David Vandervelde - The Moonstation House Band (2007)

"Nothin' No" by David Vandervelde


David Campbell is a ridiculously prolific composer who has provided orchestral arrangements for musicians of varying caliber from 1970s singer-songwriters to today's Disney Channel Stars (oh, and Macy Gray, too). Look at any of Campbell's output during any given year and you'll find recognizable names from every genre of the music industry. Give him heavy metal, tweeny pop, or country rock; he does not discriminate. He works with mostly big names, too, which is why I was surprised to find that he provided the sparse arrangements for singer-songwriter David Vandervelde's debut.

David Vandervelde moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and worked as a producer in his basement studio. He mainly conducted recordings for friends and bands with no futures until he produced a demo for singer-songwriter Brie Stoner. As Stoner was picked up by Fronic Records, the label sent her and Vandervelde to Chicago to record in Pieholden Studio. Vandervelde would continue to work there for the next few years working on various recording projects. One of these included working on a soundtrack with Brie for NOOMA short films, a film project promoted by Mars Hill Bible Church that shared Christian life experiences. On his own time, Vandervelde took his songwriting more seriously. His output and experimentation in the studio led to the content and sound that would make up his debut album.

Bloomington, Indiana record label Secretly Canadian signed Vandervelde and released his first single in 2006 and followed it up with The Moonstation House Band and the Nothin' No EP in 2007. The album received generally positive reviews without leaving much of a ripple in sales. Critically, Moonstation received universal comparisons to the sonic experimentation of Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex. There are more influences on the album (Electric Light Orchestra to name one), and Vandervelde sprinkles them carefully throughout as he moves from indie rock songs ("Nothin' No") to ambiguous religious songs ("Wisdom from a Tree") to murderous ballads ("Murder in Michigan").

Here is the discography surrounding David Vandervelde's debut album:

NOOMA Soundtrack (2005 soundtrack with Brie Stoner)
Jacket/Murder in Michigan (2006 single)
The Moonstation House Band
Nothin' No (2007 single)

"Jacket" by David Vandervelde


"Feet of a Liar" by David Vandervelde


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Macy Gray - On How Life Is (1999)

"I Try" by Macy Gray


Macy Gray followed a long road to become an overnight success. While working as a cashier in LA, she met producer Joe Solo. Together they wrote songs and Gray began performing in cafés under his guidance. She was originally signed to Atlantic Records but was dropped to be picked up by Epic Records. After meeting Solo, it took almost ten years to hear her voice on a label-released record. Her first recording was as a featured guest singer on the Black Eyed Peas song 'Love Won't Wait'.

Her debut On How Life Is followed a year and some months later. On the record, Macy exemplifies Nu Soul. While traditional soul music combines elements of gospel music and Rhythm and Blues, Nu Soul mixes and matches a few more elements like funk, hip hop, pop, and jazz. In 2000, Macy Gray blew up. With the release of her second single "I Try", her album went onto sell over seven million copies worldwide and go triple platinum in the US. The critical reaction was generally unimpressed seeing her debut as an average album. Still, "I Try" infected nearly the whole world with a powerful earworm. Her success led Macy to be sought after by both musicians and directors as she grew into a pop cultural icon.

Here is the discography surrounding Macy Gray's debut album:

Do Something (1999 single)
On How Life Is
I've Committed Murder (1999 Gang Starr Remix)
I Try (2000 single)
Still (2000 single)
Why Didn't You Call Me (2000 single)

"Why Didn't You Call Me" by Macy Gray


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Black Eyed Peas - Behind the Front (1998)

"Fallin' Up" by Black Eyed Peas


In an attempt to move out of the underground hip hop scene, I find myself still stuck in the underground only nearly a decade removed from when I started. A Tribe Called Quest's and Black Eye Peas's debut albums are connected through one individual. Neither performer nor producer, sound engineer Tim Latham worked on both debuts as a mixer in charge of the recordings' final mixes (at least in part).

