Now! - Chris DeWuske

Transcription

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Y100 Jingle Ball at the AT&T Center in Sunrise, FL. Full feature on
page 12. Photo by Sayre Berman
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Table Of Contents
Features
Artist-on-Artist Feature
Local band Lavola interviews The Vogans. BY
JULIAN CIRES & MATTHEW PASHALIAN ...... 8
Neon Trees
Influences, Joy Division, on the radio, and what
makes the band unique. Fans, you won’t want to
miss this one! BY MATTHEW PASHALIAN ...... 14
Scott Stapp
Discussing the Creed vocalists’ new
book, Recording and his musical future.
BY MATTHEW PASHALIAN .......................... 30
Live Reviews
Taking Back Sunday ............................................ 6
Halestorm ........................................................... 11
Mayday Parade .................................................. 11
Scott Stapp ........................................................ 38
Y100 Jingle Ball
Ke$ha to Enrique Iglesias, and Cher Lloyd, all in
one show! ........................................................... 12
ShipRocked 2012 Photos
Plenty of bands on one amazing cruise:
Godsmack, KoRn, Lit, Pop Evil, Fuel,
Filter, and more! ............................................... 28
CD Reviews ......................................................40
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photos by Sayre Berman
Managing Editor: Matt Pashalian / [email protected]
Copy Editor: Jeff Noller
Layout Artist: Chris DeWuske
Contributors: Norrel Blair • Shirenna Edmonson • Christopher Zambello
Jennifer Sobek • Todd McFliker • Joseph Hasbrouck • Robert Bernhardt • Dante Stone
Mikayla Davis • Sayre Berman • Alex Markow • Tony Landa • Scott Nathanson
Visit us at www.sflonstage.com!
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TakinG
BAck
AD
HERE
SundAy
Revolution Live
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
GOES
No strangers to the club scene, Taking
Back Sunday have emerged since its
formation in 1999 to be one of the most
influential alternative rock bands within the
last 10-15 years. With that being said, they
also put out one of the most ground breaking
and ear catching albums ‘Tell All Your Friends’ in
the spring of 2002. It was the band’s first album
and was the subject of their most recent tour.
The news of a 10th anniversary tour for the
album stirred up quite a bit of excitement among
die hard Taking Back Sunday fans, as the band
has changed within itself quite a bit over the
past few years, and a tour based off that albums
material was especially exciting.
The tour was lent support from fellow
heavyweights Bayside, and up and coming pop
punk band Man Overboard. Both Bayside and
Taking Back Sunday hail from similar areas and
maintain the same musical influences, making
the pairing for the tour that much more cohesive.
The show itself was not anything out of the
ordinary; Taking Back Sunday is always very
consistent in their performances. Passion, and
stage presence is always there, but presentation
wise there wasn’t much more than that. At the
same time though, the tour was meant to go
back to the band’s roots, which I think it did.
Attendees who clearly had followed the band
for a long time, some since the beginning, were
beyond enthusiastic and excited to see one of
their favorite albums performed in its entirety.
By the end of the performance I don’t think
anyone was dissatisfied with the night. Instead
they were reminded of a past time in their lives,
and given a taste of nostalgia that doesn’t come
around too often.
—Mikayla Davis
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Artist on Artist Series
Lavola Asks The Vogans
Interview by Julian Cires
Story by Matthew Pashalian
Since our previous incarnation, we here at SFL Onstage have always striven to spotlight
artists on the rise in our diverse local scene that spans from Miami to West Palm Beach,
including even those bands that make their way down here from Orlando.
As we venture into 2013, we have come up with a new idea to showcase our local talent by featuring two unsigned local bands in one feature with one interviewing the other in a new series we shall affectionately refer to as “Artist on Artist.”
If you have been following us since 2009, you know that West Palm Beach’s LAVOLA are
no strangers to our publication. With this first installment of “Artist on Artist,” we’ve asked
the indie trio’s frontman Julian Cires to interview another promising, young local act that’s
quickly rising in the scene; the Vogans.
Julian Cires: So, how’s Chinese Democracy
coming along? Any release date?
John Paul Morrissee: LOL, nice parallel.
Nick Jamshidi: It’s not that bad, damn.
Nicholas Palmieri: It’s been pretty bad. But
we’re really close to the release.
John Paul: And we mean it this time
Paul DeFilippis: Mixing done! Just working
on artwork.
Nicholas: And Andre and I are meeting with
someone to talk about it this week!
André Heizer: Yeah, songs done, artwork
coming, release date soon.
to the puzzle. It’s always been a group process though.
John Paul: Most of the time, Nick J. or I
come up with a small idea or outline to a
song. Then, we start playing it in practice
and the rest of the band adds in their own
parts, and we decide together where to go
with the rest of the song.
André: I believe that the process has been
like what Paul described. One of us brings
an idea to the table and we build on it.
OK, with that established and having heard
Andres solo material, I’m curious as to how
the lyrics are handled? I get the impression
that Nicholas primarily handles that end.
Nicholas: Well, in the beginning, I was chosen to write the lyrics, and that was that.
But over time, it got more collaborative.
Some songs are written just by me, some by
Andre and I and some just by Andre. But before each, I decide to talk with Andre about
an idea and we expand upon it before actually writing anything. I feel it’s good for the
one singing to have a personal connection
to the words, so even in songs written just
by me, I make sure we’re on the same page.
When preparing to record the EP, did you
select songs that coherently “fit” aesthetically or thematically? Can you describe the
cohesiveness or lack thereof that you determined before heading into the studio?
Nicholas: The songs we chose were six of
our seven originals at that point, so there
wasn’t much of a planned connection. But
since five of the songs’ lyrics were written by
me, a few themes are revisited throughout
the tracks. While not necessarily cohesive,
each is pretty close to one another. As for
the sound and music, that evolved organically as we wrote the songs. So, if you listen
to them in the order we wrote them, you I’m wondering how it differs for Andre
can sort of see that evolution. But that’s not when singing your lyrics, as opposed to
the order we plan to release them in.
singing his own. Is there’s any perceived
difference when singing between the two?
Do you all of you guys write material col- André: There is no difference to me in what
laboratively, or is there a primary song- lyric I sing. The only difference is that one is
writer for the Vogans? Is there a typical about an experience I felt, and the other is
process?
about an experience Nick P. has felt. I make
Paul: Usually, one of us has the main idea, sure I know the meaning perfectly behind
and we all sit down and add our own pieces every line I sing, in order to emotionally
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willing to make it happen here. But, I
think it is so possible and it would be
so great if one day we had a good one.
So please make sure you put that in
this interview.
Paul: I feel a lot differently on that
topic compared to how I felt last year.
I believe the scene is actually getting a
lot better around here. I do see a potential. I just think people need to be
more aware of local music. We don’t
see the full picture because of our
age, so the scene for us is limited.
Nicholas: Also, a lot of the money here
is with the older people who aren’t really into music (at least not the type
we play). But that could change, you
never really know.
be there. I have to emotionally be
there. When singing on stage, I have
to put myself in the shoes of the writer. Lucky for me, the writers are Nick
and me. I have been trying to shift
so that the writing between songs is
even because the more experiences
we have from both of us, the better.
To me, there is no perceived difference. When we play, we are all one.
Nicholas: “One is all, and all is one.”
Nick: We are one.
What things outside of music have
influenced you guys and, consequently influenced the Vogans output? Also, what do you think of
Gene (Lavola’s bassist) physically?
Make an assessment.
Paul: LMFAO!
Nicholas: OMG.
It’s a 2-parter.
Paul: Damn Julian, bringing the heat.
Nicholas: Well, we all like Doctor
Who. And Gene’s face, when not
covered in hair, is quite comforting
to look at.
Paul: I prefer the stache personally and when he has a backpack full of
candy.
Yes, the backpack full of candy is a
nice touch, isn’t it?
Paul: When I think of Gene....All I can
think is...elephant trunk. But outside
of music, I can’t say anything has affected our musical outfit much.
John Paul: Yeah, definitely elephant
trunks.
