Welcome to the new Bonefish Grill Music Blog. We get many questions – “what is the Bonefish Grill Sound?” or “who is that artist?”
The Sound is built on current musical selections on the fringe of mainstream Pop and Rock, and punctuated by New Soul, Indie, New Wave and classic Alternative tunes without ever being “coffee shop Folk” or overly “Rocking” or veering into Grunge, Punk, Metal or Rap.
In other words – a curated selection of great music.
This blog will share some of the artists that we love and maybe even share a few discoveries along the way.
We pride ourselves on featuring "emerging artists" but let face it - what is "an emerging artist" anyways? For 2011, let's posit that it’s someone who doesn't yet have a Wikipedia page.
Could this be where we've come to? After all, Miley Cyrus not only has a Wiki listing, but she has 152 footnotes to prove she's an important, discovered artist. Justin Bieber? 111 footnotes and a spreadsheet of awards and nominations. Even one hit wonder "Benny Mardones" has a wiki-page.
Is there anyone left?
It's both sad and somewhat ironic that this talented New Brunswick, New Jersey band that celebrates everything American has thus far attained greater success in Europe than here in their home country.
Formed in 2005, the band came to prominence with their 2008 album “The '59 Sound” which Slant magazine describes as “a collection of fist-pumping songs about being young, getting out and finding love in the small towns that exist by the side of the highway.” Remember hearing “Born To Run” for first time? Twenty-four years later, “The ’59 Sound” updates that sound for a new generation.
Guster's appropriately titled "Easy Wonderful" was a 2010 top 5 album selection for "the Bonefish Grill Sound" which puts it in pretty lofty company.
The band has been together since 1991 and really hit its stride with 2006's "Ganging Up On The Sun." Four years later, 2010's "Easy Wonderful" finds the band at the top of their game.
This is pop music at its best with a capital "P" - as cuddly as a koala bear and as comforting as a security blanket.
Carolina Liar is one of those rare discoveries that combine a highly listenable, instantly appealing sound that is also entirely unique.
One obvious explanation is that the Los Angeles based band is fronted by South Carolina's Chad Wolf but most of the band members hail from Sweden (the land of Ikea, Volvo and Saab along with music artists Abba, Roxette, The Cardigans, The Hives and Koop).
It's ironic that as the music industry currently struggles, we have probably the largest number of yet-to-be-discovered artists creating some of the finest music ever.
At Bonefish Grill, we're committed to seeking out emerging artists and take real pleasure in sharing the best of our finds. Case in point – we mailed out over 600,000 CDs last month featuring 11 of today's best up-and-coming artists ranging from young upstart Will Cooper to industry veterans Koko Taylor and JJ Grey.
At Bonefish Grill, we're passionate about discovering twists on familiar songs- remixes, acoustic versions and especially covers. That said, we're also the first to acknowledge that 95% of cover songs fall short of the original and that some iconic originals are best left untouched. So, our quest is often long, often thorny but discovering overlooked gems is a thrill like no other.
Which brings us to "Gimme Shelter" which sits at the lofty position of #38 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Collaborations all too often fall short of their promise. Mick Jagger & David Bowie never really got us “Dancing In The Streets” and Elton John & Eminem, well that was one where people were begging “Do Let The Sun Go Down On Thee”.
Yvonne Fair first gained fame as a back-up singer for James Brown with whom she also had a daughter. She then toured frequently as a solo artist but never found real fame and is best remembered for the ballad “It Should Have Been Me”. She sadly died in 1994 at the age of 51 yet, she left behind a true masterpiece of 70’s music.