Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends

Ladies and gentlemen, madmen and malcontents. Welcome to Music Is The Message.

I decided to try this little experiment after this post, wherein I decided to try to explain the influence of country music. You see, nothing irks me more than people who state, "I hate (insert genre)." Broad, sweeping statements like that are always unfair - there is so much music out there that to sell an entire genre short - well, chances are you're missing out.

So we decided to put this project together. Right now, there are six contributors, and our goal is to write down our thoughts on a genre, a band, an album - some grouping of music. We'll write why we love it, why we hope you'll love it, and post song listings with each each entry. We expect something from you, the reader, as well. We expect your participation. We want to know if you agree or disagree, if you have any suggestions. Particularly suggestions - we're always interested in learning about new bands and new ideas in general. We only ask that you keep the discourse civil - this isn't AICN - and in exchange, we'll try to not be pretentious assholes. The goal here is to listen, learn, and enjoy - for everyone, writer and reader alike.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce our lovely and talented contributors:

TK: That's me. Webmonkey, goofball. You can find me at either my regular blog, Uncooked Meat, or reviewing movies at Pajiba.

Ervie: Hayseed, architectural guru, motorcycle greasemonkey. Get your swerve on at Architecture Everyday.

Kelsi: Poetry lover, misplaced office jockey, all-around sassypants. Gaze upon her one-headed genius at this could take a while.

Jez: Representing from the Midwest. Beer aficionado, world traveler. Do some learning and some drinking at Fresh Beer Every Friday, or just wander around Southshore Ramblings.

Felicia: Easily distracted smartass. Lives in Minnesota, so you know she's tough. She wastes the days away at My Boring Life.

Boo: Southern belle with a sailor's mouth. Lover of metal and burly Cimmereans. Find yourself blushing at A Girl Named Boo.

So here we are. Hope you enjoy what's to come, as we'll certainly enjoy writing (and listening).

-TK

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Now playing: Social Distortion - I Was Wrong
via FoxyTunes

"I've been trying to hold you up to keep you free from the fall"

Ahhhh, my first The Music Is The Message post. My mind was a jumbled mess trying to figure out what I would write about first. I don’t think I’ve realized how much music means to my life until recently. In my old age I’ve become sort of a loner and good music equals good company. So what will this cynical Minnesotan pick first? Prince? No, but stay tuned. I am a certified Prince freak so that will come down the road.

Tapes N Tapes is a local indie rock Minneapolis band who have caught on nationally like Paris Hilton catches the herp. Their first full length album was The Loon in 2005. The album brought something fresh that I hadn’t heard in a while. It was eclectic and imperfect, which was not a bad thing in this case. Imperfection is what makes life beautiful, right? Insistor was the big hit off this album. It drives fast and makes you want to do a serious jig with a ciggie in one hand and a pitcher of Premium in the other. No, not a bottle or can. A pitcher. This is a serious beer-spilling, jig-dancing song.

This year brought Tapes’ second full length album, Walk It Off. This shit was like my crack for about a good month. I’m a chick - I wear make-up, high heels and love a good romantic comedy, but this whole album makes me want to throw shit around and break stuff... but in a really good way. It’s slightly more polished than The Loon and in the first track, Le Ruse, Tapes seriously brought it to the table. For God’s sake, there’s a song titled George Michael on this album! I mean, you can’t get any better than that.

I’ve seen Tapes live twice and they can carry a live show all the way through. I’ve always said that a band’s live show can make or break them, and they are worth seeing. On a side note the bassist of Tapes, Erik Appelwick, is also the lead of Vicious Vicious. I highly recommend you catch some of his stuff as well. It’s the polar opposite of Tapes, full of catchy hooks and soul. It’s also very reminiscent of Prince. I promise not to brag too much about the musical geniuses that have come out of Minnesota...maybe.