The Daily Top 10 » Music

Top 10 Independent Record Labels Part 1

fairlane — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:25:28 +0000

Many new artists turn to independent record labels to get a record deal thinking it is easier to get into these than the major ones. That is true to a certain degree. If you really have talent, they are more likely to pay attention to you. They have less politics.

However, it doesn’t mean it is easy all the time. These guys have less budget which means if you have the natural star value to begin with, you are less likely to get in plus they get as many demos as the bigwigs. So remember to pack on natural talent before approaching these guys.

10. Sub Pop

Independent Record Labels Details

This label put the Seattle scene on the map in the late 1980s on its way to becoming one of the most influential indie labels of all time. Founded in 1986 by Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the creator of the Subterranean Pop fanzines and underground mixtapes, Sub Pop soon issued the debut releases from Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and – most significantly – Nirvana. Along the way, Sub Pop became the model for how indie labels do business, innovating through use of singles clubs and intentionally limiting pressings of new songs to create demand. Though less of an indie now (the founders sold a 49 percent stake to Warner Bros. in 1995), the independent record labels remains successful with prominent indie bands such as Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service, The Shins, and WolfParade.

9. Dischord

Independent Record Labels Details

Founded in 1980 by Fugazi and Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles, Dischord might be the label on this Top 13 that most personifies the term independent. Following a true do-it-yourself ethic, this Washington D.C. based label has self-produced and released albums by some of the most influential indie rock and punk bands of all time, including Fugazi, Hoover, Shudder to Think, Jawbox, and Nation of Ulysses. And unlike many independent record labels, Dischord has never even distributed its releases through major labels.

8. Factory

Independent Record Labels Details

As shown in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, Factory was more than just the record label that gave us Joy Division. Founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus to chronicle the sound and feel of the music that was putting Manchester, England on the map, Factory went on to shape the way independent music would be viewed forever, using a creative team that gave Factory artists a recognizable sound and image. Artists that called Factory home included the Joy Division, as well as OMD, New Order, Happy Mondays, and A Certain Ratio.

7. Touch and Go

Independent Record Labels Details

Like Sub Pop, this influential indie started as nothing more than an underground music magazine (though founder Tesco Vee turned the label over to Necros bassist Corey Rusk before it really took off). Based in Chicago, Touch and Go made its name in the 1980s, releasing bold noise rock albums by Jesus Lizard, Butthole Surfers, and Big Black, and has long been well-regarded by artists who appreciated the label’s simple approach to the business side of the industry, including splitting profits 50-50 with its artists and no formal contracts. Though the independent record labels formalized the process a bit in the wake of a lawsuit brought against it by Butthole Surfers, it remains active today, discovering important recent bands TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

6. Matador

Independent Record Labels Details

Founded in 1989 by Chris Lombardi out of his New York City apartment, this label has long boasted one of the most impressive indie rock rosters around. Perhaps best known for discovering and releasing all of influential indie band Pavement’s albums, Matador also gave us both Interpol and Liz Phair’s critically acclaimed first two albums, and all of the releases of Belle & Sebastian and the New Pornographers. Matador has on several occasions partnered with major labels (Atlantic and Capitol), but today it is again an indie, though now co-owned by the British Beggars Group, and continues to release albums from buzzed about artists, including Harlem, Kurt Vile, Times New Viking, and Shearwater.

Top 10 Best Guitar Brands

fairlane — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:51:17 +0000

Each guitarist will most likely have a different list of the best guitar brands in terms of positioning but in terms of who are in the top 10, that’s pretty consistent. The same brand appear on everyone’s list.

It tells you how consistent these brands are when it comes to their products.

However, for those of you who are on their way to buying their first expensive guitar, below is a list of the brands your can take a look at.

10. Washburn

Best Guitar Brands Description

Washburn is one of the oldest and best guitar brands still in operation. While Washburn first enjoyed popularity during the Delta blues movement of the 1920s, they are still popular among punk and post-rock guitarists.

9. Yamaha

Best Guitar Brands Description

Yamaha is a big multinational corporation was established as a piano and reed organ manufacturer in 1887. Yamaha is a conglomerate and numerous organizations. But the oldest and most well-liked are the musical instruments. Yamaha has grown over the period to turn out to be the world’s largest musical instrument that produces practically all musical instruments as possible. Yamaha guitars are also 1 among the several well-known musical instruments. Yamaha guitar was a fantastic demand in the market, but has lately faced stiff competition from other well-liked counterparts. Nevertheless, Yamaha guitars are still 1 of the most popular guitars in the world.

