Ongoing History of New Music

Latest Episodes:

The History of Vinyl: Part 1 Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

Vinyl.

It's one of the oldest formats that you can listen to music on. And a few years ago everyone was talking about its death: First thanks to the CD and then the MP3. But a funny thing has happened over the last decade or so.

Vinyl is making a comeback.

But what is exactly is Vinyl....how did it come to be? Why did it disappear? And how have things changed for it to be back on the radar?
This is the History of Vinyl...Part 1

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The Influencers - Springsteen Aug 07, 2019

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Once upon a time, music was incredibly tribal…once you picked a tribe, you had to conform to serious and rigid rules…whatever the prevailing dogma dictated was your reality…snobbery abounded….

For example, in the 70s, 80s, and well into the 90s, rock was divided into two camps…on one side were the mainstream rockers, fans of the artists that occupied most of the attention: radio airplay, record sales, concert tickets…they were on top of the Rock’n’Roll zeitgeist…

On the other were the alterative kids…they were the outsiders, the weirdos, the misfits—and they were very happy with their position…alt-rockers were content with their own musical universe…

But here’s the thing: during this period, these two tribes were locked in a cold war…it was a war of musical ideology, musical outlook, and musical aspirations…and woe to any tribe member who tried to change tribes…you might as well try to take a stroll across the DMZ between North and South Korea…things could be that rigid…

And there was more…if you were a mainstream rock fan, you couldn’t admit to your fellow tribe members that you liked music from the other side…same thing if you were an alt-rocker…to admit that you liked Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, or Van Halen was nothing short of heresy…

I recall one time when Billy Corgan admitted that some of the Smashing Pumpkins sound was influenced by Judas Priest…shock and horror!...treason!...if social media had been around back then, he would have been trolled to death—even though if you listened to the pumpkins, you could hear that kind of metal influence coming through…it just didn’t make sense…

Today, though, those rigid tribal groups have broken down…we have entered an era when we’re very ecumenical about music…more and more, the prevailing philosophy is “respect all music, listen to what you want”…

This is healthy because it opens up new vistas for music—for listening andfor influences when it comes to making new music…

Here…let me show you what I mean…

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What's The Big Deal About The Stooges? Jul 30, 2019

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If you were to ask a contemporary group like say The White Stripes or The Hives about which band influenced their sound they would probably list off a bunch of names including The Stooges.

If you were to go back to the 90’s and ask the same question to Nirvana or Janes Addiction, one of the bands they would inevitability mention would be The Stooges.

Slip back to 80’s and ask Sonic Youth and they would probably say The Stooges…

If you travel back to the 70’s and ask The Sex Pistols or The Ramones and they would likely say…The Stooges…

Or ask David Bowie…and you’d get The Stooges…

Alright then so The Stooges seem to be on everyone’s list but hold on….this is a band that hardly sold any records in their day and were so messed up that their singer ended up in an asylum.

So, I guess the question must be asked…what’s the big deal about The Stooges?

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Etymology: Part 1 Jul 29, 2019

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The study of word origins and word meanings is called Etymology.

And rock music has it's own branch of Etymology and we can give you lots of examples. In fact over the course of the next two Podcasts we will break some of these terms down.

Why do we call it Punk music? And how did we come up with New Wave? Or Grunge? Or Post Modern?

Answers to those and more as we explore Etymology in Alt Rock

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Stories Behind Songs Jul 22, 2019

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Every song has a story behind it. Maybe the way it was created, what it is about, who it is about, where it was written...there are literally a million reasons and ways a song was born.

But have you ever wondered how musicians came up with some of their best known songs?
How did Nirvana arrive at Smells Like Teen Spirit? What was Blur doing when they came up with Song 2? Why was it so complicated to finish Fairytale of New York?

Well wonder no more...we have answers to those and a whole lot more as we once again look at the stories behind songs.

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The Reunions: Some Lasted....and Sadly, Some Didn't | Part 3 Jul 15, 2019

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This is "The Reunions: Part 3"

The final part of a series that first aired in 2009 and we thought it was time to revisit it...see what bands did survive a reunion and which ones have not.

Now something to note about this series. Some bands have since broken apart again or gone off in an entirely different direction. And some are no longer together because a member has since passed on.

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Kirk Hammett’s Movie Poster Collection | Bonus Podcast Jul 10, 2019

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Everyone needs a hobby, something to distract from the job…something that’s just for you…something that allows you to pursue a passion that maybe only you understand…

For example, Flea is big into chess…when the Chili Peppers on the road, he’ll often challenge people to games, including grand masters who are invited backstage for the purpose of playing flea…

Geddy Lee of Rush used to be very, very big into signed baseballs, especially those from the old Negro League…

Neil Young finds model trains very relaxing…Iggy Pop paints…Bob Dylan does sculpture…Bryan Adams is into photography…Slash collectors pinball machines…guy Berriman of Coldplay has an incredible collection of cars, ranging from classic Porsche’s to a Bugatti Veyron…and then there’s Stephen Morris of New Order…he collects old military vehicles, including tanks…

Hey, if you have the interest and the money, why not?...

This brings me to Kirk Hammett of Metallica…Kirk is a fan of horror memorabilia…but his biggest passion are posters from old horror movies…his collection is so big and so comprehensive and so well-preserved that it’s the subject of exhibitions at major museums, including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto…why movie posters?...I sat down with kirk to find out…

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The Reunions: Some Lasted....and Sadly, Some Didn't | Part 2 Jul 07, 2019

Show notes

This is "The Reunions: Part 2"

A series that first aired in 2009 and we thought it was time to revisit it...see what bands did survive a reunion and which ones have not.

Now something to note about this series.

Some bands have since broken apart again or gone off in an entirely different direction.

And some are no longer together because a member has since passed on.

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The Reunions: Some Lasted....and Sadly, Some Didn't | Part 1 Jul 03, 2019

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Sometimes, a band can survive their entire career without a line-up change...looking at you Radiohead, Coldplay, U2....others have members leave, hello Oasis, or get kicked out. See The Clash.

Meanwhile some bands just decide that it's time to pack it in. Call it a day. Stop the train and get off. There could be any number of reasons for this; you grow apart, you don't have anything else to say, you can't stand each other anymore...that sort of thing.

And when a band does break up, many fans ask the same question: "So when are you getting back together?!?!"

And many times band do! For a variety of reasons...and many reasons that come back to money.

Anyhow, this is the first of a series we did a number of years ago on bands that had reunited.

Now something to note about this series.

Some bands have since broken apart again or gone off in an entirely different direction.

And some are no longer together because a member has since passed on.

This is "The Reunions: Part 1"

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Mumford and Sons Jun 24, 2019

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This time we take a deep dive into the history of Mumford and Sons...the earliest and mostly unknown aspects of their career.

If you're a superman...you might already know some of this. Or maybe not!