You - Signs Of Betrayal

CANDLELIGHT
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YOKO ONO
Yes, I’m A Witch
DESTRUCTION
Thrash Anthems
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Stones Throw Ten Years
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EVER RECORDS
ASTRALWERKS
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Cake Or Death
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NATURE SOUNDS
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TWILIGHT SINGERS
A Stitch In Time
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BLUE NOTE
8-Bit Operators:
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CANDLELIGHT
THE POSTMARKS
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ABIGAIL WILLIAMS
Legend
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table of contents
11.06
questions & answers
4
Matt Wertz
questions & answers
6
Intrinzik
8
listening stations
new artist spotlight
12 Kristoffer Ragnstam
cover story
14 Chimaira
questions & answers
18 Corvus
phoenixnewtimes.com
questions & answers
STAY IN TUNE
20 Versed in Grey
questions & answers
22 Signs of Betrayal
24 CD Reviews
30 DVD Reviews
32 CD New Releases
36 DVD New Releases
Designed & printed by New Times Media
Special Publication Division
Managing Editor: Salvatore Caputo
Contributing Writers: Raina Bird, Serene Dominic, Amy Young,
Julie Messner, Casey Lynch, Salvatore Caputo
Cover: Phil Rock
MUSIC
Layout: Conni Ersland
Advertising Sales: Matt Owens - [email protected]
3
questions & answers
MATT WERTZ
Everything In Between
(Nettwerk)
What's your current label situation?
MW: Nettwerk released Everything through
their distribution label (Sony), we haven't
found the right fit yet with any one label
but we've kind of anted up a bit by incorporating Nettwerk. It's going to be a good
jump from what we did before. I've always
just sold my CDs at shows and online
through my website. When I started, iTunes
wasn't even really kicking yet. It's so interesting what's happened with iTunes and
myspace, it definitely changes things for
someone like me.
Do you even need a label?
et's face it, indie-pop, singer-songwriter
stuff is popular. In the wake of the
alternative craze of the '90s and the
Warped Tour-injected mania of the Y2K
era, bands and solo musicians have
begun dabbling in every type of genre
blending from folk and country, to straight
radio pop, with great success. Matt Wertz,
the Missouri-born, Nashville-residing
singer-songwriter is no exception. His
latest album, Everything In Between, has
received critical acclaim and kept him
on the road most of 2006 and will keep
him out there well into April. ZiaZine!
caught up with Wertz to talk about the
recording process, whether or not indiepop musicians even need labels anymore
and how to stand out in the over-saturated
songwriter landscape of Nashville.
What I'm doing now is probably a reaction
to waiting too long to write with Everything
In Between.
Everything In Between has been very wellreceived. Are you working on new material
right now?
Was “I Will Not Take My Love Away” one of
those songs?
L
MATT WERTZ: Thanks, and yes, I'm trying to
keep exercising the songwriting muscle
and not get caught off-guard when it comes
time to record.
Has that happened before?
MW: The way I've done it in the past is I get
swept up into touring and I haven't paid
attention to the writing until I get into it,
which is two years after the last record.
4
Did anything happen during those two years
that influenced the record?
MW: Definitely. I was in a relationship for
the first time since college and, you know,
the whole process of risking it all, you feel
the full range of emotions and fears you
didn't know you had come out.
What happened?
MW: The relationship ended when she
moved away. It was just hard because of
what got opened up when I let someone in
and just having to look deeper into my life
for the first time in a while. So a lot of
these songs came about from that.
MW: Sort of, that song is really more about
a love that transcends our human ability to
love. I believe that there is a loving God out
there and that all of our attempts at love
are tainted because we are tainted. That
song for me is like setting a standard for
what real love looks like. I'm still trying to
figure out what the hell that means: “What
is love?” We can take some swings at it. I
don't think anyone really knows though.
MW: No, I don't think I need a label.
Honestly, I'm doing fine without it. There's
definitely a limit of what you can do independently. There are times that's really fine
with me, but there's also part of me where
I'd love to see how far we could go if we
had more opportunities. There are a few
people who have broken through and who
have raised the ceiling as independents,
like Ani DiFranco or Sufjan Stevens. For a
pop artist, since my music is pretty radiofriendly, you have to get the machine
involved to get the kind of coverage to really blow it up.
How does somebody make a name for himself
in Nashville? It seems like there's more singersongwriters there then are actors in LA.
MW: I never wanted to take over Nashville
or get respect here just for the sake of that,
but it sort of works that way once you make
a name for yourself outside of Nashville, it
just happens within the city limits as well.
Is it different playing in Nashville versus say
Detroit?
MW: Totally! It's weird. Nashville is still an
interesting town to play for. You feel like
you're playing for spectators sometimes.
It's hard to engage the Nashville crowds.
My favorite crowds are very interactive,
where there's a give and take. There are so
many musicians in town, a lot of people
come out more to study musicians than
just to enjoy the music.
— Casey Lynch
5
questions & answers
INTRINZIK
My Favorite Album
(Intrinz INK)
hen Will Glass made the decision to
rap five years ago, the short-sighted
could be excused for not expecting
too much - a white guy in a wool hat at the
same time 8 Mile was in theaters? Jugaloos
please! But Intrinzik was no Rabbit trying
to prove himself through battle raps. He
came in the back door through rap metal
and eventually insinuated his way into the
game. He was savvy enough to land some
choice slots on a couple of tours, watch
and learn from some champion spitters,
start his own record label (Intrinz INK) and
hook up with a Japanese distributor that
provides him with a guaranteed audience
for each release over and above what he's
been able to do on his own.
W
On the immediate release schedule is an
album with Jason Porter, followed by an
album by Shep Dog, a homeless former
pimp that Intrinzik discovered outside of a
7-Eleven who can actually rap. Intrinzik's
still promoting the heck out of My Favorite
Album, a retrospective of the last five years
with enough new tracks to make it a dead
heat between then and now. It comes with
a DVD of live appearances and interviews
that show Intrinzik in his element - performing outdoor shows in triple-digit heat!
Of all the performance videos you included on
the DVD, my favorite was that outdoor show
where you and your crew are laying it down
6
and the audience seem like they're laying
down, but standing up. Where was that?
INTRINZIK: That was taped at Coyote Hill
(Arizona), way out there at 150th and
Glendale. It's pretty desolate out there. It
was a whole-day festival. They put us on
pretty early, and it was really hot. It was
like 110 or 115. (shakes head) Well, you
do what you can and get out there.
Before rapping, you were a drummer …
I: I played from '96 to 2001, drumming in
punk-rock bands, doing studio work and
side projects. It's always been punk-rock,
metal and rap for me. My first concert was
Metallica at age 11. Since then it's been
Public Enemy, NWA, Geto Boys. I would go
through phases where I would trade all my
metal CDs for rap CDs and then a year
later, I'd be “Damn, I miss that CD” and go
back and forth, Now I just keep them all.
Fallguy, which is where you started and is
well represented on My Favorite Album, is
pretty full-on metal.
