@@IowanMatthew683 The Professor is opening new avenues of music to the 'old timers. There needs to be a bigger group of the younger generation to be introduced to this channel so ALL age groups learn new and classic music. Exactly @Austin Trousdale
That is truly an amazing rock song triumph. 181 million hits on RU-vid, ranking high on the charts and I barely heard it honestly. Aaron Bruno is so low-key and humble, glad for his success in a business that's getting increasingly harder to thrive in. Back in the day he would have competed against Michael Jackson, The Police, The Bee Gees, etc. Today's artists are fighting for exposure and declining revenue now. It's still tough for them. I wish him all the success. Keep the rock torch lit.
Thanks for re-reminding me of this gem. I know they say there aren’t any good songs left after the 90s. It’s just that people have to dig a little deeper than they used to.
@Soy Orbison _"Only idiots say that. It literally angers me when I come across those comments. It proves that people are just being lazy and want the radio to spoonfeed them their music instead of having to go find it. I hate that"_ Why? Why should be people have to 'go find it'? When did listening to / liking music become a form of work? I mean, I get it - some people like doing things like that, but surely they are the ones who via word of mouth let everyone know about good things they discover that they feel should be better known. There are plenty of recommendations in this very comment thread from people for different artists. The Internet has made the music industry a massively spread and diffuse thing in which it's very very hard for people to get noticed and break into the public consciousness, but that isn't the 'consumers' fault - most people are busy working and paying bills. I'm not one of those people who say there isn't any good music anymore, but I also believe there was a golden age of modern music which started in the 50's and went through to sometime in the 90's in which the canvas of creativity and technology was mostly blank, and truly new things seemed to be happening every few years. I also believe there are a finite number of melodies that can be harnessed to make a song 'catchy'. The problem with modern artists is not a lack of talent, but that the canvas on which they're trying to write is almost full, so it's very hard not to do something which doesn't remind people of something else - that isn't their fault, it's a timing thing. Different forms of music have adapted to this in different ways: Hip-Hop just samples (takes someone else's tune), other forms of music lean more heavily on style and less on melody so that people who like the style will listen, but there will be less in the way of identifiable songs for people who aren't into the style to 'grab' onto. On top of that, the aforementioned diffuse nature of the industry and the Internet makes it hard for them to capture the mass audience generally.
I have loved AWOL since I first heard this record. My kids grow up listening to the music every day. Passion is by far their favorite as they both (9yo and 4yo) play the video nonstop. 7 sticks of dynamite is also played a lot as it is one of my favorites. It hits the sweet spot in my music genome.
I remember hearing this song on heavy rotation when I was stationed in San Antonio, TX. I instantly loved it and I’ve been a fan of both Aaron Bruno’s work, as well as Awolnation.
Even though it was within the last decade, this song brings back memories from a time when I was driving a lot of different work vehicles that I could only listen to music via radio. Loved to crank this one in the old hearse I was using at the time. Didn't realize it was as successful of a song as it was.
i've never even heard OF this, let alone HEARD it. wow i 've often recognized my head as up my ass, but while living UNDER a rock, in a CAVE? thank you for introducing me to myself lol.
For anyone who hasn’t heard them check “Handyman” very beautifully writing, almost an old school style ode to love… which shows Aaron’s great song writing, he’s a very clever fella.✌️
Loved this interview. Got to see him in LA twice. First, by chance, on Jimmy Kimmel Sep 2011. Eleven years later, on Nov 11th (Aaron's birthday) got to see them at Hollywood Palladium. Thought the timing was cool. Obsessed with his music.
Great Idea for a video. As a fan of classic rock I always appreciate learning about great new (to me) music. Thank you professor, I really love your irony-free pure-love work
Back in college in 2002, my friend introduced me to a band named Home Town Hero. This is back when we were still burning CDs, but I made some copies for my buddies and we we're all obsessed. It had this raw, pure rock and roll feel. Straight forward and honest. So years later, I ran into Under The Influence of Giants and noticed that it was still Aaron Bruno as the frontman. Years passed again, then when I heard 'Sail' I was shocked as if it just resonated with me on a different level. I followed the same artist for such a long time that I could see the growth. His music career trajectory mirrored my own artistic career as a visual designer, who had had his own ups and downs. It felt like I was completely connected to the artist, as his growth seemed like my growth, or potentially even mirrored the ups-and-downs. It's so strange and beautiful that vibrations can connect people in such profound ways. It's been an absolutely kickass pleasure as a fan; and fellow artist, to watch Aaron's career. And more importantly you can tell Aaron is a student of music, an artist, and a musical wizard.
I remember hearing this on 101x and just being floored when that first bass note hits. I was so excited every time that song came on. Definitely has my vote for one of the most important songs of that decade. To see some of the redos by choirs and all sorts of genres... just shows how powerful this song is.
Sail is a great song ...the lyrics sound like primal dream therapy and I love the instrumentation ....what I'm assuming were strings ( or synths the way it rises and falls
Mammoth WVH, the debut album from Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, could be a paradigm shift for the rock charts for 2021 onwards. It is legitimately really great and he's a fantastic singer.
Love the interview. He seems like a real cool and down to earth guy. I remember hearing Hometown Heroes back when I was in college and always wondered what happened to them. I didn't know until a few years ago Aaron was the lead singer of that group. Love the evolution of his music, and it's awesome.
