One Big City, Two Legendary Bands
After a two month hiatus, RizzoMusic is back and today I have something to report back from my summer travels.
This summer I spent some time in the Big Apple, New York City. Over two months, and I only managed to get to one concert. Luckily for me it was a great one. I saw Collective Soul and Live play at the Hammerstein Ballroom on July 30th. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen these bands live in concert but it was surely a concert I would never forget.
Fortunately for me, I was able to go for free. RizzoMusic’s first sponsor, RazorGator.com, was able to provide me with enough funds to go to a concert of my choice, free of charge. It was too good of a deal for me to pass up. After much debate I decided on Live and Collective Soul, two bands that I have seen before individually and together. Having a great respect of their newest releases, Songs from Black Mountain, and Afterwords, respectively, I knew that it would be a great show.
First I am going to give a little review of RazorGator’s services before I get into actually reviewing the concert. RazorGator is a ticket marketplace where anyone can post extra tickets they have for other people to buy. Their slogan is “Your Connection for Hard-to-Get® Tickets!” and unfortunately for me, the Collective Soul tickets weren’t exactly hard to get. The tickets were not sold out and retailed for about 50 dollars. The cheapest I was able to come across were 74 dollars. Not too bad but considering that you could still buy them from the box office for cheaper, there wasn’t much incentive to buy from RazorGator. RazorGator does charge for shipping and processing fees, so my total was $189.30. So for this particular concert, I can’t really say that I would recommend using RazorGator but if a concert or sporting event is sold out, they are a very good option. I ordered my tickets 2 days before the concert and they were shipped and delivered in time. One little caveat for people looking to use RazorGator’s services is that you need to be able to sign for the tickets when they come to your house. Luckily where I was living, we had a doorman so it wasn’t a problem but I could see where this could become problematic. They do give you the shipping tracking number so you can figure out about what time the package will come and I can understand RazorGator’s position in requiring a signature. They guarantee the tickets to be there on time for the event and a signature requirement ensures that the tickets were received. The process was very smooth, and overall I was happy with their service. They accept all major credit cards and everything is shipped FedEx. I even called their customer service number, and the man I talked to was very helpful. I would recommend the website for sold out concert tickets or if you’re looking for closer seats then are available. The Hammerstein Ballroom had balcony seats but I was cool with the general admission floor tickets. You can get a lot closer and everyone down there gets really into it.
Alright, now that you know how I got to the concert, I am sure you are all dying to hear how the concert was. In case you were living in a cellar throughout the 90s, Live and Collective Soul were two of the most popular rock bands of the decade. Each have had their fair share of chart topping hits, combining sales of about 20 million records in the U.S. While Live has sold more records, Collective Soul has had more #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
The concert opened with an up and coming female artist, Hana Pestle. A singer/songwriter from Montana, Pestle was a surprisingly good addition to what was sure to be a great concert. Coming on stage with only an acoustic guitar, she impressed the audience with her entrancing voice. She has some serious range, and her songs were very good. I was a little disappointed when I heard that Blues Traveler, famous for “Hook” and “Run Around”, wasn’t going to open up for this concert like they have been in the past but Hana Pestle, more then made up for their void. Like most opening acts, the crowd wasn’t really into it like they were for the main act but you could tell that some were pleasantly surprised by her performance. She was upbeat and talkative, though you could tell that she felt that crowd was unresponsive. She covered the song “Creep” by Radiohead before she left the stage and the audience finally welcomed her with a rousing applause. She has the voice to make it in the business and I wouldn’t be surprised if she breaks though sooner, rather then later.
Next up was Ed Roland and company. They got the crowd going by opening up with “Heavy” and never looked back. They played the usual classics, like “Shine”, “Run”, “The World I Know”, and “December”. I’ve seen them 3 times in the last three years and they never fail to play the songs that the crowd wants to hear. Since it was a shortened set because they were sharing time with Live, they only played two of their songs from their new album, the two singles, “Hollywood” and “All That I Know”. They also played one of my favorite songs to hear live, “Listen”, one of their more underrated songs. Much to my delight, they pulled one of their best songs out of the archive for this tour, “Needs”. I’ve been hoping and hoping that they would play it live one of these days and I finally got to hear it. The crowd loved it and it sounded great even without the strings. Ed gave his usual energetic performance and had everyone singing along.
