Oh hey, wow, we actually have music to promote this time! Mercantile Records recently reached out to tell us about two of their latest releases. The first is a song from a band called Gymnastiken from Sweden. The second is a song from a band called d.b.s. from Canada. Go and show the Mercantile Records social media pages some support, it looks like they are a new label just getting started. Help them get their early subscriber numbers up if you enjoy the music they are releasing and want to hear more!
Who Did It Better? : "Surfer Girl" - Homegrown vs Home Grown
"Surfer Girl" was arguably one of Home Grown's biggest hits. The beach scenes in the music video were filmed in downtown Huntington Beach, California. The live daytime performance portions of the video were filmed at Irvine Meadows during a free KROQ show when Home Grown opened for Blink 182, who had just introduced Travis Barker as their new drummer, replacing Scott Raynor.
("Surfer Girl" Act Your Age version)
It was a wild show. Home Grown opened up with their cover of Aqua's "Barbie Girl," sending the crowd into a chaotic frenzy. Mosh pits opened up everywhere. I was dog-piled upon three times before they finished their first song. I would emerge from their set with a handful of bruises, but also with a huge smile on my face. Home Grown was an amazing live act in their day, with great positive energy. I had a chance to meet Johnny Trash (guitar) and Bawb Herco (drummer) after their set. Bawb was an amazing friendly guy, who went out of his way to help fans get shirts or CDs signed by all members of the band.
But I digress from the music. Home Grown record the song "Surfer Girl" twice for two different albums. Their debut album That's Business was released on independent Cargo Records. The band would later release their second album Act Your Age on a major label (of which we choose not to promote because "fuck them, that's why") with a re-recorded version of the song.
("Surfer Girl" That's Business version)
Personally, I prefer the original version, because it includes a bass solo that was not included in the major label version. However, the major label version does have some accents that spice up the song a little bit, and I also think the song benefits from the half-step lower tuning of the major label version. As a bassist who grew up jamming Home Grown basslines, I like to combine the best of both worlds by playing the Act Your Age version with the accents, but also including the bass solo.
Let us know which version you prefer in the comments below!
(Music Video for Act Your Age version with terrible audio)
