Where’s My Christmas Card?

An Open Letter to Alternative Press

She said:

“Let’s be honest- Alternative Press has seen better days. What once was the authority of the underground (albeit for a short while) is now a vehicle for major-label emo and Hot Topic punk. Considering how Editor-in-chief Jason Pettigrew recently urged his readers to go see the Taste of Chaos tour (the My Chemical Romance, Used, and Senses Fail festival of pseudo-goth gimmicks and eyeliner), expectations were low for a tour bearing the Alternative Press name.”  

– Ashley Rigazio

He said:

>>>>>

Jason Pettigrew <XXXXXXXXX>
To: <editor@soundthesirens.com>

Subject: CHEERFUL INQUIRY

Dear Editor: I’d like to send Ashley Rigazio a Christmas card this holiday season. Do you have an address I could send that to come December? Thank you so much.

Cordially,

Jason Pettigrew
ALTERNATIVE PRESS

>>>>>

In response:

I’ve read Alternative Press on and off since 1999 and have subscribed since early 2002. I won’t be renewing my subscription. Looking back at my comments, I realize that they were harsh and ill-supported – I’d like to apologize for that. I’d also like to clarify my opinions for your consideration. I’m sorry for singling you out but, as a fan of your work who has seen you push bands you truly believed in over the years, I expect better from your magazine than what I have been receiving in the mail as of late. I know you’re not going home and putting on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. You probably rock out to exciting bands that are pushing the envelope and trying to do something different, something that doesn’t promote harming one’s self and wearing guyliner. I want to hear about those bands.

Yes, I understand that a magazine is a business and you need to sell issues and attract advertising. Covering popular, commercially-driven bands is a necessary evil; I often photograph bands I don’t particularly enjoy for Sound the Sirens and review shows that I wouldn’t have gone to otherwise so I can gain exposure for my work. Regardless of its practicality, I find AP’s extremely narrow-minded approach to music troublesome.

AP has whittled down “alternative” to just the Warped Tour scene – is this a reflection of heavy advertising by the tour, its sister tour Taste of Chaos and their sponsor, Vans? There is music beyond the Warped Tour, and it is glorious. Explore the alternative genre instead of relying on the current TRL pop-punk crossovers. Fall Out Boy, while I adore them, is no longer an alternative to anything. Those boys are everywhere. So, instead of adding to overexposure, let your young readers discover new bands they will love.

You cannot ignore the fact that the same bands frequently pop up in AP’s pages and on the covers. Coheed and Cambria was featured in issue #207 and graced the cover of the very next issue. Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday and the All American Rejects had all been the subjects of cover stories before this year. There are enough bands battling for exposure that this redundancy is unnecessary. AP is in a more powerful position now than it was ten years ago and can afford to take risks by balancing bankable stories with coverage of alternative artists outside the emo/pop-punk/hardcore sub-genre. Also, I can’t help but wonder if those little bands that the scene has loved and lost over the last few years (The Movielife, Northstar and countless others) would still be around had they had an AP cover or just a little more exposure. Maybe that’s idealistic and simplified, but are bands giving up because of the favoritism of press coverage?

However, my main problem with Alternative Press isn’t the fact that many of the same bands are repeatedly featured. Criticism of AP is only refuted, not taken into consideration and used to improve the magazine. For example, as subscribers aired their grievances on the other AP (absolutepunk.net), an AP staff writer responded by telling everyone they were wrong. These are loyal subscribers to your magazine! They are your core audience, your raison d’etre. They are never wrong! Listen to them before it’s too late.

Sincerely,

Ashley Rigazio

P.S. – Please don’t send the Hot Topic army after me. I’m allergic to pleather.

Johnny Cash – The Legend of Johnny Cash

The current wave of Greatest Hits / Best Of / Essential / Whatever We Have the Licensing Rights To collections that have flooded stores are a typification of the modern popular music market, a furious label cash-grab at the expense of the baby boomers and others who long for the nostalgia of their formidable years. The smashing success of Beatles 1 sent a message that was just loud enough for label execs to notice that people will buy into the past as long as it’s being sold. There’s seemingly a new Dylan bootleg or reissue on the shelf with every passing week. For those who missed their halcyon period about three days ago, Semisonic has a hits collection available. There are three separate collections still in print that celebrate the hallowed oeuvre of Norman Greenbaum, for crying out loud. (For the record, “Spirit in the Sky” is track one on two of them; though the other does attempt to cover its tracks by including a demo version in addition to including the original at track two.) If it wasn’t for the Beatles, as well as the recent raiding and pillaging of Bob Dylan’s catalogue, Johnny Cash might have the distinction of having his name slapped on the most stuff in the history of popular music. There is no shortage of Johnny Cash material out there for public consumption, which might cause you to ask, “why should I buy this collection?” Well, the answer to that lies in your degree of curiosity, for as many choices as there are, there’s probably one out there that fits exactly what you’re looking for. And this one isn’t a bad place to start.

