Ask 411 Music 04.20.09: Garbage, Country Rock, and Oasis

Posted by Joshua George on 04.20.2009

Join me for the Garbage edition of Where Are They Now, see how I feel about country rock, and why does Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher feel they aren't a big hit here in America? All this and more inside!

Whoooooo! Hope all of you had a good Easter. I know I did, and now this week, we're BACK with another installment. Happy 4.20 everyone, now stick around for some Q&A! If you want to have your questions answered or your reader mail published in the column, all you have to do is SEND THEM IN NOW!

Here come the...


Ask 411 Music Reader Questions

From Lexibug,

Ok, so my question is what happened to the band garbage and their lead singer Shirley Manson? Did they break up, and if they didn't what are they doing now, any chances of another album by them anytime soon?

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Interesting question, Lexibug. We haven't heard anything from Garbage since the 2005 fourth studio album Bleed Like Me. They have put out a couple of other things such as the Absolute Garbage DVD and the Absolute Garbage - Best of Collection Album, but no other studio work. Rumors have spread and some reports have shown that Shirley Manson has been working on a solo album, though apparently there is still (at the time of this column) no release date or finish date for the album.

Her drummer Butch Vig, guitarist Steve Marker, and bass guitarist Duke Erikson have also been doing some side projects. For Vig, this includes co-writing and helping produce Manson's solo album that she's working on out of her own private studio. Vig, Erikson, and Marker have all been working on side projects, mostly movie music scores and producing for other bands such as Jimmy Eat World and The Subways.

After releasing Absolute Garbage, there was talk for a while of a new album getting started in mid-2008 and all the band members were in, but then Mason landed a main character role on the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and I believe that kinda shot that whole idea in the ass. The reason I say this is because if you check out Garbage Website the last update is from November of 2008. I'd say it's safe to say that as of now, this band has put most plans for a reunion on the back burner to say the least.

Manson, however has been moving forward with her side project. She took it to Geffen Records only to be shot down because it wasn't the pop hit they were looking for. After they shot that project down, Manson and Geffen officially parted ways and she's now looking for some independent folks to check out her shit and hopefully be interested in distributing it. In case you didn't know, Manson is on Facebook now and has even posted a demo from her new stuff that she and producer Greg "Bee" Kurstin one half of The Bird and the Bee have done together called "In The Snow" on her Facebook profile last month.

That was fun, now let's continue on to another question!

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From Eric Whitesides,

Who was the biggest loss to music: Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix? Which of the three would still be as famous today, as they were then?

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This is actually an incredibly difficult question. I truly believe that in this list of people, most likely IN MY OPINION, Jimi Hendrix would be one of the biggest losses that the music world has ever seen. With his ability to shred the shit out of a guitar, I have a feeling that he would still be just as famous today as he was then. Consider in one of my earlier columns where I discussed the basic "death" of rock as it sound today compared to those times. Now we're all about three chord songs and empty lyrics. If Hendrix were still around, rock may have taken a completely different path in the twists and turns of times. Rather than three chord songs, we'd having bitchin' guitar riffs and shredded solos along with some of the most melodically complex songs we've seen. It's a shame that to get that good music, we have to go back to the 70s.

This isn't to completely detract from the impact that Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison have had on the industry as well. If you had asked me this question back in 1999, I may have considered Joplin to be my answer. This was when the women were powerful and Destiny's Child was making some personnel changes which would eventually lead to Beyonce Knowles getting her HUGE breakthrough. Macy Grey was on the scene with her raspy voice and was well received by American audiences. Tracy Chapman was still riding on the success of her 1995 single "Gimme One Reason" and Janis Joplin would've DEFINITELY still been big in the scene there. Janis Joplin, you could argue, is THE REASON that women like Tracy Chapman, Macy Grey, and Beyonce got as big as they did. She really made moves for women in music, and if you remember back in the 411 Mania Top Five Favorite Influential Female Musical Contributors, I actually listed Joplin as one of my Top 5. Arguably, The Doors have helped create, mold and shape rock music as we know it today. I think Jim Morrison definitely tread a ground that many others couldn't possibly have tread during his time in the music industry, not to mention his poetry which was well known and widely published.

All this being said, I still stick with my decision. Jimi Hendrix is the biggest loss to the music industry, and of the three would be the most famous still today.

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From Eric Whitesides,

In an interview, Noel Gallagher has stated that the reason that Oasis's music is not popular over here is because Americans have bad taste? Do you agree? Why hasn't Oasis had the kind of success on this side of the pond, as opposed to other places in the world?

