Vertical Horizon's New Song "All Is Said And Done"

After five long years Vertical Horizon first released their last album, Go, Vertical Horizon finally has something new for their fans. While their website is currently under construction, the Vertical Horizon myspace page has been updated with a new song, "All Is Said And Done". While there is no blog post for this update, the song has about 4,500 plays, and according to their wikipedia article, the new song was posted yesterday, Oct. 20, 2008.

A release date for their new album, Burning The Days is expected soon and this update while stealthy, has to be good sign for Vertical Horizon fans. The new song has also been posted on lead singer, Matt Scannell's myspace page. Matt is usually pretty good about updating fans on what he is up to and the progress he has made but this little update came with no announcement and who knows how long it will remain on their page.

As for the new song, it is classic Vertical Horizon. I don't know if it has the mainstream appeal of some of their former hits or even if it will end up being a single but it seems to pick up right where "Go" left off. It has a very unique sound, and sounds a little like a combination of "Underwater", "Echo", and "Forever". Like always the lyrics are meaningful and powerful and Matt's voice hits every note.

What do you think of the new music from Vertical Horizon?


Song #91: "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days Of The New

It has been a while since we last left off with the countdown but today I have for you a great but perhaps forgotten rock song, "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days Of The New. "Touch, Peel and Stand" is the band's biggest hit to date, reaching #6 on the Modern Rock Charts and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Charts for a stay of a remarkable 16 weeks. Only 5 other songs in the chart's history have managed to stay at #1 for a longer period of time. It was the first single released off of their first album which is self-titled. The album went on to go platinum with the help of "Shelf In The Room" and "The Down Town", both of which were almost as successful as "Touch, Peel and Stand".

Days Of The New were really quite a unique band for the time period. I have always felt like they came the closest at bringing a true "grunge" vibe to their songs in a time where most bands were forming the "post-grunge" genre. In my opinion, they have a sound that is a cross between Bush and Alice and Chains. They are known for a "acoustic rock" feel to their songs, and when combined with front man, "Travis Meeks", voice, you got a sound that no doubt reminded you of the great grunge music that came before them. They went on to release two more self-titled albums but were never able to retain the success of their first album.

This music video is a little intense to say the least. It features the band performing the song like so many other music videos and features a Days Of The New staple, a shirtless Travis Meeks. I've seen some of their other music videos and that seems to be a theme. Although there seems to by a storyline to the video, it doesn't have much substance. It's a little dark and a features a kid who trashes his apartment then cuts off his hair and shaves his head. While the video isn't much, the song is great. Check it out!

Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s here.


90s Rap Hits Part II

After the popularity of Rizzo Music's first 90s rap music playlist, I decided to create another one. Like the first, this playlist is just 10 solid rap songs from a great decade, the '90s. I am in no way an expert on '90s rap music but I really enjoy each and everyone of the songs on this list.

Enjoy this week's playlist and don't forget to sign up for our RSS feed!

90s Rap Playlist Part II

1. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" by Jay-Z
2. "You Got Me" by The Roots
3. "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio
4. "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
5. "Changes" by Tupac Shakur
6. "Award Tour" by A Tribe Called Quest
7. "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J
8. "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" by Method Man with Mary J. Blige
9. "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
10. "Notorious Thugs" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.

"Sleepwalker" by The Wallflowers - Song Of The Week

After a week off, Rizzo Music continues with the 2 week tradition of "Song Of The Week". This week we examine a classic, "Sleepwalker" by The Wallflowers. This gem is a single off of their third studio album, Breach. This was the last single from the Wallflowers to break into the top 40 on either the Mainstream or Modern Rock Chart.

I have always been a fan of this song but recently I came across a great acoustic version that I would like to share with you. It can be found on Imeem, or you can listen to it by clicking here. It is not often that I prefer a revision of an original song but this is one of them. While the original is still solid, Jakob Dylan brings the song to a different level in this version.

