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Local hip-hop artist Boaz could be the next star to rise out of Pittsburgh and into the mainstream.

He released his third mixtape CD this week at Time Bomb Spot in East Liberty, a long-time promoter of local hip-hop, and will debut his first album in May.

“I’ve been working so hard this last year, and that’s why I really wanted to name this ‘Monumental Music,’ just to put the stamp on what we’re doing,” said Boaz, 22, of Larimer, whose full name is Boaz Bey.

If his debut album takes off, Boaz could lend more credence to a local hip-hop scene that’s already gaining national attention thanks to Wiz Khalifa.

“(Boaz) always rose to the top when I was checking out the local scene,” said Artie Pitt, spokesman for East End-based Point Blank Productions, which produced the album. “His future is limitless.”

Boaz has been rapping for years, but he gained citywide attention at 19, when one of his songs — “It’s Alright” — won 106.7-FM WAMO’s Battle of the Beats contest for eight consecutive weeks.

“He’s not a basement rapper or some garbage hip-hop,” said Ashley Woodson, CEO of Brotha Ash Productions, a company that promotes events for the black community in Pittsburgh. “Boaz is the next thing to rise up out of Pittsburgh.”

Boaz grew up in a single-parent household — his father died when he was a child — and he is the second-youngest of five children.

He sometimes strayed while attending Westinghouse High School, becoming involved in some “negative things,” he said without elaborating. But he graduated, he said, insisting never to let living in the inner city be an excuse.

He continues to carry that attitude and hopes to pass it on to his 1-year-old son, Boaz said.

“It’s about how you’ve been groomed and whether you had a positive influence,” he said.

Time Bomb owner Brian Brick said Boaz is a hit with music fans. Brick said he’s been selling local hip-hop “since cassettes” and is a fan of Boaz’s original lyrics.

“None of my music is premeditated,” Boaz said. “I go into the studio and it comes together, as I get to thinking about things I’ve seen and different things I’ve done throughout the day.”

Last month, the rhymes that come so easily won him lyricist of the year at the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards.

“He’s very versatile with his lyrics,” said Dwayne Muhammad, the event’s CEO. “To win that award, they have to be thought-provoking. Other artists’ lyrics are one-dimensional.”

Brick said he believes it’s just the beginning.

“There’s not a hip-hop group out there,” he said, “that doesn’t respect or know who Boaz is.”