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General consensus: Elephant Trunks.
Paul: Basically.
Speaking of Elephant trunks, when/
how did you first hear of Lavola? I recall your friend Justin messaging me a
while back trying to set up a Lavola/
Vogans show.
Paul: I see what you did there
Nicholas: I first heard about Lavola
from Nick.
Paul: I believe that Nick found out
about LAVOLA from [our friend] Justin,
actually. And one day at practice, we
sat around the computer and listened
to “The Queen Is Dead.”
John Paul: Yeah, we thought it was
sweet.
Paul: And it was exciting for us to know
there were other promising bands in
the area.
All right, so this pertains to something
I read from a separate interview with
you. A friend once told me that where
there’s money, there is the potential for a strong musical community/
scene to flourish? Do you agree? In regards to your hometown, Boca Raton,
there’s certainly a lot of money. But in
that particular interview, you didn’t
seem hopeful about your hometown
local scene. Is it a lost cause so far as
supporting a thriving music scene?
André: I wish I had said something
different in that last interview. I think
a scene can happen anywhere there
are people that are willing to make it
happen. I haven’t seen a lot of people
That’s interesting because I feel that
you guys would be well received, relatively, from a much older crowd, as
well as younger.
André: Yeah, old people dig us.
John Paul: Yeah, we actually get a great
response from older listeners.
Nicholas: That is true.
Paul: But, some people are still skeptical
having us play their venues because of
our age. Which limits that demographic
from getting to see us.
André: Yeah, one time we played at the
Green Market in Boca Raton, and this
old guy walked up to me and said, “I
hate rock music, but you guys are good.”
Something along those lines. Then, he
gave me a little kiss and that was that.
Nick: Yeah, that’s when we knew we
were perfect, and we could stop practicing and writing material.
I think that old guy would have hated
Lavola.
Nick: Hell yeah, LAVOLA is wet. You
can add that in. That’s all I have to say
about that.
Nicholas: Abrasive, like gene’s facial hair.
Lastly, Gene wanted me to ask you...
most awkward experience at a restaurant bathroom?
Nicholas: One time, when I was little and I
was being bad, my dad didn’t know what
to do so he took me in the [restaurant]
bathroom to figure out how to punish
me; placed some fresh paper towels in the
trash can, placed me on top of them and
walked away for about 20 seconds.
Nick: That…is…wow.
Halestorm
Hard Rock Live
Orlando, FL
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Halestorm have already been nominated for a Grammy with their hit,
“Love Bites (So Do I)”, and I’m going
to go out on a limb here and say that
Lzzy Hale will take over the reins as
Queen of Rock from Amy Lee, and
deservedly so.
I was fortunate to catch their last
show of 2012 at the Hard Rock Live
in Orlando, FL and to say that they
were impressive would be an understatement. They are now veterans of
touring and their show is as polished
as Kim Kardashian’s teeth. Kicking things off with “Mz. Hyde,” Lzzy
shows us that she has a lot of personality to go with that pretty face
of hers. “It’s me Lzzy, I swear”, she
whispers. From then on, she has the
crowd eating out of her hand. Hits
such as “Love Bites” and “Freak Like
Me” keep the pace up and fists pumping in the air throughout the crowd.
One thing that I’ve noticed about
Halestorm is they are real people.
What you see is what you get. They
don’t pretend to be larger than life,
and I think it’s pretty evident that
fans appreciate that aspect. Things
slow down when Lzzy performs a
solo acoustic of “Break In” on the piano. From writing the songs, singing,
playing guitar or piano this woman
has talent way beyond her 28 years.
Lzzy doesn’t try to be anybody but
herself. This is clearly evident in her
rendition of the Fleetwood Mac classic, “Gold Dust Woman.” She’s no Stevie Nicks, but she takes this song to
another level and makes it her own.
I will never compare her to another
artist, because she’s an original.
Lzzy’s brother, Arejay on the other
hand has been repeatedly compared
to the Muppet, Animal and I can see
why! With his flaming red hair, he
is a madman behind that drum kit!
His drum solo was as amazingly hard
and fast, as it was long (roughly ten
minutes worth). Go ahead, feed him
some cheers; he’ll keep going and going faster than the Energizer bunny…
and love every minute of it! The boy
brought out drum sticks that were
literally four feet long and he played
the shit out of them! Sticks? Who
needs drum sticks? Not Arejay - he’ll
just use his bare hands and go off like
it’s nobody’s business!
After a two-song encore, “It’s Not
You” and “I Get Off” each showcasing Ms. Hale’s clean, powerful vocals, their tour has ended for 2012
and they have begun to celebrate the
holidays like everyone else.
—Chris Zambello
Mayday Parade
Revolution Live
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Saturday,
November 3, 2012
\
Florida natives Mayday Parade made
their fall touring rounds with fellow veterans to the music scene The
Maine drawing out fans who haven’t
had the opportunity to see the band
up close and more intimately for
quite some time now. With a spot on
the Vans Warped Tour over the summer, the farthest south they touched
upon was West Palm Beach, but even
still it’s a bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere. A club tour is much easier and more accommodating to the
younger fan base.
Combined, The Maine and Mayday
Parade drew quite the crowd making it difficult to maneuver through
the venue. The Maine had a stunning
light show and back drop, executed
every song with perfect precision
and enthusiasm. It was evident how
much the songs meant to the audience as they mouthed every word.
It was no different as Mayday Parade took the stage, opening with
the slower “Stay” which led into the
more popular “Black Cat” off their
first album ‘A Lesson in Romantics.’
Florida natives Mayday Parade
made their fall touring rounds with
fellow veterans to the music scene
The Maine drawing out fans who
haven’t had the opportunity to see
the band up close and more intimately for quite some time now. With a
spot on the Vans Warped Tour over
the summer, the farthest south they
touched upon was West Palm Beach,
but even still it’s a bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere. A club tour is
much easier and more accommodating to the younger fan base.
Combined, The Maine and Mayday
Parade drew quite the crowd making it difficult to maneuver through
the venue. The Maine had a stunning
light show and back drop, executed
every song with perfect precision
and enthusiasm. It was evident how
much the songs meant to the audience as they mouthed every word.
It was no different as Mayday Parade took the stage, opening with
the slower “Stay” which led into the
more popular “Black Cat” off their
first album ‘A Lesson in Romantics.’
Over all the performances were
without a doubt entertaining and
impressive, but one interesting set
list change up that Mayday executed
was not including their most popular single “When I Get Home, You’re
So Dead” in the performance. There
were a few murmurs among fans
questioning the song’s absence as
they departed the venue, as it’s become one of the band’s defining
songs over the last few years.
The band is set to begin writing and
recording a new album in late December/early January and it seems to
be quite promising.
—Mikayla Davis
Check out our new website at
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updates.
Y100 Jingle BalL
BB&T Center
Sunrise, FL
Saturday, December 8, 2012
One can’t say that Miami’s Y100 doesn’t bring
it every year with their annual Jingle Ball concert.
Though this year lacked a major headliner, they still
had a long evening packed with acts that, if you’re
a listener, you’re sure to love. The only unfortunate part about such a big radio show is the limited
amount of time that the acts have to perform, from
between 10-15 minutes limiting them to 3-4 songs.
Neon Trees were definitely an act that left you
wanting more as they came out swinging, sticking to their hits such as “Animal” and “Everybody
Talks,” as well as their latest single, “Lessons In
Love.” Meanwhile some acts like Austin Mahone,
Afrojack, and Zedd made you wonder why they got
more than 10 minutes.
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With her thick British accent, Cher Lloyd got the
crowd going with her rap infused pop, while Ke$ha
put on a great performance that was part Vegas
cirque, part Britney. If only she weren’t so suggestive towards the mostly younger audience. As always Enrique Iglesias stepped the energy in the arena ten-fold, while Psy had a venue of twenty thousand plus people pretty much dancing in unison to
“Gundam Style,” you know, that song you haven’t
been able to get away from the past few months.
