“Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”: Exes Who Still Rock Together
Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Who knows—especially when you’re stuck 24/7 in a band with your former beloved. That’s why I give major props to bands like Paramore, who managed to stick together even when the romantic relationship between guitarist Josh Farro and singer Hayley Williams fell apart. Neon Trees is another one who soldiered through the love storm. Rilo Kiley, too.
And don’t even get me started on Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac.
If you ask me, being in a band with an ex-bf/gf is my idea of hell. However, if you can make it work—and manage to churn out some amazing lovelorn tunes in the process—then hats off to you. (This hat in particular.)
That’s why this post is for the lovers, Richard Ashcroft-style. Without further adieu, here are my top picks for bands who didn’t go through a breakdown after an internal breakup.
EXES: Jack White (vocals/guitar) and Meg White (drums)
BREAKING DOWN THE BREAKUP: When non-Detroiters started paying attention to the White Stripes, it was because of the Lego-rific video for “Fell In Love With A Girl,” off their peppermint-schtick sophomore album White Blood Cells—well, that and the fact that Jack and Meg White lied about being brother and sister. Yup, the dynamic duo tied the knot back in 1996 but eventually divorced in 2000. Despite their romantic parting of the ways, the Whites soldiered on and in one fell incestuous swoop, secured their place in rock ’n’ roll infamy. They’ve been playing side-by-side ever since—although Jack fools around with Raconteurs and Dead Weather in his spare time. The only one we hear Meg fools around with is Jackson Smith, Patti Smith’s son and Meg’s fiancé.
2. NO DOUBT
EXES: Gwen Stefani (vocals) and Tony Kanal (bass)
BREAKING DOWN THE BREAKUP: Unless you’ve been living under a boulder for the past 13 years—or, more than likely, you weren’t even conceived yet—everyone knows that Gwen and Tony used to date. Before the glitz and the g-L.A.M.B.-our, the two were your typical SoCal, Madness-loving, high-school sweethearts but, unfortunately, young love didn’t last and the breakup inspired Stefani to pen No Doubt’s biggest song “Don’t Speak.” Understandably, it’s gotta be awkward for Kanal to finger-pick the tune’s bass lines every night onstage; however, it seems like everyone’s moved on and is better for the heartbreak. After all, Stefani went on to marry babelicious Gavin Rossdale and pop out two illegally cute lil’ boys. Kanal, on the other hand, went on to marry… well… no one. (Sucks to be him!)
3. THE SOUNDS
EXES: Maja Ivarsson (vocals) and Fredrik Nilsson (drums)
BREAKING DOWN THE BREAKUP: Back in 2004, when the Sounds started rocking out “Seven Days A Week” on Warped Tour, it was widely known in dance-punk circles that Ivarsson and Nilsson were an item. However, when the band returned to Warped two years later, the Swedish lovers were no longer together. The band was still a tight-knit unit, but it seemed like with the Sounds’ second album, Dying To Say This To You—complete with it’s suggestive lesbian-esque cover and song titles like “Queen Of Apology” and “Hurt You”—Ivarsson was also trying to say something to Nilsson and the rest of the world: She was a switch-hitter. (“She’s my first girlfriend,” admitted Ivarsson in an interview with Out Magazine regarding her three-year current relationship. “I’ve never had a girlfriend before.”)
Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter, what are you waiting for? Don’t make me call Kingston Rossdale and have him throw a temper tantrum on your collective tushes.
She & Him Rock Out on the Tambourine and Triangle
She & Him at the Bowery last March. (www.brooklynvegan.com) Photos weren't allowed at last night's show.
Last night, the folk/indie band She & Him put on a wonderful, sold out show at Terminal 5. The large, barren room was packed with fans, the room swelteringly hot. But, showing dedication to the band, very few left before the end of the encore.
The opening act, strangely enough, was not musical but comedic – comedian Eugene Mirman, a Brooklyn resident and author of The Will To Whatevs, a humorous guide to modern life (HarperCollins, 2009). His topics ranged from the Tea Party and Obama to a twelve-year-old with Asperger’s to those stupid security questions credit card websites ask you. While the question is generally something along the lines of “What is your mother’s maiden name?” Eugene took the liberty of changing the question to “What are you wearing?” so that he can respond, “I don’t think that’s appropriate!” to whomever is asking on the line. He was well received by the fans.