In my interview with Tech N9ne, he describes himself as inside out, and when you talk to him, it’s easy to see what he’s talking about. He’s raw, real, and very, very honest. In his career, he’s collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. He also helped put together a lot of the music in Alpha Dog. Needless to say, Tech N9ne is not afraid to try out anything in the music business. In my interview with Tech N9ne, we talked about his career, Kansas City, American Idol, and a whole lot more.When I set out to do this Tech N9ne thing, I planned for it to be for the whole world. I wanted it to be a style that everybody could feel. I wanted it to be for everybody, and that’s what the name means. And I have expectations that supersede where I am right now, because the object is to get it to the rest of the world. And we’ve been doing it. It’s speeding up rapidly, and it’s growing like a forest fire, but if I went to Japan right now, they wouldn’t be in a frenzy. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to do this globally. So, when I started this, yes, I wanted to get it to the rest of the people. It’s not a cocky thing … it’s just that I feel like I have a story, and over the years as I’ve grown wiser, a lot of my stories have matured. I really feel like they need to hear my stories now. I just wrote a song last night called Hope for a Higher Power . And everybody’s always been questioning the bible, but if people find out that the laws are bogus, what’s gonna keep law and order? My stories have matured, and I really want to get them to the rest of the world now.Kansas City is my comfort zone. My mother is here, my whole family is here, and this is what I know like the back of my hand. I have a place in L.A. and I’ve been there for years, but it’s nothing like the feeling that I feel when I’m in Kansas City. And I don’t feel like I’m at home in LA. I feel like this is home, and I can come to Kansas City and visit my aunts, uncles, and cousins and mother. And before my grandmother passed, she was here. We migrated from Texas, years ago, before I was born I guess, and this is where we stay, this is where we lay, and this is my comfort zone. And that’s why I speak on Kansas City so highly, because I’m totally comfortable here. People say I shouldn’t be, because they call it killer city … everybody’s dying like crazy, and I’m high profile, but this is my comfort zone, and I have no worries, because I have a lot of love here .. just as well as hate, but not as much hate as love. This is my family, this is my love, and this is my comfort zone.In the past couple of years, we’ve been hearing an awful lot about the Kansas City entertainment scene. I mean, you’re from Kansas City and so is the director of the Saw films. Do you think Kansas City is starting to finally get some respect?I think so, man. A lot more people are starting to look toward us. I think that Tech N9ne makes ‘em see something different, but when Nelly and Chingy and all those people popped from St. Louis, which is just three hours away from Kansas City, that made people open their eyes a lot, because those were big numbers coming from those places. And then when they see Tech N9ne and they see something totally different, they’re like, “Wow. What the hell is going on in Missouri?” So, yeah, I think it’s making a lot of people look toward Missouri.The beats. I am not a producer when it comes to beats. Of course I have beats in my head, like the beat Riotmaker came out of my head in a dream that I had, and I conveyed that to a producer. But the beats mean everything to me, man. If there’s no pulse, there’s no life. What I mean by that is the beat has to bang and you have to be able to feel that beat. The beats are the things that inspire me to write when I write. When I first heard this beat that I heard last night for Hope for a Higher Power, as soon as I heard it, I knew that that was what I was gonna call it. The beats, they talk to me, man. It’s crazy. I’m gonna tell you the process really quick: I’m speaking on this beat that I just wrote last night, Hope for a Higher Power for my new album Killer, and Travis, I came by the office and he gave me some new beat Cd’s and said, “I want you to listen to these.” So, I got in the car on my way to the studio, and he called me and said, “You gotta listen to number two, man.” Travis has been around me for years, so he pretty much knows what I love, and I played number two, and I lost it. I called Travis up and said, “Travis, lock that in for me. I’m calling it Hope for a Higher Power.” As soon as I heard it, that’s what it told me to write. And that’s how it happens to me. The beats talk to me. And if the beats don’t talk to me, I won’t choose it. They had this one called King, and it had the same sample that Puffy used for You Can Hate Me Now, and they just thought I would love it. And I’m like, “No, that’s so me four years ago.” And everybody was like, “How come you’re not picking this beat?” But it didn’t speak to me. And the beats have to speak to me. If there’s no pulse and no life, people will not listen if that shit don’t bang.I really do. I think that’s why a lot of rappers when they say they’re gonna retire, they come right back, because it’s in your blood. Jay-Z can take a hiatus, Too Short can take a hiatus, Tech N9ne can take a hiatus, but it’s in your blood, man. You see everybody else doing it, and you’re like, “I’m a showoff, man.” I can tell you a story in a weird ass style to make you wanna listen. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop doing that. I’m writing Killer like it’s my last rap album, because I wanna do this rock ‘n’ roll thing called Kabosh. But, think about it, I’m gonna be doing the rap and then Kabosh. I’m not gonna be able to shake that. It’s in your blood, and I think that goes for a lot of artists who consider themselves artists.The thing about the live show, man, is I had schooling. I went to Ice Cube concerts, LL Cool J concerts, Public Enemy concerts, N.W.A concerts. I’ve been to all those concerts. I mean, I saw James Brown, Roger Troutman. I haven’t seen Michael Jackson at all, and I hate that I missed the Victory tour back then, but I got a lot of schooling in hip-hop from watching Public Enemy, N.W.A , so on and so forth. And that stuck with me. And I think that’s why our fan base will come back to see us four times a year if they have to, because the shows keep changing. It’s so important for an MC to be able to command a crowd. And a lot of MC’s don’t know that, because a lot of MC’s probably don’t look at themselves as MC’s. They probably look at themselves like, “Ok, I made a hit, so I gotta go out here and get on this stage and do thirty minutes and then go.” A lot of ‘em don’t know any better, so you can’t hate them for that, because a lot of these cats are young and they don’t know what it means to really perform and really captivate a crowed, because a lot of these people you see on television, they don’t tour as much as we do, and they don’t tour as much as they should with hits like they have. And the labels, you think they would help them with that, but a lot of these youngsters, they don’t know that they have to captivate a crowd. And people walk away saying, “Eh, I like the song, but the show was horrible.” So a lot of them don’t have that schooling that I was lucky to have. And I think it’s very important to know how to captivate a crowd. And I do.You mentioned earlier that you always look for beats when it comes to music, but what do you look for in a collaboration? If you’re going to collaborate with someone and be their partner, what needs to stand out?When I choose somebody for my albums, it’s because I adore their music. It’s not because, “Ohh, I’ll get these big names on my album and maybe their fans will buy it.” When I seek out to go get Ice Cube, when I seek out to go get Scarface, when I seek out to go get D-12 or Eminem, it’s because I’m a fan of their music. I would love to do a song with Outkast, because I adore their music. I would love to do songs with Slipknot or System of a Down, because I love their music. Shinedown, I love their music. So, the people I reach out to are people that I know can do what I do or can hang with what I do, or I really respect what they do. Shawnna, the female rapper from DTP, I reached out to hear this time, because she is treacherous on the mic. When I choose somebody, I don’t choose them for name recognition … I choose them for what they can do, because I adore what they do.You have to stand by your beliefs, because … it’s a song called Hip-Hop by Dead Prez that Dave Chappelle walked out to every night on his show. In that song, they say something like, “But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-crier, agent