The Jersey Shore, as well as parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens was dealt the brunt of the storm, landmarks were destroyed and, in some cases washed completely away by the wrath of mother nature. You may have heard the expression "Jersey Strong" being belted about the Internet. That phrase alone means a whole lot. The media likes to think of my home state as a suburb of New York, and Philadelphia. The state never gets its own news coverage, and we inevitably have to share the spotlight with a neighboring city. In recent years, New Jersey seems to be getting its own identity, if only from television series like "The Sopranos", "Real Housewives" and "Jersey Shore", and the image of the state isn't so flattering at times. But as they say, bad publicity is good publicity; no publicity is bad publicity.
We've watched as other countries and fellow states endured the wrath of Mother Nature. Florida has, so many times. How could you not feel sorry for the people of New Orleans after Katrina hit and caused disaster beyond belief? Well, Sandy's destruction has done the same for the Jersey Shore. The images of the roller coaster in Seaside Heights in the ocean alone is upsetting, not to mention all of the other shore points that I've known all my life.
How does this all pertain to music? If you've been living under a rock for the past century, New Jersey has contributed many, many artists to the popular landscape. Frank Sinatra, of course, hailed from Hoboken; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lesley Gore, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, were just a sampling of artists who call New Jersey home. Springsteen and Bon Jovi, along with Long Island's Billy Joel, Staten Island's Christina Aguilera and several others, participated in a benefit concert that was televised on NBC on November 2, raising money for the storm's victims. Unfortunately I was unable to view the concert as my power would not be restored until four days later. Music has abounded all around the state and region as well in an effort to raise funds as well. Even the cast of the much maligned reality show "Jersey Shore" will be getting together in special benefit to give back to the area that made their show successful. My heartfelt prayers and wishes to all those who lost everything in this storm.
Jersey will rise again. Just you wait and see!
Many Jersey related videos, both musical and just clips of the destruction have abounded. WPLJ's morning show hosts Scott & Todd put this one together to the song "Home" by Phillip Phillips:
I LIKE JERSEY BEST: You may recall about a year ago, I had added the song "My Home New Jersey", by local artist Paul Czekaj. The song talks about all that's great with New Jersey, from the shore to the mountains, its great recording artists and many other of its landmarks. The song, which peaked at #20 at the beginning of this year and which made my Top 100 of 2011, re-enters my chart at #83. A couple months back, Czekaj came up with a sequel, talking about even more of the finer things this state has to offer. Written and recorded well before Sandy, as well as the resulting video, "My Home New Jersey, Part 2" shows, among other sites, the shore in its better days, but, like the original, installs pride in our Garden State. Neither the CD, or downloads of the sequel are available as of yet, which is why the song is ineligible to chart on the SNS 100, but it will once it gets released. Here is the video of the new song, which in a sense, talked about Jersey Strong well before we heard that mantra in the wake of Sandy:
BRIEFLY ON THE CHARTS: Perhaps its fitting that a band from Brooklyn NY, which had its share of damage from the hurricane, rises to the number 1 spot on the SNS 100. Grizzly Bear's"Yet Again", from the quartet's third effort Shields, rises from #5 to take the top. Churchill's "Change" moves from #4 to #2, both pushing last week's top two, The Satelliters' "Out of Time" and Django Django "Default" to numbers 3 and 4 respectively. The biggest mover within the top 20 is "The Curve" by Golden Void (19-11), and the only new entry in the top 20 is Leila's "Mirror Mirror" (26-19), another native from Staten Island, with her second entry in the upper echelon, the other being her #1 song "Hush Little Baby". I might add and both she and her twin sister Omnia are also doing concerts to benefit the victims, and the proceeds from Leila's current album Looking Glass will also go to benefit the victims, during the month of November. Maroon 5, who has the long-running number 1 Billboard song, "One More Night", finally cracks the top 20 on SNS.
