The Music Blog of the Infonistacrat!

Yesterday, I set out to prove that the 90’s were more than just grunge. Today I’m going to seal the deal. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE grunge. I could sit and listen to it all day long…especially Nirvana. But there was just so much great music you just gotta listen to something else.

I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of the post-grunge stuff was basically the labels attempt to rip off the Seattle scene with bands they could control. Let’s see….big labels, ripoff…yep, thats about right. Still, not all of it was that bad. So, my recommendation for today is not to miss the Cranberries, Toadies, Porno For Pyros or the Filter below. Those are definitely the hot ones on the list.

The first R.E.M. show I went to, the one I referred to yesterday, was a great show, top to bottom. I honestly believe anyone there remembers it to this day. The opened with What’s The Frequency Kenneth, and ended the show with Micheal Stipe calling his parents to wish them a happy anniversery from the stage. And everything in between was pure magic.

My wife and I went to the House of Blues on New Year’s Eve, 1998, to see the New Radicals, Better Than Ezra, and Chris Isaak. Mainly, she wanted to see Chris Isaak (we really don’t share the same musical tastes). The show was pretty good though, and memorable for a couple reasons. First, the New Radicals were a lot better than I thought live (they did a sweet cover of Princes 1999), except for the fact that I right next to Gregg Alexander’s sister, who would NOT shut her yap, and generally bugged the hell out of me, until I actually started talking to her, after which I kinda really understood why she was so excited. Seems her brother had some bad years before hitting it semi-big. We talked for a while until they took the stage, and all was good.

Oh, and the other reason? I got to see my wife jump square in the face of some chick who WAS an annoying little bitch, and threaten to rip her face off! The best part was the sitting next to my wife was the head of the House of Blues legal department. Yeah, she is a keeper.

Next morning, we got up and drove home…just in time to miss the worst blizzard in Chicago history. So, you know, that’s kind of what you look for in an evening out…great music, two chicks nearly brawling, and a raging blizzard. Ain’t life grand?

1. Cranberries - Zombie
2. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
3. Shine
4. New Radicals - You Get What You Give
5. Flaming Lips - She Don’t Use Jelly
6. Eve - Inside Out
7. Third Eye Blind - Graduate
8. R.E.M. - Whats The Frequency Kenneth
9. Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome
10. Candlebox - Far Behind
11. Toadies - Possum Kingdom
12. The Cure - Friday I’m In Love
13. Porno For Pyros - Pets
14. Everlast - What It’s Like
15. Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot