R. Skatore

The label of ‘household name’ is often elusive for a passionate and working musician. Some lifelong artists and bands duel with retaining integrity while making in-roads at commercial viability. And of course some musicians just don’t give a fuck!

Somewhere in your listening repertoire, you have a favorite band, album or musician that it seems no one has ever heard before. And that is a shame!

But I realize that some bands and recordings are just not wired for the success of mass consumption. On the surface, and I am speaking from someone who recorded a few CD’s, toured and got to hear my band’s music on the radio (twice!); there is an urgency for critical and commercial favor. That is an increasingly tough road as you feel your music is your “child”, your “baby”- and there is no reason for the world to not see how beautiful it is.

While living and going to school in Philadelphia, I had access to a lot of cheap ass used CD stores. I had just enough expendable income to go once a week and buy a band’s disc at Green Onions, which was fifteen seconds from my apartment. One day, on the recommendation of a classmate; I purchased 24-7 Spyz “Strength in Numbers”. It was their major label debut released in 92’- and depicted three hard looking brothers with one oddly placed and scruffy long haired white guy, who reminded me of my best friend from High School. Hey listen, I was from the suburbs of Pennsylvania!! The intrigue began…

                                 

                I was preparing for the beatdown of my life.

If you read my rant on the death of music or some shit about Dinosaurs, maybe you noticed that I miss the CD sleeves and album jackets that digital media and audio hasn’t made available. There is nothing better than picking up a used and scuffed CD of a band you never heard before, projecting what audio morsels lay hidden inside.The message artists sent with the front and back of a release was often prophetic of what might be waiting for you.

But weren’t you told not to judge a book by its cover??

Strength in Numbers argued that case fervently. What do you get when you add edgy alternative tinged funk with ample supplies of thrash and enough reggae to keep the dreads moving? Yeah, Strength delivered cut after cut. The whole kitchen sink was held up and together by the lithe and tasteful play of bassist Rick Skatore. At times, Rick would lay down supportive lines while guitarist Jimi Hazel served up generous helpings of blues and thrash- the Noel Redding to his own Jimi. What’s apparent is that some of Skatore’s (Pronounced Skat-er) grooves don’t just compliment the song-- they push it into heavier funk with the strength of well constructed bass parts. And don’t fear that it’s ‘all groove all the time’. There is plenty of solid thrash riffs played in unison, delighting the lower register. Skatore’s 5 string supplanted some depth into the mix, allowing Hazel to venture into wah-wah land just as you were getting comfortable.

Don’t believe me?? Check out the monster riff in the song “Stuntman” - He blows the whole album up as the tune segues to a bass & drum outro!!

Not convinced? Then how about the treble boosted funk of the album opener “Break the Chains” or the restrained slap hook and chord usage of “I’m Not Going”- punching and locking with a super tight snare drum and then sprinting into a reggae shuffle during the bridge. Rick knew what worked and used judicious placement of fills, making the Spyz  a well-oiled machine.

If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it ever really happen?

                                                                           
                                            

              Tread cautiously or this tree is gonna fall on YOU!

Rick and the rest of 24-7 Spyz (in various incarnations) have released a multitude of quality and more channeled offerings over the years so start here, then savor some of their other recordings. It is hard to believe that this album was released the same time as Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power and I have little doubt that you heard at least a track or two from that. Catch up with this one you missed!

Often Unheralded, but no longer overlooked…

Going the Way of the Dinosaur

                                     

Here’s yet another break from the bass action so I can throw some oil in your gears… and also I’m too lazy to start a new blog site!

I still refer to a collection of songs circulating around the thirty-five minute mark and numbering around a dozen- finely tuned without a weak spot; a “record” or an “album”. Yeah, I’m ancient, but I’m a creature of habit and I’m not about to change because digital media was dropped on the earth like a maelstrom of chaotic audio sensory overload. The marketing and consumption of music in all of its forms has long since been turned on its ear, and the sound the other ear is listening to is DIY indie artists emptying the cash register, music executives scooping up whatever loose change is left; and cries from A&R people in a free fall for a safety net that was never set up. There was simply no way to anticipate the complete upheaval a simple MP3 file would start.

                                               

                                                      

                                                      Sucks to be you…

The ashen landscape left most ‘recording artists’ fighting for the scraps. Some of my favorite iconic bands growing up are now veiled in the dark corners, where the sunny exposure of the mainstream eludes them. They’re the people I care about because I remember a time that they mattered, and it’s all I wanted to be “when I grew up”!!

