SeedSing's Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 2-Baby It's Cold Outside

ed note: This article was originally published on December 2nd, 2015

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a new awesome holiday song for every day of Advent. This is the greatest music of the season. Enjoy.

Day 2: "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Opened Doors: One

Ed note: I was originally going to write about "Baby It's Cold Outside" and talk about how much I liked the song in spite of the frightening message. There are great renditions of this song always coming out, including the gender reversal version with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lady Gaga. Ty wanted to get into the fun so he gets the floor for today,

Continuing the new countdown of holiday music, the "Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music", I'm going to write about a very famous holiday song that has an extremely horrifying scenario proposed throughout its entirety. The song I'm speaking of is "Baby It's Cold Outside".

Everyone knows this song. It was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and it's been performed by a lot of musicians, most notably, Dean Martin and a female chorus in 1959. Some other notable performers include Sammy Davis Jr and Carmen McRae, Ray Charles and Betty Carter, Robert Palmer and Carnie Wilson and most recently Michael Buble and Idina Menzel. This is a very famous, very popular holiday song, but as I've gotten older and listened to it more and more, it portrays a possible sexual assault.

My wife loves holiday music and I've never been that much of a fan. It's too slow and makes me tired. I also dislike the new fad of playing holiday music before Thanksgiving is over. Let Thanksgiving be its own holiday. But, I'm not going to make my wife listen to only my music, I've stated before that I have very different taste in music from my wife, so it's easier to just let the holiday music play until the holiday is over. With that being said, I've heard "Baby It's Cold Outside" about ten million times in the past nine years. I've heard a lot of holiday songs, but "BICO" is the one that sticks out most to me. I originally thought it was a pretty cool tune.  I never really thought about the song, but the more I heard it, the more I listened and started to make out the lyrics to this song and they are disturbing.

The song opens with the lady saying, "I really can't stay" and the man responds, "But baby it's cold outside". The following lyrics in the first verse are as follows, with the lady singing first, then the man, "I've got to go away", "but baby it's cold outside", "the evening has been", "been hoping you'd drop in", "So very nice", " I'll hold your hand, they're just like ice". Let's break this down. Right off the bat the lady is ready to go. She's stated that she REALLY has to go. She clearly doesn't want to stay. But, the guy insists she stays by telling her it's too cold outside. The lady follows up saying she has got to go away. She is trying anything to get away from this man. The man, once again tells her it's too cold for her to leave. I imagine some creep standing in the doorway, a la Christopher Walken on the SNL skit, "The Continental". Then the lady even pays the man a compliment by saying the evening was nice, but reiterates the fact that she has to go. The man, unrelenting, tells her he will hold her hands to warm her up. In the next verse, the creepiness is ramped up. Throughout the second verse, the lady claims that her parents will worry if she's not home soon. She even claims she has to scurry. But, the man turns on the "charm" and calls her beautiful, asks her what's her hurry, proclaims he has a great fireplace, then makes her a drink. So, she starts out by telling the man that she has to leave because her folks will worry and this creep makes her a drink. This is beyond creepy now, this is sexual assault territory. In the third verse, the lady begins to worry what the neighbors will think if they see her there. The man once again hits her with the fact that it's cold and snowy outside, as if to say that the neighbors will be too preoccupied with the weather to worry about the upcoming sexual assault that most assuredly is going to occur. Then, the most messed up line of the whole song happens. The lady asks, "what's in this drink". Okay, back in the 40's that may have been cute, but in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's 2000's and especially now, how is that anything but a roofie in that drink. He's clearly slipped her something to make her inhibitions go away.

So creepy and just wrong.

Go and listen to the Buble and Menzel version and try not to be creeped out when you hear this line. The lady follows that up with "I wish I knew how to break this spell". The guys only response, there are no cabs, her eyes look like star lights and he takes her coat and hat, complementing her hair. What a god damn creep. The lady goes on to say she ought to say no to this man, he decides to move closer. She says that she will tell people at least she tried, almost saying, she tried to get away from him, but she was drugged. The man's response, "What's the sense of hurting my pride". What an asshole. This lady wants nothing to do with him, but he cannot take a hint. The lady then says things like "I simply must go", "the answer is no", the man's reply to this, "baby it's cold outside". So what if it's cold, she can make her way home. She's said no to you multiple times now, let it go, she doesn't want your company. Later, after talking about how her parents would worry, she starts to bring up her brother, sister, aunts and uncles. This lady is really grasping at straws trying to get out of this horrible situation. The creepy guys responds with stuff like, "never such a blizzard before", "waves upon a tropical storm" and the most creepy pick up line of all, "gosh your lips look delicious". What the hell is that! Is this some frat boy that won't take no for an answer? By this point, the lady should say no means no, blow her assault whistle and call the cops because this guy has bad intentions.

Thankfully, the lady finally gets out of the situation by grabbing her coat and saying she will see this man tomorrow. He responds with by asking how could she do this to him and think of his sorrow and even telling her she will get pneumonia and die. This guy is a straight up douchebag. He is what I envision every frat boy that's even been accused of sexual assault acts and looks like. Who gives a shit about your pride and sorrow, you slipped drugs into a lady's drink to try and get laid. You're a monster.

I CANNOT believe that this is a classic holiday song. It is the Christmas version of "Blurred Lines". Next time you hear "Baby It's Cold Outside", think about how disturbing this song truly is. I cannot hear it the same anymore. The creepiness has been burned into my brain. The fact that it's still performed and beloved is astounding, especially in the new PC culture we live in. I thought the song was ok before, but now I hate it since I understand how disturbing it is.

It's frightening.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He doesn't care how cold outside it is, if Michigan Football is on he is going home. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

SeedSing's Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 1 - Linus and Lucy

ed note: This article was originally published on December 1st, 2015

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a new awesome holiday song for every day of Advent. This is the greatest music of the season. Enjoy.

Day 1: Linus and Lucy By The Vince Guaraldi Trio 

Every year my wife and I throw a big winter holiday party. One of my duties is to create the background music. In the first few years we held the party I purchased a few sets of generic Christmas music cd sets. Many of the pieces were from the public domain, and almost all of the songs were jazz. I really dislike jazz. 

A few years back I decided to create a custom playlist from the holiday songs I loved. I wanted the music to reflect the whole season, and I wanted to use songs not widely available. The one song I salvaged from those awful jazz standards was "Linus and Lucy" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. This was the one and only jazz song I needed for my holiday spirit. This was the song that kicked off my carefully curated holiday playlist. "Linus and Lucy" is the best way to start the season.

"Linus and Lucy" is not exactly a Christmas song. It was originally released by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on the 1964 album Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown. The upbeat guitar and drums represent the excitement of the holiday season. There is pure joy and excitement throughout "Linus and Lucy". Once December 1st hits, the holiday season starts moving at a hectic pace. Crowded roads, overpopulated shopping centers, and disorganized homes filled with unwrapped gifts. "Linus and Lucy" embrace this chaos, and makes it joyful. 

The Christmas popularity for "Linus and Lucy" started when A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in December of 1965. The upbeat tune was used as the music for the greatest dancing scene in television history. Many people will automatically think of the Charlie Brown Christmas pageant dancing when they hear "Linus and Lucy". This scene was shot in 1965 and we have voguing, the zombie, the twin girls doing the same dance, and a variety of incredible dance moves. When I hear "Linus and Lucy" I immediately break out into Linus's thrust movement, even if I am out in public (that does get awkward at times).

Since the debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas "Linus and Lucy" has become the unofficial Peanuts anthem. Most of the Peanuts cartoon specials have used the song, including the 2015 film The Peanuts Movie. The song receives the large majority of its airplay during the holiday season. The popularity of A Charlie Brown Christmas has programmed our culture to associate "Linus and Lucy" with the holidays. The song kicks off It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, yet "Linus and Lucy" makes our mind think of the December holiday extravaganza.

"Linus and Lucy" is the perfect first door to open on our Awesome Holiday Music Advent Calendar. This is the tune that will get your holiday spirit ready. It is chaotic, joyful, and demands to be danced to. If you start your day with "Linus and Lucy" your holiday spirit will never dim.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. His wife has asked him to stop the Linus out in public, the Shermie is ok though. Tell us all about your favorite holiday tune - write for SeedSing.

Ty Reads "Kanye West Owes Me 300 Dollars: And Other True Stories From a White Rapper That Almost Made It Big"

I just recently finished the book, "Kanye West Owes Me 300 Dollars...And Other True Stories From A White Rapper That Almost Made It Big" by Jensen Karp, and this book was fantastic.

I had heard about this book on one of Karp's many podcast appearances, plugging the book a few months back. I was looking for a new book to read, something light, but also nonfiction, and this was a great choice for me. First off, I enjoy stories about the entertainment industry. I think that that lifestyle is cool, but can also be hideous. "Kanye West Owes Me 300 Dollars" has plenty of both kinds of these stories. I am also roughly the same age as Karp, so there were a lot of things that he talked about that I could relate to. He came up in the late 90's and early 2000's, during my high school days, so a lot of the musicians and people in the music business he talked about, I knew all of them. He also talks about how you can have it all one day, but the next, it could be gone. I find these stories enthralling too. He also talked about his many personal problems and hardships he had to deal with, again, very relatable for me.

For those of you that don't know who Jensen Karp is, or was, he is now a writer, comedian, and owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles. He has written for many shows and websites and magazines, he has his own podcast, "Get Up On This!" on the Earwolf Network, and he is a stand-up. Back in the day though, he was a rapper that went by the pseudonym of Hot Karl. Well, he first got his start in a R&B/rap duo with his friend Rickye, as a pre teen. They performed at local bar mitzvahs, clubs and talent shows. They even opened for some big name acts as young kids, but they got screwed by their first manager, as always seems to be the case, and Rickye walked away from music, and Karp focused on school.

Karp could not shake his love for rap music. He grew into a DJ for local house parties all over LA. He would also battle rap people all the time. For those that do not know what battle rapping is, it consists of two emcees trading jabs over one beat, and it is all from your immediate thoughts. No one writes, it is all freestyle. Well, Karp was very, very good at this. He did it al the way through high school, and continued when he went to college at USC. He was so good, he called into a radio show one day on his way to work that had an on air freestyling competition called "Roll Call", and won his first battle. Then, he won the next day, the next day, the next day, it turned into a 6 month winning streak. He could not be stopped. They even brought him into the studio, something they never did, and the guys running "Roll Call" where shocked at his appearance. He is a nerdy looking white dude, he wore ripped jeans and rock band t shirts and had black wire-rimmed glasses. Still, after seeing him in person, they kept him on, and he dominated everyone that came his way.

He retired from "Roll Call" after his 6 plus month run, and he thought it would end there. But, big names in the music industry caught on to what he was doing, and thus, Hot Karl became a hot commodity. He took meetings with some of the biggest names in the industry. He met his idols. He met up and coming people that are now mega stars. It was incredible to read these stories. The time he met Missy Elliot on the street and was forced to free style for her was uncomfortable and hilarious. His meeting with Mack 10, who literally opened a briefcase full of money for him, was awesome. It was so interesting to hear about all that goes into picking a label and starting to record an album.

Karp eventually signed with Jimmy Iovine and Interscope Records. While on the label, again, the people he meets and the stories he tells are fascinating. He gets into fake fights with Pink and Tyrese. He met Bubba Sparxxx right before he blew up with his song "Ugly". He has phone conversations with the RZA. He gets to work with a young, and hungry, Kanye West. He recorded songs with Mark McGrath, who got him super wasted afterward, and Mya. He was a hype man for Gerardo, of "Rico Suave" fame. He is told constantly that money is no object, and he is one of their top priorities.

