Top 40 Keeps Going Strong After 15 Years

Marwells

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Top 40 is a rock band that has consistently provided crowds in the Dominican Republic with quality live musical entertainment for nearly 15 years now. Started in July of 1987, the band has gone through many changes in its lineup over the years, with guitarist-singer-songwriter Gary Zemialkowski the only constant through it all. Now the Santo Domingo-based rock and roll outfit kicks off 2002 with new management, an extended lineup, a new image, and an exciting new repertoire that mixes original compositions with an assortment of covers that represent a wide range of musical styles present on the worldwide musical scene today.

Top 40?s first major event of the year will be on Saturday, 9 February 2002, at the grand opening of the long awaited C.G. Bar & Grill, in Santo Domingo. The event will be an all-night affair, with a few other local bands as opening acts. The band?s new lineup will be presented at the event; Carolina D?Aniello on vocals, Rhaudy Echavarr?a on drums, M?ximo ?Palomo? Figuereo on keyboards, Felipe Guzman on bass and vocals, Martin Lucia on percussion, Sergio ?Psycho? Sanchez on guitar, and Gary Zemialkowski on guitar and vocals.

?The event promises to be a big event,? declared Top 40?s new manager, Mario Wells. ?We believe that this will be the year for Top 40 to transcend the Dominican borders and go international. We have already made important contacts in the U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas, and are currently recording material for the band?s first production.?

Further information regarding Top 40 and 2002 tour dates, visit the band?s new website, at http://www.dr-top40.com. To contact Management, Mario Wells: (809) 696-3915.
 

Criss Colon

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Uni Days ?

Pib,does that mean;single,or what? Do you go back far enough to remember the little restaurant on that very spot? "Chuletas" to die for,3 or 4 on the plate! Black bean soup, and they made ice cream "out back" That was before "Trafic!" on Tiradentes Criss Colon
 

Pib

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My uni days.

Back when I was in the university. That means from 88 to 92.

I don't remember about the chuletas, strange because back then I still ate meat and pork chops were my favorites. But I have a lousy memory, that may explain it.
 

Marwells

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Yes it was them!!!

Yes, in fact, though there were many bands that played at Caf? Capri during the week, Top 40 was the band that played the most often there. Top 40 started off playing just once a week, playing rock on Mondays. The caf?'s proprietor, Fernando Pimentel, liked the band so much that he ended up booking Top 40 several times a week in the club, each day a different musical style.

Anyone else out there with any other memories of the band I would love to here them so that we can be sure to include them in the history section of the new website we are buliding.
 

Kuda

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Jan 1, 2002
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Rock in the DR

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This thread is cool, but I checked out the Top40 website and it's under construction.

Does anyone know of any other Dominican rock bands that have risen above nightclub status...ie. recorded something?

Rock on!!
 

Golo100

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Top 40, a real bad name!

I am sorry to be the spoiler here, but I think Top 40 besides bearing the name of a decadent trend in music, renders homage to the worst of rock .

Top 40 music(I don't mean the band itself but pop music in general) has been in a commercial upswing, but on an intellectual and creative downturn. Yes, Britney Spears, N'sync, Jlo and the rest sell lots of records, but their music is nothing more than a cheap rendition of original rock and groupie music.

When you have to resort to rearranging "Lady Marmalade" to sell records it only shows the degradation of Top 40. Not that Top 40 was ever progressive to begin with, but at least there was some originality. When you see low quality singers like Enrique Iglesias reaching the Top 40 you know this music is in trouble. How did Shakira break into Top 40? Obviously, anybody with an image expert can do it. No real singing required. A video can make or break a song, not the singing.

None of these new artists last long enough. And those who survive, like U2 are the essence of decadence. U2 is nothing more than a commercial project, where music comes last.

Thank god for underground , industrial, trance and electronic music. I prefer they do not get discovered by the Top 40 monster so they can maintain their quality. The last quality pop music was 80's alternative. Bands like Aha, Duran Duran and Tears for Fears make today's groups look like a bunch of singing monkeys.

As for the Dominican band(Top 40), it has no future and their music is at best for local parties. No creativeness at all.

