Five Music Genres You've Never Heard Of (And Would Probably Like to Keep It That Way)

BY MIKE MADDEN

The music world is filled to the brim with obscure music genres that just so happen to get paired with descriptions and name tags that either, A. Have nothing to do with the actual style of music, or B. Sounds like a a first grader picked two words out of the dictionary at random and said, "Yup, that's it."

And don't get me wrong; there are some genre names out there that are actually pretty cool, but those come at a rare price. Here at Fell in Love with a Drummer, I present to you the five obscure genre names, complete with music for your listening pleasure. There may be some you like, some you find amusing and some that will make you lose all hope in humanity and musical talent, but hang in there.


Seapunk

The name "Seapunk" has nothing to do with the sea or punk music. In fact, it sounds nothing like punk music at all. What was once a running online joke, turned into a cult following of electronic/rave kids with blue and pink hair with tattered clothing that looks as if it was dipped in a piranha tank. With the occasional disheveled braid and flat brimmed hat, these "dolphin art" crazed teens bop their heads to what sounds like every mother's early 90s workout video as if they taped it off the TV. Throw some Super Mario 64 sound bytes from the lady's kid playing in the next room, and you're on your way to riding an ecstasy-filled wave of crap.





Folktronica
Let's get one thing straight: folk music is an American music genre that derived from balladry and storytelling, hence the name "folk." The stories, paired with simple chord structure, told of "folks" who were like you and me: mothers, fathers, families, alcoholics, robbers, murderers. Ok, so maybe not all like you or me, but the commentary about American life was there. Folktronica (the pairing of folk music and electronica) has been used to describe bands like Tunng and Animal Collective. However, these two bands are far from it and closer related to the family tree connected to the Beach Boys, modern pop and the Brian Wilson School of Production. One could even argue that Animal Collective digs more into African rhythms and pop structure than they do with American folk. This is a stupid name. Stop using it. 



Witch House
Remember the final scene at the end of The Blair Witch Project? That's pretty much Witch House in a nut shell. When you listen to it, I always think of heavily wooded, rural areas in the middle of East Bumblefuck, Ohio where there's nothing to do but experiment with drugs at an abandoned lumber factory in the middle of the forest sporting a black hoodie. Salem, one of the genre's leading groups, combines gothic chants with heavy industrial-electronica to scare you back to your awkward teenage angst years. The music of Salem is nightmarish. Hell, everything about that band is nightmarish. Just check out their album covers and some of their videos--they make Lars Von Trier look like a PTA mom who loves cats. 



Crabcore You stand like a walking crab while playing your instrument. Yup. That is all. And may God have mercy on your soul.  Tune in 1:15 Northern Soul
Whether you want to call it a fad or a genre, Northern Soul was a huge part of the nightlife in England around the late 70s and early 80s. Northern Soul is simply American soul music that was spun at discotheques instead of the mainstream club music for the time. Listeners usually took on fashion inspired by a previous sub genre, The Mods. Followed by a predominantly white audience, when a person says to you "Hey, you got some northern soul in you" while you're making erratic movements in the bar that some people consider dancing, that's usually a good thing. Check out a video below of the Wigan Casino, one of the premier hotspots that sported this genre. Video starts at 0:16.

Top 5: Music Videos for the Week of September 17

BY MIKE MADDEN


The John Spencer Blues Explosion--"Black Mold"


Nick Lowe--"Stoplight Roses"


Frank Ocean--"Pyramids" (NSFW)



Melody's Echo Chamber--"I Follow You"

My Personal Pick: Black Bananas--"My House"

NYC Sessions Bridge Generations of Irish Young and Old, Familial and Friendly

All photos courtesy of Dempsey's

BY MIKE MADDEN

For an Irish and Irish-American population that has made countless strides to a city's growth, New York City's Irish influx was one of the largest in the country on par with rival Boston. The Irish have left indelible marks in a number of fields, including politics, sports and especially, the arts.

But Irish traditional music in particular remains a secret staple within the side streets and hole-in-the-wall pubs that sit stoicly under dimly lit lights. But some Irish pubs are different than others; some you can point out as imitators and others you can point out as authentic, meaning elements like ambiance, locals, bartenders and alcohol selection can point out clearly what makes an Irish pub truly an Irish pub. But when you walk into Dempsey'sPub on 2nd Ave between East 3 and 4 Streets, it's not just the ambiance, the locals, the bartenders or the fantastic alcohol selection, but the traditional music that erupts from the corner of the pub  brings some to joyful tears.