But, as a lot of people in the music business run into, he was signed right after Interscope signed Eminem. We all know who Eminem is, but not many people know of Hot Karl. We come to learn later that Eminem may, or may not have, but I'm pretty sure he did, tell Jimmy Iovine and Interscope that he did not want any other white emcees to be as big a priority that he was, and they obliged. From there, his life spirals downward. His trip to Jamaica is frightening, and scared me to my core. I share a lot of the same mental stuff that Karp has, so it was easy to relate to what he was going through.

The story ends happily, but the journey to get there is, at times, scary, funny, bizarre, lavish, corny and stressful. I loved this book and I cannot recommend it enough. Check it out, I think you will like it.

ed note: we originally posted the wrong title for the book. It has been corrected.

Buy "Kayne West Owes Me 300 Dollars: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made it Big" here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is the current king of the rap battle in west St. Louis County. Challenge Ty by following him on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Sharon Jones adds to the List of Greats We Lost in 2016

Well, 2016 continues to kick our asses. This has been a tough, tough year, and it was made even worse by the fact that the great Sharon Jones passed away on Friday. I mean, I have written RIP pieces to Phife Dawg, Daryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, David Bowie, the list goes on and on and on, and now I have to write about Sharon Jones.

This is a very sad thing that has happened. Sharon Jones was one of the greatest soul singers to ever walk the Earth. Her voice was booming, boisterous, incredibly soulful, soothing, silky, smooth, basically, she was everything that you could want from a singer. She hit all the notes that anyone ever asked her to hit. She was an all timer.

I became a fan of Sharon Jones about 6 years ago, when I really dug deep into soul music. I was going through a big Stax Records, James Brown and, basically any soul and R&B music I could get my hands on phase. I immediately fell in love with the sound of the music. Then, as I was listening to Carla Thomas, Rufus' daughter, my dad told me to check out Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I think he thought I'd be heavily into the band, which I was, but it was Jones' voice that shook me to my core. She was like the follow up to Etta James or Billie Holiday. She was actually like a great mixture of the two of them. The Dap Kings were also phenomenal. They were a great backing band for one of the most memorable soul singers ever.

Next, I dug very deep into her catalog, and I loved every single thing I heard. I loved the more upbeat songs, but I also truly loved the sad songs. I also really liked the stuff in between. Basically, she could do no wrong in my opinion. Like I stated, her voice was one of a kind. She had such a beautiful voice that suited her style of music perfectly. She could do it all in the world of soul music. She was exceptional.

As I really got into her stuff even more, I found out that she had pancreatic cancer. I felt like I got punched in the gut. I was just really getting into this wonderful singer, who was still relatively young, and could make so much more music, but she was given a death sentence. Pancreatic cancer is no joke. But, instead of letting it effect her, she still went out, made music and performed live. She was going to live what little life she had left to the fullest. She would constantly say on stage, "I have cancer, cancer doesn't have me!". I love that. She was not going to let this horrible diagnosis stop her from being herself. She went out and shaved her head before treatments started, and wore the bald look so proudly. The first time I saw a photo of her, I cried tears of joy/sadness. She was dying, which made me sad, but she wasn't giving up, which gave me joy.

Sharon Jones was one of a kind. As I said, she still performed live all the way to the end. And she rocked it. There is a documentary about her called Miss Sharon Jones!.  I have only seen clips from it, and she is just as energetic in her final shows as she was when she first started. Believe me, I will be seeing this movie very soon.

She was a light in the dark world we now live in. There is another clip that has surfaced since she passed, that has Prince, also RIP, surprise her on stage, at a show, and he played some great songs with her, and she was so happy, plus shocked, by what was going on. Two legends recently sharing the stage, that we have now lost. It is a very sad thing. Since Friday, I have not stopped listening to her music in my car. It makes me happy to hear her voice, but very sad to know that we will never hear new music from her again. I read that she was surrounded by loved ones, including the Dap Kings, when she passed on Friday. All the way to the end, she kept loved ones, including her band, around to keep her spirits up.

These great people need to quit dying. 2016 needs to stop taking away legends that we need now more than ever. It has been a pretty crummy year if you think about it. And now, add on the fact that Sharon Jones is gone.

Rest in Peace Mrs. Jones, you were a bright shining light, and you will be missed by so, so many people. I love your music, but I also loved your joy for life and everything else. You were truly one of the best all around people to ever live. I hope you and Prince are playing music together wherever the two of you are now. I miss you both so much.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Listens to A Tribe Called Quest "We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service"

When we really needed it most, A Tribe Called Quest released their final album. They had recorded some stuff before the late, great Phife Dawg passed away, and with the terribleness that was last week, this record was a much needed breath of fresh air from one of America's greatest bands. I was so, so excited to listen to this record on Friday morning. I woke up, ate some breakfast, then bought the album. I went to do some work with my kids, so the moment we got in the car I figured I could listen with them. Sure, ATCQ uses foul language, but it's not as bad as some may think. But, I also have a very impressionable 4 year old, and a 1 year old that is like a parrot. So, after the first song, I decided it would be better to wait and listen on my own.

The wait was very, very hard, Finally, I got some alone time in the afternoon, went for a drive while my folks watched the kids, and cranked "We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service". I was absolutely blown away. It was like going back in time. The band was all there and they all sounded great. The record is very Q-Tip heavy, as expected, but that is a very good thing. And Phife Dawg's verses, my god I wish he were still alive. He sounds so god damn good on this album. He picked up right where ATCQ left off. He is just as gruff and great as he ever was. Every time I listen to the record now, it makes me miss him that much more. He was such an important voice in hip hop, and for me personally. I love Phife Dawg. He is one hundred percent on my Mount Rushmore of rappers, probably only behind the Notorious B.I.G. His verses on the first 2 tracks of the record are absolute highlights for me. He was incredible.

That's not to say that Q-Tip isn't rocking the mic as well. Q-Tip sounds as silky smooth as fans should expect. But, this time around, he has a slight anger in his voice. I really like this. It seems like his time away as a solo artist has hardened him, in the best possible way. He is wonderful on the album.

Ali Shaheed Mohammed is doing his great DJ work as usual, and chipping in a verse here and there. I do not think there is another artist that is more underappreciated than Ali Shaheed Mohammed. He is an incredible beat maker/producer/DJ/rapper. He is truly a jack of all trades, and a very important part of ATCQ. Jarobi even shows up saying a few things on some tracks. It was just so great to have the group back together and sounding as fresh as they did when they first exploded on the scene.

Then, the guest list on this album is awesome. Busta Rhymes makes a triumphant return to rap music. He sounds incredible on this record. He is rapping fast, furiously and with a purpose. It was a rebirth of sorts for him. He was great on "SNL" with them this past week too. I hope this leads to some new Busta Rhymes music on the horizon. Kendrick Lamar is there, and he is great, proving that he is the best rapper currently in the game. He is awesome, and he also sounds grateful to be included on this record. He knows the history of rap, and he respects that ATCQ is one of the greats, and one of his biggest influences, and it shows. Lamar is an incredibly gifted rapper. Jack White, who I'm not a fan of, does some excellent guitar work on a few of the songs. He does not sing, which I think is a good thing, but his guitar really works with the tracks that he is featured on. It reminds me a lot of the Blakroc thing that the Black Keys did with a bunch of rappers, Q-Tip being one of them, a few years back.

This record is astounding. It is one of the better albums to come out in a long time. I can already tell you now that it will be on my "Best Of" lists for 2016. I have not stopped listening to the album since I bought it. I have talked to friends, young and old, and they all agree that it is great. I'm so pleased that we got one more thing from ATCQ. It stinks that Phife passed away, but we will forever have his music, and this lasting impression, on this record, is a great way to honor his memory.

Thank you Tribe, we needed you guys now more than ever. Go buy this record people, you will not be disappointed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Go check out his argument for A Tribe Called Quest being the Greatest American Band. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Beck Exceeds Already High Expectations in His St. Louis Live Show

The only thing missing is two turntables

This past Friday I had the pleasure of seeing Beck live at the Peabody Opera House in Saint Louis. Beck was on my personal "bucket list", or a "white whale" of sorts for me. He was a musician that I wanted to see before he quit doing live shows. So, when I found out he was coming to my hometown, I was going to find a way to go. My wife got myself and my brother tickets as an early birthday present. I was very enthused when she told me.

So the show came, and it was great. The opener wasn't so good, they were called CRX, and that is Julian Casablancas, of Strokes fame, new band. They sounded like a heavier, wannabe version of the Strokes. They only played for 30 minutes, which was the best thing about their set, the fact it was over so quick.

Then, after about a 20 minute break, to set up everything, Beck and his band took the stage. Beck came out on fire. He seemed pumped to be doing a show. He was very energetic from the get go. I think it helped that it was a Friday night. There is something about the beginning of the weekend that gives everyone a little extra pep in their step. And Beck was no exception. He opened the show with "Devil's Haircut". A classic right out of the gate. I loved it. The band was great all night, and it started with the shows opener. After that, Beck proceeded to play 20 songs that ran through almost his entire catalog. After "Devil's Haircut", we got some great gems like, "Black Tambourine", "Loser", "New Pollution" and "Que Ondo Guero". Each song sounded great. "Black Tambourine" was just as bouncy and poppy as I hoped it would be. He turned "Loser" into a funkier song than it ever seemed possible. "New Pollution" was straight up. It sounded like it was the original recording in the studio. He started "Que Ondo Guero" by stating that, when he was a young kid this is what the Spanish people would say to him all the time, and then Beck and the band played the song incredibly. So far, so great.

After these first 5 classics, he added other such great tunes like "Think I'm in Love/I Feel Love", "Soul of a Man", "Mixed Bizzness" and "Go it Alone". "Think I'm in Love" was awesome, and the fact that he added a little cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" at the end made the song that much better. That's the great thing about live shows, the unpredictability of what covers the band might do. This was a great choice. "Soul of a Man", which is probably my personal favorite Beck song, was great. It had that great distorted guitar, and Beck and his lead guitarist traded 2 awesome solos. It was a thing of beauty. We then got some funk with "Mixed Bizzness". "Soul of a Man" may be my favorite song, but "Midnite Vultures" is my favorite Beck album, and "Mixed Bizzness" is a classic. The band sounded great, and it was a great, funky change of pace.

To follow that up with the somber, yet upbeat "Go It Alone" surprisingly worked to perfection. This was a great way to go into the next portion of his show, which I call the "acoustic/moody" portion of the show. He played "Paper Tiger", "Lost Cause", "Heart is a Drum", "Wave" and "Blue Moon" all in a row. Now, I know it sounds like I may have disliked this part, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I thought it was a great time to slow down, and build up to the end of a show. "Paper Tiger" was great, and I liked that he used electric guitars for the live show, as opposed to the acoustic he used on the record. It sounded great. "Lost Cause" was phenomenal. Again, he used an electric guitar, but the song had the same somber mood that it always had. This is a great Beck song, and it was great to hear live.

Then he went into his "Morning Phase" portion, this being his big Grammy winning record, and played three songs in a row from the record. I got a bit nervous that he was going to play some of the weirder, slower songs,  but he only picked one of those, that single one being "Wave", which I really like. The other 2 from that record were the more upbeat in music on the record, being "Heart of a Drum" and "Blue Moon". This time he busted out the acoustic guitar, and it was the perfect choice. This slower portion was very good, and as I said, a very good change of pace and build up to the end of the show.

After the "acoustic/moody" portion, Beck played his 2 new singles, "Dreams" and "Wow". "Dreams" was a great throwback Beck song. It sounded like something that could have easily been on "Mutations". It was a bit more poppy, but it still had that folksy/acoustic feel to it. "Wow" is a hit. That song is incredible. I hope his entire new album follows the sound of "Wow". The song is uniquely Beck.