J.R. Cash’s music has been sliced and diced into just about every combination imaginable, with sets covering his different eras, his spells with different labels, his live albums or his forays into different genres. The Legend of Johnny Cash, the latest comer to the party (and also confoundingly sharing a key title descriptor with the four-CD box set The Legend, though the two are completely unrelated) is unique for the sole fact that it is none of those things. It is the first concise collection to be released since his death that attempts to cover the span of his entire career, tipped off by the fact that at least four different record labels are cited in the album’s liner notes. It supplants Columbia’s two-disc Essential Johnny Cash set from 2002, which, unlike this compilation, featured nothing more recent than his guest starring spot on U2’s “The Wanderer” from 1993’s Zooropa. The Legend of Johnny Cash, a single-disc set that is presented ideally, in chronological order, spares a half-dozen tracks for his late-era work with Rick Rubin at American Recordings. Not the least of these are his covers of Hank Snow’s 1962 hit “I’ve Been Everywhere” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt,” the latter of which went great distances in cultivating him a whole new audience and bridging a massive generational gap.

While obsessives may have their token qualms about the song choices, there is very little to argue with in both the selection and presentation. Cash’s debut single “Cry! Cry! Cry!” opens the disc, and is followed by a parade of his most memorable tunes, with “Folsom Prison Blues” (and its legendary “I shot a man in Reno / Just to watch him die” lyric) stacked right next to “I Walk the Line” and the indomitable “Get Rhythm.” The June Carter-penned “Ring of Fire,” with its mariachi horn arrangement, very appropriately precedes “Jackson,” one of the pair’s most endearing duets. The album also cherry picks his live San Quentin version of Shel Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue,” framed by the hoots and hollers of his captive audience. Cash’s popularity as a solo artist waned significantly for a period encompassing much of the last quarter of the century, and that gap is accurately represented. There are only two tracks featured from 1971 to 1993, one of which is his titular collaboration with the Highwaymen, the collective that also included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. “Highwayman” wears its 1980’s production values on its sleeve; it and “The Wanderer” are the only tunes on the album that are out of keeping with his traditional sound. The Rubin numbers do have a modern polish to them, but for the most part their presentation is sparse and minimal, as to not overwhelm Cash’s weakened baritone.

There have been literally dozens of compilations dedicated to Johnny Cash over the years, but novices and newbies looking for an easy Johnny Cash 101 primer will find that The Legend of Johnny Cash fits the bill just about perfectly. There is little if any at all to fault about the track selection. All of his most well-known songs are here, and it gives about as strong a cross-section of his career as you’re likely to find. It does have the advantage of being the only one so far that pulls from his entire career, thanks to the wonderfully convoluted world of licensing rights. Granted, with a man who was so prolific and larger-than-life, a single disc is hardly sufficient in gaining a accurate point of view, but most will see that this collection is not a means to an end. Those who find their curiosity piqued with a few listens to this collection (and who wouldn’t, really) will find themselves wanting to upgrade their Cash catalogue. At that point I might suggest looking for the full-concert reissues of his legendary live albums, At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin, as well as a combination of the previously-mentioned The Legend box set and any of his later-era American Recordings material.

There is such an overwhelming amount of Johnny Cash music available to the public that it becomes hard to pin down which or how many albums a particular person might want. The hypothetical combinations are endless. Those looking for a Beatles 1-esque starter kit will find a lot to like about The Legend of Johnny Cash, it serves its purpose about as well as one could imagine. The commercial and critical success of Walk the Line will likely send more than its share of inquisitive folks shuffling to the store next door or into the mall adjoining the cineplex looking for readily consumable Man In Black collections. Being that the soundtrack album is comprised solely of performances from the film, this compilation will become a primary option for many of those neophytes, and it’s perfect for them. As good as the movie performances are, it’s no substitute for the real thing. Accept no imitations. Until you know better, at least.

