Year of October is an on-the-rise independent band based out of Nashville that has heavily featured on CBW Radio over the past three weeks, but who exactly are they?
Introduced to CBW Radio via the Independent Spotlight during The Rock Revival, Year of October has quickly become a fan favorite amongst listeners of the station. Capturing both a classic rock and modern sound, Year of October’s featured tracks off ofWastelands have found a home on Fridays as well as regular CBW Programing. Upon reaching out to the band, I was able to secure further information about this incredible act and just who they are.
Who is Year of October?
“Year of October is Phlecia Sullivan, Josh Sullivan, and James Varner.” The band was formed by Phlecia and Josh While attending the University of Kentucky in 2010. The name comes from “When Phlecia and I (Josh) first started playing music… I was playing acoustic guitar and she was singing and it had a campfire music kind of vibe. Phlecia came up with the name based on that feeling of fall.”
How would you describe your sound?
“We’d describe our sound as fuzz, rock, soul. I would say that our music combines rock, soul, and blues; We’ve put out 4 records now and each record has continued to change and evolve (our sound)”
Who have been your biggest influences?
“We like a lot of different music, Some of our favorites include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Black Sabbath, Jack White, Dead Weather, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, The Budos Band, and Charles Bradley.”
Year of October can be heard regularly on CBW Radio where Josh describes, “It’s definitely an honor for us to be showcased… It’s an awesome station and we are truly very thankful.” As well as on any major streaming service such as Spotify or iTunes.
You can also catch Year of October live in Nashville, TN at Drifter’s BBQ on May 14th as well as Kimbro’s in Franklin, TN on May 25th!
On Friday 04/29/22 during The Rock Revival, The CBW local music spotlight will be on Gavin Michaels
CBW Radio has begun heavily showcasing local and independent musicians during The Rock Revival show hosted by Style. In recent weeks we’ve heard the music of bands such as Year of October as well as Jet Star, the latter of whom appeared in person during last weeks Rock Revival to talk about some of her favorite music and newest album! This week CBW Radio will showcase the music of Gavin Michaels, a newcomer to the Cleveland music scene but not to THE music scene. If you find yourself asking, just who is Gavin Michaels, we’ve got you covered!
Gavin Michaels, “was born in the pouring rains of Seattle WA, and recently moved to the equally dreary Cleveland OH to bring his signature flavor of emo/pop-punk to the Midwest.” In his own words.
Heavily inspired by the Punk Rock scene, Gavin strives to create shows that are exciting, engaging, and reflect the uniqueness of every particular audience.
Gavin details his days in the Seattle Music Scene below
“In college, I tore up the Seattle music scene with several pop-punk bands, and grew significantly as an artist. When 2020 hit, I took that time to focus inward, and developed my own music. What initially started as indie-acoustic venture, (A Song for the Insecure) eventually grew into to lofi-pop EP (Butterflies), and finally to the powerful pop-rock single Goodnight Seattle! With the return of live music in 2022, I’m focused on making music that’s not only a good listen, but meant to be experienced.”
Gavin Michaels new EP, Along for the Ride, drops May 27th and features three tracks that, “lie somewhere between The Killers, Panic! at the Disco and Green Day.” The EP is set to explore identity, anxiety, and the never-ending struggle to grow as a person.
Look for Gavin Michaels on Spotify and YouTube and catch his music played live on CBW Radio! Gavin’s song Goodnight Seattle! Debuts on air Friday during The Rock Revival at 2:15pm eastern!
The year opened up on a very controversial note from KISS front man/Bassist Gene Simmons over his claim that “Rock is Dead”, which we covered previously in our article, “Kiss and Makeup”. Quickly The Godfather of Shock rock, Alice Cooper, jumped in on the conversation to dispute Simmons’ claim. Taking his stance that rock is exactly where it should be and will be on the rise again, Cooper shut down “The Demon’s” pessimism. Taking things one step further was Simmons’ fellow KISS member Paul Stanley, who publicly disagreed with the statement but seemingly brushed the claim to the side and continue on with the 2021 KISS tour.
