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As told to me by Wikipedia, the definition of Indie Rock is “alternative rock that primarily exists in the underground music scene.” I needed to visit the experts as this definition undoubtedly varies from person to person every 2 minutes or so and I did not want to blunder. And a compilation, as we all know, consists of a variety of songs chosen from different artists to collectively cover a genre of music.
So we have “Indie Rock” and “compilation” straight. However, somewhere along the line in This is Indie Rock, we lost the idea that a compilation is supposed to further intrigue the listener to investigate the stylings of those bands or that genre of music. In that sense, this album fails miserably.
This album does nothing to give me an idea or inkling of the Indie Rock arena and what I should be cheering for within it. There are a number of songs that make me want to turn the album off and never listen to it again, just like when I heard Vanilla Ice perform “Go Ninja Go Ninja Go” from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. That, by the way, made him lose ALL credibility he built with such hits as “Having a Roni.”
There are 3 categories into which I will place the 12 tracks from this album: 1) songs that I enjoyed, 2) songs that I neither liked or disliked, and 3) songs that made me cringe as though someone was raking their nails against a chalkboard (which in my mind is overrated in terms of annoying sounds–there are many that rank ahead of that).
Songs that fall into the first category are few and far between on this album. They are “Indie Pop Song” by The Blind King, “Frontiers” by Second Hand Stories and “Rooms” by Leaving Lounge (who, by the way, don’t seem to exist–on the internet, at least). Listing these 3 songs also reminds me of the strange band names on this album I wasn’t sure if I was listening to Indie Rock or to an audio CD of short stories by random authors (this is typically not a good sign). These three tracks all featured the aspects that make music enjoyable for me: solid vocals, harmonies and actually singing opposed to screaming. I am also more inclined to follow music with guitar and piano rifts that nicely mesh with the vocals to support the infusion of the sounds melodically. These bands interest me enough to take a gander at their MySpace pages to get a better idea of how they sound and to discover what they are capable of.
Songs that fall into category 2 (those that triggered nary a reaction from me) were “I Must Save the President” The Pit That Became a Tower, “Marionettes” Clair de Lune, “Puzzle: Part One” Winter in Alaska, “Silver and Gold” Joanna Erdos, and “Bells and Hammers” The Kidcrash. On any given album, it’s okay if specific songs don’t jump out or impact you in any way as those albums tend to create that feeling of cohesiveness and the tracks all being part of a larger meaning. With a compilation CD, however, every song should at least have an effect one way or the other. The songs chosen for an album should be tracks that would be most conducive to garnering a reaction of some sort from the listener. A “blah” song detracts from the purpose of a compilation, much like writing this review is detracting from my overall “real world” work production (which is welcome).
Finally, we have songs that fall into category 3 - the songs that are actually painful to listen to. These include: “So Simple” Lakota, Siva, “Saturday” Throat, and “Weekend Warriors” by Dino Velvet. They all have the same qualities in common, a complete disregard for actual singing. Maybe I’m odd or different but music generally doesn’t appeal to me when it is accompanied by indiscernible screaming. Granted, I understand there is an entire genre of music that is dedicated to this style of screaming however, this isn’t a Heavy Metal compilation, even though I did feel that a third of this “Indie Rock” album was dedicated to the metalheads of the world. In a sense, I feel as though I was duped, even deceived, if you will. I’ve learned my lesson. Indie Rock compilation albums will now stay on the shelf when I journey into the realm of music perusing.
Label: Deep Elm Records
Release date: January 26, 2004
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    Beazley Phillips, originally from the dirty south (how do we define the dirty sou
th as opposed to just the south? Does it correspond to number of Waffle Houses and Chik Fil-A’s?), transcended himself as an artist when he moved to Chicago to follow his first love, the blues. Since his move Beazley has refined his style and writing and what resulted is a debut album entitled Shooting Ghosts, featuring Beazley on the keys and as lead vocalist. Shooting Ghosts was released in 2005 under the Zendogs, Inc label, and slowly yet surely, Beazley Phillips Band has been picking up steam on the touring front. They garnered enough of a following to produce a second album which they are diligently pounding out as you read on.Â
Beazley Phillips Band has but 3 members, breaking the conventional, archaic 4 man band set up that many up and coming artists are daring to break these days.  For a long time it seemed as though breaking from this mold was against the rules of band formation, and kind of like Tae Bo…no matter the inherent positives, you just didn’t do it. Beazley captures your attention with his shifty yet smooth piano rifts and with his voice, which bears a striking resemblance to a young Elton John. To my knowledge Beazley has not started wearing flamboyantly obnoxious outfits that make you feel uncomfortable to witness from afar, let alone upclose. We’ll hold our breath.Â
“Freedom,†the first song on Shooting Ghosts, is hands down the crowd pleaser of the album. At any point when playing this song, I feel that Beazley is capable of standing up and, kicking back the stool at the piano like Jerry Lee Lewis, performing “Great Balls of Fire,†whether or not he is performing live or playing in the studio.  I don’t see how you couldn’t listen without thoroughly enjoying the rest of Shooting Ghosts, especially after getting your first real taste of “Freedom,†compliments of these highly passionate trio of musicians.Â
Check out Beazley Phillips Band’s Myspace Page and Website to experience their talent for yourself. (EG = Eric Hill, Pete = Pete Nocito)
1. When historians listen to your most recent CD 1000 years from now, what will
they say?
