The Essentials: John Kappas

by: Carlos Figueroa

Well, at this point I'm guessing that many of you are going "WHO THE FUCK IS JOHN KAPPAS?" It´s a question that many have asked me in the past, which I'll answer in a moment. You may probably also be asking "WHY THE FUCK IS HE AN ESSENTIAL AND WHY IS THIS ESSENTIAL NOT A BAND?"... To that question I'm gonna answer a bit more bluntly: He is an essential because he's awesome and because I feel like it!! So yes, that's it for my dramatic intro for this Essential artist. Now, let's get into the music.

John Kappas is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Although he may be regarded as a "local artist" by some (as he is mostly a star in LA and he's STILL not an international artist), John acquired public attention as a YouTube Star, mainly as a semi-CoverLover-- in John's case, he took mainstream pop songs and made them total acoustic masterpieces, thus not ruining the originals (in some cases being even better than the originals). Also, he writes his own songs too, and he only released one of his covers in his debut EP, History Repeats Itself.

Now, let's discuss his sound and style. John's style could be described as a kind of acoustic rock meets piano rock in some of his songs, although in some songs he goes more into electro rock or pop rock. Probably what gives his songs that characteristic boldness and feeling is his voice; John exceeds vocally and shows a great deal of versatility (which can be appreciated in his live performances and covers).

For example, in songs like "History Repeats Itself" and "This Is the End" John provides us with entrancing vocals, amazing guitar screeches and pronounced beats. Also, this are the 2 songs in which John displays and edgy, a bit darker mood to his songs. In some other songs, namely "Highschool Sociopath (I Hate You)" and "I Want You", he displays a more pop rock sound, with the vocals being in the spotlight but with the addition of more prominent keyboards/piano.

Where his vocals really shine though is in his covers and acoustic, original live songs. From his covers (which you can check in his YouTube channel) I must say that, in my opinion, the best is Miley Cyrus's "See You Again" or Britney Spears's "Toxic". In his original acoustic songs, John's songwriting is appreciated at its best, with songs like "Come Back to LA", "It Might Take a While", and "Explain Myself".

John Kappas is the epitome of an artist who deserves fame more than some mainstream artists as he is full of raw talent. Also, he shows us that being famous is not related in any way to being talented, and that the business is a punk bitch that is reserved for a few people. Because of his talent and all the reasons above listed, John Kappas is an Essential.

The Essentials: Paramore

By: Carlos Figueroa

I must start by saying that this is one of my favorite essentials up to now, as Paramore is one of my favorite bands. As we all know, Paramore is an alternative rock band formed in 2004 in Franklin, Tennessee with its members being lead vocalist and keyboardist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Josh Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis, drummer Zac Farro, and rhythm guitarist Taylor York. The band currently has released 3 albums: All We Know is Falling(2005), Riot! (2007), and their latest album Brand New Eyes(2009).

A big part of the band’s characteristic sound is Hayley Williams’s voice (which in my opinion is one of the best female voices at the moment) but also her songwriting and especially her image, whether it is as the spunky red-head or the innocent-looking blonde, Hayley makes the band unmistakable. Also, the other band members keep up to Hayley exceptionally, providing some of the most amazing with amazing riffs, solos, and beats.

As a result of the mixture of glorious vocals and amazing lyrics with perfect sound, Paramore delivers excellent songs in each of their albums. From their debut album, All We Know is Falling we have songs such as “Never Let This Go” and “My Heart”, which are one of the album’s slower tunes, with marked beats and a wide range of vocals. Songs such as “Emergency” are the epitome of Hayley’s vocal capacity, as throughout the song she progressively passes from low, deep vocals to high, emotion-filled vocals, while songs like “Pressure” are characterized by amazing guitar riffs and a solid beat.

In the band’s second studio album, Riot!, the band simply gives us an avalanche of amazing songs, with songs like “Misery Business”, “Crushcrushcrush”, “That’s What You Get”, “Hallelujah”, “For a Pessimist I’m Pretty Optimistic”, and “When It Rains” being in the spotlight for their amazing lyrics (especially “Misery Business” and “When It Rains”), music and rhythm (as in “That’s What You Get”) , and vocals.

