The '90s

For sure.

 

One of my favorite success stories is Green Day's. They were signed to Lookout Records, a low-class -- monetarily speaking -- punk label back in the late '80s and early '90s, a few years before Dookie. They went across the country playing small venues and selling their discs out of the back of their van. They ended up selling 70,000 albums and getting a bunch of press because of their shows and style. Once they were signed to Reprise and went on tour, they already had about three or for years of touring experience, and if you've seen a live set of theirs (of course, 15 years later, they'd have had plenty of experience anyway), you can really tell they've been at it for a long, long time.

So many other bands have a similar story. But, you're right: MySpace bands are here, and they'll be here for a while. I saw a band a few months ago called Metro Station. I hadn't heard of them -- not a song, not a review, not even their name -- and they opened for Motion City Soundtrack (a great live band). They were pretty darn good. I've got a copy of Alternative Press sitting on my floor, and inside is the back story of that band: The two founders met on the set of Hannah Montana; one's Cyrus' half-brother and the other is a brother of another actor. They put their songs on MySpace and picked up steam almost immediately. I don't do MySpace, so I never would have known.

But I was reading that issue, and it seemed like two out of every three bands went that route, too. It's OK, I guess, so long as you've got the talent. But a lot of these groups are cookie-cutter projects who won't last more than two discs.

 

They're biggest album, Something Like Human, came out in 2000 but the band was formed in 1989 and songs like Sunburn and Shimmer, IMO their two best tracks, came out in '98.

 

Jeebus, I could type on this thread for hours... most of my music is either from the 60's or 90's...

Oasis hooked me on Wonderwall, but I've absolutely loved everything they've done, with the exception of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Might sound schlocky, but there's an epic quality to it. Never seen a show, but from the videos I've seen, there's not a lot of hokey shit. They stand there and fucking blast it, and I dig that.

Hootie hooked me too.. and there's a soulful quality about Darius Rucker's voice that I dig. Dude has pipes.

Fan of the Gin Blossoms, BTE (great call on This Time of Year.. a great song), Verve, Gin Blossoms, etc.

Also, I know that Closing Time is Semisonic's one-hit wonder, but I enjoyed Singing in My Sleep and Made to Last much more on that album.

Also like dork rock a lot. Barenaked Ladies' Gordon is in my collection... and They Might be Giants' Flood is as well.

 

Not my favorite GD song, but my favorite video:

 

I wish I had a friend named Jealousy.

 

What I like most of the video is when Billie Joe pulls up his sleeve for a list of plays, and they're all their older songs: "Basket Case," "2,000 Light Years Away," "One of My Lies" (I think that one's on there. I was so excited to buy this album. My mom drove me to Circuit City in early October of 1997, and I listened to it on my discman on the way home; the van only played cassettes. I had to walk home from high school not too long after, and I was digging "Hitchin' A Ride" like you wouldn't believe.

 

F_B, here's my favorite Green Day video:

.

I watched MTV for days just to see this video, and I always missed it. It was terrible. My life just sucked back then. But all the guys were over at my friend Adam's place playing football, and we were inside taking a breather and watching some music videos. We all start to leave the room and I tell my best friend to hold up: "I just want to see if it's on next." And it was. I called everyone back into the room; in 1995, everyone was a Green Day fan. So we watched everything fall to the ground for two minutes, then went back and played football. It was a really good day.

 

Only back then?

 

Seriously, you'd have to hate America not to love Possum Kingdom. It was the last rock tape (!!!!) my sister ever bought before she turned into a country-listening doof. And I remember some cover band just killing Possum Kingdom (in a good way) and the entire dance floor moshing it up at the Stone Balloon in Delaware in the spring of '96. Good times.

 

Of course. My life is just aces now.