RockRoast

Every now and then, usually when listening to the radio, I worry that rock music is fading from popularity.

It’s a silly thing to worry about, really. I’m not sure there are many types of music that really ever fade away completely. And even if rock were to wither away, modern resources will doubtlessly permit the few remaining acts to continue to produce music for their few remaining fans. But that kind of hypothetical situation really doesn’t matter. Rock isn’t dying out, because David Cook is the new American Idol.

According to Ryan Seacrest’s approximation, there were twelve million more votes for the rocker than there were for the balladeer. Twelve million. The pulse of rock and roll is still strong in America.

I really look forward to David Cook’s studio work. The man has such versatility with his voice and his emotions. It’s something refreshing that a lot of mainstream rock has been lacking in recently. I don’t know much about Cook’s guitar skills or songwriting skills, but as long as he sings his heart out, his stuff should be pretty good.

I suppose I’m acting like some idiotic fanboy, but I seriously can’t wait for him to get recording.

Anyway, I’m glad that David Cook won. He certainly deserved it, and it’s nice to see some nationwide appreciation for a truly great rock vocalist.

It seems to be one hundred percent confirmed that guitar wizard Marco Sfogli is returning for James LaBrie’s next solo album.

Of course, the fact that they’ve been “writing tunes” doesn’t mean the record will be out anytime in the near future. And that’s not a commentary on the seemingly inevitable delays of production so much as an acknowledgment that at least one of the band members has something else on his schedule. James LaBrie is committed to touring with Dream Theater from the end of April until early June.

But my hopes are high for the next record, regardless of when it comes out. Sfogli’s recent solo release has proven him to be maturing as a guitarist and as a songwriter. I’ve often criticized Sfogli for wasting his exceptional ability on unmelodic, emotionless, lightning-fast solos and tasteless distortions. But his own solo album, There’s Hope, showed a lot of improvement over his work on LaBrie’s last record, Elements of Persuasion. Amusingly enough, There’s Hope gave me a lot of hope for the remainder of Sfogli’s career. With a little luck, the record he’s working on now will prove that hope to be justified.

But now the strange thing is that, even though I’m a big fan of James LaBrie, he might not be the main reason why I’ll by his next release. It’s hard to decide which I want to hear more…more James or more Marco?

Clear frontrunners in the New Zealand comedy folk-rock genre, Flight of the Conchords have geared up for a full-length major label release. Their acoustic antics and poppy hooks of their self-titled debut will hit stores next Tuesday. While I’m guessing it will leave a bit to be desired musically, it should be lyrically entertaining enough to be worth a listen. I’m actually very interested to see how the album will fare on mainstream US charts. The music industry truly can be a fascinating spectator sport.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Flight of the Conchords, those of you who have forgotten their hilarity, and those of you who may be huge fans, I leave you with one of their more amusing numbers: