————————————————————————————————-

Today’s guest blog comes from one of my fellow Lucero message board cohorts, Christopher Klibowitz. Remember how I said we are an awesome group of people on that message board? Well, this guy is the exception…….I’m kidding…He is the perfect example of the awesomeness over there…Anyhow, hope y’all enjoy it.

————————————————————————————————-

I’ve been accused of a lot of things in my life, and being a music snob ranks on the top of that list. What can I say? Music is important to me, it’s part of the way I was raised. Shit, I’m named after the bassist from Yes, for Christ sake.

Growing up, my father instilled me with a couple things. First, how to treat a woman, and second, an appreciation for music. Alternatively, my mother taught me to know Milwaukee like the back of my hand, and also how to treat a lady. Needless to say, my parents are awesome people.

Music falls into 4 categories; Shite, good, great, and the best ever. So before you call me a snob, hear this; everyone has different lists for the 4 categories. EVERYONE. I respect that and all joking aside I take it seriously that I respect this. What makes a band fall into a category for everyone is different, and changes over time. People’s lists also rarely stay the same. Your favorite band from years ago might be shite now, and you might be late to the party and no longer think something is shite, but rather, the best ever. Shit happens. I ain’t gonna judge you.

So that being said, I don’t agree with Barry (Music Snob reference #1: the film High Fidelity) that it’s criminal not to own Blonde On Blonde, but if I’m telling you that it’s criminal that you don’t, then I’m basing it on your lists, or what I know of them. Every mix I’ve ever made for someone was either to learn their lists, or based on their lists.

Anyways, I’ll be simple here and bestow upon you a Top 5 list. A Top 5 what, you might ask? No idea, really. This is something I’d started writing months ago, long before life ran me over in the best ways, and thought it’d be perfect for this. So make it the Top 5 Band I Want to Write a Blog About.

1. Lucero

Hear/See them here

Lucero is a band that seems to find everyone exactly when they need Lucero to find them. Why? Because it’s pretty simple. Ben Nichols is a lyrical genius, that’s why. Ok, maybe that’s a little over the top, but their lyrics tell it like it is,. Yeah, getting dumped sucks. And drinking helps. Driving past her house, we’ve all done it. Everything he writes, guys can related to, somehow. Maybe not every song, but that one song man. And girls, shit, I think they just like to think he’s that fucking broken up over them. They can relate too, that maybe they wish their past loves were like that too.

Really, Lucero girls and Lucero boys are perfect for each other. All the girls want Ben, and all the guys ARE Ben.

And even if you can’t relate to the lyrics, which I find it hard to believe is true for anyone, then the music kicks ten kinds of ass, so there’s no excuse. You can say you don’t like them, but your time is a comin’.

2. Decibully.

“Tables Turn” MP3

There’s something inherently Milwaukee about bands from Milwaukee. I’ve listened to them across the world, and they never sound so good as they do driving down Fond du Lac Avenue. On the never ending list of Milwaukee bands, which would take too long to list and inevitably contain bands that share so many band members with each other it’s like a sick family tree, Decibully ranks the top to me.

The first time I saw them, was with a friend who was having a rough time of life. We went down to the Cactus on the pretense of their typical (mem. of Promise Ring/Camden) disclaimer to attract more people by throwing in extra names you may have heard of, because on whole, their calendar may as well be in a different language most months. When we saw all 9 or whatever of them on that little stage, back when they had a female backup singer for those keeping track, and they played like they feel it in every bone, as one entity instead of 9 different people, it simply made everything else seem small that night and while my friend’s problem didn’t magically disappear, he was too awestruck to care for an hour and a half, and sometimes that’s all you can ask for. Well, that and 3 pitchers of Riverwest Stein.

3. The Beatles

There’s no picture or songs/videos because I’m afraid of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. If you need to hear them, ask your dad to borrow some.

You either love the Beatles or you love the Rolling Stones. Bullshit. Don’t even get me started. Besides, I like the Faces (Music Snob reference #2: Rod Stewart’s band that launched him to super stardom and eventually easy listening heaven) better than the Stones. There, I said it..

In the grand scheme of things, the only problem I see with the Beatles is that they didn’t beat Peter Gabriel to the name “Genesis” because to rock and roll, that’s the best name for them. Gabriel then could have used “The Band I’ll Turn Over to Phil Collins To Ruin In A Catchy 80’s Kind Of Way”.

The Beatles just paved the way. They are the influence for everything since, even if it was just “we want to not be the Beatles”.

4. The Hold Steady

“The Swish” MP3

Either you can get over the way Craig Finn “sings” or you can’t. You really wish you could. If you ever went to high school at least. He summed it up best when I saw them in Buffalo, NY:

“Our new album follows roughly the same formula as the first two; these guys play some kick ass rock n’ roll while I talk bullshit over the top.”

They are just good. The talk about the stupid things no one ever cares to talk about, and seriously NO ONE is more into playing live than they are. They wave their hands and sing along and bounce about like they are in the crowd. Go see them right now, if you never have.

On a sidenote; Great music, and bands, lead you to more. One of my other favorite bands of late, were a local opener for said Buffalo show. Handsome Jack just dropped a new album and it’s incredible. Obviously a group of kids who’s parents drowned in heavy doses of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy as children.

5. Skull Time (the band formerly known as Wolfbite.)

“Rest Easy” MP3

I’d like to preface that these guys knocked AC fucking DC off my list. AC/DC is still the greatest rock and roll band of all time, but these guys represent everything rock n’ roll needs right now. Enough said. Don’t listen to them if you like your face, because it’ll be rocked off. Born as a new project from old bands, these guys opened for messes of people and now get to headline the very same diveholes around town, inevitably on the same night as a Decibully show. Can we get some more volume on the monitors down here? If that’s not reason enough to check them out, then check out the lead singer’s answer to MKE when asked the strangest experience he’d ever had bartending:

“I was growing a moustache on a dare and wanted to do the Paul McCartney look. A guy sitting at the end of the bar for a while was getting belligerent. Finally, I had to tell him to leave because it was closing time. He snatched up his tip money and shouted, ‘F— you, you Paul McCartney-looking motherf—–!’ which was great, because that was exactly what I was going for.”

There you go. Hope that’s a couple bands you know and a couple you don’t, and what some dude on the internet has to say about them all. Until next time.