I'm going to make my pick within a couple of hours. I just came home from work, and have to run out quickly, but it will be up fairly soon (I'd do it now, but I don't know who I'm selecting).
For my next selection, The Harry Manbacks are proud to select, from the UK category (The Rolling Stones were previously moved to the Wild Card category), THE DARKNESS.
Tchaikovsky's musical cosmopolitanism led him to be favored by many Russian music-lovers over the "Russian" harmonies and styles of Mussorgsky, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov.[44]
Nonetheless he frequently adapted Russian traditional melodies and dance forms in his music, which enhanced his success in his home country. The success in St. Petersburg at the premiere of his Third Orchestral Suite may have been due in large part to his concluding the work with a polonaise.[45] He also used a polonaise for the final movement of his Third Symphony. [46]
Tchaikovsky used a Russian folk song in the finale of the First Symphony and a Ukrainian folk song in the finale of the Second. In both cases, as with the Third, this had undertones of glorifying the Russian empire and the victories of Russian arms.[47] Even the finales of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies could be argued to be in imperial nationalistic vein, as patriotic and heroic appeals; the Fourth by repeating the opening motto at a climactic point and the Fifth with a version of the opening melody of the introduction transposed to a major key—both.[48]
Tchaikovsky made full use of the emotional and symbolic possibilities of the Russian anthem "God Save the Tsar" in several commemorative works, including two of his most popular compositions, the Marche Slave and the 1812 Overture. Tchaikovsky wrote Marche Slave in support of Pan-Slavism. This was one of the most cherished ideas of imperial Russia. When Serbia rebelled against Turkish rule in 1876, they elicited great support in Russia. Performances of the Marche Slave, with its Serbian folk melodies provoked outbursts of patriotism. The 1812 Overture likewise glorified the greatest military and political victory of the Romanov dynasty, in the Patriotic War against Napoleon.
That Was My Wildcard Pick!!! Ahhh!!!! Favorite Band Of All Time!!!!!!!!
They're finished now, aren't they?
Last I heard the singer left the band to "clean up" and get away from the whole rockstar scene.
(...or something like that.)
Edit: Also, I am willing to entertain trade offers for Bon Scott... I think all I really need right now is an instrumentalist (or an upcoming draft pick).
Last I heard the singer left the band to "clean up" and get away from the whole rockstar scene.
(...or something like that.)
Edit: Also, I am willing to entertain trade offers for Bon Scott... I think all I really need right now is an instrumentalist (or an upcoming draft pick).
Yes, it's true... The Darkness as an entity broke up 2 years ago. Their lead singer/lead guitarist/heart and soul of the band Justin Hawkins essentially quit, saying in order to function as a human being, get over his alcoholism and coke addiction, he could no longer carry on in the scene he had to as a member of The Darkness.
The remaining members decided to soldier on without him, went underground for a while but resurfaced as Stone Gods with the bass player stepping into the lead singer hole (http://www.myspace.com/thestonegods). Their first album (finally) came out this fall, and its a lot heavier than The Darkness. Jury is still out on them, I think.
More surprising, however, has been word surfacing in late August that Justin Hawkins had formed a new group, and was preparing to launch them in short order. He did so, recently, and the British press has been all over it, fawning over his recovery story and stealing any sort of thunder the Stone Gods had built up. His new band is called Hot Leg, which might be the most hilarious and ridiculous name for a band I've ever heard, and in listening to what little there is of their sound thus far, they are much more in line with The Darkness, and... if you can believe it.... possibly even more absurd. I love it. I hold very very high hopes for Hot Leg. http://www.myspace.com/teamhotleg
