Friday, August 1, 2008

Outgoing Mail

In American warfare vernacular, outgoing mail is a term for friendly artillery intended for the enemy. Here at Tigerbait, it's a you tube to get you in the the right mood about the Tiger's whipping their next opponent and just getting out of the office for the weekend. I give you: Would by Alice In Chains



Alice In Chains surpassed Van Halen as my favorite band upon my early days in high school and they've never lost that spot. Dirt was the album that did it. It remains a mainstay in my rotation and enjoys tons or airplay today. Staley had a unique vocal style that was well recognized, but to me Jerry Cantrell made this band go. The guitar tone, skills, writing and overall body of work make him one of my more important guys in modern American music. This song shows off AIC at their simple best.

People love to cite Nirvana or Pearl Jam as The influence out of Seattle in the 90s. Not me, Alice In Chains is easily that band that was at the forefront of that sound, making music that struck a chord with many, many people. But they also continued to be one of the best at exploring that sound. Follow that youtube window and check out stuff from the jar of flies album (it can't be embedded). That and Dirt are just excellent works of music.

5 comments:

  1. this is definitely one of those bands i wish i had seen before their lead singer left us all to early (see blind melon). i agree though, layne staley was a badass, but cantrell is highly underrated.

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  2. nothing ever surpassed old Van Halen. to say otherwise is blasphemy.

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  3. and Audioslave.

    I keep waiting for another era like that to come around. Seems it's about an 8-10 year cycle for rock bands...

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  4. Gerry, I got to see them once and it wasn't noteworthy other than I got to see them live. But hell, it was the Hirsch in Shreveport before Van Halen (actually, Van Hagar) so it wasn't that intimate a show. I do remember Staley fighting a jerk douchebag on the front row. It was a good time, just a long time ago.

    I have it on good authority though, that the new lead singer is awesome and nails the vocals. So if the new Alice In Chains comes to your town, don't miss it.

    LD, you're dating yourself.

    Kidding aside. Old stuff like VH was where I got my start listening to the real deal. Hell, I put old VH in the Outgoing Mail before AIC. Both are at the top with only Tool as my personal top music influences/favorites. These bands continue to influence my tastes and personal outlook.

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  5. I have to date myself. I can't get anyone else who'll go out with me.

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Don't be rude. Or I will delete your comment. Questions?