8. Danelectro

Best Guitar Brands Description

. While looked upon by some consumers as a bargain label, one of the best guitar brands, Danelectro got its start as an extremely high-end manufacturer for guitarists like Pete Townsend back in the ‘60s. Today, Danelectro makes top-notch reissues at great prices, and still makes impressive custom guitars for those that can afford it.

7. Takamine

Best Guitar Brands Description

Takamine is a Japanese guitar manufacturer based in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Japan. Takamine is known for its steel-string guitars.
The company was founded in May 1962; in 1978 they were one of the first companies to introduce acoustic-electric models, where they pioneered the design of the preamp-equalizer component.

6. Ovation

Best Guitar Brands Description

Ovation guitars are differentiated by their composite synthetic bowl, rather than the traditional wooden back and sides of the modern acoustic guitar as produced by luthiers starting in the late 18th century. Ovation has also produced solid body electric guitars and active basses.
Developed starting in 1965 with the first playable guitar number 006 built by Gerry Gardner and introduced as the ‘Balladeer’ in February, 1966, Ovations reached the height of their popularity in the 1980s, where they were more often than not seen during live performances by touring artists if acoustic guitars were being played. Ovation guitars’ synthetic bowl and early use (1971) of preamps, onboard equalization and piezo pickups were particularly attractive to live acoustic musicians who constantly battled feedback problems from the high volumes needed in live venues.
Since the 1980s they have remained popular with studio musicians, but are less frequently seen on stage.

Top 10 Unpopular Great Songs for Weddings

fairlane — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:59:01 +0000

For all of you are about to get hitched, here are some songs you can look into for your wedding. Although the classics are still okay, using some less known songs could certainly put a unique touch in your wedding.

I would recommend doing some re-arrangement to make the song more personal. You can do an acoustic version, sax, or even an a capella version.

Congratulations and best wishes.

10. Better Together

Performed by: Jack Johnson

Bestlines:

There’s no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart and our dreams
And they are made out of real things
Like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-tone lovin’
Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? and where do we go? and how come it’s so hard?
It’s not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing
It’s always better when we’re together

9. Today

Performed by: Joshua Radin

Bestlines:

The way your hair lies sometimes unrecognized
All the way from these today on a train
Nothing to say if theres still time
But you are the one
I’ve been wating for today
And here comes the sun
That’s been baiting on today

8. Thank You

Performed by: Dido

Bestlines:

Push the door, I’m home at last
and I’m soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn’t have a clue
Because you’re near me and
I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life

7. I ll stand by you

Performed by: The Pretenders

Bestlines:

When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

6. Hold You In My Arms

Performed by: Ray LaMontagne

Bestlines:

When you kissed my lips with my mouth so full of questions
My worried mind that you quiet
Place your hands on my face
Close my eyes and say
That love is a poor man’s food
Don’t prophesize
I could hold you in my arms
I could hold you forever
And I could hold you in my arms
I could hold you forever

Top 10 Songs About Balls

fairlane — Fri, 13 May 2011 14:05:53 +0000

Have you ever found yourself singing an all too familiar tunes and suddenly realizing… the song is totally about something else. Oh, if I had a nickel…

Take the song below for example. These classics have been dominating the airwaves for so long but I am gonna bet that only a handful of you actually got that these songs were actually talking about the twins of the male species – the balls.

Note: All in good fun… most of these songs are actually not about balls but still fun to misinterpret it.

10. Dirty Balls by W.A.S.P.

The Lines That Gave It Away:

I wanna ride you
Like the animal you are
I wanna ride you til you’re raw
I wanna slide up all inside
All over you
I wanna do you like

Additional Notes:

There is no hiding what the band intended to say in this song.

9. All Balls by Aceyalone

The Lines That Gave It Away:

All Balls Don’t Bounce, some balls roll and some balls hang
and some people have a ball doin’ they thang

Additional Notes:

This song is about having the, err, balls to do what others without, err, balls can’t do. The release of the song actually already took some, err, balls. The rapping industry at that time were dominated with political statements and angry lyrics directed at political leaders and billionaire capitalists. To come up with a song that was to be taken with a grain of salt was extremely, err, ballsy.

