By Crystal Hohenthaner
Journal staff

Is there anything short of murder that I can do to make Colbie Callait go away forever! Not only does she have three songs currently on pop radio and VH1 — all of them are intensely overplayed and they SUCK!

Okay, I’ll dial back the frustration a bit. They don’t completely suck. They have reasonably good lyrics — which would usually be enough for me. But come on, was she trying to make this music boring? Every time I get into my car I hear that iambic drone of hers and I want to puke!

DA da DA da DA da DA da
DA da DA da DA da DA da

In fact I usually say, “spare me,” out loud and everything. But I can’t escape. When I change the station — there she is again!

DA da DA da DA da DA da
DA da DA da DA da DA da

Enough already. Man can someone teach that girl about driving bass-lines and percussion? Can I get a riff please?

I’m also pretty sick of Natasha Bettingfield and Jordan Sparks — mostly because both are overplayed on both the secular and Christian stations. Oh, and their songs are all WAY too long. I mean even if I didn’t hear them constantly I’m pretty much tired of the song before it’s even half over!

Oh, and that Three Doors Down song is so over I want to punch the lead singer!

So what songs are you all sick of hearing on the radio? Maybe the forces of the universe will be kind and the people who choose programming for the local radio stations will see our posts and take these songs out of heavy rotation.

Let’s hear it! Oh, or quit hearing it.

By Crystal Hohenthaner
Journal staff

Lately, I’ve been able to talk to some famous people – how cool is that. In fact, I almost got to interview the guitar player for Three Doors Down…almost. These famous folks are mostly musicians. Now obviously I’m a writer, not a musician, so the creative process of the musically inclined has always been fascinating to me.

This Monday morning I got to talk to RyAn McCombs, the lead singer of Drowning Pool about their upcoming gig with Motospycho Mania here in Rapid City at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Aug. 20.

I’m a total dork about talking to famous people – especially talented famous people and Drowning Pool is kind of a big deal. They just played Ozzfest last week, after all.

So, during our conversation I have to admit I allowed my fascinations to get me a little off track. But the things I found out were really interesting. So, I thought I’d share.

 

So where are you in the world right now?
We just had a show last night and we’re travelling right now. We’ll be getting some hotel rooms so we can relax for the night in St. Louis for a day off.

So how did you guys get hooked up with Motopsycho Mania?
Our booking agent handles the booking of that as well so we got involved.

How do you feel about the motorcycles and music set-up?
Well, at this point I’ve not done a Motopsycho Mania show yet. But we’re excited about it. I’ve always enjoyed these type of shows though. We’ve done stuff in the past they’ve mixed us up with some extreme sports and it’s a gift of a job to have. We really appreciate it.

Touring can be a lot of the same stuff over and over when you think about it. You feel like you’re caught in that movie “Groundhog Day” once in a while. It’s a change of pace for us.

It’s also cool because of the bands we’ll be playing with. We’re long-time friends with Sevendust and the other guys we’ll be playing with are cool too.

For our readers who might not be too familiar with your band can you explain your sound a bit?
We like to consider ourselves a little more rock than metal but it’s combination. The older I get the more they add categories into music. I don’t even understand most of them. We’re a modern day rock band. We like to bring a lot of energy to the show. We like to have fun. We like the crowd to have fun and we just like to have a good time.

So I was trying to figure out if you guys have been to Rapid City before.
Oh, I think we have, but honestly I couldn’t tell you for sure. We do five to six different cities every week. This past Saturday was our 250th show just on this record alone. I know I’ve played in every state but as far as the cities we’ve been to it can really just blur together; especially being in a band — a Texas band at that — we tend to get carried away with the libations.

Can you tell me a little bit about your current album?
I think it’s a well-rounded album. There seems to be something on there for every body. We have tracks that the old school drowning pool fans are going to like, plus we have the stuff like “Soldiers” and “37 stitches.” There is going to be a new single out this month called “Paralyze” it’s one of the softer lighter songs I think that Drowning Pool has ever done before.

When we were making this album we didn’t ask “is this ‘Drowing Pool’ enough?” We just let every song be what it was going to be. We are letting each song stand on its own and as a result this album ended up with a little bit of something for every body.

So this is your third studio album, right?
Well, its Drowning Pool’s third album, not mine. In 2001 they put out the first album “Sinner” then in 2004 was “Desensitized” and on Aug. 7, 2007 we put out this one, “Full Circle.”

You weren’t on the first two albums?
Nope, the band has been together since ’96 or ’97. I’m the new guy though. I’ve been with the band for about three years now.

Was it hard for you to come in to an already established band to be the lead singer?
It was definitely a hard descision for me to make. I met these guys back in 2000 when I was in a band called Soil. We all just hit it off. Their lead singer was my best friend in the business and then he passed a way.

That was about the same time that I was taking a break. I was out of music for about nine months. I just got burnt out from the business side of things. Then the guys came too me about the time the bug was biting me again and they asked me if I’d like to be their singer.
I just thought to myself that if I was going to do it again these were the guys I was going to do it with. It was just a good fit.

