For today’s song of the day, I present: Adrenalize – by In This Moment. If you like hard rock/metal, and an amazing female vocalist that really hits it home, then you’ve come to the right place! I feel that this band adds a very creative twist to the genre. Enjoy!
~J. A. Ross
2/29/16
Hello fellow music lovers! Are you looking for new songs to listen to, and want to expand your music library? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This is my first (Captain Obvious here) edition of Song of the Day. Some of you may be regulars for my Thought of the Day posts and may have noticed that despite the title, I sometimes don’t post them every day. Well, that’s because it’s just the song/thought of whatever day I’m able to post.Unlike Thought of the Day however, these posts won’t typically range in all sorts of different lengths of posts, or have topics published.
But enough of my babbling, without further ado, my first song of the day: So Gently We Go, by the band – I Mother Earth, who formed in Toronto, Canada. This is a song from a lesser known band that originated in the 90’s. It has very soothing start and though it keeps the more gentle sound throughout the song, it does build up quite well and gets more intense up until the climatic part of the song. It’s lyrics also make it an interesting listen. The genre of the song would be considered more of Progressive Rock for those curious folks out there. Here’s a the song below!
If you love the song, give the band some love and check out some of their other songs! Comment what you think of this song below. Thanks for reading!
~J. A. Ross
Pertaining to the article~ © RossJ781.com 2/25/2016.
What happened to quality music? Pretty much every genre of music used to be top notch, but since the late 90’s, the quality of music has been on a decline. Songs used to have real meaning to them. Now all of these wanna be whiny pop and rock stars are emerging out of nowhere, and become famous for songs that are essentially ear torture.
We went from great musicians such as Tool, Motley Crue, Michael Jackson, soundgarden, Depeche Mode, and many other highly talented groups to crap like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Daughtry. Whiny metal wannabe’s like Bring Me The Horizon, and Black Veil Brides. The good music you have come to love is slowly dying around you and becoming a corporate mess. They don’t seem to care about making meaningful tracks these days, just taking your money.
I’m open myself to music from nearly any genre, though I do heavily prefer rock, metal, and alternative the most. I’ve given a lot of new music a try, but most of it doesn’t hit me the right way. More so, a lot of it is rubbish that’s essentially launching an assault of agony upon my ears. I swear every new pop album that comes out has a goal of dumbing down their audience further, and increasing profits.
I’m not just going to just dis pop, as lame as it is. Rock went pretty down hill too. I listen to a lot of newer rock music, and I’m not impressed. I see a lot of lack of talent and they’re trying to sound like everyone else instead of being inventive. Even some of my favorite bands that have been around for awhile have been releasing trash music.
Linkin Park for instance used to be great! First 3 albums were solid. Then…they took a turn for a more electronic sound with the next 2 albums. I mean, I like a few songs from both of those albums. But overall, they’re disappointing. Their latest album ‘The Hunting Party’ would be a fair comeback to the rock scene though. I could hear a lot more of their classic sound in it.
Green Day did the same thing. All of their albums were solid until Uno, Dos, and Tres came out. Uno had some pretty fair tunes, but still was lacking compared to their last 2 Grammy winning rock opera style albums. Dos and Tres didn’t have really any songs I cared for at all, and were rubbish. These two bands are showing perfect examples of why modern music is declining (don’t get me wrong, I’m still a fan of both bands). I understand some bands like experimenting. They just need to be careful with it so they don’t produce terrible albums repeatedly.
As for rap, it’s the same thing that’s happening to pop. I’m not really a rap fan at all, but I can still recognize talented artists when I hear them. Though I may not like the genre much, I can still tell that they’re writing songs to define their genre more, instead of mocking it. Country falls in this same category. I detest country music, but I can still tell that some of the artists do have skills musically (though I feel it’s wasted some by choosing to record in this genre).
Full on electronic music, is pretty much some shit that came from someone having too much ecstasy one night, and decided that a bunch of random sounds they made with their computer was music. Other people (most likely also on drugs) must have thought that it was music as well, and soon ‘artists’ like Skrillex and Deadmau5 were considered legit music. Well then… have fun with that. Moving on!
