I’ve always been intrigued by bands that have 3 or less members. Sure some of them when they play live add members to fill out their sound, but the core remains those three people. So with that in mind here is a list of the best three piece bands. Note This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.
Beastie Boys
Cream
Thin Lizzy
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Chevelle
Depeche Mode
Green Day
Black Map
Rush
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Failure
ZZ Top
Motorhead
Nirvana
Silverchair
Wild Throne
High On Fire
Placebo
Primus
Dinosaur Jr
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Muse
The Melvins
Sigur Ros
The Police (Even though Sting is a douche)
My friend Patrick had me listen to Father John Misty not too long ago, and I enjoyed what I heard. He also told me I should check out this cover of Heart Shaped Box. It’s quite good, so why not share with you all!
It’s really nice to hear the resurgence of loud rock bands coming back to the forefront. Bands that have a knack for being able to write solid rock songs with melody. I present you Indiana’s The Everyday Losers. Combining their love for heavy hard rock and 90’s alternative, especially Nirvana, Silverchair and Bush. The Everyday Losers released their debut EP “Songs for Us All” in June 2011 and their second EP “Social Paradise” in January 2012. The band released their debut album “Revel in the Chaos” in June 2014 with 2 singles released so far. They have toured nationally with Saliva and Future Leaders of the World, and shared the stage with some of the bigger radio rock bands from the last few years. These guys are radio ready but without the silly generic sound that comes with all those bands. In February they released a new EP entitled “Underexposed – Live and Acoustic” via Dead Industry Records.
The Everyday Losers- Underexposed Live and Acoustic:
Both of these albums are amazing. They each possess something great and powerful. Alice In Chains and Nirvana were so different from each other musically, yet were able to reach the same generation. The voices of Layne Staley and Kurt Cobain are without a doubt, pure, honest and as real as real can be. This is one of those debates that is really hard to pick one. It all depends on what camp you land in.
The Alice In Chains unplugged album to me is my favorite. When the band went in to perform this, it had been quite a few years since Alice had last performed live. Layne even jokes during the show that this is the best show they’ve played in a few years to which Jerry Cantrell replies Yeah it’s the only show we’ve played in a few years. Granted Layne was high as a kite during the filming, he was pretty much spot on throughout (though he did flub up the beginning of “Sludge Factory”). The set list they chose for the night was perfect and each song brilliantly executed. Opening with “Nutshell” was outstanding and closing with a new song “Killer Is Me,” was another great choice.
The Nirvana unplugged album has been hailed as the best of the series. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s the best of the series, but I will say it is the best thing that Nirvana ever did. I love the fact that they did what they wanted to do and played what they wanted as well. Their cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” is one of my favorite covers ever and one of the best covers of all time. The set list they chose was great as well. The version of “Pennyroyal Tea” is haunting as well as the closing song of Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” with that scream at the end, which still sends me chills when I hear it.
Both albums are great in their own right. I still always will pick the Alice In Chains album, but if I’m ever in the mood to listen to Nirvana I always pick the unplugged.
There is a debate that has been going on for quite some time about Nirvana. There are many out there that consider Nevermind to be the holy grail of their brief catalog. Then there are those who hold In Utero in higher regard. I tend to fall in the In Utero camp. Not to take anything away from Nevermind, In Utero is just the better album in regards to the production, and songwriting. Sure “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” “Lithium” and “Drain You” are all good songs. Those songs while meaningful just don’t connect as much as the ones on In Utero. There is more desperation anguish, and suffering in the In Utero songs. The production of the vocals really show that as well. Steve Albini’s engineering skills trump Butch Vig any day. Not to take anything away from Butch, his work on Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, and all the Garbage albums are great. Nirvana just needed someone like Steve Albini to really get at the raw nature of the songs. Songs like “Scentless Apprentice,” “Heart Shaped Box,” “Rape Me,” “Milk It” and “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” have that hard edged roar to them and the way they were produced really captures that demand to be noticed. The softer side of the album with songs like “Dumb,” “Pennyroyal Tea” and “All Apologies” embrace the very delicate nature of the band. The only song to really capture that on Nevermind was “Something In The Way.” The drums thump in more of a way that captures the true essence of how Dave Grohl plays. The bass sound has more of a dirty yet balanced sound that attaches itself to the rhythm in a clearer way. The guitars have more edge to them. They cut through the songs with an abrasive razor sharp dynamic. Vocally you can hear all of Kurt’s pain in every syllable he sings. His screams reach new heights since Steve Albini refused to double track Kurt’s vocals. It’s quite noticeable at the end of “Rape Me.” There is something else that has always bothered me about Nevermind. The way Nevermind turned out sort of has a very controlled production and compressed radio-friendly mix.That is something that is not very flattering to a rock band like Nirvana.
Granted this is all just my opinion, but I think this makes for a good debate. Sure we will never know what the next step for Nirvana would be. Though the indication of “You Know You’re Right” which was done by Adam Kasper shows that they were continuing in the direction that Steve Albini steered them in.
There is always a big debate when it comes to cover songs. Did the band do it justice or does it fall flat? Did they make it their own or do it verbatim? One thing for sure is that when a band covers a song and they find the right one, it becomes undoubtably theirs.
There are quite a few that stand out in my mind and Nirvana’s version of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World is one of my all time favorites and perhaps one of the best covers ever. Their performance of this song at their MTV Unplugged is such a stand out track. The words fit perfectly with Kurt Cobain’s persona. The arrangement also treats the original in a special way not to completely deviate but to fit in with the sound of Nirvana.
AUDIOECLECTICA 