Between the main stage and the small stage at the
other end of the arena, but the end of the night any
music fan would be exhausted by yet another sun
evening from Y100.
—Matthew Pashalian
Left: Amy Heidermann and Nick
Noonan of Karmin, Top-left:
Ryan Tedder of One Republic,
Top-right: Elaine Bradley of Neon
Trees, Right: PSY, Bottom-left:
Ed Sheeran, Bottom-right: Tyler
Glenn of Neon Trees
by Matthew Pashalian
Odds are that if you listen to alternative rock radio, or even pop, you cannot escape hearing one of
Neon Tree’s massive singles, “Animal” or “Everybody Talks.” It’s a battle you cannot win – this band cannot be ignored, and after one listen to their latest disc, Picture Show, it won’t be ignored by you either.
The band’s danceable and highly infectious tunes are the kinds that make bands go from small club
acts to arena-packing juggernauts. It’s no wonder that fellow pop rockers Maroon 5 tapped them as
direct support for their upcoming 2013 arena tour – obviously Maroon 5 knows the Trees can bring it.
After hitting the Sunshine State a fourth time in 2012, we sat down with the band’s creative drummer
Elaine Bradley to discuss the band’s hectic year, songwriting and their next stop to sunny South Florida.
Neon Trees have had a pretty big year with an album
that keeps getting bigger and bigger, and you yourself
with a new addition I understand as well.
Yes! He is four months old, thriving and cute!
very unique, and his melodies are undeniably catchy
whether you like them or not. It’s an interesting combination because we’re a rock band with this rock setup
of guitar, bass and drums that plays pop music. That’s
how we most often describe the sound, especially when
What would you say creates the musical make- people come to see us live. I think they get that.
up that becomes the sound of Neon Trees?
It’s obviously a conglomeration. I think Tyler’s voice is Sometimes you hear something on the radio, and you
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go and see it live and it’s just some dude with
some tracks playing; and that’s not exactly
the same as a live band. We definitely take a
lot of pride in our live show with a lot of energy and sacrificing ourselves. It’s the rock band
nature of the thing with the pop influence.
cult is it for you to write new songs on the road?
We’re not one of those bands that has the
desire or the luxury of taking a year off, having some experiences and then writing about
them. So as you’re in different cities, different
things affect you as things happen and ideas
just come! If you don’t harness these ideas,
When I first heard Neon Trees, I thought of they’ll leave just as promptly as they came.
Joy Division, but what would you say would
be the biggest influences on the band? Branden is really into his iRig, which is this
What’s nice about the band is that the four of thing that you plug into your iPhone and enus are all such different characters – musically ables you to play along with songs or record
and in life. We grew up with a lot of different your idea. With technology, it’s become a lot
types of music, and we all respect a good pop easier to record a quick demo or, even think
song. When I was really little, it was Depeche of something and hum it into your phone. It’s
Mode and Led Zeppelin, which are kind of two kind of become a necessity to guide you in
ends of the spectrum with the melodic pop these tour-filled days; otherwise, you lose a
and the more intense rock and roll that laid lot of the inspiration and the ideas.
the foundation for what I like and how I play.
We never want to be one of those bands
I know for Tyler [Glenn], performance wise, that sound like they wrote an album on tour,
he’s very into Michael Jackson and Bruce where it sounds like it’s all about being on
Springsteen. Both of those things come out. tour. We’re very careful to avoid that pitfall.
Our bassist Branden [Campbell] is big on It’s really important to always be writing and
rhythm and blues, bass heavy classics, but he stay motivated and not just rest on your laucan also appreciate pop and country. Chris rels.
[Allen] is more of the guy who was into alternative bands like R.E.M. and the 90s angular What did you find to be the most chalguitar sound. You take all of those weird and lenging part of writing and recordstrange influences and voila! Neon Trees hap- ing Picture Show compared to Habits?
pens.
It was a lot less stressful. There was a time
constraint, of course, but we did more of
With that being said, what’s standard what we wanted to do on Picture Show; espeoperation for putting together a song? cially since Habits was our first album. There
Especially now that we’re touring a lot – ob- are the usual “what if it fails” or “it’s the only
viously, you have forever to write your first thing you put out” and the usual doubts.
record. And after that, it’s a time crunch in What was nice about the success of Habits
finding ways to do it – a lot of the songs just was that it wasn’t enough to make us one of
come from demos. Tyler will come up with a those bands where everybody’s eyes were on
melody or a chord progression, and he’ll send us, but enough to give us the confidence and
us all a rough demo. We’ll get used to the ability to know what we liked and wanted to
melody, and get together and figure out how do. We were able to take a few more risks and
we want to support that melody. Very early do things that we knew we were capable of
on in the band, we realized that the melody that may not have shined through on Habits
was the most important thing. The music is because we had to pick 8 to 10 songs. So we
definitely important and you can either screw got to tap into something we weren’t able to
it up within the music, but the last thing that tap into before.
you want to do as a musician is step on the
melody. It’s all about supporting that amaz- Probably one of the biggest crossover
ing melody and figuring out how to make it all singles of the year has been “Everybody
come together and come to life.
Talks.” How did that song come about?
It’s interesting that both with “Animal” and
Neon Trees have been on the road relentlessly “Everybody Talks” crossing over to contemposince the first album was released. How diffi- rary and pop, the move was very grassroots
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and slow feeling. It wasn’t one of those things where the
single was released, then overnight, it was the fad and
six weeks later it’s over. They’ve both taken months and
months to build, and as more people hear it, they like it
and tell their friends about it. You may hear it once on the
radio and go, “Hey, I kind of like that.” And then you hear
it again and go, “Hey, I REALLY like that,” and you look
more into it. It’s been really good for us to have it go that
way as opposed to the skyrocket to success and huge cliff
drop off where it’s never played again. I don’t know why
or how that is, but I’m really grateful that it is that way.
In keeping with the theme of Picture Show, we’ll still do
a movie theme, but we have to determine which movie
theme.
Neon Trees were just here about a month ago performing a free show as part of the Rock the Vote Campaign
during the Presidential Debates. How did the band get
involved with that?
They approached us about doing the show. And we were
all super into doing that idea because, as a band, the four
of us are very different individuals, so we all differ vastly
in what we feel should happen, how we vote. Our ideals
I know with “Animal,” I first heard that on the rock sta- are very different, so it was fun to get involved in that
tion, and maybe eight months later, a friend got into because we didn’t have to pick a side.
it from hearing it on the pop station as they had just
started playing it.
Very early on, as a band, we decided that we were not
It really is amazing how many people hear a song for going to be a political band, we were not going to use
the first time on a station after it’s become old for some. Neon Trees to try to make one decision or another, but
That’s the cool thing about crossing over though; con- that we would use Neon Trees to try and get people to
stantly getting to reach more and more people who catch make a decision.
that fire for what they think is a new song. As people are
getting sick of it on the rock side, the pop fans are getting That was the coolest thing about getting involved with
into it.
Rock The Vote because it’s one of the only things I can
think of regarding politics where they’re really just enThe video for “Everybody Talks” is zombie themed couraging people to vote – especially young people. We
and the follow-up single, “Lessons In Love (All Day, All drove the point home that we don’t care how you vote,
Night),” seems to be a continuation of it. Will your next please just figure out what you want to vote for, and why,
video continue into a sort of trilogy?
and do it. Our main involvement was to get people to
I don’t think that we’re going to do the zombie thing. We try and get educated, and it was a cool show because it
have discussed the fact that we’re done with the movie was right before the last debate, and your last chance
one and movie two of that sequence. We’ll probably still to hear the two candidates and see who speaks more to
do the movie theme, but we’ll probably shy away from their ideals.
the zombies this time – even if it is a fun thing to have!
Justin Bieber. INXS. Bruno
Mars. You guys have picked
some very interesting artists
to cover. What would be one
song by any artist that you
wish you wrote?
Probably a little early, but I
wish we would have written,
“The More You ignore Me, The
Closer I Get” by Morrissey. I
know we wouldn’t have had
as much success with it as if
we would for “Call Me Maybe” [Laughter]. On a personal
level, there are those songs
that you hear and you’re like,
“That’s genius. I wish I would
have done that.”
