'Merica Notes

I wanted to do something this week I've never done before here on MericaNotes. I've reviewed artists, playlists, albums, and genres as a whole- but I've never reviewed a single song. I'd like to take the time now to review the song "One"; originally written by U2 in 1990 from the album "Achtung Baby". The song has seen numerous covers over its 26 year span including Johnny Cash, Mary J. Blige, Mica Paris, REM, Joe Cocker, Damian Rice, Adam Lambert, and Pearl Jam. Frequently appearing on greatest songs lists, U2's song eared it's spot at number 36 on Rolling Stones'  The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.   While "One" in itself may sound like an slow anthemic love song, the meaning behind the song and its lyrical content goes far deeper than that. U2 frontman Bono described the song as such: "It is a song about coming together, but it's not the old hippie idea of 'Let's all live together.' It is, in fact, the ...

Last week, I did a take on the folk/progressive duo Foxes And Peppers, individually known as Fox Amoore and Pepper Coyote. And now for something completely different. The Atlanta based rap known as Outkast was formed in 1991 by Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton. They were actually the first exposure I had to rap and hip hop. In addition, my first music video I'd ever seen was their track "Hey Ya". I was about 4 or 5 at the time I first heard OutKast play. Surprisingly enough, it was my mother that got me interested in rap and I'd hear her play Outkast and Eminem from time to time. Being so young I couldn't understand most of the lyrics, but I recently started getting back into OutKast thanks to one youtuber playing a piano cover of their song "Roses". Since then I've been listening to OutKast quite frequently. The duo achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success in the 1990s and early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop while deve...

Merry Christmas, happy new year, it's 2018! It's been a while since I last posted here on MericaNotes, coincidentally I haven't reviewed an artist in quite some time. To kick off the new year, instead of taking to a resolution that you'll only keep for a week, why not instead listen to an artist you'll never forget? And not just one, but two artists whom I truly have an appreciation for. You may not have heard of them before, but they've met and played for the likes of Daniel Craig and JK Rowling. I'm referring to the duo that is Jared Clark (Pepper Coyote) and Iain Armour (Fox Amoore).   While recently collaborating together on the album Hashtag , going unofficially under the name Foxes And Peppers for their duo, both artists have done some incredible work with their music individually as well as collaboratively. This week, I've decided to take a new direction and review both artists. I absolutely love their music, and I'd be doing an injustice to...

Last week's post over Jimi Hendrix was more of a brief tribute to the legend himself, but now I'd like to do a post over someone who's ego is so inflated that he calls himself a legend. Now that's not to say Kanye West doesn't have some good music, but his ego is something he could work on. (Much like Axel Rose of Guns N Roses).   Kanye is a self described "genius", and although I like a lot of West's older music- I'm not a fan of his character. Nor would I call him a genius, but his older music is something I can appreciate. What keeps Kanye afloat is his ever changing style to adapt and keep up with the times. I remember listening to West since 2007, starting from the album Graduation , and unlike many rappers Kanye West still remains relevant to the music industry. (Some of his music has actually inspired me to make my own parodies). West has certainly had an influence on music in general; several of his songs being played in commercials or mo...

It's been quite a while since the last blog post here and fortunately (as far as I know) nothing much has happened save the seasonal controversy and drama over thanksgiving for God knows what. But yesterday however, was a more or less momentous occasion in music history with the posthumous 75th birthday of rock legend Jimi Hendrix, who died in 1970 from a drug overdose. Like many other rock idols of his day, Jimi left us at the young age of 27. To the likes of which include Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain.   As of yesterday, Jimi Hendrix would have been 75. Hendrix may be gone but his music still lives on as the embodiment of classic 60s rock. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock Hall of Fame described him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in th...

On Sunday, at approximately 11:30AM; at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX- a shooting left at least 26 people dead. As innocent Christians, Texans, were gathering to attend their usual 11:30 church service that Sunday; a man named Devin Kelley opened fire on the church-goers. Kelley was an avowed atheist, and a former Airman who was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force some years back under two counts of domestic abuse and disorderly conduct. Sutherland Springs is a small town with a population of only 400, just southeast of San Antonio. Several of these victims were children. The pastor’s wife, Karla Holcombe; their son, Marc Holcombe, 36; and his 1-year-old daughter, Noah, also died.   This happens just a day after the supposed November 4th "Antifa Revolution". Maybe its just a coincidence that Kelley just so happened to be targeting "christian conservatives", and had a history of threatening Christians online as well as his Christian family ...

The Beatles have remained one of the most influential bands in music history, if not the most influential. I've had songs by the Beatles before on here, but I never really much went in depth about the band or any of their songs and albums. Their music ranges from hard classic rock to psychedelic and trippy drug-inspired tunes that made up a majority of the Beatles latter years together as a band. But what really sets the Beatles apart from other 60s rock groups was their showmanship. Before Elton John and Lady Gaga's outrageous costumes, there was the Beatles. Yet, this wasn't a bunch of old junk strapped together to form a poncho found in a trash can, this was attire a lot of 60s Beatles fans recognized as their signature style. Most famously employed in the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Beatles donned their signature bright and vibrant hippie apparel and still somehow managed to make music that most of us who don't take drugs could c...