"Dude Rocks Like a Lady"

I (slowly during my class SSR time) have been reading the collection of essays  IV,by Chuck Klosterman.  One of the more fascinating articles that I read dealt with these all female cover bands playing masculine "crotch-rock." I was fascinated with some of the play on words and pseudo names the bands would take.  For example, the article, early on, focuses on lesbian rockers "Lez Zeppelin."  Back when the article was written, they were sponsored by the Showtime series The L Word to perform. The question remained, are they lesbians, or did they just market themselves to play an angle?

One of my two favorite bands featured had to be AC/DShe, who only perform pre-1980 AC/DC, with stage names like "Bonnie Scott" and "Agnes Young."  What made me chuckle was that AC/DShe had all-female, rival cover bands they had to deal with in the LA area, such as "Hell's Belles" and Zepparella.

The band I appreciated most had to be "Cheap Chick" - the Cheap Trick cover band.  (seriously, an all-female Cheap Trcik cover band?!?!) Someone at Nissan liked them, and felt they would be a good example of viral marketing and gave them a Nissan Quest to tour in.  I wonder how "Bunni" Carlos feels about it.

This is just one of many articles that I appreciated.  Check it out.

Best Year in Music - the Rebuttal (1975)

Off the top of my head, The one year that came to mind would be 1975.  A crucial year for music.  Classic Rock apex's, the singer-songwriter begins to fade, disco will begin to creep in, punk roots are formed, and alternative radio influences begin to form.  Do I listen to this stuff much now, not really.  But I can appreciate the influence it has had.

Here are my examples:

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

Patti Smith - Horses

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Blues for Allah by the Grateful Dead, Katy Lied by Steely Dan, Night at the Opera by Queen, Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith, Alive! by Kiss, Tonight's the Night by Neil Young, Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship, Dreamboat Annie by Heart, and Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed are not shabby runner-ups. 

Plus songs like "No Woman , No Cry," by Bob Marley, "Love is the Drug" by Roxy Music, "Low Rider" by WAR, "Slow Ride" by Foghat, "I'm not in Love" by 10cc, "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell, and "If" by Telly Savals all help to make a strong case for our country's199th year!