A-Z, 1-2-3: Erasure

Posted: 12th November 2010 by ed in Blogs, Ed
Tags: , ,
1

We are moving right along aren’t we? Already to E. There is no way for me to explain my love of Erasure except that they create pure pop goodness and there is some really low-end bass in their songs. That combination is perfect for me although it was probably odd for people who heard the “Boom-Boom” of my ’89 Honda Civic approaching from a mile away only to hear the vocals as I got closer. In 1997 I was a gay bar on wheels. Speaking of gay, yes, one member is gay. You can look them up online if you care about that sort of information, I only care to talk about their hits! Vince Clarke was an original member of Depeche Mode and wrote their best song ever (“Just Can’t Get Enough”.  After leaving DP he went on to Yazoo and produced a few hits including “Only You”.  He eventually teamed up with Andy Bell to form Erasure.  13 records later they are still going strong.  You might not be an active fan but you certainly know the words to a few of their tunes like it or not.

A Little Respect – I would argue this is their biggest hit.  Even if it is not I think most people know this song one way or another.  It is the perfect song to play to anyone unfortunate enough to have never heard Erasure as it sums up the band quite nicely.




Don’t Say Your Love Is Killing Me – 1997 was the year Erasure really entered my life and this was the record that did it.  I had heard their songs but wasn’t an active fan but once I picked up Cowboy I was hooked.  The booming bass tracks sounded great coming through the 12-inch subs I had in my trunk and the pop hooks were perfect for sing-a-alongs.  Did it help me pick up the ladies?  Nope, but I was having a fabulous time anyway.


Take A Chance On Me – I know, I know… it isn’t their song.  I DON’T CARE!  They took a near perfect Abba song and made it more perfecter!  AND they added some random Reggae breakdown smack-dab in the middle of it.  The weird thing is, I have never seen Mama Mia.




 Erasure - A Little Respect: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Erasure - Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Erasure - Take A Chance On Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Empire Podcast 11/10/10

Posted: 11th November 2010 by ed in Begley, Big Jim, Doug, Ed, Podcasts
18

This week Ed has to suffer through the idiocy if Jim, Doug and Begely when it comes to Happy Meals. We also hit on cell phone dependence and Jim relays tell a wonderful story about Craigslist. Download it, listen here or subscribe to the RSS/iTunes feed!

 The Empire Radio 11/10/10: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A-Z, 1-2-3: Def Leppard

Posted: 10th November 2010 by ed in Blogs, Ed
Tags: , , , ,
2

Didn’t see this one coming did you? I am more than willing to toss aside any “cool cred” I might have in order to feature my first favorite band. I was 7-years-old when Pyromania came out and it owned me from Day 1.  The copy in our house belonged to my sister but it might as well have been mine.  I would drop that record (yes, record) onto my Fisher Price record layer and rock out in my bedroom.  Eventually I ordered High & Dry and On Through The Night through one of those mail-order services and I scrawled my name on my notebooks using the Lep’s font .  Then tragedy struck.  On December 31st, 1984 drummer Rick Allen was in a car accident and lost his left arm.  This was devastating to 8-year-old me.  This was my Buddy Holly, my before-it-happened Kurt Cobain.  The next 3 years of my life were filled with the need to have new Def Leppard.  How were they going to continue with a one-armed drummer?!  Thankfully technology had advanced enough that Allen was able to stay with the band due to a custom drum set.  Once the band was whole rumors were swirling that a new record was imminent.  Needless to say I was a little excited.  So excited in fact,  that when they dropped “Pour Some Sugar On Me” I may or may not have exclaimed that they recorded it for me.  I was 11 and it had been a long wait for new material!

Sadly, my love affair with the ‘Lep ended after the release of Adrenalize in 1992.  As much as I loved “Let’s Get Rocked” we had grown apart and I was finding alternative bands. Like a first love Def Leppard will always hold a special place in my heart.

Bringin’ On The Heartbreak – Probably best known for being covered, in terrible fashion, by Mariah Carey.  I still love this song as it is a perfect example of the band’s strong suit, big-ass power ballads.  Back in the day I am sure this was a guaranteed panty-dropper.

