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M E G A
I N T E R V I E W
STUBBLE talks with:
ISSUE 46
I S S U E
TOO SHORT
AND:
ANBERLIN's
Stephen
Christian
Damian
Darlington of The
Australian Pink
Floyd Show
BEERIJUANA
THE BRONX's
Matt Caughthran
Danni Filth from CRADLE OF FILTH
SUFFOCATION's
Frank Mullen
Nick Kent of TAT
Live show reviews: BLONDIE, NINE INCH NAILS, JANE'S ADDICTION, and THE ADOLESCENTS
PLUS Lots of CD, DVD, and Book Reviews, VAGRENT, A new strip from Douglas Pope Wilson
AND a new comic featuring Bitey The Cat in Twitch of the Death Nerve!
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OUR NEXT ISSUE #47: As Usual new
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Interviews and live show reviews from
09, advice from Basement Steve, new
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CLASSIC (??) Back Issues Available
$3.00 Each
STUBBLE 3 Interviews Waldo the Dog
Faced Boy, Bloody Mess and the Skabs
STUBBLE 4 Interviews Napalm Death,
Godflesh, the Cedar Street Sluts
STUBBLE 5 Interviews Agony Column,
Peter Yarmouth, and Industrial Giants
KMFDM!
STUBBLE 6 Interviews Jah Wobble, Bolt
Thrower, Blind Rhino, and Entombed
STUBBLE 7 Interviews Impetigo, 4 Non
Blondes, Rocket From The Crypt, and
Gabby Skab
STUBBLE 8 Interviews Sun 60, Mind
Bomb, Juliana Hatfield, Fudge Tunnel, King
Missile, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult,
Moth Macabre, Psyclone Rangers,
Sweetwater, Season To Risk, Sheep On
Drugs, Dillon Fence, Iggy Pop
STUBBLE 9 Interviews Chainsaw Kittens,
Redd Kross, Carcass, Life Of Agony, SNFU,
and Sepultura
STUBBLE 10 Interviews KMFDM, Melvins,
The Poor, Offspring
STUBBLE 11 Interviews Sky Cries Mary,
Miranda Sex Garden, Gass Huffer,
Samaiam, Testament, and Velvet Crush
STUBBLE 12 Interviews Butt Trumpet,
Dirt Merchants, and Dink
STUBBLE 13 Interviews X-Cops,
Lunachicks, Sponge, and Fear Factory
STUBBLE 15 Interview SISTER MACHINE
GUN
STUBBLE 17 Interviews Switchblade
Symphony, Hindu Death Orgy
STUBBLE 18 Interviews Rasputina, New
Bomb Turks, Sponge, X-Men’s Scott
Lobdell
STUBBLE 19 Shitty Interview Issue with
Screw 32, Ruth Ruth, Bloody Mess
STUBBLE 20 Interviews My Dying Bride,
Spahn Ranch, Sunshine Blind, Kristen
Barry Sky Cries Mary
STUBBLE 21 Interviews Kristeen Young,
Slymenstra Hymen of GWAR
STUBBLE 22 Interviews LIMP, The
Damned, Pat Dinizio, Clutch
STUBBLE 23 Interviews JJ Burnell, No
More Heroes
STUBBLE 24 Live Shows Smoking Grooves,
Ozzfest, Tribute to Dean Dirt of 10-96.
STUBBLE 25 Interviews Zebrahead. The
Amazing Crowns, Dave Davies
STUBBLE 26 Interviews Hugh Cornwell,
Holiday In Peoria
STUBBLE 27 Interviews Vega, Hugh
Cornwell
STUBBLE 28 Interviews Lords Of Acid,
Praga Kahn, Kitty Harte at Rock N Roll Hall
Of Fame
STUBBLE 29 Interviews Dandy Warhols,
Gordon Gano
STUBBLE 30 Features on Wonderdrug
Records, Point .08
STUBBLE 31 Interviews - The
Grandmothers, Hugh Cornwell, Ozzfest
2001, 2001 Warped
STUBBLE 32 Interviews The
Grandmothers, The Bouncing Souls, The
Line; features Ask Basement Steve
STUBBLE 33 -Vans Warped Tour 2002,
Jeep World Outside Festival, Ozzfest 2002
STUBBLE 34 Interviews Dave Vanian of
The Damned, KITTIE
STUBBLE 35 Interviews with Daughters;
The Dandy Warhols; Robinson’s Racin’ Pigs
show review
STUBBLE 36 Interviews Bloody F. Mess; Live
show reviews - Bouncing Souls, King’s X, Life
of Agony, more
STUBBLE 37 Interviews AGAINST ME; Live
show reviews including 2004 Ozzfest and
Warped Tours, Ruth Ruth, KMFDM, Murder
Junkies, JET, The Hives, Hot Water Music, All
That Remains
STUBBLE 38 Interviews Me First And The
Gimmee Gimmees, The Explosion; Live show
reviews: KASABIAN
STUBBLE 39 Interviews El Pus, Ruth Ruth;
Live show reviews: Slipknot, Shadows Fall,
Rebelpalooza, No Address
STUBBLE 40 Interviews Every Time I Die,
Soilwork, Tower Of Power; Live show reviews
Ozzfest 2005, Warped 2005, Anger
Management Tour, Gigantour and more!
STUBBLE 41 Live show reviews: The Slackers,
Sevendust, Regina Spektor, Particle, Some
Girls,WMFO. Help from Ask Basement Steve,
and more!
STUBBLE 42: Huge Concert Review issue –
Warped, Ozzfest, Hank III; Interviews with
Unearth, All That Remains, and Norma Jean
Plus: Ask Basement Steve.
STUBBLE 43: Interview with Hank Williams
III, Live Show Reviews – Type O,
Evanescence, WMFO, Bloody & The
Transfusions, Cattle Decapitation, Daughters,
The Locust and more! Plus: Ask Basement
Steve.
STUBBLE 44: Big Interview Issue - Interviews
with Sascha of KMFDM, ChthoniC’s Freddy,
Left Face of Maradou, Rob Arnold, lead guitar
Chimaira, Every Time I Die’s Jordon, The
Milwaukees’ Jeff Norstedt, Trevor Peres,
Guitars, Obituary, and Greg Weeks, bass, The
Red Chord. Live Show Reviews – Zappa
PlaysZappa, Bloody & The Transfusions, and
more! Plus: a new Krispy Kitty comic episode.
STUBBLE 45: Another Big Interview issue Interviews with 36 Crazyfists, Cheetah
Chrome of the Dead Boys, Bullet for My
Valentine, and more! Live Show Reviews –
Without M* F* Order, Rob Zombie, and of
course – more!
Plus: a new Krispy Kitty comic episode AND
Ask Basement Steve.
Contact us: [email protected]
Interviews
ANBERLIN
Vans Warped Tour
San Francisco, CA
June 18, 2008
STUBBLE Reporter Jeff Longo with Anberlin's Stephen Christian
Stubble’s West Coast 5 O’clock Shadow was set loose at
the Vans Warped Tour in San Francisco. Wandering around
back stage, we caught an unsuspecting Stephen Christian:
vocalist for the Florida’s greatest contribution to alternative
rock, Anberlin. Here’s how he sold his soul for rock-n-roll,
why Dog the Bounty Hunter is a good Christian, and a
glimpse of his life in the fast lane.
Interview by Jeff Longo with Josh Kutras and Alex
Guzman. Photo by Alex Guzman
STUBBLE: Stephen who is Anberlin for our readers who
may not be familiar with you guys.
Stephen: We’ve been around for five years and put out
three records on Tooth and Nail records out of Seattle WA.
We’ve done a couple of tours and…new record [released]
on September 30th called; New Surrender on Universal
Republic so we’re pretty excited about it
STUBBLE: OK, so how’s the show going?
Stephen: Shows going great…it’s been awesome
man…it’s just flawless. Man, the Warped Tour has their
crap together and they should after 14years you know? So
it’s really awesome.
STUBBLE: With all the bands on Warped do you get
mobbed by fans or go unnoticed? Stephen: Yeah, it’s a
little hard; but that’s the allure of Warped Tour I think fans
can feel so very accessible. You can come up and talk to
them…Here it’s just like, go and hang out. I think that’s
what people enjoy about Warped Tour; they get the
backstage passes and just hang out with their favorite
bands.
STUBBLE: Pretty cool and unique to Warped.
Stephen: Yeah, absolutely. We hang out at the merch
table and we have signings every day. So it’s really cool to
be able to interact with fans and stuff
STUBBLE: Whats’ in your CD player right now?
Stephen: Ummm…
STUBBLE: Tunes you’re listening to right now would be?
Stephen: Let’s see, I was putting together 1940’s songs
for my Grandmother, and I found this amazing song called
Praise the lord and pass the ammunition. (all laugh) no
joke, “Praise the lord and pass the ammunition, we’ll all go
home” Hilarious! I’m like,’dude I gotta re-do that song’. I
mean…it does not get more American than that! (sadly it
doesn’t)
STUBBLE: Where are you from?
Stephen: Florida, I am originally from central Florida, and
I just moved out to Los Angeles Cali-for-Ni-A.
STUBBLE: So, you sold your soul for rock n roll and
moved to L.A. or the other way…
Stephen: (laughing) Yes, I did, I’m part plastic now, they
handed me a driver's license and liposuction certificates,
so I’m good.
STUBBLE: Nice. Alright then, real quick, we’ve got some
free association questions ala Howard Stern (you are the
master) ok?
Stephen: Sure, sure yeah let’s do it.
Josh: This is Fuck, Marry, Kill Britney, Lindsey Lohan, and
Hillary Clinton… Free association don’t even think about it.
Stephen: Ooooo! See uh; see I feel so bad….Ok, I think
Hillary’s getting the ole axe here, I think I would marry
Lindsey cause she’s just got a little more to go there than
the old B, I think.
Josh: Ok, uh... How about Jamie Lee Curtis….
Stephen: Ooo! You’re killin me!
STUBBLE: Hillary Swank, and Haley Joel Osmet?
Stephen: I’m not sure who Haley Joel Osmet is…
STUBBLE: The creepy kid from the Sixth Sense.
Stephen: Wow! Wasn’t the other in Star Wars?
STUBBLE: No, Halloween, and yogurt commercials..
Stephen: Oh yeah, yeah, ok she’s dead. Ok, I’ll take
Osmet to hang out for one fine evening. And I’ll marry
Hillary Swank. I will hang out permanently with Hillary
Swank.
STUBBLE: If you were to meet Lemmy [Motorhead],
would you do speed with him?
Stephen: Wow, no. I don’t… that guy’s scary when you’re
not on speed let ‘lone if you get on it, like what? How did
we end up in Africa? How did we get here?
Josh: If this is punk rock day camp, who is the hot
counselor?
Stephen: She is with the red hair (whistles at passing
redhead).
[Pause as we all check her out]
Alex: That’s a guy (roaring laughter).
Jeff: Alright, alright we’ll take it. Will you watch Dog the
Bounty hunter if he’s let back on the air?
Stephen: He’s back on the air? No, but my dad will…he
was like “now that boy’s a Christian” I was like what?
Alright.
Alex: Marijuana; hip or for hippies?
Stephen: Hippies. Yeah, I can’t… I… Yeah, I don’t
understand the Grateful Dead. I feel like if you’re not on
acid and your brain's not half gone you won’t get it. So I
don’t get it.
Neither do we Stephen, neither do we. Thank you to
Stephen Christian for hanging out and having a great
sense of humor.
THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW
The Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
December 3, 2008
Interview by Jeff Longo wiith Chris and John Kelly. Photo
by Jeff Longo
The Australian Pink Floyd Show infuses all the elements
that made Pink Floyd the gods of the psychedelic
revolution. Simply, they are Pink Floyd. Saying they are a
cover band is like saying the London Philharmonic
Orchestra is a cover band! Myriad authentic effects are
used to perfection and no detail is left out. Updated
synchronized video, a brilliant light show, and the
occasional laser extravaganza brilliantly recreate a genuine
Floyd experience.
While touring almost exclusively in Europe since relocating
in the early nineties, the Aussies have been steadily
gaining in popularity in the States for the last five years by
performing the Floyd’s best selling album, “Dark Side of
the Moon”. Now they are taking on their most ambitious
project to date, “The Wall”.
The Aussies leave audiences “wide-eyed & crazy” night
after night, invoking the true essence of the Pink Floyd
experience that is surprisingly refreshing and authentic.
“With random precision” I sat in my seat as the vibrations
pulsed from amps, the band faded into the background as
the air swirled around us, exposed by the dancing light
show. The magic and majesty of Pink Floyd is alive and
well, just don’t be surprised by the marching kangaroos.
STUBBLE: I'm hanging out with Damian Darlington of The
Australian Pink Floyd Show. I've seen you guys in San Jose
in 2006, just two days after I saw Roger Waters. You
know, that's a lot of Floyd. But I got there, sat down, and
slapped myself in the face because I forgot how good you
guys are…
Damian: Well, the band originally started in Adelaide in
South Australia back in 1988; a long time ago, man. We
started just for fun, really: just sort of a bunch of guys
getting together who loved Pink Floyd's music and just
wanted to play it. We started playing pubs and clubs, and
just one thing led to another and it progressed on and got
bigger and bigger 'til we started touring Australia. Then we
relocated over to the UK back in '93.
STUBBLE: How do you make money?
Damian: By playing Pink Floyd [Both laugh]
STUBBLE: What I mean by that is do you pay royalties? I
know you can play anything live, but...
Damian: Yeah, we don't have to do anything different
than any other cover band does, really. It's all taken care
of by what is called in Europe the “Performing Rights
Society”…you just sort of tell them what set list you
played, and on what night, and they take some money
from the venue (a very small percentage of the fee). It
doesn't really impact us greatly. It's a different story if
you're releasing a CD or a DVD, then you're going into that
whole different territory of royalties and what have you.
STUBBLE: So tell me about the show tonight.
Damian: At the moment, we're playing The Wall in its
entirety. It's the first time this band has done this album,
and I think it's probably the first time The Wall has been
toured on this scale since Floyd did it in the early '80s.
STUBBLE: I understand you took a little while to get the
production and planning together, but did you guys ever
think about trying to perform it the way it was originally:
where there's a cardboard wall built on stage?
Damian: Obviously we aspire to do it that way, but it's
not very practical when you're touring the range of venues
that we're playing. Imagine trying to build a brick wall
down in the Fillmore for example.
So we chose to portray it in a different way by using
animation, video and stuff to convey the narrative of The
Wall.
