Metal Health in 1983 to the 1991 release of Nirvana’s
Nevermind, which landed with obliterative force onto the glam metal scene Quiet Riot helped to usher in big hair, big guitar riffs, and an unapologetically crude take on rock ‘n’ roll is what makes life worth living. Long maligned by critics (
Shout at the Devil “utter dogshit” upon its release), the genre is often treated as something of an embarrassing sideshow. The bands who best embody the era, like Poison, Ratt, Kix, and Twisted Sister, almost certainly will not be welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anytime soon.
I
n April 1990, I went to see Junkyard, a middling blues-metal band with a guitar player who d been in Minor Threat, thereby raising my punk rock-loving curiosity. There were maybe 12 of us in this cement box of a venue underneath an interstate. The place typically drew an amazing slate of underground/indie bands, along with regular visits from bored local Nazi skinheads, and my friends and I got there early this night, in time for the unknown opening band. That band was the Black Crowes, touring for the first time two months after releasing their debut album,
Shake Your Money Maker. There was no mistaking they had something special. The lanky singer moved like classic Mick Jagger, the two guitarists traded killer riffs on song after song, and the whole band delivered like they were playing an arena instead of a mostly empty shithole.
No Roads (The Garden)
After living through a year that brought a devastating tornado and a deadly global pandemic, rapper Reaux Marquez felt inspired to craft an album that reflected the loss and tumult he and his North Nashville community experienced.
No Roads is an immersive, narrative album, opening with the spoken line, âThe child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.â Marquez produced the album himself, and he adds flourishes of jazz, spoken word, R&B and field recordings into his fiery, moody soundscapes, which add color and texture to his versatile flow. To boot, Marquez also assembled a killer lineup of featured artists, including local mainstays like A.B. Eastwood, Jamiah, Namir Blade and Lauren McClinton. BRITTNEY McKENNA
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