Pete: I think historians will wonder why there were no B#’s, they will honor us for originality, but condemn us for our lack of sharp beez!
EG: rolls his eyes.
Beaz: Historians will just look at each other and ask, “Didn’t they have therapy back then?”
2. If you could play a show w/ any band/musician living or dead, whom would you
pick and why?
Beaz: Phish, Dream Theater, The Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia and Bruce Hornsby! Fleetwood Mac as a songwriter, right before Rumors was released!
 Pete: Why not cut out the middle man? How about playing a gig on the bones of long dead musicians, kind of like that scene in the Goonies with the pirate skulls.
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3. What is the strangest band-related dream you have had?
Pete:Â I think the stragnest band related dream I’ve had was having to miss work the following day because I left my pants at the gig the night before.
 Beaz: I dreamed I was on a cruise ship with the band and after an days of being wined and dined, the crowd all waited for the BIG NIGHT and when the MC introduced us, we realized they all thought we were the Dazz Band…weird huh?
4. What do your fans look like?
We have a pretty good looking bunch; most of them have jobs and some are pretty hot and a lot of them are single, maybe we should play Match.com now that I’m thinking about it.
5. What bullshit do you run into at most every show that makes you think, “Man,
this Bullshit again?”
Pete: We’re pretty prepared, so we cover our bases. The most annoying thing is when we’re playing a show and everyone’s too busy drinking to watch the show, that’s when I take my shirt off and everyone see’s the American flag painted on my belly, now there’s an attention grabber.
 Beaz: The load out totally blows. My keyboards in their cases are majorly heavy! I’m always thinking I should have played a lighter instrument like the guitar or recorder or something.
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Bonus Question: Why won’t you forget to tip your bartender?
 Beaz: Cuz I was one for years!
 Pete: Because they might eat the yellow snow if you don’t.
 EG: Dude, that doesn’t even make sense.
 Pete: So?
Good God! A hearty pat on the back goes to David McMillin and his animated pianist Kyle Johnson for attracting an audience with an approx 4:1 girls to guys ratio. I wouldn’t expect to see that ratio unless I was in the DeLorean being transported back to 1991 for a New Kids On The Block “Hanging Tough†concert (most people who are action figures and appear on lunch boxes hang really tough in my personal experience). Kudos from this guy, for sure.Â
           David and Kyle put on a splendid show as anticipated at Schubas in Chicago last night. They were backed by Jessica Sonner who lightly yet beautifully sang backup for David on the last two songs of the evening. There was definitely no lack of sound to encompass the cozy back room of this quaint Chicago haunt.Â
The only problem I had with the concert is the first song should have grabbed the audience’s attention a little bit more. I would have liked a little something that really broke through and made the crowd notice in a firm but gentle way (you know, like tough love). Aside from that, I heard the musical nuances that I expected from these talented musicians.
Throughout the show, David displayed an uncanny ability to move from a gruff, almost smoker sounding blues voice to a light, choirboy-like sound. When David moved to his higher notes and really let his voice loose, Kyle, appropriately called K-Smooth by friends for his silky smoothness in tickling the ivories, switched to giving those keys a full out ass beating. What ensues is a great balance of guitar jams and piano solos, a result of David and Kyle’s musical connection on stage that resonates through the audience.Â
There was a nice variety in the 9 songs that the band played; an appropriate number for a Wednesday night show. “Every Good Man,†a blues rift in which you could feel David’s conviction in his lyric writing and K-Smooth rocked the keys like the man was born to do. His animation and passion on his keyboard really set the tone for the crowd. I don’t normally compare people to Muppets, but if you’ve ever seen Rowlf the Dog jam the piano in a Muppet movie, then you know the level of passion that I attempt to describe. Read more »
 While listening to De Nova, the addictive breakthrough album from Chicago’s own The Redwalls, I found myself trying to hammer down a genre of music to put them in. Out of the gates it has a rockish feel with the band banging out the chords and Logan Baren partially screaming his rifts into the microphone. The kicker is that there is an unobtrusive medley of horns throughout both the first track and the album in its entirety. This is not your typical ska infused horn either. The Redwalls feature much more of a melodic, harmonizing horn section, adding a unique sound to their already difficult to categorize musical style.
