New Music Monday Featuring Three Metre Days, Sorrows, And Stone Joy

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Welcome to another edition of New Music Monday, where your cousin Ryo gets your week kick started with some great brand new tunes that you’re bound to enjoy!

Three Metre Days – Stay That Way
We start this edition of New Music Monday off with something mellow. Three Metre Days “Stay That Way” is a beautiful song that should be listened to while watching the sunrise with a nice hot cup of coffee in your hand. This song is as beautiful as nature’s morning. Grab yourself a free copy of the “Stay That Way” MP3 by clicking the link below.
http://www.pavementpr.com/1.mp3s/3MDStayThatWay.mp3

Sorrows – Bad Times Good Times
Next up is Sorrows with “Bad Times Good Times.” This song is a hard rock meets hillbilly rock with a wind ensemble twist. Think the Stray Cats going punk. An upbeat, foot tapping, hell of a good time, “Bad Times Good Times” is a song that will get you rocking in the morning and take you all the way to the end of the week. Grab a free copy of the single “Bad Times Good Times” by clicking the link below.
http://www.pavementpr.com/1.mp3s/SORROWSBadTimesGoodTimes.mp3

Stone Joy – Bless You Nona Way
We close out this edition of New Music Monday with a hauntingly beautiful song from Stone Joy, titled “Bless You Nona Way.” The song is beautiful, the video is artistic, and on a crisp fall morning, there is nothing better to wake up to. This is pure musical art!



Three Metre Days, Sorrows, and Stone Joy --- you rock!

The Scent Of Music

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Recently I pulled out a Rolling Stones mix tape that I made over twenty years ago. I wanted to listen to the ingeniously titled, “Rolling Stones Mix” as part of my Every Album Challenge. The mix was recorded on the Maxell Brand that was popular at the time. I remember buying those blank tapes in packs of ten for all of the mixes that I made. And all of them had outstandingly creative titles like “Kiss Mix,” “Aerosmith Mix,” and “Rolling Stones Mix.”

When I pulled the “Rolling Stones Mix” cassette open and prepared to pop it into the cassette player, something hit me right away---the smell of the cassette. It still smelled new. It still smelled like it had twenty years ago. It was a sweet, plastic scent that was undeniably Maxell. I don’t know if this was caused from the process of manufacturing the tapes, or if the factory coated them with a special scent, but I immediately knew the smell. It brought back many memories of my youth.

As a kid, I was big on sense of smell when it came to new music. Whenever I would buy a new cassette, one of my biggest thrills came from ripping off the plastic sheet the cassette was packaged in, popping it open, and sticking my nose on the cassette to get a good whiff. The clear tapes always smelled the best, but the Maxell blanks were a close second.

The joy of smelling my music followed me around as I got older and technologically advanced. I would smell new CDs as they were purchased, and while the covers still had a pleasant scent, the CDs themselves did not smell like much of anything. I believe it was the plastic jewel boxes the CDs came in that secured any scent. The smell was not as invigorating as the cassette tapes, but it was still there.

Now, with modern technology, paper packaging, and electronically stored music dominating collections, we’ve lost a lot of that nostalgic scent. It is the one thing I miss most about collecting music. No new music smells the way the tapes of old did (and amazingly still do). I can’t believe that the scent of the Maxell held up for more than twenty years. I experimented with other cassettes, and while the scent was still somewhat apparent on a few of them, it was non-existent on most. However, every Maxell UR brand blank tape that I sniffed still had a strong smell of “cassette.” They all held up over time.

Has anyone else tried this? Did any of you ever spend time smelling your collection growing up and noticing how great/unique/invigorating the cassette tapes smelled? Was it only the tapes of the late 80s/early 90s? I noticed that the white tapes of the 70s/early 80s somehow did not carry the same scent. It must be the type of plastic that was used.

If you remember “smelling” your collection, drop a line in the comments section. Don’t be shy. We all have quirky habits as music collectors. I know that I cannot be the only music fanatic to have done this on a regular basis. That’s not only highly improbable, it is borderline impossible.

Maxell brand cassette tapes…you rock!

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Home Repair Edition

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This past week, Mrs. Vie and I have been working on our daughter’s room, transforming it from “the little princess” theme to a more teenage oriented theme. This has meant scraping, painting, spackling, cleaning, color picking, and a lot of hard work. When it is all over with, the room will look immaculate. Quite possibly, it could be the nicest room in the house. Getting to that point though, that is the battle. I have never spackled so many holes in one room before this. My word of advice to parents everywhere---do not let your children hang up posters with push pins. Tape only! It will make things so much easier when it comes time to remake their room.

Here’s what rocked this week:

Do You Want Total Music Freedom?
A new app has been launched that allows users to synch their music across any mobile phone, tablet, or personal computer, meaning your music collection is with you wherever you go. In a nutshell, this is the cloud for music, and it looks oh so sweet! And what makes this better than ICloud, is that it is not restricted to the apple universe. Now you can synch the music on your blackberry with your PC and your IPad. One touch of the app and everything is there. To check this out in more detail, visit: www.mymusiccloud.com

30 Musicians Under 30 Worth Knowing
If you are always searching for the next great sound or the next great artist, here is a website that you have to visit. 30 under 30: Musicians To Know is a site dedicated to 30 young musicians over the world on the cusp of making it big. The creators of the site searched high and wide for talent all over the world that they believe have what it takes to be a great solo artist. Bios on the artist and samples of their music are all included. This is a great site for those of us that love indie rock.

Kiss Gets Screwed Again
Over at Hard Rock Hideout, the latest edition of Vie’s Verses can be found. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees were announced and once again, Kiss was left off the bill. What the heck is that all about? Check out my seething rant over at HRH. Kiss deserves some respect.

Every Album Challenge Update
Albums Listened To: 355
Albums Remaining: 1,698

For more news, reviews, strange thoughts, concert updates, new release information, and basic blabbering, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Lollapalooza - July 23, 2003

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Back in 2003, Lollapalooza was still a travelling tour, as opposed to the one city, one weekend event that is the current format. In the summer of 2003, Lollapalooza announced their tour dates and one of the stops was at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. With bands like Incubus, Audioslave, and Jane’s Addiction on the bill, there was no way I would miss out.

The Donnas
The Donnas opened the main stage in style. I always wondered what happened to The Donnas. They were a decent, all girl band, and in 2003, I thought they would go on to be hugely successful. Their live act was solid, they looked magnificent (hot, sweaty, beautiful women playing rock and roll is always attractive), and they had a hit song in “Take It Off.” With so much going right, I am surprised that this band didn’t take off. As it was, I was happy to see them in concert and thought they did a great job as a live act.

Queens Of The Stone Age
I had never seen Queens Of The Stone Age prior to Lollapalooza, and I barely knew their music. I was familiar with a song or two that I had heard on the radio, but other than that, I had not paid them much attention. Thus, I had no idea what to expect when it was their turn to rock the Arts Center. All I knew is that they were the bridge to Incubus.

In a brief, simple, summary, this band sucked. I rarely trash any bands, as I know how hard it is to make good music, go out on stage, and perform in front of crowds both large and small, but there is no other way for me to state how I felt about Queens Of The Stone Age. It could quite possibly be the worst musical performance I ever sat through.

The lead singer had a voice that sound like broken glass being chewed. The instruments were all out of tune, and it appeared that the band did way too much partying before taking the stage. Hence, the band sucked. I quickly forgot about them and never gave QOTSA another thought until now. Most likely, I will never think about them again.

Incubus
This would be my first time witnessing Incubus live. I knew they would perform a condensed set, but figured it would be packed with hits, which would make me happy. Incubus delivered. While their performance at Lollapalooza was nowhere near as grand as their headlining performance I witnessed years later, it was still a power packed show.

Without lighting, special effects, or any other extras that headliners get, Incubus focused on the music. And that was enough for the crowd. Incubus’ music is what makes them special and there is no need for them to rely on special effects to enhance their show. The music does all the talking.

My only disappointment with Incubus was the fact that they did not play one of their biggest hits. For whatever reason, “Drive” was not on the set list that night, and to this day, I am still scratching my head over that.

Audioslave
2003 was really the year of Audioslave. After Rage Against The Machine split up and Soundgarden called it a day, Chris Cornell and the members of Rage (minus Zach) got together and made a super group. And super they were. Their debut album ranks in my top 50 albums of all time. The year it was released, I played it nonstop. To finally witness these songs in their live format was the treat of the night.

The band opened with a White Stripes song, which I found an odd thing to do. Not only were they opening with a song that wasn’t their own, but the song they chose (“Seven Nation Army”) was a current White Stripes song. I can’t recall ever seeing a band cover a current hit in concert. That being said, they performed a damned good version of the song.

