2007-11-16

YG NGEBEDAIN VOKALIS ROCK & VOKALIS GRUNGE
Dibuat Oleh : Pandoe (vokalis Sn'CC)

Vokalis rock pd umumnya:
1.kalo teriak sering menyempitkan pita suaranya jd suara yg keluar bs melengking tajam baik itu pake nada tinggi maupun engga.
2.cukup berhati2 kalo lg nyanyi, lbh mementingkan skill & keindahan vokal (cm ga seindah vokalis pop).

vokalis rock terbagi-bagi jenisnya:
suara melengking (cth Led Zeppelin, Steelheart, dream theater, dll)
1.jenis suara aslinya emang bersih, jd susah nyanyi pake suara serak
2.cukup rajin ngerawat pita suaranya meskipun msh kalah dibanding vokalis pop apalagi vokalis opera
3.kalo rajin ngerawat suara, tingk ksulitan jd rendah, tp klo jarang dirawat bs fatal bgt. Serak dikit bs trjadi ketidaksesuaian sama nada2 tinggi, bahkan nada2 tanggung pun bs bahaya jg. bahkan bs keliatan bgt ancurnya/serak2 yg ga nyaman di dengar kalo ga sesuai.
4.jarang bgt nyanyi pake suara rendah ala Vedder tua, krn suara rendah butuh fokus & ketenangan tinggi. dan biasanya kalo ud pake vokal tinggi melengking, suara akan menjadi serak ketika menggunakan nada rendah. akibatnya, nada rendah jd ga nyampe atau volume di nada rendah jd kurang jelas.

suara halus/lembut (nyaman di denger kaya Queen, The Darkness, dll)
1.jenis suara aslinya emang bersih, jd susah nyanyi pake suara serak
2.rajin ngerawat pita suara
3.banyak nyanyi pake suara tinggi falsetto (kaya Queen di lagu "love of my life" gitu lah). Tingk kesulitan hampir mirip sama suara rendah Vedder tua, butuh konsentrasi tinggi
4.susah melakukan teriakan kasar, bahkan sgt dihindari demi mnjaga suara biar tetep bersih

suara serak/kasar (cth steven tyler, bon jovi, eric martin, dll)
1.suara aslinya emang serak (dengerin kalo lg ngomong biasa)
2.dibanding suara halus & suara melengking "berpura2" punya suara kasar, suara serak jauh lbh susah utk "berbohong" supaya bs nyanyi dgn suara bersih apalagi lembut, eric martin mngkin pngecualian (ini vokalis jago!)
3.cukup rajin minum alkohol & ngerokok
4.kalo mau tampil live, yg namanya pemanasan tu wajib bgt buat vokalis serak. soalnya meleset sdikit aja bs bahaya


vokalis grunge pd umumnya:
1.nyanyi apa adanya, ga terlalu mempedulikan skill apalagi keindahan & estetika vokal yg formal dsb
2.banyak yg jago menggunakan nada rendah
3.sangat berkarakter
4.hampir ga pernah ngerawat pita suaranya

gw bingung mngkategorikan jenis vokal grunge, krn sngt beraneka. jd di bahas per-band aja yg agak2 sejenis:

chris cornell, blind melon, dsb
1.msh bnyk trpengaruh sama gaya vokal rock yg populer sblm grunge muncul. terutama Blind Melon (tipe suara melengking)
2.chris cornell muda (thn 90-an) menguasai tipe suara melengking & halus.
3.chris cornell usia pertengahan (thn 95-an) menguasai ketiga tipe vokal rock yg ud gw jelasin sblmnya
4.chris cornell tua (thn 2000-an) kehilangan 90% suara melengkingnya, tp suara serak/kasarnya meningkat tajam, plus kemampuan tambahan, suara gahar!
5.kalo dibilang mirip, mngkin chirs cornell bs dibilang tekniknya mirip sama vokalis van halen (ni vokalis jago jg neh), atau vokalis extreme (tp cornell pake power lbh kuat)
6.blind melon mngkin jago bgt di suara melengking, tp chris cornell yg paling jago di tipe vokal rock ini (dia menguasai ketiga tipe vokal skaligus!). lagipula power yg dipake sama cornell lbh gede dibanding blind melon, kedengeran dr volume vokalnya yg tetap terdengar tebal & bulet meskipun nyanyi di nada tinggi.