wit’ a wire, I’m gon’ know it when I play it.” And the fans know fraudulent. So, if you contradict yourself in your song, people will know that you’re fraudulent. My family raised me Christian and my mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I had to stop eating pork, stop having Christmas, and it was hard on a kid. One thing that Islam taught me while I was there from 12-17 before I ran away, man, it taught me to always back up what you say, because people will dissect that. And I always have to rap what I know, and I always have to explain what I’m saying. And it’s very important to have that self respect. When I say something in Absolute Power, I’ll refer to it in later albums so people will know. And I’m not that meticulous where I can tell a lie and keep it going, because if you tell a lie, sooner or later, you’re going to run into a brick wall. But it’s very important to write what you know and mean what you say, because people are listening.The thing I really admire about you is the fact that you express so much of yourself in your lyrics. When I listen to your music, I feel like I really know you. As an artist, how rewarding is that?I’m inside out. I always tell the fans I’m inside out, and I think that’s what they appreciate. What I mean by inside out is my insides are out here and I don’t hide anything. Quincy Jones told me years ago, “Tech, always rap what you know, because people will forever respect you.” What do I know better than anything? Myself. So, I’m inside out. If I go through some shit with my wife, I put it out there and talk about it. She hates it, she says people party to her pain, but I can’t help it. I have to rap what I know and to be inside out, I think that’s what made Tech N9ne. And human beings are the same people, which is different at the same time, but we all eat, drink, spit, shit, piss, cry. So, if I write something that’s sentimental, a gang of people are gonna feel it, because they feel the same way and because we’re so similar. I think it’s wonderful that I chose to be the one that’s inside out and open up to my fans. I’m not afraid to show my vulnerable side, and I’m not afraid to talk about how much I would love to cry. I have a song on my new album called One Good Time, where I’m talking about how I haven’t been able to shed a tear since I was 14. And all the funerals I’ve been to, through the gang banging shit and everything, and all the deaths I’ve witnessed, which is the reason I don’t go to funerals anymore, not being able to cry, and I’m not afraid to tell my fans, “If I could cry one good time, I could wash away my pain and maybe free my mind.” I’m just inside out, man, and I can’t think of any other way to be, bro.Life. Living life. I write my life, so, with that said, I write about the things I go through daily, or the things I went through in the past. Life. That’s the one thing that drives me. I always tell people there’s no such thing as writer’s block. You can cure writer’s block by reading a book or going out and having something happen to your ass. I can talk to my people, because I’m out there partying with them. Life is what teaches me what to write, and as my life progresses, that means I have more to talk about. I mean, think about it, this time I’m doing 32 songs, and I told my people on the website the other day, “I write my life, so if I’m doing 32 songs, that means I been living a hella life.” I’m doing a lot of living. So I’m out here on tour, I’m out here with the fans, and I’m out here in the clubs. I’m everywhere, man, you know what I mean? Life teaches me what to write, and I go out there and have it happen to me. And that’s what I think it is that drives me.What do you think about shows like American Idol? Does it ever bother you that certain musicians have this golden opportunity that maybe you never had?I thought about it back when it first started, but that’s their thing, so I love that they’re doing their thing to the fullest. But the thing is … rap is one of the biggest forms of music in America, and they have nothing to do with rap. It’s collaborated with country artists … it’s collaborated with rock n’ roll. I mean, think of Aerosmith and Run DMC, Public Enemy and Anthrax, System of a Down and Wu-Tang, Nelly and Tim Mcgraw, you know what I mean, man? So, my only problem with American Idol is where is hip-hop? If this is American, everybody is influenced by hip-hop, whether it be commercials, Coca-Cola, Sprite, basketball, everything. If it’s so American, where is the hip-hop? And if they had hip-hop, a lot of these singers wouldn’t win. I don’t hate on American Idol, I let them do their thing, they’ve produced some wonderful artists, but if it’s so American, where’s rap?It’s so important to have a presence on the Internet. You had a lot of people that were against downloading, and we were the only people that told people to download Absolute Power for free, and then we guaranteed they would go buy it. And we won. No matter what the RIAA was saying at the time, we still did it, and if it wasn’t for Myspace and all the Internet sites, we wouldn’t have fans in Denmark or Australia, and we wouldn’t be going to Canada on this next run we’re doing with Paul Wall. It’s very important for an artist to have a presence on the Internet, man, because I’ve gotten a lot of fans from that source, and it’s growing like a forest fire. And I talk to them as much as I can to let them know that I’m right there with them, and I think it’s very important for an artist, because it means record sales, merchandise sales, and longevityTalk to me a little bit about some of your favorite collaborations. You have worked with so many great musicians, so I’m sure it’s hard to pinpoint certain talent.Roger Troutman, rest his soul. I listened to his music since I was a little boy, and I was able to do Twisted with him right here in Kansas City in my home boy’s basement, and he was a really cool guy before he died. I look back on that. I look back on Detroit when D-12 took me in and showed me a lot of love. I look back when I did the Anthem with Eminem. And Rizza and Xzibit. The list goes on, man. It’s a lot of high points in my life, but unfortunately the song that I did with 2pac, I wasn’t able to be in the studio with him, because we were gonna do it when he was alive and then he died, and they called me asked me if I still wanted to do it and sent the track to me, so I didn’t get to actually be in the studio with him, but I met him a couple times from 1992-1993. I ran into him at clubs and talked to him, but I didn’t get to really work with him in the studio together. But that was a huge opportunity for me. There’s a lot things I can say. MC Ren from N.W.A, we did a song with Yukmouth together, and I was a big N.W.A fan, man. I’ve had a full life when it comes to collaboration, man, and I have a long road ahead of me. Who’s to say if I’ll ever get to do something with System of a Down and Slipknot and so on and so forth. And I’m looking forward to it, man.When Nick Cassavetes called the number on the back of our CD, Absolute Power, he loved my music so much, him and his wife, that they called us … he’s Italian, and he said, “I fucking love your music. I would really love for you to do my movie.” So, we went out to L.A. to meet him, and he gave me the damn movie. He gave me this million dollar movie and had me fly it back to Kansas City to where I was scared to put it through the little thing at the airport, because I thought it would erase. I got back to Kansas City and I had no idea, I didn’t tell him I didn’t know how to score a movie, but I had friends like QD3, that’s what they do, so when I got the movie, I called Quincy and said, “I just got this job with Nick Cassavetes, and I have no idea how to do it.” And he was like, “Tech, it’s easy .. it’s Pro Tolls. Once you learn it, you’re gonna love it.” So he taught me how to do it, me and my boy, and we put a lot of that music into the movie, man. And it’s about looking at the screen, feeling the scene, and creating music around it, man, and it was a weird thing how we did it. There’s a lot of music in there that I did with the composers, where you don’t even know it’s me, because we did a lot of stuff for that movie, man, that a lot of people don’t know we did. And the process is just looking at the scenery, and if you feel like you know music, you can place it there. Caribou Lou seemed like a perfect song to have at a party where the Skinhead guy came through looking for Johnny Truelove. And Slither, when they were in the hotel hiding, Truelove and his girl, and they’re about to have sex, it was perfect for Slither. I can keep going, but it’s all about the scenery. If you feel like you know music, you’ll do it well. And I think we did it well.