STUBBLE: Well the album definitely takes on a different
meaning live just because of the wall and the songs, so
was that difficult to overcome?
Damian: Certainly, the most challenging thing we've
done was to sort of knit it all together in the way that it
needed to be done, but I'm very happy with the way it has
turned out. We've managed to achieve what we wanted to
do, and hopefully it comes across effectively. And it seems
to be going down really, really well wherever we go.
STUBBLE: So it's being accepted pretty well by people?
Damian: I would say so. I mean, obviously there was a
little bit of a worry about it, since it's the album that most
people who listen to Pink Floyd are familiar with. You
know, people wondered, "will they get the whole thing
from beginning to end?", but I think the experience on this
tour has shown us that we didn't need to worry about
anything.
STUBBLE: You don't! I understand you guys have done
other full albums besides The Wall, like Dark Side of the
Moon, Animals, and Wish You Were Here.
Damian: We've covered pretty much every period of
Floyd over the years, from Piper at the Gates of Dawn right
through to the Division Bell. We've done some Barrett
tunes; we've done “Careful with that Axe” and “Eugene”.
We've done excerpts from Atom Heart Mother, all these
sorts of things over the years.
STUBBLE: I'd love to hear any of those live. Do you have
any of those planned this evening in the encore set?
Damian: Well no, because the whole of The Wall is an
hour and fifteen minutes of music. We're doing an encore
set on this tour but there's limited room for maneuver, as
it were. We're trying to represent some stuff that people
who may want to see something other than just The Wall
will get a little taste of some of the other Floyd songs, like
some of the other well known songs: “Shine On”, “Great
Gig”, “Wish You Were Here”, songs like that.
STUBBLE: Have you ever met anybody in the band?
Damian: Everybody except Roger. We originally met
David Gilmore in 1994 when Floyd were still doing the
Division Bell tour at the time. They were just taking a bit of
a break before they started the final show in London, and
we were doing a show in London as well. David Gilmore
turned up out of the blue with Gary Wallace with him and
some of his family. It was a complete and total shock to
us, he knocked on the dressing room door after the show
and popped his head around and asked if he could come
in. [laughs] We all went to the end of tour party backstage
at Earl's Court and then a couple years later we got a
phone call saying, "hey do you want to come play at my
50th birthday party?" So we did that. Most recently, he
came to see us at the Albert Hall in London in 2003. He
saw us play all of Dark Side of the Moon then when we
were first touring.
STUBBLE: That was incredible too, by the way. You have
a relentless tour schedule, it's insane. Like 20 shows a
month!
Damian: Um, painful! [both laugh] No, it's a lot of fun, I
love doing what I do and I'm very lucky to be doing it. But
yeah, it can be tough on the road sometimes, you know.
STUBBLE: Do you have any other projects that you work
with? Do you have your own music?
Damian: Well yeah, we also try to do our own thing when
we get the chance, but there isn't that much of a chance
because of the schedule. But when I'm not doing this, I do
a little side project called Acoustic Unlimited which is
mainly acoustic music.
STUBBLE: How are shows different now than say back in
'94 or '95? What has changed? Is it more of a business?
Damian: Well, inevitably there's more of a business
element involved, but I think the main thing is the band's
just a hell of a lot better than it was 15 years ago, you
know? We've become a lot more practiced at doing what
we do. The show is a lot bigger, and the production is way
bigger than it was back then. It's one of those things: I
wish that when we played at Gilmore's birthday party
twelve years ago, the band was as it is now. It's come
such a long way, I think.
STUBBLE: Has advertising and promoting yourselves
been an issue?
Damian: Oh certainly, having the parts of our DVD
broadcast on the PBS channel is a great way of promoting
the show and the tours. A lot of people get to know we
exist that wouldn't otherwise. You do find skeptics that
haven't seen the show or the PBS thing. They think, “Oh
it's just a cover band. I'm not going to go and see that,
they can't possibly play Floyd right”. But when they do
come and see us play, they change their minds very
quickly, it seems!
STUBBLE: I never thought I'd be able to see The Wall
performed live….
Damian: Well, it's great to be performing it. It's probably
the most fun thing we've done in this band. And I think
you're right about it coming across as a live performance,
maybe better than it ever does on the album. Not that the
album isn't great, but I think it needs to be seen live.
STUBBLE: AMEN!
BEERIJUANA
The Voodoo Lounge
San Jose, CA
January 31, 2009
STUBBLE’s Jeff Longo, Josh Kutras, and Alex Guzman
interview Beerijuana (Zach, Dr. Crazyfingers, Frank, and
the Prophet). Photo by Jeff Longo
“We sound like a bulldozer full of testicles running over a
field full of hippies… Beerijuana” Now, with a description
like that one would think, ‘I know exactly what that would
sound like’…hit play and...your fucking head explodes!
Throat-bleeding Vocals and Ferocious Riffs hold you down
while Double Pedal Onslaught kicks your face in.
Celebrating the release of their self titled debut record we
sit down with the entire band just before headlining at the
Voodoo Lounge in San Jose. Also on the bill: Cyanic and
Desecrater.
STUBBLE: So first of all congratulations this is a big night
for you guys. So what kind of music do you guys play, how
long have you been around?
The Prophet: Approximately a year. Definitely metal with
a little edge of everything, we like to rock it hard, we like
to speed it up, we like to slow it down, we like to slap the
crowd around with a little of all that…and it’s definitely
been going well, things are happening faster with this
band, than I think any band any of us have ever been in
before.
Dr. Crazyfingers: Yeah, it’s not our first dance neither
we’ve been in other bands and this is just kind of like all
the stuff we wanted to do in other bands just kind of
happening all at once.
Zack: We went through this phase where we thought we
were jazz musicians, and did this like funny take off of a
jazz tune, and then tried to rip off something from Dark
Side of the moon. And so we got a friend of ours named
Jessi Jane, from Suicidal Barfly, to sing on it, yeah and uh
it’s a trip.
Dr. Crazyfingers: Just cause Zack couldn’t hit those
notes!
STUBBLE: So in the age of classification, where
everything’s got to be put into its own little box, what
would your genre be?
Zack: We call it stoner metal, because there’s too much
double bass and screaming for it to be stoner rock.
Dr. Crazyfingers: I mean we like aspects of all kinds of
stuff there’s like; this core and that core. You know this
metal and…
Zack: (King Diamond esque voice) Norwegian Black Metal!
Dr. Crazyfingers: Yeah! Yeah, fuckin’ Norwegian Black
Metal and fuckin’ Southeast Indian fuckin’ Swahili metal,
yeah folk metal and shit: What in the fuck? So instead of
focusing on that, we just try to get to the core aspects of
the stuff that we like and, just keep it simple baby.
Zack: We really write songs that we enjoy playing, so we
don’t really care what they... (laughs) not to be a like a
jerk but, what they sound like and what people think, we
have fun playin’ em, we think they sound good. That’s kind
of the ethic of what it’s all about, exactly like the doctor
said, just try and keep it simple don’t over think it too
much.
STUBBLE: So, what’s the scene like here in San Jose?
The Prophet: It’s been a lot stronger in the past
especially for metal and hardcore bands, anything like that
you know. San Jose misses the Cactus Club deeply what
we’re doing here tonight at the Voodoo Lounge, hopefully
will be, you know a step in the right direction for San Jose.
You know that’s what needs to happen here, is the Voodoo
needs to step it up, and right now that’s the only club
around here that I see doing that. The Blank Club has
really done a great job of getting in the national acts but
now they’ve got a little competition and that’s what we
need.
STUBBLE: Describe Beerijuana live, what can the
uninitiated expect?
Zack: It’s like a bulldozer full of testicles running over a
field of fucking hippies!
Dr. Crazyfingers: We like to describe it as ‘the sound of a
million emos crying out in terror before they were
suddenly silenced. (the silence would be deafening…..)
You can visit Beerijuana on the interweb and check out in
the studio videos, upcoming shows, and grab a CD while
you’re there at: www.beerijuana.com,
www.myspace.com/beerijuanasj
STUBBLE would like to thank Tree down at the Voodoo
Lounge in San Jose CA. You fucking rule! Check them
out at voodooloungesj.com for upcoming shows.
To hear this interview on Stubble Radio in its entirety go
to: www.myspace.com/stubbleradio
THE BRONX
Vans Warped Tour
San Francisco, CA
June 18, 2008
The Bronx's Matt Caughthran - interview by Josh Kutras
with Jeff Longo & Alex Guzman. Photos by Jeff Longo.
STUBBLE cornered Matt Caughthran, front man for tumble
down punks The Bronx, at the Warped Tour in San
Francisco. The Bronx stormed onto the scene with a
ferocious, in-your-face combination of punk and hard rock
that continues to evolve and mature with each release. With
three studio albums under their belt, a bit part in the 2007
Darby Crash bio-pic, What We Do is Secret, and a traditional
mariachi album on the way, it seems a Bronx cheer would be
appropriate.
STUBBLE: How’s the tour been treating’ you so far?
Matt: It’s good man, it’s the second day and I love SF it’s
a great town except for the Giants… (Laughs)…but it’s
good man, it’s good. Pomona was so fuckin’ hot yesterday
it was unbelievable, but today’s nice man.
STUBBLE: So I hear you guys have a mariachi record
coming out, what’s the scoop on that?
Matt: Yea, it’s called Mariachi El Bronx and it’s a
traditional mariachi record and it’s coming out late
September. It’s getting mixed right now; dude it’s gonna
be bad ass.
STUBBLE: What songs do you have on there?
Matt: All sorts of different Hispanic rhythms going on
there, I can’t think of the titles right now, there’s like uh,
what is it Rebunga and uh...
STUBBLE: La Cucaracha?
Matt: Nah man, you guys are gonna trip you’ll see. You
know a lot of people expect it to be like a punk rock type
thing and it’s not, its straight traditional mariachi record.
STUBBLE: How’d the label feel about that?
Matt: Uh…they don’t even know about it.
STUBBLE: (Laughs) that’s what we like to hear! So, What
We Do is Secret, (story of Germs front-man Darby Crash) I
heard you guys filmed some scenes as Black Flag. Have
you heard anything on when that’s coming out?
Matt: Yea. I have no idea, Jorma said he saw the movie
and it was good, you know I haven’t seen it I have no idea
when it’s coming out at all (The film is out currently on
DVD, at the time of the interview it was in a very limited
release).
STUBBLE: What song did you do?
Matt: We did Police Story.
STUBBLE: Were you Henry or Chavo or...
Matt: Dude, I don’t look like any of ‘em. So I was just
kinda doin’ my thing, it was pretty funny you know? It was
an honor to do it, we got to do a song for the soundtrack
with Pat Smear, and Kiera played bass on it, that was
really cool. Other than that they said action and we just
kinda started playin’ you know.
Matt: Yea, yea I’ll do speed with just about anybody
(Laughs).
STUBBLE: Will you watch Dog the bounty hunter if they
give him a second shot on the air?
Matt: Um, no, no and not because he dropped the N
bomb, which I’m not a big fan of, it’s just I’ve seen too
much of Dog in my life. I’m over it, I’m over it.
CRADLE OF FILTH
The Grand Ballroom
San Francisco, CA
February 10, 2009
STUBBLE: Earlier, before you played "History’s
Stranglers," you said something about “to the man that
scared me the most” and I didn’t catch who you were
talking about.
Matt: Oh, it was Richard Ramirez, the night stalker. He
was the first guy who when I was young growing up in L.A,
he ran through someone’s backyard our next door
neighbors backyard, he had killed someone in Pico Rivera
where I grew up. He was the first dude that was on the
loose that I was young enough to be completely scared out
of my mind. That guy scared the shit out of me man, and
when the caught him and he just looked crazy he had the
pentagram on his hand, it was just yea, he was legit.
STUBBLE: Right on, well we’ve got some free association,
wacky, Howard Sternesque type questions for ya.
Matt: All right! Let’s do it.
STUBBLE: All right, Fuck, Marry,Kill. Britney Spears,
Lindsey Lohan, or Hillary Clinton.
Matt: Uhhhhhhh, I’d like to fuck Hillary Clinton.
STUBBLE: Yeaaa!!
Matt: I would, I would like to fuck Hillary Clinton. I don’t
know Lindsey Lohan is kind of a toss up. Maybe I’ll marry
her, what was the other choice?
STUBBLE: Britney Spears.
Matt: Britney Spears what am I supposed to do with her?
Yea she’s insane, she’d probably be good, like a good
hang, like a party buddy you know?
STUBBLE: What about; Jamie lee Curtis, Hillary Swank
and Haley Joel Osmet?
Matt: Who is Haley Joel Osmet?
STUBBLE: He is the kid from the Sixth Sense.
Matt: Oh god no! That guy is weird. Jamie Lee Curtis,
she’s a man right? That’s the rumor about her.
STUBBLE: A large clit is what I heard.
Matt: You know there’s a rumor that a dick is just a large
clit. Like it’s an evolution thing… Cause it’s kinda weird if
you go, if you look at like the female anatomy from the
doctor poster; it’s basically like kind of a tucked in dick..
STUBBLE: Uh, that’s not a rumor…
Matt: I don’t know that’s neither here nor there.
STUBBLE: If you met Lemmy from Motorhead, would you
do speed with him?
STUBBLE Reporter Jeff Longo with Danni Filth
Interview by Jeff Longo with Josh Kutras
Photo By Jeff Longo
Danni Filth, front man for England’s Cradle of Filth, knows
what you’re afraid of. Conjuring up the soundtrack for
your next nightmare, Danni spins a web of lush concept
albums of vampires and spooky shit like a demonic
conductor telling the story through their unique blend of
symphonic black and extreme metal. With new release
‘Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder’, brings us a the classic
‘rise and fall’ story of a 15th century socialite convicted of
black magic, ritual sacrifice, and pedophilia; cohesively
glued together by narration by Doug Bradley (Hellraiser’s
PinHead).
We caught up with Dani Filth in San Francisco a few hours
before their headlining gig at the Grand Ballroom. Despite
battling a cold and recovering from surgery on his ear
earlier in the day we sat down and discussed the new
album, his new book The Gospel of Filth & a Dani Filth line
of swimwear. Entering the rear of the tour bus, Dani is
found downing a bottle of cough syrup…
DANI: I flew over the weekend. Went back to England
and not only caught a cold on the plane but got a
perforated eardrum as well.
STUBBLE: Ouch. How you feeling? Can you hear?
DANI: Half hear. A little bit off balance. I had half my ear
drum cut open.
STUBBLE: Did you give you local for that?
DANI: Yeah.