Thank you for interviewing him. He's a musical Genius probably b.c he is scorpio & libra (among other zodiacs) & yeah.....if u treat scrorpio well, they do give good luck.... of course Nothing in life should be taken for granted; that's y (i think) he's careful talking about dying or death too is b.c its a v serious part of life
Shinedown is a modern band than would be a great interview. They just set a Billboard record for most #1 rock songs, but even though they get a lot of rock radio airplay, many people do not know who they are. They are a rock band that write songs, get airplay and play their instruments, a rarity today.
I saw Under the Influence of Giants with 6 other people in attendance! Amazing group! It was our own private dance party! Saw Awol Nation also...about 10,000 in attendance!
Holy shit! I was lucky enough to come across their one album in a thrift store and played the hell out of that record. I'm so jealous. That is an awesome life experience.
Blame it on my ADD baby. Love this song, totally original and an anthem, cool to find out he was just trying to find a reason to stay in the music business and suddenly sold 10 millions copy,wow. Great interview. Also the official video is great but there is an unofficial one of 2 girls and a water hose that captures the feel of the song too
I was surprised to see a more recent song highlighted on the channel. But it is another great, insightful and informative interview. Thanks for all the great content!
As an old guy, it’s not easy for me to find anything in the past 10 years that I really like, but 2 that are way up there are Royal Blood, and Mammoth WVH (Eddie Van Halen’s son)...yes, I probably gave Wolfgang a listen because he’s Eddie’s son, but it’s legitimately good!
Royal Blood, Rival Sons, Highly Suspect: just to name a few really good contemporary rock bands. I saw a post on another video where someone said there isn't any good rock music being produced anymore. My response was yes there is, you just have to hunt for it because it isn't on Top 40 radio.
I first heard Sail on a video of a guy base jumping off a cliff where his chute failed to deploy and his gopro caught all the footage of his fall down the side. It was a terrible video to watch (thankfully the guy lived) but I had to find out what the song was because it was just one of those things that sticks with you once you hear it. AWOLNATION is one of my favorite modern bands. Great interview.
I found it due to it being the primary song played to a big UFC fight lead up...may have even been a walk out song...hearing the sing come through the giant screen at the MGM grand Garden Arena a couple hours before the main event...while people still filing into the seats...it got people pumped without anyone fighting yet, lol. Only just saw the amazing video last year for the first time....I love it!
"Grinding the crack" wingsuit video on youtube used this song and went viral before it hit the charts or before it came back, deserves some credit IMO.
Aaron Bruno needs to know that the line about a cry for help or maybe he should unalive himself, isnt somthing to be ashamed of... because its such a genuine real feeling people feel, not even in fantasy, its a real true feeling and thought people have.. Sail was somthing that helped me in a datk time to express some emotions i didnt have words for..... After that Hollow moon "bad wolf" was my happy jam.. I geeked out at the dr who reference and the fun beat... Kill your heros, so many songs affected me in big ways...
One of if not the best song to come from that era in alt pop rock . So may videos with this on you tube my favorites are the Diaz tribute and the epic video with girl and the garden hose. Look them up it’s worth the watch. It was a gym a favorite of mine while training Muay Thai .
on the subject of "new" music... may i suggest u think about doing a feature on one of the "new" bands keeping the flame of rock 'n roll alive... RIVAL SONS! ...one of the better rock bands of the modern era, & very creative... thanx professor
I loved, and still love Under The Influence of Giants. I saw them twice in London. I also went to an Awolnation gig in London around the time of this songs release.
I saw them a few months before Imagine Dragons blew up. 900 seat house and Imagine Dragons was Awol’s opener. I didn’t realize radioactive was probably directly influenced by Sail. It’s easy to hear the similarities, but I wasn’t aware of Sail’s timeline. Both songs were played in that set so I figured they were evolving independently from a third source, but based on this interview, it very well could’ve been Sail.
Professor---In response to your request for suggestions on artists and songs of the last decade, how about Gotye and "Somebody That I Used to Know?" Thanks!
That song by Gotye always reminded me of something Peter Gabriel would have done in the 80s. When I first heard it I thought it was a new release from him.
Yeah Red Bull music label has done Aaron wrong in that many, many of his AWOLNATION songs are very, very catchy and could have easily been major hits, but they just haven't gotten the exposure they deserve. Hell except for Sail, I literally didn't catch on to his music until last year 2023...Aaron has written songs that would have been massive hits if they had hit the air waves.
You should interview multi instrumentalist Klayton (aka Circle of Dust aka Celldweller aka Scandroid. His multiple musical projects show his ability to switch between genres, and his Scandroid project might be of particular interest due to its 80’s/synth character. The story behind his first project (Circle of Dust) is interesting too. The *quality* was there, but record label problems really hampered him.
As one who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I think it is a stretch to call Sail a rock song. And the saddest part is that one of the best songs of the 2010s would not have even made the charts in the 70s.
I have heard about awolnation and Sail. It's adrenaline pumping. It's good. Military, firefighters, hot shots, smoke jumpers, ems and police like this just like Top Gun, Billy Idol and other type metal bands to keep you pumped.
First time hearing Sail - This song is dumb Tenth time hearing Sail - This song is dumb. How do I know EVERY word? Twentieth time hearing Sail - This is my favorite song!
Took too quick a look at the thumbnail and thought Adam was interviewing Jared Leto. “Damn, I hadn’t realized ‘Kings and Queens’ was so popular,” was my hot take 😆