8. Balls to The Wall by Accept

The Lines That Gave It Away:

Balls to the wall
You’ll get your balls to the wall, man

Additional Notes:

There is not a more perfect pair than balls and politics because many politicians don’t have it and those who do have the wrong color and size.

7. Lick The Balls by Slick Rick

The Lines That Gave It Away:

You understand alright? Hello! I’m tryin to tell you now
Who stands, who falls, who crowds the halls
This one the DJ calls… lick the balls

Additional Notes:

Pre-Eminem, this song already talked about the balls required for rappers to be badasses.

6. Come & Cup My Christmas Balls by Clem

The Lines That Gave It Away:

Cup your hands close together – make sure they are nice and warm,
The let us embrace forever – come and cup my Christams balls,

Additional Notes:

This song effectively change the tradition of putting up a tree every Christmas for me. I don’t think it dethroned Jingle Bells in terms of balls wittiness but this song didn’t even make an effort to try and hide the meaning.

Top 10 Wedding Songs By Bands

fairlane — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:49:55 +0000

If you are thinking of getting married, don’t.

UNLESS you are absolutely sure that you are getting married for love and for all the right reasons in the world. If you are going through with the wedding then, here are some of the songs that we think will perfectly capture the mood of your day.

These songs, though meant to rock in a pop or non-pop way, will give your wedding a different touch. As you know, no many couples dig rock n roll for their special day.

10. Absolutely Still by Better Than Ezra

Best Lines:

Promise me we’ll never leave this room,
a million years from now would be too soon.
The world is spinning turning day to night
and my thoughts are running at the speed of light
Got an empty feeling that I never want to fill
absolutely still
I waited longer ’cause I needed proof
that every door I shut is leading me to you
and there’s a nervous feeling that i never want to kill
absolutely still

About the Song:

In an interview with MTV, John Hampson, the frontman for the band said this in regards to what the song was about: “It’s actually kind of funny,” Hampson said.”[We were] doing a show on Long Island. It was an outdoor show, and there was a big deck that we were playing on, and we got there really early for sound check. I was there with my girlfriend, and as typical, we were annoying each other.
“She’s just aggravating me, so she walked [away] and started talking to somebody on the side of the club. So I’m just sitting there, and I was literally thinking to myself, ‘Man, she drives me nuts. She totally drives me crazy.’ But as I was thinking this, I was watching her, just looking at her, and she was having a conversation with someone and just started laughing.
“And I swear I thought to myself, ‘Y’know, she totally drives me crazy, but I absolutely love her when she’s happy, when she’s smiling,” Hampson continued. “I don’t know what happened, but it just came out of my head. I started singing that chorus, and I kind of picked up the guitar, and the song kind of wrote itself. Pretty much ten minutes later, it was done. It was one of those things.”

9. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Best Lines:

I don’t quite know how to say how I feel
Those three words, are said too much, they’re not enough.

About the Song:

Frontman Gary Lightbody wrote this in the garden of producer Garret “Jacknive” Lee’s cottage after a white wine binge. He has since said that it’s “the most pure and open love song I’ve ever written.”

8. Endlessly by Muse

Best Lines:

hopelessly I’ll love you endlessly
hopelessly I’ll give you everything
but I won’t give you up
I won’t let you down
and I won’t leave you falling
If the moment ever comes

About the Song:

Unexpectedly, the song is supposed to have been about unrequited love. Matt Bellamy wrote the song after his girlfriend broke up with him.

7. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

Best Lines:

So close, no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

About the Song:

James Hatfield wrote this for ex-girlfriend but doesn’t remember anymore why he wrote it. It has been, since, regarded as a song about connection between or among people. The band was shown a video about the US army and the sacrifices they make for the country and James said, “That’s stronger than my chick, right?”

6. Today by Smashing Pumpkins

Best Lines:

Today is the greatest
Day I’ve ever known
Can’t live for tomorrow,
Tomorrow’s much too long
I’ll burn my eyes out
Before I get out

About the Song:

The song was written by Billy Corgan primarily because he was very depressed and thought about it as a irony. They were under a lot of pressure from the record label depressed. This demo, however, appease the label. However, if you don’t take the story into consideration and not take the irony in it, it’s a perfect song for your wedding.

