2002: The Year In Music You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

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2002:  The Year In Music
You Never Know What You're Gonna Get
by Kristi Kates

2002 was a musical year as varied as that box of assorted chocolates you
can snag at the drugstore every holiday season.  Some selections were just
too darned sweet, some a little nutty, some a little stale, and some just
right.

And, much like when you inadvertently lose the handy-dandy chart that comes
with said box of chocolates, there were even a few that were a little
unexpected.  A boring year, it was not.

Eminem and Kim Basinger, from "8 Mile"

Pink

Billboard Magazine named off their top artists of 2002 this month and it
was not without a little puzzlement that the results were read.  Billboard
did manage to honor talented Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox with their
coveted Billboard Century Award, and gave nods to Nelly for his brand of
melodic rap and to singer Pink for her genre-crossing growth as a singer.
Yet, topping the list were Creed, Linkin Park, Eminem, Nickelback, Shakira,
and Ashanti. One questions if Billboard chose their year-end top artists
based on talent or simply on commercial sales figures.

Spin also threw their top choices out for perusal, among them The White
Stripes, The Strokes, Uncle Kracker, and Eminem once again - at least Spin
is somewhere closer to the kinds of music that made more than a little
noise this year among actual music consumers, not just what saturated the
mainstream of industry-run Top 40 radio.

The Strokes

The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Vines, and The Hives were perhaps some of the most talked-about acts over the past year, as they revived and refreshed a retro-garage sound that nearly every music consumer sampled in one form or another.

Upstart indie-folk singers like Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, and Avril Lavigne tried to follow in the footsteps of Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, and Jewel. Emo stepped forward to newfound popularity through forerunners Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, and The Get Up Kids.

Rap-metal a la Limp Bizkit took a backseat to more straight-ahead pop-rock from the likes of Audioslave and Weezer.

Brit-rock stood steadfastly and effectively alongside all the radio
mumbo-jumbo, with acts like The Doves, Travis, Super Furry Animals, Oasis,
Coldplay, Ash, and The Beta Band slowly but surely gaining more and more
stateside fans, as Americans chose to look beyond our borders for
intelligent pop music.

And genres twisted and blended, sometimes to fascinating effect, through
such artists as David Bowie, the Flaming Lips, Moby, Paul Oakenfold, and
Beck, who went from funk-hop sample man to the bearer (barer?) of a broken
(and slightly mellowed-out) heart.  Variety certainly wasn't a problem this
year.

Rolling Stone readers, on the other hand, seemed to be all of the same mind
when the year kicked off in January.  As the Rolling Stone Readers' Poll
hits newsstands, Irish rockers U2 monopolize the results - the band takes
top nods in the categories of (deep breath) Best Rock Act, Best Band, Best
Album, Best Album Cover, Artist of the Year, Best Online Fan Site, and Best
Tour (water, please).

U2 reciprocate by throwing out a special-edition EP to Target stores - U2's
"7" proves to be a big hit with CD buyers as fans flock to Tar-jhay to nab
their copies.

The Golden Globes also honor their own in January, and include Sting among
the winners for his musical work in film.

In February, the Brit Awards and Canada's West Coast Music Awards honor
their respective own, and a few "imports" as well.  In Britain, awards go
to the likes of Basement Jaxx, Travis, adopted Brit Kylie Minogue, New
York's The Strokes, and Dido and Robbie Williams, who were named Best Brit
Female and Best Brit Male, respectively.

Over in the Great White North, the Canadian music audiences rally in
Vancouver to bestow top honors on the likes of Nelly Furtado, Nickelback,
and Delirium.  And the Noise Pop Festival rattles windows all around San
Francisco with performances from the likes of Folk Implosion, Big Star,
Guided By Voices, Death Cab for Cutie, and Modest Mouse.

The winds of March blow in a couple of quirkily popular festivals, as well
as a couple of even quirkier TV shows that captured the attention of TV
viewers nationwide.  Venezuela plays host to a rare pop music festival that
hosts sets from both Alanis Morissette and Papa Roach, while in the
American southwest, the SXSW Festival sets up dozens of stages to present
performances from the likes of Neil Finn, Sparta, Ireland's Ash, and Better
Than Ezra.

Meanwhile, on television, Moby hosts his own MTV music video show that's wittily dubbed Senor Moby's House of Music, and, on that same bat channel, Ozzy Osbourne and family become all the rage as everyone tunes in to The Osbournes every Tuesday night to see just what that wacky and warmly foul-mouthed family (and their herd of dogs) will do next.