Rock of Ages – The first song I heard from the ‘Lep thanks to MTV.  Much like Duran Duran the ‘Lep owe much of their success to MTV as their videos were in heavy rotation.  You know you remember this video… Joe Elliot stalking some fake hallway with a giant sword, monks and that German spoken-word at the beginning (“Gunter glieben glauchen globen”).  Ring a bell?

Rocket – I bet you thought it was going to be “Pour Some Sugar On me” didn’t you?  Well, as time has gone on this song has become my fav on this record. Could be the drums, the weird f/x at the beginning or just Ooohs.  Or the combination of all 3.

 Def Leppard - Bringin' On The Heartbreak: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Def Leppard - Rocket: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A-Z, 1-2-3: Clutch

Posted: 9th November 2010 by ed in Blogs, Ed
Tags: , , , , ,
1

There are sure to be a few entries in this project that might surprise anyone who really knows me and CLUTCH is sure to be at the top of that list.  The fact that I am a fan surprises me too.  At face value they are the opposite of what I normally listen to.  They like to jam, write some nonsense lyrics and drew a few bros to shows at times.  The thing is I can pinpoint the moment I became a fan and that was my very first exposure to them.  I was living in Richmond at the time (around 2000) and my pal loved 3 things; his Doberman, his weed and Clutch.  I wasn’t too into weed but I thought his dog was great, so much so that I got a pup when she had a litter (his name was Wedge) and I figured I might as well give his favorite band a shot.  He had an extra ticket to see them at the 9:30 Club in D.C.  Again, I had never even heard a song by them and had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I don’t remember much of the show but the following things stand out: a giant flag of Maryland hanging behind the band, lots of large dudes in wifebeaters moshing, a haze of pot smoke and a band that sounded amazing with a front man who stalked with stage with a manic passion.

I owe my pal for 2 things, my great dog Wedge and for opening my eyes to this band.

Spacegrass – Looking at my typical tastes it makes no sense for me to like this song.  It is a six-and-a-half minute long, jam band nonsensical builder.  But man, does it build.  Maybe it is because you are reassured throughout the song “Don’t worry, it’s coming” and does it ever.  Try not to yell along once they hit “Jesus on the dashboard!”



Pure Rock Fury – This disc dropped in 2001, shortly after I got into the band.  I was torn between this track and “The Mob Goes Wild” off of Blast Tyrant but had to go with PRF because I was still in college when it came out and I think it rocks out just a tad more.  And it has the line “pooped your pants” in it.




Binge And Purge – This was as no-brainer.  While “El Jefe Speaks” was in early contention I had to include this song for 2 reasons.

1. They performed it when I saw them in 2000 and I thought I was going to die.  The crowd went nuts and I took about 10 steps back in an act of self-preservation.

2. Wedge and I used to have our own little mosh pits at home when this song came on.


 Clutch - Spacegrass: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Clutch - Pure Rock Fury: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Clutch - Binge and Purge: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A-Z, 1-2-3: Bad Religion

Posted: 8th November 2010 by ed in Blogs, Ed
Tags: , , ,
0

I am a late-bloomer in all aspects.  I didn’t hit puberty until around 15, I was playing with Transformers until shortly after that.  I didn’t get to college until I was 18 and it took me an extra year-and-a-half to finish.  I will be one of the last of my friends to get married and have kids.  My introduction to punk was equally delayed.

Growing up as a middle-class suburban kid my impression of punk was scary dudes with boots and Mohawks who liked to beat people up.  I had just graduated high school when Stranger Than Fiction was released.  At one point or another MTV aired the video for “21st Century (Digital Boy)” and I happened to dig the song but thought nothing more of it.  That is until I picked up Goldfinger’s debut about a year later.  Goldfinger was clearly more pop and more accessible to a kid like me and on their song “The City With Two Faces” they name-drop Bad Religion and NOFX.  For one reason or another this thumbs-up gave me the inclination to check B.R. out.

