articles tagged:

Rock and Roll

The Sharp Lads Prepare For World Domination

December 18, 2010 By Joanna Zwickel 1 Comment

Those worried about preserving their hearing at concerts are going to want to take out the ear plugs. The Sharp Lads, an up and coming punk rock band, are releasing a CD in February. The band has four members: Tim Ireland on drums, Rich Tenor on guitar and vocals, Kurt Wahlstrom on bass, guitar, and vocals, and David Tierney on guitar and lead vocals. While David Tierney writes most of the lyrics, the band usually composes their music collaboratively.

The band has only been together for six months, so the musicians still work other jobs on the side. They do photography, advertising, video art, and pharmaceuticals, but they are determined to make a career out of their music. “Our immediate goal,” says David Tierney, “is world domination.” They want to travel and play their music all over the world. When asked where they would most want to play, they all agreed on The Paradiso in Amsterdam.

For now, the band plays most of its gigs around New York City: Matchless, Lit Lounge, Cake Shop, Public Assembly, and Cameo Gallery. Their most popular song/biggest crowd pleaser is “Drugs, Booze and Your Little Sister.” The band members are full of energy, even without their instruments. The Sharp Lads insisted that it was very important to them to get everyone in the room dancing. If anyone at their concerts is standing in a corner with arms crossed, they aren’t doing their jobs right. They try to have a lot of fun on stage, and believe that the more they enjoy themselves, the more likely it is that the audience will have a great time.

Some of the band’s inspirations include Richard Hell, The Dictators, The Real Kids, The Buzzcocks, Battles, the Subhumans, and assorted hip hop, Jamaican, and jazz music. Due to their eclectic taste in music, the band has a very distinct sound that makes even the worst dancers want to get up and start moving.

When asked if they had any die-hard fans or stalkers yet, Tim Ireland chimed in that they had a girl at one of their concerts take off her boots and put them on the bar. When the rest of the band and I agreed that this was a little strange, he admitted sheepishly, “Yeah…I date her now.”

In February, after The Sharp Lads’ CD has been released, it can be found on their website www.thesharplads.com. You can also check out their music now at www.myspace.com/thesharplads or keep updated on their upcoming performances at www.facebook.com/thesharplads. They may just be getting started, but their determination to spread their music worldwide cannot be contained much longer.

Review: Lady Antebellum’s Sophomore Album Need You Now

October 13, 2010 By Christine Degyansky Leave a Comment

“What do you get when you play country music album back-words? You get your wife back, you get your truck back, and you get your farm back.”  This is an old joke depicting country music being a twangy hillbilly sob story. However in recent years musicians including Brad Paisley, Sugarland, and Tim McGraw broke this stereotype, adding rock and roll flair to songs about love, living life, and having dreams. Following in their footsteps is Lady Antebellum in their sophomore album “Need You Now.” Whether you are a fan of country music or not, this album is worth listening to.  Like its recent musical predecessors, Lady Antebellum brings us a dose of country-rock music with lyrics that tell universally relatable stories.

For example, the title tract “Need You Now” tells a story of separation and eventually succumbing to the need for intimacy. In these lyrics, they sing about resisting contact by drowning their true feelings in alcohol. However once the last drop is drunk, they discover true emptiness comes from the lack of each other’s presence:

“It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk and I need you now… Said I wouldn’t call, but I’ve lost all control and I need you now”

The story told in “Need You Now” depicts the relatable story of longing for someone who’s both missed and needed. A feeling we’ve all faced at one point of our lives.

Another track “Our Kind of Love” describes the feeling of being in a relationship without false pretences. Within these lyrics, they make various comparisons with how their kind of love feels. For example, the feeling of shared love is like the freedom gained when driving down an open road;

“I love the way that you were up for anything… never worry about what people say.” This is also a universal theme because throughout walks of life, some are given the gift of loved for who we are in a relationship.

A third track entitled “Stars Tonight” pertains to pursuing your dreams and the rush gained from it.  In these lyrics, they talk about connecting to the audience who’s dancing and swaying to the music, giving them a boost of adrenaline in doing something they are passionate about.  Though we may not dream of becoming music stars, we also know what it is to have a dream and get a rush from following it;

“Momma says why you wanna play in a silly rock ‘n roll band…Well if you stood here momma, I know you’d understand yeah.. It’s the lights, it’s the high, it’s the roar of a crowd on a Friday night.”

Whether living in rural Kansas or Midtown Manhattan, the eleven tracks on this album carry themes we can all relate to. Even if you are not a fan of country music, “Need You Now” goes above and beyond the stereotype of cowboys and farm girl and reaches a wide variety of people.