RAVE ON: Top debut goes to Danish duo The Raveonettes. "Curse the Night", the second single from Observator, continues to see their sound evolve from late 50's early 60's surf rock to a slightly more updated sound. The guitar intro as well as the vocals still hint of that earlier time period, but the vocals and harmonies have evolved a bit to the more modern 80's and even indie sound. The harmonies, always a strong suit with the duo are even more prevalent. The song debuts at #80, and should follow its predecessor, "Observations" into the top 10. Nicely done.
Two other debuts worth noting. Tegan and Sara, whose classic (for me), "Walking With a Ghost" is forever etched in my mind, have a new song, "Closer" at #89. It's from the Calgary twins upcoming album Heartthrob, due early in 2013. They'll be at New York City's Bowery on November 19th. Right behind is Tame Impala, psychedelic rockers from Down Under. The quintet, led by Kevin Parker, recent album is Lonerism, which features the track "Apocalypse Dreams". The band has dates on the West Coast, before heading back to their native Australia and New Zealand. Both of the songs are worth checking out.
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for Week of November 5, 2012:
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
1
|
5
|
GRIZZLY BEAR
"Yet Again"
Album: Shields
|
7
|
2
|
4
|
Churchill - Change
|
9
|
3
|
2
|
Django Django - Default
|
12
|
4
|
1
|
The Satelliters - Lost in Time
|
10
|
5
|
8
|
Adele - Skyfall
|
5
|
6
|
3
|
Dirty Beaches - Elizabeth's Theme
|
13
|
7
|
10
|
Child Actor - If You Loved Me
|
5
|
8
|
9
|
Psy - Gangnam Style
|
7
|
9
|
7
|
Rebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But Love
|
14
|
10
|
12
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Stars
|
9
|
11
|
19
|
Golden Void - The Curve
|
5
|
12
|
6
|
Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down
|
8
|
14
|
11
|
The Heavy - What Makes A Good Man
|
20
|
15
|
16
|
Kopecky Family Band - Heartbeat
|
10
|
16
|
15
|
Yeasayer - Henrietta
|
12
|
17
|
17
|
Hedley -Kiss You Inside Out
|
11
|
18
|
18
|
The Shins - It's Only Life
|
12
|
19
|
26
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
LEILA
"MIrror Mirror"
Album: Looking Glass
|
5
|
20
|
22
|
Maroon 5 - One More Night
|
15
|
21
|
14
|
Youngblood Hawke - We Come Running
|
13
|
22
|
24
|
Silversun Pickups - The Pit
|
8
|
23
|
21
|
Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
|
18
|
24
|
27
|
Phillip Phillips - Home
|
24
|
25
|
23
|
The Avett Brothers - Live and Die
|
17
|
26
|
30
|
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
|
19
|
27
|
20
|
Grassfight - Look Homeward Heathen
|
18
|
28
|
31
|
Alex Clare - Too Close
|
24
|
29
|
44
|
Dinosaur Jr. - Don't Pretend You Didn't Know
|
4
|
30
|
25
|
Ty Segall Band - I Brought My Eyes
|
23
|
31
|
33
|
Jack White - Freedom at 21
|
12
|
32
|
37
|
Metric - Breathing Underwater
|
8
|
33
|
28
|
Taylor Swift - We Are Never Getting Back Together
|
12
|
34
|
59
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
GENERATIONALS
"When They Fight They Fight"
Album: Con Law
|
3
|
35
|
29
|
Tristan Prettymen - My Oh My
|
13
|
36
|
53
|
Train - 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
|
21
|
37
|
