Once upon a time in a far away land, there was a band called the Beatles. They wrote a song called “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. This little ditty became the British band’s first number-one hit, and began the British invasion in America. The only physical contact it alluded to was hand-holding. Not to be an extremist, but what happened to those days? Do artists really believe that the only way to make a song great is to wrap it up in sexual innuendos and degrading lyrics? Obviously, they do, because people seem to be buying the songs. In our age, what we listen to on the radio is what we want to listen to. Most radio stations play songs that people request. So why are people’s standards so low?

As listeners, we have the power over what streams through the radio waves.  Too often, people don’t take advantage of this power! I’ve been in the car countless times when either I or someone else has turned to every possible station and said, “Nothing good is ever on the radio.” I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because we don’t do anything about it. We can call the radio stations to request songs that we want to hear.

So ladies and gentlemen, I want to encourage you to do two things. One, be a critic of the music you listen to and have standards. That’s not to say you should just listen to Radio Disney for the rest of your life, but know your limits, and be conscious of what is going into your ears. Secondly, realize that the music industry is by the people and for the people. It’s there to serve you. Take advantage of that supremacy and always feel free to call your radio station to request songs or to complain about overplayed songs.  Let’s make a difference. I’ll be listening.

It’s also kind of weird that some rappers give themselves such strange nicknames – Waka Flaka and Gucci Mane.  Aren’t those names sort of strange?!  Names like Drake and Taylor Swift are okay.  Their music is okay, too.  I used to like the strange rappers music, but now that I can better understand what they are saying…I DON’T THINK SO!

Oh, and what about their videos?  That’s a whole other story!!!!!

This is a typical music video from the music group Grizzly Bear, a band that meshes poetic lyrics, beautiful harmonies, and bizarre ideas to create a genre of music that blows one’s mind away.  For those of you who haven’t heard of this alternative music group, Grizzly Bear is a memorable, unconventional band that has performed on TV and radio, Paul Simon, and Feist and even has a soundtrack on Twilight’s latest “New Moon” CD.

What makes their music so mesmerizing, so exceptional, is that the songs they write are captivating, but not mainstream.  Their quirkiness and appeal are matched only by their music videos.   Just like the band’s music, their videos exhibit a high level of creativity, humor, and engagement.  They have a new CD out called “Veckatimest”, which has one of my favorite songs, “Two Weeks.”  If you get the chance, check it out.

The Beatles revolutionized music within their nine years as a band, and even over forty years later, they continue to be a chief influence to musicians around the world. Within a decade, they went from being a local English band to a legendary icon worldwide. Not only are they appealing audibly but visually. For these particular reasons, it only made sense to Drake to dedicate an entire game of Rock Band to them. The process, as you can imagine, was not easy. The creative developers worked with the Beatles’ own Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, as well as Yoko Ono to represent the late John Lennon and Olivia and Dhani Harrison on behalf of George Harrison. They were meticulously involved in the entire process of creating an experience that allows other people to stand in their shoes, play their music, and belt out their beloved hits. Drake admits that it was very hard to please all five members of the Beatles’ party, but in the end all the criticism only made the game better. The project was evidently successful, as over one million copies of the game have already been sold.

As any Beatles fan knows, the British foursome was deeply into love and charity. Stone Chin (PR for Xbox) helped make it possible for The Beatles Rock Band users to follow in their footsteps. Unlike most video games, this game is beneficial globally. Any time someone purchases “All You Need is Love” at the online Xbox store, proceeds go to a Charity called “Doctors Without Borders”, which provides assistance in nearly 60 countries to people threatened by

violence, diseases, etc. Perhaps you’d like a hand painted Beatles Xbox console. Fifty exquisite consoles have been made, and each will be auctioned off for “Doctors Without Borders” as well. The last hand painted Xbox 360 was auctioned for $18,000.

The Beatles Rock Band for Xbox 360 captures the very essence of all that is The Beatles. It is full of their greatest songs, gives money to charity, and educates children in music appreciation, inspiring them with the hits of the greatest band of the yesterday, today, and surely of tomorrow.

For more information on “Doctors Without Borders”, go to www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
John Drake is also the drummer for The Main Drag, a Boston-based band in which all five members are employees of Harmonix. You may recognize their song “Jagged Gorgeous Winter” from Rock Band 2.