Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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I must be getting old -- okay, I *am* old by some of your standards, but last night I had a beer with Herb Campbell of The Hanks on my back deck. Herb and my wife had filmed a commercial the past couple of days and it was time to celebrate...which we did well with a brew that I made called "Lawnmower" -- you can cut the grass and have 2-3 of these suckers and still legally drive. Flavor, not alcohol content, is the idea here.
Anyway, The Hanks were one of those bands that should have "made it" but didn't. Raleigh (and yes, it was RALEIGH, not Chapel Hill) was the nexus of some very great music.
We got to talking about the great music that was around NC State but for a lot of reasons faded away. For example, we seem to be in an endless rebuilding cycle of Hillsborough St. -- just to restore it to its former glory. Anyone who spent a night in Edwards Grocery watching Chuck Nevitt sit his beer in the rafters so he could chat up a girl will tell you about the good times there.
Or the days when Darryl's was the place to go -- the waitresses were all gorgeous, and they all wore leotards with hose and high heels. Yeah, cheesy, but it was the 1970's and for a young fellow, that was something like he was uhhh, looking at in the magazines. Having a beautiful college girl smile at your skinny 12 year old foolish self just made your day. And the food was good too.
Anyhow:
The Fabulous Knobs were one of the most sought after Comboland bar and party bands of the early 80's. Playing every bar, club, and frat house in the Triangle, The Knobs were a hard-working full time band. Their 1981 album was the first local hit for regional label, Moonlight Records and heavily promoted by record chain Record Bar. The fans were fueled by lead singer Debra DeMilo's no-holds barred performance...and the guitarist was David Enloe, a guy who could probably teach Keith Richards some new licks.
Doc Holliday quickly gained fans and record sales with their 1981 debut album, Doc Holliday. And worldwide acclaim with their second album Doc Holliday Rides Again.
Doc Holliday was a hard rockin' Southern Rock band, touring with bands like Black Sabbath. But, seduced by the dark side of keeping trendy for the Pop charts, German record producer Mack changed DH into a New Wave Techno Southern Rock Pop band. The change brought rejected airplay from MTV, abandonment from their record label and devastation to the band.
Doc Holliday should have been the first wave of the new wave of Southern Rock now coming out of Nashville. Had they kept to their roots, they could have been at the top of the Nashville Class Of '87. Instead they were seduced by the chart success of the early 80's Techno Pop sound. A seduction brought to a number of bands (in other words, it seemed like a good idea at the time).
PKM was a semi spin-off of the band Nantucket. Pee Wee and Kenny were the rhythm section of the band. When Nantucket lost their deal with Epic Records, P and K split and picked up guitarist friend Mike Gardner to form this killer power trio.
Hailing from Charlotte, NC, The Spongetones formed in 1978. The following year had the band line-up evolve into what you see today and in the music videos below. Their influence is evident in their homage to The Beatles and Mersey Beat. But there is so much more to this band. As opposed to the litter of Beatles tribute bands and sound-alikes, The Spongetones brought an original flair and high-impact energy to the music they produced. The song writing, musicianship and production is influenced and then enhanced into a new and original intensity. If the album BEAT MUSIC had been released at the end of the 60's it would have been a genuine hit. But instead an early 80's release offered national critical raves and only regional sales.
And there were a lot others.
There's some good music in town now, but there's no Edward's, no Village Undergroud (w/ The Pier, The Bear's Den and the Cafe Deja Vu) or anything close to it for the bands to shine. I hear King's is going to re-open soon, but that's one of maybe two or three. Hell, the Underground had four great bars in one place.
Pack Mentality
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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I was in a heavy metal band while I was in college in the '90s. The Brewery and The Mission along with some other clubs made Raleigh well known locally and also get mentions in Rolling Stone magazine as one of the hotbeds of hard rock in the country. The music scene in town was great at that time, there were a lot of really good bands of all of genres.
I believe that rock music just isn't as cool anymore with high school and college kids due to electronic music and hip hop. But I do think a new scene is emerging in Raleigh - but more underground and will never be as mainstream. The Dive Bar has some good local bands as well as The Berkeley Cafe. And there are a few good bands in Chapel Hill right now.
I haven't played out with a band in about a year. Kids, wife, and job keep me from really doing it too much. But up until last June I still played at these clubs that I mentioned. But they are a far cry from my college days when The Brewery would put your name up on the board outside and word of mouth from there would pack the place any day from Thursday to Saturday.
