Some of regulars from the message board community at Metal Sludge may slag on Donnie Vie from time to time, but that has nothing to do with the man’s artistic ability. It probably has more to do with Enuff Z’Nuff's general approach to the music business (which is often confusing and disjointed) – and maybe about a few of his whacky MySpace rants. Overall, Enuff Z’Nuff has built a passionate fan base that is eager for more music and even more performances. But they are frustrated. And I know – I am one of them!
One of Donnie’s solo albums had been sent to me months ago, and I kinda blew it off. My bad! On Extra Strength, Donnie Vie masterfully recreates a classic Enuff Z’Nuff album – Strength – but all acoustic. The stripped down songs demonstrate strength (how fitting) and vulnerability. Opener “Heaven or Hell” has a few extra layers, but for the most part Extra Strength is just a man, a guitar, his voice, and sometimes a piano. To summarize in one simple word - brilliant!
Other reviews: “Extra Strength is a timely reminder that behind Enuff Z’Nuff’s glamorous façade there are some very strong songwriters.” – Classic Rock Magazine UK
“Mr. Vie has created a great record, which pays tribute to the original 1991 masterpiece and yet has something new to offer. The songs that work best are surprisingly the electric ‘Missing You’ and ‘The World is a Gutter.’” - Revelationz.net
“The title track ‘Strength’ has always been superb and here, instead of the mellotron laden original Vie chooses to utilize piano and strings to serve up a haunting, stark arrangement. You can hear the crack in his voice, and almost see the tears in the eye.” - HardRockHouse.com
Before you read on, you need to understand the definition of the following two words:
eclectic [i-klek-tik] 1. Selecting or choosing from various sources. 2. Made up of what is selected from different sources. 3. Not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.
fun [fuhn] 1. Something that provides mirth or amusement. 2. Enjoyment or playfulness. 3. Of or pertaining to fun. 4. Whimsical: flamboyant.
These are the only two words I can use to accurately describe the music of Ariel Aparicio – eclectic and fun. Borrowing a bit from classic 70’s glam, punk and new wave, you can hear a little bit of everything on his latest album - All These Brilliant Things. Yet, as a whole, the album has flow and is full-filling. Its flavoring might lean more towards Bowie (as on “Heaven”) on one song, then towards The Stooges with others. Throw in some power pop-esque melody for good measure, and you’ll get the picture. But it does all this while establishing its own identity. All These Brilliant Things starts of in a quirky singer/songwriter mode, and soars onward and upward from there. Play this album at your next party – your friends will think you have the coolest mix-tape (or iTunes playlist) in town.
"Powerful and majestic...The sound is based on the true spirit of rock and roll, and is timeless in its quality." Local Vertical
"Ariel Aparicio's latest album, All These Brilliant Things is made in the spirit of the great rock event... With more thrills situated throughout, All These Brilliant Things makes for a good listen." Parasites & Sycophants
"All These Brilliant Things is the third disc from Brooklyn musician and restauranteur Ariel Aparicio. The disc successfully brings together the sounds of 70's glam rock, 80's pop, and current-day post-punk." Brooklyn Rocks
Here’s more about Ariel Aparicio (from his official bio): “Ariel’s inspiration for the record came from a desire to create a timeless rock & roll album that would combine the majestic pop of Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” with the full-frontal assault of The Stooges “Raw Power”. Tracks often begin with the kind of catchy, rhythmic riff-heavy stuff one might associate with “The Strokes”, before oscillating into wave-like guitar solos and cascading into b-sections of unpredictable melodic beauty. Songs like “Bones” travel from the unexpected arrival of a drunken horn section to the smash of a balls-out rocking verse. “Down In Tijuana” a short, lo-fi interlude on a record with otherwise meticulously detailed production (Ariel majored in audio-engineering at NYU) harkens back to his Latino roots with a brief Spanish language piece one could easily hear billowing forth from a beat-up old transistor in a Havana storefront. “Jameson & Cocaine” openly bemoans lost days of addiction, “Don’t take my Jameson & Cocaine”! While “Hang Around” is an anthem of optimism and perseverance written for his newborn son.”
Watching the aging legends of rock music navigate the increasingly choppy waters of the music business should prove highly instructive for the young Turks just now making a name for themselves.
Digging in against the iTunes Store? Firing off lawsuits against industry file-sharers? Inking exclusive (and obscenely lucrative) deals with monolithic retail behemoths? Appearing disdainful in the media of those who consume their music any other way than how the band intends?
All of these would strike most up-and-coming bands as horrifying PR blunders, evidence that the artists are painfully out of touch with the way most folks consume music these days, whether you’re an 18-year-old whippersnapper or a 50-something father of three.