TW
 

Marwells

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Response to golo

Well, to begin with, the website is still under construction, but we hope to have it up completely by some time early next week. We will be uploading the different sections of the site during the week. A band that has been playing continuously and without interruption for nearly fifteen years like Top 40 has a lot of information to gather and put together. We want to create a site that is on the level of any rock band outside the Dominican Republic. All the sites that bands here in the Dominican Republic have had have been simple HTML. We will be incorporating Flash and intend to make the site more interactive for everyone.

I have to respect golo?s opinion about Top 40, both the band and what he calls a ?decadent trend in music.? He has every right to his opinion, and an even greater right to voice it. Of course, my thinking is much different.

To begin with, it would be a tremendous mistake to consider Top 40 a ?decadent trend in music.? After all, what is Top 40? It is merely a reflection of what is currently being heard by the majority. Granted, it may in fact be at one particular moment or another nothing more than a melting pot of commercialized junk, but it would be unfair to take away from those true artists that have reached a certain level of popularity, especially those that have been able to bring about another consciousness to the appreciation of music in general.

Kurt Cobain (R.I.P.) and Nirvana changed the face of music with one simple song, ?Smells Like Teen Spirit.? Would you then call him decadent and artistically meaningless? I think not. You have to remember that Duran Duran, A-ha, and Tears for Fears have all had their share of Top 40 success, and in a much bigger way.

The Dave Matthews Band and Jamiroqui, for example, are two bands that come to mind that have enjoyed huge success and have gained a lot of Top 40 airplay, while at the same time cultivating a musical style that is unique and completely original. So, even though we wholeheartedly agree that there is a lot of meaningless junk being heard on the radio, there are still plenty of quality bands and solo artists that merit our attention and appreciation.

Just because a band breaks into the Top 40 and strikes a cord with the majority of people, does not mean that their/his/her artistic integrity has been compromised.

It may just be that deep down inside you yourself want to feel unique, like you are onto something that no one else can understand or enjoy. I guess it makes you feel special. If that is the case, please, by all means, keep listening to trance and industrial music. I?m pretty sure that these musical styles will never truly transcend.

As far as Top 40, the band, I would recommend you go see them on February 9th, at the inauguration of C.G. Bar & Grill, on the corner of Pedro Henr?quez Ure?a and Dr. C?sar Dargam, right next to the UCE Hospital.

Top 40 has certainly lasted much longer than any other rock band in the Dominican Republic. Yes, the band has always been a party band, playing covers that most people can feel identified with, that people can sing along with and enjoy themselves. Nevertheless, there have also been many original songs as well. As a matter of fact, the band is currently recording their first production, which we hope to have out before the summer.

Regarding the name, you have to keep in mind that we are in the Dominican Republic, so we had to come up with something short and that could easily be identified. Top 40 did the trick. The band is currently studying the possibility of changing its name when the CD comes out.

So, you may or may not be aware of it, but the future looks very bright for Top 40. Very bright, indeed.
 
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Pib

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Dominican rock bands

I am definetely not the expert, but I was young once ;). The all time favorite of Dominican rock bands is without doubt Toque Profundo. I know they have more than one record. Their songs range from the humoristic Ramona to the social critic Dios Salve al Viajero. The last one is my favorite. As for new bands I guess the winner would be Al-Jadaqui.

I would have to agree with Marwells that reaching the Top 40 does not necessarily mean that a singer/band does not have artistics merits. I don't necessarily like something just because it is popular, but yes, many a good artist has been blessed with the favor of the public. I think that the attitude of "I don't like what the hoi-polloi likes" might mean that the person wants to raise himself/herself to an intellectual level that does not necessarily correspond to his knowledge of the subject at hand. Kinda like ordering the unknown wine just because it is expensive.
 

