Music Discovery Monday – 8/11/15

Hard Rock Daddy presents Music Discovery Monday – 8/11/15.

Each week, the HRD team shares songs that fly below radio’s radar, ranging from lesser-known artists to deeper cuts from both up-and-coming and established artists.

In addition to exposing the Hard Rock Daddy audience to new music that isn’t getting the attention that it deserves from radio, Music Discovery Monday also features a segment called “Hard Rock Music Time Machine,” which showcases older songs (from the 70s to today) that hard rock music fans may have missed at the time of release.

In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlists beneath each section, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles.

This week, Music Discovery Monday features an exclusive interview with Bobaflex’s Marty McCoy, who shares the deep meaning behind the band’s latest single, “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away.”

 

 

 ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)

BOBAFLEX – “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away”

When you first hear “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away,” you might think that Bobaflex has written an infectious (dare I say “addictive”) drug anthem, but that is not the case.  While the song is both infectious and addictive, the meaning behind the song is not actually what it appears to be at first blush.  In an exclusive interview with Hard Rock Daddy, Marty McCoy (vocals, guitars) shared the true meaning of the song (see below).

The gang vocals at the beginning of the track are reminiscent of another song about drugs (Alice Cooper’s “Hey Stoopid”), but the verses are much grittier.  Bobaflex continues to hone their unique delivery of melodies on “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away,” distinguishing them amongst the plethora of hard rock artists on the scene today.  Like other independent artists, Bobaflex has to fight to get the attention that they deserve, but this is exactly the type of band that was the inspiration for Music Discovery Monday.  It should be noted that Bobaflex is the first band to have been the featured artist twice on Music Discovery Monday.  There will be more to come from this vastly underrated band in the near future, but for now, check out the story that Marty McCoy shared about “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away”…

“My brother came up with the idea for the chorus.  He walked into the room and said ‘hey, I have this cool song that kind of has a Joan Jett feeling to it.’  He sang it one time in the room, and the whole band agreed that we should start working on it right away.  We pounded it out until we were happy with it.  We got the riffs down, had the choruses, and then verses just kind of came together as we were talking about all of our friends that we’ve seen on drugs.

None of the current members of the band have dealt with any personal drug issues, but we had a guitar player that got all ‘heroin-ed’ out, and had to leave the band and almost died.  He was at the point where he was as bad as you can possibly get on heroin without dying.

I remember carrying him to the doctor’s office in my arms.  He was green, and his liver was done.  He had a pretty bad case of Hepatitis.  I carried him into the doctor’s office and the doctor said that he wasn’t going to make it, and that he was going to die.

I pulled the doctor aside to talk to him.  He was being really mean and shitty to me because he thought that I was trying to score pain pills.  I told him that I found heroin needles in my friend’s room.  He had a look on his face that he realized that I was clueless as to what was going on, and not a junkie trying to score.  He said ‘no shit, Sherlock…he’s fucking gonna die because he has Hepatitis.’  When he realized that I wasn’t a junkie, he got much nicer to me.

So, this guitarist, who is one of my best friends, somehow came out of it and survived and is doing great now, but he would have been dead if I didn’t take him to the hospital.  The doctor thought that he was going to die even being in the hospital.

While I was trying to get him through everything, he was calling people from the hospital trying to get drugs.  I just left at that point.  I wasn’t going to sit there and watch him die.  A few days later, I spoke to him, and he didn’t even remember me being at the hospital.  He asked when we were going back on the road, and I told him that he wasn’t because he was dying of Hepatitis…he had no idea.  He wasn’t even going to try to quit, but somehow he got his ass clean.

We’ve been through so many things like this with drugs and our friends with the old heroin bug.  They’re all either dead, in jail or clean.  It only happens three different ways.  So, we just had all of this information and personal stories that we wrote about.

People say that the song sounds like a drug anthem, but it’s not.  It’s a story about a person flipping out on drugs.  We’ve all seen it too many times…people ripping the shit out of their apartment, kicking the walls in and looking through the carpet for whatever they can find, and being abusive to the person that’s not helping them out.

That’s pretty much what the song is about.  It’s a re-telling of a story that we’ve seen a million times.  People do go crazy when the drugs take over their body or they’re out of money and they can’t get it anymore.  They turn into an insane person who will do anything that they can to get the drugs, and it’s pretty gross.”

