Old Is New... Or Reflections On Punk, Alternative In General, And Other Dribble

     Relax - we're not going retro on you with this "old is new" statement that's in the title. It just seemed fitting because of some things that are currently happening here in our neck of the woods as well as in the music industry.

     First off, the old and out-dated website, 360 Degrees of Alternative, will soon be taken down & replaced with a more modern and interactive one at some point this week (before March 1st 2013). It was hard for me, in a way, to come to the realization of the benefits of a totally new site, and not because I'm getting old. The first stumbling block I had to deal with was the fact that the website will only be 3 years old next month. In my mind, that's nothing. In technology's mind, that's ancient. Then came the reality of actually building the thing - this is no small task. It's not like we have a whole IT department here to whip this up in a day or two.


     But as more ideas came on the table, the more excited I became. We would make it more interactive with photos, music, videos, links, and more. The timing in actuality couldn't be more perfect. I've been doing a great deal more freelance writing and amateur photography. To accommodate all these ventures and pursuits, we are putting all these aspects under one roof if you will. The new site will simply be called "360 Degrees", as it will cover alternative music, photography, and writings about this same genre of music as well as alternative views on hi-performance automotive, past and present.

     Once the site is up, browse through it at your convenience & shoot us an email about what you think. We know we can't please everyone, but we feel you will enjoy it or at least a certain aspect of it. As a famous person once said, "Take what you like and leave the rest..."

     I was cruising through some music news yesterday and noticed some interesting tidbits from some artists we haven't heard from in a while, mainly Iggy Pop & Nine Inch Nails. Seems they are also in the "old is new" mode or at least a regeneration type thing. Okay - when it comes to Iggy, maybe we could call this, "the thing that wouldn't die" - no pun intended and not that I'm complaining in the least. This guy has been around the music scene for almost 50 years... shit the guy is 65 years old as I write this. Their new release, Ready To Die is due out on April 30th. It will mark the first time Iggy has worked with guitarist James Williamson & drummer Scott Asheton since the album Raw Power that saw the light of day back in 1973. It will also be the first Stooges album since 2007.

     Another surprising tidbit was about Trent Reznor & Nine Inch Nails. Apparently the band is working on new material and is "reinventing itself completely", according to Reznor. The first thing I thought of was, "didn't they have a farewell tour, the parting of the ways, and all that other glorious stuff four years ago?" 
Yup - that piece of history hasn't changed. As the saying goes, you can't keep a good person down. No rumblings of exactly when any new stuff will hit the net or stores, (except for the fact it will be at some point this summer), but Reznor mentioned that band lineup changes include former members of Jane's Addiction & King Crimson.

     I've been a little confused lately as to why, all of a sudden, so much media attention has surfaced about the magazine Legs McNeil started back in 1976 called "Punk". It's not like it's a 30th or 40th anniversary... it's been like 36 years and 9 months. The magazine came out, for a while, every other month and then quarterly by 1977. I've managed to snag a copy or two over the years, and they're a gas! Not only did it highlight the music and the bands, mainly in NYC and who played at CBGB's at the time, but it also helped define it's sound. I found this cool pictorial on Spin Magazine's website. Click here to check it out.



     I received some feedback about my thoughts and comments regarding alternative music starting in the early 60's. A fan named Glen shot me an email stating he felt alternative started more in the early 70's with the Detroit and Cleveland sound. I responded back with info about The Stooges and Velvet Underground - both had vinyl out by 1968. He replied back stating they were practically solo anomalies, one being from NYC, the other from Detroit. His point was of a more widespread geographic area and album releases to include such bands as The Electric Eels and The Dictators. While I agreed with him on those points, I mentioned the point of influences. These bands just didn't wake up one morning and say, "Hey - let's play our songs this way." They had musicians who influenced them in some way. Case in point - The Who. While Pete Townsend and company were influenced by rhythm and blues, they in turn influenced many future bands  - from the Sex Pistols to Nirvana... like it or not. Stage performances also had a lot to do with it as well. Check out this live performance of The Who doing "My Generation" from 1966. I kinda feel sorry for Roger Daltrey - while Keith Moon & Pete Townsend are just hammering away, he just has to... well, sorta stand there and groove along. How do you pull that off while instruments are beaten to shit, speakers are smoking, and general chaos is raining. Watch this and tell me this didn't fan the flames of punk to come...
Click here to flip your wig (or whatever they said back then).

     Until next time, peace out!