Sadly, you don’t see many female drummers in music, but
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the ones that are out there like Cindy Blackman-Santana, Kim Shapiro of Matt and Kim, Jen Ledger of Skillet –
all have a great style to their playing. Percussion seems
to be a very male dominated aspect of music; what advice do you have for women who want to get behind
the kit?
I think my most basic advice would be to forget that
you’re a girl. I never thought of myself as a girl, but I never
thought myself as a boy either. It never occurred to me
that my gender would be either a discouraging factor or
a limitation. Just forget about all of the style constraints
that you feel are there, and figure out what you have
a passion and a talent for. I don’t like the whole doing
something for genders sake to make a point.
You’re a drummer who happens to be a female.
Exactly! I used to be a guitarist and a front woman in a
band for several years as well, and I didn’t really care
about it then either. I played drums for a friend as a favor
there are a lot who don’t know us yet. They may know
and I liked it, so I just kept doing it.
the singles but aren’t familiar with the name, so we’re
So is it safe to say that you enjoy playing drums a little excited to get In front of existing and potential new
fans who will have first exposure to the rest of our mubit more than being a front person?
I like them both; I just haven’t had the situation or chance sical catalog. It will be fun to warm up the stage for
to do the whole front woman thing. I love playing drums, Maroon 5 and tour with them. They are one of the
other only pop rock types of bands who, at the root of
but if I had to choose I couldn’t. I like them both.
it all, are a rock band who just happen to have great
You toured about as much as you could while being success in pop.
pregnant this year. How tough was it to be in that
You guys got a really cool break by being recognized
situation?
It was difficult, but not nearly as difficult as I think by the Killers early on. In today’s industry that’s practipeople would think it was. Because we were touring cally changing by the week, what advice do you have
basically the whole time I was pregnant, it wasn’t too for new, unsigned bands trying to get seen and heard
hard to go back. I was doing the same thing that I had on the local level to get to that next level?
to do every day, I just happened to be getting bigger. Just play and play and don’t think that anything should
It was nice because my body was able to adapt to it, be given to you, and be willing to work hard. That was
there was never a stark contrast. I was playing up un- the thing with us. People may see us and think that our
til 7 ½ months and it wasn’t so bad. Obviously, it was success happened over night, but we worked at it for
a little less comfortable and some of my movements years and toured in a van with no air conditioning. It was
were restricted towards the end, but I never felt bad or really uncomfortable, but we did it because we loved it.
too much of a stretch. When we took a trip to France,
spent a day there and flew back the next day - that We had confidence and faith in what we were doing.
was more uncomfortable than the actual performing And when you get out in front of enough people and
was. I’m glad I was able to still perform though, thank the right people, it could happen. We worked like something could happen and we got through the tough times
the stars.
together. That’s way more of a good foundation. WorkNeon Trees will be back performing at the same ven- ing for it -really sweating for it, and it happening slowly
ue you played at the Y100 Jingle Ball in March open- was a really good way for it to happen for us. We went
ing for Maroon 5. Will there be any surprises in store through so much together and were able to develop
that bond through the tough times; so that when any
for fans on this big arena tour?
There is definitely something that is way different amount of success comes, you’re grateful for it and you
doing an arena tour compared to the small club tour can remind each other of what you did to get there. You
that’s for sure. We’re really excited to go out with can step back and say, “Wow, this is great.” So yeah,
Maroon 5 though. A lot of their fans like us, and then just work hard!
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All Time Low at Revolution
Live! in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Photo by Mikayla Davis
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Matt and Kim
Photo by Mikayla Davis
It’s safe to say that modern rock in the past 10 years has a huge debt to pay to Scott Stapp and the
members of Creed. The band took music by storm with their hard-rocking, post-grunge sound on 1997’s
My Own Prison. However, in 1999, the band’s diamond-status selling Human Clay broke ground with
its larger-than-life songs, huge melodies and monstrous choruses. Their domination continued on with
2001’s Weathered, until things started to unravel.
Since then, the band and its vocalist went into separate musical ventures. At the heart of it all though,
what made so many fans worldwide connect and fall in love with the music were the intensely personal
lyrics and vibrato of the band’s charismatic vocalist, Scott Stapp.
What most fans don’t realize is that Stapp’s soul-touching lyrics that come with a price, as they will
discover when reading his first autobiography, “Sinner’s Creed.”
With so many great rock biographies released in the past few years, “Sinner’s Creed” ranks as a great
page-turner that you can’t put down. Not only does it give you an inside look of how the band’s career
took off, but it gives the firsthand account on Stapp’s heavy Christian upbringing that created the man
we know today. A few days after he completed the last run of dates for his successful solo book tour, we
sat down with the crooner for a bit to discuss his book, solo career and just what 2013 will bring for fans.
First off I wanted to say
congratulations on the release of your book, “Sinner’s
Creed,” and welcome home
from a very well-received
tour overseas.
Thank you, thank you! It is
definitely good to be back
home!
There have been quite a
number of great biographies of musicians that
have come out in the past
few years from Nikki Sixx of
Motley Crue to Brian Welch
of Korn. What initially made
you want to take this personal and spiritual journey
in writing this book?
It was an accident really. I
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was in a place where some
soul searching needed to happen, and I had to go back to
the beginning to get my feelings, thoughts and memories
out about my life and just address things. I was searching
for why I was struggling with
some issues in my life and just
trying to look deeper.
You know, right from the beginning, I just wrote on a piece of
paper, “I was born August 8th,
1973, and went from there. I
went through that process, talking about everything with my
wife, mom and a couple dear
friends who were encouraging
me to continue with what I was
doing. Potentially, I was working
on a memoire. And as I continued
to write, my management hooked
me up with David Ritz, who was
a very cool guy, very knowledgeable and we really connected on a
personal level, as well as a professional one. That was really what
it took to make this decision and
get this done
What would you say was the
most difficult part of writing
“Sinner’s Creed” that you knew
you had to get across?
I think addressing my childhood
and the trauma there, the visual
and mental imagery of those scenarios. You know, that was tough
but it was also something that
I had to do. As the process was
happening though, I started to
realize that this was more than
Shinedown - photos by Christopher Zambello
time to a minute a time and I’ve
been where you are. Once it came
to the point where it became bigger than me, in my mind, that’s
when the fear went away.
There is definitely a night and
day difference between how
your upbringing was portrayed
in the VH1 Behind The Music
and “Sinner’s Creed.”
To be honest with you, that’s the
fault of Mark Graham, the head of
VH1, who is a good friend of mine.
He had my back and there were
probably some very overzealous
producers of that particular one,
so some things weren’t exactly
accurate. Everything was happening so fast and things were
done that I didn’t even know
about. There are some points
of the journey when you’re just
along for the ride, but it was nice
to get the truth out there.
I feel like my whole life, I’ve been
carrying around a bag of rocks.
Life is difficult as it is and to make
it worse, you hold it all inside and
internalize it by not getting it out;
and it just makes life more difficult than it needs to be. As part of
a purging process for me, it was
also setting the record straight in
some areas and sharing my faith,
grace and love.
just a memoire of my life, there are
others out there going through this
right now. I’ve sold fifty-plus million records worldwide; and have
heard probably a hundred thousand
or more stories over the years from
both young kids and adults sharing their feelings about things that
they’ve gone through in their life
with me, and how the music just connected with them and helped them
through. As I began to recall that, my
life’s story was starting to transform
into a message, and I began to real-
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ize that this way a way to connect
with people and share a common
struggle, whatever it may be.
Diving into this book and other issues in my life, from my professional
life and treatment from alcoholism
and all of those things that I had a
habit of burying and never addressing within myself; this book helped
me finally do that and say, “Hey, I
haven’t arrived, but I have made it
up to this point and I’m here now.”
It’s everything from 24 hours at a
I noticed in the book you included the lyrics for all four
Creed albums (My Own Prison,
Human Clay, Weathered, Full
Circle), but excluded your solo
album and “Relearn Love.” I
was wondering if there was any
reason behind that.