So where does that leave the listener- the wide eyed and hopeful neophyte, the music enthusiast who is pining for something to stretch their wallet and leave a pleasant musical aftertaste?  I don’t have an answer. And it’s not because I don’t have an opinion, I just don’t have the mind (or body) of a young person whose parents have an unlimited and endless flow of expendable green to co-pilot their musical journey. Ouch. That was a backhanded compliment, even if that’s not what I intended…

I want to re-evaluate how adults (you and me), who grew up with a savory view and fondness for entire records, cassettes or CD’s now look upon a media explosion and generation of “lazy listening” with disregard.  Take heed kids: I am talking to you as well!

There’s no surprises here- the shuffle on an iPod or MP3 player will leave most people lazily and haphazardly “scanning” through to their favorite tracks and relentlessly abusing the shorter, catchier songs, while longer, more developed tracks get the boot.

If you’re a scanner, then you're probably skipping over all the meat here! Go back and read!!

                                                    

                                               I do this because I love ya!!

                                        

                                                Peter… please, pay attention.

Walking to school every day afforded me the luxury of blasting Garage Days Revisited or Black Flag on my Sony Walkman as I shuffled to High School. What I wasn’t afforded was a ‘shuffle’ option or the blank reasoning behind hurrying through to “Last Caress”, or flipping to side two of “My War” so I could hear Bill Stevenson’s characteristic bass drum throb and propel track 2, side two. Damn, it would have taken me five minutes just to cue it up! That song is only 6 & ½ minutes long!

Artists and performers wrote songs for themselves and with the listener or established ‘fan’ in my mind, with little thought of how it would be marketed and distributed. Even Ben & Jerry knew there was a ton of other ice cream companies! They used unique flavor combinations, quirky labeling and quality ingredients. Records weren’t built with emulsifiers and filler either- they had a strong foundation from the epic (and sometimes short & intense) opening track to the “single”, somewhere early on; album tracks (the meat of the album) and the closer which often gave you the cathartic release that the opener hinted at. 

I often reference The Deftones “White Pony” or Muse’s “The Resistance”. As current as “Resistance” is, there is no doubt that the boys in Muse grew up listening to Queen’s “Night at the Opera” and T. Rex’s “Electric Warrior” in their entirety, without lifting the needle once...

My 16 year old nephew has given me a glimpse into the young, burgeoning music listener. Maybe not as avid for change and occasionally, influenced by peers, he’s not that far removed from me at his age. But he’s never known the beauty of going to a Record Store (Tower Records, anyone??) with a ten spot, walking out holding a copy of Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind’ and then spending an afternoon sprawled out on the basement floor while demolishing an old pair of Fisher speakers and god knows what kind of turntable. Reading each printed lyric word for word, exhausting the last seconds of each track in preparation for the next; the crackle from the needle and the imperfections apparent in the occasional ripples or skips during “The Trooper”. The satisfaction of these kinds of experiences won’t ever be felt by my nephew and maybe there is less appreciation of music in general. No, there’s no doubt in my mind that teens, tweens (wtf?) and youths of all varieties in all parts of the world will miss out on the subtle distraction of making music a centerpiece- not just background noise while they text friends.

                                        There is something lost with progress.

                                        

                              I have no regrets!!! Ok, I wish I had listened to all of Yes’s 

                              Fragile, not just “Roundabout”!!

Next write-up I will reconvene with the bass-tastic goodness I started, and yet another player you may have snoozed through. I’m here for you. See you then!

I Don't Know Nothin'!

Beginning this piece with a double-negative pretty much guarantees you can disregard me as a professional writer. That being said: I don’t do this for YOU. Well, that’s not entirely true- not even remotely. I really believe that we push ourselves to succeed on some level that initially makes us happy, and then of course we attempt to “share” under the guise of improving others. Yeah, right. The dog will run to fetch you the chew toy and he requires a good head rubdown and ear scratch every time!

So, I’m not a professional writer and am no longer a “professional” recording artist (that doesn’t even sound like it makes sense!); so what exactly makes me an expert in anything?

The key here to realize anyone’s value is to understand their *POV, otherwise known as point of view or *Perfect Opportunity (to) Vent. Let’s not derail this train right away- I don’t mean to vent mercilessly towards others; I just mean to pass on the goodness that someone shared with you once. This is the value system and center of gravity that is not just a perception, but your own solid ground to stand on. Here’s a few of mine that keep me from steering of course:

•        The world is round and I am not the center of it! The truth is that 100’s of years ago, people believed we would certainly fall off our ‘flat’ world, but eventually that myth was squashed. I am not the owner of the only opinion in the universe.
  

•         I take time and others for granted. Believe me, I have better things to do with my hours- I just like Grumpy Cat memes or watching episodes of Family Guy I’ve already seen! My friends are important, but I haven’t always made that opinion clear either.        

•        I don’t know nothin’! When it comes to music and musicianship, I think my opinion is the only one that matters, but I know that is a seismic pile of steaming dung!

