Author Archives: Ryan Jacobson

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Top 100 Songs of 2017 (100-91)

To any music fan, the best part about the end of every year is not holidays, vacations, or time spent with family and loved ones: it is the end of the year music countdowns. This year, to commemorate the 8th year of Ryan’s Countdown’s “Best Songs of the Year”  there will once again be a Top 100 Songs of 2017 Countdown.

Top 100 Songs of 2016 Countdown
Top 100 Songs of 2015 Countdown

Each list of 10 songs will be released every few days throughout the month of December, until the reveal of the #1 Song of 2017.

While the majority of the Top 100 Songs of the Year are all rock based, there is still a wide array of sub-genres represented in this years countdown. The list is littered with alt-rock songs, including indie rock and folk rock. There is, however, also a significant showing of pop-rock, country-rock, hard rock, and even a dusting of electric rock songs.

Certainly the lines of what is considered “Rock” may be blurred, but each of these listener friendly songs, were either released in 2017, or released in 2016, but gained notoriety in 2017.

Please feel free to chime in (comments section) and let me know whether or not you agree with my well thought out, carefully selected, and correct choices. Enjoy the countdown, and Happy Holidays!

 

100. “Live in the Moment” – Portugal. The Man

“Live in the Moment,” the latest single from Portugal. The Man’s eighth studio album, Woodstock is a rock sing-along that is sure to get the party started, and a reminder that life is short, so make the best of the time that you have.

99. “Hideaway” – Dan Owen

“Hideaway,” the soulful, bluesy rock track from up and coming UK artist, Dan Owen, has enough passion and grit to fill an arena the size of Rhode Island. Expect big things from this guy in 2018.

98. “Suit And Jacket” – Judah and the Lion

“Suit and Jacket” is about wanting to live life to the fullest despite time going by and everyone getting older. “We can not control the time we die, but we can control what we do with the time here,” says Judah.

Who hasn’t wished time would slow the hell down and ease up on us every now and then?

97. “Down” – Marian Hill

Despite teetering on the verge of being overplayed for a few months in the spring, I am still very much down-da-da-down-da-da-down with this catchy as hell track from the Philadelphia duo.

96. “The Way You Used To Do” – Queens of the Stone Age

I’m pretty sure the makers of Guitar Hero are giddy with excitement every time Queens of the Stone Age release a new hit. I’m not sure if Guitar Hero is still a thing, but if it is, when the next version is released you can fully expect to spend countless hours trying to get past the guitar solo of this song before throwing your plastic guitar into your flatscreen TV and giving up on life altogether.

95. “Slow Hands” – Niall Horan

Since when has Marvin Gaye become a blonde haired, blue eyed, British twenty-something?

It seems as though One Direction was very good to the young lads in the UK boy band, especially when it came to teaching them how to write the most sensual songs since “Let’s Get It On.”

94. “She Said” – Sundara Karma

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what this song is about. It kind of hurts my brain to even think about it. I am picking up on some “Somebody told me you had a boyfriend, who looks like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year” vibes from The Killers. And comparing anything to The Killers is about the highest musical compliment I know how to give.

93. “War” – Good Charlotte

Just in case you may have thought that the killer track “Makeshift Love” was a fluke back in 2015, Good Charlotte gave us a swift kick to the balls this year and reminded us that they still haven’t gone anywhere. “War” is proof that the Madden brothers have grown up, but still know how to rock out just as hard as they used to.

92. “Everything Now” – Arcade Fire

I totally understand that “Everything Now” may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t think I have ever disliked anything as much as this Spin contributor hates this entire album.

For me, I find “Everything Now” nearly impossible to not sing along with. It is fun, upbeat, and a perfectly enjoyable song to listen to while driving down the highway with the top rolled down. Also, its damn near impossible to mess up on the lyrics for like 85% of the song, so sing along in confidence, my friends.

91. “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” – MISSIO

As if

just the thought of the bottom of the deep blue sea isn’t creepy enough for you, MISSIO made sure that you would have nightmares after watching their horrifying video for the dark, bone-chilling follow up to their breakout hit “Middle Fingers.”

Showing a completely different side than the catchy “Middle Fingers,” MISSIO has proven this year that they are not a one-tick pony. They are a band to keep your eyes and ears on in 2018.

 

Songs 90-81 

 

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Getting to Know the New Band “Three Times Distilled”

What happens when you take five days, four bottles of Jameson, three talented musicians, (two complete strangers), and one badass producer? Well, if you are anything like the new band Three Times Distilled, then what happens is pure magic.

Formed on a whim by guitarist Joey Michel who knew the other band members, drummer, Spencer Wolford and Vocalist, Tyler Seton, as well as producer, Tira Neal, from completely different stages of his life, Three Times Distilled could have been just an easy excuse to party in a cabin for a week, but their results speak for themselves.

After all agreeing to meet in Colorado to see what happens after Michels’ called them each individually and told them to “trust him,” they all combined their musical talents and formed one cohesive unit. In five short days the guys not only recorded four tracks and a music video, but also hired a videographer to film a short documentary of the band meeting, recording, and capture the birth of their band.