I: We started out pretty hard and I was
wrecking my voice, drinking this throatcoating tea all the time so I could perform.
I started rapping here and there on songs
to give my voice a break and I thought,
“This is way easier.” We were working with
producer-engineer Larry Love, and the
whole rap-rock thing was booming then, so
I tried that. It was a much more direct way
of saying things. You don't have to be
metaphoric. Larry said, “Let's try working
with this.” As Fallguy progressed, it
became more hip-hop oriented.
Fallguy is really big in Japan. How big do
you have to be in Japan to be a considered
success?
I: You have to sell 1,900 to 2,000 units on
imports. Now we're doing a fully licensed
deal, we're in the stores, in the press; we've
got all the displays. Before we were just in
the stores as imports. Now I'm working on
an all-new Fallguy record just for Japan.
Why do you think Japan gravitates to rap
core?
I: I think they just catch on slower. So right
now all the local bands there, I don't want
to say they're Limp Bizkit wannabes, but
they're all in that mode. So it works out
great for me. I still have love for what Fall
guy was doing and the underground kids in
the U.S. still do it. But the U.S. is a hard
market, people download music. In Japan,
it's all about the culture. People want the
album, the artwork, they support the artist.
Every time I release something new, it's 80
percent new buyers. This album is kind of
a resume for what I do. I can go anywhere
in the country and rock big shows. I'm not
just a local artist. I can go to Connecticut
or Oregon, and 100 people there will know the words to all my
songs. What started it was touring with Twiztid, and we got that
whole fan base and it just spread from there. We earned the respect
and loyalty of those kids. I'm still living off that tour four years ago,
still building the fans and keeping it going. Now that this is out, it's
like starting over, clearing the deck and raising the bar. I got the
lyrics thing under control
ZIA SALUTES
S A L E S A S S O C I AT E
SHANNON POWER
Zia Las Vegas
4225 S. Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
What was it about your first record that you didn't have in control?
I: I just didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't doing multiple
rhymes. The content was deep, but the structure and technique
wasn't there. I was just rapping to the music. I learned a lot about
the business and saw how they were delivering it. They're doing
something completely different, and I need to get on it. I was just
doing a “Look, Ma, I can rap” thing.
Nickname:
None
In terms of the majors, do you run Intrinz INK as a reaction to how the
major labels do things?
I: I don't really pay attention to that stuff. It's pretty highly Internetbased. People are buying it. Our fan base is so spread out. You've
got 20 fans here … there's all these little cities: Fort Smith,
Arkansas - Dallas is a big market. … There's really no distribution.
I've got a Midwest distributor doing Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, that
kind of stuff.
Favorite Band:
AS I LAY DYING
Favorite Song:
THE DARKEST NIGHTS (AS I LAY DYING)
Is it really that important to have a physical presence in the stores
when it's so easy to buy CDs off the Internet?
Past-Time:
MUSIC & MOVIES
I: It's important, but it's expensive. With this record, I could've
been in Best Buy or got a listening booth. All these distribution
companies want you to put $5,000-$10,000 in promotion, and by
the time you're done with it, you've got to sell 3,000 records to
break even. I sell 1,000 records by myself and make $8,000.
(laughs) I'm old, man. I've got bills to pay.
What’s Wrong:
PEOPLE JUDGING YOU ON
YOUR LOOKS
What’s Right:
EXPRESSING YOURSELF
I love the packaging; you made it look the cover of Musician magazine.
Quote:
“KARMA IS A BITCH!”
Trapped-InThe-Desert 10:
1. ATREYU – THE CURSE
I: I copied the Billboard logo on the back, made it “Willboard.”
You even put the registered trademark symbol on it.
I: All stuff I couldn't do on a major label. (Conspiratorially) Do you
know how many samples are on this thing? (laughs) Whatever. All I
can do is pull it off shelves. If it's not on shelves, they can't really
tell me to do anything.
What do you have going up on your next record?
I: I'm just doing the Fallguy record just for Japan, and the hip-hop,
I'm putting that on hold, doing guest appearances, demos and
stuff. I may or may not do one. I like sticking to my lyrics.
Everything I say is true, I say, “I keep it 99 percent accurate” on
one of the songs.
So you really were “a mullet head with braces, zits and a fat man's tits”
as a kid?
I: When I was a kid I liked the metal thing and the rap thing. I was
always wearing Jordan stuff with a Metallica shirt. Everything is
true. On one of my songs I say, “Platinum plaques on my third
release.” If I don't think it's going to go platinum, I'm not gonna do
it. I'm gonna find my way around it, doing a greatest hits, doing a
Fallguy.
What's changed the most in the past five years?
I: This myspace thing is f***ing people's heads. “I have a song on
myspace, I'm a rapper now.” Back in the old days, you couldn't
record a song in your bedroom, you had to go to a recording studio,
buy those big fat tapes, there was no Internet. It's just silly now.
2. MISFITS – STATIC AGE
3. NO DOUBT – TRAGIC KINGDOM
4. CHIODOS – ALL’S WELL THAT
ENDS WELL
5. AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK –
ALLEGIANCE
6. BLINK 182 – DUDE RANCH
7. GREEN DAY – DOOKIE
8. SMASHING PUMPKINS –
MELLON COLLIE & THE INFINITE
SADNESS
9. AS I LAY DYING – SHADOWS
ARE SECURITY
10. BUDDY HOLLY - COLLECTION
— Serene Dominic
7
listening stations
EIGHTBALL AND MJG Ridin’ High
$14.99 CD
When EIGHTBALL & MJG were making their ascension up the ranks of the hip-hop hierarchy back
in the ‘90s, little did they know they were drafting a blueprint for the future of hip hop—purveying a sound that would a decade later be
emulated by southern emcees and appreciated by fans from coast
to coast. Ridin’ High, their sophomore release for Bad Boy
Records, is their strongest album ever. Hard-hitting hip-hop with
a respectful nod to R&B and the blues.
Bad Boy Records
PRETTY RICKY
DAMIERA
DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS
Soundtrack
Atlantic $14.99 CD
This is a terrific soundtrack from a dramatic
movie about romance, family, community and
love against the odds.The soundtrack features
The Houston Family (Whitney Houston, Cissy
Houston & Dionne Warwick], Yolanda Adams,
Anthony Hamilton, Jaheim, Music Soulchild & more. Just like
everything else Tyler Perry takes on, this soundtrack is a true partner and companion piece to the film.
DUSTIN KENSRUE Please Come Home
$9.99 CD
It’s a rare singer/songwriter that can credibly display dual sides of his musical personality—one
who can quite thoroughly and convincingly operate in opposite realms of popular music. If, at
the moment, he is known primarily as the voice
of THRICE – a respected, conscious underground sensation, lauded for its virtuosity, power and creativity – this album stands to
change all that. With Please Come Home, DUSTIN KENSRUE joins
the elite musical ranks.
