Video Of The Week: Infectious Grooves

Long considered a Suicidal Tendencies spin-off band because they shared a frontman (Mike Muir), a bass player (Robert Trujillo, now in Metallica rather than ST) and guitarist Dean Pleasants (from 1997 onwards), as well as a range of influences that dive deep into funk, punk rock and metal, Infectious Grooves also had among its ranks art-alternative-rock Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Adam Siegel.

And while ST's crowd appreciated their metal-meets-skate-punk style with funk undertones, Infectious Grooves puts its funk in front and everything else is complementary (though one could argue that in the mid-1990s, both bands did influence one another and almost became interchangeable and/or symbiotic, to the point where they released dual-band compilation albums) in a way that was original to them. Heavier than the Red Hot Chili Peppers and not as ''out there'' in terms of free-range experimentation as Faith No More (whose guitarist Jim Martin now replaces Siegel in IG...), the Groovers are in a special category of the funk-punk spectrum that is all their own.

Truth be told, I was more a fan of Infectious Grooves than Suicidal Tendencies, though I feel ST got the better lyrics and IG went so far in being humourous that they used (pretty dumb) skits too often between songs, messing with the pacing of their records, and were a tad too conceptual, based around a fake family of psychotic clowns not unlike the Juggalos, just less ridiculous.

Still, they rocked. Here, they can be seen and heard doing what they do best, Punk It Up:



After a long hiatus, Muir and Pleasants revived the band in 2008 with hired hands instead of the rest of the original members, though most came back in the fold in 2013, except for Siegel, replaced by Martin.

Video Of The Week: Red Hot Chili Peppers

They were a truly important voice in music from 1988 until 1999; they were influential from 1983 to 1991. They have recorded one of the best albums of all time, Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

After BSSM, though, the once-experimental, punk-meets-funk outfit Red Hot Chili Peppers started getting repetitive, with each funk song resembling Give It Away and all ballads sounding too much like Under The Bridge, but for the moment of an incredible record, they came up with 17 (!!) incredibly different, all great songs full of witty and/or intelligent lyrics, nervous and funky bass lines, inventive guitar work and percussions worth a record of their own.

One song they'd never try to replicate was Breaking The Girl, a rare 6/8-timed song in their catalog, with building beats and guitar chord progressions reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's Middle Eastern-influenced songs best captured when Robert Plant and Jimmy Page went Unledded.

The lyrics detail a rocky relationship - classic ballad material - but with the music, it just created a whole different universe for it to live and evolve in. The video, directed by acclaimed director and (war) photographer Stéphane Sednaoui (who also directed their video for Give It Away) is an experimentation in saturated colours, not unlike his previous work with U2 (Mysterious Ways) a year earlier, and adds yet another layer to the whole ordeal:



At a time where pop/dance videos shot in front of a white background were clinging on for their life, grunge bands were concentrating on live clips or two-tone videos full of close-ups and Guns N' Roses were waving the 8-minute epic flag by themselves, Breaking The Girl stood alone as a work of art, a testament to the song's authors for creating such an oddity that was still right where it needed to be.

Video Of The Week: Living Colour

New York funk/jazz/metal outfit Living Colour were a big part of my youth, right up there with Guns N' Roses; records like Vivid (1988), Time's Up (1990) and Stain remain part of my playlist to this day, albeit no longer in full.

But it's not one of their originals I want to focus on today; instead, it's a cover of Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love, from the True Lies soundtrack, one of the best guitar riffs ever written, played by one of the greatest guitarists ever (Eric Clapton), from what I believe is the very first ''perfect'' rock record, Disraeli Gears (1967).

Ironically, it was written after Clapton and co-writer Jack Bruce (also Cream's bassist and lead singer) saw a Jimi Hendrix concert, and it quickly became a live staple of Hendrix' set, as he was a huge Cream fan himself.

And so it is covered here, by guys who belong in the same category of virtuosos, going full circle if it hadn't already.

Video Of The Week: Outernational

Again, a repeat artist in this feature: Outernational, once more featuring Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot).

This time, for their flagship song, We Are All Illegals / Todos Somos Illegales, where they asked fans to send in footage of them singing, miming or acting out to the song's lyrics, a concept Cake has also explored of late but makes for fun, entertaining and cheap film making. And that's good for everybody, and helps level the playing field.

Video Of The Week: Outernational

While the streets of Montréal are taken by storm daily and nightly by protesters, 6 months or so after the winter break of the Occupy movements worldwide, it's good to take a step back and realize there are still some forces of change happening elsewhere, and New York's Outernational are definitely one of them.

I picked this song because it was produced by Tom Morello, but also because it doesn't let its strong message get into the way of their groove, a mix of hard rock, funk, balladry and something resembling slow ska (à la GrimSkunk) that reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers before they went soft and repetitive. It's therefore fitting Peppers' drummer Chad Smith makes an appearance on their record... All of this, by an absolutely indie band who are doing it by their own means.

And although they have very little in common, I still have to put them in the same category as Soul Coughing as bands I really enjoy listening to, whose sounds and words resonate with me, but don't listen to enough.

Video Of The Week: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sure, I made the Red Hot Chili Peppers the Video Of The Week just a short while ago, but The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie is a funky song - and it'll be banging from all the cars and radio stations until winter arrives.

So before we start hating it after too much over-exposure, why not appreciate it for what it is: a much-welcome break from all the rap songs that sample the same fucking 1990 techno beat and/or that Harry Belafonte song, and the shitty auto-tuned pop starlets currently polluting our ears. Yes, all of you.

Enjoy the Peppers on L.A. rooftops, at the beach, marvel at their big-breasted fans (0:52, 1:28) and keep telling yourself ''I can't believe Anthony Kiedis grew a porn mustache!''

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Back On Track?

After a decade of releasing albums with only two types of songs - Under The Bridge-like ballads or Give It Away-style semi-funkers - and the most boring double-album of all time, Stadium Arcadium, it seems the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back to doing what they do best: original, actually funky tracks reminiscent more of 70s-funk made today than L.A.-pop and stupid lyrics.

Listen to the first track here:

Then again, in an interview on Gibson Guitars' website, Flea mentioned they recorded 70 songs for their next release, and didn't necessarily put the ''best'' ones on it. And no other song sounds like The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie, so I wouldn't go out and recommend it quite yet.

Video Of The Week: Gil Scott-Heron

All the heroes of the past are dying. Just a few hours ago, it was poet/musician/revolutionary artist Gil Scott-Heron's turn to pass away, at age 62.

Some called him ''the black Bob Dylan'', others yet ''the first hip-hop artist'', but even as a contemporary of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, he was a man with a style and a voice all his own.

I spent the week listening to some Al Green, thinking next week could be for Scott-Heron. Now I know I have to.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, indeed.