Middle Aged Dads React to Classic Albums!

At-Home Concerts - Bill Janovitz - Virtual Happy Hours

There are a few bands that seem to have been with me most of my life. Like Green Day and Weezer, Buffalo Tom have been producing new material since my days in university. Sure, they’ve slowed down a bit, and their songs aren’t popping up in angsty teen dramas like they used to, but their soulful, guitar-driven alt-rock remains a staple on my Spotify playlist.

Lead singer Bill Janovitz, who has never lacked solo performances, was among the first musicians to stream live acoustic shows following the worldwide lockdown in mid-March. On March 21st, he performed 19 songs (!) in his basement with only a guitar, a piano and a harmonica. Bill isn’t just about his music these days though. Each of his Virtual Happy Hours began with his wife and adult daughter discussing the week, while Bill shows us how to mix one of a variety of martinis. Soon enough, he retreats to the basement studio and we settle in for a couple of hours.

These performances were quite literally the only firmly scheduled things I had in my life during the early weeks of the pandemic. With quarantine in full-force and everything else on-demand, these concerts provided just a little bit of normalcy in a world that was quickly unravelling.

http://billjanovitz.com/blog/

Song - White Reaper - Might be Right

White Reaper burst onto the alt-rock charts in the early days of 2020 with this tune. This Kentucky-based traditional rock band has been a welcome addition to a scene dominated by synth-driven nostalgia and folksy hipster jingles.

Might be Right follows a tried-and-true tradition in rock; balancing heavy lyrics (this one about a friend’s drug use) and catchy guitar hooks. Alternative rock stations have resisted adding such songs to their rotation in recent years, especially when those songs are by acts that aren’t already established. Sure, Coldplay, Weezer, Foo Fighters and the like will always have a place on the alt-rock airwaves but when a band like White Reaper not only gets airplay but reaches all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart, it proves rock and roll isn’t quite dead yet.