I loved everything, including the show that went on behind the band on stage. "Wow" was the absolute highlight of the night. He then finished out his set with "Girl", "Sexx Laws" and "E-Pro". "Girl" was awesome. It sounded great and Beck's vocals were awesome. We got some more funk with "Sexx Laws". We also got to see some of Beck's famous dance moves and he implored the crowd to show him some of their sexy moves. It was great. "E-Pro" was a great rocker to end his set with. The band crushed the song, and Beck had an awesome solo. It was tremendous.

The band did come out and they did one encore song, but it was an epic song, with 4 short covers in the middle. First off, the band started to play the opening riffs to "Debra", but instead of that, they went into "Where It's At", another mega hit. It sounded awesome. Then, in the middle of the song, Beck decided to introduce his whole band, and this is where the short covers came into play. He introduced his bass player first, and he played a few bars of "Good Times". It was very cool. Next up, the guitar player played and sang a bit of "China Girl". Again, it was awesome. The keyboard player was next, and he played a few lines from "Pocket Calculator" which were awesome. Then, the drummer, and for that fact, the whole band chimed in and they did some lines from "1999". It was stupendous. Who can cover Prince better than Beck? No one. They then went back into "Where It's At", and ended it with a bang.

This show was everything I hoped for, but it was so, so much more. This was one of the better live shows that I have ever seen. Thank you so much Beck for all the great music that you have made, and continue to make. I had such a great time at this show. Beck is an absolute legend. Everyone must see him live.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Are you playing live in St. Louis, tell us and Ty will come to your show. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Band of Gypsys

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

During this whole greatest American band debate on the site I have been trying to find a way to put Jimi Hendrix on it some way, any way possible. I thought about doing his first band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but Hendrix is the only American in the band. The other 2 guys are English, and if I put them in the conversation, that opens a whole new can of worms. If I were to put them in, I'd have to look at a band like The Band. They are all Canadian, with Levon Helm being the lone exception. So, since the band is 2/3 English, I decided against putting them in.

Then, I looked at doing the same thing with Hendrix that I did with Robert Johnson. I thought that maybe I could put him in based on his tremendous and unparalleled guitar playing,  but when I thought about it more, I decided against this as well. Yes, Hendrix is an all time great musician, but he is not on Robert Johnson's level. I'm sorry, but it is true. Robert Johnson wrote some of the most iconic songs ever, songs that Hendrix himself became famous for covering, and Hendrix is just not on that Robert Johnson level. Robert Johnson is a pioneer, Hendrix just improved on Johnson's invention. While Hendrix is an all timer, he is not Robert Johnson.

But, the other day, while listening to some Hendrix music, I came across my Band of Gypsys record. Now, this was a one off, live record, but it cannot be understated how great this band truly was. This was a time when 3 wonderful musicians came together and put on excellent shows, and released one of the best live albums of all time. This my friends, is how I will finally get Jimi Hendrix in the conversation. Today, I nominate the Band of Gypsys as one of America's greatest rock bands.

Band of Gypsys consisted of three guys, Hendrix on lead guitar and vocals, the incomparable Buddy Miles on drums and vocals and Billy Cox on bass and vocals. These three coming together was a stroke of genius, or "lightening in a bottle", if you will. The three of them are some of the best to play their instruments. We all know how truly exceptional of a guitar player Hendrix was. He is one of, if not the, greatest guitar players ever. He was a genius, he was ahead of his time, and he did things that no one else could ever do on guitar. Billy Cox was a phenomenal bass player, but also a pretty decent singer. His bass on this one record is so, so good. When the band plays their first song, the first thing you hear is one of his bass lines, and it totally gets you in the mood for some great psycadelic rock and roll music. He also does some great backing vocals and lead vocals on the record. Then, we have Buddy Miles. I mean come on, is their a more underrated drummer ever than Buddy Miles? He is to drums what Booker T is to keys. They are both probably the best ever, that no one talks about. Buddy Miles was a tremendous drummer. The give and take that he and Hendrix have on "Machine Gun" is made extra great by Buddy Miles drumming. Miles was also a very, very good singer. His singing on this particular record is the best of all three members. When he sings "Changes", it is one of the best mixes of R&B and rock that I have ever heard. He had a great voice. When the three of them teamed up, they created something so special, it gave me an opportunity to finally put Hendrix in this particular conversation.

Band of Gypsys did a 2 night run, consisting of four shows, that ran from December 31st 1969 to January 1st 1970 at the Fillmore in New York. These four shows produced 6 of the greatest live songs that have ever been put on an album. The record opens with "Who Knows", which has that Billy Cox bass line that I mentioned earlier. Then, Hendrix comes in with his iconic guitar and Miles hammers home the drums. The song is epic, Hendrix does some of his better vocal work and the band sounds incredibly tight. The record then follows that song with my favorite Hendrix song ever, "Machine Gun". I have already talked about the back and forth between Hendrix and Miles, but that song is so much more. The lyrics have a great message. The instrumentation is wonderful. The fact that Hendrix gets his guitar to sound like a machine gun is exceptional. Same goes for Buddy Miles on drums. The solo that Hendrix does on this recording is one of the best solos ever. I love, love, love this song. "Machine Gun" is a must listen. Then we get "Changes". Buddy Miles vocals on this track are great. He belts this song and Hendrix and Cox do some great work on a more upbeat, faster paced song. Hendrix again has a great solo. "Power of Love" has some great back and forth vocals from both Miles and Hendrix, and it is a pretty great psychedelic rock song. Again, Hendrix slays guitar, and I love Buddy miles vocals and drums. Billy Cox's bass is great as well. Another love song follows with, "Message of Love". This song is all Hendrix all the time, and it is great because of that. They close out the record with "We Gotta Live Together". This song showcases all three of them at their absolute best. It is a very great way to close out this very iconic record.

I know the album only has 6 songs, and it may seem like an unfair way, or that I'm shoehorning Hendrix in, but I seriously believe, even though they only did 4 shows and put out one live record, that Band of Gypsys is definitely one of America's greatest rock bands. I mean, Buddy Miles and Hendrix played a lot before they did this four show run. Billy Cox also showed up here and there on earlier Hendrix jam sessions and recordings. The three of them knew each other pretty well, and they used that friendship totally to their benefit when they decided to do these shows together. I love Band of Gypsys, but more importantly, I love Jimi Hendrix. He belongs in this conversation, and if I have to find a backwards way to put him in, I'm glad that Band of Gypsys put out this one record, making them more than eligible.

So yes, I firmly believe that Band of Gypsys is one of America's greatest bands for all the reasons I listed above. They also belong because these three guys are some of the all time greats at their respective instruments. If you like Hendrix, go check out Band of Gypsys, I bet you will love them.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If you think Ty is cheating, nominate your own Greatest American Band, write for us. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The Greatest American Band Debate: The Coup

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today I'm going to get back to my greatest American band debate, and the band I'm going to nominate is a very underrated, yet super conscious hip hop group, the Coup. The Coup is comprised of 2 people, emcee Boots Riley and DJ Madame Funkress. There are other members, but these 2 are the driving force behind this wonderful hip hop group.

I was introduced to the Coup about 10 years ago by one of my brothers. I was getting into politically conscious rap, i.e., Mr. Lif, Dead Prez and Talib Kweli, among many others, and my brother had just discovered the Coup, and he thought I would enjoy them. The first record he gave me was "Pick A Bigger Weapon". This was their fifth of six albums, but it was a great gateway to the awesomeness that is the Coup. I was blown away by Boots Riley. His rhyming was fantastic. He was fast, but also clear. It was conscious music as well. I was getting angry about dirty politics, and the way minorities were being treated, I still think the stuff that is happening now is disgusting, and the Coup, but mainly Boots Riley, was telling these stories.

The opening track, "Pick a Bigger Weapon", kicked off the anger and showed that Boots had something to say. He was angry about the way his people were being treated, and he put it all out there on the opening track. Then, from there on out on the record, Boots and Madame Funkress cover everything from racism to having babies to being underpaid to starting a revolution. "My Favorite Mutiny", featuring Talib Kweli and Black Thought, has the three emcees trading verses about over taking the government and taking a stand. Each emcee crushes on this song. Kweli has the best verse, but both Black Thought and Boots Riley are nearly as good. This is probably my favorite track on the record. They follow that song up with "IJustWannaLayAroundAllDayInBedWithYou", which is just Boots talking to his lady about wanting to stay at home with her all day and make love. But, he also takes a stand against the low wages given out to the working class. He complains about his alarm clock. He just wants to be with his lady all day. But, that divulges into some great takes about being underpaid, or even worse, being paid in IOU's from a crooked boss. Boots, the song makes it seem like he is just having a conversation with his lady, really takes a stance on how the working class gets screwed over by crooked companies. It's a great, funky and heady song. Some other tracks that showcase his distaste for being underpaid and undervalued are songs like "Ass Breath Killers" and "Yes 'Em To Death". Both of these tracks have a skit at the top, and then the song starts. They are both excellent. As far as starting a revolution, the very last track on this record, "The Stand", is a 6 and a half minute epic. The track is beautiful and poignant and has Boots Riley at his absolute best. This is a great, great song that has a very important message. Boots states that he is not going to take this stuff from the big wigs, the government and the crooked bosses of crooked companies, and it still, to this day, holds so much weight for me. This is an essential track for anyone new to the Coup.

I know that I have focused primarily on this one record, "Pick A Bigger Weapon", but it was my introduction, and it is their absolute best record, in my opinion, to date. Their early stuff is great, don't get me wrong. "Genocide and Juice" and "Steal This Album" are both phenomenal and they both have the same message. You could tell early on that Boots and Funkress had some important things to say, and that comes off ten fold on their first three records. But, they really hit their stride on "Pick A Bigger Weapon". They absolutely knocked it out of the park with that record. But, as I said, listen to their early stuff too. It's a bit rougher, they weren't totally solid yet, still great though. I actually like older stuff a bit more, but there is something special about "Pick A Bigger Weapon".

They released another record 4 years after, "Sorry to Bother You", which is also pretty good. It has the same message as all their stuff, but this time around, they sound like they are having fun making this politically conscious rap music. It's a bit poppier, in a good way. Boots is still there crushing it, it just has more of a radio sound.

I have talked almost primarily about Boots Riley, but Madame Funkress is not to be left alone. She is a great DJ, first and foremost. The stuff she does on their records is truly awesome. She is also an excellent singer. She has a soulful voice and can belt it out. She can rap too. Madame Funkress is awesome and she deserves just as much credit for the success of this band as Boots Riley does.

Boots Riley has also branched out and done other stuff with other musicians that is pretty great. He started another band with Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club. This band had the same mood as the Coup, but instead of beat machines, record scratching and drum machines, it's just Tom Morello playing guitar and Boots emceeing. It's like a funkier version of Rage. I really like the record they put out. And, when you put one of my favorite rappers along with one of the greatest guitar players ever, I'm going to like it. Other than his many collaborations with Morello, Boots Riley has done stuff with Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Les Claypool, Galactic, Del the Funky Homosapien and Killer Mike. That is a lot of different genres of music that he has leant his talents to. That should prove to any disbelievers that Boots Riley can do almost anything. Boots Riley is one of the most underrated emcees of all time. I know that true hip hop people and fans know him, but the common fan needs to know his name and listen to his music.

If you like hip hop, you will love Boots Riley, and the Coup. Look, this band is great and the world needs to know more about them. The Coup has gotten little to no recognition from the mainstream media, but I will sing their praises all day long. The Coup is not only one of America's greatest bands, but they are one of the most important bands too. They more than belong in this conversation. Do yourself a favor and go listen to anything by the Coup. I guarantee you will fall in love with their sound immediately.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Check out all of his nominees of the Greatest American Band. Make sure to follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty Listens to Frank Ocean's "Blonde"

It finally happened. After what seemed to be years, I think it was two or three total, Frank Ocean finally released his follow up to the wonderful "Channel Orange". I was scouring Twitter the other night, and I saw that some of the people I follow were posting pictures and talking about the new Frank Ocean record. I immediately went to iTunes, in hopes that it would be available for purchase, and not only listenable to through Apple Music, and much to my pleasure, it was right there, the first record in fact, available to buy and download immediately. I did just that, and listened to it the moment it finished downloading. What I heard for the next hour was exceptional. Frank Ocean is a very, very good musician and very much a perfectionist. The album is called "Blonde", and it is so, so good.

"Blonde" was well worth the wait. I was growing frustrated, hearing stories from many different outlets that his second album was going to come out any day. I started to dismiss pretty much everything I heard. I thought Frank Ocean might have been a one album guy. I figured he would go out on a very high note. But, he did not do that. He delivered an excellent record that, I feel, everyone who likes music needs to buy. It is so different and is perfectly Frank Ocean.

What I liked about "Channel Orange" was expanded on so much on "Blonde". Ocean is like a throw back R&B singer who mixes modern hip hop with his music. He does that so well on "Blonde". I have heard some people say that it sounds a bit "disorganized", or "unfinished", but I say to them, go listen to "Channel Orange", it is the same thing. Ocean does things like changing the beat mid song, or cutting a song without a real outro, or throwing in short little songs or segues that some people may not like, or dismiss as not real music. I couldn't disagree more. This is what modern music has become, and when you can make it very good and commercial, you must be doing something right.

The album starts off great, the middle is weird, but awesome, and the last three tracks are epic. I love the opener to the record, "Nikes". The song finds Ocean using a very high voice and singing some great lyrics. He also transitions into a bit of hip hop during the song with equal accomplishment. The chorus, and intro, are very singable. I adore this song. "Pink and White" is another great early track song. He gets very high, and the instrumentation is epic. There is loud squealing from both Ocean and his guitar at the end, and it is great. The interlude that comes next is a great message, possibly from Ocean's mother, that is poignant and important. He then goes into "Solo" which is a great song. It is about being alone and lonely and it is incredible. Later, near the middle of the record, we get a "Solo (reprise)" song, and it features Andre 3000. His verse is absolutely phenomenal. It is reminiscent of something off of "The Love Below". And only someone like Frank Ocean could call up Andre 3000 and get him to do a verse on his new record. They are both similar type of musicians, but 3000 has been more focused on acting lately. He proves on this track that he still has it. "White Ferrari" and "Siegfried" are great songs near the end of the record. "White Ferrari" is a perfect hip hop/R&B song. It sounds like if R Kelly was a legit artist. Ocean is so much better than R Kelly. "Siegfried" is a good song, with some very important lyrics. The song tells a story, and it is a very good and very important story. The closer to the whole record, "Futura Free", is my favorite song on the whole album. It is excellent. Ocean does a bit more rapping, which I really like, on this song. The beat is excellent, the groove is wonderful, Ocean is fantastic and it is a very good way to close out the album. The song is over 9 minutes long, but the last 3 minutes are people answering random questions. The 5 or 6 minutes of "Futura Free" that are an actual song is tremendous.

Look, I know we had to wait a very long time for this record. I know some people may be complaining about the "disorganization" of the record. I know some people may not get it. But, two or three years from now, everyone will look back at "Blonde" as being one of the best records of all of 2016. Compared to some of the crap that is on the radio, i.e., Meghan Trainor, Britney Spears, Flo Rida, I could go on and on and on, we should be thankful that a good, real musician is putting out very good, very real music. "Blonde" is excellent, and totally worth any music lovers time. Go buy it now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He listens to all of his music on an old school 160 GB iPod. Hear him talk all about it on the X Millennial Man. Make sure you also follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Sonic Youth

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

So, it's Wednesday, and I'm going to get back to my regular writing schedule, so that means a new band is going to be nominated for the greatest American band. Today, I'm going to write about a band that has been on my mind for some time now. I didn't quite know how I was going to describe why I think this band belongs in the conversation, so I sat down and I have listened to a lot of their music for the past couple of weeks. Now, I'm going to talk about albums, or even particular songs, when explaining why I think this band is one of America's greatest. In fact, I'm going to talk about the members and, more importantly, their use of different sounds and effects. That is what made the band Sonic Youth so memorable and incredible.

Sonic Youth formed in 1981, the year before I was born, in New York. There were four of them, and looked kind of nerdy and, I bet many people thought they were a pop band, or were trying to be a punk band. Well, Thurston Moore, guitar and vocals, Kim Gordon, bass and vocals, Lee Ranaldo, guitar and vocals, and a plethora of drummers, most notably, Steve Shelley, were not a pop band. Or a punk band. Or, really, any genre of band. They would come out and perform some of the weirdest, wildest, trippiest and coolest sounding music, that almost no one had heard before. I know some people credit them, or lump them in with the "no wave" art scene, but they are the pioneers of noise rock. And more importantly, noise rock that was actually listenable. Other noise rock bands were, and are, like jam bands. They have no flow to their music. They use art as an excuse for why they are crappy. They have no band structure. But not Sonic Youth. They transformed noise rock. They made people want to hear more and more of it. They had structure. They had focus.

Kim Gordon is one of the better punk/noise rock/ rock singers that I have ever heard. She is also one hell of a bass player and a straight up rock and roller. Kim Gordon kicks ass. She is not only one of the greatest female musicians and singers of all time, she is just flat out one of the greatest singers and musicians of all time. Thurston Moore is an impeccable singer and song writer. He is also a great guitar player as well. He was kind of the heart and soul of Sonic Youth. He, along with Gordon, were the ones pushing the envelope and trying new things and they succeeded way more than not. Gordon and Moore were a match made in music heaven. No wonder they didn't get along behind the scenes. Two geniuses like that always end up fighting with each other. I know that they were married for almost 3 decades, 27 years I believe, but I can't imagine the type of bickering they did back stage. Lee Ranaldo is kind of the forgotten member of the band, but he was an integral part. He made some of the wildest sounds I had ever heard on guitar. He was the guy behind some of their iconic records and singles. He is a very under appreciated guitar player. Shelley, the most memorable drummer, was also very influential in their odd, yet intriguing sound. He had to keep the beat and add crazy fills that, had it been someone else, I don't think the band would have worked.

Let's get back to why I'm nominating them today. It is/was that sound that I keep mentioning. When I first heard Sonic Youth I was in middle school. I was starting to get into different music, pushing away from my pop-rap phase, and I was handed a few Sonic Youth records, most memorable for me, "Daydream Nation". That album was so weird and odd to me the first time I listened. I didn't have the brain capacity yet to understand why this was good. So, I stashed the record away and didn't revisit it until almost 10 years later, during my second year of college. My musical mind was much more vast and expansive and I figured I'd give Sonic Youth and "Daydream Nation" another shot. Boy am I glad that I did. I was hearing this unique, different sound from anything I ever listened to. It would start out as punk rock, turn to rock, turn into new wave, go back to punk rock, and finish with rock and some blues splashed in for good measure. Their time signatures were all over the place as well. Most bands do 3/4 or 4/4, those are the staples, but Sonic Youth was doing 5/7, 6/9, basically anything that wasn't the norm. It completely blew my mind. Then, the way they used effects on certain songs, incredible. They would throw all kinds of weird and wild distortion, loops, wah pedals, anything they could and it all worked.

The stuff Sonic Youth was doing back in the 80's and 90's was so ahead of its time. They don't need a genre or an era because their sound and their music is timeless. Well, it may not have flown in the 50's, but Sonic Youth could have been around in the 70's with psychadelia, the 80's with new wave, the 90's with grunge rock, or the 2000's as just an all around great band. Sonic Youth is an incredible band that, I feel, gets unfairly lumped in with 90's grunge. Sure, that is when they hit it big, but they are so much better and more experimental than any grunge band. I'd take Sonic Youth any day over grunge bands that I adore, like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Both Pearl Jam and Nirvana are great, but they don't hold a card to the wonderfulness that is Sonic Youth.

Sonic Youth opened my mind to experimental music and to noise rock. I will be forever grateful to them for all the trippy music they have given me, and the world. Sonic Youth most definitely belongs in the greatest American band debate. Go listen to their stuff and try and tell me that you don't agree. Sonic Youth is awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Make sure you check out all the bands we have featured as the Greatest American Band, and nominate one of your favorites (No Eagles allowed). Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

How the Internet has Changed Pop Culture

Popular culture is a complicated beast. Like the Hydra, it has many heads, and when you think you've figured it out, two more heads pop out of the last. I'd like to thank SeedSing.com for helping expand the conversation on so many topics, including this one. If you have time, check out their article about why the book is always better than the movie—argued from the perspective of someone who doesn't actually agree!

For its relatively short lifespan, pop culture has undergone many changes. Within the past century, it has developed alongside different forms of media, including radio, movies, television, and finally the internet. Of these forms of media, none has been more transformational than the internet.

While radio might at first seem like the first big mover of pop culture, the vast majority of pop culture has been a one-way street for nearly a century. Entertainers delivered material, and consumers absorbed it, transmitting it to other consumers in the process and growing the market. The internet has massively altered the way information is transmitted and, as a result, turned the entire pop culture scene on its side.

The Two-Way Street

In some ways, there's always been some level of interaction between fans of pop culture and perpetrators of pop culture. Music concerts, fashion shows, and other spectacles allow fans and enthusiasts to attend and see the latest—that much hasn't changed. But with the internet, people can also provide meaningful feedback instantly.

It has replaced the thousands of fan letters that are never read and go unanswered. Services such as Twitter and Facebook allow everyday people to interface with real celebrities, artists, and content creators on a very personal level. Rather than wait days or weeks for a response to hear from these famous figures, the public may see a response in mere minutes.

The leaders of pop culture haven’t let this change go unnoticed either. More than ever, social media pages are advertised on television, over the radio, and even within products. “Visit our website to learn more,” they say. “Text (something) to 321” will get you added to a list for any number of different things.

Even a person like Dr. Phil has gotten in on the act, with his show sometimes weighing the opinions of the public by broadcasting their responses to his questions live. As this trend continues, entertainment shifts more and more away from being a mostly passive to sincerely welcoming interaction.

The Death of Cable

Another amazing phenomenon we’ve begun to experience is the slow demise of cable. While there is still a hefty subscriber base to standard television, the numbers are beginning to dip. Consumers are seeking their entertainment elsewhere, mostly through streaming services over the internet.

As a result, the movers and shakers of pop culture are no longer just the late-night TV hosts or the faces of prime-time television. A new demand for quality entertainment that directly answers the wants and needs of the consumer has created an incredible lineup of original shows that can be seen any time so long as you have a subscription to the right service (typically Netflix).

That brings us to the heart of our next point: The change in audience has created a new type of consumer.

On Demand

The instant nature of the internet has, in many ways, altered the patience of consumers. As progressively more content becomes available on demand, it changes audience expectations. Pop culture becomes something the audience doesn’t want to wait to read about in the tabloids tomorrow—why bother when they can visit TMZ’s website right now?

In some ways, this has also created a conflict between the previous generation and the new. The older generation is used to waiting; what choice did they have? "Snail mail" got its name precisely because it was so slow. But the new generation wasn't raised on that.

The new generation has been exposed to an entirely different upbringing that is reshaping everything we know about pop culture. Deemed “millennials,” these new consumers are used to things being available instantly. They grew up with cell phones, email, and instant streaming movies.

Naturally, pop culture has developed to answer these needs. Vendors of popular items sell their goods online with fast-paced shipping. Virtually every major bill can be paid online with a few taps. And since the newer generation spends so much time online (typically on a phone or laptop), much of advertising has moved there as well.