Equal Vision
MELECHESH
$9.99 CD
Closing their previous project, League, David
Raymond (vocals, guitar) and Matthew Kipp
(guitar, vocals) were motivated to write more
organically and life-like. DAMIERA began in
Buffalo, NY in 2005 with two guitars and guitar
driven basslines that ultimately moved in a direction opposite a
singer/song writer scheme. The result is an album that features
angular guitars and unique rhythms that reference Fugazi, Coheed
and Cambria, Minus the Bear and The Fall of Troy.
A DAY TO REMEMBER For Those Who Have Heart
Victory Records $10.99 CD
“Mark my words, we’re taking over the world!!!”
Repeat that phrase over four times while piling
onto your best friends during a monstrous
breakdown inside a sweaty basement show. That
is what A DAY TO REMEMBER sounds like. These
eight words were the war cry that turned a lot of people’s attention to this band from Ocala, Florida.
SEAN PRICE
The Best Of Atreyu CD & DVD
$12.99 CD+DVD
Here it is, the definitive Atreyu collection! It’s
18 of the best songs on one CD! Plus, all 7 of
their music videos on one DVD. Whatever the
hell you want to call the genre they helped perfect, popularize and damn well conceive in the
new Millennium, ATREYU may be the heavyweight champions of
today’s hard and heavy rock ’n roll. The Best of Atreyu celebrates
the band’s rise to stardom and gives new fans the opportunity to
hear everything that this groundbreaking band has given the
world.
Victory Records
8
Jesus Price Suparstar
$12.99 CD
SEAN PRICE, aka Ruck, is one half of the successful rap group Heltah Skeltah and one of the
most popular rappers from the mighty Boot
Camp Clik. SEAN PRICE has now officially made
a name for himself as a solo artist— Sean Price
Duckdown
The End Records
ATREYU
M(us)ic
Equal Vision
Emissaries
$11.99 CD
The Mesopotamian metal/Sumerian thrashing,
black metal band MELECHESH, who made a
name for themselves with their mystical and
searing debut, As Jerusalem Burns…Al Intisar in
1996, continue to master their innovative and
creative work with the much anticipated fourth album Emissaries.
With this release, MELECHESH continues to showcase just how
powerful (and magical) extreme music can be when creativity and
perseverance comes together as one.
Late Night Special
$14.99 CD
Miami heat is nothing compared to PRETTY
RICKY’s scorching musical inferno. Not since the
days of music legends like The Beatles, The
Jackson 5 or, more recently, N’Sync has there
been such a fevered pitch, creating hysteria and
chaos when crowds glimpse brothers Spectacular, Pleasure, Slick
‘Em and Baby Blue. Forget everything else on the menu—PRETTY
RICKY is your one and only Late Night Special.
Atlantic
is JESUS PRICE!
BAYSIDE The Walking Wounded
$10.99 CD
BAYSIDE epitomize the virtues of timeless, passionate rock of the highest order. Immune to the
superficiality of music trends, this Long Island
band has always emphasized emotions in their
songs and stories. The Walking Wounded, BAYSIDE’s newest collection of songs, is ready to join the band’s celebrated catalog and
find a place in the hearts and minds of their rapidly-growing,
worldwide fan base.
Victory
THE BROTHERS MARTIN The Brothers Martin
$10.99 CD
THE BROTHERS MARTIN is, appropriately enough,
the brothers Ronnie (Joy Electric) and Jason
Martin (Starflyer 59), two of the most prolific
and consistently great songwriters making music
today. You may not know that the brothers began
their musical journey as the obscure electro-pop duo Dance House
Children back in 1990. It is precisely because of what happened
in 1990 and thereafter that THE BROTHERS MARTIN project came
to fruition.
Tooth & Nail
listening stations
SELF AGAINST CITY Telling Secrets To Strangers
$9.99 CD
Hailing from Sacramento CA, this pop group created a nice buzz for themselves with their 2004
EP Take It How You Want It. Produced by Steven
Haigler (The Pixies, Fuel), Telling Secrets To
Strangers is full of what SELF AGAINST CITY does
best—melodic indie-pop songs with big guitars and lead singer
Jonathan Michael’s trip-wire vocals. The band’s been schooled in
rock ’n roll university, i.e., touring a big country in a small van,
and every triumph and misbegotten adventure has been converted to song.
Drive Thru/Red Ink
SKINNY PUPPY Mythmaker
SPV $13.99 CD
SKINNY PUPPY returns with Mythmaker, their
most ambitious record ever. As dark, beautiful,
twisted and angry as always, SKINNY PUPPY
takes the listener on a roller coaster ride through
their industrial/techno/progressive world. The
World Tour begins March 2007. Look for the SKINNY PUPPY song
“politikiL” featured on Jackass; The Video Game which will be
released in March 2007. (Aural Six)
STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD
Centuries Before Love & War
BENEATH THE SKY – What Demons Do To Saints
Victory $10.99 CD
If you’re a fan of Killswitch Engage, As I Lay
Dying, Atreyu, Trivium and Cradle Of Flith you
should definitely give BENEATH THE SKY your
undivided attention. This Cincinnati group is
ready to take the lead as the premier crossover
band in the New Year. Their album What Demons Do To Saints is
sure to inspire and downright terrify the world. It’s a mix of
extremities that will put you in a state of catharsis in one moment
and compel you to murder like a rabid dog the next. They have
already made an impressive impact in their hometown and they
are now ready to conquer the globe.
DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS
Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
$9.99 CD
After just one year together, DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS finished recording their debut album in
April of 2006 with local Arizona producer Bob
Hoag (Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Format).
Even before the record was finished, the calls had already started
coming in. Record labels big and small were curious about this
band making noise out in Arizona. DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS
signed with Equal Vision Records in the fall of 2006 and are now
ready to release their debut album.
Equal Vision
LILY ALLEN
Alright, Still
$9.99 CD
LILY ALLEN's debut album, Alright, Still, features
11 tracks, most of which were previewed on her
MySpace page, including the single "Smile" (the
first song she ever wrote with Future Cut),
“LDN,” "Knock 'Em Out” and "Alfie.” “Friday
Night,” co-written with Jonny Bull, is also included, alongside
“Littlest Things,” produced by Mark Ronson. LILY ALLEN will tour
the U.S this month.
Capitol Records
FREYA
Lift The Curse
$10.99 CD
It has been three years since the band’s formation and FREYA have returned to the fold to continue their attack on the world with the brutal
new record, Lift The Curse. This record is as
ferocious and raw as it is positive and forward
thinking. Each song is an encouraging cry to the listener about
personal battles and life-long obstacles that everyone and anyone
can identify with. Lift The Curse is full of energy and anxiety;
exactly the way a FREYA record is suppose to sound.