Months later and the debate still rages on in the rock world as the famous outspoken front man of Twisted Sister, Dee Snider, has made his thoughts on the matter Crystal clear. Snider told Consequence, “I wish he would just shut the hell up on all of this but he doubles down on it.” Snider goes on to say, “All that shit, it’s so self-serving and self absorbed. It’s selfish!” Dee Snider is currently promoting his new single, I Gotta Rock (Again), which can be heard below!
Dee Snider Vs. PMRC
For those unaware, Dee Snider is no stranger to standing up for what he believes in. In 1985 Dee appeared before congress to state his claim opposing the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) for their efforts to control and censor music they deemed offensive. Snider dressed in your stereotypical torn black 80s rock attire, minus his usual drag makeup, appealed to congress in one of the most shocking and badass instances in music history. The well spoken and educated Snider floored the panel as well as lookers on as he gave his fluent and compelling speech as to why the censorship of music is damaging to the industry. In it’s long extensive history of live events, festivals, collaborations, and rebellion, Dee Snider’s testimony to Congress may be the most badass thing to ever happen in the history of Rock. You can check out the full video of Dee’s appeal below, and check out more articles like this one right here!
The Fan50 is the brand new music countdown home on StylesRebelRadio.com. The Fan50 is is the only music chart comprised entirely of fan submission regardless of Genre, Era, or Style. Each week “Radio’s Rebel DJ” Style, will be counting down your music submissions in order from Most to least listener request. Polls are conducted via Style’s social media platforms as well as the WSRR Discord Server, Likewise submissions can always be sent each week to StylesRebelRadio@Gmail.com in any quantity!
Let us know what’s on your playlist by using the up and down votes under the player!
Notably one of the most notoriously famous songs for it’s interesting title and lyrics, Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was the product of a night of over-indulgence. Originally intended to be titled “In The Garden of Eden”, the story goes, Vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the title on the demo copy as we see it appear now while heavily under the influence. Ironically enough, the record company tasked with producing the 17 plus minute track decided to keep the name as it sounded, “Exotic” according to SongFacts, which would help them stand out to the public alongside The Beatles and Rolling Stones who had been drawing from Indian influence.
Uneasy Rider
There’s no doubt in our minds Charlie Daniels is a hell of a musician and one of, if not the best, to ever pick up the fiddle! Now as far as a mathematician goes, maybe not so much. Let’s break down the set up to the Uneasy Rider fight scene for a second, “Jes’ when I thought I’d get outta there with my skin These five big dude come strollin’ in With this one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth” so okay not five but… Six guys right? But hey, the benefit of the doubt, maybe one of those five just deserved some more explanation due to the natural color of his teeth. Now let’s fast-forward a few verses, “Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight In Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night ‘Specially when there were three of them and only one of me”, so now it’s three guys? Charlie, buddy, I don’t want to call you a liar here but your epic tale of how you escaped hillbilly hell maybe a bit of a stretch, seeing as there are so many inconsistencies. Then again, math was definitely my worst subject.
Wish You Were Here
While not exactly an unintended “lyric” this iconic piece of Pink Floyd history definitely deserves to make the list. If you’ve ever sat down and listened to the popular, Wish you were here, you may have noticed a pretty audible cough around the :44 marker. You’re not alone and you’re not crazy, the cough was left in the final track much to the disdain of the one responsible for it, front man David Gilmour. Allegedly, according to SonicScoop.com, this is what prompted Gilmour to give up smoking.
Hey Jude
Prepare your ears for this one! Near the 2:55 mark of The Beatles famous Hey Jude, should you listen closely you can audibly hear one Sir Paul McCartney, uttering “fucking hell” upon messing up a chord. Now while this clearly was unintentional, the decision to keep it in was not! The story goes that Lennon and the others found it so funny and being it was rather quiet under the music, just to leave it in the final cut. So, next time your local oldies station decides to spin the acclaimed track, keep your ears open to see if the station heads have caught on, or if you need to have a talk with the FCC.
