class is in session

well, it was. last Thursday to be exact. thats when The Hard Lessons came to Iota in Arlington and showed the headliner what rock and roll is all about. im glad to see that they are still performing very well and dont seem worse off after the loss of Christophe (aka The Anvil) behind the drums. im happy that THL seems to still be thriving, but its a bummer to see a cool dude leave the band, especially since he was there since the get go and he was more than eager to talk to me and others after the first show i saw them at and just about every show since.

anyway, its been a year or so since i saw them. i think it was thanksgiving time last year. now with the B & G sides released, they worked more of that music into their set, which is nice. its a little more complex and contemplative than Gasoline. Gasoline was straight up rock, soulful and heartfelt, but not really innovative. i like the the B & G sides from the get go with 'dont shake my tree' and 'see and be scene.' both of those are great rock songs, then the second edition came out and had 'i like your hair long,' which is a beautiful, sentimental song. what i'm saying is that the band grew, expanded their range, while keeping the soul and the sound true to where they began.

also on the third edition of the Sides was the full version of 'come back to me.' this song goes straight back to their roots, and is a crowd favorite where these guys are known, but even here, away from home, there were enough people who know the song and enough enthusiastic rock lovers to get some good participation during this number. and the live version of this song is even better than the recordings. some times i get goosebumps listening to Koko's voice, but every single time i see them live, she gives me chill.

on the final edition, the sound of coming down is great, beautiful, and like a lot of music ive been digging lately, has country and folk influences. like 'classic cars' on Bright Eyes Cassadaga, its a country influenced rock song. i really like this direction. i think it goes back to where rocks roots are in the 50's, when blues and folk music came together to spawn rock and country. if you look back to that era, you have two titans in both halls of fame: Elvis, and Johnny Cash. i dont like country music because of songs like 'she thinks my tractor is sexy.' anyway, bands like THL and the Raconteurs, and Ryan Adams, and Conor Oberst are making great music that picks up where those legends left off. my dad, who just turned 63, was surprisingly enthusiastic about Cassadaga.

i realize now, that i have completely wandered off on a tangent from what i meant to talk about, which was the show on Thursday night. but i think what i have been talking about is important. its proving that there is plenty of great bands and songwriters out there. and they are becoming more of a force and more popular. i didnt always know what this music was like, but i always knew that ricky martin was a piece of shit.

ok, now im going to bring this whole thing together... ready? bands like The Hard Lessons are what music should be: home grown, soulfull, real, and live. live music is what we should focus on. a band's real chance to shine is in live shows. a live show should be a great and better than the record. theres interaction, improvisation, and energy that cant be captured in a studio. go see live bands. check out new artists. support good music. buy tickets and merch and keep these guys out there touring. without our support, these guys cant make the music we love, and without them, you get junk like 'rock n roll jesus.'