mudhoney, nirvana, foo fighters, silverchair, dsb
1.bnyk trpengaruh sama vokal punk, kesan "memberontak"-nya kuat. cm kalo di grunge "mmberontak"-nya punya arti yg beda sama punk, dan lbh berteriak dibanding punk. trus trpengaruh jg sama vokal rock 'n roll.
2.mudhoney, hampir di semua lagunya vokalisnya berteriak apa adanya bahkan trgolong ga jelas.
3.kurt muda suaranya ud cukup serak tp ga berat.
4.kurt usia prtengahan s/d tewas, suara khasnya makin matang. dengerin aja unplugged-nya atau lagu trakhir "you know you're right". suaranya susah bgt diikutin sama tipe vokal melengking atau vokal halus. Dan kalo ud bs ngikutin vokalnya kurt, bakalan susah bwt balik lagi ke vocal melengking atau halus.
5.tipe vokal serak di grunge beda sama vokal serak di rock. di rock lbh ke memanfaatkan suara serak dgn penggunaan power yg hati2, hasilnya? serak tp ga kasar. di grunge lbh ke penggunaan power bwt menekan suara supaya bs terdengar kasar di suatu nada atau bahkan di setiap nada, kecuali nada rendah (kalo kasar di nada rendah itu mah hardcore/grindcore).
6.dave grohl muda vokal-nya msh trdengar biasa2 aja.
7.dave grohl usia prtengahan s/d skrg, vokalnya menonjol bgt, terutama di teriakannya.
8.dave grohl pernah ngebawain "stairway to heaven"-nya led zeppelin di akustik-in, dia bs nyanyi di bagian nada tingginya dgn menggunakan teriakan kasar ala grunge!
9.daniel johns suara aslinya sebenernya halus, tp dia bs "berpura2" bersuara kasar dgn baik dan kembali ke suara aslinya yg halus (ini hal yg sulit utk dilakukan!)
10.chris cornell jg bs berteriak dgn suara kasar di usia pertengahannya s/d skrg, bahkan bs dibikin gahar, dan cm dia vokalis yg punya suara gahar macem itu (coba dengerin dia teriak "shadow on the sun...!" di akhir lagu shadow on the sun-nya audiolsave)
11.eddie vedder jg bs berteriak dgn suara kasar. tp bedanya vedder lbh bnyk menggeram dibanding berteriak kaya kurt. dengerin aja lagu "Lukin", teriakannya selintas trdengar kaya kurt, tp sebenernya menggeram.
12.scott weiland di velvet revolver ud mulai jago melakukan teriakan kasar kaya di lagu "illegal i song" (tp dia kan sering pake bnyk efek, jd mngkin aja itu ga asli)
13.di tipe jenis suara kasar ini, dave grohl (usia prtengahan s/d skrg) adlh yg paling jago (coba aja denger versi live akustik-nya). Dia jago bgt kalo urusan berteriak!!

pearl jam, bush, dsb
1.suara aslinya emang berat, terutama vedder
2.bnyk kepengaruh sama the doors & u2, bahkan elvis presley
3.vedder tua jago bgt nyanyi di suara rendah dgn karakter vokal berat (vokal beratnya bakalan susah bgt ditiru sama vokalis2 rock 80-an)
4.vedder muda lbh jago di vokal2 yg menggeram kaya di kebanyakan lagu2 pearl jam, trus jago juga berteriak kaya kurt dgn cara menekan vokalnya (ini teknik yg susah ditemukan, tp bs gampang kalo ud ketemu caranya, kalo tenggorokan udah mencapai titik serak yg cocok)
5.vedder jg cukup jago pake suara2 palsu (agak2 mirip suara falsetto tp bkn, cthnya di lagu jeremy bagian2 akhir atau last kiss bagian sblm akhir)
6.gavin rossdale vokalnya lumayan berat tp serak. sayang dia kurang melakukan pnjelajahan nada. jd terkesan biasa2 aja
7.scott weiland, lane staley, cornell jg sering pake nada rendah, tp masih kalah berat vokalnya sama vedder
8.vedder jelas nomer satu di jenis vokal berat & rendah. meskipun vokalis2 skrg bnyk yg suaranya berat jg macem creed, godsmack, nickelback, seether, tetep aja vedder yg mempelopori. Diantara vokalis2 grunge laen, beliau lah yg paling banyak ngasih influence ke vokalis2 jaman setelah grunge..

