Dylan Blackthorn – Stoked
There’s never been a bad time for a good polka or for humour in rock music. The fact of the matter is that playing music with a straight face is not an easy thing to do. Sure, it gets easier once you advance to playing for screaming fans in a packed club or an arena.
It gets even worse if you’re playing rock n’ roll without having acquired the right lightning-fast techniques, or, at the very least, a look alluring enough to get people to willingly pay to see you perform.
If you’ve exhausted these avenues, there are two things you can still do. One is to quit. The other is to get weird. However, be warned, weird musicians usually also know how to play. Dylan Blackthorn qualifies for this. Stoked is strange, a mixture of polka, country, and soundtrack eeriness a la Danny Elfman. There’s no possible way to explain this and, perhaps, that is why we like it so.
Harlow Lake – Body In The Bathtub
So, you’re shooting a movie about rich people hanging around a rich people’s club. You finish shooting your actors and need some music. You use jazz. Yeah, jazz feels sophisticated, rich folk music. What to choose? Go wild, nobody really plays jazz on the radio anymore.
So, you’re shooting a horror movie. You’ve just finished telling your actors to act surprised at the blood and gore that is awaiting them. You need some music to top this all off? Sure, you might as well use some rock. That’s what rock means to people nowadays. It’s action, drama, and, after all, nobody bothers with playing it on the radio. Rock’s become another flavour.
If I ever get around to directing that horror movie I was telling you about, I may ask Harlow Lake to soundtrack it. Body In The Bathtub would make a great fit. It’s got plenty of character and some very sharp grooves. It feels and looks like a rock, yet it has the potential to reach a wide pop-thrilled audience.
