Death of Modern Rock - With Mario R. Martin - #1

Intro...Welcome to my monthly column "The Death Of Modern Rock." This is the inaugural issue. Unlike what the title may lead you to believe, modern rock is still alive and kicking. It has not yet died. In fact, modern rock has its very own positive areas, but more than anything, I am a crate digger. I am always digging out the oldies for the stuff that might have influenced today's bands, or better yet, influenced the bands that influenced today's bands. You might ask yourself, "Why the hell would someone write about old shit?" The answer is easy, because I can. I can think of a lot of bands today who sound or have a style much like ones that filled the airwaves before them. To be perfectly honest, it was done better in years past. So, with all that said, read on. You may or may not disagree with me. You may or may not care. You may or may not know that you're learning, but all bullshit aside, you will be able to wax more intelligently about pioneer musicians by ripping off my sweet, sweet style. Boom bip!

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Rhianna? Naw... The Pointer Sisters!

"Automatic" - Pointer Sisters - Break Out (1983)
The Pointer Sisters. Man, what can I say about them? Sisters Anita, Bonnie, June and Ruth made up the Pointer Sisters. Bonnie left the group to work on a solo career, but the trio of sisters continued on to kick down the post-disco era with synth-heavy songs that had harmonizing successes. At the height of the Sisters' career was a funky track by the name of "Automatic" that bordered on the new wave that had been brought on by a bevy of British acts. What makes the track stand out in a sea of 80s compilations, is that it's a well-crafted song that could very well have been the backing bass lines from a Depeche Mode song. Because of the synth-heavy times that faced the early 80s, the song was a direct slap in the face to the success of the style. Despite the intention, the song still made the early 80s synth sound what it would soon become - a mega success.

Now, the Pointer Sisters are never really credited by the music snobbery. They're just often looked over. I think that's just plain wrong. I tend to put "Automatic" on just about every single mix CD I make, and I have for some years now. People always look at me and ask what is wrong with me. I cringe and say, "Are you kidding me? This is the mother f*cking Pointer Sisters! Show some godd*mn respect!" Halfway into the song, people forget it's as dated as it is. It blends into a road trip's atmosphere so perfectly. Mind you, the surprised questions come from people my own age and younger. I can give a little bit of leeway for the younger crowd, but nevertheless, I kind of can't. Why is it that I know about the Pointer Sisters and others don't? Is it that I wanted to dig deeper into a kind of music that sounded intriguing to me when I was younger?

Man, I just hate it that the Pointer Sisters get overlooked. I saw the movie JUNO a few weeks ago. In it, the title character goes on and on about how she's so into Iggy & The Stooges, etc. She's 16 years old! To me, the Pointer Sisters, Morris Day & The Time, etc. are just as relevant to the state of music as Iggy. Every kid seems to go through a phase when they get into Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Ramones, etc., but they have the lack of respect for other genres and artists. To put it very simply, without outfits like the Pointer Sisters, there would be no room in the musical space for the Rihanna's of today. This is not to say that Rihanna is bad. I hear "S.O.S." on the radio or at a club; I'm the first one bobbing my head...just like when I hear the Pointer Sisters.