
Ross Everitt – The America Song
It’s hard to ignore what the U.S.A. means to a lot of people. Sure, this massive piece of land is home to natural wonders, great engineering feats, and some amazing people. Sure, they might’ve not heard of Gauguin or Beethoven, but these North Americans contributed more to modern culture than any other nation in the world. And, sure, it’s hilarious to watch them try to play soccer.
But, as one of the two senior presidential candidates was slow to remind us during a recent debate, never in the history of humankind has there been a greater military power. That means that there’s never been a more powerful nation overall. This means that wars don’t really matter anyway, except for the people doing the accounting on the bullets on guns. Still, we’re able to laugh and smirk at the U.S. from afar, a luxury that would’ve seemed incredible in the past.
And a lot of Americans are doing the work for us. Ross Everitt has the vocal chops to land a hit and the humor to land himself into trouble. “The America Song” could be the soundtrack to a drinking game you can devise while watching the next presidential election. Everitt gets it! He understands how scary and how funny this country really is. With things regarding U.S. dominance unlikely to change for a long, long time, the best thing we can do is sing, point, and laugh.
bigfish – Your Uncle’s Beach House in Virginia
Folks still try to learn to play music so that one day, someone can walk up to them and call them a rockstar. And while there isn’t enough of the adoring public of old to help them make this happen, it’s not stopping the kids with guitars from showing up. But, we all know, and there ain’t no need to pretend otherwise, that being a rockstar is more than just about playing music.
People expect their rock stars in a certain way. There are standards, just like there are standards about a monarch’s behavior. The rockstars and the monarchs have entirely different standards when it comes to what they are allowed to do publicly. But, by and large, both of them need to present themselves as otherworldly. They have to walk the Earth as if they’ve been anointed by God himself.
bigfish aren’t looking to be rockstars, not in the classic sense. In fact, they’re on a new kick of being true to themselves. They like to play country music, and the singer delivers vocals as if fronting a Southern rock version of Mr. Big. They’re done with shallow, manipulative relationships, as can be heard on “Your Uncle’s Beach House in Virginia.” They’re not snobs, either. This is music designed to be played at a backyard party, and the band is perfectly alright if you sneak in a few beers. It’s not what you’d expect to hear, but it sure is refreshing to hear it.