You get that live feel to the song without sacrificing the sound quality. You can sense that there is a lot of emotion in the lyrics that he sings: a sense that is lost in the single version. It loses the pop rock feel as well as the clapping, and what is left is a raw look at a great song.

I also included the original song and music video below just in case you do in fact prefer it.

In any case, it is one of my favorites from The Wallflowers, a band that I was lucky enough to see live about a year ago. They put on a great show.

Currently, they are not on tour while Jacob does his thing on his own. He is touring Europe right now, promoting his solo album.

That's it for this week. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed if you want to be updated when new articles are posted.


"Non Dairy Creamer" by Third Eye Blind - Song Of The Week

This is a brand new one from one of my favorite bands, Third Eye Blind. It is called, "Non Dairy Creamer" and it currently being used as part of a new contest for fans. Third Eye Blind is urging fans to log on to indabamusic.com and create a mix or remix of their new songs. Currently only "Non Dairy Creamer" is available, but other new songs are sure to follow. They are planning on picking the best mixes and creating a fan made album. I am going to try my best to create an entry in the weeks to come. If you end up submitting an entry, be sure to make a comment or email us at web at rizzomusic.com and I'll try my best to give it a listen. You can start mixing today just by creating an account at www.indabamusic.com and then by entering the contest here.

The song itself is very catchy and while it has some more politically charged lyrics than Third Eye Blind fans are used to, it is hard to not like this song. While I hope that this song is not the first single of "Ursa Major" due to its polarizing lyrics, it is a great musical arrangement. I would have personally preferred Mr. Jenkins to stay away from politics on this album, but can understand his need for his voice to be heard and he has earned the right to speak his mind on all subjects. I have always considered him to be a lyrical genius and I don't envision the new album changing my mind.

I will try to keep you updated on the contest and the new album as more details are revealed. You can listen to the studio version of the song on their Facebook page here and you can listen to all of the contest entries here.

That is all for this week's song.

For those interested in the lyrics,
here is how I heard them when listening to the song:

Lyrics

"They call it KFC,
Cause its not really chicken.
Hot Cheetos for breakfast,
Make a young student sickened.
Did you ever think someones tricking you?

And the guy in the pulpit,
Is a bigot and a liar,
Some kid walks into my school,
And opens fire.
Heard any good jokes lately?
Cause we sure do need them.
My punk band's called Operation Iraqi Freedom.

So whats it going to be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you nondairy creamer?

A new love,
Is burning up in me,
Cause one in four American girls has an STD.
And you can buy yourself some implants,
But you can't buy soul threat level orange.

With your chest pumped out,
What are you so afraid about?
With your chest pumped out,
What are you so afraid about?
What are you so afraid of?
What are you so afraid of?

Whats it going to be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you nondairy creamer?

And two gay guys got married,
Brought the family to its knees.
How did they blow us to smithereens?
Just a couple of queens.
How did they do it?
I'm telling you now,
Brought marriage to an end,
And I found myself some culprits,
It's two young gay republicans.
Young gay republicans.
Young gay republicans.
Young gay republicans.

So what's it going to be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you nondairy creamer?
So what's it going to be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you nondairy creamer?

Mission Accomplished.
Mission Accomplished.
Mission Accomplished.

Some, someone we let murder,
Some, some we let go.
Some, someone we let murder,
Some, some we let go.
(not real sure on this stanza)

I sincerely want to thank you all for listening,
I thank you all."
Edit: Lyrics Updated November 21st.

If you have any changes to these lyrics, feel free to make a comment below.

Thanks for listening.


"Simple Song" by Better Than Ezra - Song Of The Week

Today, Rizzo Music introduces a new featured article, "Song Of The Week". Here we will showcase a song of exceptional quality and tell why it is deserving of such a phenomenal distinction. My plan is to write this type of article every Sunday so make sure to look back here often for your "Song Of The Week" fix.

