J-Rock: A History

As I said when I started this blog there is no genre of music that is off limits, but after this I will change that statement that there is no genre of music that is relative to the industry that is off limits. The reason being is that my daughter called me out on the no genre off limits thing so I let her write this blog, and this style of music is what she is currently into. I hope you all enjoy this post.
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In Japan, the most popular type of music is often referred to as ‘J-rock’ or Japanese Rock.

Often times when people hear about or even listen to Japanese Rock music, they have this idea in their head that it’s just another type of music, that the Japanese were copying the Americans when American rock music first started, but that isn’t true. J-Rock got its start back in the 1960’s when The Beatles performed at Bodokun. The music intrigued the Japanese in such a way that they started to play their own music, but without copying the Americans. In America, rock music was often about sex, drugs and revolution, but the Japanese, being the conservative type of people that they usually are, didn’t want anything having to do with that. J-Rock is cleaner and very drug-free.

The very first Japanese rock music was still as rebellious as the Western alternative, only it mainly focused on the political issues going on in everyday life. The 1960’s became a very important decade in the Japanese music culture; especially for the fact the Kyoto student rebellion took place in that time period (which happened to have a very big impact in the whole entire J-Rock world). In the beginning, the sound was much like the sound you would’ve found here in America, but as the time passed, the sound (as well as the look) changed rapidly. Visual Kei (often referred to as ‘VK’) was born.

When people think about the VK look, they often think of the term “Emo,” which would be the American version of it, they never stop to think where the American version originated or even why it did; but it did come from VK. There are also a-lot of “sub-styles” that evolved from the Visual Kei look.

1) Visual Kei is the darker more “scary” type of music, much like the “Emo” music Americans have; but it’s so much more then that. Visual Kei has to do with a movement among Japanese artists that is labeled by the use of colorful and sometimes completely “out there” type of looks, and often includes lots of dark make-up and elaborate costumes. It also often (but not always) includes aesthetic. Most inside sources have said the the VK’s clothing and make-up is just their participation (which also happens to be just as important as the music itself).

2) Nagoya Kei is another “sub-style” of VK and is centered all around (and in) the city of Nagoya, Japan. VK is usually darker than the VK style and is greatly influenced by British “punk rock” but quickly turned into “gothic” and/or death-metal in the late 1970’s and early 80’s.

3) Oshare Kei is a Japanese music and fashion style (much like all of the other “sub-styles” of VK). Oshare bands are unlike any of the other styles in the way that they are bouncy, bright, and generally happy. Both the music and the style try very hard to send out a positive message to the listeners. The songs are normally about friends and relationships. When people think of the term “Oshare Kei” they often also think of Decora, and that is simply because that is what influenced the whole OK look in the first place. OK is the newest style that has come out of VK; it started back in 2001 by Ryo of Baroque in their PV (official video) "Anakuro Film".

4) Lolita is another “sub-style” of VK; it is pretty much a fashion sub-culture in Japan that was greatly influenced by Victorian style clothing. The unique thing about the Lolita fashion is that it became unique simply by adding “gothic” elements to the look itself.

I’m always getting asked why I like this type of music so much in the first place, and it’s very hard for me to answer that question. The music itself is just so unique, you can almost hear the history in it… but to do that, you’ve got to listen with an open mind and you’ve also got to understand why the songs are written the way that they are. There aren't a lot of people outside Japan that really find the music fascinating, and that is also part of what makes it so unique.

An example of VK music is
Miyavi – Jibun Kazumei



An example of NK music is…
Lynch – Ambivalent Ideal



An example of OK music is…
SuG - 39GalaxyZ


An example of Lolita music is…
Lolita23q – Siren Blue.

One Hit Wonders of the 80s

Most of you probably remember that a few posts ago here on Simple Man Music, I highlighted one hit wonders of the 70s. Today I'm back again with some of the most popular one hit wonders of the 80s. If you do a bit of research, the 80s was actually one of the time periods that had the most one hit wonders. It's hard to choose just a few, but here are some of the most popular ones from this decade.

"The Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats
One of the top one hit wonders of the 80s is no doubt "The Safety Dance." With a catchy tune, but a totally scary music video, it is definitely a tune that sticks in your head. Crank this one up and dance around your living room, your kitchen…grab the kids and dance…after all, "it's safe to dance."



"99 Red Ballooons" - Nena
Another of the one hit wonders of the 80s came from NENA. This was actually a new wave hit in Germany - a protest song in the era of the Cold War. It became popular in Germany and then made the charts in the United States as well. There is an interesting story behind this song, read it HERE.



"Angel Eyes" - The Jeff Healey Band
Jeff Healey's story is indeed an interesting one. A musician from Canada, he was blind, learning how to play guitar on his lap. He would later form the Jeff Healey Band. Although he has released quite a bit of other music, it was this song "Angel Eyes" that really became a big hit during the 80s. Many people have referred to Jeff Healy as "Angel Eyes" himself.



"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" - Georgia Satellites
This song is a favorite of mine - you just can't help but like this upbeat song by the southern rock band, Georgia Satellites. "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" is the song that they are known for and it hit #2 in the rock charts and the US Top 100 charts. When it comes to the one hit wonders of the 80s, this song just has to be on the list. The guitars are screaming, Rick Richards belts out the lyrics, and you can't help but sing along.



"Whip It" - Devo
"Crack that whip." You just can't get away from this one hit wonder of the 80s. In fact, it scored #15 on VH1s top one hit wonders of the 80s…big surprise. Teens of the 80s (and adults too) went nuts over this song. They didn't do much else that really got the attention of the nation, but this song was the one song they did succeed with, and we still remember it today. In fact, I bet you can even sing along…lol.



"It's Raining Men" - Weather Girls
Okay, for all you women out there, I know you remember this one. After all, we women can't forget a song that's all about "raining" down hot men. This song was actually offered to many of the female singing legends, but it was finally the Weather Girls, who accepted the song. Their version of the song became a hit, not only in the U.S., but it was considered an international hit. These girls didn't go much further, but hey, they got it all didn't they? After all, it rained men for them. "Hallelujah"



"Mickey" - Toni Basil
Toni Basil is known more today for her influence on dance and is one of the most incredible choreographers out there. She is also an actress, and many don't realize she has been involved in music as well. Although you probably haven't heard most of her music, her song "Mickey" was an international hit, and it's been featured in many different movies. It's one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head.



"Puttin on the Ritz" - Taco
Taco is actually a Dutch singer, and he was made famous by the one hit wonder, "Puttin on the Ritz." Although he did some other songs along the way, it was this song that made him famous and most people have only heard this song by him. Not only did it perform well on charts in the U.S., but it hit top chart positions in Norway and Sweden.



"Relax" - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood was a dance pop band in England and "Relax" was their debut single. It hit #6 on the charts, the BBC banned the song, and then they hit the #1 spot for five weeks in a row. Interestingly enough, the song is still one of the top hit singles of all time in the UK.



I hope you have enjoyed this look at the one hit wonders of the 80s. What other one hit wonders do you remember? Feel free to let us know.

Talented Tunes - Taylor Warren "Just Hold On"

Hi there everyone and thanks for dropping by Simple Man Music. Today I'm back with Talented Tunes, and I have an interesting new song and artist to talk about today.

Today on Talented Tunes, we're featuring Taylor Warren and his song "Just Hold On." You may not have heard of this guy and his band yet, but I think you will definitely hear more of him in the future.

His music has been on Animal Planet, MTV, and he and his band has even opened for Sugar Ray. So far he is unsigned, which is hard to believe, but the guy has a lot of talent, so I don't see him staying that way for long.

He just has released a new EP, I Am Who I Am, and personally I've found all of his music to be pretty good. You can find out more about Taylor Warren at his MySpace website http://www.myspace.com/taylorwarrenband.

The band has a pop rock sort of sound, and Taylor Warren provides some great vocals. The guitarists really have a great sound, as did the drummer. It all comes together to provide a great sound that you'll enjoy rockin' out to.

So take a listen to his tune, "Just Hold On." Let us know what you think.

Moby.....

Moby who was born Richard Melville Hall on November 11, 1965 in Harlem New York is one of music’s most prolific singer/songwriters. In addition to being a singer and song writer he is also a DJ and talented multi-instrumentalist as well. At nine years old Moby was already studying classical guitar and music theory, and eventually tackled piano, keyboards, bass guitar, and drums.

Moby has also played in a variety of bands such as the hardcore punk band Vatican Commandos. He has also performed with other bands like AWOL, Caeli Seoul, and Gin Train. In addition to the many different bands he has performed with he has also released music under the names Voodoo Child, and Schaumgummi. Moby also has eight top forty singles in the UK to his credit and has sold gold and platinum albums in more than 30 countries including the US.