Their first track, “I Had A Real Good Lover,” a combination of classic rock meets Nathaniel Rateliffe with a dash of John Mayer, the track will appeal not only to classic rock lovers, modern rock lovers, or pop rock lovers, but to music lovers in general.

After fully funding the project themselves, Three Times Distilled spent fifty hours in the studio last May trying to synthesize each other’s musical direction and understanding. Since then, the band has been putting the finishing touches on their creation, which includes everything from deciding on a band name, to mastering their first EP.

Speaking of the name Three Times Distilled, Michels says they decided on the name over multiple bottles of Jameson. Just as Jameson is three times distilled to extract the purity of the alcohol, the band Three Times Distilled focuses on making pure music without the gimmicks.

This past Tuesday the band released their second single, an epic, passionate rendition of “Use Me”, a cover of Bill Withers’ 1972 chart-topping soul hit. Give it a listen below and hear for yourself what three guys did in five days. Then imagine what they would sound like with five months in a studio.

With minimal equipment, time, and plan of action, Three Times Distilled has proven they have what it takes to compete in the business, and are here to stay.

Want to learn more about the band?

Visit their website at www.threexdistilled.com like them on Facebook, or hear their music on any of the platforms below.

Itunes: https://goo.gl/HLQobz
Amazon: https://goo.gl/5Qht2d
Spotify: https://goo.gl/ko5v4w

 

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Top 10 Facts Any Wine Lover Should Know About French Wine

Between Bordeaux and Beaujolais, and Champagne and Chablis, where does one even begin to get their facts straight about the vast world of French wine? With so much to know about the world’s most prestigious wine country, who has the time to learn it all?

Fear not… the following 10 facts will take you from newbie to at least a novice in just a few minutes.

(image courtesy of france.com)

 

10. French Wine is Known to Be the Benchmark For Which All Great Wines Are Compared

Many people know that France is considered to be the among the worldwide leaders of fine cuisine, but in the wine world, they are also used as the benchmark to which most fine wines are judged. 

 

9. The French Invented the Term “Terroir”

The term terroir is defined as “the environmental conditions, especially soil and climate, in which grapes are grown and that give a wine its unique flavor and aroma.” It was coined by the French when they discovered that wine expresses a specific quality relative to its geographical place of growth.

 

8. Thank Your Local Clergymen For Your Favorite Beverage

Back in the day, most of the vines and vineyards were owned and tended to by the Catholic church and monasteries. Today, when we want to celebrate a major victory by our favorite sports team, or when we feel the urge to splurge on an expensive bottle to impress a hot date, we know who to call… our old buddy, Dom Pérignon.   

But what many people do not know, is that Pérignon was a monk that was a pioneer of wine making techniques, many of which are still used today.

 

7. Wine Fraud is a Thing

Back in the early 1900’s so many people were trying to pawn off cheap wine as more expensive wine, that the French decided to make an entire system of wine rules and laws to try to regulate all the wine being produced (more on that system later).

 

6. France is First Among Wine Producing Countries

France produces approximately 8 billion bottles of wine each year, making it the leading producer of wine in the world.

 

5. France is Divided Into Three Parts

Both climatically and geographically, France is divided into 3 parts; Northern France, Southern France, and the Atlantic Coast. Each region has its own unique terroir, grape varietals and identity.

 

4. A Plant Eating Insect Almost Single-Handedly Ruined All French Wine

Back in 1860, a microscopic insect called Phylloxera nearly destroyed the entirety of France’s vineyards. Thankfully, however, the good ole’ USA stepped in and saved the day by offering our Phylloxera resistant root stock to graft their ailing grape vines onto. Still today, many of France’s wine regions are half of their original size before the outbreak.

 

3. There Are Six Big Players in French Wine

While the exact number may be debatable, there are anywhere between six and nine major wine regions in France. However, it is undeniable that the following six regions are the key players in France’s wine game…

  • Bordeaux
  • Burgundy
  • Champagne
  • The Loire Valley
  • The Rhone Valley
  • Alsace

Some of the other regions that many may consider to be key players are Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. Also, there is the age-old debate of whether Beaujolais is part of Burgundy, or its own entity.

 

2. The Forming of the AOC Changed the Wine Game Forever

The French developed a set of laws and regulations called the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designed to uphold the standards that French wine became known for. Based on terroir and regional varieties, rules were put into place to ensure that all wines produced are what they claim to be, all of which are held to a clear set of standards. From table wine to the most prestigious of wines, you can rest assured that thanks to the AOC, you get what you pay for.

 

1. France Loves Ranking Things Even More Than I Do

Back in 1855 Napoleon III decided to unveil the mother of all rankings: The Médoc Classification of 1855. Based on wine reputation and prices, the best Chateaux were ranked from 1st to 5th Growths (Cru).

This classification has remained in place ever since, with only one notable edit… Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, which was originally a second-growth and advanced to a first growth in 1973 after much persistence from Baron Rothschild himself.