Overall, the genre that seems to actually be on a creative rise is: alternative. I’ve actually been the most impressed with the newer alternative music coming out (for the most part) than any other genre. With original bands including the likes of Silversun Pickup’s, and Cage The Elephant; as well as veterans to the genre such as Foo Fighters and Muse. These type of bands add constant ingenuity to their genre; they’re like the spark out there that’s keeping good music alive.
Regardless, older music always seems to be what I turn back to. It’s solid, and hard to go wrong with. There’s also so much of it out there, I have yet to discover so many artists that may have disappeared year’s ago, but left the gift of their music behind. I’d rather find ‘new’ old songs I’ve never heard before, than listen to most of the dribble that 2015 so ‘generously’ offers us.
Thanks for reading! Agree or disagree? Tell me why in the comments below.
~J. A. Ross
The brand new single- Lie To Me -from Fall Of A Tyrant! It’s great so check it out if you’re looking for some new rock!!
https://rossj781.com/2015/11/16/fall-of-a-tyrant-a-glimpse-inside-the-band-part-1/
If you haven’t read the first part of my interview with the band, check it out above! ^
Part 2 of the interview coming soon, had a bit of delay with my writing, but expecting it out on Wednesday. If you like what you see in this video, show the band some love and comment below!
~J. A. Ross
Another photo I took from Slipknot’s show in SLC, UT; back in August. What an incredible live band!
~J. A. Ross
This is the revival video of my high school YouTube group. Give it a watch, tell us what you think! We bring our own brand of humor!
~J. A. Ross
Fall of A Tyrant. An up and coming rock band local to Ogden, Utah. Maybe you’ve heard of them? If not, well then that’s about to change! Boe Mathewson, and former bandmate Pat Kordylewski formed Fall of A Tyrant after their previous band, ‘I Dream of Daylight’, split up due to creative differences. A few of the former band members from the old band joined as well, however they left shortly after the first EP, ‘Victims Aren’t’ We All?’ was released.
They soon went into a few hiatuses until their current line up emerged featuring Boe Mathewson on lead guitar and clean vocals (the only original member remaining), LaRayna Mathewson on keyboards (Boe’s wife), and Brian Barbeau on the drums. As of now, the band is seeking a new bassist and a second guitar player.
It was a snowy night when I had the opportunity to interview the band in a restaurant. After we ate and shared introductions, I began the interview formally by asking about each of their individual musical histories. First, Boe Mathewson replied, “I’ve played guitar 6 years, and have been singing for 4 years.” Wife LaRayna answered, “I’ve had on and off experience with the piano since age 8.” Lastly, Brian responded, “I’ve been playing drums from a young age. Always jamming out and creating my own shit.”
I went on to inquire about their musical influences; the ones that inspired them to become musicians themselves. Boe answered, “Red, Korn; Breaking Benjamin is a big one. Three Days Grace, In This Moment.” “Dream Theater is probably one of my biggest ones.” LaRayna added. “Mr. Bungle for a drummer.” Says Brian, referring to a Faith No More side project.
When asked about how they all originally met, I found out that Boe and Brian met each in high school and been good friends since. Boe and LaRayna met online about a year ago and hit it off well. So well in fact, that they married a few months later. “It’s awesome! We get a lot done! It’s great!” responds Boe on what it’s like being married to a band member. With a gracious smile, LaRayna agreed saying, “We go really good with each other!” Personally I think it’s fantastic that a married couple, with children, can still find the time take on such a project as being in a band!
Coming out this Wednesday, November 18th; they have their first single with this new line up. It’s called ‘Lie to Me’. They have described it to have more of a modern Breaking Benjamin vibe to it. The band has also agreed that it’s their personal favorite song that they’ve recorded thus far. “Definitely a song filled with feelings.” Responded Brian.
Another single still in the works, but nearing completion, is a piece called, ‘Devil in You’, which they are immensely excited about, and its among their favorite works. ‘The Darkest Glow’ is what they consider to be one of the best early songs the band recorded. It’s inspired by Elizabeth Bathory, a serial killer who lived in the late 1500’s – early 1600’s and was found with a disturbing 300 hundred corpses in her foreboding castle.