After the cover intro, Audioslave songs followed. All of the best songs from their self-titled debut were played and the crowd loved it. Chris Cornell has a voice for the angels and Tom Morello is a guitar whiz worthy of being considered one of the greats. Their live performance really did the band justice.

Toward the end of their set, Cornell came out on stage solo with an acoustic guitar and played a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” It was well done and of course, the New Jersey crowd went wild for the Bruce cover.

Overall, Audioslave was magnificent. It was the only time I saw them in concert, but it was a memorable one.

Jane’s Addiciton
The headliners of the show were the recently reunited Jane’s Addiction. They were touring behind a brand new album, Strays, which was a solid record. This would be my second time seeing them in concert, so I knew how great the band was live. That night would be no exception.

As Jane’s set started, I noticed something strange occurring in front of me. It had been a long day of music, and a lot of people had a little too much (or way too much) to drink. By that time of the night, goofy things were bound to happen.

The not-so-gentleman in front of me and my friends decided that it was time for a bathroom break, but apparently he did not want to miss any of Jane’s Addiction. So, right in front of us and everyone else on the lawn, he whipped out his rod urinated. The crowd around him dissipated quickly, giving him plenty of room. After he finished tapping the tree, he zipped up and went right on rocking. I had to question what I just saw, but my friends confirmed it. We just watched a guy piss on the lawn at a Jane’s Addiction concert.

As for the real show, it was magnificent. Ninety minutes of great music from one of the founding fathers of alternative rock. I have always been enamored with Perry Farrell, considering him a musical genius. His excellence showed on that night as he and the rest of the band performed a concert that was entertaining, packed with hit songs, and extremely well performed. There were no complaints from me or my friends.

Lollapalooza 2003 was an entertaining event and worth the price of admission. While it would be the last time that I would see Jane’s Addiction in concert, they gave me quite a memory to go out on.

The Rebellion - II

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The Rebellion has returned with their sophomore effort, II. After releasing a solid and enjoyable debut, the stakes were high for The Rebellion to deliver on their second album. Fortunately for the fans, the band was up for the task. II is every bit as good as the band’s debut record (Time).

While their first album sounded all Muse, Coldplay, and The Fray, the new disc sounds more like The Rebellion. The band has solidified their sound. Piano driven modern rock is the style of Rebellion, and it is music done right. Josh Palmer’s voice still sounds fantastic and his bandmates follow suit, showing off their talent with ease.

II brings with it many surprises yet many familiarities as well. Josh Palmer’s voice sounds as grand as the previous record and his guitar work is still amazing. The songs are stronger than the previous disc and much more enjoyable. The hard work that The Rebellion put into this record shows in the sound that is released. It’s obvious the band did not want to repeat their debut and deliver a stale sound, so they went to work and worked hard. The end result was worth it, as II is one of the better records to be released this year.

The Rebellion pick up where the left off at the end of Time, bringing more great music to the fans. While “Missing Piece” is a solid opening track complete with plenty of piano and incredible vocal, it’s the second song on the disc, “Save Me” that gets the feet tapping and the backsides shaking. “Save Me” is a magnificent modern rock piece with intricate changes, a fantastic guitar solo, and a harder edge. It begins soft and sweet but finishes rough and tough. “Save Me” is a fantastic song and it finds The Rebellion hitting their stride.

“The Escape” has a Queen like feel to it, especially during the guitar solo. It reminded me so much of Brian May that I thought he had made a guest appearance on the record. Alas, it was an original solo by Josh Palmer. The complexity in the arrangements and changes shows just how much The Rebellion has matured as a band. “The Escape” is a sophisticated rock song. Without a doubt the hardest rocking and best sounding song on the record, The Escape is a great rock tune worthy of many listens and a lot of radio airplay.

II brings plenty of rock moments with it. The blend of brilliant guitar solo, Palmers magnificent voice and just the right amount of piano, drums, and bass solidify the music to perfection. II is one of the better albums to be released this year. If you are a huge fan of The Rebellion’s debut album, it may take a spin or two to enjoy II. Because it is advancement from their debut disc, II takes a little longer to appreciate, but it can be enjoyed immediately. If this is your first Rebellion experience, then it is a great album to get to know the band. You will be impressed and rejoice in this fantastic sounding record.

