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Does humidity even matter much in the winter? If it's below freezing the humidity is going to be extremely low no matter what in absolute terms. Now things like cloudiness and wind speed definitely do make a difference.
The reason we run it is because we have hardwood floors so it was recommended by the builder in relation to how tight the house was built and the fact the furnace makes the air even drier. Also, there is a comfort factor where I am prone to nasal irritation and sometimes bleeds due to the dryness. Conversely, when I lived in Colorado I has to use a humidifier almost year round to compensate for the dryness there.
I go Sonics and Suicide Commandos, but it's weird how these two cities had similar boom times in rock.
Seattle was developing a new US rock sound in the early 60s pre-Brit Invasion (Wailers, Sonics) when Italian crooners were all the rage and rock was proclaimed "dead"; a similar but less-heralded scene was banging in MN/WI, fueled by the low drinking age and border bar dance scene. Milwaukee had more professional rock bands than London in the early 60s, and tiny Appleton WI had over 100. Minny was right on the border and provided tons of bands and studios to the border bar scene. Elsewhere in the country, this type of scene was rare.
Both had late 70s punk scenes, but neither were as notable as the scene from a decade before. Minneapolis boomed underground in the 80s (Husker Du, Replacements) but only one band (Soul Asylum) had hits during the commercial grunge period of the early 90s. Seattle boomed around Sup Pop label/zine/comps undergound during the 80s and had many hit bands in the early 90s.
Both had riot grrrl.
Both had rare black music icons that were also/primarily "rockers" in Prince and Hendrix (who grew up seeing bands like the Wailers and ended up covering some of their common covers, like "Hey Joe").
Both are far north and fairly white, but also had more cultural crossover because of it (PNW was supposedly the most integrated of all regions of the country during 50s/60s dance band shows, from rnb to rock).
MN definitely was better in the 50s - rockabilly, instro, and the like. But otherwise, they have very similar rock/cultural histories in a lot of ways.
I go Sonics and Suicide Commandos, but it's weird how these two cities had similar boom times in rock.
Yeah, I definitely could have delved MUCH deeper into my musical tastes that apply to both cities, but you covered a lot of that for me. I just didn't think too many C-D folks would actually know who I was talking about, but apparently a few do. Or at least you do. The Sonics and Wailers are two of my all time favorites. In fact, I just recently saw the Sonics (original members), and they still tear it up live... but now I digress.
See, this has kind of been my point about these two towns. They may be separated by a lot of miles, in two distinctly different regions, with different climates and different landscapes, but culturally they have shared much in common for quite some time, and continue to do so. The sound isn't exactly the same, but the spirit definitely is.
Cheers to you on your musical knowledge. I find that quite rare and refreshing in these forums.
I go Sonics and Suicide Commandos, but it's weird how these two cities had similar boom times in rock.
Seattle was developing a new US rock sound in the early 60s pre-Brit Invasion (Wailers, Sonics) when Italian crooners were all the rage and rock was proclaimed "dead"; a similar but less-heralded scene was banging in MN/WI, fueled by the low drinking age and border bar dance scene. Milwaukee had more professional rock bands than London in the early 60s, and tiny Appleton WI had over 100. Minny was right on the border and provided tons of bands and studios to the border bar scene. Elsewhere in the country, this type of scene was rare.
Both had late 70s punk scenes, but neither were as notable as the scene from a decade before. Minneapolis boomed underground in the 80s (Husker Du, Replacements) but only one band (Soul Asylum) had hits during the commercial grunge period of the early 90s. Seattle boomed around Sup Pop label/zine/comps undergound during the 80s and had many hit bands in the early 90s.
Both had riot grrrl.
Both had rare black music icons that were also/primarily "rockers" in Prince and Hendrix (who grew up seeing bands like the Wailers and ended up covering some of their common covers, like "Hey Joe").
Both are far north and fairly white, but also had more cultural crossover because of it (PNW was supposedly the most integrated of all regions of the country during 50s/60s dance band shows, from rnb to rock).
MN definitely was better in the 50s - rockabilly, instro, and the like. But otherwise, they have very similar rock/cultural histories in a lot of ways.
Digression!
Great post.
Not sure I'd say Prince was primarily a rocker though. His Pre-Purple Rain work was pretty heavily funk, soul, and R&B and most of the artists he inspired like The Time and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were R&B. Prince is a jack of all trades though.
I agree Hendrix was all rock. He's probably the only black musical icon I know that seems to be more popular in the Caucasian demographic than the AA community.
The Twin Cities are, without any ounce of doubt, Midwest. Arguing upper Midwest doesn't change the fact that it is Midwestern, through and through. It's like trying to argue that an object isn't a piano because it's a grand piano.
Of course there are regional nuances, but that happens in every part of the country; e.g. Hartford and NYC, Atlanta and Tallahassee, San Francisco and Pasadena, etc.
Right so for those who are concerned with *regional nuances* it's a regional nuance!