Victory
Wind-Up $5.99 CD
“Referencing Echo & the Bunnymen, Depeche
Mode and Radiohead, this young Portland band
has emerged with an album of sonic nuance,
but also one of great social seriousness and
responsibility.” —Amplifier
ENDLESS HIGHWAY The Music Of The Band
$14.99 CD
This is an all-star celebration of the music of
“The Band” with performances by legendary
artists such as LeeAnn Womack, Jack Johnson,
Bruce Hornsby, Josh Turner, Jakob Dylan and
My Morning Jacket just to name a few. This is a
CD that truly cross-pollinates classic rock staples with cutting
edge contemporary stars. With all this talent on one album this is
a can’t miss choice!
Savoy Jazz
PETER BJORN AND JOHN
Writer’s Block
$9.99 CD
PETER BJORN AND JOHN is a Swedish indie rock
band, formed in Stockholm in 1999. The current members are Peter Morén on vocals, guitar,
and harmonica; Björn Yttling on vocals, bass
and keyboards; and John Eriksson on drums,
percussion, and vocals. To date, they are probably best known for
the 2006 single "Young Folks" which featured Victoria Bergsman
of The Concretes and was a Top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart.
It was also named NME's second best track of 2006 and was
ranked #5 on Pitchfork Media's list of the top 100 songs of 2006.
Almost Gold/Red Ink
MC EIHT Representin’
Native Records $10.99 CD
Multi-platinum selling artist MC EIHT takes you
on a journey through the streets of Compton
with the original CMW crew riding shotgun.
EIHT has had numerous hit records over the
years and has a strong international following.
Now the multi-platinum-selling hip-hop icon is back with his
much-anticipated Representin’. Experience the ‘hood through the
eyes of those that know best.
9
listening stations
SELFLESS
Clarity $9.99 CD
Five individual souls have come together with
one singular purpose—to create something collectively that is a representation of themselves
and beyond, a positive inspiring musical experience that is as much therapy as entertainment.
SELFLESS clearly has proved to themselves that
they can be a successful local band, but their ultimate dream is
to be an international musical experience—one that challenges
themselves and the listener to never succumb to any limitations
that may arise and to always follow their dreams and goals.
FALL OUT BOY
Infinity On High
$12.99 CD
Infinity on High is the fourth studio album from
FALL OUT BOY. It is the follow up to 2005's From
Under the Cork Tree. The title is taken from a
letter written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother
Theo in 1888. In the letter, van Gogh describes
his renewed health and the vigor it has instilled in his painting.
The line that inspired the title is "Be clearly aware of the stars and
infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all."
—Wikipedia
Island
JOHN MELLENCAMP
YING YANG TWINS
Chemically Imbalanced
$14.99 CD
Chemically Imbalanced is the follow-up to the
YING YANG TWINS’ 2005 Platinum release
United State of Atlanta which bowed at No. 2 on
the the Billboard 200. This album received its
name because of the stark differences between
the “twins” and has everything to do with the chemistry between
the two: Individually they are imbalanced but together they create
harmony.
TVT Records
SALIVA
Blood Stained Love Story
PROPERTY SIX
$11.99 CD
Blood Stained Love Story is the return of SALIVA
and it’s dripping with sleaze. You will be happy
to see that SALIVA has continued to evolve and
has created more great music. SALIVA is a band
that has always known how to reach a crowd and
this album proves it—again. The band has custom made an album
to call their throngs of screaming fans to attention.
Island
Freedom’s Road
$11.99 CD
Freedom’s Road, the culmination of a year’s
worth of composing, arranging, recording and
mixing for Mr. MELLENCAMP is a collection of
songs that reflect the climate and concerns of
present day America. Lyrically, the album is not
overtly political but offers an insightful, plain-spoken perspective
on contemporary conditions. The lyrics, contemplative and hopeful, are set off by the garage-born organic sound of MELLENCAMP
and his band.
Universal Records
Stop The Press
$12.99 CD
Touring nationally since 2002, Arizona’s own
PROPERTY SIX has extablished a pretty wide fan
base. With a unique sound, powerful female
vocals, awesome melodies and driven rap ‘n roll
sounds, PROPERTY SIX brings a versatile show
experience and a unique flavor.
PERMANENT ME
After The Room Clears
$7.99 CD
Just barely out of their teens, Long Island’s PERMANENT ME deliver an album of some of the
most gracefully-memorable songs that have hit
the ears of any Bamboozle or Warped Tour fan.
Reared in the long shadow of fellow Long Island
emo-alumni such as Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, PERMANENT ME have managed to synthesize those modern influences
into crisp, classic, pop sound. With lyrics about growing up in suburbia, first loves and getting high, PERMANENT ME have struck a
chord with many youth.
Universal
GREEN DAY
Kerplunk!
$9.99 CD
A dozen years before GREEN DAY’s Grammy winning, five-times-platinum, #1-charting
American Idiot punk rock epic, and before
Dookie launched the band to multiplatinum
heights, there was Kerplunk!. Previously out of
print and nearly impossible to find, GREEN DAY’s second fulllength album – now reissued for the first time on a major label –
defined the band’s sound (and introduced Tre’ Cool as its drummer) with memorable riffs, metal-strength momentum and a
decade’s worth of attitude.
Reprise
®
JILL SCOTT
THE USED
Berth
$15.99 CD/DVD
As fans anxiously await the third studio album
from THE USED – the first two went gold – the
band puts its combustible live show on both CD
and DVD for the first time with Berth. Along with
the Toronto concert from the 2005 Taste Of
Chaos tour, the package updates the band’s history since 2003’s
video-platinum CD and DVD set, Maybe Memories, with footage
about 2004’s Top 10 In Love And Death, the world tour, the making of the new album (expected spring 2007), as well as music
videos.
Warner Brothers
10
Collaborations
$14.99 CD
Talent, innovation, style, charisma, passion and
versatility are just a few of the words that come
to mind when people talk about the true artistry
that has become JILL SCOTT’s trademark. From
the vaults of Hidden Beach, come the works
that show why JILL SCOTT continues to defy categorization with
this first ever collection of what is arguably the most unique set
of collaborations by one artist ever assembled.
Hidden Beach
listening stations
PAPA ROACH The Paramour Sessions
$11.99 CD
PAPA ROACH has developed a follow-up to their
million-plus-selling album with The Paramour
Sessions. These Grammy Nominees have come
up with another meaty effort using their driving
rock ‘n roll licks and pop-smart hooks. These are
boisterous, brash and in-your-face tracks that will leave you asking for more.
Geffen
®
YOUNG LOVE
THE BEATLES
Love
$14.99 CD
Love is a fascinating re-work of numerous classic BEATLES recordings by the band’s original
producer, Sir George Martin and his son Giles.
Love is also the title of the highly-successful
Cirque de Soleil show, a co-production with
Apple Corps, featuring the music of THE BEATLES and currently
wowing crowds in Las Vegas. Ultimately, what George and Giles
have done is pushed back the boundaries and come up with a
brand new work that will add to the enduring legacy of the band.
Capitol
Too Young To Fight It
$8.99 CD
In the planning stages for years, YOUNG LOVE
finally releases Too Young To Fight It. With this
release, the plans of singer/songwriter and frontman Dan Keyes are realized—to find the place
where rock, dance and pop could co-exist.