After about a 30 minute intermission to get things set up, Live came out and “the other Ed”, Ed Kowalczyk, got the crowd roaring with the opening song, “Simple Creed”. Like Collective Soul, Live never seems to disappoint on the classics. They turned out “All Over You”, “Heaven”, “Dolphins Cry”, “Selling the Drama”, “I Alone”, and of course “Lightning Crashes”. They ended with their bone-chilling performance of “Lightning Crashes” like they normally do but I think that their performance of “I Alone” is even better. Hearing that song live in concert is something that everyone should see before they die. They played some of the new ones including, “The River”, “Wings” and “Sophia”. Like “Needs” for Collective Soul, I was very surprised to hear “Turn My Head”; easily my favorite lesser known hit from Live. Hearing those two gems that night was well worth the ticket price. They played an awesome four song encore. Not quite the seven song encore I was able to see a few years back when they played without an opening act but very good nonetheless.
Overall, it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. It was about 5 times better then the last time I saw them together in concert, mainly because it was an indoor, intimate concert. The crowd was great, the bands were great and having the equivalent of about a 4th row floor seat was amazing. Rock concerts always tend to be better when there is standing room right in front of the stage. Unfortunately I don’t have any picture as I forgot my camera but if you would like to see some, Pop Culture Madness also reviewed the concert and took a few pictures. I hope you enjoyed the review and hopefully there will be a lot of new articles in the near future. Thanks for listening.
Song #92: "Don't Go Away" by Oasis
After a fairly long hiatus, RizzoMusic is back with the countdown and one of my personal favorites, "Don't Go Away" by Oasis. "Don't Go Away" is just one song in a string of successful singles that Oasis released in the 1990s. It was the fourth single released off of one of the most highly anticipated albums in music history, Be Here Now. Although, Oasis' third studio album, sold over eight million copies worldwide, it is considered by many music enthusiasts as a disappointment and none of the tracks from the album are included on Oasis' best-of album, Stop the Clocks. "Don't Go Away" is just one of my favorites from an album full of some great songs: a song that features some of Liam's best vocals.
Oasis is really a band that needs no introduction: a band that has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Releasing three albums that each sold over 7 million copies in one decade is truly remarkable and a testament to the great music that they produced. While their album sales of late have been no where near they were in their heyday, they are still very popular. They are doing a small tour in Canada this summer and also have a new album due out in September of this year. The new album is going to be a break away from their acoustic side and have more of a feel like Be Here Now. It will be exciting to see how Oasis will be received by fans this time around as they release their seventh studio album.
I really like the music video for "Don't Go Away". The tone of the video matches perfectly with the song: displaying the feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and frustration that are represented in the lyrics. The image that really stands out is the 2 large trees in the middle of a barren field. Add to that a little bit of rain and an orchestra dressed in black and you have a solid music video that will be remembered for years. Check it out!
Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s here
Song #93: "The Impression That I Get" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
It's back to the countdown of Rizzo Music's Top 100 Songs of the 1990s with "The Impression That I Get" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones coming in at number 93. Another One Hit Wonder of the 1990s, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones hit it big with their single, "The Impression That I Get". Mixing heavy guitar riffs with the sounds of several different brass instruments is typical of the band, and it fell on welcoming ears in 1997. It hit #1 on the Modern Rock Charts and topped out at #23 on the Hot 100. The band will always be known for their one hit, "The Impression That I Get" but the success of that song enabled their next two singles, "Royal Oil" and "Rascal King" to crack the Top 10 of the Modern Rock Charts and put ska-punk back on the map for at least a little while.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are a ska-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They have released seven albums since forming in 1985, Let's Face It being the only one that reached mainstream success. If you are a fan of Jimmy Kimmel Live, you might have noticed that lead vocalist Dicky Barret is the announcer. The band went on a short hiatus from 2004-2006 but have since reunited and released a new EP about month ago. The future of the band is still uncertain at this point but it seems that something is drawing them back. They haven't released a full length album since 2002 but now that they have reunited, there's a good possibility that we could hear news of a new album in the near future.
The music video is pretty good. It's again fairly formulaic, but it's got a lot of energy just like the song. It features all eight band members performing in front of a standard white background. They use some special effects to make it seem as if they are appearing out of no where, and through most of the video some sort of precipitation, likely snow, is falling from the sky. It's a feel-good video for a feel-good song. Check it out!
Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s here
90s Grunge Hits
It is hard to believe that we are 22 weeks in to this ongoing set of posts and I haven't had a themed playlist on grunge music. This is not going to feature the most popular grunge music of the decade but more the foot tapping, head nodding, personal favorites of mine. Just pure flannel shirt Seattle grunge music at it's finest. I think I might be hard pressed to find ten different pure grunge artists for this list so I am going to break the rules a little bit for this one, and allow myself to include multiple songs from the same artist.