STUBBLE: So you’re comfortably numb then? (we laugh)
Well, welcome to the Bay Area. The new album, Godspeed
on the Devils thunder, is a concept album, loosely written,
about…
DANI: Gille de Rais (pronounced Jills da Ray) 15th century
comrade in arms to Joan of Arc, alchemist, sorcerer,
pedophile, murderer. Although, we don’t just dwell on the
murder suspects, we’ve incorporated the whole story, the
catalyst, his fall from grace, right through to his eventual
execution, and the album is, it’s not loosely touching upon
it; it’s a story start to finish, chronological.
STUBBLE: Does it get easier as you get more success,
building the next project?
DANI: I don’t look it that way. You just have to be into it.
I put it in the context of, if you’re good at your job your
into it. Its like math homework, I hated math so it was
always left till Sunday evening. I always say to the band
“If masturbation was an art form…(we all ponder this for a
moment)….You know? (umm, yeah)
STUBBLE: You also have a new book coming out; The
Gospel of Filth, (The Definitive Guide to the Realms of
Darkness and Devilry)
DANI: That’s right.. Well, we haven’t got an actual
release date yet but, I think it Easter. Whatever date that
is because it moves from year to year. (Update: currently
set for official release Spring 2009)
STUBBLE: Now did this come into play as you were doing
research for the new album, or…
DANI: No, no it’s been four years of writing the Gospel of
Filth. It’s like a walk through the dark side. It’s co-written
with a cult historian called Gavin Baddeley, and to add
validity to chapters like; Horror and the Femme Fatale,
esoteric England, the Black arts and Satanism and that.
We have various people from those schools of thought who
have contributed. People like; Marilyn Manson, Charles
Manson, Doug Bradley, Tim Burton, you know, people like
Clive Barker and Ingrid Pitt.
STUBBLE: How did you come about working with Gavin, I
mean obviously he’s renowned for his knowledge of the
Occult (and devil worship).
DANI: Well I just became friends with him when he did
interviews for various magazines, because he’s like a uh,
freelance so…
STUBBLE: So, what’s your favorite horror movie right
now?
DANI: Ooo, um what did I see the other day I really
liked? Um The Ruins was good, I wouldn’t say it was my
favorite but I watched recently and um, Paradise Lost ,
Singapore Sling, um (looking at his DVDs) I took my
collection back to England so.. Yeah but those are the ones
I’ve seen recently. I’d like to see the new Underworld.
STUBBLE: So what do you think of all the remakes going
on right now (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Last house on
the left, etc)?
DANI: I don’t mind them, I really liked the Rob Zombie
one; I know he wasn’t happy with it, but I really like the
sort of build up of the character. Um, because remake it,
it’s just a stalk and slasher fare really, and I like the fact
that it built it all up you know the penitentiary and him
being young and….
STUBBLE: Are we running out of things to scare us?
DANI: I just think there’s money in that kind of genre at
the moment. People clawing everything to come up with
something like that.
STUBBLE: Now, you worked with Dario Argento;
composed a song for Mother of Tears.
DANI: That was cool, I didn’t actually get to meet him
but, he’s in our book as well, so I got to interview him.
Uh, I met up with Claudio Simonetti who is the guy
responsible for the soundtrack, it was an honor, nice to be
approached
STUBBLE: Is Jesus still a cunt? (Controversial COF shirt
banned in New Zealand in the nineties)
DANI: I think so, in many people’s eyes. (with a deep
breath) That T-shirt was supposed to be ironic, its still
ironic today as it was then…icunt-ic many people say.
STUBBLE: Wow, you’ve come a long way, dare I say the,
next King of All Media (sorry Howard); I mean albums,
movies, books, you’re doing voice-overs… what’s next?
DANI: Swimwear I think. (We all share a laugh,
swimwear).
To hear this interview in its entirety go to
www.myspace.com/stubbleradio
SOTHIS
Thee Parkside
San Francisco, CA
December 11, 2008
Interview by Jeff Longo; Photo By Jeff Longo
Black Metal employs fast tempos, shrieking vocals, and
distorted guitars, supported by continuous double-kick
drumming and an unconventional song structure. Born in
the frozen wastelands of Norway during the grunge
revolution of the nineties, Black Metal is known more for
connections to the occasional church burnings and murder
than for its signature low-fi sound, fast tempos, and
shrieking vocals. Corpse paint and satanic
imagery/themes make it no surprise that the music was
not taken very seriously in the States, but that may be
changing. Today, a black renaissance of sorts is
percolating (or festering?). Building upon the sins of the
past and forging a new highway to hell the American Black
Metal fiends from LA, Sothis, are more than happy to be
your tour guide. With a four song demo Sothis earned
themselves a roster spot with visionary Candlelight
Records, currently touring their debut release, Di Oppresso
Liber, I caught up with Drogoth and Dross just after their
set at Thee Parkside in San Francisco.
STUBBLE: So you guys are on Candle Stick?
Sothis: (roaring laughter) Oh, they’ll love that…
STUBBLE: Uh, I mean Candlelight Records…
Dross: Candlelight has been very good to us. It’s about
time a label stood up to push an American Black Metal
band. American needs a Black Metal band to call their own.
Drogoth: Di Oppresso Liber was recorded and produced
by Dross. Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) mixed it in
Sweden.
STUBBLE: Did you guys tour w.ith Sweden’s Watain?
Dross: We played with them in LA once. I don’t think I
could tour with them. They are some smelly mother
fuckers.
STUBBLE: The stage reeked of rotting flesh…pigs heads
on stage…
Dross: Our sound guy promoted the show in LA and
Watian’s tour manager was like ‘hey I apologize for the
dressing room’…with blood all over the walls and shit;
there was some opposite type event the next morning so
they were there bleaching the walls and shit till like three
in the morning, trying to figure out what the fuck they
were doing in there.
STUBBLE: By the way you guys kicked ass tonight. Is
that typical of a Sothis gig?
Drogoth: No (deep breath taken), I mean, we’re the kind
of band that is way too big for our britches. I mean we
bring all this bullshit and we ain't shit! We got keyboards,
electronic drums, pyro, smoke machines…when we show
up with all this shit and were trying to plug in, these sound
guys don’t give a shit, they’re used to fucking dipshits
showing up with a half stack…
Dross: You pay your dues. You learn all these
experience…learn to adapt, taking any challenge, and win.
STUBBLE: Sounds like you’ve put some investment into
the show…
Dross: Listen you can buy the CD, listen to it in your car,
and have fun and shit, but when you come to see us play,
when you come live…this is how it works…I have seen tons
of bands and the band is just the background for me to
smoke and drink with my friends, ok. So, you can either be
the background music to someone’s mother-fucking party
or, you can captivate the crowd. If you captivate the
crowd, you can’t just stand there staring at your
instrument like some douche-bag. The sound has to be
there. The fucking look has gotta be there.
Drogoth: I got into black metal from European black
metal scene, I love thrash and death, but black metal took
it a step further for me.
STUBBLE: Ever see Heavy Metal Parking Lot?
Drogoth: Fuck yeah!! Hell yeah we have it on DVD…
STUBBLE: Those were the days…Judas Priest, early Ozzy,
Dio…
Drogoth: I met Dio once. I had a VIP pass to some
festival. And I as I leaving Dio just crossed my path and i
went up to him and I just wanted to say that I was a huge
fan and shit and I put my hand out and he refused to
shake my hand! Instead he gives me a big fucking hug! I
mean I had to bend over and to hug this man. Keep in
mind I am 6 5’and Dio is…(we laugh). He hugged me,
looked me straight in the eye and said ‘Thank you so much
for all the energy and support’ and man, it humbled me. I
mean I’ve met so many musicians, people I was fans of
who turned out to be complete fucking douche-bags. The
guys in Sothis, as long as I’m here, will always be drinking
beers and shaking hands. We’re fucking fans. We’re
fucking metal heads.
STUBBLE: Word
SUFFOCATION
The Grand Ballroom
San Francisco, CA
September 20, 2008
Interview by Jeff Longo
In the early nineties beginning with Effigy of the Forgotten
and Breeding the Spawn, Long Island's Suffocation
solidified their place in the formation of death metal, brutal
death metal to be exact. But it’s with signature death
growl of Frank Mullen, the return of original drummer Mike
Smith, and full time label support that keeps them on the
forefront of the genre. Dominating by playing their own
stripped down, style of death metal, that combines the
extreme styles of hardcore and punk, with doom metal and
grindcore, creating a unique all-out assault on the senses
that is simply… Suffocation.
STUBBLE: So you left Relapse - wasn’t Suffocation their
first ever CD pressing?
Frank: Uh, yes on Relapse but you know it just didn’t
work out over at Relapse, they just kinda like we got lost
in the mix, and you know certain things we thought were
gonna happen didn’t, and um you know we just weren’t
happy with the situation so…. So yeah, it comes time to
move on and we had a couple of offers, you know some
other different labels and everything, and you know pretty
much Nuclear Blast stepped up and uh they been long time
fans of the band and everything, and you know they said
hey, you know we want to do everything we can to bring
you guys up to the next level.
STUBBLE: It just seems like we talk to bands about labels
it seems like only a couple people work there?
Frank: Sometimes it seems that way, you know definitely
with Relapse at times you know that’s how it felt. You
know it’s like you know one person over there and if you
don’t get a hold of that one person you don’t get a hold of
anybody! And I just remember instances where we’re
playing a huge festival, let’s say over in Europe, and they
knew we had a signing and you know you’d think they’d
send flats you know pictures we could sign, little cards or
whatever and they didn’t send anything so… We’re signing
hot dog trays, you know you got a line of fans and I’m
signing hot dog trays. You know it was things like that,
that were bad. You can’t put your band out there and then
not do things that are like... you know bare essentials.
STUBBLE: How did you get involved with the History
Channel?
Frank: That was a really cool thing, I mean they got in
touch with Mike Smith (founding member and current
drummer) and wanted to put it together. They were
looking for something real heavy and real crazy
STUBBLE: They came to the right place…
Frank: They had a premise for a show called The Dark
Ages and they were looking for a commercial with some
heavy, brutal death metal you know to kinda represent the
time. And they got in touch with us and said hey you know
we’d love to have you guys do it. We were excited so. Let’s
do it!
STUBBLE: How do you feel about extreme metal gaining
popularity in the mainstream?
Frank: I mean, I’m glad it’s finally moving into the
mainstream, I mean it’s been held down for so long, you
know and it really doesn’t need to be. You know some of
the most talented musicians in the world play death metal,
and extreme metal, and you know it’s about time that you
finally get the recognition, and respect that you deserve.
STUBBLE: Are you seeing more kids at the shows?
Frank: Yeah, there’s more kids at the shows, real young
kids now, which is funny for us cause we get them comin
up to us at shows goin “ Man I’m like 16 years old” and I’m
going holy crap you were like one when Effigy came out..
So you know it’s like nuts. But yeah you know the kids are
comin out, you know they’re lovin the older heavier stuff,
which is you know really cool. They range in ages from you
know people our age to older to you know 14-15 years old.
You know my daughter goes to school and she’s gonna be
16 and she’s got friends and they’re like “Oh, your dad’s in
Suffocation..?” It’s crazy…you know they’re fans and it’s
nuts.
STUBBLE: How has the scene changed?
Frank: The thing that’s changed over the last five years is
the advancement of the internet and finally playing heavy
videos on TV,. Headbanger’s Ball back in the day was a
joke. They had Ricky Rackmen or whatever and he’s
playing hair bands I saw that afternoon already. Now it's
geared to brutal videos your not gonna see all the time
Sirius radio has a station that is just straight up Death
Metal…Instead of being force feed what they want you to
hear, hearing the same Black Eyed Pea song 25 times a
day…
TAT's Tatiana DeMaria
TAT
Warped Tour 2009
San Francisco, CA
June 2, 2009
Interview by Tony Schiavo and Alex Guzman
Photo By Jeff Longo
Stubble chased down Nick Kent, Bass player for the rising
British punk band, Tat, after their mind-blowing
performance at the 2009 Warped Tour in San Francisco.
The band displayed masterful musicianship without
sacrificing the raw, old-school intensity that galvanized
their audience of punk rockers. Led by vocalist/guitarist
Tatiana DeMaria, Tat exploded with an absolutely
incendiary mix of carnal and musical allure. STUBBLE was
lucky enough to steal a moment of their time on the road
to inevitable fame.
STUBBLE: Where are you guys from?
Nick: London, England, but we released our debut album,
Soho Lights (2008 Red Wagon Records), here in the States
in October.
STUBBLE: Is this your first Warped tour?
Nick: It’s our third, actually. We’ve been doing this since
2006. But we were promised eight shows here, so we had
to smuggle our way into the country since we didn’t have
visas. We somehow ended up doing 28 shows without
getting deported. (Laughs) We got lucky and played with
the Bouncing Souls and NoFX, and they took us on tour the
next year.
STUBBLE: How long will you guys be traveling with the
Warped Tour?
Nick: Months! We’re doing the whole thing: every single
show.
STUBBLE: You’ve got one hell of a stage presence. Who
would you say influenced your performance?
Nick: Well, Tatiana DeMaria, our lead singer, is also the
main song writer for the band. She very much likes Stiff
Little Fingers, old-school Green Day and that sort of stuff. I
came from more of a hard rock background, though. Our
drummer, Jake Reed, has done more work with the
hardcore punk scene. It all kind of mixes together.
STUBBLE: Who would you say is the hardest partying
band out here?
Nick: Well, actually, we haven’t really partied yet!
(Laughs) I know, I know, this is supposed to be rock-nroll, there’s supposed to be all sorts of insanity…
STUBBLE: No sex? No drugs?
Nick: Well, the drugs are just Tylenol and hay fever
tablets: all prescription, of course. Maybe a swig of
grandpa’s cough medicine (Laughs).
STUBBLE: So you’ve toured with some of these bands
before, you said?
Nick: Oh yeah, NOFX, Bad Religion…
STUBBLE: You guys never got crazy after the show? I
know how they can party…
Nick: When we toured with them in Europe in 2007, they
turned the cameras off and we saw some pretty fucked up
stuff backstage (Laughs) but seriously, they’re really good
guys. They helped us out a lot.
STUBBLE: How do you feel about being in a band that’s
led by a beautiful girl, do you ever feel like she’s getting all
the attention? Like you might be playing in her shadow?
Nick: No, no! You can’t start thinking that way. I’m cool
with it, I love my role in the band. I mean, it’s going to
happen: you’ve got a hot girl in the band and everyone’s
going to be watching her. But you know, she’s also got a
lot of talent and I think she’s earned a lot of the attention
by talent alone.
TOO SHORT
Kimball’s West
Oakland, CA
November 17, 2008
Interview by Jeff Longo.
Legendary Bay Area rapper Too Short has sold over 11
million albums and doesn’t need anyone to pat him on the
back, but he must of felt pretty good when recently
recognized with a ‘lifetime achievement award’ at the 2008
VH1 Hip Hop Honors along with Slick Rick, Cypress Hill.
Usually reserved for legends at the end of their careers,
with a beginning and an end (hence the lifetime part), but
not so fast. Sure since the eighties he has built a loyal fan
base that’s devoured 17 solo albums and he’s worked with
everyone who is anyone in the game from Jay-Z & Snoop
to E-40 & Lil’Jon. That was then; today he runs his own
label, ‘Up All Night’ records, finalizing an album with
Oakland funk project Town Bizness (check out the single
"Red Bull and Vodka" out now) due later in the year, and
the eighteenth Too Short solo record right behind it. Also
special thanks to my man Network of Cartier Ent. and The
Dragon DJ Rick Lee. Check out Bay Area Mix Tapes from
Rick Lee myspace.com/djricklee and Style Beyond
Compare DJs. GO DER Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine
that touches all urban markets, from the streets to your
mailbox, and don't miss the Go Der Model of The Month.
GoDermag.com, myspace.com/djricklee, and SBCdjs.com
STUBBLE caught up with the legendary rapper at Kimball’s
West in Oakland.
STUBBLE: Tell us about your project.
Too Short: It’s called Town Bizness. It’s not a Too Short
album though, even though I’m all over it, it's not a Too
Short album. I am working on a Too Short solo album out
in 2009.
STUBBLE: Will you be touring this record with Town
Bizness?
Too Short: Yep. Doing spot dates here there…
STUBBLE: What kind of venues you looking at?
Too Short: Definitely the Fillmore type of vibe, the
theaters, you know? It’s the funk! The funk! A little smoky
room, cool vibe, and get down.
STUBBLE: You’ve been doing this since you were 14
years old. Tell me how, after all these years, do you
remain relevant voice in the scene?.
Too Short: You wanna know the secret? (Hell yeah!)
Alright, I’ll tell you real fast. It’s how you deal with your
fans, the quality of the music; away from the vocals, you
know, just the quality of the production, of the music.
Then, you put in some good writing and a good front-man,
you know… like Short Dog. And then and it has a lot to do
with (leans over lowers his voice a little and said…), young
pussy. (We laugh, yeah, we laugh loud).
STUBBLE: Got it. So, tell me being a rap star is
everything it’s made out to be…like ‘cocaine, caviar, and
bubble bath’ …
Too Short: What about it?
STUBBLE: Well?
Too Short: I’ve been through a lot phases in my career
man, but one thing remains relevant the whole way,:
young pussy. A lot things change, the music changes, the
singing changes, but that young pussy is always relevant.
Honestly though, I think it’s that young vibe that keeps
you relevant. I really think that. I mean I love older
woman, but when a younger girl says that ‘that shit is
wack’ or ‘that’s hot’ then that’s the truth.
STUBBLE: With so many acts out now how do you get
your music heard?
Too Short: I have a following. (Looks around) Built-in.
They roll with me.
WATAIN
The Metro Opera House
Oakland, CA
October 17, 2008
Photo by Jeff Longo
Wielding black magic as well as lyrical verse, Erik
Danniellson spent three years perfecting Watian’s fourth
studio release, Sworn to the Dark (2007) and the last two
years touring it.
They regularly appear on stage freshly covered in blood,
surrounded by decomposing pig heads mounted on spears.
The stench of rotting meat that permeated from the stage
area throughout the evening can only be described as
vomit inducing. If you’re bored with horror movies and
think you’re ready for “Fright Night...for real”, check them
out. We met with Erik right before his show at the Metro in
Oakland presented by Whore for Satan. Interview by Jeff
Longo
STUBBLE: You’re currently at the end of the ‘Fuck the
World Tour’ promoting Sworn to the Dark..?
Erik: Yes, we have thirteen shows left in the US and when
we get home to Sweden we have one show left, the 111
show of the tour.
STUBBLE: How’s it feel to be a rock star (intentionally
upbeat)?
Erik: Not sure how you define it these days, but if it
means pissing in what you call these toilets…?
STUBBLE: Port-a-potties. Well you are widely regarded as
the real deal and known for your live show….
Erik: I always considered live performances to be physical
manifestations of the music. In most cases, especially in
Black and Death metal, most people don’t go any further
than putting on some corpse paint and try to look a bit
nasty. Anyone can actually do that. We have been
working very hard on how to embody the music, how to
actually make people experience it. With all the senses. I
think we are very close to what we want to achieve.
STUBBLE: I would say your pretty damn close…
Erik: We have been working very hard to get it right. I
want the stage to be a gateway, a portal to the chaos that
lies beyond this world. I want people to be able to look at
the back side of reality, the dark side of reality. Which is
completely devoid of law and order, of every ethical and
moral code that ever existed on earth…a place where all
chaos reigns; everything we do on stage contributes to
that gateway.
STUBBLE: Well from the videos I have seen it looks
recorded in…How are the crowds different in the states?
Erik: I think it has a lot to do about what you said earlier,
there is no real black metal movement here, at least of the
kind we are apart of. People are in general more grateful.
I mean no one is really used to see. It’s a new thing,
people are more willing to open their eyes, to receive.
Many people speak badly about touring the US that there
is no real scene. To me that is a good thing a challenge
actually. Instead of touring around in a part of the world
that are stagnated by the same scene. Crowds in Europe
are very proud, they think they have seen it all. They go
to the concert with that kind of mindset and not very open
to receive anything. While people here know they are
going to a concert to see something different, something
new.
STUBBLE: The black metal scene’s roots have been
underground.
Erik: There are no restrictions whatsoever with Watain.
The underground was a fantastic place, it was a great
environment for us to grow up in and get inspired by.
When we started out there was an underground movement
that meant something that was accepted a bit more
hidden. With that comes also more you realize very soon
you had to work very hard to be apart of it. Where today
all you need is a myspace page. The underground was
very beneficial for Watain. Back then it was a lot more
harsher. It created a very intense atmosphere. These
days I am very grateful for having that in my back pocket.
We are not here to do anything for a scene.
STUBBLE: What does the future hold - how do you top
what you're doing now?
Erik: We are always looking for ways to channelize the
power that we were born out of and I believe that
everything of relevance for Watain comes not from the
members themselves but from the force that is beyond us.
Our goal is to make that force flow more easily to have
less and less of our human selves involved in the music
and more of the force. To be more able to make that
energy permeate through us. It takes a lot of hard work.
It takes delving into bad things…
STUBBLE: It takes some balls to do what you’re doing.
We have only heard of bands like Mayhem.
Erik: You know Mayhem to us they were a beginning of
something, definitely not the concrete shape, it was not
something that is perfection. They did what they could
back then. We considered them tradition and that is
valuable to have as historical importance but we have to
get out of that and look forwards.
STUBBLE: How is the scene?
Erik: It's all the same to me this whole shit hole of a
world, it's just a big disappointment when it comes to what
could have happened back in the nineties when everything
went terribly wrong instead of right. To me I do not give a
fuck about any scene. If you focus too much on what’s
going on around you, and what the bands do, then you’re
trapped in a fucking cage. You need to look beyond
genres, beyond scenes. People get restricted by what’s
happened before and they consider Mayhem the blue print
for black metal and that’s all you can do… that is only ten
percent of what black metal is capable of and the rest is
left to discover.
We have 13 shows left. People have probably read or
whatever… We are coming back for sure. Very far from
ordinary on this stage.
STUBBLE: Tell me about a favorite Memory.
Erik: Every time on the stage to me is divine. The stage is
holy to me and it's very hard. I mean of course you have
great tours with Dissection when they were still around,
Celtic Frost it was these nights when the air was thick with
magic. I always try to look away from everything when on
stage and we always do the same thing whether we play
for five or five hundred.
Editorial from Ken Zebbyn
I recently attended a Cheech and Chong performance in Boston. I couldn't get on the guest list, so when I paid
for my ticket I got a free subscription to Rolling Stone. (I called and told them I didn't want it, but they said I
could have it anyway.)
Well what has become of the alleged music magazines in this century? The cover shows politicians, lately Obama
and Bush, of course. Sadly I have yet to see the anticipated cover albums; Obama’s renditions of Don Ho hits,
including the one about the tiny fish with the really long name, and Bush’s cover of “On the Cover of the Rolling
Stone.” This rag used to have musicians on the cover and sometimes there are musicians on the cover but the
interviews are mostly about politics. Duh. Maybe its name should be changed to News From Musicians And
Politicians Musicians Need To Know, which is too long a title.
Bottom line Rolling Stone is not a music magazine but a political magazine, so you have chosen a music mag
today when you picked up STUBBLE.
As long as I am editor this magazine will not tell you who to vote for or do political features or do interviews that
concentrate on politics. If you want politics try Rolling Stone, Time or Newsweek. They all feature a little on music
too.
Live Show Reviews
BLONDIE
Star Of The Desert Arena
At Buffalo Bill’s, Primm NV
February 24, 2009
We headed out from Vegas down RT15 to Primm at the hotel
casino Buffalo Bill’s to see the show. The place was cool. You
get real native Nevada.
A blast from the past, Debbie Harry and company hit the
desert for maybe the last time. They hit it off with "Hangin
on The Telephone" and the crowd was sucked right in.
Debbie looked and sounded good. Her hubby Chris Stein
looked old but the music was awesome with a sound system
they never had when they began playing at CBGB.
They plowed through the set “Will Anything Happen?”,
“Pretty Baby,” “The Hardest Part,” and then a great version
of “Fade Away & Radiate”. Debbie called the audience desert
rats and said she could never live there but understood why
people do because of the beauty or some schlock like that.
While they played mostly off their biggest album Parallel
Lines, they continued the show with “Touched with your
Presence, Dear” off the Plastic Letters album and then “I'm A
gonna Love You Too”. The rest of the show included
“Dreaming”, “Call Me” (which was a crowd favorite),”Tide is
High” featuring a bass solo, and “Rapture” with a cosmic
guitar solo break. They finished with “One Way or Another”
and everyone knew the encore was coming.
They did guess what - “Heart of Glass” and then, by request,
“11:59,” ending a great night of 80's music. – KZ
a.k.a. Interscope Records, Trent Reznor wants out. Since
announcing his free agency, Trent has given away two full
length recordings: the experimental instrumental Ghosts I
and a full length NIN release, The Slip. Completely blowing
everyone’s mind with his Lights in the Sky tour, Reznor
provided an unparalleled 3-D light show experience. Now out
on the road for one last lap (dubbed “Wave Goodbye”), NIN
is sharing the spotlight with a reunited Jane’s Addiction and
main support from Tom Morello’s side project, Street
Sweeper Social.
Shoreline Amphitheater was buzzing to near capacity when
NIN took the stage right before sunset and plowed through
the hour and fifteen minute, 20 song set. Trading in the light
spectacle of the last tour for greater flexibility in song
variation from night to night has fans following gigs like
grateful nail-heads. Tonight’s show was heavily weighted
with cuts from the Downward Spiral and the Fragile, and was
very well received, except for the drunken posers who didn’t
shut the fuck up until the two songs they knew were played –
"Head Like a Hole" and "Hurt".
NIN/JA Nine Inch Nails
Shoreline Amphitheater
Mountain View, CA
May 23, 2009
Photos by Jeff Longo
Jane’s Addiction and Tom Morello’s project, Street Sweeper
Social Club, rounded out the bill and did not disappoint.
Crushing through their sets, SSSC was surprising and well
received, but still sounded like Rage Against the Machine
(god I miss them). Lastly, Jane’s Addiction was incredible
and made me feel like it was '92 all over again.
Nine Inch Nails is taking a break, a very long break.
Having fulfilled his obligations to the corporate hate machine
Overshadowing all of this is the story of Eric De La Cruz, a
young man marked for death. In desperate need of a heart
transplant, he has been denied insurance coverage and will
soon die. Trent Reznor got wind of this and put together VIP
backstage packages ranging from $300 to $1000 and let it
loose on Twitter. In a few days he helped raise over
$900,000 and just like that Erik will have a shot to live.
Speechless. - Jeff Longo
THE ADOLESCENTS
Warped Tour 2009
San Francisco, CA
July 11, 2009
Jeff Longo and Josh Kutras
The Old School Punk stage was located right next to the beer
garden where we drank vodka from a Crystal Geyser bottle
and pounded twelve dollar beers. So when THE
ADOLESCENTS took the stage we didn’t have to stumble far.
I didn’t know the song but when it hit, it was loud and fast.
The crowd went crazy and the pit exploded. I hit the guy in
front of me just before I got leveled, I took his number and
the chaos of the Warped Tour began under the hot San
Francisco sun.
THE ADOLESCENTS spent the next 20 minutes ripping
through classic punk the way it is supposed to be played.
Between songs the barely recognizable Jack Grisham
lamented to the crowd something about Michael Jackson
losing the election is Iran and bombing North Korea or
something.
CD Reviews
23 RAINY DAYS –
Wonderful Disaster
(Radio Active Music)
They’re from DC but the vocalist seems
to have a British accent. 23RD got their
break opening for the Violent Femmes.
Good for them! Dark pop synth rock
that is very danceable at times,
especially “Goodnight and Goodbye.” –
KC
A LOVE LIKE PI –
The Atlas and the Oyster
(Thriving Records)
“Innocent Man” is an energetic group
jam suited for a live-band rave. The
synthesized vocals, especially on
“Young Men,” are quite interesting
(unlike when Cher did them). The
melody in “Keep My Lovers True” rings
nicely; an interesting debut. – CC
ADVERSARY – Singularity
(Trustkill Records)
I must admit when I popped this disc in
I had no idea who Adversary were or
what to expect. The first track
‘Hedonist’ starts with swelling feedback
and spends the next 5 minutes and 56
seconds bludgeoning you (and I) the
listener with what reminded me in the
beginning of Germany’s Kreator, with
some melodic elements in the middle
and a bit of stomp groove riffing that
would make Dime proud. If you like
your metal old school without sounding
recycled and your leads face melting
give these guys a shot. Recommended
tracks: Dying Art, Hedonist, Manifest
Humility - Josh K.
sounds a bit like Lena Lovich. A definite
keeper; check it out! - KH
BIRDMONSTER –
From The Mountain To The Sea
(FADER Label)
Peter Arcuni has an unusual halting
vocal delivery, like Conway Twitty with
out the stuttering. Or maybe Buddy
Holly at times. The songs resemble
neither, however. “Heart Of The Dead”
breaks out the most musically, and it’s
a toe-tapper. - KH
BLACKOUT 101 –
A Work In Progress
(self)
Teen Power Rock! Like a young and
evolving Green Day. 5 songs and the
last cut is “The Last Song.” It’s sure a
nice break from hearing about The
Hansons or whoever replaced them.
