Save Ferris Under 21

This song is for Katherine.  When you're in high school, and the early years of college, there are a lot of clubs and local shows you can't get into.  That's what this song is all about.  Save Ferris is a ska band from the early 90's.  What's ska?  It's a combination of reggae music and punk rock, sometimes with a little bit of swing in it.  For a while, Save Ferris and No Doubt, another ska band from Southern California, were duking it out to see who would be more famous.  No Doubt won, and their singer, Gwen Stefani, is now a household name.  But Save Ferris was a great band as well, and their singer, Monique Powell belted out some great and energetic tunes back then.  Enjoy.

The Birth of Rap and Hip Hop

OK kids, time for a history lesson in music.  I know you guys like rap and hip hop.  But what you call rap today actually started in about 1980 with this song, "Rapper's Delight," by the Sugarhill Gang.  At that time, disco was still really popular.  Disco was short for discotecque, which were the dance clubs of that time.  Women wore lots of sparkles and sequins, and the men had tight pants.  The dancing was far different than what we see today.  As far away as it seems from today's hip hop, this song spread the idea of rapping lyrics instead of singing them, and that idea caught on with the young, poor kids in the street.  Rap as we know it was born.  Once again, the African-American community changed music for the rest of the world.

Hey Mickey

Katherine, this one's for you.  This is the really weird video to Tony Basil's song "Hey Mickey" in the early 80's.  Tony was a high school cheerleader, and this song was inspired by her cheer experience.  believe it or not, this was a huge hit when it came out.

Pretty Fly For A White Guy

I love this song.  The Offspring is one of my favorite punk bands, from Huntington Beach, where I used to live.  I had a few beers with the band once, a couple years before they became famous.  Anyhow, this song, from the late 90's, is making fun of white kids who try to act gangsta.  There are a few good white rappers, like the Beastie Boys, Eminem, and even my skateboarder friend Chris Gentry.  But when white kids from the suburbs try to pretend they're from the 'hood, it just looks stupid.  That's what this song is all about.  There's nothing wrong with listening to rap/hip hop, but just don't try to be something you're not. 

Kids in America

I was a little younger than my niece is now when this song came out.  Somehow in the early 1980's synthesizers and punk rock merged into a form of pop called New Wave.  The funny thing is that the guys in this video have haircuts that would look pretty normal today.  I wasn't a big New Wave fan, but always liked this song.   

What I Like About You

A little over a month ago, I decided to draw pictures for my niece and nephew for Christmas.  My nephew Ethan is a big Boston Red Sox fan, so I knew he'd like a pic of one of his favorite baseball players.  My niece Katherine is 16, and I wasn't sure what she would like.  So I asked my sister (her mom) who her favorite singers or performers were.  The answer came back: Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber.  I thought, "Really?  Kids today have the whole internet, they don'y even have to pay for music, and her favorites are the biggest pop stars?"  My next thought was that I need to introduce my niece and nephew to some new music.  Well, actually to some old music that's new to them.  If they like it, great.  If not, that's OK, too. 

So that's what this blog is about, showing a bunch of my favorite music to my niece and nephew, and anyone else interested, to broaden their musical horizons a bit.  Since pop music is their favorite right now, I thought a poppy tune like The Romantics "What I Like About You" is a good place to start.  Enjoy.