David Bowie: An Icon for All Music Generations
August 14, 2008 by Derek Johnson · 2 Comments
David Bowie: the man, the myth, the legend. Without him, modern music wouldn’t be the same. The fashion, the attitude, the characteristics of rock music as we know it would not be here. Everyone from Britney Spears to The Cure has been affected by his legacy. The pop music of the 1980’s was heavily inspired by Bowie’s work in the 1970’s. Madonna and her chameleon-like style changes were impacted by Bowie’s own transition through style. Think about it, no Madonna means no Britney, Christina, Jessica and Mandy as well as all of their countless imitators. Read more
A Recap on the All Points West Festival
August 9, 2008 by Derek Johnson · 2 Comments
Dragonflies, cigarette ashes and the aroma of weed filled the air at the All Points West Music Festival that took place on Saturday August 9th at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. It was a beautiful day with sweltering heat and not a cloud in the sky. One of the first acts to take the stage was Alberta Cross, whom I first discovered on MySpace and immediately took a liking to their hard/Southern blues rock sound. With their grungy long, dirty hair and plaid shirt/black vest/cowboy boots attire combination, they had a striking resemblance to the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alberta Cross’s slow jam blues had a nice refreshing sound in comparison to some of the other bands that performed. It’s a shame there aren’t more bands like this nowadays that have high-pitched vocals, in-your-face distortion and great slide guitar. “The Thief and the Heartbreaker” was a straight-up jam with a warm and catchy chorus for the crowd to bob their heads along to. Read more
Album Review: Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon”
March 15, 2008 by Derek Johnson · Leave a Comment
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is a masterpiece for the ears. It is full of sonic booms and bangs that travel from speaker to speaker like a crazy train. The album is for music listeners who appreciate the avant-garde, minimalism and ambience. The guitars, synthesizers, drums, bass and the most hi-tech equipment of the day were used to construct this rock music milestone. Read more