(A Band Called) Death

Haven't forgotten about you, promise! (Heh, that's kind of a funny intro considering the topic today...) This is the beginning of what I affectionately call "Hell Week," which is actually two weeks of constant work stuffs...It's actually not bad, but I will not be posting as often, as a result. I'll try my best!

Okay, here we go!

I heard about the documentary A Band Called Death before I heard about Death. And I think it's fair to say that that's probably the case for most people that know about Death at all. They were a black punk rock band in Detroit during the early 70s. (That is easily the most interesting description of a band, ever.) They obviously didn't make it big, or music history/evolution would probably look quite different than it is...but they were also, frankly, pretty damn good. Fortunatley their music was recently found and adored, and they re-released an album and created a documentary about this music anomaly of awesomeness.

So, the documentary is easily fantastic. It's such a compelling story and you can really tell that this whole resurgence and rediscovery is completely surreal for the band members. But then that just makes it even easier to cheer them on, because they are so down-to-earth and cool about everything. If you get a chance to watch it, I highly recommend it. It's on Netflix right now, so there is really no excuse not to...

So, the music is actually really good. I think I've said that already, but it's worth reiterating. It would be totally unfair to think the hype is only because of who was making the music, where they were, and when they were doing it...it's also really good. They grew up listening to rock, and didn't just emulate their favorite bands, they totally molded it into something unique. Imagine a combination of the Ramones' punk rock rhythym (mind you, this was before the Ramones took off) but with the vocals that can at times sound just like Jimi Hendrix. Um, what??


(photo source)

Listen Now:

Trailer - A Band Called Death

"Politicians In My Eyes"

Enjoy!