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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The good news is that with pro-tools, any shmo with a guitar can make a record that sounds like it was done in a studio.
The bad news is that with pro-tools, any shmo with a guitar can make a record that sounds like it was done in a studio.
bTHEredterror
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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You actually don't need the guitar.....
Pano Fasoulas
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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How could you forget The Connells and Johnny Quest?!?!
BassPacker
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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I spend a many nite at the Bears Den when rock hair bands was king. PKM was one of my favorites, as was Thrush and even ocassionally went to see Mike Cross. I heard there is gonna be a re-union concert soon with PKM and a couple other local bar scene bands, I can't remember where. The Underground was the place to go, ah, the good ole days, lol.
"It don't take much... to keep me happy"!
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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BassPacker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhfW3qyJcFw
I saw something about a reunion show too in the Pravda of Chapel Hill, "The Independent."
I think my cat pooped on it, but you can find one and it is in the Cradle's listings, IIRC.
BJD95
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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Sex Police, damn it! Their CDs are still in my car's music stash.
LKNpackfan
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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Raleigh is still a big indie music town, up until at least when I moved away in the early 2000s. Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown, Bon Iver, Megafaun, Weekend Excursion: All got their start in Raleigh and, IMO, should have hit the mainstream. (the first one sort of did, I guess)
travelwolf
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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I like hard rock - but it's hard to find great rock anymore. I've listened to lots of new artists and every once in a while do I hear some good riffs/tunes. Not sure why... maybe there just isn't money in it anymore because of all the piracy - and as a result, labels aren't putting up the cash to hire top-notch producers and studios.
Every time I listen to the radio, I think "Who choses this sh$%*%t" and turn it off. I'd rather listen to cds I already have.
Nickelback is OK. I like Green Day, but their last album is weak. Eve6 is way underrated. Tsar rocks on their Money-Band-Girls album - not sure why I never heard them on the radio. Stroke 9 is alright.
If anyone has any good recent hard rock / punk bands they know about, I'd appreciate you mentioning them.
Pack Mentality
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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^ I like Them Crooked Vultures. Members are John Paul Jones (Zeppelin) on bass, Dave Grohl (Nirvana) on drums, and Josh Homme (Kyuss and Queens of the stone Age) on guitar and vocals. They put out a very good album In November.
Old school I highly recommend Rainbow album Rainbow Rising. One of Ronnie James Dio's finest moments.
wbnation
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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my favorite 2 bands out of Raleigh have to be:
COC-Corrosion of Conformity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNjkmLoYax4&feature=channel
The Connells
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4nuQIaSx8U
late 80's early 90's had the best music........o
fullmoon1
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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The pressure boys were good and i also liked the sex police. Geezer Lake was fun also.
stately
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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Caught the Connells on Friday night as they opened the new downtown Raleigh Amphitheater. The fellas still sounded great! Wished they had gotten to play for more than an hour.
Clarksa
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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Sex Police, damn it! Their CDs are still in my car's music stash.
Preach on brother! All three CD's and the Johny Quest CD is still in my rotation. Sex Police have done three reunion shows since they broke up and I am patiently waiting for more...which will probably never happen.
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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^ The Sex Police were one of the most fun bands I ever got to see. They were having a good time and so was everyone around them.
JasonP
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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Jump in that elevator.
That's what I'm going to do.
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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This past week was apparently the worst sales week for albums in recorded history. There have been any number of blogs and editorials about it, but it's been interesting to see the reaction from the guy on the street, since he's the one buying (or...NOT buying) the records.
The general consensus seems to be that the major labels only pump out:
- hip hop music that saw its best days back in the mid-90s and have been treading water ever since; and,
- Crappy, generic, pop music from American Idol-wannabees that don't write their own stuff, can't play an instrument, and are just crooning canned songs and relying on the cult-of-personality to sell their stuff.
That seems awfully broad to me. I hate rap music, so I can't comment on the first one. But haven't the majors ALWAYS done the second thing?
I think videos hurt the music business. Rhianna is a GORGEOUS woman, but she is one of the least talented people to ever record a note of music. She can't sing and the music they get for her sounds like it was put together by someone with Tourette's that went off their meds. The only thing that keeps her from being THE LEAST talented singer is Keisha (who doesn't even have the advantage of being attractive).