alice in chains, stone temple pilot, smashing pumpkins, dsb
1.vokalis2 band ini bs dikategorikan sbg pemilik vokal bertipe aneh, unik, dan ga biasa
2.staley punya keunikan dlm menggunakan vokal serak2 sengau, dan yg paling pnting adlh dia punya jerry cantrell sbg duetnya dia. perpaduan mereka unik bgt!
3.weiland punya keunikan di penggunaan suara2 palsu, vokal2 dgn nada aneh, & penggunaan efek2 vokal yg ga terlalu nyata. dia jg sering melapis vokal di lagu2nya bs 2 sampe 4 kali take vocal cuma bwt di satu lagu doank! nih org kreatif bgt!
4.billy corgan sbenernya ga terlalu punya teknik yg berarti. tp cara dia nyanyi bener2 beda sama vokalis2 pd umumnya. kalo gw pribadi sih ga suka & ga benci sama vokalnya, tp penggemar vokalnya b.corgan ini bnyk bgt loh!

tambahan:
-biasanya vokalis rock yg jago tuh menguasai minimal 2 jenis vokal rock.
-lu bilang axl rose kualitas vokalnya ga menurun, itu krn lagu2 G'nR tergolong "ga trlalu sulit" dinyanyiin sama vokalis2 rock tipe laen. misalnya: gw yakin freddie mercury bs nyanyiin lagu wlcome to the jungle tanpa kesulitan yg berarti, tp kalo axl disuruh nyanyi lagu love of my life, pasti dia bakal kesulitan bgt
-biasanya seorang vokalis selalu bikin lagu yg seharusnya bs dia nyanyiin, tp ga sedikit juga vokalis yg nyari nada2 yg aman bwt dia nyanyiin
-dr sisi pembuatan lagu, grunge lbh aneh drpd rock. jd, vokalnya pun biasanya mengikuti anehnya lagu yg mereka bikin. dan smakin lebar rentang vokal dr nada rendah ke nada tinggi seorang vokalis grunge, maka semakin bnyk eksplorasi nada2 yg dipake. apalagi kalo dia juga bs menggunakan bermacam2 tipe vokal. artinya, lagu grunge bs jd lbh susah bwt dinyanyiin
-chris cornell punya kemampuan vokal yg bs dibilang hampir lengkap, makanya eksplorasi nada yg dia pake banyak bgt. bs pake vokal melengking kaya vokalis blind melon dgn volume yg lebih tebal, bs mencapai nada rendah vedder walaupun ga seberat vedder, bs teknik scream kaya kurt tp lbh rapi, bs suara gahar ala cornell sndiri, bs nyanyi pake suara halus, jago suara falsetto & suara palsu, di lagu2nya jg sering pake 2 vokal kaya AIC (nada rendah & nada tinggi), dia jg suka pake efek vokal kaya weiland. makanya gw anggep chris cornell tuh vokalis paling jago. tp dia jg punya kelemahan: udah tua & staminanya bnyk berkurang. kalo suaranya kasar sbenernya ga trlalu masalah, asalkan staminanya kuat dia bs menutup teriakan lengkingan nada tinggi sama teriakan gahar bernada tinggi dgn powernya yg kuat bgt. tp staminanya ud ga sekuat dulu lagi
-kalo mo gampang, dengerin aja vokalnya axl & cornell baik2. mereka sama2 pake nada tinggi, tp keliatan bgt bedanya terutama di volumenya. Volume cornell lbh terdengar tebal drpd axl yg lbh cempreng. Volume suara cornell kedenger lbh tebal soalnya power yg dia pake sewaktu nyanyi itu gila banget! Apalagi pas udah di audioslave! Makanya biarpun ud sama2 tua, axl lbh bs ngejaga vokalnya utk nyanyiin lagu2nya yg pake power yg “biasa2” aja. Dan cornell justru sebaliknya, power yg dia butuhin buat nyanyi gede bgt, makanya dia sering kedengeran ga kuat. Waktu muda beliau punya suara yg bs melengking tajam, eh pas ud tua suaranya makin kotor, jd dia kesulitan utk menyesuaikan suaranya. Nah kalo axl emang dr awal udah pake suara serak buat nyanyi. Makanya dia ga terlalu ksulitan buat nyesuaikan sama kondisi vokalnya skrg ini yg ud makin kotor.
-contoh laen ya kaya si bon jovi aja deh, dia kalo nyanyi powernya terasa banget kan? Pdahal nada yg dia pake lumayan tinggi tuh! skrg mana pernah lg dia nyanyi pake nada2 tinggi kaya di lagu livin on prayer. Suaranya ud kotor bgt. Staminanya jg ud kurang.