Yet, one superstar act after another lines up to fight tooth and claw against the current paradigm shift. Australian hard rock icons AC/DC are merely the latest in an increasingly long line and, sadly, probably won’t be the last.
The quintet has drawn criticism for the decision to release Black Ice, its first studio album in eight years, solely through Wal-Mart; Axl Rosenberg, a writer on heavy metal blog metalsucks.net, even went so far as to diss the recent online leak: "I literally care so little about a new AC/DC album that I don’t even want a free copy."
Sobering words, but in truth, it has more to do with the fact that Black Ice feels so incredibly homogenous. At 15 tracks and 55 minutes, the Brendan O’Brien-produced disc varies little from song to song, as one Angus Young riff slips into another and Brian Johnson’s signature shredded wail never wavers. Cuts like War Machine and She Likes Rock 'N’ Roll are clearly meant to evoke the band’s Back in Black heyday, and it often seems that AC/DC is either unwilling or not interested in expanding its sound at all.
I just listened to one of the latest songs from Butch Walker, “The Weight of Her,” and realized that something is missing from the song that I used to love about Butch – his sense of urgency and energy which drove a pop hook in almost a “bouncing” manner. And while “The Weight of Her” is a very good little number in its own right, I think that maybe it’s about time ol’ BW lays off the Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen and skips right to the Elvis Costello and Green Day playlists on his iPod. But that’s just me!
In the meantime, I have found an artist that does create music with that power pop-esque writing style that propels each song’s hook skyward. For me, Johnny Monaco has filled a certain void that has been slightly barren since Walker’s first solo CD (“Left of Self Centered”). And while I may use Butch as a comparison – in no way, shape or form am I saying that these two acts sound exactly alike. But in Monaco’s songs, I find that unexplained x-factor that Butch’s songs once had – a combination of energy and fun that creates a cool vibe that just glides along. This so-called “ingredient” creates within a chorus a sense of weightlessness or a certain easiness, but yet at the same time gives the music a firm foundation and weight. Even validity. Oh heck – instead of referring to "it" as an ingredient, let’s just call it what it is - talent. And a fairly unique talent at that.
I first came across Johnny Monaco during his tenure with Enuff Z’Nuff. He initially was the lead guitarist for the band in the mid-90s, and then became the vocalist for a few years after original singer Donnie Vie left to explore other avenues. But truth be told, the live version of Enuff Z’Nuff with Monaco was as strong as the group had been in years. It was nice to see a great rock act solidify itself later in its career – with or without its original singer. Donnie Vie has recently returned to Enuff Z’Nuff, and Johnny has since gone his own way as well.
A few of the songs on Johnny Monaco’s album “Overrated” were released as an EP a few years back, and I was impressed enough to write about it then. And believe me, now that a full album is available, I am more than impressed enough to write about it now. Not every song on the release is cut from the same cloth, so there’s a nice enough variety without the entire project sounding disjointed or too eclectic. It fits right into the rock/power-pop pocket that a band like Jellyfish or Cheap Trick once filled, or by other more somewhat recent bands such as Fountains of Wayne and The Wildhearts, but doing so in a way all to its own. Aside from the lead track “The Wrong Crowd,” other standouts are “Model of a Woman,” “Still Haven’t Called” and “On a Shelf.” In fact, “Still Haven’t Called” is probably the best Enuff Z’Nuff song that the band hasn’t written (and that is not an insult). To sum it up - “Overrated” is just a great collection of songs.
Here are a few other reviews to back me up… “Johnny Monaco comes across as a slightly heavier up Squeeze…In short, this is straight ahead angsty, Anglo-centric pop.” – Classic Rock Magazine
“The songs are extremely well crafted and leave you humming the melodies for hours afterwards.” – Black Velvet Magazine
"Johnny Monaco crams 13 high-octane, radio-friendly pop punk tracks into Overrated. The chunky riffs and driving rhythms recall lightweight contemporary outfits like Cartel, while the harder-rocking numbers ("Television Love, " "Long Way Down") veer closer to classic punk rock." – Illinois Entertainer
And like I stated in a previous review of the eight song EP, Monaco has a lot of similar sound qualities as nearly anything on the radio today, but his words are a little more honest and mature. The fact that he’s not 19 (or pretending to be) is a relief to an older music fan like myself. With no tattoos and not a skateboard in sight, I am glad to have come across this gem.
NEW COAT OF PAINT: "Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits" Southside Johnny with La Bamba's Big Band (Leroy/Redeye)
You can't beat Tom Waits at his own game. In other words, it doesn't make much sense to sing his songs in an approximation of his inimitable growl, or with the kind of clattering musical arrangements he prefers. It's better to find a new slant.