Last week Michael Jackson’s Thriller celebrated it’s 25th anniversary as the most successful and influential pop record of all time. This week The Ruckus examines the album that changed the landscape of American popular music forever.

I have a modestly healthy record collection that defines my knowledge and love of music. This collection fills numerous shoeboxes that all carry individual identities based on the music they hold. I have a long Nike shoebox that’s tattered and faded, but it’s the most structurally sound box I own. Michael Jackson and Prince call this cardboard castle home.
You can find Thriller in the second row of the shoebox, positioned protectively between my Michael Jackson and Notorious B.I.G. catalogues, where it’s riding out the title of “Top Record” in my collection.
When revisiting the career-defining record that is Michael Jackson’s Thriller, it’s almost too easy to list the ways the album broke music-industry ground in 1984. The album that spawned seven top 10 hits on its way to winning Jackson eight Grammy Awards has sold over 104 millions copies to date.
The popular video trio of “Thriller,” “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” redefined how fans literally “watched” music by establishing a blueprint for MTV that gave way to numerous MJ-inspired videos. Most importantly the album’s success helped take back ground lost by black artists to early 80’s punk rock and synth-pop.
If there’s only one great quality of Thriller it’s the albums playability.
Here we are, 25 years after its initial release, and it’s still one of the most relevant pop records you can spin today. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” starts with the type of chaotic energy that Jackson no doubt picked up from then-friend and mentor Paul McCartney.
On the surface, the lyrics are fun and playful, as Michael raises self-confidence by taking shots at tabloids and media hoopla. By the end of the track Jackson’s fierce delivery reaches levels that weren’t there on his first solo effort Off The Wall. It’s apparent that Jackson is singing with more emotion on many of Thriller’s tracks than he ever did with his brothers.
Filler tracks “Rock With You” and “Thriller” do great jobs of pulling the listener into the album’s climax. The later, which was originally conceived as a campy spook-song, benefited from a video that was nothing short of visual spectacle; and while you won’t find many pop songs with a better hook, the Vincent Price rap in “Thriller” is a little much.
All of the album’s hype is realized, though, when the listener reaches the two monster singles. “Beat It” was a revolutionary track that had dance flair and rocked harder than anything the 80’s hair bands were doing. Eddie V spent 15 minutes blistering away in the studio, while producer Quincy Jones cut-n-pasted the now-legendary axe solo.
“Beat It” was an autobiographical tune that Jackson penned in response to accusations that he fathered the child of a former stalker. When the set beat drops and the bass line runs in, Michael takes full ownership of the track. His vocal performance on the record mimics an over-sexed James Brown, only Michael’s crying falsetto puts the godfather of soul to shame.
Jackson’s memorable videos for both singles only solidified his place as THE icon of his generation.
Thriller closes with the surprisingly warm “Human Nature,” a record that made the final album cut only after Jones discovered a piece of the song on the back-end of a demo tape. The only blemish on this otherwise flawless album is the Jackson, Alvin and the Chipmunks duet track “P.Y.T.” I think there was good intentions with the production, but the track sticks out like a sore thumb on an album as lean as Thriller.
Constructed with the perception that filler-tracks could stand out too, Thriller changed the way contemporary pop musicians made records. Jackson’s vocals are so raw and emotionally-charged that they have no problem standing alone. Michael’s ability to sing out on tracks that Jones had stuffed with soul horns and catchy synth melodies is what ultimately made Thriller such a universally loved album.
While MJ became a certified star after its release, Jones’ contributions to Thriller cannot be overlooked (the seasoned pop arrangements, his ear for perfection, and the creation of all those killer bass lines that hit you in the spine). The amazing artist and the amazing record rode each other to even greater heights that transcended the genre of pop music.
To this point in American-music history Thriller has undoubtedly withstood the test of time: A truly phenomenal album that has served as a measuring stick to all who have tried to duplicate it.