Tambahan ga trlalu penting:
-kalo gw adlh seorang vokalis rock 80an, gw kepengen bgt punya vocal yg mirip2 steven tyler, bon jovi, atau vokalisnya van halen. Tp gw ga bs kaya mereka makanya gw sering menolak ngebawain lagu2 rock 80-an
-kalo gw vokalis rock 80an, vocal yg paling bs gw kuasai mngkin ya tipe vocal yg halus, soalnya sura asli gw lumayan bersih (maklum aja gw bkn perokok & bkn peminum), gw jg bs aja bersuara melengking kaya led zeppelin (walaupun susah!). Tp ini masalah selera. Gw ga trlalu suka sama vocal bernada tinggi yg melengking & halus. Apa ya? Kurang keren aja kalo menurut gw. Tp kalo bs serak kaya Chris Cornell baru keren!!

-diantara tipe vocal grunge, mnngkin gw lbh cocok dimasukin ke kategori pearl jam ya? tp gw jg bs dimasukin ke vocal kasar kaya nirvana. Cuma ya itu dia, vokal gw membutuhkan pemanasan yg cukup utk nyanyi dgn vokal kasar. Kalo gw bs berteriak kasar dgn mudah kaya dave grohl sih pasti jadinya keren bgt, tp susah!
-gw jg sering menolak ngebawain lagu2nya soundgarden atau cornell. Selain susah, gw jg ga suka kalo vocal bertipe kaya gw ngebawain lagu2nya cornell. Jdnya kurang keren.. volumenya kurang tebel
-kalo penggunaan vokal2 aneh dsb kaya Scott Weiland, kayanya tingkat kreativitas gw masih sngt2 kurang! Soalnya miskin teknologi sih!

Artikel Grunge

Dibuat Oleh : Yzii Otto Sebastian Arthur OzoR@ (gitaris Sn'CC)

Bukan hal yang mudah menempatkan sebuah band dalam jenis musik Grunge, karena setiap kali kita mendengar musik dari sebuah band yang dikategorikan sebagai Grunge, maka akan SANGAT berbeda saat kita mendengar musik dari band lainnya yang juga dikategorikan sebagai Grunge, dan ketika kita menempatkan sebuah band dalam aliran Grunge, maka semakin sering pula kita menemukan perbedaannya dengan band Grunge lainnya. Bingung akan penuturan gue? Gampangnya gini, Dunia Grunge mempunyai 4 tokoh legendaris yang kerap disebut sebagai Big Four of Grunge yaitu : Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden dan Alice In Chains (AIC). Jika berturut-turut kita mendengarkan musik dari 4 band tersebut, maka tidak sulit untuk mengatakan : mereka sama sekali berbeda! Saat kita mendengar Nirvana (sebagai wakil Grunge yang paling populer), kita akan mengatakan ‘Grunge itu adalah berteriak sekeras-kerasnya tanpa peduli terhadap sound maupun skill musisinya, serta ancur-ancuran’ tapi pendapat itu dibantah oleh Soundgarden dan AIC. Chris Cornell dan Layne Staley tidak pernah berteriak sekeras-kerasnya, dan Kim Thayil maupun Jerry Canntrell tidak pernah sembarang memainkan gitarnya. Permainan kedua gitaris itu cenderung eksplosif bahkan berskill tinggi. Lalu bagaimana dengan Pearl Jam? Eddie Vedder muda memang berteriak keras, namun Mike McReady dkk di bagian logistik (peralatan) tetap bermain konstan, tempo middle, dan tidak peduli terhadap ‘kegilaan’ Eddie Vedder. Selain Eddie, personel Pearl Jam lainnya nampak sopan dan terkesan kalem. Lalu dimana ancur-ancurannya? Kalau sudah ga kompak begini, dimana benang merah yang menyatukan mereka sebagai Grunge? Apakah jawabannya adalah Seattle, dimana keempatnya dilahirkan dari kota yang sama? Jika jawabannya adalah Seattle, akan lebih tepat jika kita mengkategorikan musik mereka sebagai Seattle Sound. Tetapi akan sangat blangsak jika kita mengkategorikan sebuah aliran dengan syarat band tersebut berasal dari kota yang sama. Bagaimana jika ada band lain yang memiliki warna musik yang sama dengan Soundgarden, namun band tersebut bukan berasal dari Seattle? Kasihan bukan? Kejanggalan lain adalah, ada banyak band yang berasal dari New York atau Iowa, tapi kenapa mereka tidak disebut New York Sound? Atau Iowa Sound? Dengan demikian, gue adalah termasuk orang yang skeptis terhadap Seattle Sound. Tapi gue menghormati orang lain yang percaya adanya aliran Seattle Sound. Proses pencarian belum berakhir. Sama seperti orang yang mencari bukti keberadaan UFO, orang-orang seperti kita pun masih mencari bukti keberadaan benang merah (red hat) Grunge.. where is the reds? Red Devils kah?

