The Truth About Music

"What's hot, what's not, and whats next in pop music"

Marketing Genius

By Harris posted December 13, 2008 at 13:09

Sitting here on a Friday night watching Mission Impossible II on TNT (in my opinion the best of the MI’s) and throughout each commercial is a slew of ads for Valkyrie. Of course the connection is Tom Cruise and his roles in both, but what I underestimated was the movie release date. Of course many movies are released around the holiday’s but the ones that come out on Christmas are generally special for one reason, the only people in theaters on this day are Jews (and some non celebrating christians). So in light of this knowledge why not release a movie all about killing Hitler on this christian holiday. This is a work of pure genius and whoever pushed or delayed this movie into coming out on this exact date should be rewarded. Nothing says money in the box office to me like Jews + Anti-Nazi Movie + Popcorn. This [...] Continue...
What To Expect

By Harris posted December 12, 2008 at 21:21

Following in the footsteps of greatness is never easy. There can be monumental failures and as always a few will survive. No one knows this task better than a little California group known as Green Day. They have released seven studio albums in there 15+ year career as a band. Coming in 2009 we will have album number nine. What we can expect from Green Day is the big mystery. They will follow up the amazingly successful ‘American Idiot,’ with a new still un-named album. More than a decade ago this same band faced the same situation, trying to write an album following the blow up of ‘Dookie.’ In 1995, just a year or so after ‘Dookie,’ the band released ‘Insomniac.’ To me we can look into the past and really see the future for Green Day. We know they are no longer the garage punk rockers but they do [...] Continue...
Harris’ Song of the Week: Bounce by The Cab

By Harris posted December 11, 2008 at 16:45

I haven’t had a case of “the song stuck in my headitus,” in a long time. I’m usually able to continue to move from song to song through an album or hit play on an endless playlist in my head. Over the few days this song has invaded my brain and whether I’m out to dinner, or playing Madden I just can’t stop humming or attempting to sing it. The Cab is a group out of Las Vegas, NV who are hopefully going to follow The Killers to success. They have an interesting blend of electronics and emo rock, which makes me think Metro Station (but they actually seem good). No offense to Metro Station but when they play live its among the more fake shows I’ve ever seen. The Cab seem to be a closer resemblance to Backstreet Boys meets All Time Low. Well listen to this song and [...] Continue...
Shenanigans, Copyrights, and Coldplay

By Harris posted December 10, 2008 at 00:30

Anyone who knows me personally knows that the only thing I hate more than peas is Coldplay. For some reason I just don’t see them as being that good. I’m sure if I saw them live my opinion would change but as it stands now, there just not for me. Regardless of my taste for piano pop, I just read an article in Rollingstong.com in which it told about Joe Satriani and his lawsuit against Coldplay over the song “Viva La Vida,” and how it shared the melody of Joe’s “If I Could Fly.” So being me, how could I pass up this opportunity to further ridicule Coldplay? Well its because Joe Satriani is full of shit. Copyright is there to protect people who steal other artists work. Problem here is that the songs sound nothing alike. There is clearly no intention by Coldplay to copy Joe’s less than hit [...] Continue...
Folie A Deux Leaks!!

By Harris posted December 08, 2008 at 10:53

Imagine how excited I was last night when a friend instant messaged me to inform me that Fall Out Boy’s much anticipated album had leaked. Of course, I am the strong opponent to downloading music (illegally) and still will end up purchasing this album when it is released but I could not pass up the opportunity to hear the album. I am currently listening to the album and will post my thoughts later on today. From what I am hearing so far, FOB fans will be extremely happy. Continue...
Something New to Listen To

By Harris posted December 07, 2008 at 19:41

Everyone gets tired of listening to those same 100-4000 songs on their iPod’s. I want to help you find some new music to fill your music players with. Last night I attended a concert at The Space which I was visiting for the first time. The show was headlined by Doublethink with some other local bands filling the opening spots. To me, the show was stolen by Readymade Breakup a group from New Jersey. This group blends a mix of sounds such as Tom Petty, The Beatles (who doesn’t) and JET, into a really pleasant unique sound. The set opened slow but quickly picked up with songs such as “Surrender,” and “Ugly.” Although at times there was an excess of talking in between songs, the group was extremely tight and has some really amazing recordings. By far the best part of the show for me was a song called “Back [...] Continue...
Storm vs. G-1 vs. iPhone

By Harris posted December 05, 2008 at 10:53

My weakest connection of the month is as follows: this post pertains to music because almost everyone I know in the music business now has a blackberry or other “smartphone.” On a recent, and ridiculously long trip to my local Verizon Store I had the chance to play with Blackberry’s “first ever touchscreen phone.” I want to be the first to tell you that this could be the most poorly designed device every conceived on planet earth. Earlier in the year I wrote a review describing my experience with the G-1 (The Google Phone by T-Mobile). I said that it was good, but did nothing to put itself above the raining champ, the iPhone. purchase female viagra uk The G-1 makes this phone look like a fisher price toy. The clickable screen could not be more confusing (especially to anyone who has ever used a “real” touchscreen phone), and the [...] Continue...
Harris’ Song of the Week: America’s Suitehearts by Fall Out Boy

By Harris posted December 04, 2008 at 18:00

In a drastic new marketing strategy that has developed over the last few years, bands are releasing the “singles,” from their upcoming albums early via iTunes and other downloading sites. Fall Out Boy in preview of their long anticipated album ‘Folie A Deux,’ has not released one, but four of its singles ahead of the album release date. This weeks single of the week is the fourth and final single to be released before the album. The track, “America’s Suitehearts,” will be track number four once the full album is available and to me this might be the best single ever put out by the group. This song is a great combination of catchy lyrics, great guitar riffs, and solid groove. To me, this is the most promising single released off of this album to date. It has helped to build the buzz surrounding this album and will no doubt [...] Continue...
As Picked By You!!

By Harris posted December 03, 2008 at 19:00

So after holding the poll for one week it seems that there is a tie for Rock Album of the Year. The tie is between Panic at the Disco’s, Pretty Odd and Jack Johnson’s, Sleep Through the Static. In the coming weeks I will be discussing my favorites of the year and picking my favorite in December. I have just posted the Rap/Hip-Hop album of the year poll so please vote in that. That is all for now. Continue...
Selling Out and "The Rock Bible"

By Harris posted December 03, 2008 at 18:25

I am in music school. What does this mean? A. I am surrounded by musicians who all think they are better than you. B. I am surrounded by teachers who all think they are better than you C. I am surrounded by students who think radio is the devil and that music played there is trash These people are also the ones who believe in the idea of “Selling Out,” a concept that I just cannot grasp. Although I could rant for another 982398474 pages about this subject, close examination of what is now my favorite book ever written sums it up best. “The Rock Bible,” a book (or bible) by Henry H. Owings discusses many of the cliches involved in the music industry. In his chapter all about the band itself he states “225. A ‘sellout’ is someone making more money than you.” This rule #225 is exactly the [...] Continue...