'90s Grunge Playlist:
1. Nirvana - About A Girl
2. Pearl Jam - Better Man
3. Alice in Chains - Rooster
4. Nirvana - Come As You Are
5. Stone Temple Pilots - Wicked Garden
6. Pearl Jam - Jeremy
7. Alice in Chains - Man In The Box
8. Soundgarden - Spoonman
9. Nirvana - In Bloom
10. Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter
Here's the link for the whole playlist: 90s Grunge Hits
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
90's Rap Hits
First of it's kind on Rizzo Music, this week I am here to introduce our '90s rap music playlist.
Although I grew up mostly on '90s alternative rock, I do have some rap favorites that I would like to share with you. These hits are about as good as rap singles go. My favorite from this group of songs would have to be "It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube. I can't find a better rap song to stroll through town with the windows down. It will have you head bobbing up and down from beginning to end.
Enjoy this one and be sure to let me know if I missed any classics.
'90s Rap Hits Playlist:
1. Master P - Burbons and Lacs
2. DMX - What's My Name?
3. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
4. Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day
5. Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice
6. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt. II
7. Luniz - I Got 5 On It
8. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Foe tha Love of $
9. Dr. Dre - Nuthin' but a "G" Thang
10. 2pac - Hail Mary
Here's the link for the whole playlist: 90's Rap Hits Playlist
UPDATE: 90's Rap Hits Playlist Part II
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
Song #98: "How Bizarre" by OMC
Today RizzoMusic continues with the countdown of the Top 100 Songs of the 90s with one of my personal favorites, "How Bizarre" by OMC. Back in 1997 it was impossible to turn on the radio and not hear this song. Led by the undeniable sound of a mariachi trumpet, "How Bizarre" had such a distinct sound in the US, that the song was hard to ignore. Spending 36 weeks on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and peaking at #4, "How Bizarre" put the New Zealand band on the map. The album of the same name went on to sell over a million copies and it reached platinum status not only in the US but in several other countries as well.
OMC, which stands for Otara Millionaires Club, refers to one of the poorest suburbs in Auckland, New Zealand, where the band was formed. OMC was originally a band of about 18 members due to the rich amount of instruments played on their first and only album but before the their single even charted in the US, they disbanded. Pauly Fuemana, the front man of OMC, continued to use the name in his solo career. Unfortunately, due to his lack of success after "How Bizarre", Pauly Fuemana filed for bankruptcy in 2006.
There is not much to this music video. It has the lead singer, Pauly Fuemana driving around in his Chevy '69 just like described in the song. It pictures him dancing, singing and throwing around money. It's a fairly simple music video. Check it out!
Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s here
Song #99: "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn
Continuing with the countdown, Marc Cohn's Grammy nominated hit comes in at #99 with "Walking in Memphis". Anchored my Cohn's strong vocals, "Walking in Memphis" hit #13 on the Hot 100 Chart in 1991. Whatever your musical tastes, it is hard to deny the polished sound of this song. Sure, you might not of heard of Marc Cohn, but it is very likely you have heard the song, in one form or another. Cher covered the song back in 1995, and country music band, Lonestar released their version in 2003.
A certified platinum artist, Cohn hasn't had much success outside of this one hit. It's the first single he released and by far his most popular. He went on to release three more albums, the latest coming in 2007 with Join the Parade under the new label Decca. This coming just 2 years after his traumatic carjacking experience. Driving back to his hotel after a concert, a man attempted to carjack his van. When the driver tried to drive around the gunman, he fired, striking Cohn above his right temple. Miraculously Cohn was okay, and was released from the hospital the next day after the bullet was removed.
"Walking in Memphis" has a fairly basic music video with shots of the city and Marc singing and playing the piano. It's was filmed in black and white which seems to take you back to a simpler time. For a song that is all about looking back on the history of the city, the black and white picture fits well. The video is a perfect match for the song. Check it out.
Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s.
Top 100 Songs of the 90s
After watching VH1's Greatest Songs of the 90s, I was inspired to start up a series of posts with my picks for the Top 100 Songs of the 1990s. I am going to skip out on the rap songs since I am not that big of an expert on that field of music. I am tempted to include some pop from the 90s but we will see if any of it actually makes the list. I am going to set out a few ground rules for the list and link back to this post for every entry.
Rules (subject to change):
1) An artist can only have up to a maximum of three songs on the list.
2) No rap, Hip-Hop, or R&B will be included on this list.
3) Only singles will be considered for this list.
4) I will accept suggestions but this list is in no way comprised of results from a poll or any form of voting process. It is strictly the opinion of Rizzo Music.
5) And obviously the song must have been released between Jan 1st 1990 and Dec 31st 1999.
