BY MIKEY MIGO
We've seen this happen many times over the years. A band gets great, worms its way into our soul, and then they break up. It sucks, but it happens. A band is like any other relationship. Some just aren't meant to last, while some like The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and the like just keep going and going. Sure the long time bands will have their inner disputes, lose a member, gain a member, and have their issues. But they stay together in the long run. The bands that break up go their separate ways and we're forced to sit back and expected to support their solo projects. I love Led Zeppelin, but I've never cared about any of Robert Plant's solo stuff no matter how much I loved his work in the band. Same can be said for a lot of people. Then there are folks that are better away from a group. It all depends on the person, really.
This is still happening today. Bands break up and they split off into their own things. But sometimes a band will take a break or a "hiatus" as they love calling it. During their down time bands split off. Some take a break from music all together and some do their own solo projects. Today we're going to look at a few bands that are still around today who have recently seen their singers go off on their own… while on "hiatus".
Julian Casablancas
[The Strokes] The Strokes are one of those bands that is amazing. I take pride in the fact that I "turned friends on" to The Strokes back when I first heard "Last Nite". I still had dial up internet and had to invest a lot of time waiting for the song to load, but when I did it was great. It's always fun to get on a bandwagon when there is plenty of room. Then over the years their fan base has exploded. They have become one of the biggest bands of the last decade. The shirt that simply says "The Strokes" with the circle logo has become part of modern pop culture and that's just a shirt. It doesn't feel like they've had a huge monster hit, but tons of very awesome singles and a handful of great albums. They've been on hiatus since 2006. Pretty much everyone in the band has put out some solo work of some sort, but Julian's stands out the most. It's still the same voice, because yeah, he is the singer, but it's a bit more tongue-in-cheek than The Strokes. If you watch the video for "11th Dimension"(above) you'll see just how weird this guy can get. He has also work with the Lonely Island guys for "Boombox", which also ended up being a Digital Short. His love for SNL is apparent as he has also recorded and released his cover of "I Wish It Was Christmas Today". Of course, being a fan of The Strokes I'd of rather had more Strokes music but it's cool to hear and see Julian branch out and do some more light hearted stuff. It's not that The Strokes is a super serious band, but they have their "thing". Luckily for us fans, they're finally working on new material and a new album is slated for a first quarter 2011 release.
Sully Erna
[Godsmack] Godsmack is better than most folk give them credit for. They've carried on what bands like Alice in Chains had started in the 90's and put their own stank on it. I'd categorize them as "grunge metal", but they have more depth to them than that simple label. They've put out some huge rock hits over the past decade or so have had music in movies, commercials, and pretty much anywhere and everywhere that music can be displayed and shared. I'm not a super fan or anything, but a casual supporter. Outside of their CDs, I've seen them in concert once. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but what resulted was one of the best hard rock concerts I've been to. Other than the stage spinning for a bad ass drum solo, this band is a no bullshit rock band like a Sevendust or a Pearl Jam to a lesser extent. I don't care how many generic rock singles they put out, and I'll admit they have, their live show gives them a pass in my book. I'm a big fan of their acoustic album from a few years ago. And that's more or less what you get with Sully's long awaited solo album. It's damn good if you're into Godsmack. It's multi-layered, full of depth, emotive melody, and takes you on a journey. It feels like a concept album, but it more so rests on the vibe. It's just not that much of a departure. I'm not saying he should of pulled a Dee Dee Ramone and went out and rapped, but it's the same stuff pretty much that Godsmack has made their signature over the years. Could this album have been a Godsmack album? Absolutely, and a great one at that.
Big Boi/Andre 3000
[Outkast] Outkast is the greatest hip hop group duo of all time. There just is no debating that. Andre 3000 and Big Boi have worked up the ladder of success with hit after hit, monster album after monster album, and hit video after hit video. They expand what people have defined in their mind as "hip hop" pretty much each time out. Their biggest success was their double album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below". I know each of them had their solo album, but it was still one big collaborative project when it was said and done. Dre hit big with "Hey Ya!" and Big Boi had "The Way You Move". With both tracks being out there, all felt well. Sure it was basically two solo albums, but it was still released under the Outkast banner. Then Dre kind of vanished. He was in a few movies like "Semi-Pro" and "Four Brothers", but not much else going on. Meanwhile, Big Boi keeps working. He tours, which I saw him put on a hot show a few years ago, he does movies like "Who's Your Caddy?", and he still cranks out the music. His recent album called "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty" was great. It's one of the most solid hip hop albums I've heard this year. Why can't Dre put something out? They could of put Big Boi's "Chico Dusty" out with something new by Dre and recreated the same formula of their Grammy mopper double album from before. It just makes sense. They had SO MUCH momentum going forward, evolving, and taking their claim to the best in all of hip hop but just went away for awhile. Not many are smoother than Big Boi and artistic as Andre 3000, if any at all. But together, these two are pretty much unstoppable.
Serj Tankian
[System of a Down] I honestly think System of a Down was on its way to being one of the definitive bands of this generation. It would have been The White Stripes, Foo Fighters, and System of a Down to hold it down for us. Sadly, System went on hiatus in 2006 right when they were potentially one or two albums away from reaching an iconic status. They could come back and still do it, but the hot iron they could of stroke may be losing steam. What happened instead was Serj went on to release two solo albums. He put out "Elect the Dead" in 2007. It was well received by those who heard it, but sadly I don't think it caught on nearly as much as ANY System album. And that sucks because it's a great album. It's a great album that still sounds a bit like System. Well, "good System", before the backing vocals of Daron became co-lead vocals. Then pretty recently he put out "Imperfect Harmonies". I think this one is a bit more of a stretch and sounds like how a "solo project" should sound. It's a departure from what most System fans are used to, but still just as impactful and has just as much quality. Still, I think this is a monster that should keep its heads on one shoulder. New System of a Down would make a lot of people a bit happier.
Brandon Flowers
[The Killers] The Killers are one of those bands. It's a band that I'm not a fanatic of, but I often find myself enjoying and getting behind. It's just a sound that fits my ear nicely. I like witty, melody, and creativity. They have good inspirations and mix elements very nicely. I always think "Bowie" and "Talking Heads" and then normally something completely random. Sadly, instead of dropping a new Killers album the band took a hiatus and singer Brandon Flowers put out his own studio album. It's good stuff, but I want to believe it could be better under the banner of "The Killers". And really, his voice and style is so distinct that if you play it for someone who's only a casual listener they'd most likely just assume it was a new Killers track.
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