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| "Tonight Alive" (NME image) |
Reminds me of a psych professor I had in college who observed that "each new young generation thinks it is the first to discover sex."
Older people react with bewilderment and amusement at the sight of the transfixed young music fans. They'll say they don't understand it. Well, I don't know. Those same people react with horror when they discover that young people, including their own kids, are discovering sex. The passages of life are curious and constant.
So, I look at the young faces in the audience for a "Tonight Alive" concert, and I'm reminded of the old Beatlemania footage. The enthusiasm is not quite as intense. But surely there is a sense of a strong generational identity. Older people I'm sure feel envy. We'd like so much to slip into the crowd and be just like those kids. It's a guilty pleasure to think this.
We know that the adult world rips us away from such things. The "Peter Pan" story sort of taps into these feelings. We never want to lose a sense of what youthful exuberance was really like, even if the passing years create a whole new reality.
I am so fortunate to have discovered the group "Tonight Alive." It was by accident. Let's just say it happened through bouncing around the Internet. Upon discovering Tonight Alive, their music has become a strong new favorite of mine. A hugely ironic favorite too, since my friends would not associate me with "punk."
"Pop punk" is atop the list of the group's descriptions. Others are "pop rock, power pop, alternative rock and emo." Punk? Really?
So at this point I'd like to assert that any "punk" qualities really seem superficial with the group, like window dressing. Maybe just to acquire a certain audience? Perhaps we ought not be cynical. I'm reminded of when Waylon Jennings presented himself as "outlaw country" and a fellow music professional sniffed at that, saying that Jennings was really a "pussycat."
Tonight Alive has some of the rough edges that might be connected to "punk" or "pop punk" (with emphasis on the "pop"). But I think it's largely imagery. These still-young people have already had a long enough "run" in pop music to be judged 100 percent successful, even if they were to disband now. At present they seem to be on hiatus. They cancelled a tour that had been set for earlier in the year. Their message at that time was that they needed a respite for their psychological and emotional stability, something like that. I believe it.
The real reason?
I also could offer the theory that the group is dealing with being at a crossroads. Let's get back to the generation angle: they and their audience are not staying young forever, not like Peter Pan. I suspect they are working hard to see how they might evolve, to re-invent themselves. That's an incredibly tricky thing to do in the music/entertainment business. The vicissitudes can be staggering.
I almost pray that the group's lead singer, Jenna McDougall, can stay in the forefront with her talent because her talent is so amazing. It is just absolute, pure talent in how she sings plus her stage presence. However, to carry a "punk" sound or image into mid-life? Well, maybe not.
History is full of female singers who have their "run" and then become has-beens. Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive deserves to fare better. I compliment her further on her very selfless nature. I mean, she easily could have insisted on having her name dominate the group. So even though all group members have top-notch talent, she clearly is the show.
Getting back to my generation, it's like the Doors and Jim Morrison. I don't know if the group was ever billed as "The Doors featuring Jim Morrison." I know the Doors name never faded. The group surely faded, OK vanished, with Morrison having died.
There is a cohesive sense with Tonight Alive to suggest it truly is a group effort, and for that I totally laud them. Jealousies or rivalries haven't entered the picture to my knowledge. The music business is full of conflicts and lawsuits. So it's a breath of fresh air to sense the genuine camaraderie of Tonight Alive, a group which BTW is from Australia.
Jenna is joined at present by Jake Hardy, Cameron Adler and Matt Best. I would insist that rather than characterize their music as "punk" or "pop punk," it's simply good music, terrific music in fact. It passes muster by the highest standards, standards that might be employed during any musical era. The punk elements make a statement common to young people all the time, begging to break away from the shackles of authority, to show they can make judgments about the world that are pristine, without being told what to do or what rules to follow.
People get older and they find that in order to simply live a comfortable life, there are in fact norms. There's the old dictum about just "settling down." We acknowledge that the world isn't perfect around us. Young people simply wish it would be. Young people don't like the social strata. We grudgingly accept this reality as we get older, even though we're still aware of our ideals.
Decade is a long time
"Tonight Alive" was formed in 2008. Jenna is the type of woman who most men would describe as "attractive." She dresses in concert like she is trying to neutralize her attractive traits. I suppose this is consistent with "punk." IMHO she seems fascinatingly attractive in spite of - or because of? - how she chooses to present herself. Maybe the beauty just penetrates the outer layer. Maybe I should put quote marks around "beauty" because it comes off as politically incorrect. (Barack Obama had to apologize to Kamala Harris after calling her attractive.)
Jenna will drop the F-bomb sometimes or hold up a certain finger, and I wonder if it isn't just posturing for appeal. No intelligent person would argue these symbols are necessary to communicate. I would wager this isn't the "real" Jenna.
Yours truly is 64 years old, of a generation to vividly remember the Beatles at the peak of the hysteria. Certain young artists in any generation come across as having almost other-worldly talent. I grew up with John Lennon who exemplified this. At present I'd have to put forward Jenna McDougall.
However the group's current hiatus ends, or however their music resumes - perhaps with a "reinvention" - I strongly hope they can stay close to the forefront. Their songs have depth and layers. Even if you don't pay attention to the lyrics, they sound great. Artists always talk about how the lyrics are at the core of their songs. I would suggest that reality has more to do with the basic "sound!"
Addendum: Jenna reports having had bouts with eczema, so I can relate to her!
Addendum #2: Want a reminder of why the young generation feels it needs to set itself apart? We learn today that Sean Spicer, former spokesman for Donald Trump, says Americans should now "stand for Christ" by helping him win "Dancing with the Stars." That's it, I'm done with Christianity. Screw Christianity. There, that seems "punk."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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