Each song will get it's own post with a little history of the song (chart positions, band trivia, song trivia ect.) and the music video. I will constantly update this post with links to each post so that this article may be used to find any song on the list. With each article I will link back to this article so to provide easy access to each song. I hope to write about 1 article pertaining to this list a week so that should set a preliminary completion date for the list on August 20, 2009. It would be nice to finish the list before then but that seems like a realistic date for the amount of work required for this sort of project. Comments? Suggestions? I would love to hear them. Thanks!
Links (More Coming Soon)
Songs 100-91
Song #100: "Take A Picture" by Filter
Song #99: "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn
Song #98: "How Bizarre" by OMC
Song #97: "Meet Virginia" by Train
Song #96: "Down" by 311
Song #95: "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms
Song #94: "Greedy Fly" by Bush
Song #93: "The Impression That I Get" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Song #92: "Don't Go Away" by Oasis
Song #91: "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days Of The New
Songs 90-81
Song #90: "Hanginaround" by Counting Crows
Song #89: "Man on the Moon" by R.E.M.
Songs 80-71
Songs 70-61
Songs 60-51
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
Songs 30-21
Songs 20-11
Songs 10-1
Be sure to sign up for email updates or subscribe with your favorite feed reader to stay up to date with all of the latest additions to the list. If you are having any trouble with this, feel free to email me at "web at rizzomusic dot com".
Jimmy Eat World's New Single "Big Casino"
It's time to give you guys a little update on Jimmy Eat World's new album, Chase This Light. Still scheduled for an October 16th 2007 released, they just recently announced their new single to be "Big Casino". You can listen to it on their currently under construction new website or download it on Itunes. When you pre-order the new album, you will also receive two bonus tracks when the album is released, "Take 'Em As They Come" and an acoustic version of "Dizzy".
The track listing for the album is as follows:
1. Big Casino
2. Let It Happen
3. Always Be
4. Carry You
5. Electable (Give It Up)
6. Gotta Be Somebody's Blues
7. Feeling Lucky
8. Here It Goes
9. Chase This Light
10. Firefight
11. Dizzy
There is a great opportunity from Ticketmaster when you pre-order the new album. You will receive a password to buy Jimmy Eat World concert tickets for their 2008 tour before they go on sale to the public.
Jimmy Eat World also announced their 2007 Fall Tour which is as follows:
9/29 - Queen Creek, AZ - Schnepf Farms(The Edge Radio Show)
9/30 - Redlands, CA - Greek Amphitheater
10/2 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
10/3 - Davis, CA - Freeborn Hall
10/4 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra
10/6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah State Fair Park
10/7 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
10/8 - Calagary, AB - MacEwen Hall
10/10 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
10/11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Showroom
10/12 - Bellingham, WA - Performing Arts Center
10/14 - San Francisco, CA - The Filmore
10/16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
10/18 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
10/19 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/20 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
According to their website there are also more dates to be announced in the next few weeks.
That is about all I can tell you about Jimmy Eat World for now. I would just like to say how much I love the new single, "Big Casino". If this song is any indication of how good the album will be, I will be a very happy man. I will leave the complete analysis of the song for the full album review. Since they don't have the real video made for the song yet, I'll leave you with a live version of the song. Be sure to go to www.jimmyeatworld.com to listen to the studio version.
Female Artists Of The 90s Playlist
After a long hiatus, it is back to the playlists. They have been fairly popular in the past and I hope that they continue to be. This time Rizzo Music takes a look back on some artists that don't get enough credit. There were several female artists that defined a section of the music being developed in the 90s. There was the pop side, with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Lopez, which I tried to stay away from. Then there was the side that I enjoyed, with deep ballads from Sarah Mclachlan and alternative rock from the hugely popular Alanis Morissette.
Here I showcase my top ten female artists from the 90s with No Doubt thrown in there because to ignore the impact this group had on the music world would be a shame. Most likely you will recognize most of these songs as all of them were fairly popular. My favorites from this list have to be the first two songs with Sarah's "Sweet Surrender" and Jewel's "Hands".
That's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed it.
Top 10 Songs You Should Know
1. Sarah McLachlan - Sweet Surrender
2. Jewel - Hands
3. Paula Cole - Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
4. Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is A Winding Road
5. Alanis Morissette - Head Over Feet
6. No Doubt - Don't Speak
7. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
8. Lisa Loeb - Stay (I Missed You)
9. Shania Twain - Forever and For Always
10. Natalie Merchant - Wonder
Here's the link for the whole playlist: Top Female Artists of the 90s
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.