Polly
Never the prototypical musician, Kurt Cobain was well documented for his unique approach to his music. From his throat-centric singing to his self-taught guitar techniques, Kurt could turn what some would call being “untrained” into pure gold. During the recording of Nirvana’s Polly, Cobain is audibly off on his timing coming into the third verse of the song resulting in him getting in a quick “Polly Said” before catching himself. While thia can easily be mistaken as a quick refrain before the final verse, it was completely unintentional. However, after recording fellow bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic allegedly liked how this little slip-up sounded so much they kept it in the final cut! Unintentional? Could’ve fooled us!
How much would you be willing to pay for an authentic item from your favorite musician? A guitar pick caught in concert, a shirt, scarf, autograph, or even an instrument itself are all commonplace among collectors in the music world. However what about personal, and every day items you wouldn’t necessarily associate with your favorite act. Believe it or not, some of the highest closing auctions for musicians belong to some of the most unique items that may seem like nothing more than common trash to some. Well, one mans trash is another’s treasure they say, and with that in mind here are just a few of the most bizarre items that sold for ridiculous amounts of money at auction.
Justin Timberlake’s French Toast
If you had to re-read that we don’t blame you! Yes, this is correct. All the way back in the year 2000, Justin had just finished a morning interview on New York based radio station Z-100 where he was served a French toast breakfast. According to Ew.com, the morning show host then listed the remaining slices on eBay where they sold at auction for a whopping $1,025. The winner was a 19 year old student who claims she would “probably freeze-dry it, then seal it…then put it on my dresser”. We hate to burst her bubble, but I got French toasts this morning at Denny’s for $7.
Jerry Lee Lewis’s Ointment
Photo: Julien’s Auctions
Typically people don’t want the possession of their own ointment to be public knowledge, let alone someone else’s! But, what if that some else is “the killer” himself? The auction containing a tube of nasal ointment and two empty prescription pill bottles belonging to the wild child himself ended at $384. A substantial amount of money for something that I’m sure we could categorize as medical waste of you ask me. Even more intreating, the items were put up for auction by Lewis’s Ex-wife.
William Shatner’s Kidney Stone
Photo: GoldenPalace.com
The spoken word artist is no stranger to the occasional online auction, His Star Trek costumes reaching over $100,000 at times. However, in 2006 Shatner himself took to Julien’s Auctions to list his “sizable” kidney stone in an effort to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Offering a substantial $25,000, the auction was won by GoldenPalace.com, an online casino. Additionally, the casino initially offered $15,000 which Shatner turned down! Clearly William knows exactly what “a piece of him” is worth!
Britney Spears’s Pregnancy Test
Photo: The Sun
There’s obsessive and then there’s down right creepy. While none of these items have been particularly “normal” to want in your collection, we can’t help but think this the next level. Fortunately for our sanity, the piss stick was taken by GoldenPalace.com in 2005 to add to their ever-growing collection of “oddities”. That being said the online casino rolled out an impressive $5,001 for charity on this one. Surprisingly snagging the item a lot cheaper than a piece of Britney’s used gum that went for $14,000 and didn’t even include a COA.
Elvis’s Backgammon Board
Photo: Julien’s Auctions
Next time you are convinced nobody plays Backgammon, just remember The King himself was an avid player who even took his travel board with him. That same travel board would find its way to auction in 2016 closing at $1,024. A few rounds of high stakes backgammon and the buyer will have his money back in no time!
Six Strands of Kurt Cobain’s Hair
Photo: IconicAuctions.com
Capping off our list with the most recent addition to the auction block. Over the weekend of May 15th 2021, Six strands of Kurt Cobain’s hair sold for $14,145. Notably, the hair in question was accompanied by an official COA as well as a photograph of the seller with the late Nirvana frontman during the haircut. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Nirvana as much as the next guy, but I’m not going balls to the walls to showcase 6 strands of hair. In that vein, if you’ve got the money I’ve got a haircut coming up soon!