Copy That

In many ways, the internet is solely responsible for the most freely produced content since the dawn of history. Because all online entertainment is stored as data, it can be (largely) freely copied. Unlike physical media, there are no limits to how many times data can be reproduced.

Internet users first figured it out on a large scale when Napster became big over a decade ago. A single user could post a song they had on CD, and thousands of other users could download it and share it themselves. Because there was no physical limitation on the number of copies, it meant millions of people could get music for free.

With time (and faster internet), file sharing expanded to videos and larger programs. So too did the record companies’ fight against what they deemed internet piracy. Today it still continues unabated, but new efforts have been made to fight against file sharing.

The Fight Against Piracy

This brings us right back to today’s on-demand culture. Piracy has been combated in two different ways. The first is through censorship and monitoring. The FBI has taken down several pirating websites, and Hollywood has sued the owners of select IP addresses that pirated movies. Well, except the people using VPNs, since they’ve been able to hide their IP addresses.

The second way has been just to make content more accessible. Instead of having to visit the video store, you can load a show up without leaving home. Music can be purchased one song at a time instead of having to buy an entire album. Little tweaks to the market have dissuaded quite a few pirates by making the legal way just as easy.

Other entertainers have embraced the idea of free content by literally making their stuff free but stuffing it with ads or add-ons that can be purchased for cold, hard cash. Video games have changed quite a bit as well. Many games can be bought before they’re even finished, allowing users early access to the still developing product.

Where most games usually shipped finished, now we see games sell with only a limited amount of content and the rest purchasable at a later date. This is made possible only by a fully connected population that can go online at any time to buy the new content.

What Tomorrow Holds

If present trends continue, we’ll only see more digital media come to replace physical media. The internet can’t quite replace live conventions or concerts, but it has afforded many more access to these events than ever before.

While print struggles to stay alive, online versions of popular magazines and TV shows flourish. Independent content also continues to grow in popularity, with YouTube and Twitch providing platforms for individuals to create content for other users.

We won’t know what tomorrow holds until it happens; my bets are in for something fast, convenient, and accessible anytime, anywhere.

If you have thoughts to share about pop culture and the internet, post a comment below.

Isa

About the Author: Isa is an internet security specialist and entertainment blogger. If you enjoyed her work, check out some more of her writing on Culture Coverage. Follow Isa on twitter @ Go like Culture Coverage on Facebook. 

The Avett Brothers get Back on Track with "True Sadness"

Reward your needle with some good new music

One week ago the Avett Brothers, one of the Greatest American Bands, released their new album, "True Sadness". This is their first new record since they released "Magpie and the Dandelion" a few years ago. "Magpie and the Dandelion" was a fine record. It showed the band taking more chances and trying some new sounds. They played a lot more electric guitar on that album. They used a full drum kit a bit more as well. It was different from everything they'd done before. I liked the new sound, but it didn't seem as polished as their older, more folksy stuff did. They also kind of abandoned the folk on "Magpie and the Dandelion". As I stated, it's a fine record, but it could've been better.

Well, with "True Sadness", I think they found a way to blend their older folk sound with the newer chances they have been taking. "True Sadness" finds the band trying out synthesizers, more electric guitar, effects driven vocals and bigger, louder drums. But, they also went back to their roots and played some straight forward folk songs. I'm a big, big fan of this new album. I waited with bated breath to see how they'd follow up what some deemed a disappointing effort from them in "Magpie and the Dandelion". "True Sadness" is an absolute home run.

If you want some examples of songs that find them taking new, good chances, check out tunes like, "You Are Mine", where they have a synthesizer as the main instrument. Another good song, with distorted vocals and guitar is, "Satan Pulls the Strings". It's a straight up rock and roll song. Then, the opener to the record, "Ain't No Man" is a great blend of folk and rock. The band yell sings the lyrics, almost in a call and response, and there is an infectious hand clap rhythm. I love that song. For more traditional Avett Brothers songs, check out the title track, "True Sadness". It starts slow with just guitar, and it builds like an older Avett Brothers song, and ends tremendously. There are also other good, old school Avett Brothers stuff like, "I Wish I Was" and "Divorce Seperation Blues". "I Wish I Was" is slow, acoustic and reminiscent of something on "Emotionalism" or "I And Love And You". It's a very sweet, nice song. "Divorce Seperation Blues" is a great, countryish song. It has a blues rhythm, but it is sung like a country tune. It's also sad, but the way the band plays it, it sounds upbeat.

I really enjoy this new record. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Avett Brothers teamed up with Rick Rubin on this record and they made great music together again. When they get together, they make very good, listenable stuff. Rick Rubin is a genius and the greatest producer of all time. His work with the Avett Brothers proves how versatile and how good of an ear he has for all genres of music. If you're a fan of the Avett Brothers, and like when they take chances, I highly recommend "True Sadness", I bet you will like it as much as I do.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Even when he is on vacation, Ty still likes to keep up on his articles. Reward his good work ethic by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Bad Songs Constantly on the Radio are Actually Pretty Good

Leave the dial be and give into joy

So, for all of my posts this week, I wanted to try something a bit different. My wife and I were talking the other day and she told me that I should argue a point that I don't necessarily agree with. All five posts this week will be topics given to me that I have expressed a dislike for to, either my wife or everyone who reads my blog, but I have to give the opposite view. I have to explain why these things are actually true, or that they at least have some good qualities. This is going to be a weird, but also very fun, and maybe even a bit difficult, but I'm up to the task.

Topic number three from my wife, "the only songs worth listening to are the ones on the radio that you can sing along with in the car".

This is going to be tough. I am not a fan of the music played on the radio, for the most part. It's bubble gum garbage music that is just one earworm after another. I've made it clear that I don't like pop music on the site, but, I do see what my wife is getting at, and I'm pretty sure I can make a compelling argument. So, let's do it.

When a "hit" song comes on the radio, it is put there for many reasons. The artist or the band had a stroke of genius and wrote a very, very catchy song. The band or artist label makes sure that this one song is the first song that will be heard by the masses. The radio stations then pick it up and play it on repeat until pretty much everyone at least knows the chorus. Let's look at a song from a few years ago as an example.

By now, a lot of people have already forgotten about an artist named Gotye. But, he had a massive hit song, that I can still sing along with if it comes on the radio. That song was called "Somebody That I Used to Know". Everyone knows this song. The song was odd, but catchy. The video made the song even better, but you should not watch videos in your car if you are driving - safety first, so the music video gets left out of the debate. But, when Gotye and Kimbra wail that chorus, "but you didn't have to cut me off" and "you didn't have to stoop so low", if I am by myself, or with my wife and kids, I wail just as much as they do. I may not have liked the song when I first heard it, but after hearing it hundreds of times, not only did I love it, I knew almost every single word to that song. Gotye hasn't had a hit since, but I will forever remember him.

Then, there's the first time I heard Carly Rae Jepsen. There is not one single thing I should like about her music. It is everything I dislike about music, but "Call Me Maybe" is a very fun song to yell sing when I am in my car. Again, that chorus is so god damn catchy. I mean, "hey, I just met you/and this is crazy/but here's my number/so call me maybe" is pretty fun to sing along with. Then, when I saw it on the video game Just Dance, I liked it even more. I could dance and sing along with this song?! What a treat. I know that she has made some newer, halfway decent music since "Call Me Maybe", but that is all the Carly Rae Jepsen I will ever need.

No matter how much I dislike and am sick and tired of hearing Ed Sheeran, when his song "Thinking Out Loud" comes on, I can't help but sing along in the car. The song, for what it is, is a pretty beautiful song with very nice lyrics. It is a perfect wedding song, or a song to put on a mix tape for your partner. The chorus is the winner, of course. It's catchy, sweet and even a little moving. "Thinking Out Loud" is not a terrible song. It's definitely a fun song to sing along to in the car, that's undebateable.

I know that I have only mentioned solo acts, but even some bands get into this conversation. I'm not a Maroon 5 fan at all, but "Payphone" is an almost impossible song to not sing along to. The moment Adam Levine comes in with, "I'm at a payphone/trying to call home/all my change I spent on you", I'm singing it as high pitched as I can, trying my best to sound like Mr. Levine. Then, we get, "all these fairy tales are full of shit/one more stupid love song I'll be sick", the band is trying to be funny, but it is too catchy. Everyone I know, knows those lyrics and can sing along with them. Maroon 5 may be trying to make fun of love songs, but "Payphone" is one hundred percent a love song that is very enjoyable to sing along.

The band A Great Big World falls into the Gotye category of, a very great singable song, but hasn't done anything since that song, "Say Something". This song is absolutely heartbreaking, but, it is also great to wail when it came on the radio. When the singers would yell sing the chorus, I was right there with them. That song is brutal, but it is also wildly singable. That's the one thing that A Great Big World will always be remembered for. They had this huge hit, that was about tragedy, but damn if that isn't one catchy tune.

Even rappers are falling into this. Sure, they are all pop rappers, but some of the stuff that Wiz Khalifa has done with Charlie Puth and Maroon 5 is very singable. He was featured on "Payphone" and his verse is decent, but, and I'm going to use my buzz word for the day, catchy as hell. Then, he does those "One Call Away" and "See You Again" songs with Charlie Puth. Damn, are those songs so very easy to sing along too, and Khalifa's verses are very easy to get and rap along with. There is also this new Flo Rida, which is the worst rap name ever, song called "My House", that is played so much, my son, who is 4, can sing along with. I guarantee that everybody has heard "My House" at least once. It is always on the radio and TV shows are using it in their ad campaigns now.

While I may not care for these particular artists or bands, I cannot deny the fact that these songs are popular, catchy and a whole hell of a lot of fun to sing along to in my car. I bet most of you out there would agree with my wife on this one.

Ty with a little help from his wife

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Sometimes on the podcast the editor has to yell/sing "you didn't have to cut me off". Hey this is crazy, but you should follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Iggy and the Stooges

For the greatest American band debate today, I'm going to nominate the one, and only, punk rock group that I have legitimately liked. The problem with punk rock music, at least in America, it becomes too watered down and begins to sound emo when a decent punk group gets some fame. There are too many to list, but I bet the readers know exactly what I'm talking about. In all fairness, the best punk groups come from the UK. There is no denying this, it is a statement of fact. But, Iggy and the Stooges made American punk music cool for their run as a band.

Iggy and the Stooges were the only punk group I heard and was immediately in to. I know some people will try to tell me that the Ramones were punk, they were not, they were rock and pop. The Stooges were punk. Even when they first formed and did some psychedelic stuff, it still sounded punk rockish, at least to me. And, it was mainly because of their phenomenal front man, Iggy Pop. I knew that I was going to be into Iggy and the Stooges before I listened to them, because they are from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Not only were they from the greatest state in the US, but they were from the greatest college town of all time. I was destined to like them.

I do have to say, the way I first heard of the Stooges was from a Black Keys EP where they covered their song, "No Fun". I loved the Black Keys version, so, combined with the fact that they were from Ann Arbor and my all time favorite band was covering their songs, I had to check them out. They did not disappoint. Their self titled debut record, while not commercially successful, is a very, very good album. they have some of the psychedelic stuff going on, but it is mostly straight up punk guitar and bass riffs, fast paced drums and Iggy Pop performing these songs with his signature gruff style. I think the record is very good. They may have come off as weird when they released it in the early 70's, but it still holds up today. I'd much rather listen to this album than anything the Ramones have ever released.