-- bersumbang, eh, bersambung --

2007-10-10

Kurt Cobain Biografi

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

As the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain's musical success began in his twenties and was heightened when he formed the band Nirvana. Hits such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come as You Are," and "Heart Shaped Box" helped the group achieve international success.Cobain was born in Aberdeen, WA. Hyperactive as a youngster, he was given Ritalin to help him concentrate in school and sedatives to help him sleep at night. At the age of seven, his parents got divorced. He became so difficult to live with that his parents sent him to live with relatives. This period in his life is reflected in songs such as "Sliver." With a dislike for school, Cobain spent his time painting and singing. He listened to the Beatles and the Monkees, but changed to bands such as Kiss, Black Sabbath, the Sex Pistols, and the Clash in 1979. On his 14th birthday, Cobain bought his first guitar and started experimenting with different musical styles. He also was a roadie for a Seattle group called the Melvins. He dropped out of high school a few weeks before graduation to get a job, but his efforts were unsuccessful because he couldn't hold a job for very long.In 1986 the group Nirvana was formed with Cobain on vocals and guitar, Krist Novaselic on bass guitar, and various drummers. Their first album, Bleach, was released in 1989. They toured the U.S. and had their first international concert in Newcastle, England. Their second single was unsuccessful, so they changed record companies. After signing with Geffen Records in 1991, and adding permanent drummer Dave Grohl, they produced their second album, Nevermind, which received rave reviews with the hits "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come as You Are," and "Lithium." Their popularity grew after the group made appearances on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and NBC's Saturday Night Live. The success of the band was intimidating to Cobain, who liked the intimate setting of nightclubs; it was the money that guided them to do concerts and shows in the rock arena. It was in the early '90s that Cobain began doing heavy drugs such as morphine and heroin, but in 1992 his personal life brightened as he married Courtney Love in Hawaii, and their union brought a daughter, Frances Bean. With a wife and daughter, Cobain calmed a bit, and the group released Incesticide.Things took a turn for the worse in 1993 when Cobain overdosed on heroin. After seeking rehabilitation for a time in a center, he left without completing the program. During this time the band played on. In 1993 they released In Utero, their last studio-recorded album. Nirvana played an MTV unplugged concert and a concert in Munich in 1994. One week after the concert in Munich, Kurt Cobain was hospitalized in a coma. After waking up and leaving voluntarily, he was reported missing and was found three days later in his house, dead of a gunshot wound. As a rock legend, Cobain reached a demise similar to that of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. The songs and albums of Cobain and Nirvana continue to influence and encourage many young musicians.

Chris Cornell Biografi

Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)

