Monday, October 31, 2011

Soundgarden, Cheap Trick and Raconteurs Thrill at Voodoo Fest

Morphine, Ray Davies, X and more rock out at New Orleans festival

 

Two centuries ago, New Orleans' sprawling, bucolic City Park was a swampy oak forest and native home to the Accolapissa and Biloxi tribes. This Halloween weekend, tribes of mischief-minded music fans descended upon Voodoo Music Experience, the city's 12-year old carnival macabre and de facto benediction for the summer's epic festival season.
Dashing between four stages and lounging underneath the park's 14,000 live oak trees, attendees absorbed a wide-ranging mix of local acts – including celebrated veteran Dr. John and Berlin transplant/mad scientist Quintron – alongside headliners Soundgarden, Snoop Dogg, and the Raconteurs.
Friday kicked off at the decidedly un-rock-and-roll hour of 10 a.m. with rousting, roaming performances by New Orleans' punk-minded marching band, Noisician Coalition, and erection of classic amusement park rides and Road Warrior-esque sculptures. Early afternoon unfolded on the Preservation Jazz Hall-curated stage with the surviving members of Morphine reverently revisiting their back catalog with help from local bluesman Jeremy Lyons on slide guitar and two-string bass, while darling duo Mates of State buoyed moods with their sparkly indie pop over on the "Le Ritual" mainstage.
With temperatures dipping to levels more associated with their Pacific Northwest stomping grounds, a recently reunited Soundgarden took to the mainstage shortly after 9 p.m., flexing warm muscles acquired through a recent string of stateside dates and time spent in Seattle studios working on their forthcoming new album. Once again frontman Chris Cornell remains renaissance handsome and in possession of an acrobatic vocal range, but was in many respects upstaged by bassist Ben Shepherd, whose imposing frame, sinister swagger, and effortless execution of the elephantine-heavy bass lines made renditions of fan favorites "Outshined" and "Loud Love" quake with angular menace. Their nearly two-hour set hit all the requisite highlights, including "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun," and closed with the two-pronged encore of "Beyond the Wheel" and "Slaves and Bulldozers."
The only other heavy act of the festival was Mastodon, whose surprisingly subdued set late Saturday afternoon focused on the cleaner sounds of their latest, The Hunter. They were followed by the elder punk statesmen of Social Distortion delivering a high-octane, if frill-free set of their classic, SoCal anthems, including "Story of My Life" and their trademark cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Over on the Le Carnival stage, fellow Angelinos X blazed their way through their career-defining Los Angeles album, with co-band leaders Exene Cervenka and John Doe holding their own admirably, while perpetually stoic guitarist Billy Zoom led one observer to remark that he appears to be looking more like Christopher Walken as the years go by.
Later that night, while his 23-year old protégé and recent collaborator Kreayshawn performed on the Le Plur Stage, Snoop Dogg gave props to the home team by donning a Saints' football jersey, but delivered a rather underwhelming set. Though helped somewhat by the presence of live bass and drums, the even mix of old and new material was marred by his uneven flow (apparently the teleprompter he deployed wasn't actually helping matters) and uninspired call-and-response interactions with the crowd (say "beee-atch" was about as deep as that dialog went). While not without its moments, most notably on the final medley of "Jump Around," "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)," the end result felt more half-baked than fully blazed.
Snoop would be wise to take a lesson from master Louisiana bluesman Bobby Rush, whose set earlier that evening on the Preservation Jazz Hall stage was a study in elegant pimping. With a pair of bejeweled back-up dancers and a ribald sense of showmanship, Rush and his five-piece band charmed the crowd senseless with odes to the feminine form and the pains of perpetual heartbreak.
Sunday was anchored by a handful of classic acts, including Kinks frontman Ray Davies, whose deep catalog digging clearly pleased an adoring throng, despite occasional battles with an out-of-tune guitar and slow-to warm vocals. Cheap Trick drew an impressively oversized crowd to the Le Carnival stage, including an audibly enthusiastic Steve Zahn and a handful of fellow Treme cast members. Though rumors that singer Robin Zander was lip-synching some of his vocals swirled, it didn't seem to dampen anyone's appreciation for anthems like "Surrender" or "I Want You to Want Me."
The increasingly cool temperatures thinned out the crowd by the time the Raconteurs took the stage at 7 p.m. to close the evening. Ex-White Stripes leader Jack White and co-leader Brendan Benson are clear comrades, egging each other on while shimmying around sly, blues-based riffs finished with more sweet top notes than the ramshackle rawness that defined the Stripes' early work. Their more elegant execution was a respectable capper for the long weekend, and as the happy, slightly chilled and heavily costumed crowd spilled back out through the former forest, it was easy to see why this city remains perpetually proud of not only its own storied music history, but its ability to throw one hell of a cool Halloween party

www.rollingstone.com

Selengkapnya...

Tom Petty Breaks Out Hits, Deep Cuts and Commentary at Benefit Concert

Intimate California show raised money for public college radio

 

 

"Nothing scares corporate radio more than public radio," Tom Petty declared last night with a wicked grin, as he faced an intimate crowd of just 500 in a benefit concert for the tiny college radio station KCSN-FM, on the outer edges of suburban Los Angeles. "We think people can understand a lot of different kinds of music."
Petty and the Heartbreakers headlined the first of two nights at the Plaza del Sol Performance Hall on the campus of Cal State Northridge, not only raising funds for the public-supported station but making a stand for a sound and a way of life. Petty openly lamented the rise of pop music "game-shows" and the ongoing decline of freeform radio on commercial airwaves, which his own success depended on in the early days.

"People took a chance on our band. Tell you what – we would not win American Idol," said Petty, who since 2005 has hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM, Tom Petty's Buried Treasure. He also noted the irony ofthis week's abrupt firing of local KLOS-FM DJ Jim Ladd, the inspiration for Petty's "The Last DJ" (lyric: "He won't play what they say to play . . . There goes the last human voice"). The band soon shifted into "I Won't Back Down," providing a defiant theme for the night, which also included a smoky set from Jakob Dylan and spirited folk-rock by singer-songwriter Lissie.