One thing I learned quickly about B.R. was that I was going to need a dictionary to truly appreciate the lyrics.  I guess that’s what happens when you have a Ph.D. as your singer.

The sheer volume of Bad Religion’s catalog coupled with the quality of those songs made it hard for me to get down to 3 but I somehow managed and here they are:

Kerosene – This song came to me on a mix-tape from my friend Nathalie shortly after I finally embraced the band.  I was only really familiar with the band’s current (at the time) stuff so it was nice to have someone expose me to something from a few years prior. Fun Fact:  Eddie Vedder appears on this album, singing backup on “American Jesus” and the second verse of “Watch It Die”.


Do What You Want – After catching up on Recipe For Hate I had become a fan of the band and just had to get every record.  15 tracks that clock in at just over 26 minutes combined “Suffer” is hailed by many as B.R.’s best record.  While that might up for debate “Do What You Want” is on this list because it became a mantra of sorts for me.  As long as your shenanigans and stupidity don’t interfere with my happiness we won’t have a problem.

Suffer is the band’s 3rd record and has the distinction of following Into The Unknown, a record that upset most of B.R.’s fan-base and, until recently, was pretty much stricken from history.  You can stream it at the band’s website to hear why.

Los Angeles Is Burning – Not only is this a quintessential Bad Religion song but it reminds me of a great time in my life.  Released on The Empire Strikes First in the summer of 2004 this song was probably the one I played most for the next 8 months.  It became the soundtrack for weekend radio appearances at an ice-skating rink in Richmond, VA with Fletcher and for the good times of that summer.  Even now it makes me smile and want to tear around a giant sheet of ice while I sing along.

 Bar Religion - Kerosene: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Bad Religion - Do What You Want: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Bad Religion - Los Angeles Is Burning: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A-Z, 1-2-3: Alkaline Trio

Posted: 5th November 2010 by ed in Blogs, Ed
Tags: , , , ,
0

As I was driving in this morning I decided that I needed to blog more.  While navigating through the idiots I came to the conclusion that I should do some themed entries as that way I will always have something to write about rather than waiting for inspiration to strike.  What you are about to read is that brainstorm come to fruition.  I am going to go through my favorite bands in alphabetical order and select my 3 favorite songs by them.  Notice I said MY 3 favorite songs.  If I were to say “the best” there would be room for debate.  By listing MY favorite songs I hope to cut down on needless arguing.

I plan on going through A-Z one letter and one band at a time.  Once I get through the first 26 I will start with A again.  I figure Q might get harder as time goes on.

Without any further ado let’s get after it!

Did you really expect me to start with any other band?  Amazing that it works out that Alkaline Trio starts with the letter A, isn’t it?  In case you have missed it I am a nerd for this band.  So much so that I have the logo pictured about tattooed on my right calf.  It takes a certain level fandom/insanity to ink yourself with a band logo but these is that band for me.  There was only one other band that I seriously considered getting tattooed on my person and that was Too Much Joy.  More about them once we hit T.

The Trio came into my life in 1999, shortly after the release of Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, the band’s 2nd album.  I was a freshman in college at the age of 23 and still “finding myself” (for lack of a better term.)  I am pretty sure I found the Trio via liner in some CD I had come across and figured I would check them out.  After waiting for hours on Napster to download a few tracks to my Diamond Rio.

For those of you not familiar with the band there are 2 vocalists, Matt and Dan.  They each write and sing their own songs.  Matt is the angrier of the two while Dan leaned towards the weepy side.  These days I am more of  a Matt guy but the first Trio songs I heard were Dan songs (“You’ve Got So Far To Go” and “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire”).  These were the perfect songs for a goofy kid in over-sized JNCO jeans with floppy long hair to listen to while pretty much blocking out the rest of the world.  Songs about girls, booze and loss?  What brooding college kid wouldn’t love this?

As I have grown older so has the band and we have both changed together.  This is probably why the Trio beat out Too  Much Joy for that tattoo, TMJ was just a tad past me whereas the Trio and I have gone through the same stages together.

Here are my 3 favorite songs by Alkaline Trio (In No Particular Order)

She Took Him To The Lake – I am a lyrics guy and in this song Dan paints a picture of a summer romance that seems perfect to both parties until the summer ends.  While the Him in our story still pines She has moved on.  My absolute favorite part of the song is when Matt comes in at 1:32 with “Gotta be right”.  Keep an ear our for it.




Nose Over Tail – As I stated before I am a lyrics guy and for whatever reason Matt’s lyrics strike a chord with me.  If you don’t get chills when everyone yells “I’d love to rub your back” at live shows you have no soul.





Old School Reasons – This songs battled it out with “Fine Without You” for the third spot but I just had to go with it.  It is an example of everything I love about this band, punk roots, pop sensibilities, dual vocals, dark lyrics and profanity!





 Alkaline Trio - She Took Him To The Lake: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Alkaline Trio - Nose Over Tail: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Alkaline Trio - Old School Reasons: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Another New Face.

Posted: 4th November 2010 by ed in Ed, Podcasts
Tags: , , , ,
0

Since the cranky, old radio guys Jim and Doug can’t make it in regularly I had to call in reinforcements.  Please welcome Matt Shearer.  Matt is a young buck who I work with at my day job and is also my better half on How Bad Can It Be? which airs on WTKK 96.9FM this Saturday 8-10am.

Matt joins Begley and me to talk about living at home, drinking and driving, civil liberties and food.  Sounds like a typical day here at The Empire, doesn’t it?

 The Empire Radio 11/03/10 [97:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My Top 5 Halloween Bands

Posted: 30th October 2010 by Begley in Begley, Blogs
Tags: , , , , , ,
4

One of the best holiday weekends of the year in upon us. Halloween is awesome for a number of reasons. Such as free candy, pumpkin beers, and girls in slutty costumes. Along with all of that comes Halloween music, which I usually find extremely obnoxious. You can only listen to Monster Mash and Werewolves of London so many times before you want to start jabbing the devils pitchfork in your ears. So there is those awful songs we have to put up with every year, but then there are some bands who seem like they celebrate this wonderful holiday all year round, whether they realize it not. Sometimes it’s the lyrics in their songs or their creepy lifestyle, but most of the time it’s just that they physically look like Halloween 365 days a year. Which makes them that even more awesome.

Here are my Top 5 Halloween Bands…

5) A.F.I.

4) My Chemical Romance

3) The Misfits

2) Alkaline Trio

1) Slipknot

 A.F.I. - TOTAL IMMORTAL: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - DEAD!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 THE MISFITS - HALLOWEEN: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 ALKALINE TRIO - CALLING ALL SKELETONS: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 SLIPKNOT - WAIT AND BLEED: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Gang’s All Here!

Posted: 29th October 2010 by ed in Ed, Podcasts
1

I can hardly believe it but everyone managed to show up this week. Begley, Jim and Doug.   Even Charlie makes an appearance (kind of).

This week we chat about Ed’s heroics, Begley’s failures and destroy the Globe’s online list of “Scary Movies”.

 Standard Podcast [118:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Kathy Lee Gifford…enigma.

Posted: 28th October 2010 by Doug in Blogs, Doug
5

Hoda Kotb: kathy lee hoda kotb pancake I had the misfortune of being strapped into a dentist’s chair the other morning and having my gums scraped violently by a lovely hygienist. this is not the negative part…I would gladly have the scraping done from dawn til dusk daily if I never have to watch another minute of Hoda and Kathy Lee Gifford on NBC. This garbage was on the little TV in the office and due to the two hands shoved in my mouth I couldn’t scream,”GOOD GOD!! TURN THIS SHIT OFF”!! I can’t believe they are allowed on TV…network no less. It takes about 30 seconds to understand why the Gif…KLG’s husband was soliciting anal sex from flight attendants back in the day. She may be the most vile woman alive, excluding Liz Cheney, Sharron Angle and Sarah Palin. Though, as I watched I became oddly attracted to KLG and today, while searching for potential “Man Time” photos of her, i found this online and felt it needed to be shared…she’s got an ass like an apple.

Older Entries
Newer Entries