Originally finding success as the singer/frontman of Seattle's Soundgarden, Chris Cornell also forged a successful solo career after the band's 1997 demise. Born in Seattle on July 20, 1964, Cornell's music career didn't take shape until he was a teenager, playing drums in bands that mixed punk/new wave (the Police) and metal (AC/DC) covers. Although he spent most of his teenage years withdrawn and as a loner, rock music helped Cornell overcome his uneasiness around others. After dropping out of high school and working as a cook, Cornell formed a band that, with a few lineup changes, would become the great and influential Soundgarden by the mid-'80s. Cornell switched to vocals around the time of the band's formation, with friend Hiro Yamamoto on bass, Kim Thayil on guitar, and eventually, Matt Cameron on drums. Along with the Melvins, Soundgarden was one of the first rock bands to slow down punk's youthful energy to a Black Sabbath-like crawl. First issuing a few releases on independent labels (Sub Pop's Screaming Life and Fopp EPs, SST's Ultramega OK), Soundgarden was one of the first bands of the late-'80s Seattle underground to sign with a major label, A&M, which issued Louder Than Love in 1989. After the album's release, however, Yamamoto left and was first replaced by ex-Nirvana member Jason Everman, and eventually permanently by Ben Shepherd. With Soundgarden's quintessential lineup in place, the band rightfully became one of rock's most popular bands on the strength of such albums as 1991's Badmotorfinger, 1994's Superunknown, and 1996's Down on the Upside. With each album, Cornell's singing grew stronger and stronger and farther away from the heavy metal screaming of the band's early work and more toward a true singing style. Cornell also showed a great talent for lyric-writing; while his lyrics wouldn't make sense if read without the music, they evoked all kinds of images when he put the two together. Besides Cornell's vast talents displayed with Soundgarden, he organized a tribute for late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood in the form of 1990's Temple of the Dog project, which was far more stripped-down. Cornell's first officially released solo composition, the acoustic "Seasons," was the highlight of the 1992 motion picture soundtrack Singles. His bluesy voice also worked amazingly well on a superb cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" on the 1993 Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix compilation (under the pseudonym MACC). He also found time to pen songs for other acts, such as Flotsam & Jetsam and Alice Cooper, as well as producing the Screaming Trees' 1991 release Uncle Anesthesia. After Soundgarden's demise in April of 1997, Cornell slowly but surely began to put a solo album together with his friends from the band Eleven. Finally issued in 1999, Euphoria Morning was a departure from his former band's sound, as it was in a more singer/songwriter mold, which focused more on Cornell's vocals and lyrics than meaty guitar riffs. Shortly after its release, Cornell launched his first solo tour, mixing songs from all eras of his career. After wrapping up the aforementioned tour in early 2000, a tepid remix of the Euphoria Morning track "Mission" (retitled "Mission 2000") was included on the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack. It appeared as though Cornell would take a break from music for a while, as his wife gave birth to the couple's first child in June of the same year, but by late 2000, Cornell found himself involved in a project that promised to be a classic hard rock collaboration. Rage Against the Machine decided not to break up after longtime vocalist Zack de la Rocha left the band that winter, but rather they would find another singer and carry on under a different name. Cornell accepted an invitation to jam and pen a few songs (which former Rage guitarist Tom Morello described as "really groundbreaking") and, shortly thereafter, officially joined forces with the former Rage members under the moniker Audioslave. Produced by Rick Rubin, the band's self-titled debut arrived in November 2002 and went multi-platinum. The follow-up, 2005's Out of Exile, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and was followed by the platinum-selling Revelations in 2006. Cornell left the band that same year, citing the usual "irreconcilable differences," and began work on his second solo record, 2007's Carry On, a topical, biographical, and musically confused whirlwind featuring a cover version of Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" and "You Know My Name" from the Bond movie Casino Royale.

Eddie Vedder Biografi

Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

Along with Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder reluctantly became a celebrity and an alt-rock spokesman when his band, Pearl Jam, hit the big time in the early '90s. But things didn't come easy for Vedder. With a tumultuous home life as a youngster, he turned to surfing and rock music as a teenager — most notably such classic rockers as the Who, Neil Young, and the Doors, as well as such punk bands as the Clash and Minor Threat. His residence alternated between Chicago and San Diego, as he formed his first real band in his twenties, Bad Radio. With the band not breaking out of local status, Vedder befriended ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who in turn gave Eddie a demo tape some of his friends had given him (in hopes of finding a singer). Vedder quickly put lyrics and vocals to the tape, and mailed it back to Seattle (it turned out the band consisted of ex-members of the Seattle-based Mother Love Bone, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament).Gossard and Ament were floored with the results, immediately inviting Vedder up to Seattle, where he soon landed the gig. Shortly after lead guitarist Mike McCready joined the band (plus a revolving door of assorted drummers), the band signed with Epic Records. Originally called Mookie Blaylock, the group changed its name to Pearl Jam, and their debut, Ten, followed in the fall of 1991. With the Seattle scene (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, et al.) exploding on the charts, airwaves, and media, Pearl Jam picked the perfect time to issue their debut, which eventually outsold all other Seattle bands, and made Pearl Jam one of the biggest groups of the '90s (other hit albums followed: Vs., Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, and Binaural).Vedder also became involved in numerous politically charged causes — his band took Ticketmaster to court over high ticket prices, and he supported presidential candidate Ralph Nader, environmental causes, and his pro-choice stance. He also made special appearances at numerous concerts of bands he admirers (Bob Dylan's 50th B-day bash at Madison Square Garden, the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Who/Pete Townshend gigs, etc.), and played drums at live shows with the band Hovercraft (his wife's band). With his hard-hitting and often confessional lyrical style and Jim Morrison-esque baritone, Vedder also became one of the most copied lead singers in all of rock. Despite all the accolades, it wasn't until 2007 that Vedder released his first solo album, Into the Wild, the soundtrack to the Sean Penn film of the same time.