Released in 1998 through Interscope Records, Black Eyed Peas's debut album feels a decade late. By this time on the underground circuit, De La Soul and the Tribe's zeitgeist had run its course. As the curtain closes, Black Eyed Peas don't hesitate to follow both groups' themes, style, and diverse sampling catalog from their earliest years. The Peas even déjà vu when they intersperse game show skits amongst their songs, a concept previously used by De La Soul to better humor and success on 3 Feet High and Rising. Behind the Front feels like an album that missed the alternative boat and got stuck on the docks for a good six years.

As generic as that analogy is, that's about exactly what happened to the Peas. Amidst the group's history, they were originally known as A.T.B.A.N. Klann (A Tribe Beyond A Nation). They signed to Ruthless Records and were scheduled to release their debut album Grass Roots in 1992, but the death of Ruthless co-founder Easy-E left both the album and the group in limbo. In a state of flux, the Klann lost three of their members (originally a group of five) with only will.i.am (Will Adams) and Filipino rapper apl.de.ap (Allan Lindo, Jr.) remaining. They would reform as the original core of Black Eyed Peas. In 1995, the duo added a third in Mexican rapper Taboo (Jaime Gómez). A possible reason for the album's dated sound is the fact that the demos from which Behind the Front originated harken back to the Peas's A.T.B.A.N. Klann (early nineties) days. Most of the songs, in fact, simply added extra lyrics from Taboo before being mixed for the LP.

Unlike in other hip hop groups, the jobs of each Pea aren't clearly defined as MC, DJ, or hypeman. All three members of the Peas rap and the DJ work probably comes from the musical mind of will.i.am and the producers he worked with. Although they do sample music, the album also supplements the sound with session musicians, making the album sound fresh with smooth transitions. Although the album harkens back to a more innovative past, Behind the Front was released to positive reviews from critics but barely left a ripple on the commercial charts.

Here is the discography surrounding Black Eyed Peas's debut album:

Grass Roots (1992 unreleased album as A.T.B.A.N. Klann)
Fallin' Up / ¿Que Dices? (1997 single)
Behind the Front
Joints & Jam (1998 single)
Karma (1999 single)

"Karma" by Black Eyed Peas


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)

"Can I Kick It?" by A Tribe Called Quest


"After Hours" by A Tribe Called Quest


Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest went to high school together. Both started rapping in the mid-eighties. They shared classes, they shared a manager (DJ Red Alert), and they shared a worldview informed by their participation in the Universal Zulu Nation. They saw themselves as a tight-knit family and carried this mentality into the formation of the Native Tongues. The Tribe is the third founding member of the collective to be covered on this blog.

The band introduces itself to the listeners after the first track of their debut album. Ali Shaheed Muhammad lays the foundation for the Tribe as "the sound provider" while Q-Tip (Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, formerly Jonathan Davis) fronts the Tribe as the "top of the pyramid". At the top, he acts as the group's creative, intellectual, and spiritual leader and works as the liaison between the Tribe and other mainstream or alternative hip hop acts. Ali and Q-Tip were the first of what was to become A Tribe Called Quest to perform together. The duo sought the addition of another MC, Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), with whom they occasionally collaborated. The collaboration would become permanent only after they recruited a fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, a close friend of Phife's. In the song, Phife is introduced as Jarobi's "right hand man" while Jarobi (the speaker) introduces himself as "the last but not the least, the least but not the last).

The group held influence over the alternative hip hop movement in the late eighties but did not settle on a record deal until 1989. Despite numerous, rich offers from several big labels, they opted to sign a modest deal with independent rap label (at the time, anyway) Jive Records. Jive impressed the Tribe with their dedication to their artists' longevity and attention to grass roots fan bases. They released their first official single "Bonita Applebum" at the turn of the decade (though a promo single was released in 1989) and released their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm soon after in April. While De La Soul's debut and Jungle Brother's sophomore album were met with raucous critical and commercial success, A Tribe Called Quest's debut was slower out of the gates. The album's sales opened light but slowly gained momentum to eventually be certified gold. Critically, the reviews came out mixed. Critics felt the album was "undanceable" or commended Instinctive Travels's experimental tendencies while reserving judgement on whether or not the experiments worked or not. The trend is that most people didn't know what to make of the album.