The Osbournes

Also in March, Sheryl Crow releases her new disc, "C'mon C'mon," and it's
endlessly catchy single "Soak Up The Sun"... The Breeders return to the
charts with their new album, "Title TK"... Super Furry Animals drop "Rings
Around The World"... the Talking Heads are inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame... and the much-talked-about Rage Against the Machine/Chris
Cornell project collapses when Cornell leaves the band right before
confirming their spot on the year's upcoming Ozzfest tour.

In April, it's California's Coachella Arts and Music Festival that's all
the rage among concert-goers.  Set in the middle of the Cali desert, an
amazingly top-notch roster of acts is bribed out into the blistering
sunlight to perform - everyone from Bjork, whose set incongruously causes a
mosh pit, to The Vines, The Strokes, Foo Fighters, The Chemical Brothers,
Oasis, Paul Oakenfold, Belle + Sebastian, Siouxie and the Banshees (their
first festival performance in 6 years), and Beck, who shows up unexpectedly
to perform.

Stone Temple Pilots - although not at Coachella - are on the road, too,
wowing audiences with their intimate "An Evening with STP" shows.  And
Australia's Silverchair release their new long-awaited album, "Diorama," to
critical and fan acclaim.

May brings along a host of additional tours and festival shows.  The Music
Midtown Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, sees performances from No Doubt,
Bush, Garbage, and the Counting Crows, while MTV's Rock and Comedy concert
hosts another Crow - Sheryl, to be exact - along with Wyclef Jean and
Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon, who's pursuing a musical career in
addition to his comedy work.

Popster Britney Spears kicks off her tour in Las Vegas, and Blur's Damon
Albarn, fresh off a tour with his "side" project, the wildly successful
Gorillaz, travels to West Africa to work with native musicians on what will
become his new album, "Mali Music."  Also releasing notable albums in May
are Weezer, who drop the quirky and intelligent "Maladroit," and The
Cranberries, who compile nearly 10 years of their work as a band into a box
set titled "Treasure Box: The Complete Sessions 1991-1999."

June is when everyone really starts thinking about the summer concert season,
however.  Queen Elizabeth II's 50 years on the throne - her Golden Jubilee
- are celebrated with the Party at the Palace concert in London, with big
name performances from Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Beach Boy Brian
Wilson, Ricky Martin, Ozzy Osbourne, Annie Lennox, ex-Spice Girl Emma
Bunton, and Aretha Franklin.

The Danish Roskilde Fest top their bill with headliners The Red Hot Chili
Peppers and Garbage.  The Vans Warped Tour brings together The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones, NoFX, The Vandals, Reel Big Fish, and Pennywise.

David Bowie, photo by Kay McEntee

And, for those who choose to stay home, there are always Ash's new disc, "Free All Angels," David Bowie's latest, "Heathen" (complete with Bowie's stunning covers of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" and the Pixies' "Cactus"), or Brit DJ Paul Oakenfold's debut disc, "Bunkka," which features contributions from Nelly Furtado, Grant Lee Phillips, Perry Farrell, and even Hunter S. Thompson.

Tour craziness continues through July, kicking off with Kinross, Scotland's T in the Park Fest, featuring Oasis, No Doubt, Badly Drawn Boy, the Chemical Brothers, The Beta Band, Foo Fighters, and Tricky.

Oasis - who have just released their latest disc, "Heathen Chemistry," tour both Europe and North America, with stops in Barcelona, London, Rome, Boston, Detroit, and Chicago. The Unlimited Sunshine Tour brightens up stages with Modest Mouse, De La Soul, and The Flaming Lips, who will, later in the year, join Beck on his tour. Moby's Area: Two Tour enters its second successful year, with sets from Carl Cox, The Avalanches, Ash, Blue Man Group, David Bowie, and Moby himself.

July 13th sees the Brighton Beach happening of "Normstock," Fatboy Slim's
own festival event, with sets from Slim plus John Digweed and Midfield
General.

The Jeep World Outside Tour brings together Sheryl Crow, Train, Ziggy
Marley, O.A.R., and a try-it-yourself kayak tank... the Rolling Rock Town
Fair hits Pennsylvania on July 27th, bringing along Alien Ant Farm,
Nickelback, and Outkast... Ozzfest rocks the country with System of a Down,
P.O.D., Apex Theory, Rob Zombie, Seether, and, of course, Ozzy himself...
The Smokin' Grooves Tour grooves along with The Roots, DJ Shadow, Lauryn
Hill, Damien Marley, and Outkast...

Australia's The Vines hit the U.S. road for a series of live shows after
dropping their debut disc, "Highly Evolved," which was recorded in L.A.
The Counting Crows put out their latest offering, "Hard Candy"...  Beth
Orton sends out her latest disc, "Daybreaker," as do They Might Be Giants,
with their "No!"... and Weezer joins up with the Muppets (yes, the actual
Muppets) to film a music video for their latest single, "Keep Fishin',"
while talk over the aforementioned Rage Against the Machine/Chris Cornell
project still stirs, now apparantly with the project back together as a
band, which they've reportedly dubbed Civilian.