Layne Staley Biografi

Layne Staley (Alice In Chains)

Few rock vocalists created such a dark and eerie body of work as Alice in Chains' Layne Staley. Born in Kirkland, WA, on August 22, 1967, Staley showed musical talent at an early age, and took up the drums. But upon joining garage bands and discovering rock music as a teenager (Black Sabbath, the Doors, etc.), Staley switched to singing. He met guitarist Jerry Cantrell shortly thereafter, and both formed a Van Halen/Guns N' Roses-esque glam metal band, Alice N' Chaynz (along with drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr). Taking a hint from fellow Seattle bands (Soundgarden, Melvins, Screaming Trees, etc.), the group rejected their early showy direction in favor of a more straight-ahead approach both musically and visually, and ultimately changed the spelling of their name to Alice in Chains. Staley was quickly creating an original vocal style — borrowing the creepiness of such metal vocalists as Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper, and merging it with the such classic rockers as Jim Morrison, as the group's sound slowed down to a Sabbath-like crawl. Signed to Columbia Records in the late '80s, AIC issued their first album, Facelift, in 1990. Hardcore touring built a fan base, but it wasn't until the summer of 1991 that the single/video "Man in the Box" became a hit and broke the band to the big-time. Further releases (the hard rock full-lengths Dirt and Alice in Chains, as well as the acoustic EPs Sap and Jar of Flies) garnered more attention and huge sales, solidifying the group as one of Seattle's finest and earning Staley the respect as one of rock's most original frontmen. Indeed, Staley's influence permeated much of the late-'90s alt metal landscape, as such singers as Scott Stapp (Creed), Travis Meeks (Days of the New), and Sully Erna (Godsmack), clearly contained elements of the Alice in Chains frontman's vocal style in their delivery.Despite all the success, things were going wrong behind the scenes. Rumors that Staley had developed into a hardcore drug user began spreading by the mid-'90s, and the speculation only grew louder when the band refused to mount any substantial tours after an appearance on Lollapalooza 1993. By the late '90s, the group was on hiatus, as a best of (Nothing Safe), a box set (Music Bank), and an in-concert set (Live) appeared, but no new album was planned. Staley had appeared as part of the one-off Seattle supergroup Mad Season (1995's Above), as well as on the motion picture soundtrack for The Faculty (a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall - Part 2").But the sporadic work eventually ground to a halt, as Staley seemed more interested in feeding his drug habit than pursuing music. His life took a turn for the worst in 1996 when his fiancĂ©e died from drugs, which friends say made the former Alice in Chains frontman blot out the pain with further drug abuse. During the last few years of his life, Staley rarely left his Seattle condominium, and refused to answer the door or phone when former bandmates or friends came around to check on the singer's condition (which had supposedly deteriorated to the point that he had lost most of his teeth and had abscesses all over his arms). Although it shouldn't have come as quite a surprise, the rock music world was shocked when Staley's dead body was found on a sofa in his condo, the victim of a lethal overdose of heroin and cocaine. Since the body had been in the apartment for two weeks and had begun to decompose, it was hard to determine at first the exact date of Staley's passing. Eventually, a date was determined, which proved to be eerie — April 5, 2002 — exactly eight years to the day that another leading figure of the early '90s Seattle rock scene also took his life, Kurt Cobain.

2007-10-08

Grunge N' Criminal? Why?

Ada apa dengan Grunge?
Kenapa harus Criminal?
Kenapa?
Bingung deh?
Aduh, maksudnya apa sih?
Pasti penulisnya ganteng..
Bikin penasaran deh..
Gue milih mati daripada ga tau maksud Grunge & Criminal..!!!
dll.