A couple of years later, they released their second record, "Fun House". After the release of "Fun House", that was when the Stooges got the critical acclaim. It was a straight forward punk record with classic song after classic song. During the tour after the release of "Fun House" was also when the band got into heroin and their live shows became a thing of legend. Heroin is so nasty, I assume, and it seems like every band from the 70's tried it at one time or another, but it wasn't the drugs that made them great. The live shows was were it was at, and yes, I'm sure heroin had something to do with what made these shows so epic. They used to tour with another great American band, that will surely get their due on the site soon, MC5, and the shows are still talked about today. This was when Iggy Pop would do crazy stuff like cut himself with broken glass, rub food stuffs and other things all over his shirtless body, the band was always playing incredible stuff and, during these live shows, that was when Iggy Pop supposedly created stage diving. I don't know if it is true or not, but the fact that a lot of people credit him with creating this, I mean, how cool is that. Stage diving has become commonplace now, but imagine being there when it first happened. You have to have a crowd that is really into your music, so much so that they are willing to hold you up when you dive into a sea of fans. I love that Iggy Pop is the supposed creator, because who else could it really be. Iggy Pop is so believable as the man that invented stage diving.

After many epic live shows and many problems with hard drugs, the band all got sober and released their third, and final record as the traditional Stooges, "Rough Power". They recorded this album with David Bowie, who had become good friends with Pop, as the producer. The album is hit or miss, with most of the criticism being thrown Bowie's way for over producing, but it is still an okay record. You can definitely hear Bowie's fingerprints all over this record.

The band broke up for the final time after "Rough Power". Pop has gone on to do wonderful things as a solo artist. He has worked with many great musicians and producers, guys like Brian Burton and Josh Homme, and has had a lot of success. Pop is the undeniable star of this great group, but I cannot end this blog without mentioning how great the Asheton Brothers, Ron and Scott were. They were both just as important to the Stooges sound and uprising as one of the greatest punk rock groups ever. They have since passed, as has everyone else that was first involved with the Stooges, but Iggy Pop is still plugging along.

I also cannot end until I name some of the great bands that the Stooges influenced. I already mentioned the Black Keys, but other bands like Sonic Youth, Rage Against the Machine, REM, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the late great Kurt Cobain have all said that the Stooges were big influences, and they have all covered them, one way or another. The Stooges were finally, after 7 tries, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. It was a longtime coming.

Look, I will be forever grateful to the Stooges for showing me that punk rock can be good. It doesn't have to be simplistic and the singer doesn't have to scream into a mic or be emo. You can be yourself and make great music, which the Stooges did. They are more than worthy to be called one of America's greatest bands.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Who do you think the Greatest American Band is? Come tell us all about it. Also, follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Leon Bridges Exceeds Expectations with a Flawless Live Show

It was a good night for the mic

It's always wonderful when you have a build up to something that you have been looking forward to for 5 or 6 months, and it totally delivers what you want and expect. That happened last night when I went to see Leon Bridges play at the Pageant in Saint Louis last night. This show was absolutely incredible. It is probably the best concert that I have been to in quite some time.

There was an opener last night, and I will dedicate a few words to him. His name was Solo Woods, and he played guitar and sang and he had a percussion player alongside him. Woods was okay. He has a very good voice, he is energetic on stage and he is a pretty decent guitar player. His originals, while good, all kind of blended into one song, but that was fine. His best songs were his two covers. He covered Bob Marley's "Burnin and Lootin", but turned it into a hybrid reggae/R&B song, and it was good. It is hard to cover someone that is so famous and world renowned, but Woods did Bob Marley justice. He also covered Outkast, but more so, Andre Benjamin's, "Pretty Pink", and that was a perfect song for his voice and his musical styling. Woods was good, I was never bored during his 40 minute set.

The main event started about 20 minutes after Woods finished. Leon Bridges is a wunderkind. He is about to become a humongous star. He commanded the stage last night for his 80 minute set. The band came out first last night and they played some great instrumental, funky, old school R&B music and, about a minute later, Bridges came dancing on stage and the sold out crowd erupted. We were all waiting and waiting, and then when he showed up, we were all so, so thrilled. While the band was still playing, Bridges started the opening bars to the great "Smooth Sailin". He absolutely crushed the song, and I knew that we, the crowd, were in for an absolutely astonishing show. Bridges eschewed the guitar, with the exception of one song, last night so he could focus on vocals. It was a weird, but ultimately, a very good decision. He has such a great voice, he should just showcase that. After that excellent opening, Bridges proceeded to play pretty much every song on his tremendous debut album, "Coming Home". He played "Coming Home", "Better Man", "Flowers", "Twistin and Groovin", and pretty much everything else on the record. He sounded so great live performing these songs. He had an exuberance that permeated the entire crowd last night while performing. It is almost impossible to not nod your head, move your feet and just all out dance to his songs. He plays and sings old school R&B, and he does it so damn well.

I was talking to my father after the show last night, and I told him the best comparison I can make is, he reminds me of the videos and clips that I have seen involving Rufus Thomas from the 60's and 70's, during Stax Records heyday. Bridges has a much better voice, but he has that same enthusiasm that Thomas brought to all his shows. I love that a young, new performer is bringing this excellent music from the 60's and 70's to the masses.

Even when Bridges slowed things down and played his slower stuff, he still brought an energy and a happiness while performing. His live version of "Shine", "Roll Away" and "Daisy Mae" were absolutely incredible. His voice is so smooth and his voice excels when doing the slowed down R&B songs. I learned that he wrote "Daisy Mae" based on a suggestion from his friend to write a song about his dog, named Daisy Mae. Well, Bridges ran with it, but changed it from a dog to a pretty lady, and it is a very, very good song. I also learned that his song "Lisa Sawyer" is about his mother. That song is beautiful and a great tribute to his love for his mother. I also learned that "Twistin and Groovin" is about when his grandparents met. It gives that song so much more meaning.

We, the crowd were also very lucky to hear 2 new songs last night. Bridges said that we were the first audience to hear these tunes, and they were both great. One was a more upbeat, classic Stax style song, and the other was a great, slower, but ramps up, mix of R&B and soul song, which was tremendous. I cannot wait to see what he does with these 2 new songs, because if the rest of his next record is half as good as these 2 songs, it will be great.

Bridges closed out his set with my favorite song of his, "The River". It was just him, his guitar and his back up singer. "The River" is a gloriously beautiful song, and to hear it live, it was moving. I was shocked at how much the song moved me last night. I haven't felt anything like that at a live show in a very long time. He came back and played 2 encore songs, one a cover of an old classic with local musician, Pokey Lafarge. It was great to see these 2 young guys that adore and play old music together on stage. They did a great job. I'd love to hear the 2 of them work together in the future. He closed the night with "Mississippi Kisses", and he got the crowd involved in a call and response type dialogue. I usually don't go for crowd interaction, but it was near impossible to not join in. It was awesome and a perfect ending to a perfect night.

Thank you Leon Bridges for performing such an excellent, wonderful and moving show last night. I cannot wait to see you again, and I cannot wait to hear what you have for us in the future. It was awesome.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Will you be playing a show in the St. Louis area? Hit up Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Pearl Jam

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today I will be getting back to the greatest American band debate and I will be getting back to the grunge era. I know that our head editor RD will disagree with this choice, but I am, and always will be a very big fan of Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam made grunge music accessible to everyone. They weren't as influential, or as good for that matter, as either Nirvana or Soundgarden, but I find myself listening to Pearl Jam more than I listen to most music from the 90's. They made grunge music top 100 type music. Usually I don;t care for top 100 music, but I always get happy when a good band, a band like Pearl Jam, makes music that everyone deems top 100. That means that everyone can hear them, not just their fans.

I was not a fan, I had never heard of Pearl Jam, until I heard and saw the video for the song "Jeremy". This song is brutally tragic and so is the video. It is about a bullied kid coming into his school and massacring everyone and everything. This song came out before all the tragedies that happened in the 2000's, and even the stuff that goes on now. Pearl Jam was ahead of the times, by a wide margin, with the song "Jeremy". What stuck out most for me from the song was how catchy it was. It is a very sad, very gut wrenching song, but as I sit here typing this, the chorus is rattling through my brain. It made every top list the year it came out. The video was played everywhere. It had the desired effect. The song made people think about this tragic event, and people started to do things to try and curb bullying in schools. It is a very important song and everyone should listen to it at least once in their life. "Jeremy" opened the Pearl Jam door for me.

After hearing "Jeremy", I went out and bought the album "10", which featured "Jeremy". It also had mega hits like "Even Flow", "Alive", "Porch" and "Garden". These songs are quintessential grunge songs, especially "Alive" and "Even Flow". Those songs are timeless and it gave the world Eddie Vedder's incredibly unique singing voice. I love that, still today, I can put the "10" on in my car and be shocked back to when I was a 10 year old in the early 90's, rocking out to this incredible album.

With the success of "10" Pearl Jam put out "Vs", another classic. "Vs" has choice hits on it like, "Daughter", "Animal" and "Dissident". Again, Pearl Jam was writing thoughtful rock music that appealed to the masses. I don;t think there is a sadder, more poignant song than "Daughter". Go listen to it right now and try not to be moved by how sad those lyrics are.

Having only released two albums Pearl Jam was proving to be some of the best song writers on the planet. They had more hits than pretty much any grunge band and the songs that were hits had meaning behind them. They weren't pointless pop songs, they were rock songs with a message. Two years after "Vs.", they released "Vitalogy". Now, full disclosure, this was the last Pearl Jam record I bought. It is not as good as "10" or "Vs", but there is till some very good songs on the record. I personally really enjoy songs like "Not For You" and "Immortality". They show a more grown up version of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. It is still grunge music with a message, but the band is a bit tighter and they sound like they fully formed on "Vitalogy", especially on "Not For You" and "Immortality". But, "Vitalogy" as a whole isn't that great. It's good, but not as good as their earlier stuff. I admit, it has to be hard to try and follow up two great records, but Pearl Jam tried their hardest and it almost worked. They continue to release albums, but they just don't match the greatness that was "10" and "Vs".

Pearl Jam became much more active politically and socially throughout their careers. They had the huge lawsuit with Ticketmaster. They believed, and I agree, that Ticketmaster is a bunch of thieves. They charge you the face value for the ticket, but then they surcharge the hell out of you. Pearl Jam thought this was wrong, so they took them to court and let the world know that Ticketmaster was taking advantage of them. I will be forever grateful to Pearl Jam for doing this. I used to buy all my stuff through Ticketmaster, but after reading and hearing about this lawsuit, I jumped ship as soon as possible. Now, I will only go through bands, comedians or venues webpages to buy tickets because I know that Ticketmaster can't do a damn thing to me. They cannot add charge after charge on my bill and all my money goes to the artist and the venue. Sure, the artist doesn't get all of it, but at least Ticketmaster isn't gouging me and the artist can control the price of everything. That is all due, for the most part, to Pearl
Jam. They have always been the champion the of the little man. The people that aren't the 1 percent. Pearl Jam wants to help out anyway they can. I don't see a lot of artist do that, but Pearl Jam does it, and then some.

Then there is Eddie Vedder. Me personally, I adore Eddie Vedder. I thought he was the perfect front man for Pearl Jam, and he has proven to be an excellent solo artist. He is extremely multi talented and will continue to have a very long career in music. When I saw him at the Fox in Saint Louis about 5 years ago, not only was it one of the best concerts that I have ever been to, but he crushed the show. It was during his ukulele phase, and the show was incredible. Vedder is, by far, the biggest "rock star" that I have ever seen live, and he totally delivered. The show lasted for almost 3 hours and I could have easily watched another 3 hours and I would have been enamored. Eddie Vedder is what every "rock star" should strive to be. He stands for all the right things, he fights for the little guy and he does his best to help everyone, be it through his music or otherwise. I adore Eddie Vedder.