Yet with all of this success Moby is not a name you would typically associate with a mainstream artist and you certainly cannot pigeonhole him into any one genre of music. However we hear his music almost everyday in music, video, movie, and TV outlets and often we may not even know it. Moby writes music and scores for everything from TV commercials to feature length films and he has made his pile doing it too.

Some of his most notable work in film includes "Bring Sally Up"/"Flower" from Gone In sixty Seconds, "Extreme Ways" from the Bourne trilogy, and "One Of These Mornings" from Miami Vice featuring Patti La Belle. He has also written commercial tunes for Volkswagen. Moby has done all of this and still maintains an active performance schedule, which includes playing at shows called degenerates around NYC.

Moby is also known for his activist stance on issues such as ecology and global warming. He owns a vegan restaurant in New York known as “Teany”. He has also been involved with the animal rights group called PETA. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) whatever the cause that is important to him he has proven to support them both vocally and financially.

Whether you agree with his political and world views or not he is no doubt an awesome artist as well as a global figure. If you guys have anything like Limewire, Napster, or Kazaa then I highly recommend that you download some of his stuff and give him a listen, I really don’t think that you will be disappointed I wasn’t. I have tons of music by this guy and I constantly play it all the time.

That’s all for Simple Man Music and I hope you enjoy the video. I promise you there will be much more to come. Have a wonderful day and I will see you all again soon CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Talented Tunes - Charice Pempengco "Note to God"

We'd like to introduce something new to you today here at Simple Man Music. You see, sometimes we come across songs that we really like. Perhaps we don't know much about the artist, or maybe we don't even care a whole lot for the artist, but there is just this one song that really grabs your attention. We haven't quite known what to do with music like this, so we have decided to start up a recurring post called "Talented Tunes" here at Simple Man Music. Basically we'll be highlighting a song, not really a particular band. If you have some ideas, let us know and we may highlight your favorite "Talented Tunes" as well.

For the first "Talented Tunes" post, I want to talk about a song I found through a friend. A friend sent me the link to this video and said, "you just have to check this girl out." I watched it and was very impressed. Not only does the song grab your attention, but the artist, Charice Pempengco is astounding, especially for just a teenager.

Charice got her start on a talent show in the Philippines several years ago. Since then she has appeared in other talent shows and even with some big name artists, like Celine Dion. She has performed on shows like Ellen and Oprah, and finally got music producer David Foster behind her music. Her first single is "Note to God" and Tim and I have found it an incredible song. Personally I can't wait to see what is in future for this young teen girl. Check out the song yourself below...

One Hit Wonders of the 70s - Music We Won't Forget

One hit wonders. If you aren't sure what they are, this occurs when a band does one song that is a big hit, and then essentially they aren't really heard of again. Basically their music career crashes and burns. The thing is, although some bands have only had their one big hit, we just can't get those one hit wonders out of our heads.

We're going to be doing a series on one hit wonders here at Simple Man Music, and today I'm bringing you some of the one hit wonders of the 70s.

Knock on Wood - by Amii Stewart
There are a few different versions of this song, but Amii Stewart's version is the most popular. During the 70's it became a popular disco tune, and you can't help but dance, or at least tap your toes when you hear this tune today. We haven't really heard from Amii again, but this song is 30+ years old and you are still hearing it.



Kung Fu Fighting - by Carl Douglas
Love it or hate it, all you have to do is hear the first couple bars of music and you know this song. You've heard it in countless movies, and every time you hear it, it definitely brings back a blast from the past. Enjoy the original video below!



Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
So you don't know any of the rest of their music, but I guarantee you recognize this one when the tune comes on. I have no idea why this was such a catchy tune. I mean really…"play that funky music white boy"??? However, I do have to admit, the tune is catchy.



I Don't Like Mondays - by The Boomtown Rats
Okay, right away I agree with this song. Not hard to see why it caught on. After all, we pretty much all hate Mondays anyway. If you have ever seen the original video, you'll get a good laugh. Unfortunately they won't let me embed the original music vid here, so here is a version. (If you get the chance go to YouTube and check out the real music vid too.)



My Sharona - The Knack
At the end of the 70s, "My Sharona" came out and it was a big hit. It was number one for six weeks. This song has a riff that is easy to recognize, and even big names, like Dave Grohl have named this song as a favorite.