I think the radio consolidation of the late 90s and early 00s hurt the music business. We all remember that WRDU was one of the best small-market stations in the country. And ClearChannel managed to cut its balls off and turn it into one of the blandest stations this side of an elevator.
One of the main complaints is that radio stations play the same 30-40 songs over and over and over and over and over and over. They have tiny playlists, the DJs have no say-so over what gets played, there's never anything new or unusual being played, etc.
Radio stations will counter by pointing to listener surveys. Those surveys claim that listeners don't WANT huge, diverse playlists. They WANT the same songs over and over again. Yet at the same time, radios active listener base has been dwindling in direct proportion to the consolidation of the market. I wonder if those surveys are being filled out by the passive listeners (the ones who turn on the local Sunny FM station and use it as sonic wallpaper).
hoop
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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I really don't know where you get the idea that Rihanna can't sing. My mother hates Rihanna and readily admits that she has a good voice. Now Taylor Swift, on the other hand, can't sing to save her life. And she writes her own songs. So there's your singer songwriter there.
Rihanna has the balls to dance and sing live during her performances. I have a lot of respect for abilities and think she's great. Rihanna is not the music industry's problem.
I took WRDU for what it was worth. I love classic rock but can only take so much Led Zeppelin day after day, year after year. WRDU never played any new rock and that's why they went out of business. At least pop stations switch songs every 6 months. WRDU never did.
I do agree that consolidation has hurt the industry. I hope we get back to the point that the DJ can make a difference but I won't hold my breath.
packplantpath
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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WRDU in the early to mid 90's definitely did mix up a few newer rock songs. Pearl Jam, STP, Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, to name a few were all fairly common to hear. Not as much as classic rock, but definitely some. I listened to it for probably on average 9 hours per day every summer working in tobacco. It was the only station that didn't completely suck that could be picked up in middleofnowhereville NC. I did often wish for more new stuff though.
Personally, I think the era of "name" jockeys who talked too much - John boy and billy and Bob and "insert name" in the morning, etc is what killed radio. If I wanted talk, I would turn to NPR or AM.
I have never heard Rihanna live, but her autotuned radio music makes my ears bleed. It's just too much, and I don't know how much is really her. Taylor swift needs more autotune, though I give her props for not using it, because she is awful.
Pack Mentality
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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In my opinion record labels have made the decision to go with "artists" who are more about promoting some sort of a fashion statement than those who play decent music. Not all hip hop does this - but it seems that much of the hip hop that they are really pushing does this. Also, all the pop music does this. I do think that bands should make their money off of touring more so than records and touring should be used to help album sales. Who wants to go to see a concert of someone promoting a fad instead of real music. So there is the whole dilemma for album sales.
Tell me this - who are the current bands that have 3 or more functioning members who all contribute to playing the music and songwriting? Of all of these bands how many are big time? Not that many.
Up until about 2000 bands could be second tier status and do decent financially (like not working a second job). By that I mean not big time famous stars, but a name you may or may not have heard of. They would make decent money like this. Nowadays bands that are not very rich and famous are more or less dirt poor...there is no real "middle class" for bands.
I don't really know what my point is. Is the promotion of style over substance by the record companies to blame, or are they just following what the natural progression of evolving tastes are by the high school kids?
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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I really don't know where you get the idea that Rihanna can't sing.
The fact that every song has her auto-tuned. She's terrible.
I love classic rock but can only take so much Led Zeppelin day after day, year after year. WRDU never played any new rock and that's why they went out of business. At least pop stations switch songs every 6 months. WRDU never did.
You are talking post-ClearChannel takeover. I'm talking 1980s. When they were voted the best small-market station three years in a row by Rolling Stone (back when people read that magazine).
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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WRDU in the early to mid 90's definitely did mix up a few newer rock songs. Pearl Jam, STP, Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, to name a few were all fairly common to hear. Not as much as classic rock, but definitely some. I listened to it for probably on average 9 hours per day every summer working in tobacco. It was the only station that didn't completely suck that could be picked up in middleofnowhereville NC. I did often wish for more new stuff though.
Like I said, go back further than that when Tom Guild was the program manager and they played INCREDIBLY diverse music. The first place I ever heard the Depeche Mode album with "Personal Jesus" (Violator?) was on WRDU. 9:30 p.m. on a weeknight, I'm driving back from Raleigh and the DJ announces that he liked the album so much that he was going to play five or six cuts.