Like any great DJ, Petty promised "deep cuts" from the band's 35-year catalog of songs, and the Heartbreakers delivered in abundance, including material rarely or never before performed live. There was classic roadhouse blues guitar from Mike Campbell on "Lover's Touch," while "Have Love, Will Travel" (last performed a decade earlier) included the inspirational lyric: "How about a cheer for all those bad girls, and all those boys that play that rock & roll?"

The weekend shows will help KCSN increase its signal strength, and were an rare chance to see Petty and the Heartbreakers live. The band is currently recording a new album, but future touring plans are uncertain. "It doesn't matter if it's 500 or 500,000," Petty joked of the small crowd, "it scares me to death."
"We weren't all in the same country yesterday, but we practiced backstage," Petty added. Fans were close enough to count the buttons on Petty's vest as he picked up an acoustic guitar for the gentle, cascading "Angel Dream," with achingly subtle backup from the band. Covers included the soul classic "Green Onions" by BookerT. and the MGs and the molten blues of Muddy Waters' "Champagne and Reefer."
The Heartbreakers performed several tunes from last year's Mojo album, including a swampy "Jefferson Jericho Blues," as Benmont Tench banged a white baby grand like Professor Longhair. They also reached all the way back to a Stonesy "Fooled Again" – from their 1976 debut – slippinginto the old song like they'd been playing it in all the years since. "We were coming to this gig and said, 'Let's play a bunch of shit we don't know,'" Petty said. "It's turned out pretty good."

Earlier, Jakob Dylan was joined by the L.A.-based act Everest for a half-hour set of smoldering blues and folk from last year's acclaimed Women + Country album. Dylan also performed a couple of Wallflowers hits, including "6th Avenue Heartache," which featured Campbell on the original recording. Taking note of the night stillahead, Dylan said, "What a treat this evening, right?"

Set List:
"Jefferson Jericho Blues"
"Listen to Her Heart"
"Mary Jane's Last Dance"
"Fooled Again"
"Lover's Touch"
"I Won't Back Down"
"Takin' My Time"
"Champagne and Reefer"
 "Have Love, Will Travel"
 "When A Kid Goes Bad"
"Green Onions"
"To Find a Friend"
"Angel Dream"
 "First Flash of Freedom"
"I Shoulda Known It"
"Good Enough"
"Refugee"
"Running Down a Dream"

www.rollingstone.com
Selengkapnya...

Jeff Mangum Caps Off Tour With Stunning NYC Show

After a decade in self-imposed exile, Neutral Milk Hotel singer seems to be back for good


"So, are you guys going to sing?" Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum was a few songs into his October 29th solo performance at midtown Manhattan's Town Hall, and he'd already asked the crowd once before to sing along. Now he repeated his request and launched into "Ghost," a typically emotional selection from Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 masterpiece In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. "C'mon!" Mangum exhorted mid-tune, and a few more voices joined in. Moments later, before the song's final, wordless verse: "Now, fucking sing!"
After "Ghost," Mangum explained why it was so important for him that we sing along: "It just makes everything so much more human, you know? I mean, I used to do this for my friends . . ." He trailed off and gestured appreciatively out at the crowd, then asked for the house lights to be raised so he could see everyone.
These days, when Mangum just finished headlining a small festival, traveling up and down the East Coast on a brief tour and even making a surprise appearance at Occupy Wall Street (all to rave reviews), it's funny to think how unlikely all of this would have seemed even a year or two ago. The same ardent fans packed into Town Hall on a snowy Saturday night – the lucky few who scored tickets in the instants before they sold out back in February – had waited nearly a decade for Mangum to start performing in public again after he entered an intensely private phase following In the Aeroplane's cult success. When he reappeared in May 2010 at a benefit for an ailing friend, it was with the explicit caveat that his five-song set there was "not the start of a comeback." Then it turned out that it was. Few dared to expect it, but Jeff Mangum is back, and the music world is immeasurably richer for it. <span class="fullpost"> 
He got a standing ovation just after 9 p.m. as he walked on to the Town Hall stage, bare except for four acoustic guitars on stands. Mumbling a brief greeting, Mangum sat and opened immediately with "Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two" – the last song on In the Aeroplane, whose keening melody echoed in fans' ears all through the hiatus years. It sounded just as powerful now. He stared up at the balcony as he went through the well-remembered verses, wearing a grave, perhaps slightly nervous expression, but allowed himself a quick smile at the applause that followed that first song.
Mangum kept smiling as the night continued, a little wider each time, and especially when the audience obeyed his frequent pleas for them to sing along. Squeals of delight went up from the room as they heard the initial chords of nearly every song – highlights from In the Aeroplane and his 1996 debut, On Avery Island, plus a Roky Erickson cover and a fan-favorite B side. These were raw, ragged versions of the familiar tunes, with none of the albums' ramshackle psychedelic orchestration: just one guy on stage, punching out fast chords on acoustic guitars, tapping his foot and singing out in that singular voice. Suffice to say that Mangum, who recently turned 41, hasn't lost any of his vocal power in the intervening years. By the time his hour-long set ended with a cathartic "Holland, 1945," most everyone was joining in.
After a two-song encore with the house lights back up again, Mangum flashed a huge grin and walked off – stopping for a split-second as he left to look back at an entire auditorium that had risen to its feet. The crowd went on cheering for a few minutes more, as if they could will him to return and keep playing for another hour. He didn't. But after a year in which Mangum has proved that he is every bit the uniquely compelling performer he was in the Nineties, it's starting to seem wildly, wonderfully reasonable to hope that he'll be back before long.
Set list:
"Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two"
"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"
"Song Against Sex"
"Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone"
"Oh Comely"
"I Love the Living You" (Roky Erickson cover)
"Ghost"
"A Baby for Pree"
"Naomi"
"The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One"
"The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three"
"Holland, 1945"
(short break)
"Two-Headed Boy Pt. One"
"Engine"

Selengkapnya...

Fans Smash Stage After Metallica Gig is Canceled

Promoters of scrapped India show arrested for fraud

 

The organizers of a planned Metallica concerts in India were arrested after the show was called off, leading fans of the band to destroy the stage and vandalize equipment. Metallica had been booked to play in Delhi on Friday, but they postponed the show after a security barrier in front of the stage collapsed.

The group issued a statement explaining that they were "notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience, and our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans." The promoters were unable to secure a permit for a concert on the following day.



The four executives of DNA Entertainment Network, the promoters of the gig, were arrested on fraud charges after they refused to refund ticket money for the event. Reports indicate that around 25,000 people had purchased tickets to see what would have been Metallica's first-ever concert in India.
Selengkapnya...

Amy Winehouse's Third Album, 'Lioness,' Coming in December

'Lioness: Hidden Treasures' to Feature 12 Songs, a Mix of Old and New


A new album of recordings by the late soul singer Amy Winehouse will be released in December, Island Records said Monday. It said "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" will contain 12 songs - previously unreleased tracks, alternative versions of existing hits and brand new songs - recorded by the beehive-wearing singer who died at her London home on July 23.

The label said Winehouse's longtime musical partners Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi had spent time since her death listening to recordings of the singer, who many said never sang or played a song the same way twice.

Island Records said the duo quickly realized that they had "a collection of songs that deserved to be heard, a collection of songs that were a fitting testament to Amy the artist and, as importantly, Amy their friend."

The album - Winehouse's third after "Frank" and "Back to Black" - will be released on Dec. 5. Ronson and Remi compiled the tracks in collaboration with Winehouse's family, management and the label.

Winehouse's final studio recording - a cover of "Body & Soul" sung with Tony Bennett - will be included in the album.

The singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, said he had never before heard another one of the tracks, "Halftime," and described the song as "just incredibly beautiful."

"If the family had felt that this album wasn't up to the standard of 'Frank' and 'Back To Black' we would never have agreed to release it and we believe it will stand as a fitting tribute to Amy's musical legacy," he said in the Island Records statement.

A donation of 1 pound ($1.60) from the sale of each album in the U.K. will go to a foundation to assist disadvantaged children and young adults set up in the artist's name following her death.

Last week a British coroner ruled the Grammy-winning singer died from accidental alcohol poisoning when she resumed drinking after weeks of abstinence.

The 27-year-old Winehouse had fought a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse for years, and there had been much speculation that she died from a drug overdose.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


www.billboard.com  Selengkapnya...

Friday, October 28, 2011

Album Review: The Beach Boys, 'The SMiLE Sessions



THE BEACH BOYS
"The SMiLE Sessions"
Producers: Brian Wilson, Mark Linett, Alan Boyd, Dennis Wolfe
Capitol/EMI
Release Date: Nov. 1

The Beach Boys' "SMiLE," the first 19 tracks of this five-CD set, is an essential pop music album. The version Brian Wilson released in 2004 for Nonesuch was more polished than this collection of music from the initial 1966-'67 sessions. "The SMiLE Sessions" captures Wilson, session musicians and the Beach Boys in moments that are chaotic, loopy and remarkably in synch. It's a consistently brilliant album. With four CDs reliving Wilson's hours spent shaping "SMiLE," the song "Heroes and Villains" is limned at an extraordinary level, placed under the microscope and ultimately on a throne. Hands down one of Wilson's finest melodies, "Heroes and Villains" is Gershwin-esque in its sweeping moments, hauntingly still at times and cosmically choral in others. Set early on "SMiLE," a healthy amount of listening separates the song from its epic brethren "Surf's Up" and "Good Vibrations," heard here in a more rustic version than the hit single. Those better-known tracks feel perfect in length and structure; "Heroes and Villains" lingers-were SMiLE a Broadway show, theater-goers would hum it while exiting the venue. "SMiLE Sessions" showcases Wilson's production style and temperament, which is oddly calm and precise.








www.billboard.com
Selengkapnya...

Beavis and Butt-Head Return With 'Jersey Shore' in Their Cross Hairs



'There was a conscious decision to have nobody grow or learn much,' creator Mike Judge says in the Rolling Stone Hot Issue

A balding 49-year-old multi-millionaire in bluejeans steps up to the microphone and unleashes the inarticulate teenager lurking inside him: "Uh-huh. Whoa! Uh-huh. Huh-huh-huh." This is Mike Judge, creator of the legendary cartoon Beavis and Butt-Head, channeling Butt-Head for a Jimmy Kimmel spot. "You suck, Kimmel!" Judge shouts, in the voice of Butt-Head. He tries the line a few more times, and then flips it around to "Kimmel, you suck!" Judge shakes his head. "For some reason, that doesn't sound like something you'd yell at the TV." Nobody challenges him: Judge may well be this nation's foremost authority on people yelling at their TV.

Beavis and Butt-Head ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997, during which time it became the network's highest-rated program, was the subject of congressional debate and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone three times. The show centered on two idiot teenagers obsessed with heavy metal and "hot chicks." The best part of the show was the pair sitting on their ratty couch, discussing and misunderstanding the music videos they watched. (Butt-Head on videos with onscreen text: "If I wanted to read, I'd go to school.")

Judge, who voiced most of the show's characters and improvised much of the video commentary, was burned out by the end of its run. "It was on every night, as many as you could possibly do without a hiatus," he remembers. So when Judge made the hit 1996 movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, he negotiated a release from the show's last season, moved back home to Austin, went on to create King of the Hill, which ran for 13 seasons on Fox, and wrote and directed the 1999 cult comedy Office Space. He also had some DOA projects, such as the 2006 movie Idiocracy. Sitting in an edit bay in Burbank, California, drinking a Diet Dr Pepper, Judge says he can't distinguish between his hits and flops while he's making them: "I almost always feel like I've made something horrible."

After a 14-year hiatus, Judge can better appreciate Beavis and Butt-Head. "The characters pop," he assesses. "Somehow, you get more out of it than you put into it." When MTV asked him to revive the show, he said yes, bringing the boys back with their worldviews unchanged. "There was a conscious decision to have nobody grow or learn much," Judge says. Beavis and Butt-Head still wear their Metallica and AC/DC T-shirts, although Judge had to get permission from the bands this time around.

