Kelby Sinka
The Paw Print
Since the first person put together the first mix, people all over the world have continually done the same. We’ve come a long way from the art of the mix-tape that I grew up with. Now we have CDs, mp3 players, and software for our phones which hold mixes that make up the soundtrack to our lives. Having dealt with music for some time and being enrolled in college most of that time, I’ve come up with a list of bands and songs that are perfect for any college student. From this perfect list, I’ve lined up five bands that most college students have never heard of. Some of these bands are a bit older, and by that I mean they are from the mid 90’s. The other bands are much more modern. So here it goes, oldest to newest:
Stroke 9 is a band that has been around, technically, since ‘89 and that is still rocking it today. They got their start in ‘89 for a class project and during this time they released a few self-produced albums. They didn’t really become active until ‘99 when they released Nasty Little Thoughts which yielded a radio hit “Little Black Backpack.” It is their second professional album which I find relevant to the average college student today. In October of 2002, they released an album called Rip It Off. It actually looked like a burned CD-R with the band’s name and album title written on it in permanent marker. The song list isn’t tiresome by any means and there are three songs on this album that really can appeal to anybody: “100 Girls,” “Vacuum Bag,” and “Kick Some Ass.” It is an all-around fun album and worth digging up and digging through.
Audiovent got their start in 1993 under the name of Vent. Unfortunately, they didn’t get anywhere until 2002, when they released the album Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris, and even though they fell apart in 2004, it was popular belief that they were destined for greatness having many ties to Incubus. Three of the four original band members are related to members of Incubus. The lead singer is the brother of Brandon Boyd, the guitarist is the brother of Mike Einzinger, and the bassist is step-brother to those two. Their only album features a handful of songs that are really enjoyable, and most of them are very high energy. The first song to look at is, in fact, titled “The Energy.” Another couple of songs to check out are “Gravity” and “Sweet Frustration.”
This next artist has already risen in popularity. G. Love, originally of G. Love and the Special Sauce, is a super-talented, versatile musician. He is commonly caught playing with several different artists, like Jack Johnson, and when he’s not playing with them he’s remixing their songs. As talented as he is, he seems to get attention the way John Mayer does; every song he writes seems to be universally dedicated to every woman. The album I think that best displays his work is Philadelphonic. The songs off of this album that are choice are his remix of “Rodeo Clowns” (featuring Jack Johnson), “Kick Drum,” and “Gimme Some Lovin.”
This next band needs no introduction. They did it themselves when they released the album Lines in My Face in 2004. Chronic Future got its start in 1996 with the release of a self-titled album but didn’t receive any attention until the release of Lines In My Face. The song “Time and Time Again” scared and empowered many people with its political message. Nearly all of the five albums they’ve released have one or two politically influenced songs, however, not one of these albums was as well received as Lines In My Face. “Shell Shocked” and “Time And Time Again” are very moving songs off Lines In My Face, but the songs I suggest are “Stop Pretending,” “Wicked Games,” and “Apology For Non-Symmetry.”
A personal favorite band of mine is SocialBurn. Their first majorly released album is in the top five section of my post-grunge or, in my day, “alt-rock” categories. Their story is a sad one. They started up in 2000 only to call it quits in 2007. They had two albums, What a Beautiful Waste and World Outside, which were self-released in 2000 and 2002, respectively. In 2003, they released Where You Are and followed in 2005 by The Beauty of Letting Go. The sad part of their story is that they had originally signed with Elektra Records for the release of Where You Are and in 2005 signed on to a Universal subsidiary label called IRock Records. During their national tour their drummer left the band, and they picked up a friend to step into his place to finish the tour. Eventually, the label they were under dissipated, and they were left unrepresented. They made their last stop and parted ways with their drummer deciding to take a break. They had not signed with any one until November 2007, when they called it quits. None of the band members have gone on to do anymore music since. The album that I think is most enjoyable is Where You Are and the songs I recommend from it are “Ashes,” “I’m Happy,” and “Stacy.”
So, there you are; five bands that are perfect for the college age group and which you most likely haven’t heard of. Most of them have since broken up and moved on to other bands. The songs I mentioned are worth at least one run through. I hope you enjoy.
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