Now for one of my new favorite songs, "Simple Song" by Better Than Ezra. This is unreleased song from the trio from New Orleans. Better Than Ezra is, of course, famous for their two hit singles, "Good" and "Desperately Wanting" but as I have learned in the last few years, their catalog of songs is outstanding and this song is no different.

Now that front man Kevin Griffin is trying out his solo career, he has revamped his myspace page and put up a few songs for your listening pleasure. One of them is "Simple Song", a song filled with some of the best lyrics I've heard in a while.

"Simple Song" itself is a simple song but it has some powerful lyrics. You can either go to his myspace page here, or watch the live version below.

Love or hate this week's song or have an idea for next week's "Song Of The Week", please feel free to make a comment below.


Best 90s TV Show Theme Song? - "Hey Sandy" by Polaris

It is not too often that a TV show picks such a sensational song as "Hey Sandy" by Polaris to be its theme song. The Adventures of Pete & Pete was one of the few shows where I was actually disappointed whenever I missed a chance at watching the opening credits to a TV show. Where some could argue that Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Wonders Years had a similar effect to them, The Adventures of Pete & Pete's opening credits never failed to create an uncontrollable urge to get up and start dancing.

There probably was no greater debate on the minds of six to ten year-olds at recess in the mid 90s then trying to figure out the correct lyrics to this song. I even remember looking up the lyrics about five years ago and the contributor literally writing something to the effect of "[incomprehensible mumblings]" as one of the lines in the song. Not only did this create interest in the song and the show itself but also added to its legend.

Besides when my mom would tell me that we were having macaroni & cheese for dinner, I don't think there were many more things that got me more excited when I was a little kid then seeing that lawn mover roll across the screen. It all really boils down to the fact that no other show in the 90s had a theme song that fit so well with a random bike ghost-riding down a ramp then this one, and for that very fact, I present to you the best '90s TV show theme song, "Hey Sandy" by Polaris.


Popular Rock Music Of The 90s - The Songs That Defined A Decade

Rizzo Music is back with a new article from the "Popular Music of the 90s" series. Last week I made a list of some of the best pop music of the decade and today I am going to share with you my list for the most popular rock music of the 90s. Out of all the lists and playlists I have created in the past, this was by far the hardest to come up with. There are so many great artists and songs that originated in the 90s and deciding on just 5 songs for every year was tough. I tried to get representation out of all the key rock artists and hopefully I didn't forget anyone.

After much debate I was able to compile this list of 90s rock music. There are so many songs that I really enjoy that could not be included due restrictions on space but there are 50 great singles here for your enjoyment.

How it works:
For each genre of music I will rank the top 5 singles from each year in the 90s. I will provide a link for each song (either imeem or youtube, depending on availability) for your listening pleasure.

Disclaimer: These rankings are based on my personal preferences, not on actual popularity. I think of these lists as recommendations. Hopefully these songs will bring back some good memories, and if you have never heard them before, maybe create some new ones.

Interested in 90s Pop and Rap as well? Be sure to check out these lists as well.
90s Pop Music
90s Rock Music

Starting with the year 1999:
1. "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit
2. "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind
3. "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. "The Chemicals Between Us" by Bush
5. "Heavy" by Collective Soul

1998:
1. "Inside Out" by Eve 6
2. "The Way" by Fastball
3. "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground
4. "Shimmer" by Fuel
5. "Closing Time" by Semisonic

1997:
1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve
2. "Push" by Matchbox Twenty
3. "Everlong" by Foo Fighters
4. "The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe
5. "Everything to Everyone" by Everclear

1996:
1. "1979" by Smashing Pumpkins
2. "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers
3. "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
4. "What I Got" by Sublime
5. "In the Meantime" by Spacehog

1995:
1. "Lightning Crashes" by Live
2. "Wonderwall" by Oasis
3. "Glycerine" by Bush
4. "Name" by Goo Goo Dolls
5. "Good" by Better Than Ezra

1994:
1. "When I Come Around" by Green Day
2. "Shine" by Collective Soul
3. "I Alone" by Live
4. "Self Esteem" by The Offspring
5. "About a Girl" by Nirvana