If you listened to this album and the two previous albums on the Musical History Tour, you might assume that all it takes to release a Native Tongues album is jazz samples, non-traditional lyrical content, and an Afrocentric attitude. Although these are honest first reactions, to pigeonhole the albums in such a way is to limit each group's individuality that really allow them and their work to stand out. Ali's DJ work sounds honest and fun and embodies the group's experimental nature, a sonic ride where anything can happen just for the sake of trying it out. Coupling the DJ with the MC, Q-Tip's lyrics share the same quality but provide the rhythm with narrative. Q-Tip tells stories. There's no grandstanding or posturing. Instead, he speaks directly to the listener to teach and entertain.

Here is the discography surrounding A Tribe Called Quest's debut album:

Description of a Fool (1989 promo single)
Bonita Applebum (1990 single)
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Can I Kick It? (1990 single)
I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (1990 single)

"I Lost My Wallet in El Segundo" by A Tribe Called Quest


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Jungle Brothers - Straight Out the Jungle (1988)

"What's Going On" by Jungle Brothers


De La Soul were one of the leading hip hop groups from the east coast alternative scene. Before even releasing their first record, they networked with two other hip hop groups that would form the creative nucleus of a collective called the Native Tongues posse. The posse supported each other, toured together, featured one another on select songs and remixes, and shared a common artistic and political perspective of hip hop and life. One of the other two groups in the collective, a group that also featured on De La Soul's single "Buddy", was Jungle Brothers.

Decked in bush gear, Jungle Brothers expounded on the metaphor of the city as a jungle first introduced by hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa and his Universal Zulu Nation. Like De La Soul, Jungle Brothers is a trio of two MCs, Afrika Baby Bam (Nathaniel Hall in homage to Bambaataa) and Mike Gee (Michael Small), and a DJ, DJ Sammy B (Sammy Burwell). With the benefit of famous local disc jockey DJ Red Alert being Mike Gee's uncle and the group's manager, they signed with independent label Warlock Records on which they released several singles and their debut Straight Out the Jungle in 1988.

Their debut, like De La Soul's, is considered a landmark for alternative hip hop. Their energetic horn samples colored the album with a jazzy tone while Baby Bam and Mike Gee added light-hearted, humorous, and politically conscious lyrics. Their rhymes spoke out against street violence ("Straight Out the Jungle", "What's Going On"), foresaw ethnic advancement in society ('In time, I see a better black reality' from b-side "In Time"), promoted Afrocentric themes ("Black Is Black"), and parodied hip hop's stereotypical sexual themes ("Jimbrowski", "I'm Gonna Do You"). Still, the album is light and humorous and never takes itself too seriously. These qualities effectively make Straight Out the Jungle a prototype to De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising which came out a few months after. Although it might seem unfair, the Jungle Brothers's debut has since been overlooked by critics as alternative hip hop's landmark beginning in favor of De La Soul's debut. However, 3 Feet is considered a more concise album with better lyrics and a more innovative style of DJing for its time. Besides jazz rap, Jungle Brothers also ventured into "hip house" when they rapped over Terry Todd's "Can You Party". Their debut met to middling success but they were soon brought to national prominence with the success of their fellow Native Tongues members.

Here is the discography surrounding Jungle Brothers's debut album:

Jimbrowski / Braggin' & Boastin' (1987 single)
On the Run (1988 single)
I'll House You (1988 single)
Straight Out the Jungle
Straight Out the Jungle (1989 single)
Black Is Black (1989 single)



If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

"Eye Know" by De La Soul


Since 2000, the National Recording Preservation Board annually selects a myriad of different recordings from popular songs to historic speeches for preservation in the National Recording Registry. Last year, Mort Sahl's At Sunset and De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising were two of 25 recordings chosen and deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."