Criss Colon

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"Top 40 "Rhythm" section! BaDaBumBaDaBing

In those days I lived in room 219 hotel Naco.I liked to sit in the Cafe Capri and "Look American." Many a pretty Dominican girl would ask me if I had a cigarette,and I would ask them if they would like a drink.Every once-in-a-while one of these pretty girls agreed to come back to room 219 for a "nite-cap"(OK maybe it was just "Once!)and I would open the hotel room window(219 is on the back)so we could listen to the band.I think my son was conceived to a "Top 40" drum solo! "Thanks" Criss Colon
 

El Jefe

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It seems to me that today it is not so much the quality of the music or lyrics as it is the vieo performance. The more sex or violence, the more popular and soon you have a Top 40 hit. Where are the good old fashioned lyrics with such deep meaning? "My baby does the Hanky panky...my baby does the hanky panky...my baby does...note repeat 37 times". or that old standard: Tutti-frutti oh a rooti...tooti-frooti oh a rooti awop ba ba loopa, etc." Those were the days of real top 40. What meaning, what romance!!!
 

Criss Colon

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Tw you are the Biggest "Bore" in the World!

No one asked for you opinion! We were just "waxing nostalgic" about some shared experiances.The name of the band is "Top 40".Nobody cares that you hate top 40 music,Hell you don,t like anything.Anyone who wears "Tomy Hilfiger" can,t know much! Sorry,.I am in a "Bad Mood", K-Mart might be going out of business! I will be left with only JC Pennys to make my "Fashion Statement!" Streator is NOT in Southern Illinois,it is in North Central Illinois! Get out your map! Criss Colon
 

Pib

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[B]El Jefe[/B] said:
...the good old fashioned lyrics with such deep meaning? "My baby does the Hanky panky...my baby does the hanky panky...my baby does...note repeat 37 times". or that old standard: Tutti-frutti oh a rooti...tooti-frooti oh a rooti awop ba ba loopa, etc."
How about the fairly recent Hanson's Hmmm... Bop or some such. I have to admit that this song was stuck in my head for a while.

?Que diran mis amistades? :rolleyes:
 

Golo100

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Top 40 = Bottom quality

Fortunately for many of us, once in a while intelligent music makes it to the Top 40 for a refreshing touch. It was the case with the duo Anything But The Girl, the 90's answer to Annie Lenox. But once they made it and had a record breaking #1 song they came back with the same formula and were gone.

Almost every top 40 hit song today is an imitation of some other song or style trend. The Backstreet Boys, N'sync and all the dancing boy groups are nothing more than Barrio Boys imitators and the Spanish ones are todays Menudos.

Take for instance the latest A-ha production "Minor Earth, Greater Sky", which was not a top 40 success, it is excellent music and vocals that cannot be equalled by some of today's hit makers. In fact, you can take Luis Miguel and Cristian Castro together and both of them together cannot match A-ha's lead singer note by note. You take that and state of the art music and you got the formula I am talking about.

No Dominican band can or will come even close to that, much less canned menudo copycats.

TW
 

Pib

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Re: Top 40 = Bottom quality

[B]golo[/B] said:
No Dominican band can or will come even close to that, much less canned menudo copycats.
Comparing Top 40 to Menudo? Boy, you have no idea what you're talking about. Top 40 is not a boy band, actually the best singer they ever had was a girl what's her name that later went solo.

Do you really have to have an opinion on everything? I once dated a guy like you, it gave me the greatest joy I've ever had... when I quit.
 

Marwells

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It is true that many bands fall into the seemingly unavoidable trap of relying on formulas that they themselves have established as the norm in order to stay atop the Top 40 charts. That still doesn?t take away from the initial authenticity of the artist.

I fully agree that the dependence on ?the formula? tends to weaken the band?s artistic integrity, however, and that is why I?d like to point out the case of U2, which was mentioned beforehand.

U2 has spanned over two decades and has maintained a level of artistic integrity that is uncommon in the music industry. They have evolved as artists, always changing their musical style as they felt the need.

All artists are human, and as humans, we all go through a period of adolescence. I have always been a huge fan of U2, and I have all of their CDs, even the ones I didn?t find that interesting. That is what is important, not just one song, or one album, but a complete body of work. Personally, I couldn?t relate to their ?Zooropa? and ?Pop? periods, but they have grown out of that adolescence in their artistic career and have given us what is without a doubt one of their strongest and most mature efforts yet, ?All That You Cannot Leave Behind.?

So, change is good, because it reflects the truth about life ? nothing is permanent, everything changes.