 

TRIVIUM – “Silence In The Snow”

The evolution of Trivium’s musical style is one of the more interesting in hard rock today.  They seemed to have found their sweet spot with their 2013 release, Vengeance Falls, with strong Active Rock tracks like “Strife” and “Villainy Thrives,” both of which tapped into their metalcore roots, while also showcasing Matt Heafy’s impressive vocals.  On the heels of their success, the transition away from metalcore (at least on “Silence In The Snow”) seems to be complete.  While it was somewhat surprising to see the band shift into a European metal sound on “Silence In The Snow,” Heafy did appear as a guest vocalist on two recent Dragonforce songs (“The Game” and “Defenders”), so it’s not a total shock.  SiriusXM’s Octane has embraced the song so far, but it remains to be seen if Active Rock will follow suit.  That being said, “Silence In The Snow” is an outstanding, melodic metal track with an European influence that is rarely found in an American band.  It may take some time for Trivium fans to get used to, but once they’ve given “Silence In The Snow” several listens, they will realize that great songwriting trumps a pre-conceived notions of how a band should sound.

 

 

 

 JON LOVELESS – HRD Music Scout

BITERS – “Restless Hearts”

Some bands are tougher to find comparisons for, or even analogies.  That’s the case for me when it comes to trying to describe this Atlanta-based quartet.  The best that I can do – and I hope they won’t mind – might be “a punk-influenced update of The Outfield.”  It’s a straight up rock n’ roll record where their influences come through, but with ample musicianship and melody to go along with those roots.  The lead single from their just-released new album has a nice hook, which is always a plus.  This was my introduction to the band and they made a good first impression.

 

THE WYLDZ – “Let It Go”

“Originally from Paris, now hailing from Austin, Texas” isn’t really a phrase you get to use that often, so I figured I might as well open with it.  Initially, there’s a temptation to think this might be another in the recent wave of 60s/70s rock-inspired bands that have appeared on the scene over the past few years, and then the guitar solo hits, and you realize that this trio brought some extra goods to the party.  There’s a line in the song that I think fits them nicely – “restless and climbing” – that might just be a good phrase to describe the band itself; it’s hard for me to picture them sitting still for very long.

 

 

 

ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout

STRATOVARIUS – “Shine In The Dark”

Finnish power metal superstars Stratovarius have released the first single from their upcoming album, Eternal, due out next month.  This one tiptoes in ethereally, but just for moments before rhythm and riffs kick in, and layered vocals soar into a melodic chorus.  It promises that we’re in for a very strong addition to a discography that now spans thirty years.

 

BLURRED VISION – “No More War”

The Beatles merge into the modern rock and progressive rock eras in this song with a message, from the Canadian trio Blurred Vision.  A smooth approach and a catchy chorus conceal some deep songwriting at times.  Founded by brothers Sepp (vocals, guitar) and Sohl Osley (bass), Blurred Vision released their debut album, Organized Insanity, earlier this year.

 

 

 

   CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH – HRD Music Scout

LEPROUS – “The Price”

The opening to this track from Norweigen Prog metal band, Leprous, is unusual.  I classify it as articulate, precise, metal funk – very cool.  The song evolves to a more traditional prog piece with an alternative overtone.  Standout performance from the drummer, Baard Kolstad.  “The Price” is off of the band’s most recent album, The Congregation.

 

PRAYING MANTIS – “Fight For Your Honour”

Praying Mantis is a British metal band that has been around since 1974, flying under the radar all this time.  “Fight For Your Honour” is a great track about heroes and remembrance, which bats lead-off on their most recent album, Legacy.  Tight musicianship and great vocals from Jaycee Cuijpers.
 