Video Killed the Radio Star - Buggles
Once again, I'm not always quite sure how some of these songs became hits, but this happened to be a pretty big hit in the 70s. In fact, it was the very first music video on MTV, which is quite a distinction. It definitely does sound catchy, and it does accurately catch the change in the way we listen to our music today.




Well that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed this "blast from the past." Stay tuned. We'll be featuring some more one hit wonders soon!

Black Gold - Two Multi-Instrumentalists Make Music Together

Welcome back to Simple Man Music. I hope you had a wonderful weekend, celebrating the 4th of July. I know that I had a wonderful time with family and friends.

In the past we have mentioned that we plan on introducing to you some Indie bands, and today I want to introduce to you a young indie group - Black Gold.

This group is quite young, hailing from Brooklyn, and although they have only been together for a couple years, they have already been touring and plan to tour even more in the future. Their debut album, Rush, came out this past February, and those who have heard it have described the music as charming and warming.

Black Gold is made up of Eric Ronic and Than Luu. Both have worked with a variety of bands in the past and are multi instrumentalists. Their meeting occurred first on the Craig Kilborn Show, where they hit it off and decided to get together to play some music. The combination seemed to be "made in heaven" and the two found that they quickly meshed sounds together that were incredible.

One of the reasons Black Gold has quickly become popular is because of how they draw on so many styles and eras of music to develop a sound all their own. Together they bring so much to the musical mix, and working together they come up with incredible music.

Both Eric and Than had been performing for years as professionals. They have worked and performed on stage with groups such as Panic! At the Disco, Ambulance LTD, M. Ward, and Rachael Yamagata. In fact, in some of their songs, leading vocalist for Panic! At the Disco performs backup vocals for them. During breaks from the other commitments that they have, they get together, and it has been during those times that they write their music and record together.

These two musicians are incredibly busy, but their chemistry has made it easy for them to write and record together. Most of their songs take little time for them to write, with some only taking a couple hours. This is definitely the sign of a great duo.

They both feel that no styles and genres are off limits when they write and record music. In fact, they love to bring together various sounds from artists and musical periods, then making into something all their own.

This year Black Gold is getting out there and doing more touring. They have already done some touring, opening for Panic! At the Disco in the past, and now they will be hitting the road themselves. It is a true testament to their success.

Personally, the first time I ever heard these guys, I was mesmerized. Their music is incredible and definitely catchy. Below I've posted a couple music videos by them. I hope you will enjoy them and let us know what you think. I definitely believe that they are two to be reckoned with when it comes to Indie music today.

Michael Jackson RIP.....

Sorry I have been out of touch for a bit, but I was on a sort of personal/business hiatus, and yesterday was my birthday, which was quite memorable, however I digress. Suffice it to say that I am back now…..I hope. Anyways welcome back to Simple Man Music my friends, and let’s get started okay?

It seems that while I have been gone there was a lot of interesting events that occurred with regard to celebrity fatalities. It seemed that in one week we lost Ed McMahon a great entertainer and entrepreneur. Farrah Fawcett I still remember that poster on my wall. Last but not least Michael Jackson arguably the real king of pop, and they all will be missed. Today’s topic though a little bit late however is Michael Jackson, which is appropriate since this is a music related blog.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29th, 1958 and died on June 25th, 2008 just a couple of months shy of his 51st birthday. A performer from his early childhood he was obviously the talent in the family vocal group The Jackson Five, and as he grew older he quickly outpaced the J5 and ultimately left them all behind. Michael’s solo career was stellar and his talent and touch took him to the top of world in the entertainment world.

Now I will be honest with you I am not a big fan of Michael Jackson and I have never been, although I do like al lot of the performers who helped to create the Mowtown Sound, in which the Jackson family played a major part. I did like some of things he did in his solo career though. One of my favorites was the song and video “Beat It” because I thought it a very cool thing to have Eddie Van Halen play the guitar on the track. I also thought that the “Thriller” video was awesome.

Before I go I have to say one more thing too. It doesn’t matter whether you are an MJ fan or not. It doesn’t matter whether you believe all the controversy surrounding Michael and kids. It doesn’t even matter if you think the guy was GINORMOUSLY weird. The only thing that matters now is that this consummate entertainer, performer, musician, and artist be recognized for his contributions to his industry, craft, and fans.

That’s all for now kids, enjoy the video, and I’ll see ya all again real soon, CIAO4NOW!!!!!