Pertanyaan-pertanyaan seperti diatas pasti berkelebat secara liar di otak pembaca blog sampah ini. Pembaca pasti bertanya-tanya, kenapa penulis (Yzii OzoR@) harus menggunakan istilah 'Grunge' & 'Criminal'? apa tidak ada istilah yang lebih sopan lainnya? apa penulis adalah orang aneh yang gemar membaca novel fiksi karangan Tatang S? atau pelajar culun yang gemar menabung? Tenang saja pembaca, karena semua pertanyaan itu akan terjawab secara ekslusif, ekspansif dan eksploratif detik ini juga. Dijawab langsung & tuntas oleh penulis asli Sunda keturunan Skotlandia, Yzii Otto Sebastian Arthur OzoR@.

Apakah kalian tahu apa itu Grunge? Banyak yang mendefinisikan Grunge adalah sebuah aliran musik. Tapi sebagian lainnya mengatakan bahwa Grunge adalah gaya hidup. Mana yang benar, Only God Knows Why. Yang pasti, kepopuleran Grunge sesuai dengan teori Gunung Di Permukaan Laut yang diperkenalkan oleh ahli metafisika (Dukun) terkenal asal Zimbabwe bernama Joe Patutukupululubinulukuwarangkabay. Teori itu berbunyi : "ketenaran akan nampak dari ujung paling kecil namun runcing, yang terlihat di permukaan laut. Setelahnya barulah orang akan melihat kebawah, dan bagian lain yang lebih besar dari ujung runcing itu akan terekspos oleh masyarakat, walaupun ada di dalam laut" (Joe, 1671 : 388). Jika difreleksikan dengan dunia Grunge, ketenaran Grunge dimulai saat sebuah band asal Seattle bernama Nirvana meluncurkan album bertitel Nevermind. Itu adalah ujung runcingnya. Setelah itu, bagian besar di bawah laut ikut terekspos karena bantuan Nirvana. Bagian itu adalah grup-grup lain dari kota Seattle, seperti Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, dan Alice In Chains. Bahkan mereka semua dianggap sebagai Big Four of Grunge.

Lalu kenapa? Apa itu penting?
Ya, itu penting, karena berkat Nirvana, penulis jadi getol belajar gitar..
Semua dimulai saat penulis masih kelas 1 SMP. Saat itu Nirvana sedang nge-trend dengan lagu 'Smells Like Teen Spirits'. Karena pengen ikut ngeband dengan teman-teman sebaya, akhirnya penulis belajar main gitar, dan lagu pertama yang penulis pelajari dengan gitar adalah : Fade To Black (Metallica), lalu lagu kedua Don't Cry (Guns N' Roses).
Lalu Smells Like Teen Spirit yang keberapa? Itu adalah lagu ke .. duh lupa.. ke .. arrggh, keberapa ya? duh, lupa.. lupa.. SIALAN!!!
Well, yang pasti karena ga terlalu jago maen gitar (parah), akhirnya penulis memutuskan beralih ke drum. Tapi karena maen drum juga ga jago-jago banget (ancur), penulis jadi frustasi dan akhirnya penulis memutuskan mundur sementara dari dunia musik sambil mencoba belajar gitar lagi..
Uups, kenapa jadi bicarakan masa lalu penulis ya? Padahal itu kan privacy penulis. Pembaca sih mancing-mancing penulis tuk bercerita, jadi aja tulisannya jadi ngalor ngidul gini.. Yah, kita lanjut aja ke topik awal. Setuju? Bagus.

Jadi, penulis tuh dulu pernah suka sama temen SMP. Namanya, ada deh.. dia tu cantik. Tadinya sih yang suka ma tu cewe adalah sahabat penulis, tapi ga tau kenapa seiring berjalannya waktu, penulis jadi suka juga ma tu cewe. Nah, tau-taunya, tu cewe nembak penulis lewat surat (waktu tu masih jaman surat-suratan, maklum masih awal 1872-an lah). Nah, karena ga enak sama sahabat, akhirnya penulis tolak tu cewe. Ampe detik ini penulis masih menyesal ma keputusan itu.

Oke, udah jelas kan? Kalo ada pertanyaan, jangan sungkan-sungkan kirim surat dengan amplop tertutup ke alamat rumah penulis. Jangan lupa sertakan prangko balasan, karena mungkin saja suratmu akan dibalas secara langsung oleh penulis (bukan oleh manajer).

Jika ada kekhilafan dalam tulisan ini, penulis Mohon Mangap sebesar-besarnya.
Gud Bray..