That was actually something that
slipped when we decided to put
the lyrics in. I assumed that The
Great Divide album lyrics and
“Relearn Love” were in there. But
on the next printing, we’re going
to make sure to get those added. I
don’t know if you noticed, but
there are also copy edits on the lyr- guitarists and artics as well.
ists to come out in
the past 25 years.
I’m sure a lot of people can relate They’re really great
to the aspects of the book where guys and are touryou discuss growing up with faith ing right now. We
being pushed in a certain man- got together for
ner in the household. In regards that song, but now
to that, besides the insight of how they are in Austrayou grew up, what do you hope lia and continue to
readers take away after reading move forward. But
“Sinner’s Creed?”
we do talk, and I
There are many different angles and have gone to Ausmany different ways that a reader tralia to jam with
can connect with it; obviously, the Jeff on new music.
glaring connection if you have gone That door is always
through a similar situation and grew open, it’s just a matup in that fear-based, nihilistic per- ter of circumstance
fectionism. For those who didn’t and that’s the plan,
grow up in that time, this was the era so we’ll see what
of the Jimmy Swagger and Jim Bak- happens in the fuers where that nihilistic, false pre- ture.
sentation of reality of what human
beings are was presented in that de- Back in 2008 you
cade and a half or so in our country. previewed a nice
handful of new
Plus, there are other oppressive situ- songs here in Delations that young people grow up in. ray Beach, Florida
Physical abuse as well which I touch for fans at an intion a bit in that journey, verbal abuse, mate club show. When can fans
controlling and sexual abuse, which expect to hear new music from
isn’t specifically mentioned but is you in regards to your next solo
something that young people unfor- album?
tunately suffer in this country. With- As far as my solo album goes, back
in all of that, people will make these in late 2008, I got an unexpected
connections and whatever forms of call from my manager saying that
oppression and abuse, and the jour- the guys in Creed, my band, they esney through all of that is essentially sentially wanted to go back out and
the same. Overcoming and dealing tour. It was important to me that we
with it after it’s over.
make a new record. I didn’t want
Let’s talk a bit about your solo ca- the band to fall into one of those
reer, which started off with an in- nostalgia situations where the band
credible song on “The Passion of relies solely on their past. That was
the Christ” soundtrack, “Relearn my demand. So that happened, and
Love.” You initially started writing we put out Full Circle in 2009 and
with the Canadian rock band The toured that year, 2010 going into
Tea Party that were a big influence 2012. That’s where our main foon the sound of the second Creed cus was, so I spent most of my time
album, Human Clay. I always won- with that and the guys that make
dered why you didn’t continue up Creed; putting my solo work on
writing more with them?
the back burner, but I continued to
I love the Tea Party guys; Jeff Martin write through those years.
is a dear friend of mine and has to
be by far one of the most talented I do have a lot of material right now
to make a new album when the
timing is right. Right now I’m focusing on Christmas, but 2013 will
definitely have some big announcements – whether that’s in the form
of a Creed record or solo record, I
don’t know yet. But I can definitely
tell you, one or the other will come
out in 2013, as well as a world tour.
As soon as that’s all figured out we
will make an announcement.
Fans have been heavily waiting for what is being referred
to as “Creed V” that’s for sure.
I saw that while we were on tour,
and that’s one thing that I have
been blessed with is that Creed
fans are also fans of my solo work.
I really hope that if the rest of the
guys decide that’s not what they
want to do, then the Creed fans
can be tied over with my next record. I think that they will be very
happy with the music I give.
photos by Scott Nationson
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Scott Stapp
Life way Bookstores
Davie, FL
December 14, 2012
Over the past five years there have been quite a few
musician bio’s released from Nikki SiXX of Motley Crue,
Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, to Brian ‘Head’ Welch of Korn – all with their own
shocking stories that make for real page turners. Creed
front man Scott Stapp’s foray, Sinners Creed you can
nestle in with the mentioned as a must read. South Florida fans got lucky as the final date for the Sinners Creed
promotional book signing/performance tour landed
practically in our own back yard at Life way Bookstores
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in Davie where fans got up close and personal with the
post-grunge crooner.
Accompanied by guitarist Brent Look, Stapp started
his half hour acoustic set by giving his stance and kind
words about the Newtown, CT School shooting that
happened just hours prior before dedicating the Creed
classic, “What’s This Life For” to an enthusiastic audience. Though short, Stapp chose on spot crowd pleasers
with “My Sacrifice” and “With Arms Wide Open” to end
his set before taking to the signing table, staying an extra hour to make sure every fans book was signed, and
whatever else they may have brought along. A true class
act and a great performance by someone who reminds
us how we are all a work in progress.
photo by Sayre Berman
CD REVIEWS
adventurous 6-minute epic
“Graphic Nature,” and perfect melding of ethereal and
heavy on “Rosemary.” The
band doesn’t exactly strike
it out of the park on Koi No
Yokan, but deliver a strong
effort you’ll either love or
loathe.
Deftones
Koi No Yokan
Reprise
It’s only been two and a
half years since the release
of Deftones Diamond Eyes
album, which to many fans,
myself included, regard as
the bands best work since
2000’s White Pony album.
Where the band experimented more with soundscapes and textures on Diamond Eyes, Koi No Yokan
displays a looser and free
style comparable to their
2003 self-titled effort with
the bands heaviness fully
intact.
“Swerve City” is a pretty straightforward, heavy
track with bounce that really makes for a great disc
opener, while they follow
it up with the moody “Romantic Dreams,” which is
just all over the place, but
still undeniably theirs. Fans
got a taste of this album
early on with the moody to
aggressive “Leathers,” and
head bobbing “Tempest”
singles online, which really
display just how diverse the
Sacramento band really is.
Other cool moments on
Koi No Yokan comes on the
handclap and low end driven “Poltergeist,” and sexy,
synth and sample heavy
“Entombed.” There’s also
something to be said of the
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will get better.” The last
new song, “Goodbyes” is
classic 3 Doors Down balladry reminiscent of “Here
Without You.”
Greatest
Hits is a great compilation
that shows all of the bands
strengths as songwriters
with hearts of gold – or in
their case, platinum.
—Chris Zambello
overall maintaining its grit,
making Welcome to the
Freakshow a must have for
all Hinder fans.
—Jennifer Sobek
Stone Sour
House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1
Roadrunner
3 Doors Down
Greatest Hits
Universal Republic
Since breaking into the
mainstream in 2000 with
“Kryptonite,” 3 Doors
Down have managed to
compile enough hits over
the years to produce an
impressive
compilation
simply titled Greatest Hits.
All your favorites are here
such as ”When I’m Gone”,
“Here Without You”, “Let
Me Go”, and “Away From
The Sun”, but I’ll just focus
on the ones you haven’t
heard before.
Listening to “One Light”,
it’s clear that front man,
Brad Arnold and company haven’t lost their
songwriting ability as the
tune just flat-out jams!
It’s got a good, solid beat,
the guitars are heavy and
Arnold is right in tune.
His vocals really shine in
“There’s a Life,” an uplifting song about not giving
up because “I believe that
as long as I breath, things
Hinder
Welcome to the Freakshow
Republic Records
Hinder released their
fourth studio album, Welcome to the Freakshow,
and if you loved their debut, you will not be disappointed. Lead vocalist
Austin Winkler showcases an incredible amount
of passion in each track,
while drummer Cody Hanson provides the backdrop
for the beat, starting off
with a head bopping tune
“Save Me,” that leaves no
doubt that Hinder can still
rock. Though the album
is slightly ballad-heavy, it
still has an overall great
quality that true Hinder
fans will appreciate. Some
tunes, like the mentioned
“Save Me” and “See You in
Hell,” are just great rock.
Other tracks, like “Should
Have Known Better” and
“I Don’t Wanna Believe,”
fall into the ballad area
big time. Each diverse, but
OK, let’s be completely
honest here. Stone Sour is
a neutered version of Slipknot. Period. It is hairless
and dick-less. It lacks balls.