The biggest update has come in which videos Beavis and Butt-Head offer their "This rocks"/"This sucks" commentary on: It's now largely clips from reality shows like Jersey Shore and Cuff'd. This is less because of shifting cultural mores and more because the show is now required to get advance permission to lampoon a music video. "It used to be that we could do anything," Judge says, sighing. "Now we have to clear everything. We were going to do a Kanye West video – he wanted it on, and then somebody who owns, like, six percent of the songwriting said no."

Asked if, with age, his sympathies have shifted away from his teen protagonists and toward the adults whose lives they make miserable, Judge smiles. "When the show started, I was already pushing 30, considering a job teaching math," he says. "So from the get-go, I related to the teachers. But I remember thinking that I wanted to teach community college, because in high school you'd have to deal with the worst little shitheads."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/beavis-and-butt-head-return-with-jersey-shore-in-their-cross-hairs-20111027#ixzz1c7pNr9kV
Selengkapnya...

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Frances Bean Cobain Teases Possible Engagement


Daughter of Nirvana singer might just be goofing around

Frances Bean Cobain may be engaged, according to her Facebook page. The 19-year-old daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love recently changed her status on the site to "engaged," suggesting that she is planning to marry her boyfriend, Isaiah Silva of the rock band the Rambles.

Of course, this could all be a weird joke on Cobain's part. For one thing, both Cobain and Silva use silly aliases on the site – Frances Rachel Leigh Cook and David Berkowitz-Cusack, respectively. Bean alluded to an impending wedding in several Facebook posts, but the two recently reverted their status from "engaged."

Cobain, who is estranged from her mother, has become something of a muse for fashion designers recently. She has also tested the waters for a career in music, singing on a track called "My Space" by Evelyn Evelyn, a side project of Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer.


Selengkapnya...

Tour Alert: Lemonheads Revive 'It's a Shame About Ray'


Also: New dates from They Might Be Giants, Surfer Blood and Kaki King
 


The Lemonheads
Evan Dando and the latest incarnation of his Nineties alt-rock band the Lemonheads are back on tour and playing 1992's It’s a Shame About Ray in its entirety. The Lemonheads are also releasing Hotel Sessions, an intimate recording of Dando playing new songs on his acoustic guitar, in February. Pucker up for some personal time with Dando and catch the band on one of the dates below:
10/27 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
10/28 San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
10/29 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
10/30 San Fransico, CA – The Independent
10/31 Santa Clara, CA – The Avalon
11/3 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
11/4 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
11/5 Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
11/6 Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo House of Music
11/30 Portsmouth, UNITED KINGDOM – Wedgewood Rooms
12/1 Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM – Rescue Rooms
12/2 Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM – Cockpit
12/4 Newcastle upon Tyne, UNITED KINGDOM – The Cluny
12/5 Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM – Oran Mor Auditorium
12/6 Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM – Ritz
12/7  Liverpool, UNITED KINGDOM– Academy 2
12/8 Sheffield, UNITED KINGDOM – Plug
12/10 Birmingham, UNITED KIMGDOM – Academy 2
12/11 Cambridge, UNITED KINGDOM – The Junction
12/12 London, UNITED KINGDOM – Shepherd's Bush Empire
12/13 Brighton, UNITED KINGDOM – Concorde 2
1/10 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
1/11 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
1/12 Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights
1/13 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Casino, Wolf Den
1/14 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
1/16 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
1/17 Toledo, OH – Frankie's
1/19 Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
1/20 Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
1/21 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
1/22 Madison, WI – The High Noon Saloon
1/24 Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
1/26 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
1/27 Lawerence, KS – Granada
1/28 St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
1/29 Fayetteville, AR – George's Majestic Lounge
1/30 Oklahoma City, OK – The Conservatory
2/1 Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep
2/2 Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
2/3 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
2/4 Albuquerque, NM – Launch Pad
2/6 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
2/7 Tucson, AZ – Plush
2/9 Dallas, TX – The Door
2/10 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald's
2/11 Austin, TX – Mohawk
2/12 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
2/14 Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
2/15 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
2/16 Oxford, MS – Proud Larry's
2/17 Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree
2/18 Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
2/20 Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
2/22 Gainesville, FL – Double Down Live
2/23 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
2/24 Tampa, FL – Crowbar
2/25 Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
2/27 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
2/28 Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
2/29 Greenville, SC – Handlebar
3/2 Greensboro, NC – Blind Tiger
3/3 Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
3/4 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
3/5 Louisville, KY – Headliner's Music Hall
3/6 Columbus, OH – The Basement
3/9 Richmond, VA – The Canal Club
3/10 Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
3/11 New Hope, PA – New Hope Winery
3/13 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell's
3/14 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell's
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants, the quirky, double-Grammy-winning duo from Brooklyn, is coming to a town near you to mark nearly 30 years of musical bliss, which, in band years, is basically a millenium.
10/28 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
10/29 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
10/30 Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre
11/1 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
11/2 Kansas City, MO – Beaumont Club
11/3 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theatre
11/4 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
11/5 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
11/6 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
11/8 Vancouver, BC – Venue
11/9 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
11/10 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
11/11 Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theatre
11/12 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
11/13 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
11/16 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
11/17 San Diego, CA – Belly Up
11/26 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
1/27 Santa Cruz, CA – The Rio Theatre
1/28 Los Angeles, CA (Special Family Show) – Royce Hall UCLA
1/28 Los Angeles, CA (30 Anniversary Show) – Royce Hall UCLA
1/29 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
2/1 Tulsa, OK (Rescheduled from Sept.) – Cain's Ballroom
2/2 Dallas, TX – The Granada Theatre
2/3 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
2/4 New Orleans, LA – Tipitina's
2/7 Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
2/8 Orlando, GL – Hard Rock LIve
2/10 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
2/11 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
2/12 Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
2/14 Charlotte, NC – McGlohan Theater at Spirit Square
2/15 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
2/16 Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre
2/17 Baltimore, MD – Ram's Head Live
3/8 Northampton, MA – Calvin Theater
3/9 Providence, RI – Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
3/10 New York, NY – Terminal 5
Surfer Blood
Florida alt-rockers Surfer Blood take to the road this fall for an expansive tour supporing the Pixies that eventually lands them across the pond at the famed music festival ATP.