SUBMISSIONS

To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com

 

 

HARD ROCK MUSIC TIME MACHINE

 ADAM WALDMAN

SCAR THE MARTYR – “Soul Disintegration” (2013)

What started out as a side project for Slipknot drummer, Joey Jordison, became his primary focus after being unceremoniously fired by the band that he had been a part of since their inception in 1995.  It’s unclear at this point what the status of the band is after the departure of frontman, Henry Derek Bonner.  In April of 2014, they posted an announcement in the news section of their website that they were auditioning singers, but nothing has been posted since.  It’s too bad that things didn’t work out with Bonner because he was a perfect fit for the band.  With Jordison pounding the skins, the Slipknot influence is there, but Scar The Martyr has a much more melodic sound due to the lead vocals and vocal harmonies.  “Soul Disintegration” starts with a haunting keyboard intro as the bass sets a dramatic pulse before kicking into an intense, heart-racing rhythm.  The chemistry of the band is evident throughout, particularly during the vocal harmonies.  Hopefully, the band will find a replacement that can pick up where Bonner left off, because this band is too good to just be a flash-in-the-pan.

 

BRUCE DICKINSON – “Road To Hell” (1997)

If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear that this was an obscure Iron Maiden track, rather than one of the numerous outstanding tracks from Bruce Dickinson’s fourth solo album, Accident Of Birth.  Had this album been released around the time of Number Of The Beast and Piece Of Mind, it may very well have ended up as a staple in most hard rock music collections.  As the saying goes, “timing is everything.”  This album was released around the time that metal was just starting to emerge from the doldrums of the 90s.  With his cancer scare behind him, Dickinson and Maiden are ready to take the world by storm again when their next studio album, The Book Of Souls, is released in September.  “Road To Hell” was chosen this week mainly because of two lines in the chorus that have resonated with me on a personal level recently…“The road to hell, is paved with good intentions…say farewell, we may never meet again.”  If you are a Maiden fan, you will appreciate this song, and the entire album for that matter.

 

 

 

JON LOVELESS

EXTREME – “Decadence Dance” (1990)

It was 25 years ago this month that Extreme released their second album, Pornograffitti.  I’ll just pause for a moment and let that sink in for those who, like me, remember the album being released.  Boosted to double-platinum sales on the strength of two ballad hits, the album also sported a track that seemed to become more popular over the years (“Get The Funk Out”) and this one, which fared better in the U.K. as a single than it did in the U.S.  While it’s nice to revisit an older track, it may not be long before there’s new music from the band to enjoy, as vocalist Gary Cherone recently announced that the band would be heading into the studio to record a new album later this year.

 

MR. BIG – “Addicted To That Rush” (1989)

It almost feels like cheating to include this track into the Time Machine section of MDM.  It’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t have instant recognition for the majority of HRD readers, but it came to mind due to this being another band that could rock hard with the very best of ‘em, but had their biggest mainstream success and recognition with a ballad.  There really are people out there who recognize “To Be With You” as the group’s signature song.  I just don’t happen to be one of those people.  When I think of this collection of supergroup caliber musicians, this is what I think of first and foremost.

 

 

 

  ROB DELL’AQUILA

MARTIE PETERS GROUP – “Shallow” (2007)

These Danish melodic rockers released this catchy, introspective piece from their second album, Road to Salvation, after singer/songwriter Martie Peters had left the band Push.  His voice is strikingly similar to that of fellow Dane, Mike Tramp (White Lion, Freak of Nature), whom he’s actually worked with on occasion.  A good piece from a solid melodic rock album.

 

ROYAL HUNT – “Sea Of Time” (1999)

When D.C. Cooper parted ways with Danish progressive metal masters Royal Hunt, replacement John West had some big shoes to fill.  He did an admirable job, allowing them (in 1999) to release a fourth album, Fear, that they could be proud of.  He soars here in this emotional ballad, with a full complement of instruments and the amazing keyboards of founder Andre Andersen to back him up.  D.C. Cooper has since rejoined the band and their music together is better than ever, with another highly anticipated album, Devil’s Dozen, about to be released. However, the West era should not be forgotten.

 

 

 

 CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – “Clean My Wounds” (1994)

A longtime favorite of mine from 1994.  The opening rhythm line from “Clean My Wounds” grabbed me and never let go.  Formed in 1982, C.O.C. is still active after a few lineup changes, and their members have been involved in various side projects as well.

 

QUEENSRYCHE – “Reach” (1997)

Back in 1997, way before the strife and ultimate schism of Queensryche and Geoff Tate, a very underrated album – Hear in the Now Frontier – was released.  From that edgy set comes a great track – “Reach.”  Simply put, crank this if you need a shot of confidence and inspiration to get going or to keep on going.