Top 10 Funny Rock Songs

fairlane — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:00:02 +0000

Rocks songs are supposed to be all angsty and angry. I sincerely think that is what the genre was for. But our lung-crushing, institutions-hating, world-destroying rocks stars sometimes come up with the funniest songs. It’s just that humour is not greatly appreciated because it is often sarcastic too.

Below are some of the funniest rock songs I have across with.

10. Apache Rose Peacock by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Funny Part: Twinkle twinkle little star / Shining down on my blue car / Drivin’ down the boulevard / She was soft and I was hard

About the Song: The band is funny by nature and this song proves that they can take that direction on any given subject. This particular song is about sex.

9. The Bloodhound Gang

Funny Part: You and me, baby, ain’t nothin’ but mammals, / So let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel

About the Song: What else can you say, huh? The album cover is two zebras getting it on.

8. Sick of You by Gwar

Funny Part: Your face is gross/You eat white toast/You don’t know what to do/It’s just your luck/You really suck/That’s all — I’m sick of you.

About the Song: Finally, a band says what everyone of us does a lot, we just hate people. For no reason at all, we just do.

7. Primus by Wynona s Big Brown Beaver

Funny Part: Now Wynona took her big brown beaver/And she stuck him up in the air/Said “I sure do love this big brown beaver/And I wish I did have a pair.

About the Song: The band insists it is not about Wynona Ryder

6. Badly Drawn Boy - Everybody s Stalking

Funny Part: Been feeling high, and then feeling low/Just strap your hands across my engines/I’m not broke so please don’t mend me

About the Song: Don’t just judge it based on its lyrics

Top 10 Break Up Songs

fairlane — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:09:11 +0000

Who hasn’t gone through it? The painfully common tragedy of a broken heart is probably the, er, most sappy experience every human being is bound to go through. It’s one of those things that binds us, we just don’t want to admit it is what binds us.

And music is the one thing that has the ability to comfort us during the moments when we sulk, cry and wail of the pain.

10. Don t Speak by No Doubt

Written by: Eric Stefani and Gwen Stefani

Performed by: No Doubt

Great Part(s):It looks as though you’re letting go
And if it’s real, well I don’t want to know

Written by Gwen after her break up with her long time boyfriend and bandmate, Tony Kanal. This also served as No Doubt’s break away hit after six years of struggling.

9. I Know We re Cool

Written by: Gwen Stefani

Performed by: No Doubt

Great Part(s):And after all the obstacles
It’s good to see you now with someone else
And it’s such a miracle that you and me are still good friends
After all that we’ve been through
I know we’re cool

Also written by Gwen Stefani as an ode to his friendship with his ex, Tony. They have managed to work well together and actually become friends after both of them found the right people for them.

8. I Learned A Lot by Amos Lee

Written by: Amos Lee

Performed by: Amos Lee

Great Part(s):I’ve been crying but my crying is through
I’ve Really learned a lot
I hope you find what you were looking for

Lee talked about a girl he wanted to marry but the girl decided to follow her dreams and leave to travel the world to play music. The girl said that if she doesn’t do that, she will forever wonder “what dould have been”. She said she is still searching for herself. They broke up.

7. This Love

Written by: Pantera

Performed by: Pantera

Great Part(s): I regret this the hurting of you
But you make me so unhappy
I’d take my life and leave love with you

Vinnie has said that this song was about a relationship Anselmo had been in previously. “This Love was pretty much the story of a relationship he had been in, and he was fuckin’ pissed about it!”

6. No Woman No Cry

Written by: Credits were given to V. Ford but it’s not clear if Bob Marley only did this so the royalty cheques will be given to the soup kitchen that Ford owns and Marley frequented as a kid

Performed by: Bob Marley & The Wailers

Great Part(s):Good friends we have had, oh good friends we’ve lost along the way
In this bright future you can’t forget your past
So dry your tears I say

It’s basically telling a woman not to cry despite the difficulties. In essence, it’s about moving on from everything including a break up.

Top 10 Song Rip Offs

fairlane — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:22:21 +0000

I heard someone said that every writer is guilty of plagiarism because every idea that you have is brought about by experiences you had where other people played a part.

If you look at it from that point of view, then the claim may be true.

There would be others who will argue that plagiarism is the act of copying someone else’s work and taking the credit as one’s own original creation. The dictionary defines plagiarism as “the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author’s language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one’s own original work”. Therefore, as long as what you did is not a “copy”, that’s not plagiarism. There’s a lot of gray areas there, I know.