Wisely, John "Southside Johnny" Lyon approaches Waits' material, on this album, with a different sensibility. He records 12 of them, including "New Coat of Paint" (which he first covered in 1984), with La Bamba's Big Band, rather than his usual backing group, the Asbury Jukes. The 18-piece big band, led by longtime Jukes trombonist (and current Max Weinberg 7 member) Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, brings a swinging, swaggering feel to many of the songs, such as "Down, Down, Down," "Please Call Me Baby" and "Yesterday Is Here."
Southside also stays away from Waits' best-known songs. This is another smart move, though it would have been fascinating to hear what he could do with songs such as "Jersey Girl" or "Downtown Train."
The band's big sound gives ballads like "Johnsburg, Illinois," "Shiver Me Timbers" and the title track a cinematic flavor. And "All the Time in the World" has the kind of sinuous beat and dark undertones that would make it a natural as a theme song for a James Bond movie.
Way back in 1999 a band from my hometown got signed to a deal with Island Records. They released their album the summer of that year and got a CD release party opening for Fuel. No, it wasn't Buckcherry, but this is how I first came to see the rock and roll act.
The local band was called Pound, they were a mediocre, radio-friendly rock act that fell apart shortly after and reformed as Flywheel. Well, Pound is just a footnote in this story, noted primarily for introducing me to Buckcherry and getting me to a Fuel show (who were surprisingly heavy live). Anyway, Buckcherry proved to be a rather exciting act that delivered some nice Aerosmith flavored rock and roll.
I remember picking up their self-titled debut album and falling in love with a couple of their tracks, songs that would go one to be the biggest hits off the disk. Those songs were "Lit Up" and "For the Movies." To this day I still listen to those songs, and a few others off that disk, but I quickly lost track of the band. I never paid much attention to them. I didn't know they released Time Bomb, nor did I know they broke up in 2002 only to reform with some new players in 2005. I somehow was aware of the 2006 release 15, which was a hit reaching platinum status. I don't think I've heard anything off of that release.
Not long ago I stumbled across the video for "Too Drunk." At first I thought I was going to hear a cover of the Dead Kennedys' tune, but that was not the case. What I got instead was an old school sleaze and roll song that didn't spare on either account. It is bluesy, infectious, and fun. It also proved to be enough to get me interested in Black Butterfly.
If Enigma wasn't already taken by another musical performer, then it would be fitting for the good ol' boys in Enuff Z'Nuff to change their name to that. Enuff Z'Nuff's career has always been puzzling and somewhat difficult to understand. Yes, it's been an Enuff Z'Nuff enigma. Oh, such alliteration!
Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now. One listen to the 1-2-3-4 punch of the first four songs ("New Thing," "Fly High Michelle," "Mother's Eyes" & "Baby Loves You") might just leave the average listener slightly bewildered. The question is - why weren't these songs anywhere near a genuine hit single? Now I don't mean just some song lurking in the bottom of Billboard's Top 100 for a few weeks. I mean heavy MTV rotation and Top 40 radio airplay. Did the band's initial appearance convince their potential audience that (at least at first glance) Enuff Z'Nuff was just another Poison/Warrant/Slaughter/Winger-esque group? Sure, the hair was teased high and the lips were more than just slightly glossy. The shine might have blinded an albino. Is there a scarier sight to behold than Chip Z'Nuff's pursued lips? I think not! Okay, well maybe there is. Enuff Z'Nuff first image is not nearly as grotesque as a Sally Struther's hosted infomercial or a live autopsy. And every musical era has a certain look that is relevant to the times. Late 1960's hippies wore tie-dye. Disco revelers twirled in sparkling bellbottoms. The original punks had green hair (but no Green Day). New wavers bopped around in pointy shoes. Grungers wore their flannel proudly. And today's music scene wears its banality on its sleeve. So what if the late 80's rockers adopted what they considered charming androgyny? It certainly got Motley Crue laid!
I'd like to believe that - in a perfect musical world - the songs, and not just the fashion, should be remembered the most. Sadly, sometimes this is just not true. Unless your name is Springsteen.
Simply put, the best $8.00 I have spent this year has been on Johnny Monaco. I can’t exactly say that I favor the concept of the EP (less tracks than a normal length CD), and I would have been willing to pay $20.00 for a few more songs. Yes, it is that good.
Johnny has a sound that I would definitely consider modern, definitely call it “poppy,” but I would not be embarrassed if any of my hockey buddies found it in my CD player (unlike Good Charlotte or Bowling for Soup). As a fan of a lot of the pop-rock bands that are on the market today, I do sometimes feel out of touch (at an advanced age of 36) due to some of the lyrical content. Silly me. Monaco has a lot of similar sound qualities as nearly anything on the radio today, but his words are a little more honest and mature. The fact that he’s not 19 (or pretending to be) is a relief to an older music fan like myself. With no tattoos and not a skateboard in sight, I am glad to have come across this gem.