10/27 Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theatre *
10/28 Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Park Convention Hall *
10/29 Waterbury, CT – Palace Theatre *
10/30 Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Ballroom *
11/01 Portland, ME – State Theatre *
11/02 Rochester, NY – The Armory *
11/03 Easton, PA – State Theatre Center for the Arts *
11/05 Huntington, NY – Paramount Theatre *
11/06 Wilmington, DE – Grand Opera House *
11/07 Baltimore, MA – Ottobar
11/08 Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium *
11/09 Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theatre *
11/10 Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre *
11/11 North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center *
12/08 London, UK – The Brixton Academy ^
12/09 Somerset, UK – ATP

* w/ The Pixies
^ with The Vaccines

Kaki King
Labeled in recent years by Rolling Stone as a "New Guitar God," Kaki King has announced she'll bring an acoustic-flavored tour across the United States with a goal to get back to her roots. The performances will be simple, an opportunity for King to show off her talents on the fretboard.

11/03 Carrboro, NC – The Arts Center
11/04 Greenville, SC – The Handlebar
11/05 Wilmington, NC – The Soapbox Laundro Lounge
11/06 Charleston, SC – The Pour House
11/09 Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre
11/10 St. Augustine, FL – Original Café 11
11/11 Miami, FL – DWNTWN Miami Concert Series
11/12 Orlando, FL – Plaza Live
11/14 Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay
11/16 Starkville, MS – State Theatre
11/17 Chattanooga, TN – Barking Legs Theater
11/18 Athens, GA – New Earth Music Hall
11/19 Atlanta, GA – The Loft

Selengkapnya...

Listen: Scott Weiland's Version of 'Winter Wonderland'

 Scott Weiland and Christmas music are probably not things that most people associate together in their minds. But the Stone Temple Pilots frontman – whose album of Christmas classics Most Wonderful Time Of The Year hit shelves earlier this week – says he's always loved holiday standards. "I've been listening to these songs my entire life," he tells Rolling Stone. "It was a great honor to do this album."
The album features standards like "White Christmas," "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."  Many of the songs were cut with a large orchestra. (You can hear a stream of "Winter Wonderland" below.) Weiland's vocal style varies wildly between tracks. "I've never recorded something commercially before where I'm crooning," he says. "But if you listen to my solo albums it shows that there is such a major difference in the music that influences me and the way that I use my voice. I look at my voice as an instrument. My two favorite singers, John Lennon and David Bowie, had very different voices that they used depending on the vibe of the song."
Some of the tracks stick to familiar arrangement, while others are more daring. "We wanted to do a reggae-ish version of 'Silent Night,'" says Weiland. "And there's a sort of swigging version of 'What Child Is This?' and we have a bossa nova, Sixties kitschy version of one of the songs. It all worked out quite amazing."
The mere existence of this album may shock some of Weiland's fans, but he hasn't gotten any such reactions yet. "All the feedback I've gotten has been very good," he says. "My memories of Christmas time are very special, especially as a youngster. These songs, however they are stylized, have been done and redone by so many different people – yet people love to listen to them every holiday season. It's something that I want to just be part of."
Stone Temple Pilots have a mini-tour of South America lined up in November, but when that wraps Weiland is going to perform six Christmas solo shows. "It's a theater tour and it will be very classy," Weiland says. "We'll bring a small part of the orchestra with us and then we will go to the music union and find other players to supplement the rest of the orchestra. Then we're doing two morning TV shows, two afternoon shows and two late night shows."
An American Stone Temple Pilots tour was postponed last month due to Weiland's continuing throat problems. "My voice was shot," Weiland says. "I've been on the road nonstop ever since I got in with Velvet Revolver. We over-toured this last STP record. Sometimes it begins to feel like you're punching a clock. A lot of times I told them that we had to stop because my voice was giving out. Finally, an ear, nose and throat specialist put a camera down my throat. One of my vocal chords was strong – like overly strong – but the other one was very weak. He was afraid that I was going to do irreparable harm."
Weiland finds the whole situation very frustrating. "This isn't about any finger pointing, but there was a lack of communication," he says. "Things slip by and they slip through the cracks, and that can't happen. There would be no Christmas record and no STP records or concerts if my voice was destroyed."
When the STP tour ends and Weiland finishes all promotion for the Christmas record, he's looking forward to a long break. "In the last eight years, I've barely ever had more than two months off," he says. "I want to spend time with my kids and I want to have a personal life."

Selengkapnya...

Friends

Friends is a band of five based in Bushwick (that's in Brooklyn for the 99% of the population that doesn't think the borough is the center of the universe) that was started not too long ago by primary singer/songwriter Samantha Urbani (whose voice once received a Mariah Carey comparison?) and Lesley Hann. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're friends.

Anyway, the hype machine is off and chugging for Friends. But that's what happens when you throw down some seriously catchy beats and synths like this. As we all know, trains love beats and synths... it helps pass the time as they transport all that coal and cement and stuff.

People frequently compare Friends' sound to ESG. Did ESG invent beats? I wasn't aware of that. Better check Wikipedia. Friends also rock a similar sparkling sunshine-y vibe to that of Body Language, another recent Rockness favorite.

But comparisons can go out the window now. What you need to know is that Friends is dance-y and poppy and disco-y and a little post-punk-y. And their songs come with an aura of overall brightness. Goth, this is not.

So I guess this is all to say that Friends is a pretty damn good party band. A party band for happy ALTS, that is. Bushwick has a good scene these days, doesn't it? Oh. Sorry. Bushwick is a neighborhood in Brooklyn... which is a borough in New York City... which is this town on the East Coast.

www.ohmyrockness.com Selengkapnya...

Pujol


Pujol is Daniel Pujol. This Nashville guy is creating some really great Southern-twinged garage rock that is definitely right up there with the best of the current crop. It's so easy to get down to this, you don't even have to try.

And if you find yourself having to try, you probably just don't like garage rock all that much. That's fine, of course. Just make sure you've given it a chance while boozed up. If you don't drink, that's cool too. Just get drunk in the mind, man. And THEN watch Pujol do his blasts and you just might get it.