Would you break out the checkbook for any of these items? What’s the weirdest music memorabilia you’ve seen up for sale? Let us know down below! Make sure to follow along for more and check out all our other blogs right here!
Cover songs have been a staple of the music industry for its entire existence. If a song is popular enough, you already know a cover will soon be on the way from any and all artists who think they can sell a few copies. With covers as popular as Elvis Presley’s entire library to Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused, many of your favorite tunes are in fact covers even if you didn’t realize it! However, on the flip side of that, with so many artists synonymous with a particular sound you’d never expect them to venture out into covering something totally out of their genre wheelhouse. That’s where you’d be wrong. We’ve complied a collection of artists who covered some unexpected songs that may take you by surprise!
Purple Haze- Dion
YouTube: Modpants
Yes that’s right, the American Doo-op singer responsible for such hits as Runaround Sue and The Wanderer ventured into Hendrix! In an odd twist, Dion adopted Purple Haze into his library in 1968, just one year after Hendrix released it! The psychedelic rock anthem was slowed down and turned into more of a balled under Dion but somehow remains to be, if not becomes even more, trippy. Certainly and unexpected track from the heartbroken oldies singer, but not an unwelcome one by any means!
Faith- Limp Bizkit
YouTube: JulianOBlink
Believe it or not there are people who enjoy Limp Bizkit! Alright, jokes aside the controversial rap rock group found their success in the early 2000s with tracks like “Rollin’” and “Break Stuff” and were even used as The Undertaker’s entrance theme during his stint as The American Badass. Unfortunately for us, nobody told front man Fred Durst that rap rock and George Michael don’t mix. For reasons unbeknownced to us Limp Bizkit decided to include Michael’s 1987 Faith on their 1997 album “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all”. The kicker? While bordering on the creepy side, Durst’s opening to the song isn’t the worst thing in the world. Fret not however, just wait for the chorus and sit back as Fred and the boys ruin this classic.
Jolene- The White Stripes
YouTube: The White Stripes
The White Stripes can do no wrong! The iconic 2000s Faux Brother/Sister, Husband/Wife duo left their mark on the music industry with memorable rock tracks such as Fell In Love With A Girl, We’re Going To Be Friends, and Icky Thump. However the song that will ensure The Stripes live on forever has to be Seven Nation Army, a staple of any high-school football game or workout playlist. Always the artist, front man Jack White is no stranger to experimenting with covers, as is the case with The White Stripes rendition of the 1965 #2 hit Love Potion No.9. However it’s their iconic cover of Jolene we’re focusing on for this list. The echoing live guitar and raw emotion in the voice of Jack White coveys the emotion behind the classic Dolly lyrics. The rock rendition may be one of the finest live covers of the era and is definitely deserving of a listen if you have yet to hear it!
Heartbreaker- Nirvana
YouTube: Nirvana
Kurt, Dave, and Krist were certainly no strangers to borrowing from some of their favorite artists. With a library containing the likes of Bowie, The Meat Puppets, Lead Belly, and many others it’s no shock the band fiddled around with other cover ideas. Dating all the way back to 1987, The legendary trio broke into Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker during one of their very first live performances. Unfortunately this rendition never made it to the studio but did become available to the public courtesy of With The Lights Out and Sliver: The Best Of The Box which features early recordings, demos, live tracks and unreleased music! But the best part about this cover, “I don’t know how to play it!”
Smells Like Teen Spirit/ Wonderwall/ Etc.- Paul Anka
YouTube: PaulAnkaTV
Oh yes, that is correct. The mind behind “Puppy Love” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” proved he could still hang when he released his album 2005 album “Rock Swings”. The album included lounge and swing covers of the likes of Bon Jovi, Nirvana, Oasis, Survivor, Van Halen, Chris Cornell, and more! Anka undoubtedly knocked it out of the park earning himself a long deserved star on Canada’s Walk of Fame! Having the ability to take Smells Like Teen Spirit and make it easy listening even your Grandparents would call quality music is a true sign of a multitalented artist! Step aside Richard Cheese!