Mal Holmes, former drummer with electro-pop giants OMD, now runs an internet based record label, finmusic, and is looking for six musicians to contribute to the showcase acoustic album.Mal will choose the best six entries that he receives and will take them to a top studio in Liverpool to record two songs each for the album.He said: “I’m looking to find six of the best acoustic artists from the North West of England and North Wales who will record an album.”The chosen six will record two songs, simply vocals and guitar, and I will release the tracks on an album which will be available on a number of digital sites including itunes.”It should be a great showcase and a great opportunity for unsigned artists to get their music heard.”Mal has been involved in the music industry for more than three decades and recently set up finmusic as a record label having established it as one of the first legal download sites in the UK, in 1997.He is offering his wealth of experience in both music and technology to six talented singer-songwriters who hope to further their musical career.Anyone interested should visit www.finmusic.co.uk or email their demo or link to their myspace to Mal directly at 6ofthebest@finmusic.co.uk.

I do like British Sea Power. For their passion worn as a cloaknot a shield; for their power-to-precision ratio; foreccentricities reflecting individuality rather than marketing flashcards; for their mix of gloomy weather and optimistic vision; forlyrics that say something, even if you don’t always know thereferences (do you know about the Canvey Island flood in 1953? Idoubt it).

And for being a rock band, not a hyphen, in the dance-rock orelectro-rock or post-punk world. Lastly, for being very good.

As with the preceding two albums, the sound of Do You LikeRock Music? begins with the intense, low-clouds-above,grey-roads-beneath feel of Echo And The Bunnymen, Joy Division andWah!, with the pushiness of the young U2.

However, things are bigger all round this time - rousing whenpushed and moving when passionate. There’s nothing tricky or trendyhere but it does feel right.

Indeed they are. When the young musical trio rolls into the Fox Theatre for a pair of shows on Saturday, they’ll arrive riding a wave of explosive buzz — the sort of shriek-saturated hype made familiar by so many of their teen-pop predecessors.

And it’s only primed to get bigger: Last month, fresh off a breakout national tour with fellow Disney sensation Miley Cyrus (”Hannah Montana”), the group signed a multimillion-dollar touring deal with Live Nation that will put the brothers into more than 140 concert venues in the year ahead. The Jonases’ own Disney Channel series will debut this summer, along with a feature film called “Camp Rock.”

