinner
7. Rancid – Last One to Die
8. The Offspring – You’re Gonna Go Far Kid
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
10. Incubus – Black Heart Inertia
11. Incubus – Love Hurts
12. Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
13. The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight
14. Rise Against – Audience of One
15. The Killers – This is Your Life
16. Far – Pony
17. Anberlin – Feel Good Drag
18. Hollywood Undead – Undead
19. Asher Roth – I Love College
20. 311 – Hey You
21. White Lies – To Lose My Life
22. Depeche Mode – Wrong
23. Coldplay – Life in Technicolor II
24. The Offspring – Half-Truism
25. U2 – Magnificent

When we were driving around L.A. we listened to KROQ for 15 min and in a row I heard Foo Fighters, Sum 41, Atmosphere and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I was flabbergasted. Not one Nickelback or Godsmack song. Now, obviously Clear Channel wouldn’t keep Real Rock here in Orlando for so long if there wasn’t a market for it. If the amount of white trash I am surrounded by on a daily basis is any indication, there clearly is. And THAT’s why radio in Florida sucks. Because apparently the majority of people in Florida have horrible taste in music.

Being from Florida, I felt I should use this platform (albeit a small one) to let you all know about some bands in Florida that I consider to be pretty damn good and think deserve some more recognition. So without further ado…

Hand to Hand - Orlando, Florida

Hand to Hand

(Metal/Rock/Indie)

I am starting with Hand to Hand because they are probably my favorite band in Orlando. Even if metal isn’t your thing, I highly recommend checking these guys out. It’s not like most metal you have heard. It’s very melodic, catchy stuff but at the same time can be insanely aggressive and in your face. These guys also put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen from a local act. Frontman Rob Kellom has been known to climb on and hang from anything he can whilst performing. And on top of being an awesome band, they are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. The band released their latest EP Breaking the Surface on Lifeforce Records this past July and is releasing a full-length sometime this year. Keep an eye on these guys.

Stonefox - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Stonefox

(Rock/Indie/Blues)

If you’re a fan of good ol’ dirty rock ‘n roll, then Stonefox is for you. Wait, let me rephrase that. If you’re just a fan of music in general, you will probably like these guys. They maintain a sound that is very original yet at the same time vaguely familiar. There are a lot of people I could probably compare singer Jordan Asher’s voice to, but the one that sticks out the most is Thom Yorke circa 1995. I’ve seen the band perform twice over the last 4 months and they blew me away both times. They just got back from a short tour and by the looks of their MySpace are already planning another one. Definitely check them out if they are coming to your town.

T13C - Gainesville, Florida

T13C

(Pop Punk/Rock/Emo)

If you’ve gone to Warped Tour for the last 2 years, you’ve probably seen T13C some point. The tragic thing is that it wasn’t on stage (unless you were at Warped Orlando this past year). For the past 2 summers, these guys have followed the tour, selling their CDs outside (and inside) the gates for $5 just to make gas money to get to the next venue and do it all over again. Their sound may be similar to a lot of other bands, but in my opinion these guys do it better than most of the bands with this sound that get recognition. If you ask me, Decaydance might have been wise to sign THIS Florida band as opposed to Paramore, Pt. II. Their latest EP We’ve Created a Monster came out in April of last year and they are currently touring the state of Florida. CHECK ‘EM OUT!

How Dare You - Orlando, Florida

How Dare You

(Indie/Punk/Rock)

How Dare You are proof that melodic punk rock (not pop punk) is still alive and well in Florida. I ran into guitarist Elliot Meyer recently and he informed me that they are headed into the studio this week working on their next record. If you like Lifetime or Hot Water Music, it is in your best interest to check these guys out. If the song “Week of Heart Attacks” doesn’t make you love these guys then you should just burn every record you own and stop listening to music altogether because you suck at it. Seriously.

The Still Voice - Orlando, Florida

The Still Voice

(Rock/Indie/Progressive)

The Still Voice is probably my most recent musical discovery here in Orlando. On their MySpace they describe their music as “thoughtful and technical, melodic and chaotic.” Honestly there isn’t any better way to describe them. The only band I could compare their sound to is Denali. This is mainly because Erin Solari’s vocals are a mix between Denali’s Maura Davis and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. But their music is actually more technical and math-y than Denali’s was. Either way if you live in Orlando and you hear this band is playing somewhere, GO! You will not be disappointed.

Vega Under Fire

(Rock/Indie/Pop Punk)

Vega Under Fire - Naples, Florida

It astounds me that Vega Under Fire has not yet been signed. However, that may not be the case for long since they were recently named one of Purevolume’s Top 21 Unsigned Artists of 2008. And for good reason too. These guys are incredibly talented, write great songs and put on a very high-energy show. Their latest record Life of the Party has been reviewed favorably by both Absolutepunk and Alternative Press. I honestly haven’t kept up on what these guys are doing, so I can’t really say much else except that these guys are awesome and at the very least you should go to their MySpace or Purevolume and check out their tunes.

The Prospect

(Rock/Indie/Powerpop)

The Prospect - Bradenton, Florida

The west coast of Florida has been providing some great music lately and The Prospect are definitely part of it. Plus any band that names one of their songs after a line from Shaun of the Dead (“You’ve Got Red on You”) is cool in my book. They’re also one of the few bands from their area not jumping on the pop punk/indie dance bandwagon. While they’re music is obviously influenced by that type of music, its clear that they strive to just write great rock songs. On top of all that, these guys are a fun bunch to hang out with. Their latest record America was produced by Eddie Reyes from Taking Back Sunday and you should go to their MySpace to check it out.

My Complex Island

(Rock/Indie/Punk)

My Complex Island - Davie, Florida

Back when I was cool and in a band, I played a few shows with My Complex Island and I was thoroughly impressed by their performance every time. The band was always tight, the vocals were spot-on and frontman Chris Liegerot is always entertaining to watch. When you listen to these guys, it’s clear they draw a lot of influence from “screamo era” bands like The Used, Story of the Year and Thrice. But every now and then they throw in that dance-y pop punk sound that is oh-so-hot right now.

Jacob’s Ladder

(Rock/Indie/Powerpop)

Jacob's Ladder - Miami, Florida

Jacob’s Ladder is another band I came across when I was playing shows in South Florida. They are the only band on this list whose sound I really can’t compare to anyone else. But one of the guys in this band looks like Dave Grohl, so if that doesn’t make you want to check them out, you’re hopeless. But, seriously, these guys have an incredibly original sound and their shows are a lot of fun. If nothing else, you gotta go see these guys to see the bass player’s insane afro. The picture does not do it justice at all. It must be seen in person.

Adeste

(Screamo/Experimental/Hardcore)

Adeste - Orlando, Florida

I saw Adeste open for Hand to Hand this weekend. These guys are RIDICULOUS! They may look all happy-go-lucky in this promo pic, but make no mistake, Adeste’s music is hard, aggressive and (dare I say) epic. There is also a lot of technicality to the music. You can tell they practice their asses off until they get it right. If I had to compare them to a band, I would say Underoath, but there are only slight similarities.  There were a lot of things about their show that made this band stand out, but the one thing I do remember was that the synth player had what looked like a deer head attached to his keyboard stand, antlers and all. I wish I could say more about these guys but I have only seen one show and I have yet to listen to their whole record. But, if hard aggressive (and progressive) music is what you’re into, you should give these guys a listen.

It appears cock-rockers Creed are in the middle of planning a reunion tour for 2009. I honestly can’t think of any music news I have heard this year that has made me want to blow my own brains out as much as this has. Scott Stapp is an absolute PR nightmare. I can’t believe anyone in the music industry is even willing to work with him at this point.

While the prospect of Creed reuniting is quite frightening, there was an even MORE disturbing piece of news in this article

…Stapp promptly embarked on a solo career, while guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and original bassist Brian Marshall formed Alter Bridge with vocalist Myles Kennedy and released two albums….However, Kennedy is rumored to be the top contender to replace Robert Plant for a tour with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.

So the singer of Alter Bridge (which is basically a second rate Creed) is going to be replacing Robert Plant on tour with Led Zeppelin….WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! Clearly Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have both lost their minds. Its bad enough they were going to go on tour without Robert Plant, but to replace him with the lead singer of Alter Bridge is just going way too far. Bonham’s rolling in his grave.

The only positive I can see in this whole situation is that if Creed decides to take Nickelback and Hinder on tour with them we can get all three of those bands in the same place and bomb the first arena they play in, also eliminating some of their fans in the process. Anyone reading this have access to explosives?

EDIT: (Quick note to Homeland Security: OBVIOUSLY I’m joking. Please don’t arrest me)