Music you don't hear on the Radio

About a year or two back, I wrote an article for the school newspaper called "Music you don't hear on the Radio". I recently found it again, and laughed. It listed bands such as Florence and the Machine, Band of Skulls, and Muse.
             
I'm not sure if the obnoxious grade 9 version of me just didn't have any idea what alternative music was, or if the bands I listened to at that time really WEREN'T on the radio yet. I like to believe the latter. It makes me sound less lame.

Anyway, things have changed since then, and as the first post of my made-over blog, I present you with the revised version of Music you don't hear on the Radio, or Things I like Listening to, but East Coast Radio Doesn't.

1) I discovered The Sir Walrus Band by accident. Scarlet Hill, another amazing local band, was playing at a Durban hang-out called LIVE. I came for the main act, but fell in love with the opening one. Sir Walrus is one of the best instrumental bands I've ever heard. With the magnificent Sebastian Goldswain on guitar, Jonathan Judge on sax, Brian Stone on drums and Ruben Thomas on bass, they easily combine swing, groove, funk and rock. Find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/thesirwalrusband

The Sir Walrus Band

2) I also found the next band, 7th Son by accident, at another LIVE performance. I haven't really listened to enough of their music to form a proper judgment, but they too have a sax player, and a trumpet, which instantly brings up their coolness level. They also have a hell of a lot of energy, if the drummer is anything to go by - his shirt was off by the second song.

More photos of 7th Son can be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/LiveTheVenue

3) Staying with the local theme, a friend made me a CD recently, and one of the best things on it was Mr Cat and the Jackal, who are described as "experimental acoustic folk". If you're into strange, these guys are for you. Look for "The Devil Always wants to Dance" and "The Rain came Pouring" if you're willing to give them a try.



Photo of Mr Cat and the Jackal found at http://onesheet.com/mrcatandthejackal/

4) The Shins are a four-peice American indie band, but they aren't extremely obscure anymore. In fact, since Kristen Stewart announced them as one of her favorites, they seem to have earned a place in the "Archetypal Indie" gallery. Nevertheless, their albums Wincing the Night Away and Chutes Too Narrow include some of my favourite indie music.

The Shins

5) These guys are a little old school, and by no means obscure, but they had to show up here because A) they are one of my favourite bands and B) besides Smells like Teen Spirit, I've never heard Nirvana on the radio. Made up of legends Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. They exploded onto the Seattle scene in the 1990's and sparked the grunge revolution, but only released three albums before Cobain committed suicide in 1994.

Grunge legends Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana

Learn ya damn subcultures people!

A shockingly irritating thing I've noticed in my short experience of this experiment so far is people's complete inability to tell subcultures apart. Often terms like "gothic", "punk" and "rock" are just lumped together and used interchangebly because they're all alternative when really they're nothing alike.

A subculture is a group of people with a culture that differentiates them from the larger culture which they belong to. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subculture) In the book Subculture the Meaning of Style, a subculture is described as a subversion to normalcy. Subcultures can be perceived as negative due to their nature of criticism to the dominant societal standard.

What I have been doing and will continue to do is attempt to dress convincingly to represent a specific subculture.

Let me clarify some basic ones for you:

1) PUNK is a subculture that developed predominantly in the United Kingdom in the mid-70's, possibly from the music genre punk rock, characterized by distorted guitars and noisy drums. Plaid, tartan and kilts are popular in punk fashion, as well as brothel creepers, Doc Martens, leather jackets and mohawks. Punk fashion often displays aggression, rebellion, and individualism.

2) GRUNGE is a subgenre of alternative rock music, and inspired a subculture that reached its peak in the early 90's with the popularity of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. It originated in the United States, predominantly in Seattle. Grunge fashion usually consists of thrift-store and outdoor clothing like flannel shirts, and a generally unkempt appearance, placing importance on comfort. Grunge fashion is messy, raw and comfortable.

3) GOTH is a contemporary subculture that began in England in the 80's. It is influenced by 19th century Gothic literature and horror films. Stereotypical goth fashion is seen as dark and morbid, and usually includes dark eyeliner, painted fingernails and period-styled clothing (all black, of course). Styles often express pagan, occult or other religious imagery such as pentacles or medieval crosses. Goth is not an all-encompassing term for alternative fashion, contrary to popular belief, and is a largely feminine subculture.

4) ROCK developed from the biker subculture and rock 'n roll music in the United States in the 1950's. It is characterized by leather jackets, leather pants, ripped jeans, motorcycle boots and motorcycle goggles. Popular rock bands include Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and The Runaways.

5) HIPSTER is another contemporary subculture that is sometimes described as indie or alternative, though there are subtle differences between the three. It is generally associated with independent music, non-mainstream fashion, and alternative lifestyles. As for hipster fashion, that's hard to describe, so I'll borrow this from http://thedailycougar.com/2011/02/25/survival-guide-identify-avoid-hipsters/,

"The favorite accessory of a hipster is irony. A hipster will display his or her sense of irony through an ironic tee, a ’20s style hat worn with a pair of leggings from the ’80s and a dress from the ’70s with a pair of moccasins, a bowler hat worn with a pair of thick rimmed glasses from the ’50s and a Metallica shirt under a cardigan."



THREE

It is day three, and I tried out something grunge today. I had to pitch my design concept to a boardroom of scary Vega invigilators today for a design competition I'm taking part in, and while at first I was nervous about appearing in front of them like this, expecting someone even to ask me to take out my peircings, they were surprisingly unfazed. One even commented, "Oh, she's an artist, leave her". A photographer did, however, make me pose for pictures with the product I had designed. If I win anything or get put in promotional flyers it'll be with metal in my face.

I met up with some relatives who haven't seen me in years, and who appeared shocked when they saw me. Once I explained my art project to them, they were incredibly relieved.

Two boys of generic appearance and adolescent age found me apparently fascinating. One began approaching me but thought better of it, making a vomiting motion to his friend when he thought I wasn't looking.

I found a book called "Barbie be my Stylist!"... No wonder our youth is in the state it is