However, some are more blunt than others. Below are top 10 song that directly ripped off other songs.

10. Going to California

Original: Led Zeppelin: Going to California

Rip-Off: Pearl Jam: Given to Fly

Going to California is by Led Zeppelin, in 1971. The single stands out from other tracks because it is a lot slower and more melodic. Robert Plant on lead vocals, acoustic guitar by Jimmy Page and mandolin by John Paul Jones. The lyrics of the song are reportedly about Canadian singer Joni Mitchell, with whom Plant and Page were both infatuated.

In 1998, American rock band Pearl Jam released their 5th studio album. The first and most successful single on the record is named Given to Fly. The song reached the Top 25 in many countries, and peaked at #12 in the UK. It closely follows the structure and melody used by Led Zeppelin in Going to California.

Led Zeppelin doesn’t seem to mind though.

9. Under Pressure

Original: Queen and David Bowie: Under Pressure

Rip-Off: Vanilla Ice: Ice Ice Baby

The singles primary songwriter is Freddie Mercury and the famous bassline was developed by Queen’s bassist, John Deacon. Some recognizes the baseline as the best ever.

Enter Vanilla Ice. Ice Ice Baby authored a new stage in music unfortunately and it became a #1 hit in the UK, Ireland, Australia, The Netherlands and Italy. Something about the song is catchy, and it is partly due to the fact that the hook samples the bassline of Under Pressure.Vanilla wrote his own lyrics, but used one of the most famous beats in the world for his song.

Bowie and Queen got paid.

8. I Want a New Drug

Original: Huey Lewis and the News: I Want a New Drug

Rip-Off: Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters

I Want a New Drug is one of the Huey Lewis and the News’ biggest hits.

In 1984, movie producers approached Huey Lewis and asked him to develop the musical theme for the film, Ghostbusters. Huey declined the offer because he was working on the soundtrack for the movie Back to the Future. The project was turned over to Ray Parker Jr.

Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for copyright infringement but they settled out of court, and Huey Lewis was given compensation from Ray Parker Jr. and the Ghostbusters franchise.

7. Ob-La-Di

Original: The Beatles: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Rip-Off: The Offspring: Why Don’t You Get a Job?

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da was written primarily by Paul McCartney, around the time that highlife and reggae were beginning to become popular in Britain. George Harrison was quoted as writing “We all know ob-la-di-bla-da, but can you show me where you are.”

The Offspring released a very similar record named Why Don’t You Get a Job which is identical to that of The Beatles’.

6. Ignition

Original: R. Kelly: Ignition (Remix)

Rip-Off: Akon: Don’t Matter

Top 10 Best Boy Bands of All Time

fairlane — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:05:09 +0000

Boyband… ah, what a better world would we be without you around but since you are around, we might as well take what we can from you. There are many lessons you can teach us, one of which is the music we need not pursue.

Through the years, we have witnessed some of the greatest boybands and experienced the effect they have on our music, our culture and our sanity.

Here are the top 10 we shall never forget.

10. Boyzone

About the band:

Four-piece vocal pop group comprising Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one Singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12 of their 20 singles in the UK being in the UK Top 2. Boyzone are one of the most successful bands in the UK and Ireland. In total, the group have 19 top 5 singles on the Ire, 18 top 10 hits on the UK charts, nine #1 Irish singles chart hit singles and six #1 UK hit singles and five #1 albums, with approximately 20 million records sold by 2010 in British Isles and worldwide. The number is confirmed by Stephen’s book The Tree of Seasons.

Greatest contribution to music:

Vigorously camp, bare-chested rave-out dance steps.

Where are they now?:

They famously made a comeback in 2007, originally with the intention of just touring. Co-lead singer Stephen Gately died on 10 October 2009 of natural causes while on his holiday in Majorca, Spain. They will be touring the UK and Ireland during February and March 2011 with a 21 date tour of the Ireland and UK with their arena-based Brother Tour. They will project a virtual Stephen Gately on stage for the tour.

9. Take That

About the band:

Take That dominated the UK charts in the first half of the 1990s, winning multiple BRIT Awards whilst also spawning two of the best selling albums of the decade with Everything Changes. Robin Williams left the band in 1995. The four remaining members completed their world tour and released a final single before splitting up in 1996. They made a 2006 reunion tour around the UK then recorded a new material together once again. The group achieved new success as a four-piece, scoring a string of chart hits across the UK and Europe whilst taking the number of records sold to over 40 million worldwide. Williams rejoined the band in 2010.