Flirting with rock ’n roll and club attitude, Too Young To Fight It
is pop confection that could fit comfortably into the New York
underground rock scene, without ever emulating it.
Island
INMEMORY
Safety In Rumors
$8.99 CD
Safety In Rumors smells of the freshest record
of the year just coming out of the oven...to be
served with love before the end of the year. The
music will impress, captivate and shred your
head into pieces—all the while making you sing
and dance along. It will leave you with goose-bumps and one hellof-a good taste in your mouth.
Lumberjack
GNARLS BARKLEY St. Elsewhere
Atlantic $14.99 CD
GNARLS BARKLEY is the highly-octane collaboration from Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo. Danger
Mouse is one of the most important artist/producers in music today. Accolades include GQ's
"Men Of The Year" honor; Spin's "Eccentric
Genius Of The Year", NME's "Hottest Hip-Hop Producer In The
World", Entertainment Weekly's "Album Of The Year", Grammy
nominations and more. Cee-Lo is a Grammy-nominated, founding
member of Goodie Mob. He wrote and produced the Pussycat
Dolls #1 smash hit "Don't Cha" and his two solo albums for Arista
scanned over 500,000 units combined.
CONVERGE
Konvicted
$12.99 CD
AKON has finally released his sophomore album,
Konvicted. He released his debut album Trouble
in 2004, which included the singles “Locked
Up,” “Bananza,” “Pot Of Gold” and “Ghetto.”
“Locked Up” reached the top 10 in the U.S. and
the top 5 in the UK, and was written after AKON was jailed for
three years for armed robbery. Recently,he gained more popularity after being featured in the song “Soul Survivor” with rapper
Young Jeezy and then with his own artist,T-Pain. AKON also has his
own record label, called Konvict Muzik.
Universal Records
No Heroes
10.99 CD
Since breaking out of the hardcore scene with
2001's savage masterpiece, Jane Doe, CONVERGE have been the band to watch—pacesetters who've consistently set the next creative
level in aggressive music. Their Epitaph debut,
You Fail Me, was named one of 2004's Ten Essential Releases by
Alternative Press. Now comes No Heroes, an album that brilliantly combines the textural sonics of You Fail Me with the brutal
assault of Jane Doe. CONVERGE are poised to follow in the footsteps of bands like Darkest Hour and Norma Jean.
Epitaph
SHINY TOY GUNS
We Are Pilots
8.99 CD
We Are Pilots is the debut album from Motown’s
SHINY TOY GUNS, an eclectic bunch that writes
songs about everything from fear to frustration to
love and adoration to humility to humor to death
and to life in general. In their quest, SHINY TOY
GUNS are their own weapons of sharpness and clarity as they
search for strength, for soul and for hope. They do it alone and
they do it now. SHINY TOY GUNS are the pilots of progress in their
own plight.
Motown
AKON
SOULKID #1
Americanized
$10.99 CD
SOULKID #1 is a Los Angeles-based artist that is
the brainchild of songwriting talent of Marc
Godfrey. Musically this album is a fresh mash-up
of rock, soul, britpop, psychedelica, R&B and
hip-hop beats...think an updated version of
Beck meets Bowie.
Organic Music
SPARTA
Threes
Hollywood $8.99 CD
A new label (Hollywood Records) and a new guitar player (Keeley Davis) seem to have invigorated the mighty SPARTA, resulting in an exchange
of shadows with the often mightier At the DriveIn. While SPARTA's previous releases have shown
a knack for brooding, bloody-fingered antics, that has changed
considerably with Threes. This record, sounds like a beast that's
broken its chains and is fighting between the road ahead and
going back from whence it came.
11
new artist spotlight
KRISTOFFER RAGNSTAM
Sweet Bills
(Bluhammock)
because I don't write this to satisfy a trendy
clique or certain type of people. I did it for
myself, but it makes me very happy that a
teenager, or a hip art student, and/or an old
man like my work.
How would you describe your music to someone
who's never heard you before?
KR: Pop-rock with 30 years of many good and
bad experiences.
t seems like more and more, acts from
across the pond are gaining recognition
stateside. The Mint Chicks from New
Zealand, Monrose from Germany, and now
Kristoffer Ragnstam from Sweden. Haven't
heard of him? He's been making waves since
his stateside tour last fall promoting his EP
Do You Want A Piece Of Me, which is a teaser for his LP debut Sweet Bills. Receiving
hype from magazines like Filter and being
compared to Beck, Supergrass and Roxy
Music might be a lot for an emerging artist to
handle, but ask Ragnstam and he'll tell you
he just tries to be honest with his music and
work hard. ZiaZine! connected with Ragnstam
and chatted about making it big in the U.S.,
the challenges of being a Swedish artist and
how being broke leads to good songwriting.
I
What part of Sweden are you from?
KRISTOFFER RAGNSTAM: I live in Gothenburg,
the second-biggest town here. But was born
in a town called Kungälv. Kingriver is the right
translation of that name; it's a great spot in
Sweden, mostly known for their cookies. It's a
cookie town. You often smell the lovely smell
from its big factory.
What's the hardest thing about being a musician
in Sweden?
KR: The hardest thing is that it's so small that
I always want to escape, but when I'm gone, I
do miss my hometown like it's my girlfriend.
To be honest, I do think it's pretty good to be
a musician in Sweden. Some of us can get
some money help from the government.
Sweden does still have great exports of bands
and songwriters, even if we still stand in the
big shadow of ABBA.
So it seems like you've come out of nowhere,
what have you been doing to get you where you
are today?
KR: Everything and nothing. Working hard
in many recording and rehearsal studios,
12
building drum sets under my own name and
searching for a girl who would like me as I am.
Is it hard for a Swedish performer to make it big
in the U.S.?
KR: I don't think it matters that much where
you come from, but it's easier if you've got a
good album and a great team behind you,
such as a loyal band and an understanding
and supportive record label. My management
is one of the biggest reasons why I'm here. Of
course, it can be little bit hard during interviews and that type of stuff. It's pretty hard to
be quick, funny and interesting 24-7 when
you aren't doing your work in your mother
tongue!
Where do you fit into the world of pop music?
Do you write all the music and lyrics?
KR: I write some music by my own or co-write
some with my friend Joel Lundberg. The lyrics
are mine.
How do you write it, what inspires you?
KR: The life. Normal things. Mostly ladies and
being broke. I write what's on my mind, and
I'm not trying to be smart or a computer, just
a musician you know, and that's the reason
why I'm only able to sing about me being me.
Is Do You Want a Piece of Me fairly representative of Sweet Bills, or are there some surprises
on the LP?
KR: That EP represents me as an artist, but
the album has more songs, more songs for
more people to like or not like.
KR: I don't know, but I'm honest with my
music. I like melodies and energy, but these
don't have to be in your face or direct at all
times. Sometimes I like to put them in a stifling way, too. I don't know if this puts me in
the world of pop music though. In a lot of
reviews I have received they say I don't belong
anywhere or I belong everywhere. That's good,
Was your fall tour last year your first time to
the U.S.?
KRISTOFFER RAGNSTAM
songs that are catchier then The Strokes, but
so much better. They range from neo-newwave on “Fashion” to soul-injected Bowie
meets the Bee Gees on “Breakfast by the
Mattress,” with a swanky inspiration. Just
when you think he's jumped genres the last
time, Ragnstam moves things in a Van
Morrison direction with the beautiful and
heartsy title track, “Do You Want a Piece of
Me.” He even dips into Gnarls Barkley territory on “Woke Up Left Handed.” Full of funky
great changes and moody intervals, Ragnstam
proves he more then deserves the hype that's
starting to build around him. If this EP is an
indication of things to come, we'll probably be
seeing a lot more of Ragnstam. — CL
Do You Want A Piece Of Me
(Bluhammock)
Chances are you probably haven't heard of
Kristoffer Ragnstam yet.
He's from Sweden, he's
only played a handful of
shows in the U.S., and
he's gotten very little
press. What press he has received though has
been all fawning and glowing, the likes of
which are usually reserved for breaking stars.
Which makes sense, because Ragnstam's EP
shows off his uncanny ability to put together
KR: I've been in USA before, but that was the
first time I got the chance to see something
other than New York. And I like the other
cities as well and I met great, friendly people.
Perfect opportunity to see how massive your
country is. — Casey Lynch
13
cover story
CHIMAIRA
Resurrection
(Ferret)
Chimaira breathes fire again
etal enthusiasts have had plenty to
be excited about lately - metal has
made a serious resurgence in the
last few years - look no further than
Ohio's heavier-than-heavy-metal technicians Chimaira for proof. Belting out blazing fast, double-barreled metal for almost
10 years, the six-piece act has been
through its share of ups and down and has
come back swinging. Chimaira's newest
album, Resurrection, finds the band setting a course deep into uncharted metal
territory. ZiaZine! spoke with singer Mark
Hunter and producer Jason Suecof about
the making of Resurrection and solidifying
the band's line-up.
M
How do you feel about the new record?
MARK HUNTER: I feel unbelievable about it.
I mean, it's never happened where the six
of us feel, like the Anthrax record title, we
have a state of euphoria. This is the first
time we've all been on the same page, no
doubts.
What was the hardest part of recording
Resurrection?
JASON SUECOF: Staying awake (laughs).
MH: It was interesting at times (pause,
14
laugh). Jason is one of those musical
geniuses that can play everything, you hate
and admire him at the same time. But as
far as a producer, he has ADD really bad.
We'd be in the middle of tracking a guitar
solo, and he'd go take a nap.
power of Jesus and frosted flakes and
Deicide I got the gig.
Did that happen a lot?
MH: We got our original drummer Andols
(Herrick) back. We had to record with a
new drummer last record. Andols had a
breakdown at the tail end of 2003 and
didn't want to tour anymore and he wanted
to leave. When he told us we were also
touring with a band called Soilwork and the
drummer left, so we took him on but he
didn't really fit in with us. Then we got
Kevin (Talley), recommended by Kerry
King. We toured with Kevin for a while,
but, you know, we're the kind of band that
it's hard to get in with us.
MH: Every day! It was almost like you
needed a leash on him. He has the attention span of a 2-year-old.
JS: Actually the way we recorded was scary
to me. We originally started tracking and
we did guitars for a song, then the bass,
then the vocals. What I'm saying is that we
finished a song at a time, which to me is
evil, because I was afraid of losing a setting on a preamp or something.
Chimaira guys have had more drummers than
Spinal Tap. What's your drummer status now,
Mark?
Jason, how did you get picked to produce
Resurrection?
Why did you leave Roadrunner?
JS: I think just by hanging out at shows.
Mark had tracked the vocals here on the
Roadrunner United record, it's called “The
Enemy” (hums, sings some lyrics). I'm sure
before that day he probably thought I was
an ***hole and hated me. He's only seen
me at a God Forbid or Trivium show and I'm
always as annoying as Christ, but by the
MH: We weren't happy with how they were
promoting us. When our (self-titled) album
came out, it just felt like we got the short
end of the stick. We put our heart and soul
into the album and felt like it could've
done better with more support. I talked to
our A&R guy as a friend, like it was a marriage that wasn't working out. So it was just
an amicable split.
This Jason kills as a producer
Producer Jason Suecof recorded Cleveland's Chimaira at his
Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Fla. Suecof is becoming the
man when it comes to metallic production. Give the man credit,
though, he's a musician in his own right. Suecof began playing
guitar at 8 years old. Five years later, he started the band
Capharnaum with his brother Jordan, who at 9 years old was the
band's drummer. That was 1993, and the band, originally just the
two brothers, went through some changes before Jason Suecof
recorded Capharnaum's 1998 release “Fractured” at
Audiohammer. Jason wrote the title tune, and the line-up included his friend Matt Heafy (now of Trivium) doing the lead vocals.
Since then, Jason has worked the controls for everybody heavy it
seems: God Forbid, Monstrosity, Control Denied, Richard Christy,
Burning Inside, Trivium, Adrift and now, of course, Chimaira.
—- Salvatore Caputo
Producer Jason Suecof, sitting, helped the six members
of Chimaira get on the same page on Resurrection, the
band's new CD scheduled to drop March 6.
Chimaira's lives
Mark Hunter on vocals, Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold on guitars, Jim LaMarca on
bass, Andy Herrick on drums and Chris Spicuzza on electronics.
THIS PRESENT DARKNESS
(Self-released, 2000)
The group's blend of metal, hardcore, thrash and electronics gets
its first airing on this EP, which sold 10,000 copies when the
band was still essentially working its hometown of Cleveland.
PASS OUT OF EXISTENCE
(Roadrunner, 2001)
How did you guys get hooked up with Ferret?
MH: Three of the five guys that work there
are from Roadrunner. This is funny, I sent
an e-mail to Paul Conroy, like a joke to him,
saying, “OK. We'll be off contract with
Roadrunner soon, when should we get the
contracts?” But they were actually fans of
the band and they came to see us play and
literally before we knew it, there were the
contracts.
Where does Chimaira fit into the renaissance
of metal that's been going on in the last
few years?
A full-length debut on a national label finds the band working and
thrashing hard as it tries to find its own sound.
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF REASON
(Roadrunner, 2003)
The band admits this one blew the lid off and got the guys fullscale national recognition. They went on the road with the likes of
Slipknot, Machine Head and Lamb Of God and toured with
Ozzfest to boot.
CHIMAIRA
(Roadrunner, 2005)
MH: I would say we're doing what is the
renaissance. We've toured with bands like
Slayer, total pros, and this resurgence of
metal gives us a goal to be as tight as players as the classics are and to have the
longevity that they do. I mean, in the early
days we were influenced by bands like that,
but nowadays we've really captured our
sound. It's weird, we're almost ripping ourselves off, which is a great feeling. It must
mean something.
Most of this effort was written by guitarist Rob Arnold, a definite
change from the previous collaborative work Chimaira had done.
At the same time, it's proof that Chimaira isn't stuck in just one
metal bag because it ranges from the speedy thrash of “Nothing
Remains” to the grand soundscape of “Bloodlust” to the straightahead thrust of “Lazarus.” Mark Hunter has said, “I'm proud of that record, but it
sucked the life out of us.” It peaked at No. 74 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart.
— Casey Lynch
A new label, a new producer and a renewed band. Chimaira did a
lot of group experimentation as the members decided to get to
know each other musically once again. The title track, “Six” and
“Empire” are all expected to get plenty of play from fans. — SC
RESURRECTION
(Ferret, 2007)
15
16
17
questions & answers
CORVUS
We All Fall Down
(Self-released)
nyone who's taken a course in Greek
Mythology has never forgotten the big
saga behind Corvus, a four-point
constellation in the sky that looks like a
lopsided box. It's there to remind us of the
time Apollo sent some shiftless crow (or
raven, depending on the version of the
myth) to fetch him a cup of water. After
considerable goofing off, the crow shows
up late with a damned water snake. That
was all Apollo needed to chuck the crow,
the cup and the snake as far away from his
sunny features as he could throw.
A
Why bring up this tale of insubordination
while talking about this young Glendale, AZ
metal-rock band? Well, it's because these
guys in Corvus, particularly singer-guitarist
Brock Brown, work hard with no half-measures taken. They'd never show up with a
snake if you sent them for a doggone cup
of water. That's just not Jake. Equally, they
could've stood stock still on the cover of
their self-released debut We All Fall Down,
pouting for all the world to see, looking
mean and angular like every other brooding
band in Hades but where's the dedication
in that? So here they are on their first-ever
full-length album, leaping for your amusement and leaping quite high. Of course,
this leaping aerodynamic is a very retro
stock-in-trade idea from back in the days
18
when photographers had no inclination of
what rock bands were about and everyone
from The Beatles on down had to challenge
gravity because of their ignorance.
When I mention this to Brock, who's probably never even seen a Gerry and the
Pacemakers album cover, he gives me a
very different and deliberate motivation for
the album acrobatics. On the eve of releasing a first record after six years of numerous lineup shifts, it's a nice way of encapsulating the band's history while at the
same time putting that history behind
Corvus. But that's not how he said it.
BROCK BROWN: We took a photo just like
that of the original group when we were 16.
We started out in 1999, a little high school
thing. It only got serious about two years
ago. But I thought back to when we started
one night, and for some reason I had had
that “London Bridge” nursery rhyme running through my head. And I thought why
don't we re-create that picture, title the CD
We All Fall Down, call it a night and get
this record out?
High school's a superb time to be in a rock
band. You get to be stars for playing maybe
one assembly and you get to impress the
more easily impressed junior and sophomore girls.
BB: (Shakes head) On the contrary. Nobody
liked us back in high school because we
were so different. We went to Apollo High
School. (Another Greek allusion for you Editor.) People always had something
against me because I was so different. I've
been told I look like a pretty boy and I didn't play the role of Mr. Jock. I'd keep to
myself and say what I wanted to say when
something needed to be said and people
didn't like that. I got made fun of a lot and
it hurt. So I draw lyrically from that time
and from relationships I've had with girls.
What sort of music were you into then?
BB: I was young and all into Metallica.
Being 15, 16, 17, I just tried to copy
them, and people didn't like that. It took a
while to find our own sound.
Were you called something Metallic-y sounding back then? Like Masters of Puppies or
something?
BB: (Laughs) Naw, we've always been
Corvus. Since Day One. Our original drummer was all, “Hey, let's start a band,” and
he kind of threw it on me to write and sing.
I didn't want to do any of this stuff, I wanted to just be a blazing lead guitarist, but
then I started doing it and really liking it,
and now I can't really remember a time
questions & answers
when I didn't have the band.
But you've had some lineup changes since
then, right?
BB: Unfortunately the drummer who's on
the album also had to leave because he has
hemophilia. He would bruise from playing.
If he was a guitarist or a singer you can get
around it, but there's no way he could possibly tour, and he understood that. A lot of
people left gracefully and have been happy
helping us out to find the right person.
Adam the guitarist and Brian the drummer
we have now are really dedicated guys so I
couldn't be happier. Adam is an original
from when we wanted to get serious, make
albums and do this for a career. He's been
in the band about three years.
According to your myspace page, I see you
still have no bass player.
BB: Yes, that's kind of thrown a wrench in
everything. The guys we recorded with, we
were in talks with the USO about doing
some shows, and our bass player got a little freaked out by that. He didn't even
come to us and tell us, he just up and left
and put us in a tough spot, because our CD
is selling well at Zia's. We originally took
40 in to Zia and this morning I took another 60 CDs down. You guys have a top 20
listing and we were number 15, alongside
Primus and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and
stuff like that, so that was kinda cool to
see.
The USO, that's pretty cool too. How'd you
hook that up?
BB: We played a show at some bar, and
they were there, heard us and liked us. So
we had to submit all our stuff and hopefully that goes through. They're very picky
about who they send over there. It's just a
waiting game at this point.
Is there any overthrow-the-government lyrics
somewhere you're worried about? Are they
seeing what the band is about ideologically?
BB: No, no, no. (laughs) They probably
want to see if we're dedicated enough to go
over there. They'd send us to Kuwait,
Germany, no place where there's any fighting. I would love to go. The troops are over
there fighting for you. They're probably
bored being over there. They get a lot of
rock, 'cause of the energy factor.
guy came up to me at a wedding and asked
if I played guitar. He said, “I sensed something special about you. I've got a recording studio. I want you to come down and
record.” Being a 15-year-old kid I thought,
“The big time! This is my shot!” And the
guy stood us up. My dad saw how bad that
crushed me so he took it upon himself to
find us a studio, we recorded a demo, and
he's been behind us ever since. We're a
garage band.
I always wish there was a garage band that
actually stuck to garage issues, like “We're
running low on WD 40.” Or “Let's put all drill
bits in a tackle box. So, when we look for
them, we can find them.” Maybe Corvus can
be that band!
BB: I believe Weezer has a song on the
blue album called “In the Garage.” They
beat us to the punch so I won't go there.
(Laughs)
— Serene Dominic
How did your dad become involved as your
manager? Was he in a band before?
BB: He has no music aptitude whatsoever.
He just loves what we do, that's how it
happened. When we were really young, this
19
questions & answers
VERSED IN GREY
Burning The Circuit Tree
(Self-released)
tacts for bands were owners and managers
at clubs. Now you have to go through production companies, which have really
changed things. It wasn't that way before,
you could get in good with an owner or
manager or a booking contact and you were
set.