This gritty lo-fi goodness with boatloads of catchiness will perhaps appeal to fans of Wavves + Jeff the Brotherhood + Ty Segall + Eddy Current Supression Ring. And hell, I forgot to tell you. Jack White is into Pujol too (he put out a release on JW's Third Man Records). By the grace of Jack White go many, so... maybe he's onto something.

www.ohmyrockness.com Selengkapnya...

Pat Jordache



Montreal's Pat Jordache is an enchantingly quirky guy with a strange booming baritone that makes ramshackle lo-fi noise pop with slightly goth-y undertones. Let's just say this outright: Pat Jordache's music is weird. Definitely. And his jams give the overall feeling of sounding just sort of... broken; and that's what makes them sound so right. This guy is clearly on his own path.

A frequent tUnE-yArDs collaborator and an ex-Ariel Pink as an influence, so if you're familiar with the mighty Pink's work, you're going to be on the right track to like this. But to my ears, this definitely sounds like uncharted pop territory. It's one thing to listen to something so uniquely bizarre. It's another thing to listen to something so uniquely bizarre and then want to play it again...and again... and again.

Whatever Pat Jordache is doing, not too many people are going to come along and try to replicate it. But with jams as strangely satisfying as this, you can be sure as hell the kids are going to try.

www.ohmyrockness.com Selengkapnya...

Asobi Seksu
Liturgy
Thursday 10/27/2011 - 7:00 PM
17 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
212-777-6800
website
$21.5
16+
 
Selengkapnya...

Night Manager
Sport of Kings
The John Steel Singers
Thursday 10/27/2011 - 8:00 PM
245 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
website
$10
21+
 
Selengkapnya...

Beige 
Thursday 10/27/2011 - 8:00 PM
6 Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 533-2111
website
$13a / $15d
18+


Selengkapnya...

10 Scariest Musicians Ever: Poll Results

www.billboard.com

 Just as the calendar rolled into October, we got into the spooky spirit of Halloween by asking Billboard.com readers which musician scares the living daylights out of them. You weren't afraid to vote in huge numbers, and now, just in time for the scariest time of year, we reveal the 10 artists you chose as the most frightening of all time. Boo!
 
10. Gene Simmons of Kiss
KISS touched down in the '70s in platform boots, codpieces and creepy make-up tailor-made for Halloween, but Gene Simmons has always been the Halloweeniest of them all. Long before he came into the living rooms of the masses as the reality TV star showing off his "Family Jewels," the KISS bassist elicited delighted screams around the world as the band's resident tongue-waggling, blood-spitting, fire-breathing "demon."


9. Insane Clown Posse
With their garish, painted-on grimaces, in the right light clowns are the scariest kiddie entertainment in the world. Insane Clown Posse ups the ante on the "evil clown" trope by adding in menacing raps, videos full of trashed stores and unsuspecting carnivalgoers on rides from hell, and an army of done-up fans ready to back them up. Think ICP doesn't know scary? They're from Detroit, where Halloween time is an arson-inflamed crime spree. What's scarier than that?



8. GWAR
Sure, they're a little bit funny (the guitarist is named Flattus Maximus), but GWAR is every bit as horrifying as humorous. For over a quarter century, the Virginia thrashers have been pounding on stage in spiky reptilian costumes, dousing the crowd in unidentified wet stuff that resembles assorted bodily fluids, and bellowing lewd tunes from albums titled things like "Violence Has Arrived" and "This Toilet Earth." Yikes. Eww. And haha.




7. Tyler, The Creator
On the surface he may look like a nice, normal, young guy, but the de facto leader of Odd Future can be as chilling as a Radiohead song. Anyone cold and creepy enough to devour a giant, live cockroach (nevermind the "kill" scrawled in marker on his hand, the noose he hangs himself with, or the black contact lenses) in his "Yonkers" video gets our vote, and clearly, yours too.



6. Rob Zombie
Who doesn't like a little undead action come October? Rob Zombie came to the forefront back in the '90s leading the fierce White Zombie, whose hits ("More Human Than Human") and his own ("Dragula") boasted industrial riffs from guitars drop-tuned down to the pits of hell. Since then he's added "horror movie auteur" to his resume, directing truly scary flicks like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Halloween" remakes.




5. Alice Cooper
Long before there was a Rob Zombie or a Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper unleashed "School's Out" onto the sunshine-filled early '70s. And between his "school's out forEVER" snarl, his sinister dripping eyeliner, and his snakes-as-apparel, the term "shock rocker" was practically coined just for him.


4. Ozzy Osbourne
What would this list be without music's Prince of Darkness himself? Your many votes cast the infamous Black Sabbath singer and sinister solo artist fourth on the list as much for classic metal creepouts like "Iron Man" and "Bark At The Moon" as the crazy stories that have become Ozzy lore. The most famous tale, of course, being the time he supposedly bit off a bat's head at a 1982 gig. In later days, Ozzy's rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" proved similarly terrifying.



3. Slipknot
Never seen without mortifying masks and orange jumpsuits that would scare the wits out of Hannibal Lecter, the members of Slipknot -- itself named for the rope-tie used in wild west hangman's nooses -- long went only by numbers. With the look down pat, the Iowa band's pitch-black metal scared up fans (who are lovingly called "maggots") all through the early '00s -- and remained enough of a memorable nightmare to this day to beat scary elders Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne in this poll.



2. Lady Gaga
The queen of bizarre-pop's Little Monsters landed their Mother Monster at No. 2 on the list, with a whopping 35% of the vote. Think Lady Gaga isn't scary? Think again. She opened a wound onstage at the 2009 MTV VMAs and "bled" on her piano, and just this year she was literally hatched ( from an egg at the Grammys) as an alien, complete with spiny facial and body prosthetics. Why? She was "Born This Way," of course.


1. Marilyn Manson
Who is the only person frightening enough to top the alien Lady Gaga in our Scariest Musicians Poll? Marilyn Manson squeaked into the number one spot by a margin of less than one percent. Named after a combination of Marilyn Monroe and serial killer Charles Manson, he clearly studied KISS, Alice Cooper and Ozzy, then out-scared them all with a combination of threatening, gravel-voiced industrial rock, distressed bondage gear, mangled dental appliances, videos full of vaguely human beasties creeping through dead warehouses, worms, straight-jackets, mad-scientist labs, and dark side Kabuki makeup. Congratulations Marilyn Manson! If there were a musical human embodiment of the word "nightmare," it would be you.

