Static Live Magazine January 2020

Mic:Riggs
Behind the Howdy, 2020! Glad we all made it to this side
of a new decade. It seemed like a good time for
personal reflection and renewed goals. Then
I remembered goals suck, so I just decided to
reflect on the power of music. I love music so
much that a single song can change the course
of a day, good or bad. And certainly, all of us
“Broken” - SEETHER with
AMY LEE
As the story goes, singer
Shaun Morgan and Amy Lee
of Evanescence were dating
when this song landed on
“The Punisher” soundtrack
and subsequently Seether’s
2nd album. It’s a great codependent
relationship song
and the combined vocals
and string arrangement
make this a turbo-powered track that knocks the wind
out of me. They later had a very public breakup and
wrote pissy songs about each other but damn, they
left a great footprint with this song.
“The Fire” - REV THEORY
This band knows how to
rip some great hard rock
tracks but they found a
sweet spot with this tune.
It is lyrically a tale of the
final embers of a failed
relationship. Powerful instrumentation and killer
vocal; this song hooks me hard. If you are trying to
salvage something with a significant other, print these
lyrics out and tape ‘em on their car window. It’s worth
a shot.
“Hey, Johnny Park!”
- FOO FIGHTERS
Man, Dave Grohl has compiled
a lotta hooks in his career. This
one snags me like a damn
marlin… power and emotion
tucked into a tight 4 minutes and
some change.
95.7 the Hog, Daytona Beach
Riggs
have a pool of tunes that we’ve carried through
the years that yank on our emotions more than
others. Perhaps not simply sad songs or break-up
ballads, but just compositions of any genre that
trigger center-of-your-chest feelings. So on the
back end of holiday depression, let’s dig in - and
hopefully, you’ll discover some you like too!
“Break In”
- HALESTORM
Get it on their 2012 LP
The Strange Case Of…
If a song could kick
my ass, this may be a
contender. Lzzy Hale
drops a vocal here that
is equal parts tender
fireside hugs and
vicious uppercuts to the
feelings box. This tune
is the perfect blend of
associable lyrics and a virtuoso vocal experience.
“Put your lighters in the air and lead me back home”.
“Damn, you leave me defenseless”... Come on! AND
she plays piano on it. Too much! Awesome.
“Little Girl’s Eyes”
- LENNY KRAVITZ
Find this one on his LP 5.
This song is very stripped
down and it poked at
my feels BEFORE I had
a daughter of my own.
Now that she’s hit double
digits, I can barely even
listen to it without it
getting REALLY dusty in
here. It’s a beautiful lyric
and if you have a daughter, spin it and try not to cry.
“Nutshell”
- ALICE IN CHAINS
Haunting. Just brilliantly
fucking haunting.
“Big Skies, Black
Rainbows” - VERBENA
This tune from the INTO
THE PINK album is the
final track on the record.
Dave Grohl produced the
shit out of this amazing
album and this song has a
bookend link with the LP’s
first track. You will get eerie chills from the Cobainlike
vocals and dissident guitar strumming of frontman
Scott Bondy and the female harmony vocals are a
perfect complement to the mood of the tune. Love it.
“Hurt” - Not the Trent
Reznor / Nine Inch Nails
song that certainly is way
off my emotional palate.
No, this is a stinger from
Christina Aguilera. This
dynamic track, I assume, is
a conversation with a loved
one that has passed away.
But I don’t want to know
the real story behind it.
Just hearing her incredible
range of whispered emotion
and stomach-stirring powerfully belted notes and
lines, it kicks a lump in my throat every time. What a
voice. And what a song.
“Wings Of Time” - TOTO
I am a day-one fan of this
band. And while I like
their rockin’ stuff more,
Steve Lukather & Co. can
grind some emotion. “Out
Of Love” is a beauty by
them, but this ethereal
track is packed with lyrical power and it delivers lush
and layered vocal harmonies. And Luke’s soakingwet
liquidy guitar tone and emotive playing are
captivating. And at a stout 7 ½ minutes, ‘ya get more
vibes for your buck.
“Brand New Start”
- ALTER BRIDGE
Look, there just isn’t a
vocalist out there today
who can do what Myles
Kennedy does. And he
sings with a silkiness that
stimulates your auditory nerves and makes your brain
happy. It’s just science. LOVE this combo of power
and almost making me weep.
“Call Me”
- SHINEDOWN
The final track on
their “The Sound
Of Madness” album
(which is crammed
full of greatness), the
song brings it home like a walk-off home run. Brent
Smith crushes this goodbye tune with stellar vocal
power and the simple instrumentation underneath
gives the stage to perfectly matched harmonies from
Zach Myers. I have listened to this tune a thousand
times and I still get all clinched up as soon as the
piano opens the song. I like it so much, I’ll even
occasionally stop singing along to enjoy the original.
Perfection.
GARY MOORE
Ah, so many times has a
Gary Moore song forced
me to swallow the lump in
my throat. The late Irish
guitar legend sings with
as much raw emotion as
he rips on guitar. And
his songwriting pinpoints
exposed feelings and
attacks them with musical
medicine. “Empty Rooms”
is a must for your “Am I Sad Enough?” test as is
“Crying In The Shadows” and, of course, there are
a slew of songs after his turn from rock to blues, like
“Separate Ways” and of course “Still Got The Blues
(For You)”. But nothing trips the tear-jerk wire more
than his take on the epic instrumental “The Loner”.
I truly believe that he actually made his guitar cry
while squeezing out these emotive notes. If you have
feelings in your body, take a cool 6 minutes out of
your day and pop on the headphones and let Doctor
Gary treat your ills.
OK, I will leave those there for now though I have
many more heart-wrenchers in my lil’ music array.
I hope that you can take some of them in and feel
the same.
Cheers! RIGGS
Catch RIGGS, GUY, & INTERN STEVE
The Morning HOG / 95.7 The HOG,
Weekdays 5-10am
& SATURDAY NIGHT LOUD 9-midnight
@saturdayloud on Twitter
The Morning Hog on FB
riggs@957thehog.com
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