Secondly,I appear to be crawling out of my musical shell. The Ripmobile was in the shop recently, and I was forced to (or actually, lucky to) be able to drive the next several days in a borrowed vehicle. I pretty much tend to hate modern rock/metal, but their radio was tuned to one of these stations, so I just cranked it up and soaked it in for a few days. I've NEVER used Shazam so much to ID songs I was hearing. No fears, I still hate the shit, but somehow I broke new ground and grew an appreciation for some of it. Seether... Five Finger Death Punch... even the brand new Alice In Chains song. And most disturbingly, I have a newfound appreciation for "Screamo". I think it's funny as hell, but still very interesting. Singing "Screamo" is apparently like a magic trick. I believe that Screamo singers are pulling some kind of low-power gimmick with a hot mic that ends up producing what sounds like someone screaming their lungs out at full volume. I haven't figured it out yet, but I have an idea based on something I experienced on my own several years ago. There is a very quiet noise I found I could make with my mouth, that if I held a glass up to it would produce the most incredible belching sounds -- very loud, realistic and entertaining, all without expending a single pubic centimetre of gas. So Screamo has to be something similar.
Then, 2 night ago I was eating a sammie in Jimmy Johns, when I heard what sounded like Led Zeppelin in the background, but it was a song I was completely unfamiliar with. The volume was too low for me to get the full effect, and my brain was compensating to fill in what I wasn't hearing -- it just sounded like Zeppelin. I whipped out Shazam, and was frustrated when it failed the first 3 times. Got lucky on the 4th as the song was winding down, and ID'd it as "Calling Your Name" by a band called Diamond Head. Wiki'd them and was eHmbarrassed to realize how long they'd been around (since the late 70's I believe) without me ever hearing of them. With a good listen at proper volume at home, I could now tell immediately it wasn't Zep, but still a damn good song. I bought their 2-disc anthology "Am I Evil" and it's an experience....
Yesterday I learned (again, very late) about a new Stryper song called "Bleeding From Inside Out", and I bought it immediately. I don't know of any other bands around who 20-something years later, still maintained their looks AND are recording and touring with all original members. I've been to 3 Stryper shows in the last 1.5 years alone, and they will kick your ass live. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't take that away from them.
Watch this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdiJhZmecqk
And go fluff thyselves.