Selengkapnya...

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Album Review: Five Finger Death Punch, 'American Capitalist'




FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
American Capitalist
Producers: Kevin Churko, Five Finger Death Punch
Prospect Park Records
Release Date: Oct. 11


If anyone thought that a little success might soften Los Angeles rock quintet Five Finger Death Punch, or at least lead it to write some happier lyrics, then think again - the band comes out harder than ever on its third album, "American Capitalist." The set features a ferocious "license to hate," a fully articulated "100 Ways to Hate" and, on the track "Under and Over It," some particular vitriol for haters who would deny the group its mainstream spoils. The rage gives American Capitalist a fierce potency. It offers defiant mosh pit anthems like the title track, "The Pride" and "Back for More"; middle-finger-throwing kiss-offs like "Wicked Ways"; and the nihilistic call to arms "Generation Dead." Five Finger Death Punch even enters power ballad territory on the family-dissing "Remember Everything" and "Coming Down." Those give the album, and the Death Punch gang, a left-right combo that's absolutely lethal.

 www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...

Album Review: Martina McBride, 'Eleven'

MARTINA MCBRIDE
Eleven
Producers: Martina McBride, Byron Gallimore, Dann Huff
Republic Nashville
Release Date: Oct. 11



You can take the girl out of Nashville, and apparently you can take some Nashville out of the girl, too - or at least out of Martina McBride on her 11th studio album. The appropriately titled Eleven (which has 11 tracks, with 15 on a Target special edition) is all about the new for McBride. This time out she has a different label, a fresh co-producer, and it's her first time recording outside of Music City (in Atlanta). Fortunately, McBride is up to the task of handling a wealth of new directions on what is, for all intents and purposes, a pop album with occasional country touches. The song "Teenage Daughters" features a sly bit of soul-rock and "Watcha Gonna Do" is just plain soulful, while "You Can Get Your Lovin' Right Here" mines a slinky but polished groove. Elsewhere, "Broken Umbrella" has more sunshine than a Katrina & the Waves video and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" will sell plenty of tissues, while McBride and Pat Monahan re-create their "CMT Crossroads" duet on Train's "Marry Me." Clearly you can take McBride-who co-wrote six of these tracks-anywhere and she'll sound just fine.

 www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...

new album Kelly Clarkson, 'Stronger': Track-By-Track Review

"Stronger," Kelly Clarkson's fifth full-length in nine years, should be arriving at a high point in the pop-rock singer's career. Her last album, 2009's "All I Ever Wanted," bounced back from 2007's uneven "My December" with the help of super-producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin by spawning hits like "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up" and giving Clarkson her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200. "All I Ever Wanted" was an impressive rebound, but "Stronger" has not emerged as the victory lap it deserves to be: the album was pushed back multiple times by RCA Records, and first single "Mr. Know It All" has stalled outside on the Hot 100's Top 20. Meanwhile, Luke and Martin are nowhere to be found on the album credits. Is "Stronger" losing the momentum Clarkson gained with her last album?

Even if "Stronger" lacks the killer radio cuts that have thus far defined Clarkson's legacy, her latest album is still a sumptuous, tightly paced offering from one of pop music's greatest singers. Yes, you read that right -- Clarkson's vocal power is still astoundingly effortless, and helps the average songwriting of "Stronger" sound enigmatic. Her voice has also continued to mature since "All I Ever Wanted," giving an adult voice to these tales of moving on from erratic relationships.


Producers like Greg Kurstin and Toby Gad turn songs like "Dark Side" and "The War Is Over" into beautifully arranged anthems, and while there is some mediocre fare here -- looking at you, "Einstein" -- "Stronger" develops a steady rhythm that invites multiple listens. If this proves to be a relatively minor album in Clarkson's career, then it's a minor album from an artist that has proven her durability.

Which songs on "Stronger" stand up next to Kelly Clarkson's best work? Here's our Twitter-length track-by-track review of each song.

You be the judge: What do you think of Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" album? Tweet us your own review at @billboard (using hashtag #bbkelly). The best tweets will be posted on Billboard.com in the coming days.


1. Mr. Know It All - The sassy single is full of righteous declarations -- "You like to bring me down, don't you?/Well, I ain't going down!" -- and an upbeat, gospel-like chorus.

 


2. What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - A guitar riff reminiscent of "Since U Been Gone" segues into an anthem that encourage personal reinvention, and dancing.

3. Dark Side - On this thoughtful mid-tempo track, Clarkson dials back her vocal power on the verses and pleads with a guy to embrace her flaws.

4. Honestly - "Face me, make me, listen to the truth, even if it breaks me," Clarkson wails on another somber track. She's on point, but the instrumentation is a bit blase.

5. You Love Me - The intensity ramps up on "You Love Me," its heavy guitar crashing in on the chorus before the subtle rhythm snaps back into place. An immediate highlight.

6. Einstein - Yes, "Einstein" is fun. Yes, Clarkson sounds spectacular. But the refrain reads, "Dumb plus dumb equals you." Moving on!

7. Standing In Front of You - The first straight-ahead ballad on "Stronger," this track delivers a needed breather, and its lilting chorus is as gentle as a warm towel.

8. I Forgive You - "I forgive you, I forgive me/Now when do I start to feel again?" is the album's most arresting opening line. If only the rest of the song didn't go through the pop-rock motions.

9. Hello - A slightly more rugged track that finds its groove in the chorus. The handclaps on the bridge are a nice touch -- "Hello" is gonna be killer in concert.

10. The War Is Over - Another defiant track marked by its pummeling drums. The lyrics are frustratingly vague -- who are you fighting, Kelly, and why?

11. Let Me Down - Clarkson is once again "dumb enough to linger" with a bad boy. Here, the massive chorus swallows the verses whole and invites radio spins.

