This band will always hold a special place in my heart because fours years go I had never heard of them until someone hacked into ticket reseller StubHub and used my account to buy a bunch of tickets to see them. Since then, my ears aways perked up when I heard their name. Finally earlier this year I bought my own tickets to see them tomorrow.
Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Interesting and different.
Have a great Monday! ~ Phil
I love this band and on Saturday my son and I are going to Philadelphia to see Motion City Soundtrack on their final tour. One of my favorite parts of every show is that at some point during the show lead singer Justin Pierre turns around and takes a panoramic selfie with the audience behind him and later posts it on Facebook and Instagram. It’s always fun to try and pick yourself out.
Unlike so many of the bands of our childhood who have all had several retirement tours, I believe this band is really going to stop touring. They’re all young enough to pursue other projects and talented enough to do well at other things. If you’re not familiar with them, they’ve been together since 1997 and their first full length studio album was released in 2003. I first saw them in concert in 2005 with my oldest son and now I’m seeing them for the fourth time on their final tour eleven years later with my youngest son. The circle of life eh? Listen to the song and follow the quick, clever, catchy lyrics. I guarantee you’ll be hooked. Also, I hope that Justin Pierre reads this and agrees to interview for #ThePhilFactor. Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Motion City Soundtrack, Music, Music Monday, The Phil Factor
I remember when this song came out and I thought 1999 was so far away. 1999 has come and gone and sadly, so has Prince. The final autopsy report isn’t out, but rumors are that Prince died of an opiate overdose. His overdose may not have been heroin either. Reportedly he was prescribed pain medications for pain in his hips. Using pain medications as prescribed usually isn’t dangerous, but no one knows if they carry the gene for addiction. At one time or another we all get prescribed a short acting opiate pain medication. Be careful and talk with your doctor about other pain control options when possible and appropriate.
Sorry I got a little preachy there. Have a great Monday! ~Phil
In late October of 2009 the singer K’naan was scheduled to open a leg of Maroon 5’s tour but had to cancel due to fatigue. According to band founder Mike Fitzpatrick, “Adam Levine of Maroon 5 was in New York to get a tattoo and his favorite tattoo artist had downloaded the record after hearing us on the radio. He told Adam, ‘you gotta hear this band.’ A week and a half later we’re opening for Maroon 5 on their college tour.” That’s not a bad way to get discovered eh? Here’s their new, unbelievably catchy song Handclap.
Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Fitz & the Tantrums, Handclap, Music Monday, The Phil Factor
Yes, this is my son’s band Nothing Personal and you can find their new album, Unforgettable, on iTunes and all the other digital music retailers. This is a poignant heartbreaking song about a break-up featuring guest accompanying vocals by Kristin Geary.
As always, if any of you know someone in the recording industry feel free to drop me a line so my son can get started on his career as a rock star. Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Burn Me Down, Liam Taylor, Music Monday, Nothing Personal, Unforgettable
Remember when one of your parents, worried about you being out late, said to you “Nothing good happens after…”? Some parents said midnight, others cited 2 a.m. We might have listened had our parents sounded as cool as the Brooklyn band Bear Hands do singing it. This song isn’t about youth though. It’s about getting older. It’s about that point in life when you’re weighing if “going out” is worth the effort or if you should just stay home and Netflix and chill. Over the past few weeks the chorus has gotten stuck in my brain.
Have a great Monday! ~Phil
SWMRS? Yes, SWMRS, pronounced “swimmers” is a punk/alternative rock band from Oakland, California. I heard this song on the radio a couple weeks ago and liked it, but I became more intrigued by this band when I heard the drummer, Joey Armstrong, is the 21 year old son of Billy Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, my favorite band ever. It frustrates me to no end that this band won’t spell their name the way it sounds.
Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Figuring It Out, Music Monday, SWMRS, The Phil Factor
allmusic.com
A few weeks ago I first heard The Struts single Kiss This and immediately loved it. To me it sounded like a super catchy throwback to 80’s pop-rock. Then today when I started to do what passes for research for my blog posts, I found this quote on Wikipedia: “The Struts have been described as “unabashedly over the top retro-fetishist classic rock”, “glamourous and dangerous”, and as “having a chance to spark a real rock revival with their hooky glam sound, which manages to pay tribute to the classics, while remaining impeccably modern“. They’re a four man band from Derby, Derbyshire England. Give this song a listen and be prepared to fight your urge to sing out loud.
You can also follow #TheStruts on Twitter if you want to keep up with their tour and new releases. Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Kiss This, Music Monday, The Phil Factor, The Struts
Yes, Ghengis Khan. the 12 century Mongol dictator. No, he’s not the artist, but the title of a song that has grown on me as it has grown in popularity in the alternative rock world. The band is Miike Snow (pronounced maIk sno). They’re a Swedish trio that has been together since 2007. Two of the members, who prior to forming the band, collaborated as producers and songwriters, actually won a Grammy award for having written Britney Spears 2004 hit Toxic. True to their pop music roots this song has a tremendously catchy chorus that I can’t stop singing in my head.
My favorite lyric in this song is from the chorus: “I get a little bit Ghengis Khan. I don’t want you to get it on with nobody else but me. With nobody else but me” I’m not bragging, but I was a bit of a whiz when it came to global studies back in school and I don’t specifically recall any mention of Ghengis Khan being a little too clingy in relationships.
Have a great Monday! ~Phil
Posted in Monday Blogs, Music
Tagged Ghengis Khan, Miike Snow, Music Monday, The Phil Factor