(Hip-O Records)

The Darkness: Like a Bat Out of Hell

Their debut record, Permission to Land, has sold over 3.5 million records, debuting at number 1. They’ve sold out Wembley Arena three nights, they have four Top 10 singles, and are headlining the legendary Reading & Leeds Festival. And this is just from their debut record. It is safe to say that The Darkness are quite popular. Most bands take years to get to this level. As one of those 3.5 million record owners of Permission To Land, I can say it’s one of the best hard rock records of all time, hands down. No debate necessary. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to speak to new bass player, Richie Edwards.

So, first off, do people still ask you guys if you’re a joke-band or novelty act?

Edwards: [laughs] Yes, they do. The main reason we’re still seen as a joke band or as a novelty, is the cat-suits and stage presence. But when you listen to the records you don’t get cat-suits. It’s not ironic, but it has a sense of humor. What I consider to be one of the best things about rock music is that it has a sense of humor. Like Bon Scott from AC/DC.He was a brilliant lyricist, and he had a sense of humor and nobody considered AC/DC a joke band. Really, (in terms of the record) the only comical aspect of it are Justin’s lyrics, which I think are brilliant. But there are certain people who we can never please. People who say “they’ve lost their humor” are the same people who said that we were a joke band in the first place. The answer is a firm: No, we are not a joke band.

Did you record on One Way Ticket To Hell…and Back?

Edwards: I was in the studio, but due to the timing of my entrance into the band I wasn’t playing bass on the record. But you can hear my sweet, sweet vocals on it. Dan recorded the bass parts, but he asked for my advice. Saying things like, “does this sound right?”

Going into the recording of the album, was there anything that you wanted to, I don’t want to say improve, but kind of change from Permission to Land?

Edwards: To be honest, the main factor was Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Who, Journey).

He’s made a few good records.

Edwards: [laughs] Yeah, just a couple. But he just made the songs a great deal better.Ultimately, this record has been made by a genius producer. I can’t really say enough about him. Plus, we had the luxury of time & money. Permission to Land was made in 2 weeks with 20,000 pounds. It gave Roy time to work his magic. The entire process itself was a incredible experience. Roy records everything to tape and pays such a precise attention to detail. For example, Roy and I were in the studio before the recording and we spent days moving the drums around the studio and putting mics in different places. Eventually we put the drums on a stage in the center of the room. Roy came to a point where he was like “ok, we can record now.” That’s the kind of thing you can hear on the record. The drums are just huge on this record.

Absolutely, you can hear every instrument used in the recording.

Edwards: Yeah, you can.

Did Baker approach you about recording One Way Ticket To Hell…, or was it the other way around?

Edwards: Roy came to a party in LA after one of our shows. This party had a awful lot of producers that the label was pushing on us for our next record. And Roy was there just sitting enjoying the free Champaign. Dan was first to meet him. He met Dan outside while Dan was having a smoke, and things just went well. Roy would hang out with us and just have a laugh. Justin approached Roy gingerly about recording with him. Roy’s answer was, “Well, duh.”

How was the transition from going to Dan’s guitar tech, to bass player?

Edwards: It was truly the easiest thing. At no point has anybody been like “well what’s the new guy going to do” or “how does the new guy feel about this.” We knew each other very well anyway. We aren’t at the “getting to know you” stage or anything. I’ve officially been in the band now for like 7 months. That’d still be “getting to know you” stage had I not known the band before. It’s been an absolutely joyful transition. Really I love these guys. Unless they were here, then I’d be complaining about my cut [laughs].

Well I was going to ask you what your favorite song from the album is, both recorded and live, but since you haven’t played live as an official member yet, what’s you’re favorite recorded song from the record?

Edwards: Well I’ve been playing with the band in rehearsal for a while now. But my favorite song changes on a daily basis. Today it’s “English Country Garden.” Yesterday, it was “Is It Just Me?” When I put it on I listen to it from start to finish. I still love to listen to the record.

Since we’re coming up on the end of the year, what was your favorite record from last year?

Edwards: Oh man, umm … I’m not so up with music. Shit. I’d have to say American Idiotby Green Day. Because A) the songs are very good, but most importantly B.) the production is incredible. The guitars just leap out at you. And it doesn’t sound like every other band that popped up after Green Day. Most bands after Green Day, like Blink 182, have this glossy, almost cheesy kind of sound, and not that I don’t like them or anything, but this record just sounds fucking angry.

