This post is influenced by some douchebag on a message board bashing my birthplace. The city (or former city) of Vanier a working class/poor and predominately French neighborhood. People bash it a lot and it pisses me off. These asshole kids are far removed from the areas they bash and forget or don't care that people live there, people with stories! My point is that a very significant portion of the world's best art comes from areas like Vanier. Shit, another place that gets a similar bad a rap is the state of NEW JERSEY. We've all heard the jokes. One thing though is that the state of New Jersey alone probably produced more awesome/important music than all of English Canada. Woops.
Now let's start with the most obvious of Jersey's glorious sons. Everybody loves him too no question about it. The beautiful stories he conveys could have very well taken place in Vanier. This is the type of inspiration you just can't get in the Glebe yo! Giving you one of his most popular songs which is ironically about yearning to leave Asbury Park.
Next up we have another one of the most critically acclaimed and universally loved artists of recent times in Lauryn Hill. Although I'm going to put up a Fugees song cause I feel like it. Praz and Wyclef were Haitian immigrants (HAÏTI!) and hooked up with jersey native Hill to create one of the most important hip hop groups of the 90's. One thing I love about this era was that every hip hop video had the artists in a secret agent mission type scenario. Vanier 2 - Westboro 0.
Finally we have what can be considered as my favorite band of all time, Lifetime. A seminal melodic hardcore band who's influence can be heard across a lot today's mainstream music. Not really working class and more crappy suburb influenced but 10000% jersey. This song is called Theme Song for a New Brunswick Basement Show. Much like Springsteen, Lifetime makes an ordinary event happening to ordinary people into an epic story. In this case just sitting down next to a girl at a shitty punk show. I saw them live at a reunion show in 2005 and I wish I had a clip from that show but this is pretty close they are playing the Stone Pony (a legendary Jersey venue). K.O. Vanier wins.
BONUS FEATURE!
And we have a bonus! The dark lords of suburban jersey the danzig era MISFITS! Unfortunately like so many awesome groups they inspired a lot of shit (any band that wears makeup that is not them). Whatever. This is a video from what I believe to be is a Detroit area public access show. Quality sucks but the interview is awesome.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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1 comment:
i dont think you understand how bummed i would have been had you excluded LIFETIME from your jersey post.
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