Work All Day To Make It Right
Greetings and salutations.
Forgive me if I seem distracted. It’s been a few weeks since Motley Crue tickets went on sale, and I continue to get emails every day from people asking me to vocalize their outrage for them. Sure, each letter is different, but the idea is pretty much the same: “A ticket costs 75 freakin’ dollars?! You’re #$@#$ kidding me!“ I’m afraid so. For an act that once epitomized the rebellion and depravity of rock, it sure looks as though they’re cashing in on one last nostalgia trip. At least the Stones don’t expect anyone to believe they’re the same men they were a few decades ago. It’s not that I don’t love the Crue. I think it’s a great tour, and find it considerate of them to stop off and help the civic center finish paying off all that renovation they’ve been going through. But to sell me on the idea that these are the same four wild men they were in the 80’s? The last risky thing Tommy Lee did was sleep with Pam. Outside of writing this column, I live one of the most boring lives imaginable, and yet I still manage more dangerous behavior every morning than Vince Neil does all week.
So consider your frustration vented. Let’s move on.
Far be it for me to let that take precedence over what’s going in the local scene. After all, I have an obligation to the hardworking men and women of Roanoke music, and this week, I made a call on one of the more meticulous: Dave Porter. Playing with his band (Bad Dog) at Cheers in Salem, their version of Aerosmith’s “Same Old Song and Dance” called to me while I was eating dinner at the neighboring Western Sizzlin, and thus they became my review for the week…after I finished my steak, of course.
For the most part, Dave’s focus is on his original music. He’s released an album entitled “Desire” on which he performs the majority of the instrumentation himself. Usually artists who do this say something about how playing everything is a more personal reflection of the music inside themselves. While this is true to a certain degree, it can also mean simply freeing yourself to do whatever you feel like without having to get someone else’s consent, as in a band setting. Solo offerings like this always fascinate me because of the potential to paint a fuller picture of the artist’s musical understanding across instruments. Done right, it can become the ultimate expression of genius – the difference between being a composer and being a bassist, or guitarist, or drummer, or singer, etc. It is also not without it’s risks. If you’re supremely talented in one area, the rest of the record can end up sounding like generic filler while you explode on your specialty. Or, similarly, you may concoct an album so devoid of ability, so lacking in inspiration, that it simply demonstrates your overwhelming ineptitude.
A bassist by trade, Porter’s greatest asset throughout “Desire” is his attention to groove. While quite talented, this isn’t the record of a bass virtuoso and that’s probably for the better. He tastefully limits the times in which he shows off for the sake of showing off, and instead puts his focus on making everything memorable. It’s not Mozart, but then Dave would probably be the first person to say that wasn’t his intention anyway. Each song is built around a catchy drum rhythm that he accentuates with [mostly] funk bass. T
he guitars create the hooks along with the vocals, and the keys fill up the spaces in between. Hardly the self-indulgent sludge I would’ve expected from someone who makes liberal use of the word “eclectic” in describing their work.
The songs themselves feel purposefully dated to conjure up memories for anybody who went through adolescence with 90’s alt rock as their soundtrack, blending together lighter rock mood and funk melodies in an “STP meets Extreme” kind of way. While this is definitely commercial music, there is enough indie quirkiness in the songs and the production to mask a bit of the glossy pop sheen and keep it from sinking under it’s own pretentiousness.
Dave’s live set with Bad Dog was unfortunately just a list of covers this weekend, but it did provide an insight to his own relaxed performance style. The entire experience was refreshingly laid back, since what onstage hype the band did generate was done with tongue-in-cheek. I don’t know if these guys also help him perform his solo stuff, but if they do, I’m going to make a point to check it out.
I think the essence of Porter as a musician is about enjoying what you’re doing. Contrary to groups who practice chemistry like they practice songs, these guys seemed as though they’d pick up and play for free if you gave them the opportunity. That could all be part of the show but if they’re faking, then congratulations on fooling me. With a few current tunes here and there, this was mostly a hearty chunk of 70’s rock (AC/DC, Eagles, Zeppelin) and a few classic gems (Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, Atlanta Rhythm Section’s “Imaginary Lover”, and “Blue Collar Man” from Styx) served up by a band who seemed to simply enjoy playing them. That kind of genuine enthusiasm set the tone for the crowd who spent the night drinking, laughing, and dancing away.
Judging from the tracks on “Desire” as well as what he’s put together in Bad Dog, Porter is someone who knows what he wants, thinks he has a good ear on what will sell, and is focused enough to keep pushing. That he clearly believes in what he’s doing is evidence of some considerable talent, or at least the kind of intolerable ego that lets him isolate himself from the opinions of others. In any case, the result is still the same, and I don’t have to worry about whether or not he’s likable offstage.
More wit, wisdom, and a show review in my next installment. That’s all for this week. Until next we meet…
- The Phantom
Forgive me if I seem distracted. It’s been a few weeks since Motley Crue tickets went on sale, and I continue to get emails every day from people asking me to vocalize their outrage for them. Sure, each letter is different, but the idea is pretty much the same: “A ticket costs 75 freakin’ dollars?! You’re #$@#$ kidding me!“ I’m afraid so. For an act that once epitomized the rebellion and depravity of rock, it sure looks as though they’re cashing in on one last nostalgia trip. At least the Stones don’t expect anyone to believe they’re the same men they were a few decades ago. It’s not that I don’t love the Crue. I think it’s a great tour, and find it considerate of them to stop off and help the civic center finish paying off all that renovation they’ve been going through. But to sell me on the idea that these are the same four wild men they were in the 80’s? The last risky thing Tommy Lee did was sleep with Pam. Outside of writing this column, I live one of the most boring lives imaginable, and yet I still manage more dangerous behavior every morning than Vince Neil does all week.
So consider your frustration vented. Let’s move on.
Far be it for me to let that take precedence over what’s going in the local scene. After all, I have an obligation to the hardworking men and women of Roanoke music, and this week, I made a call on one of the more meticulous: Dave Porter. Playing with his band (Bad Dog) at Cheers in Salem, their version of Aerosmith’s “Same Old Song and Dance” called to me while I was eating dinner at the neighboring Western Sizzlin, and thus they became my review for the week…after I finished my steak, of course.
For the most part, Dave’s focus is on his original music. He’s released an album entitled “Desire” on which he performs the majority of the instrumentation himself. Usually artists who do this say something about how playing everything is a more personal reflection of the music inside themselves. While this is true to a certain degree, it can also mean simply freeing yourself to do whatever you feel like without having to get someone else’s consent, as in a band setting. Solo offerings like this always fascinate me because of the potential to paint a fuller picture of the artist’s musical understanding across instruments. Done right, it can become the ultimate expression of genius – the difference between being a composer and being a bassist, or guitarist, or drummer, or singer, etc. It is also not without it’s risks. If you’re supremely talented in one area, the rest of the record can end up sounding like generic filler while you explode on your specialty. Or, similarly, you may concoct an album so devoid of ability, so lacking in inspiration, that it simply demonstrates your overwhelming ineptitude.
A bassist by trade, Porter’s greatest asset throughout “Desire” is his attention to groove. While quite talented, this isn’t the record of a bass virtuoso and that’s probably for the better. He tastefully limits the times in which he shows off for the sake of showing off, and instead puts his focus on making everything memorable. It’s not Mozart, but then Dave would probably be the first person to say that wasn’t his intention anyway. Each song is built around a catchy drum rhythm that he accentuates with [mostly] funk bass. T
he guitars create the hooks along with the vocals, and the keys fill up the spaces in between. Hardly the self-indulgent sludge I would’ve expected from someone who makes liberal use of the word “eclectic” in describing their work.The songs themselves feel purposefully dated to conjure up memories for anybody who went through adolescence with 90’s alt rock as their soundtrack, blending together lighter rock mood and funk melodies in an “STP meets Extreme” kind of way. While this is definitely commercial music, there is enough indie quirkiness in the songs and the production to mask a bit of the glossy pop sheen and keep it from sinking under it’s own pretentiousness.
Dave’s live set with Bad Dog was unfortunately just a list of covers this weekend, but it did provide an insight to his own relaxed performance style. The entire experience was refreshingly laid back, since what onstage hype the band did generate was done with tongue-in-cheek. I don’t know if these guys also help him perform his solo stuff, but if they do, I’m going to make a point to check it out.
I think the essence of Porter as a musician is about enjoying what you’re doing. Contrary to groups who practice chemistry like they practice songs, these guys seemed as though they’d pick up and play for free if you gave them the opportunity. That could all be part of the show but if they’re faking, then congratulations on fooling me. With a few current tunes here and there, this was mostly a hearty chunk of 70’s rock (AC/DC, Eagles, Zeppelin) and a few classic gems (Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, Atlanta Rhythm Section’s “Imaginary Lover”, and “Blue Collar Man” from Styx) served up by a band who seemed to simply enjoy playing them. That kind of genuine enthusiasm set the tone for the crowd who spent the night drinking, laughing, and dancing away.
Judging from the tracks on “Desire” as well as what he’s put together in Bad Dog, Porter is someone who knows what he wants, thinks he has a good ear on what will sell, and is focused enough to keep pushing. That he clearly believes in what he’s doing is evidence of some considerable talent, or at least the kind of intolerable ego that lets him isolate himself from the opinions of others. In any case, the result is still the same, and I don’t have to worry about whether or not he’s likable offstage.
More wit, wisdom, and a show review in my next installment. That’s all for this week. Until next we meet…
- The Phantom
<< Home