Greatest contribution to music:

Longevity… I’m not sure if that is a contribution though.

Where are they now?:

Still around.

8. BoyzIIMen

About the band:

The group’s first single to reach number 1, 1992′s “End of the Road” set a new record for longevity, staying at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks, breaking a decades-old record held by Elvis Presley. They exceeded that with “I’ll Make Love to You” and “One Sweet Day” (with Mariah Carey)for the longest period of time a single remained at number 1. As of 2010, “One Sweet Day” still holds the all-time record with sixteen weeks at the top of the Hot 100. Because of this, Boys II Men are the artists that has stayed on the number one spot for a cumulative total of 50 times, just 4th behind Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Mariah Carey.

Greatest contribution to music:

Emotional ballads and complex, intricate a cappella harmonies and the one boyband I actually respect.

Where are they now?:

On September 6, 2009 at a concert in Virginia Beach, VA, Shawn announced a planned Boyz II Men 20th anniversary album, scheduled for release in 2011 that would “include all 4 members,” sparking a tremendous applause at the news of Michael McCary’s return to the group after 6 year absence.

7. Jonas Brothers

About the band:

The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children’s television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II (Kevin Jonas), Joseph Adam Jonas (Joe Jonas), and Nicholas Jerry Jonas (Nick Jonas). In the summer of 2008, they starred in the Disney Channel Original Movies Camp Rock and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The band has released four albums: It’s About Time, Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer, and Lines, Vines and Trying Times.

Greatest contribution to music:

Their vow to abstain from premarital sex, on their left-hand ring finger they all wear purity rings.

Where are they now?:

Somewhere… I don’t really care.

6. New Edition

About the band:

The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync.

Greatest contribution to music:

As I’ve said, they gave way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync.

Where are they now?:

On December 20, 2009, Ricky Bell and Johnny Gill joined New Kids on the Block onstage at a House Of Blues benefit show for Toys For Tots in Boston, performing “Full Service” and “This One’s For The Children”. Johnny Gill confirms that New Edition will reunite once again and will sign with manager Irving Azoff. They are currently signed with Geffen Records and Interscope Records. Bobby Brown confirms the possibility of a New Edition/New Kids on the Block concert tour.

Top 10 Musicians with a Ph.D.

fairlane — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:08:52 +0000

They proved they can rock the stage and the books.

These musicians are the pioneers in breaking the convention about geeks. They are cool, badass and smart and they have the diploma to prove it, three. They have their bachelor’s degree, their masters degree and their Ph.D.s

10. Brian Briggs

Singer and co-founder of the British folk-pop band Stornoway, Briggs has a PhD in zoology from the University of Oxford, writing his dissertation on duck behavior. Briggs found time to craft songs in his head while driving back and forth between Oxford and the various ponds where he did his research. Who knew what ornithologists did with their down time?

9. Brian Cox

While finishing up his PhD in physics at the University of Manchester, Cox was the keyboardist for the popular 90’s Irish pop rock/synthpop and dance band D:Ream. Now a professor at the University of Manchester, Cox made it into People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive issue in 2009. D:Reamy.

8. Milo Aukerman

Lead singer of the popular Los Angeles area punk band the Descendents, Aukerman earned his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Unashamed of his academic bent and general nerdiness, Aukerman and the Descendents titled their first full-length album Milo Goes to College(1982). Aukerman has yet to figure out how to juggle touring and science, but has contemplated building a research lab in the back of his tour bus.

7. Mira Aroyo

The Bulgarian born Aroyo is a keyboardist, singer and songwriter for the electropop/New Wave band Ladytron, and also a research scientist with a PhD in molecular
genetics from Oxford University. Besides speaking several languages, it is rumored Aroyo can play a mean accordion. Sorry guys, she’s married.

6. Dan Snaith

Snaith, who goes under the stage names Caribou and Manitoba, is a Canadian born electronica/psychedelic pop composer and musician with a PhD in mathematics from Imperial College London. Snaith’s father is a mathematics professor at the University of Sheffield and his sister is studying mathematics at the University of Bristol. Insert nerdy math joke here.