So by now, some of the veteran fans are probably thinking: when the hell will the new album be coming out? Cut to the chase! Well, they provided me that information and stated that they’re planning on a Spring release, however, they don’t have a fully set date for this release quite yet. They’ve also revealed the album will feature approximately 7-9 tracks for your listening pleasure.
The band’s last recorded album was ‘Victims Aren’t We All’ (as mentioned earlier). It produced the two singles ‘End of This Fame’ and ‘Fairy Tales’; both of which have gained radio play. This is one of the main goals for the singles off of their currently untitled upcoming record.
Next we moved onto album production. “It takes 6-7 months,” Boe replied. Describing the creativity process, he continued, “You come across a lot of ideas, but only take a few of them.” The other two nodded in agreement. All of the members are also employed full time, which adds some time to this already lengthy process. With the Mathewson’s also raising two children with another on the way, this adds a few additional delays in the making of the album. Despite all of the setbacks though, they always manage to keep the band pushing forward!
Coming soon in Part 2 of the interview: I’ll give some more insight on the original band the led to the eventual formation of Fall of A Tyrant; along with more information on Pat’s going away, which has had a large impact on the band having to see their good friend leave. More details as well on why the band has made few changes to their sound, LaRayna’s pregnancy, band awards, an honorable invitation to play at CrueFest in Las Vegas, and more! Until then, get your rock on with a couple of the band’s old songs below!
~ J. A. Ross
Hey everyone! I won’t usually post too many things like this, but this is really important too me! I like to help make a difference whenever I can, and a friend of mine’s brother, really needs some help! It’s for a Cancer reconstruction surgery. Anything will help! I’m short on cash, but making a donation myself today! Thanks!
~ J. A. Ross
This song is called The Darkest Glow, and it’s by a friend of mine’s band: Fall Of A Tyrant. Some of you may have heard of them. They’ve allowed me to post this track to give a sample of their music. I have an article coming out about them soon. But until then, enjoy this song!
Tool; the band that’s known for their surreal music videos; songs containing deep, intricate, (and often laced with humor) lyrics; and large time gaps in between album releases. 10,000 days was released back in 2006 and is their most recent release; featuring the well known tracks of Vicarious (Grammy nominated), The Pot, Jambi, and the nearly 11 minute Rosetta Stoned.
Currently they have 4 studio albums, one EP, and one special box set album which had a limited release. This album has some alternate intros to the songs ‘Pushit’ and ‘Third Eye’. Along with some additional formally unreleased tracks, and some live versions of some of their songs. This also includes a live cover of the Led Zeppelin song ‘No Quarter’.
Another thing they’re known for is their absolute die hard fans. Tool has been going through a near decade long lawsuit over copyrights on artwork, and it was finally resolved recently; freeing up their more of their time to work on new music. Their lead singer, Maynard James Kennan, is also involved in some side projects. Predominantly with his band Puscifer, along with making his own wine.
The abrasive fan base has been demanding a new album for years. With the constant badgering, Kennan has been known to not really want to get vocal about Tool really at all. Let alone put as much effort in in pushing out a 5th album. I myself am a huge fan of them (seen them live twice); they’re my favorite band after all. I too have also been a little guilty of posting the occasional ‘waiting for the new Tool album’ memes. But I do it in good taste as I still highly respect the band.
As much as I would love to see a brand new Tool album, I’ll always be fully content with the gifts these musical legends have already bestowed to us. Think about it, their average album length is around 70-80 minutes. The average length of the the CD’s I own (nearly 100) are around 40-50 minutes in length. So even though they have only release 4 full length albums since 1992, they overall have given us 7-8 regular albums worth of total content.
With the large time frame between releases, you’re also getting a lot more quality in the music, and album packaging. They are known to be perfectionists in their craft. The music they currently have is fantastic, and actually gets better with each listen! It’s such unique music, and no other band sounds quite like Tool. So many other fans bitch that we’ve been waiting a long time for new music; that they owe it to us.
In reality, they don’t owe us shit. It’s their music. People who are true fans of the group, and not band-wagoners, will (and should) always appreciate what we have currently. It’d be wrong for fans to take Tool for granted as very few bands have come along, and given us the same musical experience. So take those albums you have from them, keep on listening, and give the band some time to do their thing. Perhaps then, they’ll gift us with another masterpiece.
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