Ryo’s Rating: 8 (out of 10)

Track Listing
Missing Piece
Save Me
Interlude
The Escape
Without You
Ocean Breeze
Animal
Bend Or Break
Sympathetic Fool
Break Out
Reprise
All You Need

A Fond Farewell

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“Sunrise doesn’t last all morning… A cloudburst doesn’t last all day…” The Beatles

Nothing lasts forever, not even the good things in life. One of my favorite sayings is that “Life often gets in the way of life.” When everything is insanely busy and I am completely overwhelmed and wondering why I haven’t seen a particular friend, or why I don’t have time to get X, Y, or Z done, I know it’s because “Life gets in the way of life.”

Here I am, once again at a crossroads. I started this blog for several reasons. The biggest was that I wanted to create something I just wasn’t finding on the web; something that, as a fan, I would stop and visit every day. I think that I have achieved that. I hope that other people have felt the same way and that over the last 2 ½ years, they have stopped by for a daily (or at least weekly) dose of enjoyment.

When I started this blog I felt that I had a lot more time than I do now, but that isn’t entirely true. I had the same amount of time; I just focused more of that time on the blog and let other things slip aside. Now, after 33 months of blogging, it’s a struggle to keep up sometimes. The blog is hard work and not returning the rush it did when I first began. It’s reflected in my mood and in the finished work that I publish.

Recently, I took some time to scroll through some of my earliest posts. What jumped out at me was how detailed they were, and how polished they were (especially for an amateur blog). That was due to a lot of dedication, devotion, and desire. I’m not saying that I don’t have that same drive that I did nearly three years ago, I’m just saying that I’m burning out. I could probably continue on with The Rock And Roll Guru for another year or two, but the finished product would not be as good.

I’ve been doing a lot of self realization lately. I’ve been asking myself to really do some critical thinking about what I want from life and to be honest with myself, not just provide lip service. I know that I had great expectations when this blog was launched. Part of me secretly saw it as my ticket out of the 9-to-5 world and into something that I could do for a living, making it my 9-to-5 job. Now, I don’t see that as the case. The level of dedication that I would have to put it into the blog to make it my day job in a year or two is a high level of commitment that I cannot adhere to at this time. It could be done, but it would require all other interests of my life to be forgotten. That just isn’t going to happen.

The biggest hurdle to The Rock And Roll Guru becoming my day job is the fact that the market is just too saturated. Looking back in hindsight, trying to be a jack of all trades, was not the best idea for growing a fledgling blog. It needs to be niche down. Just because I love ALL types of music, doesn’t mean that the music site I write is going to have massive visits from all types of music fans. Because The Guru is all over the page, it actually takes away from repeat customers. A niche market returns; a broad market isn’t quite sure what you are offering them.

I love this site more than I can put into words. I love the fact that people from all over the world have stopped and read a paragraph, a page, or quite a few pages of my work. Nothing could provide me deeper satisfaction than knowing I achieved that. It’s an indescribable experience that brings me pure joy.

However, The Guru has not gone where I had hoped it would. I know why, which is a great thing. The experience I have gained from writing this blog is priceless and will certainly help me be eons ahead should I decide to venture into something similar in the future. That being said, it is time for a long, possibly permanent, hiatus. I am burning out and I do not want The Guru to be riddled with shoddy posts in the waning days. Out of respect for myself, the blog, and most importantly, you, the regular readers, I have decided that it is time to shut it down. A re-launch is not entirely out of the question, but it is not very likely to happen.

The Every Album Challenge will continue. There may come a time when I put an additional post or two on The Guru about it, but mostly, updates will come via twitter (www.twitter.com/ryovie). The Challenge is a personal thing that I want to achieve and accomplish. I thought that I would be writing a LOT about it on The Guru, but it hasn’t created as many inspirational posts as I initially envisioned. That being said, I love a good challenge, and therefore will be completing it.

If you’re a huge fan of my writing, first I say thank you. Second, I say, if you would like to continue reading my writings, you can still find me on Hard Rock Hideout (www.hardrockhideout.com) with my bi-weekly column, Vie’s Verses as well as some record reviews. My writing for that site will continue, and who knows where else I may show up with a guest post.

If you are a band, PR department, producer, manager, or solo artist that has sent me work for review, I say thank you. The fact that you would even consider hearing my opinion about your music means the world to me. Keep making/producing/promoting the wonderful music that you do. It truly makes people happy.