With a vast and ever growing world library of cover songs, these are just a handful of renditions that may have taken you by surprise! Let us know what you think down below and who’s cover caught you off guard! Be sure to check out more music related articles here and keep on rockin’ on!
If there’s one thing I love more than anything else it’s music. Not just listening to it but playing it, writing it, and studying it. While doing my weekly radio show, One thing that always keeps me motivated is learning the history of the songs i’m playing, More than anything else however, the single most interesting thing I love to find is songs that have at one point in time been banned from airplay and the reasons why. The following is a small collection of some wildest banned songs I’ve had the privilege to play.
Possibly the most infamous and controversial songs to ever be banned from radio airplay is none other than Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit. Even without any context, at first listen this song provides an eerie and unsettling feeling to the listener. Strange Fruit, to those unaware, is not a reference to any form of “fruit” at all rather than the unjust lynching of African Americans in the early 30s and 4. So why was the song banned from airplay? For that reason exactly, the song was a call to action for justice against racial inequality, the only issue was the 1930’s, primarily southern, America was no place to welcome racial equality or call to attention to the wrongful nature of their crimes. To this day Strange Fruit still stands as one of the most powerful, brash, and moving songs to take the stand for equality among races ever recorded.
2. Splish Splash
If you have not previously heard Bobby Darin’s 1958 top 40 hit Splish Splash already, I would highly recommend doing so now. The narrative in the story describes a man who had decided to relax and unwind with a soothing bubble bath one Saturday evening only to find that once he had done so, a party had commenced in his living room, of which he was prompt to join. So what in this song could have led a collective of radio stations in North America to ban this song from their air waves? Does this song promote the use of drugs, violence, maybe something considered too immoral? Nope! Splish Splash was banned from North American radio stations for the simple fact the main protagonist in the song is assumed to be nude! That’s right, though no where in the song is any form of nudity is ever actually defined or described, this hit tune apparently made some listeners feel uncomfortable at the depiction of taking a bath.
3. Mack The Knife
Bobby Darin strikes again! One year removed from making listeners uncomfortable Bobby was back again to have yet another song banned from airplay. A No. 1 hit in both the US and UK, Mack The Knife was banned from airplay for showcasing a “Positive Portrayal of Serial killers”. Even though Darin was long from the first artist to record this ditty, he gained himself yet another spot on the list of banned songs.
4. Brown Eyed Girl
A favorite of karaoke singers and your dad, you might be asking yourself what could this upbeat summer tune possibly have gotten banned for. Well hold onto your hats for this one, the track was initially titled “Brown Skinned Girl”… and welp, that should tell you all you need to know for that one. Morrison changed the title in order for the song more accepted for air play, However many stations still refused to play the song due to the line, “Making love in the green grass” which was deemed overtly sexual.
5. Space Oddity
One of David Bowie’s staple songs, alongside Starman, Space Oddity has seemingly become a staple of classic rock radio stations as well over the past few decades. Interestingly enough however, this wasn’t always the case. Following the climax of The Space Race, the BBC decided to pull the song from airplay until Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin Michael Collins had returned safely to Earth’s surface in fear that it may invoke unease and restlessness among listeners for the safety of these astronauts.
6. The Monster Mash
Yes, The Monster Mash. You know, the song that children sing aloud come October, a mainstay of any Halloween party or Spotify playlist. The Monster Mash was deemed “Too Morbid” for airplay by the BBC. Honestly, I’m at a loss for this one here! If you can help me in anyway understand what is to be considered morbid in The Monster Mash please let me know in the comments below.
7. Charlie Brown
If there is one thing that we have learned by now it should be that the words deemed unsuitable for airplay have taken on quite the shift over the years. Common or obscure sayings and phrases we openly discuss today were at one time considered fowl or taboo. However when it comes down to it, The Coasters take the cake with Charlie Brown. The song depicts the “cool bad boy” type kid in school, describing his shenanigans and consequences. One thing that the BBC however did not find very cool was the use of the word “Spitballs”. Yes, Spitballs is the word that got Charlie Brown removed from stations across the nation. What a time to be alive.