I also adore Pearl Jam and they 100 percent belong in the greatest American band debate. Tell me why I'm wrong RD. I await your ruling.

ed response: In the podcast, I did not say Pearl Jam is bad, I said they were overrated. They made one good song, and have been playing variations of that same song for decades. Mic drop.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Who is the Greatest American Band, Ty has many nominees you should take a look at. Get to know the next Greatest American Band by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Nirvana

For the greatest American band today, I'm going to go back to the grunge era. Grunge was pretty pivotal in my life. I was a pre teen and teenager right when the music style became huge. Grunge was a newer style of music that I had never heard before and I was into it. I liked the drums, guitars and the gruff singing that came along with it and it got no better than Nirvana.

Nirvana may be the greatest grunge band of all time. They are definitely the most influential, and I don't think that is arguable at all. Nirvana exploded on the scene with their mega hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". This was like no other song that I had ever listened to before. The guitar would start out kind of slower and quiet, then it would build and get much more rough, in a good way, and Kurt Cobain would squeal the chorus. That chorus, while it may be impossible to know exactly what Cobain was singing, is the most memorable chorus from the 90's, in my opinion. The video was pretty groundbreaking as well. The band playing in a school gym with some cheerleaders and kids dancing to this very gloomy song about the plight of teenagers. The video was sad, but it was made to be sad. The teenagers were brain dead, that is what the song is essentially about.

After seeing the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I needed to hear more music from this band. I was very intrigued by their sound. They only released three albums of original music, but I only ever bought two of them. "Bleach" was put out a few years before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit it big, but I never really listened to that record. But "Nevermind", that was where it was at. That record is wonderful. It is the best grunge album, hands down. It takes every good thing about grunge music and makes it truly great. There is obviously "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the record, but there is some other big time hits on that record. Songs like "Come As You Are", "Lithium", "On a Plain", "Drain You" and "Polly". Let us not forget their 20 minute epic, it's actually 13 minutes, then 10 minutes of silence, to close out the album, "Something in the Way". That song is their best Velvet Underground impression, and it sounds like something that could have easily been on "White Light, White Heat". But, those other songs I mentioned, they are grunge classics. They use distortion and loud drums and exceptional bass playing and Cobain's perfectly written lyrics are phenomenal. The songs on this record are, by far, the best music of the entire grunge era. Nirvana came at the exact right time and they capitalized on their gift for writing and playing grunge music.

Once Nirvana had the enormous success that was "Nevermind", they released "In Utero" two years later, and that album is also very fantastic. There are some mega hits on that record as well. "In Utero" has songs like "Heart Shaped Box", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "All Apologies". I mean, come on, those are some massive hits just two short years apart. No matter if you like or dislike Kurt Cobain, you have to admit, he was one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He had a knack for writing some touching, yet very sad and very gloomy music, and in the early 90's, that's what the people wanted to hear. Most people were sick of bubble gum pop and how boring and generic rock and roll had become, but then here came this band singing and playing sad, touching and poignant music, and the majority of the country was enthralled. The video for "Heart Shaped Box" was almost as weird and scary as Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun", but both of those songs were great. I prefer "Heart Shaped Box", but that's just me. "Pennyroyal Tea" is a beautifully written and played song. It is one of my all time favorite Nirvana songs. "All Apologies" may be the saddest song to ever make the top ten of the Billboard charts. That song is heart wrenching, but damn if that chorus is not catchy as hell.

With "Nevermind" and "In Utero", it seemed like Nirvana was going to be making great music for many years to come. But, Kurt Cobain took his own life, if that is what you choose to believe, because he couldn't handle the fame. I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here, but I don't think, for one single second, that he killed himself. At the time of his death, Cobain was married to another musician, Courtney Love, and I firmly believe that she was incredibly jealous of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain's fame, and I will go to my grave believing that she had something to do with the death of Cobain. I am not the only one who believes this. She couldn't handle the fact that her significant other was so much more successful and, quite frankly, better at making music than her.  Cobain's death gave her immediate fame and people came to her defense and started talking about how good her band, Hole, was. Courtney Love became the poster child for someone that lost someone they loved way too soon and she started to get more acting jobs and Hole was a band that everyone wanted to play at their venue or their festival. Many people think Courtney Love did something, I don't know if she actually killed him, but I have my thoughts. You will never shake my belief of this.

After Cobain's untimely death, the remaining members of Nirvana, who are the exceptional Krist Novaselic and the still working Dave Grohl, released a couple of albums posthumously. A lot of them are straight up greatest hits records, but they released their "MTV's Unplugged" record almost right after his death, and that record is incredible. The band was stripped down and they did mostly covers and it is one of the best records of all time. It is, by far, the best of the entire "Unplugged" series. Kurt Cobain, who was usually stand offish and quiet and could even be mean during one on one interviews, seemed to be happy and was cracking jokes and playing and singing some great, great songs. Cobain seemed at peace doing this unplugged sets. That record is exceptional and everyone should go out, buy it and listen to it right now. You will be amazed at how great of a band Nirvana truly was.

I don't know any other word to describe him, but Cobain was a musical genius. He had a knack for written lyrics and composing music. He was the lynchpin to Nirvana being as famous as they were. The other members of the band were very talented as well. Krist Novaselic was and is a great bass player. He can play almost any style of music and play it well. He is one of the better bass players of all time. He is still making music to this day as well. Then there is Dave Grohl. Everyone that has heard any music knows something about Dave Grohl. He is the front man for Foo Fighters. He has produced many metal bands, especially RD's favorite, Probot. He has a great HBO series that is all about the roots and start of music. He has done tons of things with Tenacious D. Basically, Dave Grohl is one of rock and roll's hardest working men. And he is pretty darn good at making and playing music.

Look, we couldn't do this debate without adding Nirvana. I feel like, as the millennial of the website, it would be best that I write about them because they were so influential in my formative years. I love Nirvana and they are definitely one of America's greatest bands of all time. I do not think anyone will disagree with me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may buy into some conspiracy theories surrounding Nirvana, but he does not buy that Kurt Cobain faked his own death and is really Rivers Cuomo. That is just silly. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Widespread Panic

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

For the greatest American band debate today, I'm going to dip my toes into the jam band scene. Full disclosure, I went through about a decade long jam music obsession, but that time has passed me by now. I can sit through a 2 hour show, at most, now. I do not have the patience I once held for jam music. Also, the band I will be talking about today has put out a lot of very good records, but their studio music is not why I am nominating them, it is for their live performances. They have been on the road for nearly 30 years now and have built a rabid fan base that will follow them from city to city to see them play live. They are in this discussion for the live shows, the touring and the massive fan base they have created, not for studio work. The band I'm going to nominate today is Widespread Panic.

The band Widespread Panic was discussed on the podcast before when I interviewed another brother of mine, Seth, and we talked about his idea of the greatest American bands. Seth is one of the rabid fans that I just spoke of earlier. I was a very big fan for a long time too. Widespread Panic made their name through word of mouth and talk at live shows. They didn't get played on the radio unless it was in their hometown of Athens, Georgia. They weren't widely known to the pop or even rock music listening circles. They didn't have their music videos played on MTV or MTV 2 or even VH1. Widespread was, at least when I heard of them, a band that friends who had seen them play live told you that you had to listen to. I was exposed to them by Seth and my other brother Ross while going through my jam band phase. I had listened to bands like String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Keller Williams, just to name a few, but none held a candle to when I first heard Widespread Panic. My oldest brother played a live CD of theirs and I was absolutely blown away. They did things that other jam bands didn't do. They played old blues songs. They played old rock songs. They played old funk and R&B songs. Their originals were also fantastic and had their particular sound.

What separated Widespread Panic from other jam bands was the structure behind their epic jams. The jams didn't just go aimlessly in any direction, there was always a flow. They seemed to have their jams almost timed out, they worked that well. Fans knew when it was going to be a certain member of the band's turn to rock out. We knew when the drums would take over for 8 minutes. We anticipated the wonderfully fantastic guitar solos that JB and Mikey would perform. We knew that there was going to be a moment when Schools, the bass player, was going to shine. It all had a specific structure. That's what drew me to this band in the first place. Leftover Salmon and String Cheese Incident never seemed to have this structure. They played like a poor man's Grateful Dead, and you all know how I feel about Grateful Dead. Their jams were misplaced and misconstrued and unstructured. It was like all the worst things about experimental jazz. But, Widespread Panic did not do that. They always made sure the jam portion flowed within the song and they were always very easily able to return to the bare bones of whatever song they would be performing. This was a very big deal to me back then.

Widespread's live shows were also a thing of beauty. This was the closest I have ever been to that "community" feel that longtime concert goers speak of. Everyone had their place at these shows and everyone was welcome. I'm a jock and a non drinker or smoker of anything, be it tobacco or drugs, but I was never looked at as a square or a narc, I was accepted by these people. They knew that I was there to enjoy the music and they loved that. Sure, I'd venture a guess to say that about 90 to 95 percent of the crowd was stoned, but there was that 5 percent that was just like me, but we were all welcomed with open arms because the music and the show brought us together. Widespread even had tents at their live shows where all the sober people could hang out. I made a lot of concert friends at those shows in those tents. But, we didn't just stay in our tents, we mingled with everyone because everyone was accepted. That is one of the greatest aspects of a live Widespread show, the togetherness of it all. Then, the band would be on stage just absolutely killing it. They would play so many songs and the show would last for 3 to 3 and a half, and sometimes even 4 hours. They were the first band I ever saw live that did an intermission. Usually, after the first drum jam, they'd break for about 45 minutes, this would be 90 minutes into the show, then they'd come back out and play another 90 minutes or 2 hours. It was long, but it was epic and for jam fans, it was the best.

I've seen Widespread Panic at festivals and at outdoor venues like the crummy Riverport here in Saint Louis and the crowd would be very hyped. But, nothing compared to the few times I saw them at the Fox, my favorite concert venue in Saint Louis. The Fox is an old, very nice, very well established venue with a ton of history and beautiful art work everywhere you look. Most of the shows I've seen at the Fox are sit down, respectable shows, but something about Widespread just makes the fans want to get up and move. The Fox was as raucous as I have ever seen it, and it was great. Nobody was sitting in their seats, we were all dancing. I'm pretty quiet and calm at shows, generally I just want to watch the musicians perform, but even I was moving my feet and arms and every other body part because I was into the music. Those shows at the Fox were some of the best that I have ever seen.

Widespread is also the band I have seen the most live. I have seen them 10 times. It was during my jam phase, but I still remember how great and inviting and cool and awesome those shows were. I wouldn't go see them again, but I'm glad I got to see them and I wouldn't change a thing from the past. I have great memories from those shows. I got to go see them in Red Rocks when my brother Seth still lived in Colorado. That place is Mecca for concert goers. Every person that loves live music needs to see a show there, it will change your life. They played everything at those shows too. Their originals are always great, but the covers, those were dynamite. They did some of the best Talking Heads, Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield and, my favorite, Robert Johnson covers I have ever heard. They put their unique spin while sticking as close to the source material as possible. The covers were my favorite part of those live shows.

While that jam phase has passed, I still have great memories and I still think Widespread Panic is one of the greatest American bands of all time. As I said before, they have studio albums, but to get the real experience, you have to see them live. Seth told me recently that they aren't going to tour for awhile, but they have said that before and they come back and they sound better than ever. If you like jam music, you have to see Widespread Panic. But, if you are just a casual fan of music, I'd still recommend checking them out because they are truly one of America's greatest bands.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once attended a jam concert and 30 minutes in realized that he had stumbled upon an Insane Clown Posse show. Ty has never been to a jam concert since. There is this thing called twitter, and Ty is on it. Go follow him @tykulik.

Relive, and Debate, Great Music with "The Rap Yearbook"

Time to download the book about all of our favorite downloaded songs

I just finished another book by another former Grantland writer, and, once again, I really enjoyed it. I just recently finished and reviewed the very excellent "Boys Among Men: The Preps to Pro Generation that Changed the NBA" by Jonathan Abrams. So, naturally I figured another Grantland writer would have an equally as good book. The book I chose was "The Rap Yearbook" by Shea Serrano.

"The Rap Yearbook" was given to me as a gift, and I was putting off reading it until I caught up on some other reading, but boy am I glad that I read this book. It is widely known that I'm a big hip hop fan. I've written about a lot of hip hop groups and have been listening to hip hop for many, many years. This book is a great read about the most important, not best, rap songs from the years 1979 to 2014. It was absolutely fascinating. Serrano is just around my age, so we have very similar taste in older hip hop, but very different taste in more recent hip hop.

Serrano picked the most important song for each year, so it wasn't necessarily the best. It was the most important/influential song during it's particular year. The early years are easy to agree with. In 1979 he has Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". Obvious choice. Some other obvious choices that are very hard to disagree with, 1980 Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks", 1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message", 1987 Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full", 1988 N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton", basically all the late 80's, early 90's stuff is easily and correctly chosen. He also writes a few paragraphs as to why the song is the most important. He points out what the song is about, why it's important, the influence it had, the message it sends, Serrano pretty much breaks down every legit reason why the particular song is the song of the year.

The author and I definitely differ when it comes to 21st century hip hop, and that makes this book great. Serrano seems to think that more popular artist put out more significant songs. I understand why he thinks this. The more popular the artist, the more people it reaches, thus making it more important. I just prefer more underground, lesser known hip hop artists. That's my particular taste. I'd rather listen to Murs or Mr. Lif or Dilated Peoples than Kanye or Drake or, god help me, Macklemore. But, as I said above, I totally understand why he picks those people. Serrano may like more lesser known artists too, but that would not make for a good book for more than half the hip hop listening community. So, in the 21st century, he picks some songs that I disagree with. In 2005, he picks Kanye West's "Gold digger". Yeah, it's a popular song, with a very good beat, but I don't think any song featuring an actor, Jamie Foxx, should be considered. Also, the song is very misogynistic. But, I don't know what I would put in it's place. That's where Serrano has me beat. Serrano also picks other stuff I don't agree with in the 2000's. Stuff like 2008 Lil Wayne's "A Milli". It's a fine song, but Lil Wayne had peaked already by that time and he was definitely on a down swing. It felt more like a lifetime achievement to put him in this book. For 2009 he picked Drake's "Best I Ever Had". Drake is a terrible rapper and an even worse bandwagon sports fan. Drake stinks, his music stinks and he will be irrelevant in about 5 years. Drake does not belong in this book. For 2012, he picks Macklemore's "Same Love". Sure, the song has a very good message, but it is not a good rap song. Macklemore is the biggest poser in the history of music. He is worse than Elvis. He calls himself independent, but he does nation wide commercials and carries himself like a jackass. "Same Love" is important, but not because of Macklemore and I'm sure there is much better, much more important songs from 2012. Macklemore, in my opinion, is as bad as Drake. They are corporate rappers that make corporate, shitty rap music. For 2013 and 2014 Serrano picked two songs I didn't recognize. For 2013 he picked Big Sean's "Control" and it wasn't until I read why he picked it that it was the coming out party for Kendrick Lamar. Personally, he could've picked any song from Lamar's debut album, "good kid, m.A.A.d city" as the most important song of 2013 and it would have been a better choice. In 2014 he picked a song I never heard of by Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug called "Lifestyle". His reasoning was more about the emergence and weirdness of Young Thug than the music. Ok by me.

Another thing that makes "The Rap Yearbook" a great book is the collaborations. In each chapter, Serrano brings a fellow writer or friend in and they give their rebuttal to what should be the song of the year. So, we get at least two different perspectives in each chapter. Serrano isn't married to his choice and that makes him a wonderfully gifted writer. He wants outsiders points of view and ideas. He's open to hearing why he is wrong and why someone else is right. I love that.

"The Rap Yearbook" is a must read for all fans of rap music and music in general. It's fascinating and it brings you back to that time in your life. I knew exactly where I was when I first heard his 1999 choice, Eminem's "My Name Is". I can picture 16 year old me bobbing my head to his 1998 pick, DMX's "Ruff Ryder's Anthem". I vividly remember arguing with friends and family that Jay Z was the clear winner in his beef with Nas, and Serrano picked "Takeover" vs. "Ether" for his 2001 songs. This book is wonderful. Go out, buy it and read it. You won't be disappointed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is sorry to tell the head editor that 3rd Bass did not make the book. The head editor gave Ty the gas face. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Jon Lajoie's song "Stay at Home Dad" is True to Life

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

A couple of weeks back I wrote about a band called Wolfie's Just Fine. I really liked their new album and I put a full review on the site. As I mentioned in that blog, the lead singer is actor/musician/comedian Jon Lajoie. I'm a big Lajoie fan.

After listening to Wolfie's Just Fine new album on repeat for a couple of weeks, I decided I wanted to revisit Lajoie's comedy music. I own all of his music, but, my absolute favorite song is called "Stay At Home Dad". Now, most of you know that I am a stay at home dad, as I have written a piece about it and I have recorded a podcast about it. So, being that I'm a stay at home dad and a Lajoie fan, I wanted to really dig deep into the song and see how closely Lajoie's comedic version is to my real life. I'm going to break down the song, analyzing each lyric, don't worry, the song is short, and I will also break down the chorus, comparing it to my life.

Let's go.

The song opens with the chorus. The chorus is as follows, "I'm a stay at home dad/ I'm on paternity leave/ I'm a stay at home dad/ It's just the baby and me/ I'm a stay at home dad/ While my wife's at work/ I got a bottle in my hand and spit up on my shirt". So, yes, I too am a stay at home dad, obviously. That's an easy comparison. But, I am not on paternity leave. I was with our first kid, and it was great. It was so nice to be at home with my wife after we had our son. Now, with my daughter, I am the stay at home parent, so no paternity leave. It's just my straight up job. Which leads me to, "it's just the baby and me". Two days a week, my four year old is at school, so it is just the baby and me. I truly enjoy these days. This is when I really learn what my daughter likes and dislikes. This is also how we get on a schedule. The one on one time you get with kids is crucial. I got that with my son and now, I'm getting it with my daughter. Then, my wife does go to work, five days a week, 8 hours a day. She leaves the house at 7am and she doesn't get home until 4. So, another thing I relate to. And then there's the bottle in my hand and the inevitable spit up on my shirt or burp cloth. My daughter tends to wake up about an hour after my wife leaves and that's when I make my daughter's breakfast, which includes a 6 ounce bottle of formula. Sometimes, she eats it all, other times, she just wants the food and a little formula, but spit up is always the recurring theme. I have spit up on not only my shirt, but it's on my pants, socks and burp cloth. My baby loves to spit up. Lajoie nails this part. He is one hundred percent right about this. so, that's the chorus. It comes up a couple of times in the song later, but I just hashed it all out here, so I won't have to do it again. I will say though, for the most part, Lajoie is about 90 to 95 percent correct with all the stuff he says about being a stay at home dad. The only part that isn't that similar anymore is the paternity leave thing, but that's it.

Then, the first verse. It goes as follows, "baby wakes up around 5am/ kicking and screaming until his face turns red/ he usually tends to calm down once he's fed/ I give his bottle my wife gets out of bed". Okay, first off, I already said my baby sleeps until about 8 am my time. so, thankfully I don't have to deal with the 5am wake up call, but I think this makes me an anomaly. Most kids do get up very early, but my kids are pretty decent sleepers. Now, that's not to say that I haven't had early wake up calls, but it's not an everyday occurrence. The kicking and screaming only happens about 50 percent of the time. Some mornings I catch her before she starts to really freak out, but other days, it is the kicking and screaming and the red face. This definitely has happened to me on more than one occurrence. And yes, once I feed my daughter, and my son was the exact same, they immediately calm down after they get that first sip from their bottle. the crying stops and everything goes back to being calm and quiet. My wife is already on her way to work when I feed her, so she has been out of bed for awhile prior to the first feeding. This verse is very different from my everyday life, but I bet most stay at home parents deal with Lajoie's version much more so than my version. My kids are decent sleepers and my wife leaves before they wake up.

Then the second verse goes, " cook my wife breakfast while she's getting ready/ uh oh uh oh someone's diaper is smelly/ uh oh uh oh it leaked all over his belly/ uh oh uh oh it looks like mustard and jelly". So, all of this has, and will continue to happen to me, unitl my daughter is out of diapers. Also, my wife takes breakfast to work or makes her own breakfast. She is a much better cook than I will ever be. But, the smelly diaper, the leaky diaper, the mustard and jelly look of a leaky diaper, it's all true and it has all happened to me about a dozen times. My life very much mimics this verse, minus the cooking breakfast, to a T.

This verse is followed by, " kiss my wife good bye while I clean up his bum bum/ it's time for his bath/ this is going to be fun fun/ I try not to get soap in his eye/ he really doesn't like it, it makes him cry". Yes, a good bye kiss happens every morning, but not while I'm changing a diaper. But, after a leaky diaper, there is always a bath. My daughter loves baths. She soaks it all in. She doesn't even care about getting soap in her eye. We also buy the tear free shampoo too. So, this verse is different from my life. But, as I have said before, I'm in the minority. I'm sure a lot more parents deal with what Lajoie has to say, I just don't. I'm lucky I suppose.

The next part of the song goes, " but if he cries I've got a trick/ I make funny noises with my mouth like this/ goo goo ga ga ga/ then we play peekaboo/ it makes him laugh". When my daughter cries I do all the same stuff and more. I make funny noises. I make her laugh. We play peekaboo a ton. She loves it all and I do it all. Totally parallels my real life. Then we get the chorus. It's the same, with a few changes. He mentions he likes his job a lot. I do as well. He mentions that it's a full time job. It sure as hell is. He mentions having an afternoon snack and watching shows during afternoon naps. That's when I watch movies and my shows and when I eat lunch. So, spot on.

The final verse has the lyrics, " if I have to run errands I take the van/ strap him in his car seat/ and take the baby bag/ I always make sure his seat is well strapped in/ my baby's security is important/ groceries, pay some bills, visit grandma/ but I have to be back by 4 o' clock/ so I can prepare supper while I watch "Oprah"/ what sounds good tonight, maybe some pasta/ and a Caesar salad, my wife likes that/ 5 o' clock is the time she gets back/ she asks me how my day was I say not bad/ it's all in a days work as a stay at home dad". So, the errands. My life is running errands and I always take the SUV. I always make sure my daughter is comfortable and safe in her seat. I NEVER leave the house without my diaper bag. So far, 100 percent correct. We visit my kids grandparents all the time and we always make sure we make it home before my wife gets home so my kids can wind down. However, I do not prepare supper or watch "Oprah". I'm not a good cook, see above, and I don't care for afternoon talk shows. My wife gets home an hour earlier, but still pretty much the same. We always ask each other about our days and we always seem to say the same thing, it's a days work. This verse is pretty much one hundred percent straight on. It is a near perfect representation of my life.

The ending is the chorus as well, with some extra stuff added in. Lajoie mentions he gets high on baby hugs and watches movies and shows with the kids. I do both of these things, but my favorite Disney movie is the "Lion King", not the "Lion King 2". Then he finishes it off by repeating, "that's right I take care of my children" over and over again.

This song is almost the perfect representation of my daily life. I think about 75 to 80 percent of it is an exact parallel of my daily life. Lajoie is a genius comedian and song writer and "Stay At Home Dad" is his piece de resistance. It's an excellent, and very true, song.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does not need "Oprah" in his day, he already has Ina. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.