On Sunday mornings, they had the Jazz Brunch where they would play everything from modern fusion to classic bop. They played Sonic Youth, the played Nirvana, they played classic rock going all the way back to Buddy Holly and Elvis.
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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Up until about 2000 bands could be second tier status and do decent financially (like not working a second job). By that I mean not big time famous stars, but a name you may or may not have heard of. They would make decent money like this. Nowadays bands that are not very rich and famous are more or less dirt poor...there is no real "middle class" for bands.
There SHOULD be. Let's say you're 18 years old and you and your boys just put together a band. You have a couple of good original songs and some decent material for an album.
You have ZERO to gain by signing with a label. You damn sure aren't going to make any money with them and you'll probably end up OWING them more money. In fact, not only should you stay away from a label...stay away from A&R men entirely.
You can make your own record, sell it yourself online and at concert appearances and book your shows yourself. There are plenty of small venues that will rent to you. There are touring companies that specialize in small market bands. There are promoters and managers that cater specifically to that market.
If you're U2 and you are capable of selling out a world tour in 90 seconds and Brian Eno or Butch Vig wants to produce your next record, maybe you should be with a label. But if you're Joe Shmo and the Nobodies, you're better off doing it yourself.
Pack Mentality
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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^unless it is a small label that will pay for your touring and put out an album for you, etc. You probably wouldn't make any money to speak of. You would still have to wait tables when you came home from tour after recording. But at least you'd be touring. You may get struck by lightning and someone would hear it and could move you up to the big time. But most small timers don't have the know how, time, effort, or work ethic to do it on their own. Writing, practice, promotion, and heavy partying (yes that is a part of it for most) can take up all your time to where the small label can be helpful.
They would probably do this for a few years then come to the realization that they'd probably rather not live in poverty and go and get a real job. And that will most likely happen whether you sign with the small label or do it on your own. At least if someone else foots the bill for your touring you can have a lifetime of memories recalling those nights of groupies and those 3 month at a time parties.
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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WRDU was nothing compared to WQDR before it went to country.
Wifey (who worked at RDU w/ Steve Thanhauser) saw Tom Guild earlier this year over at Trailblazer Studios, when they did some work together. He's doing well doing voice-overs and production stuff.
Brian McFadden is doing a lot better and seems to be past his cancer nowadays. I think he's doing some radio work in Virginia.
Guild is one of the nicest guys around.
Gayle Rancer is out of the business and was making/selling jewelry 10-15 years ago, the last time I came across her. She lives in West Virginia now from what I have heard.
Rockin' Ron Phillips (QDR) lives in the western NC and is a music promoter.
Jo Leigh Ferris supposedly got a nursing degree and left radio behind a long time ago.
Here's a picture that might depress a few of you old Raleigh rockers:
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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At least if someone else foots the bill for your touring you can have a lifetime of memories recalling those nights of groupies and those 3 month at a time parties.
Depends of what "foot the bill" means -- and it means something different for different level bands.
As for the parties, oh yes. Those were THE days.
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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WRDU was nothing compared to WQDR before it went to country.
They switched in 1984, I think? I have some old tapes (that probably no longer work) from 1982-1983 of QDR when they were rock. I had one of the Eddie Van Halen/Michael Anthony when they played Greensboro.
Noah
Member
Posted 3 months ago
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unless it is a small label that will pay for your touring and put out an album for you, etc. You probably wouldn't make any money to speak of.
If you have a band and are interested in touring, I have a friend I can introduce you to. If you have a good album to sell, it will get heard and get sold. We're talking 500-1000 units. You'll make infinitely more (literally, infinitely) selling it yourself than you will by letting a label rep you.
Small-timers don't make it because the vast majority of them suck. Hell, most of the big-timers suck.
But there are all kinds of avenues available to a band that stays away from labels.
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 3 months ago
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Noah - yeah, 1984 would be about the right time frame. Labor Day was when the switch happened.
I used to have some tapes from that time, of Jo Leigh's show where she talked a little about the coming change. Damned if I can find them any more.
If the David Lee Roth thing you have is an interview done in the bathroom of Greenboro Coliseum where he says "you don't work music, man, you PLAY it" I would VERY much like to have a copy of it. That was from Alan Handelman's shows that he did on Sunday evenings on QDR and I was there when the tapes were made. DLR was sniffing suspicious white powder at the time, if you know what I am saying.
Handleman is still doing his show, a la syndicated: http://ifitrocks.com/