In August, Courtney Love's band Hole breaks up, supposedly this time for
good, amidst rumors of controversy as Love and the remaining members of
Nirvana are said to be quarreling over Nirvana material.  Hole goes to work
with 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry on what is said to be an upcoming
solo project of her own.

Aimee Mann, with a little assistance from singer-songwriter husband Michael
Penn, releases the critically-acclaimed

"Lost in Space" on her own imprint, Superego Records.

The Black Crowes, in spite of their current hiatus as a band, drop "Black
Crowes Live."  And Britain's Coldplay offer up the follow-up to their
stunning debut, "Parachutes," with their brand new disc, "A Rush of Blood
to the Head."

And, in tour news, the V2002 Festival wows crowds in England with the Chemical
Brothers, Elbow, Kosheen, Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, and
Stereophonics... A revived and on-their-game Blondie hits the road through
the end of the month... and VH1 takes a Triple Shot of Rock on the road -
to whom we're not sure - with dinosaur pop-rockers Survivor, Loverboy, and
Eddie Money.

You might think that things would perhaps wind down a little in September -
but it simply ain't so.  That box of chocolates just isn't empty yet.  The
Rolling Stones hit the road with a variety of support acts - The Strokes,
No Doubt, and The Pretenders among them, while the Goo Goo Dolls also take
to the tour bus with openers Five for Fighting.

Jewel is on the road, as well, as is the new Plea For Peace/Take Action
Tour, which offers up sets from The Promise Ring, Bouncing Souls, Jimmy Eat
World, Anti-Flag, and Cave In.  The Wallflowers release their latest
effort, "Red Letter Days"... Beck drops the introspective "Sea Change"...
and Bjork offers up her fan-picked album of greatest hits to much fanfare.
Several notable releases hit the stands (and theatres) in October - among
them Lisa Loeb's "Hello Lisa," ex-The Verve singer Richard Ashcroft's
"Human Conditions," Foo Fighters' "One by One," and Madonna's newest movie,
the critically-slammed "Swept Away."

News about ex-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan's new project, Zwan, begins to
rumble.  Radio station KCRW hosts their Sounds Eclectic Evening with
performances from Aimee Mann, Norah Jones, and Zero 7.  Emo-pop man John
Mayer's tour begins in Florida.  And the "new" single from Nirvana - the
long-stifled "You Know You're Right" sneaks onto the radio via several
internet leaks, closely followed by the extremely controversial book
release of Kurt Cobain's personal journals.
It's still hot in November, at least as far as the music is concerned.
Smashing Pumpkins release "Vieuphoria," a DVD re-release of their VHS home
video, along with "Earphoria," the accompanying soundtrack album.  Pearl
Jam drops their "Riot Act."  The now-they're-a-band, now-they're-not Rage
Against The Machine/Chris Cornell project - now named Audioslave - finally
release their debut eponymously-named album, with it's lead single,
"Cochise."

The "new" Doors project - composed of original Doors members Ray Manzarek and
Robby Kreiger along with ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland and The Cult
singer Ian Astbury - announces their existence.  U2 release their latest
retrospective disc, "U2 1990-2000."  And the latest James Bond movie, "Die
Another Day," hits theaters, complete with a theme song and cameo from

Madonna, whose performance as a fencing instructor in this movie, although
shorter than her role in "Swept Away," outdoes her previous month's movie
appearance by a mile.
Next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame choices are announced, among them
The Police, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Clash, and AC/DC.  And
the MTV Europe Awards honor the likes of Kylie Minogue, Moby, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Coldplay, and newcomers The Calling.
As the year moves towards it's end in December, we're struck by just how
much went on this year in the music industry.

Sure, some of it was a little hard to chew - but it made the year that was
an interesting one.  After all, who would choose a plain old chocolate bar
over a multi-layered box of chocolate choices?

We can definitely be grateful for several things - the demise of (finally)
bubblegum pop and overblown rap-metal... the new appreciation for artists
who write and perform their own material... the plethora of tours,
something for everyone... the influx of freshness that acts like The
Strokes, The White Stripes, The Coral, Audioslave, OK Go, and The Vines
gave us... the reliability of quality acts like David Bowie, U2, Aimee
Mann, Moby, Radiohead, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, Sheryl Crow, and
Alanis Morissette, who keep working to stretch their talents... and,
perhaps most of all, the fact that, in just a couple of weeks, we'll be
able to open a brand new box of chocolates and begin working our way
through what's bound to be another very assorted year of music in 2003.

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