Very energetic and fun. - KH
BLEEDING THROUGH – Declaration
(Trustkill Records)
From the dark circus opening of ‘Finnis
Fatalis Spei’ into the black metal-esque
‘Declaration’ to the dying horror strains
of ‘Sister Charlatan’ this album fucking
batters. Ideal for listening to while
you’re exercising or; getting ready to
kick someone’s ass. This one deserves
multiple listens. - Josh K.
AN ALBATROSS –
The An Albatross Family Album
(Eyeball Records)
A screaming metallic carousel choir
with songs that are hard to tell apart.
Not worth my time. – RA
ARCHER – Doom$Day Profit$
(Duke's Black Rose)
Hard rock metal from this powerful
Sabbath-influenced trio. The grinding
“Van Salem” shows what they are
capable of; presenting their own
interpretation of what rock and metal
can be. – RA
BEAT STRINGS – Fang In Rain
(XOXO Records)
Pretty exciting stuff, like a muddified
(sic) T Rex perhaps. Lots of variety,
too; sometimes singer Adam Bolts
BLUE NOUVEAUX – 10 Years After
(Black & Blue Records)
The long awaited follow up to Darkness
In Me. Celia Hemken and her all new
American band have changed the sound
considerably. Lush melodies are
replaced with a more grungy sound,
although there is a little bit of the
original sound on the opening song
"When You Lie." A light melancholy
melody. With songwriting assistance
from guitarist, vocalist Minx The Jinx,
Blue Nouveaux has morphed it's sound.
Hemken's dark lyrical style remains.
My favorites include "The Bigot" which
includes the line "This is my house.
These are my rules, And if you don't
like it, get out!"; and the bizarre and
twisted "Train Track Children" where
Celia sings with an eerie childlike voice.
There are many tunes worthy of airplay
like "Ether", "Ariel" and "Money", where
Minx's harmonies bring out the best in
Hemken. The grungy wall of sound on
"Wolves," "Drown" and "Temple" are
potent and they grow on you the more
you hear them. Hemken dropped the
saxophone for this album but she plays
flute on "Visions Of The Desert" a very
unique song where Minx's vocals are
most pronounced. The packaging is
uncommon too containing original
artwork by Celia Hemken and little dolls
representing band members. Overall
this is one of the most remarkable rock
albums of 2009. A truly unexpected
treat. - KZ
CHESTER FRENCH –
She Loves Everybody EP
(Star Trak/Interscope)
“The Jimmy Choos” – the song that
finally got me to listen to music online!
Hey, it’s about shoes! I’m not made of
stone…. Anyway it’s bouncy and fun. I
could actually imagine dancing to this
in a club. With Paris Hilton. - KH
ELLEN BUKSTEL –
Daddy’s Little Girl
(Ellen Bukstel)
Very personal songs nicely performed in
a quiet folky style. Ms. Bukstel touches
on many issues such as loss, (“Wooden
Box”) political action (“Raise The Torch”
and others), and spirituality. Makes me
want to see her movie Somebody’s
Child. – KH
CONTROLLED BLEEDING –
Before The Quiet
(Controlled Bleeding)
24 cuts plus “Testing” (which is what
you’d expect from the title), with
recordings from 1978-1982. You get 3
versions of the instrumental “Veal,”
spanning the band’s career. The second
“Veal” is more fleshed out than the
first, and “Veal” #3 has become
positively meaty. But why are 2 cuts
“Untitled”? Orchestral punk rock. - TDS
ELIKA – Trying Got Us Nowhere
(Fiercely Independent Records)
Children of Niko and Karen Carpenter.
Name yer poison. 7 sad, sweet
multilayered songs. - KH
THE FRATELLIS – Here We Stand
(Interscope)
I loved their cover of “Solid Gold Easy
Action” on the Hot Fuzz soundtrack,
and here they are again. This album is
bigger and bolder than the previous
one. Kind of glam blues elements in for
example “Tell Me A Lie” make this a
lively and unusual confection! – KH
THE CURE – 4:13 Dream
(sureToNE)
13 cuts; “The Only One” has to be the
favorite pick of this CD. “The Reasons
Why” is classic Cure. Dance, dance. CC
DANIEL FRANCIS DOYLE –
We Bet Our Money On You
(We Shot JR)
Nine songs from a one-man band. The
title cut sounds like a bad DIY Talking
Heads. Later Mr. Doyle is more like an
incoherent King Missile. Very confusing,
and ten song titles are listed on the CD
face. - KH
THE DRAMA CLUB
(F.O.F. Label Group/EMI)
A 6-song EP (including a remix of
“Brand New Day”) that precedes their
follow-up full length CD. The remix is
lame and unnecessary; the rest is
anthemic pop for the masses.
Commercial potential. – CC
DEATH SENTENCE: PANDA! Insects Awaken
(Upset the Rhythm)
Hardcore folk? That’s some rockin and
unusual stuff. The second cut, “Friends
of Friends of Friends of Friends” has a
familiar sounding hard pounding intro
and some yelling. Vaguely familiar in
affect. Ahah! It’s Chinese folk a la Holly
And The Italians. Sure to drive you
crazy. Also available as an LP. – KH
THE GAME – LAX
(Geffen)
In the Intro the Game declaims like a
street preacher, “Devil we rebuke you
in the name of Jesus…” (repeat as
needed). The next cut, “LAX Files,”
drops many mf bombs, but explains
where he’s coming from. Respect and
all that, but an original Scarface too.
“Never Can Say Goodbye” – no, it’s not
a cover – opens with the radio report of
Notorious B.I.G. being shot. An homage
to those friends who passed – violently.
Heartfelt. – KG
GENUINE SUN – Return
(Blaster Records)
Comfortingly familiar but undefinable
Middle America indie sound. I could
easily be singing along with “Goodbye”
after another listen or 2. – KH
GODHEAD –
At The Edge Of The World
(drivenmusicgroup)
13 tracks and 5 bonus remixes. “Stay
Back” is a bold number with a lyrical
warning to whoever tries to get close.
Assemblage 23’s remix is less murky,
actually more of a dance version. The
tracks by the guest remixers are cool,
but the originals are cooler beans. - RJ
JESSE GOPLEN – Cowboy
(Ancient Rainbow Music)
The 45-inspired CD has 6 original songs
and radio edits of 3 of them. After he
spent a few months in jail for pot
possession and 9/11 subsequently
turning his head inside out, he moved
to Humboldt County CA. Now he sings
his all-acoustic songs, such as the one
about knowing a good fucking place to
get high “(Paradise On) Highway 101”.
Good stoner songs, but we don’t need
the radio edits thank you very much. –
TDS
GUITAR RED –
Lightnin’ In A Bottle
(BackSpace Records)
Famous (especially in Decatur GA)
street musician sings the blues and
plays his guitar. “Three-Legged Dog
Blues” is a fun one. Kind of Taj Mahalish. The title cut is actually not the best
one, IMO. But “Song About A Jimi
Hendrix Song” – that’s gotta be one of
the most enticing song titles ever. I
think it’s about “Hey Joe.” I like it. – KH
G UNIT –
T O S Terminate On Sight
(Interscope)
With the Game no longer involved and
no more Young Buck either the Unit
presses on. They even get a little funky
and retro on a few of the 16 cuts. The
Unit’s street cred is fully intact. – RiP
TREY GUNN – Music For Pictures
(7d Media)
29 cuts from this King Crimson alum
with his fretless (and fretted) guitars.
Mr. Gunn also plays keyboards. He uses
no less than 4 drummers, plus a female
vocalist (Beth Quist). Trey is a
multimedia artist, AND THIS cd brings
what it says, music for pictures. And I
do like to watch TV with the sound off…
“The Ghosts Listen” would be a good
start for that, since it’s 23 minutes long
(the others are all much shorter).
Welcome back to album-making, Trey!
Recommended. – KH
HONEYCOMB –
Worldwide Electric Inventor’s Kit
(Silent Bee)
Electric pop with an inventive flair.
Check out “Chicken & Stars.” It’s about
a girl. Twangy and tangy. - CC
JACKSON UNITED –
Harmony And Dissidence
(Acetate Records)
Punky rock from this musically
incestuous group. Chris Shiflett, better
known as Foo Fighters and Me First and
the Gimme Gimmes’ guitarist, on vocals
and guitar. The songs and vocals
remind me of Smashmouth meets The
Replacements. – CC
albums, not just another album from
the same band. – KC
Rod Stewart. Nice songs and a good
mature sound. – KH
THE KNUX –
Remind Me In 3 Days…
(Interscope/Geffen)
Rap hip hop yeah I missed those tight
rhymes like some of the Run-DMC
numbers. “Cappuccino” is a real
banger. BTW, do you think Krispy is
named after Krispy Kitty? He’s krispy
enough. – KC
MISANTHROPY LEGION – Eidolon
“Black Metal”? Basically their music is
about freedom – freedom from
paralyzing preconceptions and rules
rules rules. Out with some of the old
clichés and in with some new ideas in
the genre. But they don’t throw out the
Black Flag baby with the Throneroom
dishwater. Positively negative and very
real metal. – CC
LADY GAGA – The Fame
(Streamline Records)
Theatrical performances with admitted
Queen and Motley Crue influences; pop
for rockers. If you haven’t heard of
Lady Gaga (where ya bin?), you will. KH
LOCKSLEY – Don’t Make Me Wait
(Feature Records)
Catchy Beatle-esque pop whose only
fault is overuse of the word ‘Baby’ in
their lyrics. I ain’t your baby, baby. KH
JESSE & THE HOGG BROTHERS –
White Trash Meth Lab
(Black & Blue Records)
Non-stop thrills in this irreverent
country music debut. The CD contains
more talent than is implied by the song
titles. These guys can sing and play to
a fare-thee-well! "Biker Ann" and the
title cut "White Trash Meth Lab" are
obvious picks, but don't neglect the
rockabilly rocker "Cream Gravy." No it's
not dirty - but some of the other songs
are! That's what I love about country:
you can not make up shit like this – it's
based on real life! Highly recommended
if you enjoy laughing your ass off. - CC
KEANE – Perfect Symmetry
(Interscope)
Jangly experimental pop music. “Better
Than This” is a prime example – spirally
sounds and pleasant vocals. These Brits
are back and the label is happy, but
this is an expansion from their previous
LOGAN 5 AND THE RUNNERS Featurette
Contemplative and creative. My favorite
is “Neely O’Hara,” with its personal take
on one of the characters from Valley of
the Dolls. Must be someone the writer
and singer David Berndt equates with
that character. Take a listen to the
words and the sad horns; you’ll like this
one. – KH
MARK GAIGNARD AND THE ALSO
RAN - We All Need Lies
(BackSpace Records)
Lyrically mocking, edgy, and optimistic
by turns, kind of a mellow pop with real
feelings behind it. Kinda slow, though. TDS
JAMES MORRISON –
Songs For You, Truths For Me
(Interscope/Polydor)
In the first cut, “The Only Night,”
Morrison sounds like Bob Seger
(“Against The Wind”), but in the second
song, “Save Yourself,” he reminds me
of Rod Stewart a little. No, definitely
LEONARD MYNX – Vesper
(Wally Uno Music)
Sad and sweet original songs. The best
is “Horse;” I don’t care about her, cuz I
got… heroin.” An honest take on boiling
your life down to only one problem. The
final cut, “You Asked,” had a promising
title but I could have done without it
easily. – KH
N.E.R.D – Seeing Sounds
(Star Trak/Interscope)
Pharrell and friends redefining all kinds
of things again – re-redefining I could
say. Now he has us listening to colors.
Audible crumbling hip-hop – and that’s
a good thing, as Martha would say. KH
NOAH AND THE WHALE –
Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
(Interscope)
Interesting. I must mention that “Rocks
and Daggers” eerily reminds me of
Elvis’ “Blue Christmas” – and I have
bad associations with that. Working at
a photo place for a guy who wore ties
that matched the day’s twin check
colors – don’t ask, don’t ask. “Hold My
Hand As I’m Lowered” is mournful and
scratchy slide guitar, and muddled
words and guitar – cheating death by
having a worthless life. Kind of
depressing actually. - KH
some other band with an ornithological
name. “Chemtrail” is better, but the
whole endeavor is just a lil too
predictable. - CC
COLBY O’DONIS –
(KonLive/Geffen)
A young handsome prodigy who –
please don’t tell me he was born Colby
O’Donis – worked with Full Force (the
“it’s all music” Full Force I hope!) and
had a lot of success with various
projects. He plays guitar too. I’m sure
he’ll have a lot of success, and he is
talented, but just a little too ‘boy band’
for my tastes. – CC
OKIE DOKIE
(Aagoo Records)
Typical punk rock – 2 guitars, a drum
machine, and a maniacal vocalist.
Although I was intrigued by the song
called "Ooga Booga." Grrrr! - TDS
OLD CALIFORNIO –
Westering Again
(Californio Records)
From the first cut, this band reminded
me of so many other songs and bands
– in a good way, tho. The lead vocals
are a bit like John Sebastian. The
harmonies are like Grateful Dead meets
The Beach Boys. Some Mariachi/Marty
Robbins sounds in “Riparian High.” The
bass in “Mother Road” is like the riff in
“Don’t Bring Me Down.” And so on.