Yes, on House of Gold &
Bones, Pt. 1, the guitars roar,
as on “My Name is Allen,”
“Absolute Zero,” “A Rumor
of Skin” and “The Travelers,
Pt. 2.” Yes, this is the first
of a two-album conceptual piece about a man at a
crossroads in his life that is
well written and thoughtthrough by Corey Taylor.
But the fact remains, and
is solidified when you listen
to the record and the rest of
the band’s catalogue such
as on 2010’s Audio Secrecy,
Stone Sour is a hard band
to like. Their music is spineless, tame and lame, and no
profound and fluid concept
such as on House of Gold
& Bones, Pt. 1 will change
that opinion. And if that
doesn’t spell things out
clearly enough, then maybe this will: SOMEBODY
PLEASE GET THIS BAND
A PENIS.
—Jeff Noller
Alicia Keys
Girl On Fire
RCA
It’s been three years since
we’ve heard anything new
from this 12-time Grammy
winner and so much has
changed in her life since
then. Ironically, she starts
off this album with “Brand
New Me” which is quite fitting. She may have a whole
new outlook on life, but this
album is classic Alicia. She
still has those soft, sensual
vocals that we’ve become
accustomed to. None of
which is more showcased
than in “101.” It’s just Alicia
singing along while playing
her piano, nothing more.
Keys makes no mistake
that she can still hit those
big notes like it’s nobody’s
business, as is evident in
the title track. One thing I
really don’t care for is the
addition of Nicki Minaj on
the track that just seems to
complicate the track itself
and seem out of place.
For those who love romance, “Fire We Make” is
one of those smokin’ hot
songs that will be responsible for a baby boom in 2013.
And there’s more where
that came from; Girl On Fire
is filled with enough slow
jazz tunes to melt a dozen
candles.
—Chris Zambello
Aerosmith
Music From Another Dimension
Columbia
On Music From Another Dimension
Steven Tyler and company are back to
their old selves with all cylinders firing as you will be quickly reminded of
1975’s classic album Toys in the Attic.
Their blues/rock mix is perfected and
polished and is clearly evident on the
track “Street Jesus,” a modern, toe-tappin’ kin to Toys…. Lead guitarist Joe
Perry is on fire with his guitar playing
not only on this song, but throughout
the entire album. “Legendary Child”
reminds me of “Walk this Way” with
Tyler’s quick vocals and Perry’s riffage;
it’s such a fun song that it would most
certainly get an audience dancing on
their feet! The ballad “What Could
Have Been Love” feels like a re-make
of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” only
with more powerful lyrics and vocals.
The only song that feels out of place
photo by Sayre Berman
is “Can’t Stop Loving You,” a duet with
pop-country singer Carrie Underwood. For me it’s too pop and modern
for an album that brings back so many
memories otherwise of the bands past
album, sticking out like a sore thumb.
I’d be willing to bet that it’ll be played
all over the pop and country radio stations a’la Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow
with “Picture” regardless. Regardless,
it’s clear that America’s best selling
American band with more than 66 million albums sold in the United States
alone, has learned all the tricks of the
trade and uses them all on this album.
Their years of experience shine and
it’s refreshing to see the band go back
to the sound that started it all for them
in the first place.
—Chris Zambello
Best of 2012:
Matthew Pashalian
Dark New Day
New Tradition
Three Days Grace
Transit of Venus
Tremonti
All I Was
Shinedown
Amaryllis
Smashing Pumpkins
Oceania
Jeff Noller
Metric
Synthetica
Rush
Clockwork Angels
Deftones
Koi No Yokan
Bob Mould
Silver Age
Dinosaur Jr
I Bet on Sky
Norrel Blair
Grimes
Oblivion
Madonna
MDNA
No Doubt
Push and Shove
xx
Coexist
Of Montreal
Paralytic Stalks
Mikayla Davis
Hands Like Houses
Ground Dweller
I See Stars
Digital Renegade
Our Last Night
Age of Ignorance
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Soundgarden
King Animal
Universal Republic
Earlier this year, fans of
Soundgarden got a taste of
all new material in 17 years
when “Live To Rise” was included as part of The Avengers
movie soundtrack. Some fans
were a bit worried with the
straightforward modern rock
sound, wondering just how
exactly the new album would
sound like. King Animal picks
up where 1996’s Down On The
Upside left off, sounding sonically exactly like what you
would have expected the follow-up to their swan song to
sound.
Opening cut and first single “Been Away Too Long”
is upbeat as vocalist Chris
Cornell howls in the chorus,
“I’ve been away for too long;”
a statement that couldn’t be
held more true. As you listen through King Animal,
all of the band’s classic signatures are there, from the
Tool-flavored odd times in
“Non-State Actor“ to the classic feel of “By Crooked Steps.“
The boys still make time for
the cool experimental tracks
like the disc closing “Rowing,” which almost sounds
like a leftover from Cornell’s
solo disc, Carry On - only with
the band’s assault of drummer Matt Cameron’s smooth
rhythms to bassist Ben Shepherd’s tasty 4-string work.
The twang of “A Thousand
Days Before” has its own cool
vibe that drives the song before lead guitar wizard Kim
Thayil takes a 180 and throws
in some spicy middle-eastern
style licks into the mix. The
thick sludge of “Attrition” recalls bands like Queens of the
Stoneage – then again, where
do you think the latter band
took their cues from? Other
standout tracks, “Bones of
Birds” and “Blood on the Valley Floor,” bear both the band’s
moody and heavy tones, respectively, without sounding
dated. They are as modern as
anything currently dominating the mainstream.
With King Animal, Soundgarden definitely prove that
they are indeed back. Realize though that Soundgarden
were never a “singles” kind of
a band, but one that happened
to have a number of great ones
within their career. For those
who walk away disappointed
after listening to this album,
odds are you were more of a
casual or fair weather listener
than one of the devout or diehards to recognize that King
Animal is a true continuation
from the sound they established in the 90s.
—Matthew Pashalian.
Aaron Lewis
The Road
Blaster Records
In 2011, Aaron broke into the
country scene with his first
EP, Town Line. Two singles
off that record, “Country Boy”
and “Massachusetts” give a
lot of information about his
background and tell how he
was introduced into the entertainment business a good
Motionless In White
Infamous
Secrets
The Ascent
Infamous
Secrets
The Ascent
Christopher Zambello
fifteen years ago. Now I’m no
rocket scientist, but I’m pretty
certain after listening to The
Road, that his heart is total
country.
It’s no secret that Aaron
Lewis is one of the hardest
working artists in the music
business. The Road takes us
on an adventure into Aaron’s
heart and mind of someone
who misses his home and
family life while on tour. The
song “75” starts off setting
the stage with lyrics such as
“This highway ain’t no place
for home loving drifters like
me/I’m tired of missin’ the
moments I never get back,
I’m tired of missin’ the smile
on my little girl’s face”. “Zoe
Jane” ring a bell anyone?
Having written every song
but one, “Granddaddy’s Gun,”
it’s clear that he’s no stranger
to country music. He may not
be as twangy or flashy as others, it’s not his style - never
was. And this isn’t today’s
pop-country either; this is
the old school that most usually think of when they hear
the term country music.’ Influences of Hank Jr., Johnny
Cash, Waylon Jennings and
Merle Haggard are prominent
throughout the album. Steel
guitars cry through each tune
along with an array of acoustic guitars. Those fans looking to get a whiff of Staind on
this venture, you won’t find
it here. This is Aaron sharing
with us his experiences, however humbling they may be.
At the end you will walk away
with a better understanding
and appreciation for this man.
—Chris Zambello
Halestorm
The Strange Case Of...
Alicia Keys
Girl On Fire
Saving Abel
Bringing Down The Giant
Papa Roach
The Connection
Pink
The Truth About Love
Jennifer Sobek
Lifehouse
Almeria
Led Zeppelin
Celebration Day
Atlantic
Fans around the globe had
waited for decades for the remaining members of Led Zeppelin to reunite. And although,
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and
John Paul Jones had performed
twice before in the 80s - the
1985 Live Aid and 1988 Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary
concerts, these were shambolic
and tepid at best. And we’re
not counting the collaboration Page and Plant had in the
90s without Jones - THAT
DOESN’T COUNT!