My son reminds me that my love for hummus isn’t universally shared and he’s only 8, so I guess that not everyone is going to think the first two (and only) Quicksand albums are the greatest thing ever. I also realize that if I had the money, I’d easily buy untold amounts of music gear and I would have a more well-rounded view of what was good; NOT JUST WHAT I CAN AFFORD. Also, I am the slowest typist on Earth and the difference between knowing and not caring becomes apparent. Dear Santa, I would like Dragon software for X-mas; a Zon bass, Markbass 2x12 cab, that barista at the coffee shop downtown…

I welcome you and your POV to my ‘flat’ world. The comment section below is where to vent. Enjoy.

K. Alvarez

‘Word of mouth’ is still the best 'free' marketing via social media, but there was a time when we actually used OUR MOUTHS to tell friends and family about what was cool and happening! Picture High School kids with haircuts equally bad as today’s styles, except that flash drives were not exchanged and iPods were not being shuffled!! We dubbed cassette tapes and used the glorious Sony Walkman! And that is not to be confused with Dubstep!? We we’re like the first cavemen scripting onto walls and translating dinosaur escapades, as we recorded generation to generation of albums and store bought cassettes, passing them to each other at soccer practices and sleepovers; the sound quality degrading with every pass. I first heard and got into some of my favorite bands this way, and at the time; there was no digital studio recording, auto-tune or Pro-Tools to make everything sound pretty- so a .49 Maxell cassette would do just fine. Some of my favorite bands were discovered in this way: Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du, Black Flag, Metallica (take that Napster!) and U2. 

One of the favorite bands circulating during my senior year (the year I started to really devote time to the bass); was the band ALL. Formed at the end of pop-punk band The Descendents successful run in the eighties, the band continued on under a different name with the departure of singer Milo Aukerman. The band remained essentially the same, with the core of guitarist Sephen Egerton, drummer Bill Stevenson and bassist Karl Alvarez. They released a handful of recordings with a few different singers eventually settling on gruff and tumble vocalist Chad Price. But only two of their “dubbed” cassette masterpieces made it into our hands that final year in High School: Allroy’s Revenge and Allroy for Prez.

With songs like “She’s My Ex”, “I Hate to Love” and lyrics that professed a bygone lover who “chewed me up, and spit me out like bubblegum”; ALL countered there stumble’s with love by playing some of the most upbeat and engaging pop-punk to creep from the Valleys of California, sweep across the Midwest and blast me and my Pennsylvanian buds into a blissful cauldron of sun and sand we couldn’t possibly reach. These songs literally helped some of my close friends “get over” High School crushes and anchoring the whole thing musically without remaining stagnant was the fluid and pulsating bass of Karl Alvarez.

Sitting in between the concise and hyper drumming of ex-Black Flag drummer Bill Stevenson and the wiry and strained power chords of Stephen Egerton, Alvarez had a knack for moving the bassline and song into an almost danceable groove complete with plummeting eighth notes and pentatonic runs at any interval. “Wrong Again” off Allroy for Prez is a perfect example of his largely open but well-constructed lines that move all around Egerton’s straight forward chord strum. It pulls and shifts the melody along and doesn’t mind if you follow- in fact the bass invites you to the warmth and depth that Karl creates. “Daveage” at the close of Allroy for Prez has a swinging bass part in the verse with liberal use of major fifths (and really the whole arpeggio of the major & pentatonic scale in varying patterns) and the 7 chord while not stepping on the open chord guitar part. The tone is warm with a mild punch and he draws the progression out until the songs' close. The album “Allroys Revenge” follows similar patterns and again you here the driving use of the major chords; root to octave and it never sounds forced. Every bass part sounded well-conceived and executed and as a burgeoning musician- I was eager to soak up new and foreign concepts (I didn't see much use past the eighth fret at the time!).

The thrill of my life came to me some fifteen years or so later when I was fortunate enough to be on The Warped Tour for a week with the band I was playing in. We got to see so many great bands daily like ALL, The Deftones and Bad Religion, and on the first day of the tour; Frank (the singer of the band I was in) and I happened on Karl Alvarez trolling the merchandise alcove looking over the wares being sold. Frank immediately struck up a conversation with him as I stood there clueless and maybe a little awe struck. He was a genuine guy and I held off on the “Hey man, do you know how important you were to my development, blah, blah…” The significance of the moment was that nothing needed to be said at the time- he had unknowingly assisted in helping me pursue a dream. Even this blog can’t thank him enough, although I hope you check out these releases and ALL’s later releases where Karl progressed even more with his tenacious style abusing a G&L ASAT bass. Word of mouth hasn’t gone away; the exchange from hand to hand just needs a Wi-Fi connection, IPod and an iTunes account.

Often unheralded, but no longer overlooked…