The Truth About Music

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

Early Reactions to Academy Award Nominations

By Harris posted February 03, 2010 at 10:00

I knew that the Academy Awards would be announcing their nominations list in the days following the Grammys. What I did not know is that they would drag the beautiful Anne Hathaway out of bed at 8 AM to do it live on television. Couldn’t they do a prime-time, concert-style event like what the Grammys did? Regardless of when they were announced, I of course have beefs to pick and races to dissect. Best Picture First to the nominees for Best Picture, the Academy’s most sought after award. This year the category was expanded to make the nominees seem more “accessible” to everyone. Why not just include every single movie released in 2009 in this category at this point? Where’s the nomination for “Jennifers Body,” “Couples Retreat,” and “I Love You Beth Cooper?” This category has become a joke, and the Academy is to blame here. “Blind Side” (70% on Rotten [...] Continue...
Has Country Become the Dominant Genre Within Pop?

By Harris posted February 02, 2010 at 10:00

Every few years, music as we know it shifts. It is fascinating to follow these transitions and grow as a listener each time. During the early ’90s, grunge took a prominent roll in pop music with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The mid ’90s saw a transition into punk rock as bands such as Green Day became the focal point of the pop spotlight. The late ’90s saw the focus move to boy (and girl) bands. These artists were true duplicates of the type of music people new and loved in the ’80s. Entering the new century, there was yet another cosmic shift in pop music. Much of this decade (00-09) was dominated by emo and alternative rock. Bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco and My Chemical Romance made huge names for themselves in a really short period of time. The last part of this decade was dominated [...] Continue...
Congratulations to Ginger, Winner of Our Pick The Winners Contest!!

By Harris posted February 01, 2010 at 17:00

Here are the final results of our Grammy contest. Although we only had a few entries we of course honor our word and help to promote music. Ginger will be receiving free music of her choice from The Truth About Music!! For those of you who entered, here are your number of correct answers: Herb answered 2/10 correctly Ben answered 4/10 correctly Jon answered 4/10 correctly Harris answered 7/10 correctly Ginger answered 7/10 correctly Congratulations again to Ginger for winning and be sure to check back often for more contests!! Continue...
Harris’ Album of the Month: “Smile Kid” by We The Kings

By Harris posted February 01, 2010 at 10:00

Once a band impresses you in one aspect of their overall product, it becomes easier to enjoy them as a package. Although I initially wasn’t impressed with We the Kings first self titled album, seeing them live changed my opinion drastically. They are easily one of the most energetic bands I’ve seen in the last few years and I’m looking forward to seeing them again as they tour through the east coast in a few weeks. With their tour rolling through my area I figured I should brush up on their latest album. Listening to it again after its release two months ago gave me a great perspective on it. I’m a person who is usually impressed by debut albums and much less impressed with sophomore attempts. We the Kings might have broken that mold. Although I was more impressed with the singles from “We The Kings,” the entire package [...] Continue...
52nd Annual Grammy Awards Gets the Awards Right, Performances Almost-Right

By Harris posted February 01, 2010 at 00:33

It’s almost too much to sum up into an article. After starring at both a television and my computer screen for over four hours (pre-shows included), sitting down to write about the Grammys seems like an endless task. What makes it easier is the fact that overall the Grammy voters got the picks right. Almost all of the awards went to the deserving performers. The other (more prominent) portion of the show was the performances. Most of them were perfect. The show started off the show on a really high note, pairing Lady Gaga, the hottest singer of 2009 with Elton John who is famous for his duets at the Grammys. One of my favorite Grammy performances of all time was him pairing up with Eminem to perform “Stan.” Overcoming this over the top opening would be a challenge for the shows producers. One of the most shocking (and Tweeted [...] Continue...