Signs that the brothers’ pop-star fantasy was transforming into big-time reality were obvious in December at the Palace, where the trio’s opening set elicited screams nearly as piercing as those for headliner Cyrus.

“It’s been an amazing journey the last couple of years,” says Kevin Jonas, 20, who as the eldest of the brothers serves as the de facto spokesman. He modestly recalls the group’s pre-poster-boy days, slogging away on promo tours through small clubs and amusement parks to play for listless crowds of several dozen people.

The brothers are still young enough to gush wide-eyed over the “couple of” Bruce Springsteen concerts they’ve attended, and to gleefully make Wiffle ball the backstage pastime of choice. But the New Jersey-bred Jonases — Kevin, Joe, 18, and Nick, 15 — are also wise beyond their years: three articulate guys, seemingly solid and well-grounded, carefully groomed under the tutelage of such music-biz veterans as John Fields and Steve Greenberg, who once guided Hanson along this same path.

That ’90s pop trio is frequently referenced by Jonas Brothers observers, perhaps more often than this threesome would like. But it fits. With their nods to vintage rock, their classic guitar-drums-bass setup, the Jonases have far more in common with the Hanson brothers than they do with the dance-pop groups — ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys — who came in between.

“We think it’s really cool that we’re able to introduce, sort of, rock ‘n’ roll to our younger fans,” says Nick Jonas. “Even the parents get into it because it does sound like the things that they used to listen to when they were young. And, you know, we just really try to find really great music, and write songs like the really great music that we’re listening to. Because people love good music.”

For the Jonas Brothers, that means citing such touchstones as the Beatles and Prince when discussing the sound of their third album, recorded in part on their tour bus last year and scheduled for release in July. And it means learning their way through the catalog of Brit-pop icon Elvis Costello, whose “(I Don’t Want to Go To) Chelsea” was recently added to the Jonases’ live set list.

It’s another raising of the bar on the group’s headlining theater tour, which kicked off Jan. 31 in Arizona. The group has also tinkered with its own songs, toying with the arrangements and integrating new sounds into familiar material.

“You might hear something and not recognize it right away, but then all of a sudden realize that it’s a song we’ve been playing for five years now,” says Kevin Jonas. “Our fans will have a whole other way of listening to it.”

The brothers say they’re carefully heeding the advice of seasoned industry veterans, eager to avoid the personal pitfalls that have tripped up so many while navigating the fame game. And they respond patiently when confronted with the question that’s been posed to probably every young pop sensation in the half-century history of rock: Can you endure beyond flash-in-the-pan status?

“We would love to be a band that really does last,” says Joe Jonas. “And because we’re brothers, I think it really helps. Because we do write our own songs and we’re in the studio where they’re made, I think that will be a big part of it.”

“The fact is, we don’t want to ever be anything we’re not,” says Kevin Jonas, who describes the upcoming album as a natural evolution: “We grew up a little bit. We wrote some deeper songs and experimented with new instruments and things like that.

“So I think for us it’s really all about sticking to your fans and knowing that if you work with them, and play to them, then hopefully you’ll always be there.”

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HOW do you know if you are already in Baguio? This was a question that we asked ourselves back when we were still in college a handful of years ago.

The answer was … you can hear country music over the airwaves. 99.9 F.M, the only country music station in the city then was one of the most popular stations. It was therefore not surprising that one of the most crowded bars at that time especially on weekends was the Wild (Wild) West. From the very few times that I’ve been there before it permanently closed, I found the atmosphere lively. The music was good but my ears simply couldn’t stand the decibel level. I like my sounds smooth and mellow.

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Unfortunately, country music these days seem to have taken a back seat. PUJs plying the city is either playing pop music or teeny bopper music with the occasional wailing that pass for music from rock groups. Thank God the Republic of La Trinidad where I live still has many jeepneys with die hard country loving drivers.

Country music did not start as such. It used to be called Western Music with singers like Don Williams, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson. And I sure am proud to say that I already loved the genre at a time when it wasn’t popular. “I loved country when country wasn’t cool” as one song goes. Call it genetic but our father (God bless his soul) never did play anything on our old turn table but western music although at times he would relent and allow the voice of Nat King Cole to fill the house. The staple though was either Jim Reeves or Glen Campbell. I was already in High School when I first heard the mellow voice of Don Williams. Growing up in Tabuk (it was a long way from becoming a city then) I had the sophistication of a Neanderthal when it came to music. I most often woke up to the voice of Yoyoy Villame being played on the one and only A.M radio station in the area.

Now, I would like to think that I have gone up a few notches above the hapless Neanderthal man in music appreciation. I still do not remember the lyrics and quite frankly I don’t even recognize songs from mere titles but hey, now I have other options aside from Yoyoy. No offense meant. But one thing is certain; I would most likely go through a lot of genres but would eventually return to country music.