To everyone who ever visited this site --- thank you. It has been a pleasure to produce this blog for you. Thanks for the visits, the memories, and the laughs. I’ll see you all down the road or at the next great show. Until then---keep on rocking!

Ryo Vie
October 10, 2011

YES: Concert Review - PNC Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ - July 5, 2011

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SoundPress.net attended the "Progressive U.S. Tour" featuring STYX and YES at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. This was the second night of their much anticipated summer tour extravaganza. Please read our concert review and check out more recent coverage of YES at the following links!

MORE RECENT COVERAGE OF YES!
* YES: Fly from Here - CD Review
* YES: Concert Review - 2009
* YES: Concert Review - 2008

Concert Alert --- Don't Miss Tonight!!! Days Before Tomorrow in New York City

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This melodic prog rock band in the style of Rush, Yes, Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard. Their 2009 release, The Sky Is Falling, was produced by industry legend Ron Nevison, and it won Record of the Year in the 2009 L.A. Music Awards. The new music is more progressive, heavier, and riffier than their previous album, but still with the patented big hooks and multi-part harmonies fans have come to know.
Catch the band live tonight!!!

Days Before TomorrowWed. Oct 12, 9:00 PM
Sullivan Hall
214 Sullivan Street
between Bleecker and 3rd Street, close to 6th Avenue
http://www.myspace.com/daysbeforetomorrowhttp://www.youtube.com/daysbeforetomorrow

On A Wicked Night

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I am simply amazed (and delighted) about how many of the bands I loved as a teenager/young adult are still putting out exciting and excellent new music as of late. Slayer, Ratt, Metallica, Megadeth, Dinosaur Jr., U2, Alice In Chains, Scorpions, Testament and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers all come to mind off the top of my head and now it appears the legendary Glenn Danzig might be prepared for a comeback under the banner of the band named after him. I love the first four Danzig albums and even think the fifth one, Blackacidevil was pretty decent, but they lost me after that. He is now preparing to release the 9th Danzig studio album and his new label The End has put up the first single on their website. Verdict? This sounds like prime era Danzig (think Lucifuge and How The Gods Kill) and is therefore pretty fantastic sounding. I have it from a reliable source that the rest of the album sticks with the style of his first few albums and is completely killer. Guess we'll find out when Deth Red Sabaoth is released on June 22.

Rockin' Out: Entombed @ Gramercy Theatre 06/02/10

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I first heard Entombed back in 1993 when I got a cassette sampler from Earache Records/Columbia Records (an indie and major label pairing that still makes me scratch my head, but some amazing records were released during that joint venture like Cathedral's Ethereal Mirror, Fudge Tunnel's Creep Diets, Godflesh's Selfless, Carcass' Heartwork and Napalm Death's Fear, Emptiness, Despair). The song "Hollowman" was on the sampler and after hearing it, I rushed out and bought the EP by the same name. The EP was just an appetizer to what would prove to be an amazing main course with the landmark death metal album Wolverine Blues.

Most death metal purists would probably tell you that the first two Entombed releases, Left Hand Path and Clandestine are the best, but in my opinion, Wolverine Blues is more influential and quite frankly, simply more fun to listen to. The first two albums are definitive death metal releases that are highly influential in the underground metal world, but with Wolverine Blues, Entombed created the "death n' roll" style that would turn out to be even more influential. It would also be their crowning achievement as they have not been able to top it. Death metal with a groove and vocals that allowed the listener to somewhat understand the lyrics was a pretty bold move at the time and I commend Entombed for making it.

Having been a fan of Entombed for 17 years and never having gotten the opportunity to see them live before made this show a real treat. I was very happy to hear the title track to Wolverine Blues as well as my favorite song from the album, "Demon" early on in their set. The hour and 15 minute set included songs from Left Hand Path, later albums like Morning Star (a great post-Wolverine Blues release) and even more Wolverine Blues' tracks. It was a constant barrage of sound, but seemed to breeze by in a matter of mere moments. I was especially impressed that while they are now a four-piece, guitarist Alex Hellid manages to keep that monster guitar sound they got when there was another guitarist in the band. Singer LG Petrov's steady diet of booze and cigarettes apparently keeps his brutal vocals up to snuff because he sounds more intense than most younger vocalists emulating his style. The drummer and bassist are not original members, but they were more than competent players who held down Entombed's trademark rhythm and intense grooves.