With their debut in 1989, De La Soul heralded an alternative movement that had been growing and solidifying in the hip hop underground for several years. Forming in 1987 when the trio were still in high school, the group consisted of MCs Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer) and Trugoy (David Jude Jolicoeur) and DJ Maseo (Vincent Mason). Then again, those stage names are only one of several the group could choose when referencing themselves. With the studio guidance of producer Prince Paul, De La Soul's album worked against the standing stereotypes of hip hop. Their sound borrowed samples from non-traditional palettes (country and jazz) and extended their use from not only hooks and drumbreaks to "split-second fills and in-jokes". In attitude and appearance, the trio maintained their own style, promoting individuality, that stood in strong contrast to the burgeoning popularity of the gangsta rap trends of doo rags and bling.

While a gangsta rapper's themes included street violence, profanity, and walking on the wrong side of the law (aka the realities of inner city life), alternative hip hop held a sunnier disposition on city life, promoted individuality, and made relevant social statements. De La Soul's debut in particular promoted the D.A.I.S.Y. Age ("Da Inner Sound, Y'all"), a peace and love mentality that earned the trio an unwanted 'hippie' label. All of these elements put together constructed an album linked together by multiple concepts (a game show transmitted from Mars), featured an innovative sound that strengthened the direction of alternative hip hop, and highlighted by poignant lyrics with definite things to say, underwritten by positive themes, veiled by quick-witted humor. The unlikely popularity of 3 Feet High and Rising and its singles symbolized the expected rise of the alternative hip hop scene out of the underground. A rise that would not come to fruition (at least not then).

Here is the discography surrounding De La Soul's debut album:

Plug Tunin' (1988 single)
Jenifa (Taught Me) / Potholes in My Lawn (1988 single)
This Day and Age (1988 EP)
Eye Know (1989 single)
3 Feet High and Rising
Me Myself and I (1989 single)
Say No Go (1989 single)
Buddy / Ghetto Thang (1989 single)
4 New Remixes (1989 single)
Buddy / The Magic Number (1990 single)





If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Mort Sahl - At Sunset (1958)

At Sunset by Mort Sahl

With his popularity as a comic rising, Dick Gregory more commonly found his name and work referenced in the papers. And of course, a reporter can't describe one artist without using another as a measuring stick, so Greg found himself being compared to his white contemparies. They described him as the "negro Mort Sahl... Bob Newhart and Shelley Berman". As the joke goes, Greg read a diversity of papers that included the Congo Daily Tribune. In these papers, he could find the likes of Mort Sahl described as the "white Dick Gregory".

Mort Sahl's audiences were highly educated college students and recent graduates who enjoyed his comedy routines in between jazz acts like the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Where his predecessors in comedy relied on solid jokes with deliberate punch lines, Sahl relied on a free flowing set whose topics came from the daily newspaper, recent publications, fliers, and the liner notes of jazz albums and were all littered with a number of subtle punchlines throughout. In order to get his comedy, not only did audiences have to have a certain level of literacy and knowledge of contemporary events, but they had to play close attention because jokes could come at any time. Like Gregory, Sahl's comedy routines took on overt political opinions, a natural side effect of using the newspaper as source material. He was especially critical of McCarthy Conservatives in power but didn't hold out on the inconsistencies of any politician of the day.

Besides being known as one of the preliminary figures of modern comedy, Mort Sahl also holds the distinction of having recorded the first modern comedy album. The album was cut without his knowledge at a jazz club in 1955 and briefly released by Fantasy Records. Briefly because Mort Sahl did not authorize this use of his material, and the record was pulled. Interestingly, his rate of speech was sped up slightly in order to fit the whole performance onto the record.

Here is the discography surrounding Mort Sahl's debut album:

At Sunset

BBC Four Piece on Mort Sahl and the "Cerebral Comedians" (slightly inaccurate)


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!