For one, this genre does not mince words. Some songwriters have this tendency of using metaphors that at times, one wonders if the song means anything at all. Country songs are not that complicated. Toby Keith in one of his songs said … “I like talking about you usually but occasionally I wanna talk about meeeee.” If that aint direct then I sure don’t know what is. It is also a direct reference to the tendency of the fairer sex to dwell on everything about them.

Another characteristic that has drawn me to country is the story that goes with almost every song. Right, so most songs have a story (duh) but if you really concentrate, pop songs tend to focus on one recurring theme and that is love. We have songs for the newly in love, the broken hearted, the recovering sot who got dumped unceremoniously for one reason or another and so on and so forth. Country songs are similar in that area but once in a while, you get a song like Alan Jackson’s tribute to 9-11 (Where were you when the world stopped turning). I am really bad at titles (I had to look it up on the internet) but I do remember that the first time I heard this song in the jeepney of all places, I had goose bumps. It tells of different reactions after that fateful day when America realized that despite its superpower status is far from safe after all.

Lastly, country songs have their own kind of oomph that seems to be missing in other genres. I don’t know … call me a prejudiced country bumpkin but despite my forays into other music styles, I always find myself gravitating toward western music. (I am repeating myself.) Never mind that my friends kid me about it. I even owned a pair of boots once that was confiscated for qualifying as a deadly weapon.

Still unconvinced? Well it doesn’t matter. Once you hear Alan Jackson howling about having a “Hurricane” at lunch because though it is only half past twelve, it is five o’clock somewhere you’d most definitely get hooked. So …go ahead, Pour me something tall and strong. Make it a “Hurricane” before I go insane. It’s only half past twelve but I don’t care. It’s five o’clock somewhere.

Of the new wave of English acts, British Sea Power were always the most odd. First emerging five years ago, the Brighton four-piece would appear on stage decked out in local foliage they’d collected themselves, as they hammered out their blend of Joy Division and Cure-tinged rock covered in leaves and sticks.

As if importing nature indoors wasn’t odd enough, the group would often have stuffed animals - ranging from owls to bears - with them on stage, which they routinely beat up each evening.

The music too was similarly arresting, with stunning moments of pulsating rock scattered across their first two albums, ‘The Decline of British Sea Power’, and the terribly underrated ‘Open Season’.

Such recordings, combined with their whimsical eccentricities, have endeared them to a fanatic cult following, though that could all be about to change.

A ‘Big’ sounding record, ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ has been garnering rave reviews and been rightly marked as the first essential rock album of 2008.

While most new bands continue to delve deep into the past to pluck the acts that will shape their sound, BSP have looked towards modern music, and specifically towards Canada.

Arcade Fire are the first obvious influence here - from the church-like mantra of opener ‘All in It’ to the anthemic ‘Waving Flags’ with its reverb-soaked guitars and choral swells.

Such influence is understandable, given that former Arcade Fire drummer Howard Bilerman is one of the album’s three producers, no doubt lending the Brighton band some of the studio secrets he picked up during the recording of ‘Funeral’.

Elsewhere, there are shades of Interpol and The Flaming Lips as BSP take us on a voyage through their take on Rock’s history. ‘Down On the Ground’ fuses Interpol with The Ramones while ‘A Trip Out’ nods to early Blur with its chirpy guitar and vocal hooks.

The Blur comparisons continue on ‘No Need to Cry’, which also brings to mind Canadians Broken Social Scene and Stars as it breezes by, while ‘Open the Door’ has the air of a very British take on The Shins.

Chopped in amongst such musical styles though are BSP’s very own eccentric influences, with the album’s lyrical content suitably peculiar, taking in Danish nuclear physicist Niels Bohr, the Hitler Youth and immigration.

Hopping through Rock’s genres, ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ rarely grates and rather constantly fascinates as varied musical slices and a dry lyrical wit pepper its 55 minutes.

Three albums in, BSP have found their stride, and much of ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ looks poised to become some of this year’s festival favourites. Recommended.