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Wow. That's about all I can say to that... wow. Consider that Noel Gallagher is a crazy man that loves to get into arguments with his brother ON STAGE during concerts and the fact that he's a completely arrogant asshole for considering that the reason his band doesn't "get over" here in America. Perhaps he should consider that Oasis hasn't put out an album with anything worth listening to on it since 1996 with "Wonderwall", and even THAT is better when done a cappella. If you have a band that has had EIGHTEEN different members since its creation in 1991, there's a pretty good chance that you won't have ANY staying power at all.

Also, something else to consider would be that America is very "American" these days. Given the "terrorism" that's been happening and all of that junk, we tend to like a lot of people that are here in the US, as opposed to people that are over in England at this phase in music. There are a few artists from "across the pond" that can make it into America's mainstream music, but when you really consider the style of music that's popular right now, that will really give you an answer as to why Oasis isn't as popular here. The kind of music that Oasis is putting out just isn't what fits the popular sound in the US right now. If we move away from R&B and Hip Hop at some point and back to Rock (if it doesn't die completely) then perhaps Oasis could be bigger here. Also, Oasis isn't the only group/artist not to make it in the US. Consider Robbie Williams. Who? Exactly. Remember the song "Millennium" back in 1999? That was him. You don't hear much out of him here in the US, but with seven studio albums (another one supposedly to be released late this year) and six number one singles in the UK, you can bet he's popular elsewhere. I love his shit, though that's not the point. America just can't embrace people as easy when they don't fit into the sound that we're listening to now. Is that bad musical taste? You be the judge. Do you feel like your musical taste is poor? I don't.

It's time for...


Joshua's Rant of the Week

Country music in rock? What the fuck is going on in this country right now? Here's the thing. We used to have a lot of rock music that was worth listening to, and then slowly and surely rock music has taken a dive over the last, oh, I'd say 30 - 40 years. We've discussed the "death" of rock in a previous column, but I guess you can consider this Part 2. Why are we starting to move into a phase of rock-country? What is happening in this country right now that causes remixed and remade versions of "Sweet Home Alabama" and other songs like it to be hitting the top of the charts? Songs like Rehab - "Bartender Song (aka Sittin' At A Bar)" are getting air time on our local major rock stations. So why is country music getting airplay on rock stations? This continues our discussion on the death of rock.

Rock music has gone from the crazy ass guitar solos, complicated chord structures, and asymmetrical meters (see Dream Theater or Rush) to simplistic and short guitar solos (if there are any at all), three-chord song structures, and common meters that allow you to just mindlessly bob your head along with the music. Lyrics used to mean something more than what was said, and also used to be pointed at more political movements and controversial stances on government. Now, we see the simple lyrics that are hollow and empty meaning exactly what they say as well as some that stand for other things... like mostly sex. Nickelback sings about a girl sucking on her thumb looking cuter when she never pulls it out because she "looks so much cuter with something in your mouth." Wow. That's really clever. Or not. Basically we're fucked. So what should we do in order to bring back the genre? I KNOW! Let's include COUNTRY music and start crossing back and forth. WRONG. I'm not going to go much more into this because you all already know how I feel about country music and i was pointed out by a commenter on a previous article that because I'm a "northerner" I don't "understand country music." That's fine and dandy, but keep the country music to the country stations please. Stop contaminating my rock stations with your country music. If I wanted to hear country, I'd tune to a country station. Thanks.

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Who wants to hear something new???


Things You Should Hear

Let's see what I can come up with this time:

1. Lexibug has requested that I post some of this band, so I figure it can't hurt to include Typo Negative - "Love You To Death":


2. This one's for Hannah and Ein. Two people that I work with that love som R&B and it's Craig David - "Can't Be Messing 'Round":


3.Let's get some more a cappella in your diets. Here's Title IX and Section 8 from my Alma Mater singing "Timberlake/Timbaland Medley":


4. In order to keep comedy rolling, I feel like I should include Stephen Lynch - "Special Ed":


5. Y'all know I likes me some of this girl, so let's listen to Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold":


6. This one's for me. I love this shit... Lil' Wayne ft. Twista - "Burn This City":


If you'd like me to post your band or a band that you particularly love, all you have to do is Send me the YouTube link NOW! I'd like to start including some of your personal bands clips, or other bands that you think people should be hearing.

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Peace!