These guys will have an edge cuz it
already sounds a little familiar. – CC
PAS CHIC CHIC – Au Contraire
(Semprini Records)
This is fascinating but it might scare
small children. I’m unfamiliar with the
French pop they’re mining, but
whatever it was they’ve certainly pulled
it all atwist. Haunting male and female
vocals in French, against a relentless
wallpaper of creative synth. – KH
PHOENIX BLOCK – Chemtrails
(Hard Six Records LTD)
First is the lachrymose “Can’t Divide
Us” with like vocals reminiscent of Flock
Of Seagulls or maybe the Eagles or
PRIMA J
(Geffen)
“Flip the Script” would be good if it was
harder; same with “Girlfriend”. Latina
pop lite. - CC
PRO-PAIN – (No) End In Sight
(Regain)
“Let The Blood Run Through The
Streets.” Does the name of the opening
cut tell you anything? Personally I like
the opening vocals on “Hour Of The
Time.” A relief from the rest of the
harsh-throated vocals, but still just as
full of hate. – JJ
NME - Bin Laden Airlines
(Independent Release)
In their sordid 15 year history NME has
not shied away from writing songs that
illicit a variety of emotional responses;
from a grandfather with a Nazi past
(‘Grandpa cried when Hitler died’),
to a young man’s arousal (‘I’m gonna
suck my own dick or break my back
trying’), right down to good old
fashioned misogyny (‘No means yes’)
The newest NME release however finds
the guys tackling current political issues
on Bin Laden Airlines, NME style of
course. Check out the title track,
‘Politricks’, and ‘I liked Music until I
listened to your band play’ amongst
others. Where early NME sounded like
Brutal Truth meets Flipper, the new
NME sounds more like Ace Frehley
singing over some ‘80s CA hardcore.
The best part - it’s free. Download it at
www.nmerocks.com - Josh K
JIMMY D. ROBINSON – Mind Juice
(J Music Group)
Very poetic throughout. I like “A Tiny
Shoe” the best. It’s not what you’d
expect from the title – it’s not about a
lost child or beloved baby, but consists
of quietly spoken dream imagery. And I
like dream imagery. - KC
PSYCHOSTICK – Sandwich
(Rock Ridge Music)
Funny metal. Do we need funny metal?
To start with the CD cover has a
sandwich with the title written in
condiments, and an ingredient label
sticker on the back. Bang your head for
over 20 cuts including the screaming
“Do You Want A Taco?” If you think all
metalheads are douchebags, this
douchebag metal band’s for you! It
really sucks, and you can use it to piss
off metalheads. Tie up the Osbourne
family and make them listen to this. Or
the Osmonds; it’s sure to piss off either
family. I like the last cut best – “We
Ran Out of CD Space.” All this talk
about food’s making me hungry so go
make me another sammich. – KZ
PUSSYCAT DOLLS –
Doll Domination
(Interscope)
Missy Elliott, Polow Da Don and Snoop
Dogg are among the guests on several
cuts. R. Kelly guests on “Out Of This
Club.” So what I wanna know is, did he
pee on the pussycats for the video?
Oooh ooh I just blushed and giggled
and got all sticky wet. – TDS
RAZORLIGHT – Slipaway Fires
(Mercury)
“Wire To Wire” made the top 5 in the
UK – maybe higher by now. “Hostage
Of Love,” despite the lyric “You’re my
hostage now,” manages to be upbeat
rather than sinister. Next is a
percussive number “You And The Rest.”
That’s my favorite – a boogie rocker.
Yeah I can see them opening for The
Who. That would be a great show. –
TDS
RUINGLORIA – I’m Pretty Sure
My Ex-Girlfriend Is A Vampire
(superhappyrecords)
This 3-song EP is eccentric and
boisterous synth pop from Australia. I’d
be interested in hearing the rest of the
CD if/when there’s more. BTW - in case
you read the PR on this band, an ‘arvo
brunch’ is afternoon brunch, ‘arvo’
being Aussie slang for afternoon. – RiP
REV THEORY – Light It Up
(Van Howes/Interscope)
“Hell Yeah” - Gimmee a Hell, Gimmee a
Yeah – sounds a lot like Drowning Pool.
“Light It Up,” the title cut, was used as
Wrestlemania’s theme song last
summer. It’s called “the first joint
release” between Van Howes and
Interscope. Joint Release. Get it? Get
it? “(You are my) “Favorite Disease” is
my personal favorite. Musical selfhatred is always fun. - KH
RISE AGAINST – Appeal To Reason
(Interscope)
Romping songs of social and political
import about how it was (“Hero Of
War”) how it is (“Re-Education
(Through Labor)”) and how it will be
“Whereabouts Unknown”). Be very
afraid of the future – and the past and
present. But don’t stop with the music.
– CC
CHRISTIAN SCOTT –
Live At Newport
(Concord Music Group)
This CD is smooth and easy, with very
nice jazz trumpet and percussion, with
the keyboard and guitars providing
percussion at times as well. All 8 songs
are Mr. Scott’s original compositions.
“James Crow Jr., Esq.” is an intriguing
song title (but it’s an instrumental of
course). The accompanying DVD
includes performances of 7 of those
songs, plus interviews. It bears
repeating - Smooth! – KH
SEA SICK –
(Sea Sick Music)
Dizzying and hypnotic music with a
Nico-esque vocalist, yes, but I still don’t
see what all the fuss is about. I guess
they must be great live. As far as Nicoesque goes, personally I prefer Nicki
Jaine (“Pigeon Named Crow”). - KH
TY SEGALL
(Castle Face)
Traditional Fools frontman Ty Segall
changes gears to fast pop and surfinfluenced party rock. “So Alone” is not
the Thunders tune; it actually sounds
more like The Who crossed with Jet, as
played by a one-man band. Cool. - KH
SILVER DARLING –
Your Ghost Fits My Skin
(Crossbill Records)
An A side and a B side. The first cut,
“Living For Breath,” starts out well but
becomes excessively mournful as it
goes on. Finally Kevin Lee is whining
like an emo Tom Petty. Meanwhile on
the B side, “Rosewood Country Face” is
country mournful. I don’t need this
stuff. Put on some Violent Femmes. –
KZ Jr.
SIX FEET UNDER – Death Rituals
(Metal Blade)
Yup every cut on here is about death
and dying. You will die, you are dying,
you are dead. Classic Six Feet Under
material for all the hard core fans of
their melodic riffs, gutteral vocals and
death-inspired progression. - RiP
RIP SMOPS - Life Is Sad
(ripsmops.net)
They say Rip Smops is prone to
(evidently unsuccessful) suicide. Yes I
hear the Zappa influence but what
about Wild Man Fisher? Nuff sed. – KH
THE SKABS – Revenge of the Skabs
(Black & Blue Records)
The punk rock feud of the Midwest
continues, with Bloody Mess as the
Hatfields and Skabs as the McCoys.
Bloody Mess & The Skabs disbanded in
1991 after a variously-explained
incident possibly involving indecent
exposure and/or underage suctioning.
At any rate (and with Gabby Skab that
rate is practically supersonic), these
Peorians are relentless in their pursuit
of musical mania. The devastatingly
thrilling "Hate" (Parts One and Two)
packs more of it than you'd think
possible. All the way to the last harsh
musical cut "Rock Stalker," these
crazed hard core punks make it well
worth the price of admission. Great
cover art too, imitative of another
nearby ex-band… for those in the know.
You can't handle this one – but I double
dog dare ya to try! - TDS
SLANK –
Anthem For The Broken Hearted
(MRI)
“DEVILINU” grabbed me immediately
with its happy, bouncy negativity. “I
Miss U But I Hate U” also rocks merrily
along, whereas “Love Cursed is wistful
and slow. A very interesting and
enjoyable band from Indonesia. - KH
JESSIE SPARKS – Breathe Easy
(Jessie Sparks)
Ms. Sparks has a lovely voice
somewhat in the style of Celine Dion.
With the price of cigarettes hitting an
all-time high, Jessie should expect to
be used as a paid spokesperson for the
American Lung Association, and for
general use on government-funded
anti-smoking advertisements. No
offense! I’m serious! “Breathe Easy.” I
wonder how much cigarettes are in
Australia. – TDS
SNOW PATROL –
A Hundred Million Suns
(Fiction)
Spiky indie pop from these Irish
fellows. “Take Back the City” is a pushback directive that can apply to any
city. Yah, let’s take em all back. – KH
SOLANGE – SoL-AngeL and the
Hadley St. Dreams
(Geffen)
OK I cannot even deal with this sister of
Beyonce. First of all the CD art is
ludicrous (what the hell are those green
blobs supposed to be? See above back
cover), and the font is ambiguous. That
means it’s hard to read the song titles.
And OMG her autobio. Yes, she wrote it
all by herself (why did they ever let
her?), and fits more of the words “I”
and “me” per sentence than you would
have thought possible. I’m sorry but
I’m already gaggin too much to listen. CC
SONIC SYNDICATE –
Love And Other Disasters
(Nuclear Blast)
Six Swedes kick ass with this monster
sophomore effort. The three vocalists,
one being the hottie female bass
player, provide relief from the
customary gravel-voice only metal
trend. “Hellgate: Worchester” is a
prime example. The percussion is
strong, and the full release has a bonus
DVD and 2 more tracks. I must see this
DVD. And you? - RJ
ALYSSA SUEDE –
Black & White In Color
(Kaneball Enterprises, Inc.)
A 6-song EP from Beck’s sister – a little
squealy on the vocals in “Ferris Wheel.”
“Falling From Mars” is much better.
Unconventionally mainstream is a good
description. It will be interesting to see
what she does next. Interesting choice
of surname, BTW. - KH
SYNTHETIC ELEMENTS –
Trashed Out Paradise
(Filthy Beast Records)
Kind of ska punk. The title cut is more
punk than ska, bangin’. The single
“How Far” – OK, it’s not punk rock so
it’s ska punk? The CD as a whole has a
familiar sound. Also includes a faithful
cover of “Wooly Bully,” which is
unfortunately my favorite. - RC
THE BABY GRANDS – TBG
(Backspace Records)
This CD is absolutely as advertised –
“alt-rock for kids that won’t drive the
adults crazy. “Sugar Makes Me Loco”
has a slight latin flair, while “Surfer
Shake” and “Diggin’ a Hole to China”
are pretty catchy. It kind of reminds me
of the music my 4th grade teacher used
to play for us – there was one called
“New Math.” Nice – no ‘swears’ and
booty shaking, just an easy listen for all
ages. – KH
THESE GREEN EYES –
Relapse To Recovery
(Blackledge Music)
Catchy-rhythmed hooks and a good
vocalist make this CD very listenable
(and I coin this term with no apologies
to Bud Lite either). “Blood Sweat And
Beers” is a song of regret with catchier
lyrics. The rhythm picks up partway
into the song, making it stands out
from the jauntier cuts. That’s why it’s
my favorite. - KH
ROBIN THICKE – Something Else
(Interscope)
I think this genre has been thoroughly
exploited already by many musicians.
Like the Stylistics, Barry White, and
Tom Jones. I’m sorry but “more” is not
what I think when I hear this. What I
think is “Put something else on.” - KH
TONIC SOL FA – Boston to Beijing
(Vivaton! Records)
The title cut is a scatty doo-woppy with
great vocals. “It’s Me Again” almost
gets a little Barbershop and then blends
or resolves into the street-corner doowop style. Well done! Great singers and
great guys too – read who-all they
thank in the liner notes. No, it’s not
God. – KH
TONIC SOL FA – Sugarue
(“It’s Good” Music)
This a capella music collection starts
with “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in a
scatty hymn. “Joy To The World” is a
little doo-wop version. If you need
Christmas music and like hymns
(Episcopalian upbringing perhaps?)
then this is for you. Very nicely
performed. I don’t know why it’s called
Sugarue, though. Makes me think of
“Sugaree,” which has nothing to do
with this at all. – KH
TOO PURE TO DIE - Confess
(Trustkill Records)
Des Moines, Iowa breeds some pissed
off individuals, as evidenced with the
states’ newest purveyors of heavy
mayhem; Too Pure to Die. The title cut
“Confess” (“you’re a slave to yourself”)
brings to mind NIN’s “Head Like A
Hole,” but this is more hard core. Songs
like "Gotham City," "My Vow," and
"Trial" tread a fine line between caving
your head in, and making you nod it in
time to the precision riff’age. I imagine
seeing these guys live is where it’s at, if
you’re a fan of heavy music that’s not
afraid to wear its influences on its
sleeve (genre be damned) give these
guys a go. Nice Iowa farm boys, they
are not. Like maybe if Garbage all took
steroids? Harsh, violent, and above all
catchy. - Josh K.
TOWER OF POWER –
Great American Soulbook
(Tower Of Power Records)
A bunch of great songs with guest
singers including Tom Jones, Joss
Stone, Sam Moore and Huey Lewis.
Great selection of tunes by (among
others) Bill Withers And Aretha
Franklin. My favorite is “Me and Mrs.
Jones.” Not the usual Tower Of Power
hits, but some great songs by a great
band. – KH
THE TRADITIONIST –
Season to Season
(Better Looking Records)
Traditional ballads: they tell stories. In
“Only A Nightmare” a woman needs her
space. Her partner needs her to need
him. Organ music punctuates his
sorrow. “Satchel Paige” picks up the
pace and is my favorite. Satchel takes
his time but the song doesn’t. - MTC
TRAPT – Only Through The Pain
(Eleven Seven Music)
Yow. Lots of feeling in these songs.
“Cover Up” is a good message for
people who think they have secrets. A
lot of emotion and thought went into
these, but the music reminds me of
something much simpler. Easy to hear
and hard to listen to? Chris Taylor
Brown has obviously been through it.
Romantic, but not romanticized, rock. –
CC
think of Gwen Stefani’s vocals and
maybe Oingo Boingo. Rapid-fire
lyrics and catchy licks piling on
each other in “Don’t Make Me So
Mad” has a uniqueness all its own.
Complex. - GH
WALTER SICKERT AND
THE ARMY OF BROKEN TOYS Casualty Menagerie
(armyoftoys.com)
6 songs ranging from mellow to
drony to spooky. - KZ
WHITETRASH COWBOYS
(Crooked Bastard Music)
Kind of white trash grunge rap.
Interesting stuff and definitely not
country. Oddly the cut called “Do
What” reminds me of Wham!’s
“Young Guns/Go For It!” This is
not necessarily a bad thing… I
really liked that song. - KH
TV ON THE RADIO – Dear Science
(DGC Records/Interscope)
Huh. The lyrics are personal and often
depressing, but the music is catchy and
upbeat. The result is surprisingly
different from their earlier albums, but
still recognizable – as the New,
Improved TVOTR. - RA
SHANE WYATT – The Last
Cowboy
(Shane Wyatt Music)
A mostly mediocre example of
what you might call modern
country. Shane has a nice voice,
but he doesn’t really stand out,
despite the long list of ‘session
cats’ that includes George Strait’s
backing vocalist Thom Flora.