It is Midwest but it is Upper Midwest. I live in CA and I've lived in Manhattan and people sometimes say (usually not very well-traveled people) "oh flyover country."
True, it is flyover but there's a huge difference between Chicago, MSP and say Nebraska and Oklahoma. MN is much more Scandinavian, East Coast (or Seattle) vibe and borders Canada.
Pasadena and San Francisco doesn't even make sense. Those are cities in the same state. They are TOTALLY different. I'm not debating St. Paul vs. Minneapolis, I'm debating MN vs. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska traditional "Midwest" states.
(For example, San Francisco is a coastal city with 50 micro-climates and Pasadena is inland and hot and much smaller.) I also do not think "Hartford and NYC" are "regional nuances." I think they are totally different cities in totally different states.
You can call it whatever you want but in terms of actual factual reality -- MN is Upper Midwest and very different from "Midwest" Midwest.
Both had late 70s punk scenes, but neither were as notable as the scene from a decade before. Minneapolis boomed underground in the 80s (Husker Du, Replacements) but only one band (Soul Asylum) had hits during the commercial grunge period of the early 90s. Seattle boomed around Sup Pop label/zine/comps undergound during the 80s and had many hit bands in the early 90s.
I think by the time the '90s rolled around the stuff coming out of Minneapolis was too underground to ever make it big. Seattle grunge was more easily digestible for the masses. The Cows were never going to be big rock stars. There were some bands that recorded some good music, but had trouble getting shows locally because their fans didn't drink enough (Green Machine, Gneissmaker), and other that were great live but put out bad albums (TVBC, Savage Aural Hotbed).
By the '90s the social scene around the Minneapolis music scene had become really dysfunctional and self destructive. There were too many junkie scenesters trying to out do each other to be the most punk rock, which alienated and drove away the more contemplative creative types who made it interesting in the first place. It became more about liquor and smack and looking cool, and less about making interesting things. In many ways I think the Minneapolis creative community is healthier and more fertile now than it has ever been. It lacks star power to give it hype but it has a lot more depth. At some point I think the stars will come.
Also it is more devoted to visual arts rather than music now.
Last edited by Drewcifer; 09-12-2014 at 12:17 AM..
Bobloblawslawblog - don't get me started on this stuff (I mean it!). Sonics are a top 5 deal for me. Had to miss them thus far, probably won't get a chance in the future but it's one I would travel for, for sure. First heard them as a kid in the early 80s and that's when I realized that the "punk" spirit was alive quite a bit before the late 70s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UTHORNS96
Great post.
Not sure I'd say Prince was primarily a rocker though. His Pre-Purple Rain work was pretty heavily funk, soul, and R&B and most of the artists he inspired like The Time and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were R&B. Prince is a jack of all trades though.
I agree Hendrix was all rock. He's probably the only black musical icon I know that seems to be more popular in the Caucasian demographic than the AA community.
Yeah, I was fudging a bit. But Prince I think is a rock crossover - he plays tons of instruments, jams on guitar, etc. My favorite Prince stuff is that early electronic funk/soul, a small and limited genre that I have a strong affinity for. Timmy Thomas, some Suge Otis, even Sly Stone experimented with it very early on. More minimal background the better, I love the stark contrast between that and a great, soulful vocalist.
Drewcifer - Cows actually got a good amount of press, but I agree with you somewhat. I'd say that another strike was the powerful Sub Pop marketing machine, along with a local MN roster that wasn't quite as deep. AmRep had a much less inviting face than Sub Pop (Haze is a bit prickly, to say the least), and the roster didn't focus as much on the metro as they did on the Upper Midwest region. You gave some great local knowledge there, but one thing you left out - the Profane Existence scene, Havoc, whatever you want to call it. Basically, peacock-haired political street punks that cared more about image and politics than music. HUGE in the Twin Cities, and still is to an extent. And that's why the town has been, with some exceptions, muscially dead (in terms of local acts) since that time period. However, as you stated, the visual arts scene exploded around that time, and continues to be impressive.
Not sure what bands you're talking about currently, but most of what I've liked in recent years revolves around a small group of people (especially Eli - Real Numbers and so on).
Pasadena and San Francisco doesn't even make sense. Those are cities in the same state. They are TOTALLY different. I'm not debating St. Paul vs. Minneapolis, I'm debating MN vs. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska traditional "Midwest" states.
You can call it whatever you want but in terms of actual factual reality -- MN is Upper Midwest and very different from "Midwest" Midwest.
Many people don't even include those states you list as 'traditional Midwest' as part of the Midwest. I've never heard of anyone saying that Oklahoma is Midwest. The traditional Midwest states are the Great Lakes states + Iowa. Most people would also include people from STL and KC, rural Missouri is +/-. The Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas are the plains states, included in the broader Census definition of the Midwest, but definitely not the 'traditional Midwest.' Oklahoma is the South or Southwest.
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