POWERS is a band that has not gotten a ton of attention. I hope to change that today.
Their Wikipedia page is very sparse, but here's what I have been able to find out about the band:
1) Their two principle members, Mike Del Rio and Crista Ru, started off as songwriters for other artists, and they have a number of Wicked Guilty Pleasures to their credit.
2) The duo got their big break when they appeared on a single with The Knocks - we'll have to feature that here sometime, but today, I wanted to give them their due.
3) Their music has been described in many multi-adjective ways. I won't add to that pile. I will say that a male/female vocal duo that shares the duties so evenly and so well is rare, refreshing, and energetic.
We have talked about Don Dixon a little as a producer on his blog. But he's a musician, too, and one worthy of Wicked Guilty Pleasures.
This song, from the 1985 album Most of the Girls Like to Dance but Only Some of the Boys Like To, served as Don Dixon's debut as a musician - he had already produced some of R.E.M.'s early albums - and, let's face it.... it's a little odd.
I grew up in Connecticut, where the praying mantis is the state insect, so we learned a little bit about them..... but for the rest of the country, this song, which got a fair amount of MTV airplay, was an education on the mating habits of the praying mantis. Yes, it's accurate.
Dixon is still performing. Here he is, performing this classic, in 2017, with his wife Marti Jones supporting him on guitar and Grammy award winner (for this) Jon Carroll on keyboard.
This is a song I don't expect to enjoy. And yet, I do.
Five For Fighting is named for the penalty given in hockey (and is a penalty I never got in my years playing hockey, because I avoided fighting on the ice. Not a fan.)
Five For Fighting is also the stage name of John Ondrasik, This Grammy-nominated song from from 2002 was his biggest hit - and has a pretty interesting subject. The titular narrator of the song is, of course, the famous DC Comics superhero, talking about how surprisingly hard his life is. You wouldn't think empathy for the Man of Steel would result in an a moving hit song, but yet, it did.
In 1993, I can tell you that I thought the Flaming Lips were a fun novelty band that wouldn't endure. Especially on the strength of this song, which to this day remains the bands biggest radio hit, if not their most recognizable song anymore.
Boy, was I wrong. Led by Wayne Coyne, the Lips have proven to be an interesting and inventive band who really respects, honors, and relishes its loyal fans. Plus, the band is chock-full of excellent musicians who have all contributed both to the Flaming Lips catalog and other artists who might have once palled around with a blue dog.
Lyrically, this song is goofy. Musically - it's catchy and uplifting and fun and rich.
If you doubted me in how much the band respects their fans, this 2013 performance of the song, which is highly interactive, should illustrate that. There are fans on stage. They are playing with the crowd, who are singing along.
If you've been reading Totally Covered today, you know that we featured three tracks from the Knocks ft. Foster The People EP Melody and Silence.
As you may have guessed, this is track 4, which is the single. It is both melancholic and uplifting. Musically, The Knocks have always had a distinctive electronic sound. Adding Mark Foster to the mix - with whom they've collaborated in the past, and it shows - adds depth to an already rich, deep song.
My plea to you: go encourage your local radio station to play this song. The way music like this gets made is if music like this is supported.
Earl Simmons was born in Westchester County, and died in Westchester County this morning.
You knew him better as DMX. He was a groundbreaking artist, gone too soon.
DMX is still the only artist to have five consecutive albums debut at #1 on the Billboard album charts. A lot of hip hop artists before him chose accessible or angry forms of the music. His success showed that an artist can reach both.
He will be missed. He leaves a large catalog of music behind, perhaps none better known than this song.
We don't normally cover children's music here on Wicked Guilty Pleasures, especially when it wasn't music we grew up with.
The Wiggles made sure we made an exception for them, especially since we've now featured them twice in the last month on Totally Covered. If you didn't read yesterday's Totally Covered post, I strongly encourage you to do so.
This song, one of the signature Wiggles songs, first appeared on their 1994 album Yummy Yummy, so this version, from one of their many videos, features the classic, original Wiggles lineup. The song is earnest and inoffensive, and at the same time, teaches kids how to make a fruit salad.
Of course, the Wiggles are known for their live shows, too, and they do perform this song live, A LOT. You'll be happy to know that I listened to this song A LOT when I was writing this. I know definitively how to make a fruit salad now. This version, complete with a lot of dancing fruit, is from 2011 and their 20th Anniversary concert.
In 2013, the Wiggles changed, with only Anthony Field remaining from the original lineup. At that time, the modern lineup, with Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, and Emma Watkins debuted, and they've been quite popular with the modern kids. The original educational theory,
But the history of the Wiggles endures, and, rather than just tritely talking about bananas, apples and grapes, the Wiggles did something a little different to celebrate their 30th anniversary. They celebrated the concept that we're all like fruit salad, in the same bowl... while still acknowledging that fruit salad is, indeed, yummy yummy. It is truly a delicious tribute to the times we in which we live.
When the Wiggles (along with a couple of OG Wiggles) appeared on Triple J's "Like A Version" to perform, well, yesterday's Totally Covered post, they also performed their new song, live. Emma did not play drums this time.