Undistinguished from many other
current offerings. – KZ
Compilations & Soundtracks
VAN ATTA HIGH –
Doin’ Somethin’ Right
(Thriving Records)
The band name is from the name of
the4 Junior High on Full House. The
cover art reminds me of the cartoon
version of Jay and Silent Bob. Nine
Power Pop tunes, including an amusing
cover of “Afternoon Delight.” Huh? Well
they are from New Jersey. The state
Rhode Island makes fun of. - TDS
THE VINCENT BLACK SHADOW –
El Monstruo
(Beef Records)
If you like Paramore you’ll probably like
this. If you never heard of either band,
DORM SESSIONS 6
(Heavy Rotation Records)
These offerings from 9 Berklee
students and grads is pleasantly
varied. Shea Rose is a lil funky on
“Free Love.” Re-Up’s “Re-Up” is
definitely some good rap. Sex!
does a nice raunch-styled number
called “Chevy Nova”; car as sex
object? Interesting. – RA
REPO – The Genetic Opera
(Lions Gate)
The original motion picture
soundtrack is sometimes opera,
sometimes Goth, etc. etc. Many
fabulous musicians took part in
the musical score, including
members of Rasputina, GNR, and
Korn. The vocals are still delivered
in operatic style, throughout, to
tell the story. This sounds odd to
me musically, but the music is
good and jams right along. Have
you seen it yet? - CC
Vinyl Reviews
JOHN BARRETT’S
BASS DRUM OF DEATH
(Fat Possum Records)
A Side “Stain Stick Skin,” with the lyric “the
revolution ain’t televised,” and (my
preferred) B Side “The Ballad of Bandit X.”
The ballad has nice ringy guitar strumming
and out-there vocals. “Oooh, I’m gonna lay
down the law…”. This is the best 7” I
received all year. Bass Drum of Death
indeed! - KZ
THOMAS FUNCTION –
Belly of the Beast
(Fat Possum Records)
A Side “Belly of the Beast,” B Side “Bones
Don’t Bleed.” It’s an all yellow vinyl 7” so I
can’t tell which side is A and which is B but I
can tell you this both sides kinda suck. OK I
figured it out, the first one I played was Side
B. My only question on that one is how many
takes did it take to record the guitar solo
(but I hope it was 1). - KZ
THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW – Animal
Party
(Fat Possum Records)
A Side “Animal Party.” Here’s a guy who likes
to tell stories more than he likes to write
songs. B Side “God Of Raisins.” Uh. It does
include an animal party coloring book,
though. Wish I hadn’t given my crayons to
the Vietnam Vets, now. – KZ
DVD Reviews
JAMES BROWN – Double Dynamite!
(Charly Films)
True dynamite from the godfather of
soul. You get 2 complete shows from
the 80s. I love the crooning "Try Me"
from the Studio 54 show, as well as his
showier standards. No one can whip off
a cape like James Brown! Great footage
worth seeing for the showmanship
alone – but the music is top drawer too.
- KH
CRAIG
(Brinkdvd)
This is a Danish movie about a man
who runs out of medication and
becomes a serial killer. I have to say I
was more impressed with the
soundtrack than with the movie. - KZ
ARAB ON RADAR –
Sunshine For Shady People
(Three.One.G.)
Why would anybody make a
documentary following the lame
exploits of this touring band of
crapmasters? Talk about a waste of
good film. These posers are the
ultimate in incoherent, noise
generating, talentless, sub-garage band
level never wavers. Think DEVO without
any musical hooks or masturbation
references. Worthless crap on every
conceivable level. I'd rather listen to
mill noise without ear plugs through a
16 hour shift than subject myself to 10
minutes of this anti-art. – JV
EL ALAMBRISTA:
The Fence Jumper
(BRINK)
A young masked Mexican lucha
wannabe sets off to make his mark in
America. On its surface, this is pure
comedy, exploiting every Mexican racial
stereotype ever invented by man but
deeper down it's a serious look at the
challenges faced by the peasant class
of Mexico and their strong motivation
for crossing the border into America in
order to survive. The cinematography is
exceptional and while all the dialogue is
in Spanish, it's easy enough to follow
along with the subtitles and get the full
force of the movies message. Pure
camp and yet serious drama at the
same time. Best movie I've seen in
years. - JV
PETULA CLARK –
Portrait Of Petula Clark
(Infinity)
I fully expected to hate this with a
passion but I really didn't. It's a quality
60's pop variety show with orchestral
accompaniments and surprisingly sweet
and tender vocal arrangements. Think
Disney music with a British flavor. Andy
Williams, Sacha Distel and Ron Moody
add the variety. Sorry, there's no
"Down Town" but Petula covers a bunch
of other hits including "My Funny
Valentine", "You And I" and a quaint
little duet with Andy called "You Can't
Rollerskate In A Buffalo Herd". Filmed
in Paris, London, Geneva, New York and
Los Angeles. – JV
MARC ALMOND –
Live At The Lokerse Feesten 2000
(Charly)
Effeminate European techno/rock-aBilly bull shit. On a positive note, it's
really well recorded and the sound
quality is excellent. Then again, that's
also it's major drawback since the
music totally sucks. Marc weighs about
98lbs. soaking wet and his exaggerated
gestures are reminiscent of an
emaciated Elvis wannabe on crank. The
guitarist is wearing one of those
oversized cowboy hats often seen on
carnival clowns. Yeah, they've really
honed their image and stage presence.
16 musically offensive tracks recorded
in glorious Dolby 5.1. - JV
BIKINI BLOODBATH CARWASH
(ECLECTIC)
The women are hot in that sleazy "I
need a shower just watching them"
kind of way. The acting is a solid step
below B movie camp. The plot is as
transparent as plastic wrap. Yet, there's
something strangely redeeming about
this flick. Maybe it's the case of Miller
kingers that I consumed right before
viewing it. Maybe it's the Canadian
skunk that I smoked half way in. Who
can say? It's billed as 100% pure
brainless fun. I agree with the brainless
part. In any event, pick up a copy and
decide for yourself but don't say I didn't
warn you if you decide to view it
without any extra curricular motivations
like beer and bud. - JV
COUNT BASIE & HIS ORCHESTRA Live In Berlin & Stockholm 1968
(Impro-Jazz)
The video may be old grainy black &
white but the remastered audio simply
explodes out of the speakers with all
the urgency and vitality of the day that
it was created. 18 exceptional big band
tracks that'll have you panting for
more. If I had to limit my DVD music
collection to a dozen discs, this would
be right up there at the top of the
stack. – JV
sound like fun to you just stay home
South Bronx. When illegal immigrants there
and play Warcraft.
weren't burning down buildings or killing each
The pot farm just happens to be right other, they were creating over rated musical
next door to Camp Crystal Lake and in trends and styles like salsa, mambo and hipthis new installment just happens to be hop. Lots of vintage footage if you're into
where Jason has made is happy home, that sort of thing. It always amazes me how
so all you potheads that have always
old people remember the actions of their
wondered, I think I just answered your irresponsible youth in such heroic terms. I
question. The first round of kids is
guess this explains why the media promotes
slaughtered pretty quickly but not
crap like rap. You have to gauge it against
before you get an oiled down booby
the backdrop of hopelessness and despair to
and sex scene.
really appreciate its marginal creativity and
I don’t want to give too much of the
pseudopositive influence. – JV
plot away, but I will say that it carries a
good pace and isn’t to chatty as well as
are a couple of good “jump outa your
seat” type moments. There is a lot of
background placement of items from
the original movies that is kick-ass if
THE CHICK COREA ELEKTRIC BAND
you a hard core fan and there is a
- Live At The Maintenance Shop
funny comment about not bringing any
(QUANTUM)
Heineken and they’re drinking PBR.
The progressions may be simplistic and
(For all you Lynch fans) The only
repetitious but the augmentations are
complaint I have to make is; I really
as complex, technically sound and
wanted a “Ralph the Rat Man” character
melodically inspirational as it gets. For
to tell all the kids that they were
just three guys, Chick on keys, Dave
doomed, or at least a cameo by Corey
Weckl on drums and John Patitucci on
Feldman. The film also surprisingly isn’t
bass create a world of wonderment
that gory at all. I was hoping for more
that's well worth experiencing. I swear
puddling or an artery squirt but I’ll take
they syncopated my psyche. 5 cuts - 75
what I can get.
minutes worth of electronic jazz/fusion
So go on ahead and spend the twenty
fun. - JV
bucks, sneak your own food in and
enjoy yourself, I heard scary movies
TH
FRIDAY THE 13
make chicks horny so bring someone
(Warner Home Video)
you like.
What do I know? By Scott Reese
Overall Rating: Three of Five Pints
This time I’m coming through to tell
you all a little about the 95min. 2009
edition of Friday the 13th. I have to say
that I was impressed with how this new
approach on an old “classic” slasher
film held up. In the past I have been
pretty bummed out on how someone
gets a crazy idea to remake something
sacred and just can’t pull it off. Not that
I’m saying the many Friday the 13ths
that have been released in the past
were sacred but definitely a staple in
the American tits/horror genre, or at
least that’s what I call it.
The movie starts off with the ending of
the original with all that complicated
COLEMAN HAWKINS – In Europe:
story line of Jason’s mother committing
London, Paris & Brussels
all of the murders to avenge her son’s
(DISCONFORM)
drowning, and then watching his
Coleman is the originator and arguably one of
mother being decapitated by the last
the best jazz tenor sex soloists of all time.
surviving camp counselor, so people
This disc is comprised of the majority of his
who have never seen one of these films
filmed works over the last 10 years of his life.
can follow the truly complex psyche of
While it's a bit on the adagio side (that
one Mr. Jason Voorhees.
FROM MAMBO TO HIP HOP –
means laid back for all you hip-hop hipsters),
Right off the bat you get beer drinking
A South Bronx Tale
the expressiveness and subtlety of the
kids on their quest for a rumored pot
(CITY LORE)
performances keeps your attention glued
farm looking for a place to camp and
This hour long documentary is a time
throughout. Also features such jazz greats as
fuck for the night, now if that doesn’t
capsule focusing on a block in the
Harry "Sweets" Edison, Benny Carter,
Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, Jo
Jones, Louie Bellson and Roy Eldridge.
20 tantalizing tracks. - JV
HIGH TIMES PRESENTS –
The 20th Anniversary Cannabis Cup
(High Times)
It's the 2008 edition of Amsterdam's
stoners Superbowl. The mere sight of
some of these amazing looking buds
literally brought tears to my eyes,
especially since I've been totally dry for
friggin' weeks now. My mouth was
watering over such notable entries as
Top Dog, G-13 Haze, Kaia Kush,
Violator Ice-o-lator and Triple X to
name but a few. It should be illegal to
release this kind of a documentary
without including some samples of the
product. If I don't score something
soon I'm gonna lose my mind. - JV
BILLIE HOLIDAY –
The Life and Artistry of Lady Day
(DISCONFORM)
A true tribute to a great singer and
musical stylist. Her artistry and
accomplishments are emphasized.
Highlights include a wonderful film of
Billie performing the moving and
controversial "Strange Fruit." Love
Billie, love her music, love seeing more
of her. – KH
I WAS A TEENAGE MUMMY
(Regain)
The final entry in the I Was a Teenage
monster series. An exchange student
kidnaps another outcast and together
they seek revenge on the mean incrowd delinquent nemesises (nemises?)
who must now b e destroyed. More
terrifying fun featuring the A-Bones'
sound track. The bonus feature "Hot
Rod Hearse" is a thrill too. Monster
movie men and mavens, grab it. - KC
THE HOUSE OF THE RISING PUNK
(ZEIT1)
Our story begins circa 1973 with the
beats, back when they still had
typewriters. Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell,
Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye – a back in the
day documentary. New York City was
freedom then for the avant garde. Be
yourself. Television, counter culture
early 70s, pretentious Stooges
dangerous and self destructive
Ramones Voidoids New York Dolls. How
U like me now? - KR
H2O – The Bowery Collection
(CBGB Records)
Recorded at CBGB in ’02, it’s like you’re
in the front row at the live show,
catching all the jive talk among the
bandmembers, and of course from the
audience too. No more CBGB, so this is
the next best thing. Check out “Role
Model” for a prime example: H2O, live
hard and punky. - TDS
IDLEHEIST
(BrinkDVD)
No trouble is taken to make the 4
robbers into sympathetic characters;
you don’t like them, but you want to
know just how badly they fuck up. The
soundtrack is thrilling and suspenseful
music, synth electronica, but some nice
horns too on occasion, which adds a lot.
The best of the soundtrack CD is Jesse
Stanley’s “Save Your Breath.” Overall,
an interesting story, surprisingly well
filmed and not overacted. – KH
Festival performance from 2007. A
must for LOG fans. – RiP
JA RULE - 2005
(CHARLY)
A whole lot of struttin', pointin' and
posin' but not much else. Nigga this
and beitch that. I'm so impressed....
NOT!!! Get a job ya fuckin' pecka
head.... I'll pop some caps into ya 'til
ya dead. See, I can rap too. It's two
discs’ worth of wasted time. I'd rather
pluck my pubes. – JV
LAMB OF GOD –
Walk With Me In Hell
(Epic)
Literally provides what the title
promises: a documentary of the band
as they tour the world and record. Disc
1 has their Sacrament world tour, and
disc 2 includes The Making of
Sacrament plus their entire Download
LIVING COLOUR –
The Paris Concert
(Inakustik)
Authentic sons of Jimi Hendrix my ass!
To be fair, Doug Wimbish is more than
adequate to carry the bass load and
Corey Glover is solid on the skins but
Will Calhoun is just a pure pant load on
guitar. His only redeeming grace is his
mastery of the stiletto pick technique.
Unfortunately for him and we the
listeners, he doesn't have a clue where
his left hand is going other than to
wiggle and twitch it in a diagonal
direction so that he's sure to pick up
every tri-tone and minor second
available. His melodic comprehension is
null and void. His middle speeds are
nonexistent. All he knows is snail pace
and frantic random dissonance. Oh
yeah, Vernon Reid's vocals are nothing
to write home to mother about either.
Bottom line, these guys are charlatans
with over processed instruments and a
tone deaf cult following. A dozen
obscurely craptastic originals, a decent
drum solo, three pathetic covers
including a horrendous version of
Hendrix's "Cross Town Traffic" and then
they wrap it all up with their big hit
"Cult Of Personality". JV
RUSH –
Snakes & Arrows Live
(Rounder Records)
Filmed over two nights in October 2007
at the Netherlands' Ahoy Rotterdam
arena, this 3 disc set features all their
classic hits like "Tom Sawyer", "Digital
Man" and "YYZ". The 28 cuts on the
first 2 discs spans their impressive
career while Disc 3 is "Oh, Atlanta! the
Authorized Bootlegs". 221 minutes of
rock excellence. JV
MY BODY BURNS –
Classics of French Erotica
(Le Chat Qui Fum)
A riveting tale, inspired by a true story,
of a girl torn between gay love with a
possessive stalker who enjoys pain or
straight love with an abusive, old, fat,
balding, rich pervert. Surprise!