Like I did earlier this year when I saw Kreator, the teenager in me took over and I had to push my way to the front and join the fun. My drink got spilled a little (OK, a lot), but otherwise I managed to walk away unscathed except for a little bit of an ache in my jaw from the permagrin I was sporting.

[P.S. My photos from this show are more atrocious that normal, but Brooklyn Vegan has some AMAZING ones up, so head here to see those.]

Rockin' Out: Drive-By Truckers @ Tarrytown Music Hall 06/04/10

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This past Friday, myself and a couple buddies went on a mini road trip of sorts to see one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers at Tarrytown Music Hall. Tarrytown is often referred to as upstate NY, but that isn't really an accurate description as it is  only one hour north of Manhattan by train (or a little over 30 minutes if you catch the express train). My friends and I caught the express and once we arrived in Tarrytown, began the 5 minute walk from the train station to the venue. While a 5 minute walk doesn't sound too bad, the directions did not mention the pretty intense hill you spend about 3 minutes of that commute on. San Francisco would be impressed with this incline for sure. Anyway, once we reached the top, we saw the venue just a short block away and much to our delight a nice looking pub about 1/2 way between us and the venue. The name of the pub is escaping me right now [I've always been horrible at remembering the names of bars and restaurants....I can remember their exact locations, but never the name for some bizarre reason], but it had a nice vibe, good beers on tap, baskets filled with delicious Goldfish crackers on the bar, baseball on the flat screens and was packed with Drive-By Truckers fans.

After a little pre-gaming at this nice little pub, we headed over to the venue. It was smaller than I had envisioned it being, but that certainly wasn't a strike against it. We were escorted to our seats on the floor and had a fantastic view of the stage. I knew right away this was going to be a much better show than the last time I saw them. The venue was better and the crowd was full of the friendly rock n roll fans I'd learned to expect over the past few years of attending DBT shows. I took a quick trip to the merch booth to pick up a t-shirt for myself and one for my girlfriend (at $20 a pop, they were a steal by today's merch standards) and got back to my seat just a minute or two before the lights went down to indicate the band was coming out soon.

The Drive-By Truckers have been touring for years and it shows in how amazingly tight their performances always are. Every member is a true talent at their respective instrument, they are all locked into one another and deliver as a unit. No weak links in this chain. And this night was no exception. DBT opened with what is rapidy becoming one of my favorite tracks by them and certainly my favorite off their new album The Big To-Do, "The Fourth Night Of My Drinking". From there it was pretty much a non-stop barrage of amazing songs: "3 Dimes Down", "Drag The Lake Charlie", "Birthday Boy", "Girls Who Smoke", "Daddy Needs A Drink", "Women Without Whiskey", "Feb. 14", "Santa Fe" and "Love Like This" until they took a breather to invite Patterson Hood's father David out to play bass on a rendition of "Respect Yourself". They followed that with a new song I didn't catch the name of, but according to the show archive on respected DBT fan site threedimesdown, it is called "Ray's Automatic Weapon". Definitely good stuff. I'll spare reciting you the entirety of the rest of the set list, but the songs played prior to the encore included gems like "Sink Hole", "After The Scene Dies" and "Shut Up And Get On The Plane". Once the band walked off for a breather before the encore, the crowd on the floor had all wandered towards the stage. The show wasn't sold out, so there was plenty of room for everyone and security was either too intimidated or simply didn't care to make anyone go back to their seats (the venue "security" was mostly older people in Tarrytown Music Hall t-shirts and not your typical bouncer types).  I was able to find myself a nice spot on far stage right with plenty of elbow room. All I have to say is Thank God I had earplugs in because DBT was cranking at full volume. "Let There Be Rock" into a scorching cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" closed out the set and and while the crowd screamed for more, that was to be all for the evening.

I was able to get better pictures with my camera phone than I normally do that evening, but they still aren't particularly great. They are below if you'd care to check them out.

Tuesday June 8, 2010 New Music

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Today is a pretty big day for new releases! Let's get into it:

Against Me! - White CrossesWhen I first heard Against Me!'s new album White Crosses a few weeks ago, I have to admit that I was pretty underwhelmed. Upon initial listen it felt like a bland continuation of their last album, New Wave; however, upon further review, White Crosses is actually a pretty catchy, hooky and enjoyable album. It is still a far cry from the glory days of As The Eternal Cowboy and Searching For A Former Clarity, but the band has obviously moved on from their earlier sound and is going for what could be considered something a little more "mainstream" sounding. You're either with them or against them on that move.

Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Songs Of Ill Hope And DesperationClinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire have a pretty ridiculous name, but their music is described as "funeral grind" (doom metal + grindcore) which is instantly intriguing to a fan of underground metal like myself. The fact that they are on a respected metal label like Prosthetic further piques my interest in checking out their album Songs Of Ill Hope And Desperation.

Deer Tick - The Black Dirt SessionsI first discovered Deer Tick early last year and have been a big fan ever since. Their first two albums War Elephant and Born On Flag Day are both stellar and today they release their latest, The Black Dirt Sessions. If you enjoy alt-country rock 'n' roll bands like Lucero, Band Of Horses, Drive-By Truckers, etc., then this band should be right up your alley and well worth checking out. And for today only, it is on sale for $3.99 on Amazon.

The Funeral Pyre - Vultures At Dawn I mentioned The Funeral Pyre's new album Vultures At Dawn in a post from last week as one of two extreme metal albums that were streaming that I was curious to check out. I never got around to checking it out, but I'm still interested in hearing it as just like the aforementioned Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire, they are on respected metal label Prosthetic.

Nachtymystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. IINachtmystium's last album Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1 was a definitive black metal masterpiece; mainly because it completely ignored the confines and trappings of black metal and incorporated elements of decidedly non-black metal bands like Pink Floyd and instruments like saxophones into the mix. I've heard the new album Addicts: Black Meddle Part II a bunch of times now. It continues along the path started down on Assassins, but pushes the envelope even further. I'm not even sure you can call this black metal anymore as there are songs that sound like straight up alternative/indie rock (albeit with harsh vocals) and one song with a programmed drum loop that gives it an almost dance music vibe. Either way, I'm on the fence about how I feel about it. I definitely don't like it as much as Assassins, but I don't hate it either. Perhaps they tried too hard to be different and in doing so fell a little short of making something truly magnificent like they did with their previous album. I do keep going back to it to see if it will grow on me though, so at a minimum it is maintaining my interest.

Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy  I'm a huge Nevermore fan. I had never heard of them until somebody sent me a copy of their album Dead Heart In A Dead World back in 2000. That wound up being one of my favorite albums released that year and I quickly snatched up all their back catalog and have picked up every release since. While Dead Heart In A Dead World is still my favorite (followed closely by 1999's Dreaming Neon Black), the band has put out two quality albums since in Enemies Of Reality and This Godless Endeavor (singer Warrel Dane's solo effort Praises To The War Machine is also quite good). Today they release their latest The Obsidian Conspiracy. I've had this album for a few weeks now and have been listening to it a fair amount. It is definitely their best effort since DHIADW. If you're never heard Nevermore, then the simplest description I can give you is to picture a thrash metal version of Queensryche. Incredible musicianship, great vocals (although Warrel is not nearly as operatic as Geoff Tate) and tons of hard driving rhythms mixed in with great melodies. I've always wondered why they have never gotten bigger and I'm not sure this album will necessarily be the one that breaks them, but as a Nevermore fan, I am more than pleased with this effort.

Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt OnePain Of Salvation have apparently been around for years, but I was just recently turned on to them and specifically their new album Road Salt One. I like this record a lot, but it is a bit of a schizophrenic listening experience. One minute you are hearing something akin to Seven Mary Three and the next something similar to Queen and then suddenly something like Steppenwolf. Every song isn't a success, but taken as a whole, the album works.

Wormrot - AbuseI haven't heard a single note of music from Wormrot, but I'm intrigued by the story of how they got signed. Basically, Earache Records' president was turned on to the band by a blog, went on mediafire and "stole" their album Abuse, fell in love with it, signed the band and is now reissuing Abuse with bonus tracks. Earache Records is responsible for releasing many a landmark grindcore album by the bands that gave birth to that scene, but haven't really put out much grindcore in recent history. The guy who runs the label says this is because he hasn't heard much that has excited him recently. So, if the president of the label who was a definitive and essential part of the birth of grindcore thinks this band is pretty exciting, then they are probably worth fans of grindcore checking out. Also, the fact that Wormrot are from Singapore is interesting in and of itself because you don't hear of many extreme metal bands coming from Asia. And they do a cover of one my favorite bands the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the album which is another point of interest.