12. You Can't Win - Spiky guitar riffs are paired with sone of the album's most clever lyrics. Why is this buried at Track 12?

13. Breaking Your Own Heart - The album-closing ballad harkens back to the country music components Clarkson explored on "Don't You Wanna Stay" with Jason Aldean.


www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...

Metallica Reportedly Making 3D Film




While in general I'm opposed to 3D films -- especially when they're shot in 2D and then converted into 3D afterward -- some 3D concert movies have been incredibly impressive, particularly U2 3D. But now comes word that Metallica are looking into making a 3D movie, although what it's going to be about isn't clear. Apparently it's not going to be a documentary or a concert film, though.
Deadline reports that the metal veterans have hired Charlotte Huggins, the producer of the 3D Brendan Fraser action movie Journey to the Center of the Earth, to make this untitled film. Will it be a biopic of the group's early days? Will it be an action-adventure movie starring the quartet? No one knows at this point.
The band members have, of course, graced the silver screen before with Some Kind of Monster, the 2004 documentary that captured Metallica during a time of great self-doubt as they were preparing to make St. Anger. Drummer Lars Ulrich recently admitted that he regretted putting out the film, so perhaps this new project will be a way to set things right.
Regardless, this isn't the only project Metallica have going on at the moment. On November 1, they'll be releasing Lulu, their nervy collaboration with Lou Reed. If you haven't had a chance already, you can hear a stream of the album here. Selengkapnya...

The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"



The first single from the Black Keys' El Camino (due out December 6th) moves like the album's vintage Chevy namesake – a swift, sturdy hunk of all-American cool. On last year's Brothers, the duo tightened up their stadium-blues attack and took home a few Grammys. Now they're pushing that badass sound to even faster speeds. Drummer Patrick Carney pounds out a hammer-of-the-gods backbeat while singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach peels off lean riffs and wails about a twisted affair ("You pull my heart out, and I don't mind bleeding"), sounding like he's practically frothing at the mouth. Frustrated desire is the song's ostensible theme – "I got a love that keeps me waiting," Auerbach gripes – but for Keys fans, this is a clean hit of instant gratification.

 

Selengkapnya...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Anthrax, Testament, and Death Angel Obliterate the Warfield with Help From Metallica's Kirk Hammett


  

Anthrax
Testament
Death Angel
Chimaira
Oct. 23, 2011
The Warfield
Bay Area thrash-metal fans still waiting for Metallica to bring the Big 4 Tour to their hometown got to enjoy a neck-snapping substitute on Sunday, when Anthrax brought its Earth on Hell Tour to the Warfield with local legends Testament and Death Angel. The confluence of '80s metal stalwarts still going strong three decades after the rise of thrash pulled a crowd that packed the floor of the venue with a mix of greybeard heshers and youthful headbangers moshing, sweating, and crowd-surfing throughout the marathon concert.

Cleveland, Ohio-based band Chimaira had the unenviable task of being the new-school act opening the show at 6 p.m., but its members managed to acquit themselves well with their grinding, hectic grooves. The presence of a keyboard player might have thrown off some more traditionally minded metal fans, but the high-energy and technical precision of vitriolic songs like "Pure Hatred" won over audience members up into the balcony.

Death Angel took the stage to a throaty roar of approval from loyal local fans as the group plowed through a set that leaned heavily on its year-old effort Relentless Retribution. Lead singer Mark Osegueda whipped his floor-length dreads and the crowd into a frenzy, working the full length of the stage and clambering onto speaker stacks at both ends on the classic "Evil Priest" as shredders Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar traded riffs and guitar faces. Osegueda told the audience the band hadn't played the Warfield since 1990, joking that they had a little more room on the stage back then between swigs from a massive bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin.

After the Death Angel's all-too-short set wrapped with a frenetic version of the thrash anthem "Kill As One," a quick set change revealed why the band was working with such limited real estate. Using the same sizable gothic castle set from last summer's American Carnage Tour with Slayer and Megadeth, Testament filled the stage with a career-spanning fusillade of thrash gems that drew evenly from earlier albums and 2008's stellar The Formation of Damnation. Wielding his illuminated mic stand like a guitar/mini light saber, charismatic frontman Chuck Billy incited the crowd to its most furious moshing yet. While it would have been nice to get a preview of material from the band's in-production album Dark Roots of the Earth (slated for release in the spring of 2012), it was hard to argue with the unbridled guitar fury dealt out by Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson on "Over the Wall" and "Into the Pit."

After all the mayhem stirred up by Testament, there was some question of whether the audience would be too winded to maintain for the headliner. However, as soon as Anthrax took the stage, the number of crowd-surfing and airborne bodies made it clear the thrashing was far from over.

Deftly bashing out songs old and new amid a flurry of headbanging perpetual motion (particularly from guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Frank Bello), the band brought a less dark but equally kinetic energy to the stage. Returned lead singer Joey Belladonna proved his air-raid siren voice has lost none of its power, wailing the same notes on "Caught in a Mosh" and "Indians" he first hit almost a quarter of a century ago. While the '80s-era songs were met with the enthusiasm you'd expect, the crowd was equally responsive to songs from Anthrax's stunning new album Worship Music. Whether on the opening tunes "Earth on Hell" and "Fight 'Em Til You Can't," which brought the moshing to a new intensity, or the soaring ode "In the End" (a heartfelt tribute to the late metal legends Dimebag Darrel and Ronnie James Dio), audience members sang along, slammed into each other and generally lost their shit.


The thrash loyalists got a bonus during the encore as Osegueda and Metallica's Kirk Hammett joined in on background vocals for "I Am the Law." Afterwards, drummer Charlie Benante pounded out a familiar breakneck rhythm as Ian foisted his guitar on Hammett for an abbreviated take on Metallica's "Whiplash" that sent the sweat-drenched masses home with smiles all around.

Critic's Notebook
Personal bias: Having grown up as a suburban hesher teen in the Bay Area during the '80s, how could I not be biased?

A younger generation: As many grey-haired metal fans were in attendance, it was heartening to see a solid contingent of teen and pre-teen enthusiasts (my 9-year-old son included) scattered throughout the Warfield.


Selengkapnya...