If it weren’t for Atlantic Records Founder Ahmet Ertegun passing away in 2007, and
a concert taking place in his
honor (Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert), it is most likely
Mumford & Sons
Babel
Pink
The Truth About Love
Garbage
Not Your Kind of People
Cher Lloyd
Sticks and Stones
Chris DeWuske
Hurt
The Crux
Throw The Fight
What Doesn’t Kill Us
Coheed and Cambria
The Afterman: Ascension
Machina
To Live And Die In The Garden Of Eden
Hoobastank
Fight Or Flight
that the band wouldn’t have
come together to do, at
least, this one show – it was
Ertegun that convinced the
band to sign with Atlantic in
1968.
With anticipation high,
the band made the effort
to put something together
that would, at the very least,
respect the legacy and not
embarrass them. And it’s
because of the rehearsals
they had prior that made
their performance at the
O2 Arena in London such
a success. To put it simply,
they sounded absolutely
mammoth. If you were
able to watch anything on
YouTube, or any of the
other video sharing channels regarding the show –
more than likely, most of
you were not lucky enough
to see the show in person,
since tickets sold out in seconds at the time.
Celebration Day captures
this concert from start to
finish; probably the last
documentation of the band
doing anything together going forward, since Plant has
repeatedly declined offers
to continue with Page, Jones
and the late John Bonham’s
son, Jason. So in this context, the 2-CD collection is
worth picking up, if only to
hear them play the anthems
that are now pillars in the
history of rock ‘n roll. And
don’t deny it, hearing this
band still play “Stairway to
Heaven” is absolutely electric.
It’s interesting to hear
songs such as the opening
“Good Times Bad Times”
and “Since I’ve Been Loving You” at a much lower
register, since Plant wasn’t
able to hit the same notes as
he could back in the band’s
heyday in the 70s, being he
was almost 60 at the time of
the show. And despite the
rehearsals leading into the
gig, the band still sounded
44 | SFL Onstage |
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like they were shaking off
the rust for the first four
songs such as on “Ramble
On” and “Black Dog.” Hell,
Plant flubbed a few lyrics
early on probably due to his
nervousness.
However, once the band
got comfortable, particularly Plant, their performances during the show
really took off, beginning
with “For Your Life.” As
the front man noted, it was
the first time the band had
played the song live, but
Plant sounded loose and
relaxed. It’s clear that age
has only made Page and
Jones better and more versatile musicians as evident
on “Trampled Under Foot,”
where the former unleashed
riffs that most players
would be incapable of playing the way he does. Jones’
keyboard and bass work
added so much groove to
the songs that there should
never have been any doubt
how essential his rhythms
were to the Zeppelin sound.
Despite singing at a lower
register, Plant’s bravado in
his performance still kills
the competition. And Jason Bonham’s drumming
sounded identical to his late
father’s, playing with the
same ferocity and dynamic.
It’s quite a stunning listen
as evident by killer versions
of “Nobody’s Fault But
Mine,” “The Song Remains
the Same” and “Whole
Lotta Love.” But the apex
of the concert and the live
CD is without question,
“Kashmir.” Their virtuosity and power during the
song and the concert in
general is simply mesmerizing. No bands, past or
present, can light a candle
to them as a live act, and
Celebration Day showcases
a landmark band playing
with their skills still intact
and killer as ever.
—Jeff Noller
Taylor Swift
Red
Big Machine Records, LLC
Red, the fourth full-length
album by country pop
sensation Taylor Swift,
is an emotional ride of
a young woman breaking out from adolescence.
Ironically, that is exactly
what I thought as I listened
through. As some songs
showcase her maturity, just
as many make me want to
break out a piece of bubble
gum.
The first cut, “State of
Grace” is an upbeat with
decent vocals. It seems
clear that she is breaking
from her country roots and
aiming toward mainstream
pop. The title track, “Red”,
a song about unforgettable
love that has come and
gone, keeps the party going with an upbeat chorus,
some nice mandolin playing and a solid drum beat.
She starts losing my attention during the start of “I
Knew You Were Trouble”
with its teeny-pop beat
and lyrics. She does try to
kick in an edgy, raw vocal
after the first chorus which
is surprising, but it’s not
enough to keep my attention. The ballad “All Too
Well” is one hundred percent country and showcases that mentioned maturity
and songwriting Swift’s
ability. In contrast, “22”
quickly reminds me that
she’s still got a lot of growing up to do. Its conflicting
lyrics, “Yeah we’re happy,
free, confused and lonely
in the best way. It’s miserable and magical…” clearly
demonstrate the emotional
rollercoaster of a young
woman in her early twenties.
It seems hard to see what
type of audience she is
reaching out towards. Is
she a pop singer now or
still country? Is she aiming towards the teen market or trying to tickle the
ear of a more mature audience? It’s just not evident
on the album. Though the
Grammy winner took two
years to write the 16 tracks
on the album, Red will be
remembered as a stepping
stone; a turning of the tide
if you will, when Taylor
Swift left her childhood behind and started to become
a woman.
—Chris Zambello
Rihanna
Unapologetic
Def Jam
Sometimes in this music
industry, record producers
will take a hot commodity (Whitney Houston for
example) who has had hit
after hit with a worldwide
following and keep pumping out album after album
while laughing all the way
to the bank. Eventually and
unfortunately, something’s
gotta give and not live up
to its reputation. The writing will become poor, the
singing will not be as passionate as it used to be, the
fans will lose interest and
find someone else to follow
(Whitney was replaced by
Mariah). I hope this doesn’t
happen to Rihanna, but this
is album number seven in
seven years. My first impression while listening to
it was that it’s lack-luster in
comparison to the previous
six. The songwriting isn’t up
to standard here and with
the exception of a few songs;
the singing lacks that power
and passion that fans fell in
love with.
By now we’ve all heard
the anthem-like power ballad “Diamonds,” but check
out “Stay” where Rihanna
is accompanied by acoustic
and piano. It’s passion in its
purest form; simple, elegant,
straight from the heart. Rihanna goes on to showcase
her Caribbean roots with
“No Love Allowed,” complete with steel drums.
Her duet with Chris
Brown, “Nobody’s Business”
has me shaking my head in
disbelief as she sings, “You’ll
always be my boy, I’ll always be your girl, ain’t nobody’s business.” The rest of
the songs on Unapologetic I
found to be boring, repetitive, and lack any type of interest. It feels like they had a
very slim choice of songs to
pick from and are just scraping the bottom of the barrel
now.
—Chris Zambello
Ben Folds Five
The Sound of the Life of the Mind
ImaVeePee
Ben Folds Five surprised
everyone when they reunited a couple of years
ago. Folds had always
been the brainchild of the
piano-fronted, alternative
rock group, being the main
songwriter, vocalist and
the man behind the keys.
Sure Robert Sledge had
a distinct, distorted bass
sound and Darren Jesse had
propulsion with his drum
work, but this was the vision of Folds. So when the
group leader went on his
own following 1999’s Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, it wasn’t a
shock to anyone. And with
such acclaimed records as
2001’s seminal Rockin’ the
Suburbs and 2003’s Songs
for Silverman, there really
didn’t seem to be a reason for the threesome to
reunite. Apart from their
big hit, “Brick” from 1997’s
Whatever and Ever Amen,
the group hadn’t been
some commercial or critical powerhouse for which
fans were clamoring to see
as a mass level.
Still, the group was always a fun band to see live,
and made some exciting records. Therefore, with the
ease that they had coming
back together to perform
live, the same feeling fuels
The Sound of the Life of the
Mind, their first album in 13
years. And when you listen
to the arty funk of “Erase
Me,” the infectious piano
rock of “Draw a Crowd”
and the pop of “Michael
Praytor, Five Years Later,”
it sounds as if no time
has passed since UBORM.