Surprise! The bimbo goes for the
money. The women aren't all that hot,
the boobs are quite saggy, the plot is
plodding and the ending is predictable
but it's French art, damn it. I give it
one thumbs up... the lead actress’s butt
just for trying. JV
GLENN O’BRIEN’S TV PARTY
(Brinkfilm)
Two separately packaged DVDs. The
earlier DVD, The Sublimely Intolerable
Show, was on public TV in 1979. It has
its moments, but mostly nostalgia for
the horrible thing that used to be cable
TV – public access. More DIY/live than
any commercial offering. After initial
technical difficulties, you get members
of various bands like Blondie and Patti
Smith Group. Andy Shernoff (Dictators)
does a terrible cover of “Be True To
Your School,” and Debbie Harry and
others smoke a joint during the call-in
segment.
The later DVD, The Everything For Sale
Show, aired in 1982 and disintegrates
before your eyes. Final season, various
celebs poorly recorded. – KH
PUNK’S NOT DEAD
(Aberration Files And
Red Rover Films)
Interviews, performances and
sound bites from all your early days
punk faves, including Joe Strummer
and members of Fear, the Adicts,
and more. You had me at "Gabba
Gabba Hey". A necessary item. KH
PUBLIC ENEMY –
Revolverlution Tour 2003
(Charly Films)
A double DVD set with all their hits,
recorded in Australia in ’03. Chuck D
wears a nice Viking helmet with horns,
and the Aussies seem to love it. And –
is is just me, or does the intro to “He
Got Game” sound like “Somethin’
Happenin’ Here” (CSNY)? - TDS
PUNK ROCK KARAOKE
(PUNKROCKKARAOKE)
An interesting collection of punk covers,
unfortunately not by the original artists.
However the accompanying video
footage is a nice addition to Karaoke.
The best cut by far is Sean Wheeler’s
rendition of “California Uber Alles”
(originally performed by the Dead
Kennedys). Fun. – KH
REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA
(Lions Gate)
The great Chicago fire, the Hindenburg,
the Titanic; and now Repo. These will
be remembered as great American
disasters. OK, maybe I’m being a bit
melodramatic; but Repo: the Genetic
Opera is a fucking disaster. Adopted for
the screen from the stage by its
creators Terrance Zdunich and Darren
Smith, and directed by SAW vet Darren
Lynn Bousman; Repo is a good idea
gone awry. It is the not so distant
future, and the world has been struck
by an epidemic of organ failure, out of
this awful event a company rises;
Geneco. Geneco offers the organs you
need with a price, and if you can’t
make your payment the Repo man will
find you and re-claim Geneco’s rightful
property. This sounds like a cool idea,
and the preview sparked some interest
for me, a gory post modern rock opera;
however having to sit through a movie
that has virtually no dialogue and
almost 90 minutes of singing is asking
way too much of the viewer (according
to Wikipedia the film featured 64 songs,
holding the record for most songs
composed in a film). This must have
worked as a stage play, as it had a
decent run, but as a movie; too much.
The cast works well, and as I said the
story is cool but as one IMDB message
board commenter said; “This looks like
Hot Topic: the Movie” True. If they had
just added dialogue and trimmed back
the songs this would have worked much
better, the gore is decent and some of
the songs were good, but every time a
new scene would happen the characters
would break into song about the most
inane things. For example; Anthony
Head's character, the Repo man to Paul
Sorvino’s Rotti Largo on not wanting to
do a job: “(sung) I can’t do it Rottiiiiiii,
howw can I?” Yawn, you should’ve just
talked smaller dialogue. This film will
certainly find a cult audience; I mean
how can it not? It has taken all the cult
film steps; delayed release to a limited
“touring” release, two or three possible
versions of the soundtrack, interesting
leather goth costumes, and Paris Hilton.
OK, the last one is not a cult qualifier,
but it’s funny…to me. If you like dark
Switchblade Symphony-esque music
(non stop), post apocalyptic back
drops, and the SAW movies well then
this one is for you. However if you are
not 14, don’t wear corpse paint and
hate your parents, then you should just
rent Hedwig for an exercise in how to
make a good rock opera. – Josh K.
STING JAMAICA 2003 –
The Greatest One Night
Reggae Show On Earth
(CHARLY)
Disc one is a three hour concert
featuring JUNIOR KELLY, PREDATOR,
ASSASSIN, NINJAMAN, KIPRICH and a
dozen more quality acts. Disc two is
three hours worth of behind the scene
footage. That's six hours of reggae fun
all wrapped up in one tidy package.
How can you resist? Roll up a couple of
fatties and pull up a comfortable chair.
You know you want to. - JV
THE STORY OF THE YARDBIRDS –
The Documentary
(ZEIT1)
An interesting account of the band that
at different times included Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, covering
1963-68. When Clapton left the band to
pursue more rootsy blues, Beck
replaced him. Some of the songs are
not included in their entirety,
disappointingly. Lots of commentary
from all the appropriate jickeys – which
I mention because at times subtitles
would have been helpful for us US
bastids. – JJ
SURVIVE THIS! –
Ghosts of Pirate Island
(Regain)
A graphic screamfest that features a
pretend reality show that pits guests,
including Ivy Super Sonic and The
Naked Cowboy, against each other in a
steamy jungle nightmare. Fun!
Includes a mini-comic of the story. - JJ
ART TATUM - The Art Of Jazz Piano
(SCREEN EDGE)
A highly insightful 60 minute
documentary on jazz/stride piano
centered around the greatest of the
greats, Art Tatum. Amazing isn't strong
enough of a word to describe what Art
can do on the ivories. A must have for
all serious musicians of any genre. JV
URBAN LEGENDS
(Eclectic)
Urban legends with a not-for-the-weak
stomach, something about the FBI,
warning – and then a laugh track? I
mean, Waltz Tango Foxtrot… Hosted by
Rust DuFage, whose euphonious
appellation (his name, dude) should
explain a lot. Wry and sick, and kind of
Hee-Haw like reenactment of 7 ‘urban
legends’ with some voice-over
commentary from Mr. DuFage that
reminds me of that show where aliens
in silhouette would comment on the onscreen action. This is the kind of thing
where you tell your euphemisticallynamed ‘drinking buddies,’ “Hey, you
gotta see this, it’s so douche!” – CC
VANILLA FUDGE –
When Two Worlds Collide
(Zeit1)
Back in the day, these dudes seemed
like really underrated artists who
helped push the creative boundaries of
early rock. Now, they're just washed up
has-beens who haven't improved one
iota since the mid-60's. While the
addition of a full orchestra usually
revitalizes outdated songs, it does
nothing for the arrangements in this
case. I was frankly embarrassed for
their delusions of self grandeur,
especially during the mega crappy bass
solo. Performing covers of Rod Stewart
or The Back Street Boys doesn't help
either. They even manage to ruin their
biggest hit "Season Of The Witch" by
performing it at approximately half
speed and out of tune. 89 minutes of
worthless dreck. – JV
JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON –
Live In Concert
(CHARLY)
I'm sure Johnny was a substantial force
back in the day (late 50's thru the mid
70's) but by 1993 he's lost a good step
or two. The act itself is structured much
like a James Brown show and the band
does an excellent job of delivering the
energy, excitement and big sound but
unfortunately the show is still focused
on Johnny who, while his mind may
be willing, his body and pipes are not.
At least he's playing a vintage SG so it
sounds really good when he hits those
clinkers and breaks the beat. A 78
minute attempt to recapture his youth
with about 3 minutes of meager
success. "Superman Lover" indeed. I
think "Three Hours Past Midnight" is
more like it. JV
VIDEOGAME THEATER
(Uproar)
Parodies of video games like Pac Man
and Donkey Kong. Did you ever listen
to someone play a video game you
were sick of? That’s what this is like.
More Crank Yankers than Home Movies.
Annoying and unnecessary. Now if they
parodied some old Sega-type thing or
Atari – Pong or Space Invaders? I’d
watch that. - CC
JOHNNY WINTER –
Live Through the ‘70s
(Bullseye)
NO ONE does a better “Rock and Roll
Hootchie Koo” (with echoes of
“Frankenstein”) than his band. Not
whatisname with a flower in his mouth,
not nobody, nohow. I am not worthy to
review even his drummer or bass
player. That’s who’s showcased when
you start the DVD, the drummer cycling
clockwise through sounds like grandma
used to make to beat an aig. The
natch’l blues. JW is a truly great guitar
player, singer, and all-around
bluesman. Pick it up and leave it up! RiP
Book Reviews
BATTLE OF THE BAND NAMES:
The Best and Worst
Band Names Ever - Bart Bull
(Abrams Image)
A wonderfully silly and pointless
book by a true obsessive. As
stated, it’s the best and worst band
names ever, exhaustively organized
by genre and attractively presented
with colorful charts, lists, and
graphics. OCD music lovers take
note! – KH
ROCK & ROLL HOMICIDE –
R. J. McDonnell
(Killeena Publishing)
This is the best rock and roll
murder mystery I’ve read in years
– and believe me I seek them out.
It takes place in San Diego.
McDonnell creates an interesting
and varied cast of characters. I
especially liked GI Jo-Jo (great
name), and the main character,
Jason Duffy, a former rock and roll
singer and guitar player turned
detective. Duffy interviews one of
the band members, who analyzes
the situation by telling Duffy what
breed of dog the members of
Doberman’s Stub would be if they
were dogs, and how that affects his
view of the situation (murdered
lead singer of a band on the brink
of stardom). Very entertaining – I
highly recommend it. By the way
the cover art won a prize. Check
this guy out on myspace! – KH
SATCHMO:
The Wonderful World and Art of
Louis Armstrong – Steven
Brower
(Abrams)
Who knew? Satchmo made collages
and scrapbooks often on the tops of
recording tape reel boxes. Includes
many photos and quotes, too. Very
entertaining and well-presented
material from this “vocal proponent
of marijuana use.” You know the
rest so I won’t talk about his
greatness. This is a great coffee
table book – or cocktail table.
Really fascinating. – KH
I've always thought of myself as liberal,
but when I learned that my grandfather
is moving in with a girl only 2 years
older than me, I was rather upset and
confused.
Why is this young woman interested in
a man his age? It turns out he was very
supportive of her when she was in
school. He helped her through her
parents' divorce and her failed school
exams. He even taught her to drive. So
maybe she just likes the fact that
someone cares for her.
Can you explain? Sincerely,
Favorite Grandchild
Dear Basement Steve:
My eight year old son is taking piano
lessons and really likes it, but I can't
get him to practice more than a few
minutes a day. What do I do to make
him practice? Mrs L.V.
Dear Mrs.: You can always try what my
parents did; when he is practicing,
stand behind the boy with a spoon in
your hand, and if he tries to get up, use
the spoon to give him a smart rap on
the top of the head. Once he learns, as
I did, that continuing to practice is less
painful than quitting, his playing will
probably improve in inverse proportion
to the amount of joy it brings him.
Good luck! - Basement Steve
Dear Basement Steve:
I am going to Buenos Aires for the first
time in December and am looking
forward to my first experiences of
close-embrace dance style. I am a very
busty woman and am quite timid about
how that is going to affect my ability to
dance, my comfort level with strangers,
etc. Do you have any words of advice
on how not to be shy about this?
Signed, Tango or Bust
Dear Tango: Dancing? Is that what
they're calling it now? The only dance
you'll be doing is the horizontal
mambo. Just be sure you practice safe
sex. If you're not sure how, drop by
and I'll show you how to put a condom
on with your mouth. Mucho romantico!
- Basement Steve
Dear Basement Steve:
Dear Favorite: You don't mention his
financial situation or how he met this
shameless hoochie girl. She's probably
been milking him for years, either for
money or to earn the money. I'd have
to say that the bottom line is money, as
usual.
But you don't seem worried about him,
either. It's all about you.
I think you're just a sad, jealous loser.
Get a clue, girl. - Basement Steve
Dear Basement Steve:
I hope that you can help me. I recently
moved in with a man whom I love very
much on the understanding that we
would marry. I have been very clear
that I am only interested in living with
someone if marriage within a
reasonable time is part of the plan. I
am 30; he is 32.
Now he's getting cold feet about
marriage. I am an artist who doesn't
make a lot of money (he has a
computer job, is well paid and will be
even more so in future). I have never
asked him to support me or take care
of both of us at any time. He has not
been supportive of my proposed plan to
work part-time or temp so that I can
focus more on developing my career in
art (and hence be home more, be less
tired and irritable from juggling three
careers, etc.).
I know that this man loves me, but I
am very hurt by his selfishness and his
seemingly sudden change of heart. Any
thoughts you may have would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Lonely in Texas
Dear Lonely: I think you've already
answered all your own questions for
me. First of all, you are already
expecting him to support you, or at
least subsidize your living expenses.
And you're an artist. You knew all along
he'd always make more than you. If
he's not ready to accept you as an
equal contributor to the relationship,
the home, or whatever, you have no
one but yourself to blame. Frankly I'm
surprised it took him this long to figure
it out. - Basement Steve
Dear Basement Steve:
Under what circumstances is it
appropriate for a woman to pick a fight
with a guy? I am an athletic female
who is sick of “talking out my issues”
like a good little girl. Fighting is often
encouraged for men, but thought of as
trashy for women. Why do men avoid
“fighting a girl”? Are they just afraid?
Thanks, Feeling Feisty
Dear Feisty: Violence is wrong. So
don't hurt me. No, but seriously, I think
these men are more afraid of a lawsuit
or arrest than they are of your tiny fists
pummeling their manly chests. Who are
these men who are asking you to talk
out your issues anyway? I think all of
you are playing for the wrong team….
Basement Steve
Basement Steve regrets that it is
simply impossible for him to answer
all of the hundreds of questions
submitted to him each week.
However, he does read every
question, and tries to select those
which are of the most general
interest to our readers. Also,
questions in all caps won't be
answered. Basement Steve asks,
"Is your question urgent?” If you
feel you MUST have his help, you
can get a personal answer from
Basement Steve within two
business days by availing yourself
of his reasonably-priced private
counseling.
Note: STUBBLE MusicZine is not
responsible for any consequences
to taking this advice. Just
remember that Basement Steve’s
advice is worth every penny you
paid for it! - Editor