Okay...I have a confession to make. I occasionally watch teen shows. I don't mean the hard hitting prime time teen dramas like The OC and Dawson's Creek. I'm talking about shows like Saved by the Bell and Boy Meets World. Though I was never too fond of Saved by the Bell, actually. And I don't necessarily schedule myself to watch...but if I'm passing a television that's airing one, I'll likely get caught up in it. Or if I'm flipping through channels and nothing else is on, I'll be happy to tune into one.
It was just this year, however, that I discovered a completely delightful teen show called "Drake and Josh". A teen show that has been airing since 2004 on Nickelodeon (or just NICK). It stars Josh Peck (now 19) and Drake Bell (just about 20).
The first thing I immediately liked about this show was its lack of morality. This isn't an exploration of the teen condition and growing up and all the lessons involved. Josh Peck is a genius for his age with physical and slapstick comedy a-la Laurel and Hardy. And Drake Bell plays the hot step-brother of Josh. The bad boy always out to make a buck, play with his garage band, get into trouble and get the girl on his way out. I also appreciate that some of the humor pushes the envelope of what one would normally expect in teen Nick shows...such as when Josh suggested they put out a small fire, Drake reached for his zipper. There are also a great many physically active scenes and on-set stunts. These two guys really work very well and VERY competently together. It's my belief that if their show concept were translated and adapted to a standard network sit com, it would be successful. The approach to the show, it's direction and execution are already more in line with a network sitcom than a typical Saved by the Bell type teen show, anyway.
For anyone who likes to dissect the components of comedy, direction, acting and other facets of talent and production, I would highly recommend this show. It's amazing in that respect...and not just for the kids it's aimed at.
But this is a music discussion. Why am I talking about a Nickelodeon teen show??? Well, it's because I actually caught the opening credits of the thing one day. The show's theme song turns out to have been written and performed by the show's co-star, Drake Bell. I wouldn't have known this or paid attention at all, except that the credits show a brief clip of Bell at the microphone, with electric guitar in hand, singing the song.
So? What's so unusual about that? Between Nickelodeon and Disney, EVERY kid they have a contract with ends up putting out music for the young teen age group! What's the big deal? I wish they'd stop, actually. That's how we ended up with all those Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson types! Formula music that's either rap and hip-hop, or the kind of stuff where the "musical artist" is also part of his or her own dance troupe!
The difference is...Drake Bell plays ROCK. Real rock!!! And not only plays it...but writes it, plays some killer guitar, does piano and keyboards...and sings too! And he doesn't even have a dance troupe anywhere near him. A real, honest-to-gosh rock MUSICIAN. And that's rare enough in itself, considering his career source!
Well, by now you should all know how the methods of my curosity work. I had to obtain more music and analyze. It was just today, in fact, that I was able to obtain Bell's first and only CD thus far, "Telegraph". And I have to tell you all...the man (hey, he'll be 20 soon...) yes, the MAN didn't disappoint. From the insert alone, I learned that he either wrote or co-wrote every song on the CD. He also played lead guitar and a great deal of the piano/keyboards. If you could imagine Nirvana and Oasis meeting somewhere on common ground, you might have the basic sound of a lot of music on this CD. However, the guitar is amazing!!! Alot of intricate and sophisticated single string work. Advanced stuff. No simple cords or rhythm strumming to be found here! The musical arrangements are also mature and advanced, and incorporate some very classic elements, such as blues. But can also kick some pretty good butt.
If I had to criticize at all, I'd have to say that Bell's voice could use a little more development. He writes some pieces that require pretty powerful vocals. And at the time this CD was recorded, he just didn't quite have the lung power or depth of tone to blast it like it should have been blasted. But I'm certain as he grows older, this will fall into place. He already has excellent vocal instincts...the equipment just needs to catch up.
He does have a website with a section for his musical side: http://www.drakebell.com/ Once on the site, click MUSIC. There will be 4 song titles you can click on to listen to about a minute of each song. My favorite of the ones listed here is the second one, "Down We Fall". It's a slow piece that starts out acoustic, but some pretty heavy electric guitar comes into it soon enough, and the end of the song just bloody rocks. Unfortunately, the clip stops before the bloody end, so you can't hear it unless you download it or buy the CD. Of the remaining 3, "Don't Preach" is a harder rocking piece. "In the End" is a soft ballad, and "Telegraph" is a blues piece. As for the rest of the CD, for which there are no samples on the website, I'd also recommend the show's theme song, "Found A Way". The song "Somehow" is a pretty intense song about oppressed woman wanting to break out of her abusive relationship. Not only does it feature some very awesome guitar - especially at the end of the song! - excellent changes and transitions and vocals for which Bell does not fall short, but also some pretty intense lyrics, like "Did he tie you down...did you make a sound...she falls to her knees, screaming god please, make something of me". This does does start out a bit weaker than it becomes, which may cause some surfing listeners to pas over it. But if you're able to find it, hang in there and listen to the whole thing. it's worth it.
Another piece is the song "Golden Days". A jazzy, upbeat rock piece that's just a lot of fun with some really interesting musical elements, including some more excellent guitar toward the end, bluesy piano and just a dash of flavor from the early 70's.
"Highway to Nowhere" would make Jake and Elwood Blues proud. It's right up their alley, with a harder rock edge. And the word "shit" even makes an appearance! How wonderfully shameful of a Nickelodeon baby! Happy to see it! Hopefully this is a good step for Bell toward separating his recording career from his television career. Personally, I'd like to see him continue doing both!
So, check out the show...check out the songs...check out his website. He's good...and I'm looking forward to him getting even better.
It was just this year, however, that I discovered a completely delightful teen show called "Drake and Josh". A teen show that has been airing since 2004 on Nickelodeon (or just NICK). It stars Josh Peck (now 19) and Drake Bell (just about 20).
The first thing I immediately liked about this show was its lack of morality. This isn't an exploration of the teen condition and growing up and all the lessons involved. Josh Peck is a genius for his age with physical and slapstick comedy a-la Laurel and Hardy. And Drake Bell plays the hot step-brother of Josh. The bad boy always out to make a buck, play with his garage band, get into trouble and get the girl on his way out. I also appreciate that some of the humor pushes the envelope of what one would normally expect in teen Nick shows...such as when Josh suggested they put out a small fire, Drake reached for his zipper. There are also a great many physically active scenes and on-set stunts. These two guys really work very well and VERY competently together. It's my belief that if their show concept were translated and adapted to a standard network sit com, it would be successful. The approach to the show, it's direction and execution are already more in line with a network sitcom than a typical Saved by the Bell type teen show, anyway.
For anyone who likes to dissect the components of comedy, direction, acting and other facets of talent and production, I would highly recommend this show. It's amazing in that respect...and not just for the kids it's aimed at.
But this is a music discussion. Why am I talking about a Nickelodeon teen show??? Well, it's because I actually caught the opening credits of the thing one day. The show's theme song turns out to have been written and performed by the show's co-star, Drake Bell. I wouldn't have known this or paid attention at all, except that the credits show a brief clip of Bell at the microphone, with electric guitar in hand, singing the song.
So? What's so unusual about that? Between Nickelodeon and Disney, EVERY kid they have a contract with ends up putting out music for the young teen age group! What's the big deal? I wish they'd stop, actually. That's how we ended up with all those Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson types! Formula music that's either rap and hip-hop, or the kind of stuff where the "musical artist" is also part of his or her own dance troupe!
The difference is...Drake Bell plays ROCK. Real rock!!! And not only plays it...but writes it, plays some killer guitar, does piano and keyboards...and sings too! And he doesn't even have a dance troupe anywhere near him. A real, honest-to-gosh rock MUSICIAN. And that's rare enough in itself, considering his career source!
Well, by now you should all know how the methods of my curosity work. I had to obtain more music and analyze. It was just today, in fact, that I was able to obtain Bell's first and only CD thus far, "Telegraph". And I have to tell you all...the man (hey, he'll be 20 soon...) yes, the MAN didn't disappoint. From the insert alone, I learned that he either wrote or co-wrote every song on the CD. He also played lead guitar and a great deal of the piano/keyboards. If you could imagine Nirvana and Oasis meeting somewhere on common ground, you might have the basic sound of a lot of music on this CD. However, the guitar is amazing!!! Alot of intricate and sophisticated single string work. Advanced stuff. No simple cords or rhythm strumming to be found here! The musical arrangements are also mature and advanced, and incorporate some very classic elements, such as blues. But can also kick some pretty good butt.
If I had to criticize at all, I'd have to say that Bell's voice could use a little more development. He writes some pieces that require pretty powerful vocals. And at the time this CD was recorded, he just didn't quite have the lung power or depth of tone to blast it like it should have been blasted. But I'm certain as he grows older, this will fall into place. He already has excellent vocal instincts...the equipment just needs to catch up.
He does have a website with a section for his musical side: http://www.drakebell.com/
Once on the site, click MUSIC. There will be 4 song titles you can click on to listen to about a minute of each song. My favorite of the ones listed here is the second one, "Down We Fall". It's a slow piece that starts out acoustic, but some pretty heavy electric guitar comes into it soon enough, and the end of the song just bloody rocks. Unfortunately, the clip stops before the bloody end, so you can't hear it unless you download it or buy the CD. Of the remaining 3, "Don't Preach" is a harder rocking piece. "In the End" is a soft ballad, and "Telegraph" is a blues piece.
As for the rest of the CD, for which there are no samples on the website, I'd also recommend the show's theme song, "Found A Way". The song "Somehow" is a pretty intense song about oppressed woman wanting to break out of her abusive relationship. Not only does it feature some very awesome guitar - especially at the end of the song! - excellent changes and transitions and vocals for which Bell does not fall short, but also some pretty intense lyrics, like "Did he tie you down...did you make a sound...she falls to her knees, screaming god please, make something of me". This does does start out a bit weaker than it becomes, which may cause some surfing listeners to pas over it. But if you're able to find it, hang in there and listen to the whole thing. it's worth it.
Another piece is the song "Golden Days". A jazzy, upbeat rock piece that's just a lot of fun with some really interesting musical elements, including some more excellent guitar toward the end, bluesy piano and just a dash of flavor from the early 70's.
"Highway to Nowhere" would make Jake and Elwood Blues proud. It's right up their alley, with a harder rock edge. And the word "shit" even makes an appearance! How wonderfully shameful of a Nickelodeon baby! Happy to see it! Hopefully this is a good step for Bell toward separating his recording career from his television career. Personally, I'd like to see him continue doing both!
So, check out the show...check out the songs...check out his website. He's good...and I'm looking forward to him getting even better.
Go here to hear Drake talk a bit about himself and his music: http://youtube.com/watch?v=j5fCQHQoROI&search=drake%20bell
Go here to see a clip from the show "Zoey" featurning Drake performing the very awesome "Highway to Nowhere". http://youtube.com/watch?v=kIxWdN4gb_E&search=drake%20bell
No one of his best songs, and not one of my favorites, but here's a video for "Hollywood Girl" http://youtube.com/watch?v=COB1xYX4O68&search=drake%20bell