Steve Cummins

Do you have a love of music that you would like to build a business around? RockMasters is a new launch franchise opportunity seeking motivated and enthusiastic individuals to replicate its exciting business in the experience economy by developing ‘rock schools’ around the country. In 2006 guitar sales topped £100 million, and a recent survey suggested that one in four people in the UK are able to play a musical instrument. “Currently it is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 400,000 people either playing or learning to play the guitar in the UK, indicating that the revival in live pop and rock music is getting stronger and stronger,” says RockMasters founder Mike Hurst. “This has created colossal potential to expand into an exciting and rapidly growing market.”Mike is a musician and record producer, who has been a member of The Springfields, played with Jimmy Page, and produced 52 hit singles and 25 platinum albums with artists including Cat Stevens, Marc Bolan, The Four Tops and Shakin’ Stevens. He originally launched RockMasters in 2005 to provide schools in rock music for both children and adults, typically at summer camps and corporate weekends. With the assistance of Franchise Development Services Consultant Paul Hague, RockMasters has developed a working franchise package by recruiting key management personnel with franchise experience and by making use of a substantial injection of capital. “There are two main strands to the RockMasters experience,” reveals Director Mark Mayo. “The first is in organising music tuition courses for school children and university students, which typically involve residential summer camps and school holiday sessions, or non-residential weekend workshops. The second is in providing luxury weekend breaks for adults, which in many cases include the parents of children who are already enjoying RockMasters!”RockMasters provides each franchisee with a complete business operating model, all the required equipment and a recognised name as ‘master musician’. So our courses offer an opportunity for children and adults to learn and play with respected musicians and teachers from the rock world. The UK’s unique rock heritage creates a clear market opportunity and strengthens the RockMasters’ brand offering. RockMasters’ first franchisee is set to launch in early March in the Kent/Sussex area!” •

Eric Hutchinson’s real big break came after he thought he had already gotten it.

About three years ago, the pop singer-songwriter-musician was signed to Maverick Records, the Warner Bros.-distributed label partly founded by Madonna, whose roster included the likes of Alanis Morrissette and Michelle Branch. But just as Hutchinson was about to begin work on his major-label debut, Maverick shut down. The Takoma Park native was back where he started - making music on his own. It took nearly two years to receive a buyout from the company.

When the money finally came, Hutchinson used it to produce Sounds Like This, the artist’s second studio album, which he released this summer on his Let’s Break label. Witty, breezy blue-eyed soul reminiscent of early Billy Joel, the 10-song set became an Internet smash thanks largely to Mario Lavandeira, better known as celebrity gossip hound Perez Hilton. He raved about Sounds Like This on his popular blog.

“Eric Hutchinson has the potential to be huge,” he wrote. Soon afterward, the CD hit No.1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers charts and became highest-charting CD by an unsigned act on iTunes’ album charts, peaking at No. 5.

“I knew the Perez Hilton Web site, but I had no idea the album would get that kind of response,” says Hutchinson, who opens for the hit pop-rock band OneRepublic Thursday at Rams Head Live. “He gave me this big push. The stars were aligned, I guess. It was exciting.”

The week Sounds Like This debuted on the digital charts, Hutchinson outsold such established, multiplatinum acts as Kanye West and Kenny Chesney. It’s the kind of album the artist says he probably wouldn’t have been able to make at Maverick.

“At the label, there were a lot of hands in the soup,” says the 27-year-old performer, who last week was at his home in New York. “It was cool to follow my guts and make the songs sound like I wanted. But I was nervous, too, because if it all failed, it would be on me.”

Artistically, Sounds Like This is far from a failure. From start to finish, Hutchinson, a multi-instrumentalist, engages with exuberant, piano-based tunes glimmering with elements of reggae, gospel and soul. Think Maroon 5, minus the instrumental sleekness. The songs were mostly cut live without much studio tinkering.

“All the stuff I admire was played live,” Hutchinson says. “There’s a little bit of electronic looping in the background, but I try really hard to make the album current and familiar. The big thing was that the vocal performances had a lot of energy behind them.”

His quirky, high-pitched vocals are far up in the mix, pushing the playful arrangements. Hutchinson’s accessible, self-reflecting approach was greatly influenced by the music he heard as a kid.

“I had a normal suburban life,” the artist says. “I always had a strong interest in music, though. I listened to a lot of Billy Joel, the Beatles, Paul Simon and Michael Jackson. I credit my parents with having smart music around.”

His mother, a schoolteacher and his father, a Web designer, encouraged Hutchinson’s musical talent. The artist played in rock bands while a student at Blair High School in Silver Spring, then studied music at Emerson College in Boston. Afterward, he moved to Los Angeles to land a record deal, scoring one with Maverick not long after arriving.

“It’s been nice to live in a bunch of different places,” Hutchinson says. “It gives me a lot of different perspectives for writing.”

He says the most important aspect of making music is connecting with listeners.

“I’ve been told my music makes people happy, which you don’t hear people say much about music anymore,” Hutchinson says. “If you can reach some kind of emotion with the music, that’s a good thing. Ultimately, that’s what you want to do, anyway.”

rashod.ollison@baltsun.com

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