8. Rumble
We kicked off the list with one of the most iconic and infamous banned songs of all tim, therefore the only way to cap it off is to offer up one of the most seemingly unknown yet historical songs to ever get the blacklist. Link Wray’s 1958 song Rumble is the only instrumental song to ever be banned from the radio. Now how in the hell could this be possible is a completely normal thought to be having right now, but allow me to explain. While the song lacks any for of hard or intense lyrics, it more than makes up for it in pure, soul shaking, heart pounding, guitar chords. Considered “The most dangerous sounding instrumental” for good reason, The ominous sounding heavily reberbed guitar is enough to put you in an uncomfortable trance. To quote The Rolling Stone it, “Sounded like an invitation to a knife fight”. The song was banned from radio stations in major cities such as New York and Boston for fear that it would actually insite gang violence. Don’t ever let anyone tell you instrumental aren’t cool ever again.
Over the years there have been countless bands to climb the rock ranks to legendary status and become household names. But have you ever actually stopped to think about some of these household names? Compiled below are 6 legendary rock bands and how they got their names!
1. AC/DC
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
The Scottish/Australian rock group originated from brothers Angus and Malcolm Young who, upon seeing their brother George Young joining popular Australian group The Easybeats, decided to form a rock group of their own. The two would take on the name AC/DC upon a suggestion from their sister Margaret, who had seen the lettering on their home sewing machine. In case you’ve never found yourself in a situation where you needed to know, AC stands for alternating current while DC stands for Direct current when referring to electrical flow. Bonus fact time! In Australia the band is also commonly referred to as “Acca Dacca”
2. Cream
Ultimate Classic Rock
The english rock band comprised of Eric Clapton, Jake Bruce and Ginger Baker were destined for greatness right off the bat. With Clapton fresh off a run with The Yardbyrds, Baker earing an elite reputation for himself as the drummer for The Graham Bond Organisation alongside future future Cream-mate Jake Bruce. The band was formed as a gathering of the elite of the elite, the name Cream derives from the idea they are the “Cream of The Crop” in the music industry, a statement i’m sure Macho ManRandy Savage would definatelt agree with.
3. Golden Earring
The Math factor Podcast
Golden Earring, one of the most underrated bands of all time in my opinion, originally went under the name The Tornados before realizing the name had already been in use. The band would rename themselves “The Golden Earrings” after an instrumental piece by The Hunters of the same name. Eventually the band would settle on just simply Golden Earring.
4. Journey
journeyworld.com
Forming in 1973 under the name The Golden Gate Rhythm Section the band decided to hold a radio contest and allow the fans to select their new name. Not thrilled with any of the results that came back, it was a roadie who had been traveling with the band that suggested the name Journey. The band all agreed and have been rocking with us ever since!
5. Led Zeppelin
Tone Deaf
Led Zeppelin… Really think about that for a second, a household name most of us say on a regular basis without even batting an eye. The story goes that Robert Plant was ready to start a musical supergroup and was kicking around this idea with Who drummer Keith Moon who supposedly told him his idea would go down like a lead balloon. Balloon, Zeppelin, same thing right? Well Plant sure seemed to think so anyway.
6. The Foo Fighters
Mojo Magazine
Not one, not two but three legendary rock bands lace Dave Grohl’s historic career! How does the drummer from one o if not THE most over band of the 90s step out and begin a band of his own outside of that shadow? Nevertheless one with as clever and catchy name as the simply titled Nirvana. Two words, Foo Fighters. Admit it if you’ve ever heard the name Foo Fighters on the radio, fan or not, you’ve wondered where the hell that name could come from! Really it’s quite simple, UFOs. That’s right, Foo Fighters is allegedly a name that was given by allied aircraft pilots for unidentified flying objects. Meaning the Foo Fighters are quite literally out if this world!
Regardless of how they acquired these names one thing is always going to be for certain. If the word, object, or idea your band was named after takes a backseat to your band in terms of word association or recognition, you’ve made it.
Style's Rebel Radio 