The Darkness’ latest release, One Way Ticket To Hell…and Back is out now on Atlantic Records.

June – If You Speak Any Faster

You’ve heard these songs so many times before. The unoriginal sound of punk-influenced pop rock bombards you from every angle. You turn on your television and Hawthorne Heights is screaming at you courtesy of those “edgy” programmers over at Fuse. So you shut off the TV and flip through the pages of your favorite music magazine. My Chemical Romance is staring back at you. You throw the magazine down in disgust and turn on the radio, hoping to hear something with blatantly sexual lyrics and poorly constructed beats. You cross your fingers and wish for “My Humps.” What do you get instead? The gag-inducing tunes of the high-school hero of the month. You can’t tell which band it is, but your little sister probably knows.

You’ve read this review so many times before. Many of the bands have broken up; few have been missed. I could stop here. We all know the story. Unfortunately, I have a minimum word count of 350, so I will trudge onward. I’ll try to make this as mediocre for you as it is for me.

June is overwhelmingly average, but at least they’re in good company. Lyrically, they lack the ability to draw in the listener. The generic lyrics of “I Write B Movies” wouldn’t be out of place in a Weird Al emo parody (“I am contagious and this illness is what you want”). These words strive to convey emotion but only sound cliché and contrived; oddly, these emo lyrics are anything but emotional.

While the songwriting on If You Speak Any Faster is nothing spectacular, harmonization stands out as the strongest aspect of June’s music. Their use of two vocalists, neither of which is a designated screamer, is refreshing. In fact, it’s often their saving grace, especially on “Patrick” and “I’ve Got the Time If You Have the Argument.” Regardless, it’s difficult to tell most of the songs apart or even remember them for ten minutes. “Scandals and Scoundrels” and “Patrick” have slightly more pop sensibility than the other songs, but overall June prove they have little to offer with this unremarkable debut.

(Victory Records)

James Blunt – Back to Bedlam

Already a media darling back in his homeland of Great Britain, singer-songwriter James Blunt has finally made his long-threatened stateside debut. I had first heard of Blunt when he was featured in Rolling Stone’s fairly recent “Artists to Watch” feature—he caught my attention for the never-ending comparisons to the immensely talented Elliott Smith, and Irish wunder-fellow Damien Rice. Both comparisons are actually pretty accurate; but his voice holds an almost spot-on similarity to one of the most overlooked talents in indie music today: Angie Aparo.

As I mentioned earlier, heralding from England, Blunt garnered his label-contract nearly directly after leaving the British Army. He traded in his gun for a guitar; and the grueling life of military service for the grueling life of a touring musician. Taking everyday heartache, as well as vague-ish political woes and critiques into account for song fodder; Blunt delivers quite an entertaining collection of songs. Sadly, accompanying this album across the continents also comes the hype that Blunt has garnered in Europe as the ‘next-even-bigger thing than before.’ But, I’m happy to say that once you rip all the press kits, Rolling Stone spotlights, and comparisons away; a strong record, and a strong musician really does lie at the heart of this project.

If I’m not mistaken, the second track on the record, “You’re Beautiful,” is being released as the first single. I can’t seem to argue much—the song is both catchy and strong; and makes a fair introduction to Blunt’s direction and style. Clocking in at an average ten tracks, there are barely any truly weak tracks to be found here. The album opening “High” is slightly lacking but still enjoyable, and the mid-album tracks hold up well enough after repeated listens. True highlights include “Tears and Rain,” a fairly simple, but truly heartfelt tune. Also, the album closing “No Bravery;” a song about the war fields he so recently left. Slowly sung to the base of growing piano and echoing vocals, it leaves a haunting image long after the album’s close.

Another piano led track that stands most strong among the lot is “Goodbye My Lover.” It is just a gorgeous piece, sung with such passion, and crafted so well that it all just flows deeply. The song closes in such a passionate cliché, that it almost echoes the sentiment of the record itself. It closes with Blunt, sounding near tears, belting a line as simple as “I’m so hollow, baby, I’m so hollow / I’m so, I’m so, I’m so hollow.” A line you’ve surely heard a thousand times before, but it’s still touching on some kernel level of your emotions. The same goes for Back to Bedlam as a whole. It doesn’t bring anything new to the sound carved out by the likes of Elliott Smith, Damien Rice, or Angie Aparo. But, what it does do is bring another musician into the fray who is just as deserving to be proudly listed among the lot.

(Atlantic Records)