A song that deserves to be spotlighted is “Decode”, song that was released as part of the Twilight movie soundtrack. The song has an amazing riff, powerful drumbeats, and amazing vocals by Hayley, ranging from mellow vocals to high power vocals. Also, on a side note, the song’s lyrics and overall feel adapt very well to the movie’s plot, as it can be seen clearly in the song’s chorus.

Last but definitively not least, Brand New Eyes, the band's latest album, has some of the band's most solid songs and my favorite Paramore song: "Brick by Boring Brick". Now, this song is simply my favorite because it integrates melody, voice, and lyrics perfectly; it has awesome guitar riffs and solos, Hayley's power singing through most of the song, and lyrics I would kill for, especially because of simple hook (you know, "Ba da ba ba da da ba da") and chorus ("Well, go get your shovel and we'll dig a deep hole, to bury the castle, bury the castle"). This doesn't mean this is the only good song from the album, songs like "Ignorance", "Stuck on You", "Misguided Ghosts", "Playing God", and "The Only Exception" are also excellent.

Paramore is a band that performs solidly in all the aspects that make up a good band, while being very original and unmistakable, characteristics that make it deserve the place as an Essential.

The Essentials: Muse

by: Carlos Figueroa

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Devon, England. Since their inception, the band has comprised Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals), and Dominic Howard (drums and percussion). Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances and their fusion of many music genres, including progressive rock, classical music and electronica. The band has released 5 full-length studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), and The Resistance (2009).

Muse is one of the bands that displays versatility but at the same time keeps a signature style, proving itself adaptable yet loyal to its own style. The band also has the characteristic of setting up huge shows when on tour or performing at any event, while delivering amazing vocal and instrumental performances.

A wide variety of songs by Muse are rich in guitars and falsettos, a characteristic that led the band to be compared with Radiohead in their first album, Showbiz. Even with comparisons like this, songs like "Uno" are a must-have in your playlists. On the other hand, the band's second album, Origin of Symmetry, introduced songs like "Hyper Music", "New Born", "Bliss", and "Plug In Baby", which show the band's vocal power and musical fusing capability. The bands last three albums show the band in its full scope of creativity and talent with songs like "Do the Absolution", "Stockholm Syndrome", "Apocalypse Please", "Time is Running Out" (Absolution), "Super massive Black Hole", "Starlight" (Black Holes and Revelations), "Uprising", and their lates single, "Undisclosed Desires" (The Resistance).

With over 10 years of career, Muse proves itself a legend, a band that portrays the essentials of versatility, originality, and variety, making Muse an essential.

The Essentials: The Academy Is...:

by: Carlos Figueroa

The Academy Is... (sometimes abbreviated TAI) is an American alternative rock band from Barrington, Illinois formed in 2003. As of 2009, the band has released three full albums, Almost Here, Santi, and their newest album, Fast Times at Barrington High.

For those of you who are into alternative rock, TAI is a band that combines great lyrics and melody with killer guitar riffs and powerful vocals by the band's vocalist, William "Bill" Beckett.

Among the bands albums, we find Almost Here (2005), Santi (2007), and Fast Times at Barrington High (2008). From these albums we can find various songs that show both the bands melodic capacities and Beckett's singing/songwriting abilities. From Almost Here, we can point out songs such as "Skeptics and True Believers", a song that exemplifies the band's use of guitar riffs. From Santi, the album anchor is "We've Got a BIg Mess in Our Hands", characterized by powerful vocals accompanied by amazing guitar riffs. It is followed closely by "Sleeping with Giants (Lifetime)", in which the band displays some of its best melodies.

Last but not least, Fast Times at Barrington High demonstrates the band's versatility by having songs that are great in vocals, melody, and lyrics. My recommendation is to listen and download the whole album, specially recommending the songs "About a Girl", which excels lyrically and vocally, "Summer Hair=Forever Young", in which the guitar steals the show (although the lyrics also shine through), and "The Test", probably the band's best ballad.

The Academy Is... is a promising band with an apparently good future ahead. With the release of their latest EP/AP, Lost in Pacific Time: The AP/EP, the band seems to be coming to stay as the quality of their melody and Beckett's vocals seems to be impeccable. Because of this, TAI is an essential.