Dempsey's holds Irish sessions every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. with musicians from all different skill levels. Instruments originate from the traditional gamut: a number of fiddles, a banjo, a bodhran (a large drum), a guitar and concertina. For my first session, I brought my mandolin, an instrument I've been playing a little over a year. Learning by ear, I've played almost nothing but Irish reels and ballads training my fingers to be quicker and more agile. Sessions usually have three veteran musicians who start the tune. Once everyone recognizes the key, musicians join in, with some reverting back to memory.

For myself, Tuesday nights are a bit of cathartic; a getaway from school, work and internships, but also a special homage to my heritage. A homage to my grandparents and Irish cousins I've never met; an homage to my own kids who will grow with this music as I did. Sometimes I like to think that I'm not too distant from the influx of young Irish that first came to New York at the start of the Civil War. To them, the music gave them a sense of something to live for and look forward to in a far away world where xenophobia, corruption and crime ran rapid. It was a chance to gather others like yourself and create a family that you may not have had before. For me, it's a celebration, not just of the Irish, but of New York and the people that make it what it is till this day.

The Best NYC Band That You've Never Heard Of: A Dedication to Cosmonaut

BY MIKE MADDEN

It's 2 a.m. in the bedroom  of apartment 11M of Fordham University, Lincoln Center (FCLC)'s McMahon dorms--a brutalist style building located on West 60 Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenue in Manhattan; a building where Jesuit policies and youthful disobedience of authority clash; a place where a gang of unruly "ratfinks" from New York, New Jersey and Chicago got together for something that proved bigger than themselves; a congregation, if you will, of  kid poets and Heaven Hill-fueled writers and artists that were offered the keys to Manhattan in the spirit of raw debauchery. For the inhabitants and visitors of 11M, it was one of the early beginnings of the band Cosmonaut-- a group of four guys who we now call family.

For me, my 2009-2010 freshman year is a solid memory of moving images and sounds I recall every time I attend a Cosmonaut show. For Daniel Quinn, my former Fordham roommate, Cosmonaut guitarist, best friend and one of the greatest men you could ever know,  I like to think those years flicker in his mind like a neon sign as he plays and looks out into a crowd of the same people that stood and sat cross-legged in a McMahon bedroom at 2 a.m. filled with whiskey stains and scattered ash to listen to the newest track on someone's Mac.

Cosmonaut will often get comparisons to the likes of Pavement, My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division minus the authoritative Ian Curtis drowl. While that is correct, Cosmonaut don't just emit a a particular sound; they emit an attitude of a bygone era of New York City when it was a decripid shit hole that required store owners to sweep away hyperdermic needles that littered the sidewalks of the Bowery. Despite the decay however, there was something about the music of the Bowery that forced people  into a cohesive unit that made them a part of something; a familiarity that was narrated by a guitar riff rather than any newspaper article.

Although the Bowery of today is far from that, littered with obnoxious clubs rather than hyperdermic needles, the demeanor inherited from the life of the Bowery exists in the angular riffs and leads of Quinn and vocalist/guitarist Jack Manley's guitars. The heart and soul performances of the Patti Smith Group are strained through the sweat filled t-shirts and button downs of bassist Brendan Picone and drummer Tom McIntyre. And on those wet, cold New York City nights, the boys' distressed leather jackets shine in the dim street lights while a chain of cigarette smoke evaporates into the early morning sky.

If you look at the cover of Television's "Marquee Moon," you can see a band whose become a tour de force but they're too humble to really know it yet. The same can be said for the members of Cosmonaut and the picture that sits atop their website. It's as if someone off camera is telling them how influential they already are, yet they humbly say "thank you" and kind of giggle at the surrealness of the comment.

From the 2 a.m. McMahon sessions to headlining "Bowery Presents" shows, Cosmonaut will remain that band who is eager to share a beer, a shot and a cigarette with you at the end of the show. They epitomize what every young New Yorker wishes they could and should be--upstanding individuals who have time for even the smallest things; a willingness to work your ass off to play your ass off.  Cosmonaut, to me, are idols. Idols to literally look up to as they play above eye level of a Lower East Side stage. Idols to unwind with every time you get food with them at your neighborhood diner (Daniel, we gotta hit up the Flame soon, man).   Idols that aren't above us, but with us for the long haul. Most importantly, they are our band.

Cosmonaut will play their next show at New York's Mercury Lounge on September 30, 2012. Their EP, "Hurry Up," is streaming now.