The room only got more packed and the crowd more eager as the night wore on. When She & Him came on, the room erupted. As effortlessly glowing as she was in 500 Days of Summer, Zooey DesChanel nonchalantly asked how the crowd was doing and jumped into “Change is Hard,” a sleepy, soulful ballad, while the crowd loudly sang along. During her more fast-paced songs, she jumped up and down while playing the tambourine, her long brown hair flailing around her. The show, with Zooey’s twangy voice and retro songs, had a 60’s vibe to it. Zooey, very at ease on stage, did not hesitate to stop a song a few seconds in to change the octave. Lead guitarist M. Ward sang along in a few memorable duets. The two back up singers sang and rocked out on their tambourines, while occasionally playing the triangle, a subtle touch to the alt-country songs.
In addition to girls in dark-rimmed glasses and long boho dresses, I was surprised to see a fair amount of male fans singing along merrily. The burly man behind me sang both the guy and girl parts to “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and got really into the chorus, which goes, “Hold me, hold me, hold me….”
The band played three covers for the encore. Certainly one of the highlights of the show, the band closed with Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You,” featuring just M. Ward on a few vocals and guitar and Zooey on vocals. The song featured her impressive range, as she wailed, “No, I ain’t lyin!!” The memorable show left the fans begging for more.
Passion Pit rocks Governor’s Island: Electro-pop band plays to a crowd of 7,500
Passion Pit lights up Governor's Island. Photo by Becky Atkinson.
“You came to an ISLAND to see us! That means a lot,” said Michael Agelakos, lead singer of Passion Pit, completely bewildered. The crowd of 7,500 Passion Pit fans on Governor’s Island Wednesday night couldn’t have been more content. The weather was ideal, the ferry ride pleasant, the night brimming with enthusiasm for the band and the music. It was Boston-based Passion Pit’s biggest show in their short history. The indie, electro-pop band played a steadily escalating set, opening with their dream-ey single “I’ve Got Your Number” and closing with their break-out hit “Sleepyhead.” They also threw in a fast-paced cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams.” Michael’s falsetto voice impressed listeners song after song.
Get your "Chicken Fingers Make Me Hard" tee shirt at http://rollercoaster.spreadshirt.com/.
The band had no less than three opening acts – Suckers, We Were Promised Jet Packs, and the Tokyo Police Club, leaving the fans eager for Passion Pit. The crowd was young included hippies and hipsters, wearing mom’s ripped cut-off jeans or too tight pants and oversized concert shirts – drinking, smoking, dancing. There were a few notable exceptions, however, including a middle-aged woman avidly reading “Eat Pray Love” throughout the three opening acts, and a middle-aged man sporting a “Chicken Fingers Make Me Hard” tee-shirt (he later got in a very impressive glow-stick-twirling contest with a younger dude). There seemed to be an outdoor bar in every corner and a steady cloud of cigarette smoke around the island.
The only downside to the concert was the mass exodus of people swarming – sprinting, rather – to the ferry when all was said and done. Only one ferry was loaded at a time so when everyone had moved as close to the dock as possible, it was more body-to-body packed than the 6 on a Monday morning. But, the fans found ways to bide the time. These included singing a range of songs, from the National Anthem to Chumbawamba’s Tub-Thumping, and crowd surfing. While people complained noisily, only a few went to desperate measures to cut the line (“Excuse me! Coming Through! Woman in labor!!” Yeah, right.).
Lead singer Michael Agelakos of Passion Pit. Photo by Aubrey Siegel.
The concert was fun but the crowd was happy to be back on the mainland once the ferries had docked…back to the town that apparently got Passion Pit started –“We may be from Boston but New York City made us,” Michael Agelakos declared.
“I Want To Go To There”: Favorite City-Inspired Songs
A year and a half ago, I moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles. Ever since I watched the first episode of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, I fantasized about hoofing it West—and marrying Jason Priestly, of course. However, when the time came to make that dream a reality—the moving part, not the Jason Priestly part, sadly—I had no idea how homesick I would be.
Thankfully, I was able to find solace in a song like Limbeck’s “In Ohio On Some Steps,” which reminded me of home (without the gnarly winters.) Then, when I started to feel more at home in Pacific Standard Time, I started pumping tunes like Phantom Planet‘s “California” and Everclear‘s “Santa Monica” to get me better acquainted with my new HQ.
Without the help of those geographically desirable tracks, I might still be desperately missing C-Town, watching the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video ad infinitum in order to catch a fleeting glimpse of my former stomping ground.
Now that I’ve gotten over the homesick hump, I can listen to a bunch of other songs about other cities without feeling a knot in my stomach. Tons of bands have been inspired by various cities and produced some loving musical homages—like Fountains Of Wayne, Fall Out Boy and The Distillers. Take a peek below and see why long distance isn’t always the wrong distance.
1. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE‘s “Hackensack”: I was watching Just Friends for the umpteenth time on TBS this weekend and was immediately struck by this strange song played in the initial bar scene where Ryan Reynolds’ character connects with his unrequited love from high school. I only heard a couple chords and the chorus, “If you ever get back to Hackensack, I’ll be here for you,” but I was completely smitten. Since discovering that Fountains Of Wayne penned the track for 2003′s Welcome Interstate Managers, which launched the more-popular hit “Stacy’s Mom,” I also came to discover that Katy Perry covered the song for herMTV Unplugged special, as well. I’m not a super-fan of that version, but it still makes me wish I was from the Dirty Jerz—and how many songs can make you say that?
+ Listen to “Hackensack” off Welcome Interstate Managers
(Credit: Kazumichi Kokei)
2. FALL OUT BOY‘s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago”: Before bassist Pete Wentz’s peter made him a household name and singer Patrick Stump lost a shit-ton of weight, Fall Out Boy was just a rag-tag group of pop-punk purists from the Windy City. Listening to this song is like taking a trip in the way-back machine to a time when jeans were skinny, song titles were unnecessarily long and “emo” wasn’t a four-letter word. Le sigh. I might live in Los Angeles now, but thanks to songs like this, I’m reminded that Midwest is best.
+ Listen to “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” off Take This To Your Grave
3. THE DISTILLERS‘ “City Of Angels”: Like I said in the paragraph above, I currently live in Los Angeles and I can’t think of a better anthem for my new hometown than this angsty Distillers jam. No matter how many times I listen to it, I still can’t decipher everything frontwoman Brody Dalle is spewing, but that doesn’t really matter because I somehow manage to spit out a bunch of gobbledygook that sounds close enough to the actual lyrics. I haven’t seen a lot of dead wings in this city, but I’ve definitely seen more than my share of open condom wrappers in parking lots. That’s gotta count for something, right?
+ Listen to “City Of Angels” off Sing Sing Death House
Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter, what are you waiting for? Don’t make me call Brody Dalle and have her sink her coral fangs into you ’cause I totally will!
“Get Your Gleek On”: Which Bands Should The Cast Of ‘Glee’ Cover Next?
I don’t know about you, but I was left speechless after last week’s episode of Glee. Partially, it was because stupid American Idol had cut off the last 10 minutes on my DVR but it was mostly because their homage to Madonna was completely off the chain, off the hook and off whatever-metal-object-you-can-imagine. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show already has a Lady Gaga-inspired episode in the can and there’s talk of taking on Britney Spears sometime soon.
With all these creative odes bursting off the small screen, I got to thinking. What if I was the music supervisor for Glee. Who would I have the cast tackle next? After a lot of playlist-scouring and soul-searching, I came up with the following picks: Bob Dylan, Death Cab For Cutie and Hole. I sure hope Sue Sylvester would approve!
BOB DYLAN: What Bob Dylan lacks in vocal dexterity (or coherence), he certainly makes up for in lyrical brilliance. After all, not only has the “Tambourine Man” penned some of most poignant songs of the 20th century, but he was even awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for creating “lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” A ’60s-inspired episode would be aces and I’d love to see Glee get all folky on our collective asses. Why, I can even hear Mr. Schuester serenading Ms. Pillbury with the classic crooner “Lay Lady Lay” before the firs time they do it™. Swoon.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Sure, Death Cab For Cutie‘s songbook might lack the pomp and circumstance of Bob Dylan, but their catalog remains equally poignant because I can’t think of another band in the last 10 years who has successfully tapped into heartbreak and heartache quite like this group of indie-rockers. Last summer, I actually had the great pleasure of seeing DCFC perform at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic orchestra. It was so rad to hear them get the classical treatment and I can only imagine what their songs would sound like if they were put in the Glee blender. Personally, I think Mercedes could wail on “The Sound Of Settling” or “A Lack Of Color” could be turned into a tortuous duet between Finn and Rachel.
HOLE: This pick is definitely my dark horse—much like Courtney Love, herself. Some might think Hole is a totally o-v-e-r, but with the recent release of their long-awaited album Nobody’s Daughter, they’re just getting started… at least until they inevitably call it quits again in another year or two. The lineup might be different but the band’s goal remains the same: to pen rocktastic anthems that inspire and empower. Judging from new songs like “Samantha” and “Skinny Little Bitch,” I’d say mission accomplished. After Quinn finally pops out the bun in her oven, it’d be great to see her re-embrace her inner awesomeness with a rendition of “Miss World” or “Celebrity Skin.” Now that’s a study in demonology I’d love to see!
Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter, what are you waiting for? I’m not scared to sic C. Love on your tush… and I don’t know if you’d live through that.