In a band setting someone usually has to be in charge and a lot of times that’s the role the lead singer takes. How did that work? Were you worried about being an outsider or messing up the group dynamic when you came in?
I just stepped right in and took control. Because of the friendships that were there we already knew each other inside and out. In general we knew ach other for so long that there wasn’t any fear of stepping on toes.

I played my first show when I was 13 so I’ve been in a lot of bands, and this group is the healthiest situation I’ve ever been in. The egos are checked at the door which is great with the writing.

I’m not kidding when I say we check the egos at the door. We can say that riff wasn’t as good as it could be or that vocal line wasn’t as great as it could be. We have that freedom in this band. Everybody knows that at the end of the day we’re just trying to make each song as good as we can.

So, Ryan was a really cool guy and that makes me want to go to the show. It also made me want to do a ton more research on the bad.

If you want to know more you can check out their website: www.drowningpool.com, or their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/drowningpool. You can also check out their new video “37 Stitches at: music.aol.com/video/37-stitches/drowning-pool/2186530

For more information on the Motopsycho Mania event see this Friday’s Weekend section in the Rapid City Journal

By Crystal Hohenthaner
Journal staff

“Hi, my name is Crystal and I like pop music.”

“Hi, Crystal.”

I gotta tell you guys, every time I’m about to admit to my music listening tastes on this blog I feel like I’m standing up in front of a room full of discerning experts — or a firing squad. I’m not that hip. I’ve known that for years. I also don’t have — or take — the time to find out all about the vast majority of music out there. I just absorb the music that comes to me.

Now for the confessions: I listen to the radio. I watch VH1. I don’t even own and IPod. And — horror of all horrors — I am a Matchbox 20 fan. That’s right I am one of the many unwashed, uneducated, casual listeners.

Gasp!

Many of the self-proclaimed music snobs here at the Journal are usually laughing quitely and shaking their heads at me (especially when I start to talk about how “Mad Season” is a great piece of art despite the fact that it is commercially viable).

I just don’t see why selling a million or more albums means you’re a sell-out. It can still be art even if someone pays for it — right? Well, if I’m wrong I am willing to accept it. But I need you guys to convince me. (Maybe that particular topic will be better kept for a later blog.)

Well, with the help of fellow bloggers Eric, Todd and Aubrey, I have been trying to become a more discerning listener. I don’t imagine that I will ever be a qualified music snob — nor do I aspire to be — but I need to learn more.

So help me out guys. The last 5 CDs I bought were: Sara Bareilles, Matchbox 20, Maroon 5, Dashboard Confessional and Switchfoot. And I would like some Panic at the Disco and I need to get some old-school Prince. But honestly, there’s so much music out there I don’t really know where to start. What do I need to get next?

By Aubrey Watts

Jounal staff

As a newbie to Rapid City — by way of Denver — I have found while adjusting to life in a small town that my music, both old and new, has kept me going strong. Some of it seems to be down right the soundtrack to my life. All I would have to do is push play and others would know what I was about. On the other hand some of it goes along with my moods. Whether I am sad, happy, angry or just here it seems that I can find a song I like. Until tragedy happens, that gut wrenching feeling that life is no longer what you want it to be……….

Have you ever had a day where nothing seemed to fit? No song, group or lyric could hit that certain emotion you are seeking to put into words and then *BAM* there it is. Like a light bulb that has suddenly jolted to life in a darkened closet.

For me that song was “Stranger things have happened” by the Foo Fighters. Down on a gloomy day I found myself searching to match the emotions I was running through with a song that could say it all. Flipping through my Ipod it hit me like a ton of bricks. The opening notes of the guitar. Mellow yet extremely seductive notes. Dave Grohl’s voice dripping into the song and there it is.

I would love to know if any of you have a song like that in your life. When you heard that song you knew it would define that exact moment.

By Crystal Hohenthaner
Rapid City Journal staff

Earlier this month the station was playing Christmas tunes, but this weekend it was playing a lot of the pop hits that I like to hear. The owner of the station talked to the Journal’s own Dan Daly when it was belting out Christmas tunes around the first of the month. At the time the station had no format, no projected launch date and no employees.

There were rumors that the station might be named “the Planet” but so far it looks like they have no name and still have no employees. But I guess they’ve launched, and they have at least purchased segments from a voice-over man at this point. Althought I haven’t heard a DJ yet “Mr. Voice-Over” says something the the effect of, “all the hits without the rap,” between the songs.

On Friday I saw a billboard that simply said “102.7 fm.” So I changed my radio station — just to check it out — and I ended up listening to the station almost all weekend. So far there are no commercials on the station — which is probably why I have been listening to so much. I have a bad habit of changing the station every time there’s a commercial.

But, honestly, I like the format for the most part. I quit listening to 93.1 back in the day because of all the hip-hop. (I just can’t handle the genre, it’s way to repetitive and angry for me.) So, this morning I commited 102.7 to one of the pre-sest buttons on my car stereo.

With all the uncertainty of the owner earlier this month I wonder if the the station will be around for very long. I also wonder if it will stick to it’s guns and keep the rap out of it. I guess we will all see how this unfolds.

Have any of you spent some time listening to the station? I’d love to read your reactions. Is this format just what Rapid City needs? Or is it a lame version of our top-fourty station?

To read Dan Daly’s story about the station from earlier this month, click here.