“Thank You,†the hit single from De Nova, is a completely different sound than the more rock-like style already mentioned. What you catch on this track is an excellent use of background singers hitting a symphonious harmony. This accentuates the voice parts and the ease with which Baren climbs the tonal ladder to hit those unimaginably high notes that any common singer would love to be able to hit. Read more »
In his debut album, Outlast The Day, David McMillin displays impressive tonal diversity in his southern rock/folk infused sound, with the help of his trusty guitar and his two comrades playing percussion and tickling the ivories behind him. He shows the ability to blend his own unique voice with harmonies on “Annabelle” and “Long Time Leaving,” forming a marriage of sounds that is pleasing to the ear, a relationship we can only hope will grow stronger with time. Check out David’s Myspace page to get a taste of his style with those tracks and two others that seamlessly assert a feeling that you are listening to an acoustic set with Chris Robinson, who rocked the mic for the Black Crowes.
I personally have seen David take the stage a few times and, despite his tracks seeming to be a bit slow moving for the live music lover, I can guarantee you that you will find it difficult not to be the guy bopping along to the music unknowingly. In fact, I dare you not to be. You will have the chance to prove me wrong if you happen to be in Chicago next Wednesday, April 4th, to check out David McMillin as he performs at Schuba’s.
1. When historians listen to your most recent CD 1000 years from now, what
will they say?
They will say, ‘Man, who was this Annabelle girl?’
2. If you could play a show w/ any band/musician living or dead, whom would
you pick and why?
John Lennon. No one channeled creativity like Lennon. From the groundbreaking pop styles of the Beatles to the activist side that emerged in the late 60s and throughout the 70s, John’s songwriting and commitment to becoming a better musician shined.
3. What is the strangest band-related dream you have had?
I woke in the middle of the night in a motel room in a panic, worried that I had to drive to El Paso, Texas for a show the next day. I was in Boston. That drive is not possible in a day. I got out of bed, put on my pants and realized that the drive to El Paso could wait. So I took my pants off and went back to sleep in Boston.
4. What do your fans look like?
Insanely beautiful.
5. What bullshit do you run into at most every show that makes you think, ‘Man, this Bullshit again?’
When we unpack our gear and I realize that I left another guitar stand in the previous city, I begin to question why I even bother buying guitar stands. I have left one in each major city in the eastern half of the country.
Bonus Question: Why won’t you forget to tip your bartender?
Because bartenders are the wisest people in the world. I’ve learned more on a barstool than I ever learned in a classroom.
For those of you who have not had the immense pleasure of taking a tour of melodious samplings of San Francisco based artist Josh Fix, then I suggest stopping what you are doing right now and going to joshfix.com to listen to his upcoming album debut in its entirety for free. I was lucky enough to stumble upon Josh’s incredibly talented Queenesque tracks through the magical world of the internet (God bless you Pandora and all you do for those of us who are confined to the cubicle world) and listen to it at least once a day.
Josh’s voice has a wide range and is eerily similar to that of Robbie Williams, he of Millennium fame. He plays all of the instruments himself (aside from the percussion) displaying an inconceivable array of musical ability; most of us have a hard enough time with just one. My only complaint would be that to my knowledge the gentleman has not made his way to Chicago to play a show, single-handedly depriving me of the opportunity to witness songs such as “Don’t Call Me In The Morningâ€, and “Burn It Downâ€, two of my favorite tracks on the album. Something tells me I will not have to wait much longer.
1. when historians listen to your most recent CD 1000 years from now, what will
they say?
“An effective early twenty-first century example of rudimentary Dickensonian
cowbell technique.”
2. if you could play a show with any band/musician living or dead, who would
you pick and why?
I would like to play a show with an imaginary band I just invented:
The Angry Hasselhoffs.
3. what is the strangest band-related dream you have had?
I own a guitar pedal that came in its own black satin bag. It’s both pimping
and kind of disgusting and dirty looking. The band has dubbed it the “May
Sack.†Last week our guitarist came to rehearsal informing us of a dream in
which he was diagnosed with “May-Sacks Disease.†I don’t know why
that’s funny, but it just is.
4. what do your fans look like?
How the fans look is far less important than how they smell. And ours smell
terrific.
5. what bullshit do you run into at most every show that makes you think “man,
this bullshit again?”
“Can I get more glockenspiel in my monitors?â€
bonus question: why won’t you forget to tip your bartender?
As a contingency plan, should my hare-brained capers fail to pan out, I’m
going to need access to strong drinks at a discounted price, most likely on a
long-term basis.