Granted there’s nothing as infectious like the
aforementioned
“Brick,”
“The Battle of Who Could
Care Less” or “Army.” But
the joy to this album is in
the lush arrangements and
spacious production, great
performances
delivered
by Sledge and Jesse, and
Folds’ knack for writing
sophisticated song with
witty, acerbic and sarcastic
lyrics. It’s quite a listen, especially when you listen to
the kinetic title track.
The college-punk charm
of BFF’s early records may
be a distant memory, but
The Sound of the Life of the
Mind is a fantastic record
following such a long absence
—Jeff Noller
Dethklok
Metalocalypse: Dethalbum III
Williams Street
Fans of the Metalocalypse
TV show are quite
passionate, and like the
previous two outings,
Dethalbum III continues
to display show creator
Brandon Small’s love for
all things heavy metal.
You can argue that this
is an original soundtrack
to an animated cartoon
on Adult Swim. But the
humor in the lyrics is what
makes the show and the
songs so good. There’s a
lot of thought and passion
that Small puts into the
show and the music, which
makes the third release
a dynamic blast of death
metal goodness.
How can you not love
songs that have titles such
as “I Ejaculate Fire” - the
roaring opening number
to the album? How many
death metal bands would
have the balls to write song
with that title? Ok… maybe
there’s a couple out there
such as Cannibal Corpse.
But to get back to the point,
the humor combined with
Small’s passion for the
music is what makes these
records so fun to listen to,
especially as the material
becomes more grandiose
and larger than life as
it does here. Songs like
“Ghostqueen,” “Impeach
God,” “Skyhunter,” “The
Hammer” and “Rejoin” put
a lot of real death metal
bands to shame. The riffs
are larger than life and
spectacular, the drums
sound like an earthquake
and the keyboards soar.
Dethalbum III provides
enough surprises and
thrills to make this a great
addition to the catalogue.
Most
people
would
recoil at anything that
resembles death metal,
especially when it comes
to being a soundtrack to
an animated series such as
“Metalocalypse.” But even
if you’re not a fan, you will
find plenty on this one to
enjoy.
—Jeff Noller
Tune in to
WWNN
1470AM for
Spano’s Big
Radio Show
on Saturdays at 8pm
Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite
Sadness [Deluxe Edition Box
Set]
Virgin Records
If you were a fan of Smashing
Pumpkins in the 1990’s, odds
are you could not get away
from, not only the bands biggest album, but their most
ambitious offering to date,
the double-disc epic Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
For rock fans it truly had everything, from hard rock anthems, metal and acoustic balladry, to forays into the electronic realm they would further experiment with on their
next album. Continuing with
the bands expansive series
of reissuing their entire back
catalog with a full remastering, Mellon Collie has proven
itself to be the most anxiously
awaited by fans both new and
old not just for nostalgia purposes, but for the wealth of 3
more bonus discs of previously unreleased material from
the bands extensive archive.
Upon first listen to the Mellon
Collie… discs I didn’t really
notice a difference from the
original album until I got to
“Here Is No Why” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” on
the Dawn to Dusk disc, as
these are the first two where
you can really hear a bit more
clarity between the instruments and vocals in general.
On the somber “To Forgive,”
and swirly “Love,” a few new
sounds pear their head in the
mix, while the raucous “Fuck
You (An Ode to No One)” has
a new power behind its ferocity. The discs final single, the
lyrically poetic “Muzzle” is a
bit more lucid, as is the beautiful and airy “Porcelina of
the Vast Oceans,” where once
again, new textures are re46 | SFL Onstage |
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vealed thanks to the remaster.
Moving onto the diverse disc
of the 2, Twilight to Starlight,
“Where Boys Fear to Tread”
revs up as backing vocals are
brought up in the mix of the
tune, while “Bodies” has more
muscle behind its strength.
The moodiness of “In The
Arms of Sleep” doesn’t really
seem to have any noticeable
changes, however the song
that would give a glimmer
into the direction the band
would soon head,” 1979,”
does to the point where you
can actually hear the click of
the guitar pick to the strings.
The ultra-heavy “Tales of a
Scorched Earth” is still a tad
muddy, but co-guitarist James
Iha’s wacky solo’s get a huge
boost in the mix that really
take you by surprise.
The bonus discs to the MCIS
Reissue Package are really
meant to draw in the diehards and mega fans as a nice
handful of the selected tracks
, on the discs respectively
titled ‘Morning Tea,’ ‘High
Tea,’ and ‘Special Tea,’ are all
handpicked by Billy Corgan
himself. Though some may
have been floating around via
unofficial bootlegs and cyberspace for the better part of the
past decade, the head Pumpkin still has a few aces up his
sleeve.
The Morning Tea disc starts
off with the string orchestra
only from “Tonight, Tonight,”
before heading into the piano
kissed “Methusela (Sadlands
Demo)” which has an almost
17th century feel it. A more
raw live rehearsal version of
“X.Y.U. (Take 11)” displays
some lyrical variations, as
well as snarling vocals and a
maddening outro to the song
only encountered live on the
albums tour. The “Zero (Synth
Mix)” really sounds like a live
studio demo minus James
Iha’s solo insanity. Other
Sadlands Demo’s such as the
swirly “Feelium,” and “Ascending Guitars” are simple
ideas the band didn’t seem to
take further from that stage,
while “Glamey Glamey” reveals itself to be the origin
of “Marquis in Spades” found
remixed on the Special Tea
disc. Billy’s fabled Sadlands
demo of “1979” appears with
not much change from the
original fans have come to
know and love, and a James
Iha acoustic sung tune, “Lover
(Arrangement 1 Demo).
The High Tea disc introduces a
few cool remastered tracks in
the form of the college radio
bounce in “Pennies,” the droning “The Aeroplane Flies High
(Turns Left, Looks Right),”
and a new mix of “Cupid de
Locke” with an added intro, and beefier drums. Early
home demo acoustic versions
of tracks such as “Bullet with
Butterfly Wings,” and “ThirtyThree” in the form of Billy’s
Sadlands Demos are kind of
cool to hear in such a stripped
down format, while the previously unreleased track, “Towers of Rabble” is surprisingly
an almost pop song.
Early live studio versions of
“Jellybelly,” “Porcelina of the
Vast Oceans,” and “Here Is
No Why” make up for kooky
tracks like “Fun Time” and
the studio Outtake “Knuckles” which are listen once
and pass on kind of tracks. If
you ever wondered how the
massive “Tonight, Tonight”
would have sounded without
the strings, you can wonder
no more as you can now experience the song without the
incredible orchestra, proving it just as impactful as the
original.
The final disc of extras, Special
Tea, begins with the full version of a track that fans have
only partially heard until now
at the end of “Thru the Eyes
of Ruby,” titled “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.”
More newly mixed tracks
such as the gloom in “Cherry,” the Missing Persons vibe
of “Isolation,” and the metal in
“Marquis in Spades” complete
the packages bonus material.
As a long-time, diehard fan,
I have to admit that the most
disappointing part of this reissue was the DVD portion.
Both the Brixton Academy
concert from London, and
tracks culled from the Rockpalast show in Germany have
all been very widely available
on the internet and via the
bands trading communities
for well over 10 years now.
Aside from not truly getting
a DVD of new live concerts,
it’s still a great watch. As a
live unit, this was probably
the most powerful, and visceral the band ever was. Never is this more evident than
on “Zero,” “Thru The Eyes of
Ruby,” and the gorgeous “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans.”
It’s also very cool to see the
band’s closing song, “X.Y.U.”
in such a destructive manner.
With so many tracks that appear on The Aeroplane Flies
High Box Set making an appearance in some form in this
reissue, you really have to
wonder just how much material Corgan could possibly
have left for that sets bonus
material as it is next in line
of the bands extensive reissue project. All in all though,
one can’t say that this reissue
is a bust, providing fans with
even more hours of listening
pleasure from a time when
the band was truly in their
own.
48 | SFL Onstage |
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Now! - Chris DeWuske

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