39
|
Taylor Swift - Ronan
|
8
|
38
|
41
|
Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen
|
8
|
39
|
35
|
Sean Rowe - Horses
|
13
|
40
|
43
|
Neon Trees - Everybody Talks
|
17
|
41
|
50
|
Green Day - Let Yourself Go
|
5
|
42
|
32
|
Snow Patrol - In the End
|
15
|
43
|
38
|
Allen Stone - Sleep
|
10
|
44
|
61
|
Alabama Shakes - I Ain't The Same
|
4
|
45
|
73
|
The Joy Formidable - This Ladder Is Ours
|
3
|
46
|
66
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Runaway
|
3
|
47
|
42
|
Those Darlins - Mystic Mind
|
9
|
48
|
62
|
Pink - Try
|
3
|
49
|
54
|
Walk the Moon - Tightrope
|
10
|
50
|
34
|
Foxygen - Make It Known
|
16
|
51
|
48
|
Grouplove - Itchin' On A Photograph
|
14
|
52
|
36
|
Dignan Porch - Picking Up Dust
|
17
|
53
|
52
|
Helvetia - Nothing in Rambling
|
9
|
54
|
58
|
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Bulletproof
|
5
|
55
|
40
|
Two Door Cinema Club - Sleep Alone
|
16
|
56
|
57
|
Dirty Heads - Dance All Night
|
11
|
57
|
46
|
Basement Batman - On A Streak
|
15
|
58
|
45
|
Coldplay - Hurts Like Heaven
|
12
|
59
|
55
|
Fun. - Some Nights
|
32
|
60
|
47
|
The Killers - Runaways
|
17
|
61
|
56
|
Linkin Park - Lost In the Echo
|
11
|
62
|
64
|
The Beach Boys - Isn't It Time
|
5
|
63
|
72
|
Muse - The Madness
|
7
|
64
|
76
|
Civil Twilight - River
|
4
|
65
|
60
|
The Black Keys - Little Black Submarine
|
21
|
66
|
49
|
No Doubt - Looking Hot
|
7
|
67
|
51
|
Matchbox Twenty - She's So Mean
|
21
|
68
|
63
|
Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound
|
21
|
69
|
65
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
9
|
70
|
75
|
OneRepublic - Feel Again
|
8
|
71
|
70
|
The Soft Moon - Insides
|
9
|
72
|
77
|
Benjamin Gibbard - Teardrop Windows
|
4
|
73
|
69
|
Little Big Town - Pontoon
|
9
|
74
|
82
|
Fun - Carry On
|
3
|
75
|
71
|
Aerosmith - Legendary Child
|
15
|
76
|
84
|
Mayer Hawthorne - Get Ready
|
3
|
77
|
78
|
Divine Fits - Would That Not Be Nice
|
4
|
78
|
80
|
Blondfire - Where The Kids Are
|
5
|
79
|
85
|
The XX - Chained
|
4
|
80
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
THE RAVEONETTES
"Curse The Night"
Album: Observator
|
1
|
81
|
68
|
Emeli Sande - Next To Me
|
20
|
82
|
67
|
The Features - Another One
|
18
|
83
|
RE ENTRY
|
Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey
|
22
|
84
|
74
|
The Raveonettes - Observations
|
19
|
85
|
81
|
The XX - Angels
|
12
|
86
|
----
|
Aerosmith - What Could Have Been Love
|
1
|
87
|
----
|
Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath
|
1
|
88
|
79
|
Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose
|
35
|
89
|
----
|
Tegan and Sara - Closer
|
1
|
90
|
----
|
Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams
|
1
|
91
|
83
|
The Wombats - Jump Into the Fog
|
35
|
92
|
92
|
Alt-J - Fitzpleasure
|
4
|
93
|
93
|
I Am Dynamite - Where Will We Go
|
4
|
94
|
95
|
Ed Sheeran - The A Team
|
3
|
95
|
88
|
Daughtry - Start of Something Good
|
7
|
96
|
90
|
Kelly Clarkson - Dark Side
|
23
|
97
|
91
|
Weeks - The House We Grew Up In
|
19
|
98
|
RE ENTRY
|
Electric Guest - This Head I Hold
|
34
|
99
|
86
|
Green Day - Oh Love
|
16
|
100
|
94
|
M83 - Reunion
|
25
|
Hey Bob! Nice blog. :-)
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