Although it’s a band that currently has but one of its original members — that being lead vocalist Brian Vander Ark — The Verve Pipe is a group that has remained near and dear to my heart for nearly 20 years. The band’s amazingly underrated 1996 album, Villains, is still one of my favorite albums of all time, and I have very fond memories of seeing the band live at places like Irving Plaza, and hanging out with them and another favorite, ill-fated RCA signing, Thin Lizard Dawn, many times. Those were the days. Which reminds me of an industry joke that, while somewhat dated, still makes me chuckle:
Continue reading Video Clip of The Week: The Verve Pipe, “Hit and Run”
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Video Clip of The Week: The Happinesses “Beautiful Mistake”
In the mid-1990s, when music was an entirely different animal than it is now, there was a fantastic NYC-based power pop quartet, possessed of a wickedly gritty edge, called Thin Lizard Dawn. Thin Lizard Dawn were just about my favorite band in the world for the short time they were together. TLD sounded something like The Beatles meets 10 CC and their self-titled, 1995 debut featured energetic, danceable songs about smoking pot (“Weed”), enthusiastic sex (“Sexual Dynamo”) and how much they thought Oasis sucked (“Sucks). That’s right: they were amazing.
Continue reading Video Clip of The Week: The Happinesses “Beautiful Mistake”
Greg Lattimer, Vocals/Guitar, HotSocky
Gail Worley broke my journalistic cherry. She was the first writer to interview/write about my previous band, Thin Lizard Dawn. Although she has a vast knowledge of music, she manages to write from a true fan’s perspective. She even got me excited to listen to my own music! Never afraid to mince words or speak her mind, she is always honest in her critique of the music she reviews. What the industry needs is more writers like Gail.