Of course, how can you question those artists that can boast of decades-long careers and have not changed their sound at all. Take, for example, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith. These are bands that have been around for over 20 or 30 years, but they haven?t changed their music at all. You simply cannot argue the fact that their ?formulas? have also been their stamp, their mark, or recognition. You cannot envision a Rolling Stones without a mummified Keith Richards playing the same three chords, or an Aerosmith without the shouting antics of Steven Tyler, or even an aging Angus Young, who still wears his trademark short trousers, even after more than 20 years.

All of these bands are classic, and all of them have their own peculiar style, and all have had their moments in the Top 40. So, what does this tell you?

And ? isn?t it remarkable how similar Aerosmith is to The Rolling Stones? How about Britney Spears? She is being hassled by everyone who questions her artistic integrity much as Madonna was when she started out. More similarities? Everything But The Girl?s Euro-pop grooves are very similar to Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, don?t you think? The list goes on forever.

Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. Time changes but everything stays the same. One generation displaces another. I had Madonna. The youth of today has Britney Spears. Today you have The Backstreet Boys; yesterday we had New Kids On The Block. Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. Why?

Why not? If you don?t like it, turn off the radio, just listen to something else.

And I certainly wouldn?t put down the Dominican rock groups. Nothing is unattainable. Nothing is out of reach. There are plenty of great bands here, and there are plenty of some not-so-great ones. Just like in Europe and the United States, and Japan, and all over the world. There is something for everyone.
 
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Tony C

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I really hate to admit this But I agree with a lot of what TW has to say about this topic.
I must take it one step further. Just because something is popular does not make it artisically relavant. A perfect example are movies such as Titanic and Gladiator. Both extremely popular but nobody who knows cinema would call these great films.
U-2 road in on the coat-tails of the UK punk/New Wave scene and used their Christianity to gain popular acceptance. Their music was catchy but was blatantly commercial. I mean just look at one of their biggest hits. "Pride!" A Irish band singing about Martin Luther King? Great way to get MTV airtime.
Now I am a Punk rocker from when Punk was a Attitude not a fashion statement. Rock is the purest form of Popular music their is. R&B, Disco, Techno, House, none of these can open your eyes and make you see with your ears like rock. Today, in our pre-packaged, MTV world, Rock has slide in popularity because people don't want to face the realities of thinking.
Rock in the DR is a abomination. As is Rock in any other language besides English. Just as Merengue in French would be wrong. Do yourself a favor. Everybody pic up a Ramones, a Sex Pistols and a Clash CD. Listen to them. If you love it you are OK in This world. If you Hate it....you are part of the problem.
A few more points....
-Jennifer Lopez cannot sing. And she is not that hot
-Brittany Spears is not much better. But man.....That smile.
-Since Janis Joplin passed away no woman has a right to sing
Rock or Blues.
-Christina Aguillera has the body of a 13 year old boy who
smoked to much pot.
-The lead singer of Creed is the Antichrist

Just a few opinions

Tony C
 

Golo100

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Pib, read before you......

Pib:

It's amazing that you quoted me and yet misunderstood what I wrote> I really meant that no Dominican band, or for that matter singer would ever come close to "Morten" the lead singer from A-ha and even less likely to do that would be those "Menudo-like" top 40 bands playing today in the States.

You also believe I have no knowledge of what I write. Check Grullon.com, one of my web pages featuring my nephew, a plastic artist. In the page you will see pictures of Beto Cuevas and Enrique Bunbury both friends of my nephew, two of the best known Spanish rock artists. I wrote up the entire page.(See credits with my name). In case you want to check out my collection of Industrial, Underground, Trance and Ambient music and wish to download some of it thru satellite, just check Audiogalaxy.com and search for my shared files under <Guevolindo>. I have 200 songs available thru Internet. Altogether I have over 4000 song titles, mostly from Europe in a special hard disk drive and burnt CDs.

In a different genre, you could put together Luis Miguel and Cristian Castro and both of them could not sing note by note with Morten. You mentioned Toque Profundo and Al Jaddaqi. Well Toque is a cheap imitation of the Heroes del Silencio(Enrique Bunbury) and Al Jaddaqi imitate Cafe Tacuba. There's no originality there.

TW