1993:
1. "Rooster" by Alice in Chains
2. "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows
3. "Hey Jealousy" by Gin Blossoms
4. "No Rain" by Blind Melon
5. "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine

1992:
1. "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam
2. "In Bloom" by Nirvana
3. "Drive" by R.E.M.
4. "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica
5. "Creep" by Radiohead

1991:
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
2. "Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains
3. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
4. "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.
5. "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones

1990:
1. "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog
2. "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth
3. "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails
4. "Stop!" by Jane's Addicton
5. "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC

Well there you have it. The top 5 songs from each year of the 90s. Thanks for listening and enjoy.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your opinion by making a comment below.


Popular Pop Music Of The 90s - The Hits That You'll Never Forget

Remember when you could turn on the radio and actually find some decent music? That is what I miss the most about the 90s. Whether you liked rock, pop, or rap, the '90s provided your fix for your particular tastes. Although my tastes tend to lean towards the post-grunge music I grew up on, there was no denying some of the great songs that came out of the decade.

I thought it was time to switch it up and bring to you a new kind of article. Within in the next few weeks I am going to present to you my favorite 90s songs separated by genres. I thought I would start off with pop since its pretty general, and well, popular. I will get to strictly rock and rap and many other sub-genres in the future. Feel free to offer your suggestions.

How it works:
For each genre of music I will rank the top 5 singles from each year in the 90s. I will provide a link for each song (either imeem or youtube, depending on availability) for your listening pleasure.

Disclaimer: These rankings are based on my personal preferences, not on actual popularity. I think of these lists as recommendations. Hopefully these songs will bring back some good memories, and if you have never heard them before, maybe create some new ones.

Interested in ’90s Rap and Rock as well? Be sure to check out these lists as well.
90s Rap Music
90s Rock Music

Let's start with a year I am very familiar with 1999:
1. "Steal My Sunshine" by LEN
2. "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
3. "Bring It All To Me" by Blaque
4. "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden
5. "If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez

1998:
1. "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo
2. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith
3. "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain
4. "I Want You Back" by NSYNC
5. "I Don't Wanna To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith

1997:
1. "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G
2. "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy, Faith Evans, 112
3. "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden
4. "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion
5. "As Long As You Love Me" by Backstreet Boys

1996:
1. "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey
2. "Pony" by Ginuwine
3. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion
4. "Macarena" by Los Del Rio
5. "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees

1995:
1. "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson
2. "I Know" by Dionne Farris
3. "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan
4. "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base
5. "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey

1994:
1. "I Swear" by All-4-One
2. "Another Night" by The Real McCoy
3. "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base
4. "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex
5. "Waterfalls" by TLC

1993:
1. "Weak" by SWV
2. "What Is Love" by Haddaway
3. "Fields of Gold" by Sting
4. "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes
5. "Linger" by The Cranberries

1992:
1. "Rhythm Is A Dancer" by Snap
2. "Walking On Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox
3. "To Be With You" by Mr. Big
4. "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams
5. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston

1991:
1. "Walking In Memphis" by Marc Cohen
2. "I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams
3. "Baby, Baby" by Amy Grant
4. "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Michael Bolton
5. "Unbelievable" by EMF

1990:
1. "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - C & C Music Factory
2. "Love Shack" - B52's
3. "We Didn't Start The Fire" - Billy Joel
4. "Pump Up The Jam" - Technotronic
5. "It Must Of Been Love" - Roxette

Some might look at the list and think, really? Is that the best the 90s had to offer? I, on the other hand, look at this collection of music, and see memories. While I made it a point to disqualify anything that resembled rock and rap, and it still has some really good songs. At the very least I hope you found at least one good song in this giant list that you forgot about.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your opinion by making a comment below.


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.

Hana Pestle

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.

Collective Soul

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.

Live (Band)

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.