I don’t know how you can really put in a compelling argument for despising Huey Lewis & The News.
Granted, I can’t imagine making a case for adoring them either.
At the crux of it, Huey Lewis & The News is just there. That one part in American Psycho before Christian Bale kills Jared Leto over some yuppie shit… yeah, that’s Huey’s album he’s eulogizing before Leto gets the ax. Huey’s guaranteed to be in someone’s tailgating mix when you go to any sporting event with your drunk uncle. I’ll even bet your uncle will belt “The Power of Love” until he pukes in his mouth.
My father is one of the people though who, on command, could give you a full lecture on the importance of Huey Lewis & The News, which is why I was hesitant to show him Speedy Ortiz. As I was cueing up “Raising the Skate”, he was explaining how Huey persisted over a decade before the mainstream gave him recognition. Speedy took about four years to rise from hometown pride to “that band Hannibal Buress drummed for at SXSW”. Their ascent doesn’t feel rushed or premature in any way when listening to Foil Deer, their (deservingly) acclaimed sophomore LP. Huey writes carefree, every-man songs that’ll tear any workplace woes to shreds come 5 PM. Sadie Dupuis writes songs that’ll just shred you in their raucous wake, leaving mouthfuls of lyrics to pore over for weeks after. This isn’t an argument of “who’s a more valid musician” by any means though. This is a study of bringing a middle aged dad that feared alternative radio in his kids’ childhood beyond the confines of his hip squareness. My hope was that “Raising The Skate” would take him right to the edge; it would be his choice to embrace Speedy’s strange, calculated force or retreat back to the carefree safety of ’80s pop rock.
#2: Speedy Ortiz – “Raising The Skate”
Dad: Can you pull up the lyrics?
Tim: Sure, why?
Dad: The part [at 1:19] where it’s like “ba-rum”! Bah-roo? I don’t know what the hell that was.
Tim: I dunno if that’s anything. Maybe it’s just like “ooh’s”, something mindless.
D: Is it “beirut”? Wahoo? Wah-ooh, werewolves of London… [proceeds to sing the chorus of “Werewolves of London”]
T: Alright, initial thoughts beyond that lyric?
D: I like her voice a lot! She had a great range, like she can scream a bit and get low. I’d love to hear more of her!
T: Kinda surprised by that actually. A lot of people say Speedy’s reminiscent of grunge, you know, like ‘90s alternative. We never had anything like that playing when I was growing up.
D: I was trying to compare it to a band and I couldn’t think of one! It did sound like the Nirvana-type beat, but I never liked Nirvana because I like a good melody. I didn’t understand them. This band had a better melody than some of Nirvana’s. They’re like grunge, but better, I guess. I don’t like the drum choice though.
T: What do you mean?
D: The drum really bothered me. It’s like he went in and drummed to a different song. It didn’t match the song to me. Guitars were very cool, very haunting at times. Although they screeched a couple times, got a little…twangy, like a country song.
T: Twangy?!
D: It’s funny with the guitars; you say you don’t like country because it’s got that twang, but this guitarist at time has got a twaaaangy thing here.
T: I mean, I don’t know if I’d call it that. Like, maybe some alt-country in there, but…
D: You wanna hear it? It was like “tw-iii-ng.” Pretty decent song though… I’m not sure if it’s a song I’d like to pop in and drive down the highway to. It wasn’t a cruising song.
T: You wouldn’t drive a little pissed off, but, like, empowered to this?
D: I dunno…I didn’t get to hear the lyrics much. Hold on, lemme read.
T: I dug the lyrics the most. The “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss; shooter, not the shot” part especially. It already sounds iconic, even if it came out this month.
D: “So if you wanna row, you better have an awful big boat”… [laughs] So it was boat!
T: Oh, boat! And the other part’s “stone”, okay.
D: Boooooat, Beiruuuuut… [continues saying both interchangeably for a few minutes]
T: Kind of on a related tangent though: you sent me an article last week about how festivals have been lacking in female performers, which has been painfully evident for a long time. But then here’s Speedy, a female-led band from our area calling that out in a way and bringing this “putting-my-fist-down” female empowerment to the table. Now they’re making it onto college and alternative radio, so what is your perspective on all of this? Like, do you see feminist representation in live music and radio?
D: I don’t know if I have an opinion on that. I mean, I pulled that article out for the schedule, but I didn’t realize there was a lack of women in the festival world.
T: Like, do you see that in the music you listen to? Like, how about in the country world?
D: Well, you know what? You’re right…country music is a little sexist. Because other than Miranda Lambert, no one else is really winning awards except for guys. Now that I read these lyrics though, I can understand. She’s trying to say, “Hey, I’m in charge. I’m my own woman.”
T: Exactly!
D: And yeah, she is totally in charge. I mean, if you wanna throw against her, “you better have an awfully big stoooone…”
T: Stop it.
B: I like it. Baaa-ooooot…