Are you planning on trying to make a career
out of this?
ou don't have to look very far in life to
find divisions - from politics and sex to
sports, and yes, music, people take
sides on pretty much everything. But ask
the members of Phoenix proto-metal band
Versed in Grey about the differences that
separate people, and they'll tell you that
there's a lot more gray area in life than
most people think. ZiaZine! recently spoke
with Norm Wall, guitarist of Versed in Grey,
about the gray areas in their own music
and starting a band from scratch when
you're almost 30.
Y
Tell us about your name - is it just a “heavy”
name or is there more to it than that?
NORM WALL: We actually didn't come up
with it until about two months before the
CD was finished. We had all kinds of ideas
and almost too many choices, but we narrowed it down to Versed in Grey because it
speaks to this idea that everything in life
only has two sides and is either this or that,
black and white, no in between, which
really bothers us. You hear all the time
about the gray area in life, the band name
speaks to the fact that we're not really good
at being good or bad but being in the middle, and it can apply to every aspect of life,
even our sound.
So your sound doesn't fall in any one category?
NW: We're not all alternative or metal.
We're more fighting for a piece of land
somewhere in the middle. We're sort of
20
halfway in between the sounds we like. We
have our radio-friendly moments, what I
call ear-candy parts, but we have a little bit
of the best of both worlds.
How did you decide on that?
NW: The first day we got together, we wrote
“Self-Absorbed,” which is the first song on
the CD, and it just went from there. About
six months later, we had about half an
album's worth of material, so we decided to
write enough material for a full CD and
then record. When we recorded we hadn't
even played live yet.
Really?
NW: Yeah (laughs). We were just writing
and having fun with the music. We weren't
ready to put ourselves out there, and we
were just polishing everything.
Do you have plans for touring?
NW: We started to put together a rough
plan to do a West Coast swing. We have
enough contacts to do California, Oregon
and Washington. We have been talking with
promoters because we don't want to do it
on our own. Hopefully during the summer,
we'll have it put together, even if it’s just
two weeks around the West Coast. It'll all
depend on how the spring goes.
As far as what?
NW: Generating interest, talking to promoters. Five or six years ago a lot of the con-
NW: I think we all came to the conclusion
that we're going to take this as far as we
can take it. If it comes to the point where
we can make it into a career, we'll lean in
that direction. Obviously we're all adults,
we have jobs, we have responsibilities.
How old are you guys?
NW: I'm 28, my brother Jeremy (Wall,
drummer) is 27, Augie (Palacio III, singer)
and Jim (Roggentien) are right around 30.
Are any of you married?
NW: My brother is and so is Augie.
Any kids?
NW: I have 3 kids, my brother has 2 kids.
Do you think it's possible for a band to get
national attention and a deal without touring
and with everyone in the band keeping fulltime jobs?
NW: Ten years ago I would say no, but
today with the Internet, I think a band
could have one song and a little luck and
have things really take off. You obviously
make it harder on yourselves going this
route, but I think your chances are greater
than they were before.
Is it harder starting a band at 28 than 18?
NW: It's harder getting younger fans into
your music, however I believe every other
aspect is easier. We understand what I
want to do musically now. If I could wave a
magic wand and be doing what I'm doing
now at 21, of course I would.
— Casey Lynch
21
questions & answers
SIGNS OF BETRAYAL
Wide-Eyed Coma
(Self-Released)
or the last three years, Phoenix-based
sextet Signs of Betrayal has been
churning out bulldozer-heavy melodic
rock and making a name for itself along the
West Coast. With two records released and
a gaggle of shows under their belts with the
likes of Static X, Seether and Lacuna Coil,
the guys are prepping to return to the
studio this summer to put out what will be
their heaviest and most realized offering
yet. ZiaZine! talked with SOB guitarist
Steve Schon about what the future holds,
the pros and cons of the Phoenix scene
and why Phoenix fans have a reputation for
throwing things.
growth from our first record to the second.
The new record we're writing now I think is
our best work yet.
Are you writing for the next record right now?
SS: It's weird. We play shows with both
heavier and lighter bands, and we're seeing
there's a lot of crossover. We played with
this band Selfless, who are way harder than
us, but their fans were into it. We seem to
do good with a heavier crowd. I don't think
we could play on an all-metal bill, but fans
of Chevelle, Tool, A Perfect Circle will enjoy
us.
F
STEVE SCHON: Yes, hopefully we'll go into
the studio in the middle of May, June and
hope to release in July. We're shooting for
around 12 songs.
Are you planning on coinciding a tour with
the release of the upcoming record?
SS: Hopefully. We've done a lot of shows
around the West Coast. Hopefully, we can
work with our management in L.A. to get
some things going for the release. They're
always trying to get us shows in L.A., San
Diego or Vegas. Right now there's no major
touring planned out, but yeah, hopefully.
How did you guys find your sound?
SS: We all share influences. We're all in
our 20s, so we grew up listening to Korn,
Deftones, Slipknot. Right now, we're on a
Killswitch kick. We get together and play
what we want to hear. It's 100 percent
based on what we feel. Over time, it's
developed. There's been quite a bit of
22
Do you guys write as a band or is there a main
songwriter?
SS: We all contribute. It usually starts with
a guitar riff, a bass part. Now that we have
a key player, he brings stuff to the table.
You know we try to feed off the best riff
that's there at the time. It's crazy.
Sometimes songs come together in a few
hours. Other times it takes a few weeks,
What scene do you feel like you fit into locally?
Do you feel like Signs of Betrayal could be a
radio band?
SS: Yes, but I wouldn't say we try to write
that way, like writing three and a half
minute songs with verse/chorus/verse/chorus formulas. Maybe it's just because it's
my band, but I could see us on the radio.
here. It really only takes one good band,
like the way Jimmy Eat World broke
through. Even bands like Job For A Cowboy
are getting recognition now. It's just a matter of time.
What's the best thing about being from
Phoenix?
SS: There's a lot of support here for bands,
and we've had some great opportunities.
We got to play with Static X on a 98 KUPD
show in June. Talking with Wayne Static, I
guess Static X draws better here than they
do in L.A., and they're from L.A. He says
it's such a great city here, even though
we're notorious for throwing things at
bands.
What, you mean like shoes and stuff?
SS: Yeah, that's just what I've heard.
Talking to bands like Static X, I've heard
several comments that people throw stuff.
I mean Maynard got hit in the head with a
water bottle at Cricket during the second
song of their set. I was afraid he wasn't
going to come back.
Has anyone ever thrown anything at you guys?
SS: No, but at this level we'd be thrilled if
we got hit with stuff. You know, every band
goes through it, so we're game. We enjoy
the occasional bra or panties.
What's the hardest part of being a band in
Phoenix?
So bras and panties are OK, but no bricks, or
men's underwear?
SS: Probably the lack of recognition. There
are a lot of great bands here. I think it has
the potential to be a major hub in the
American music scene. I've heard that
labels don't even have A&R to send out
SS: (Laughs) Of course not.
— Casey Lynch
like
nothing says love
bly at
snorting uncontrolla
tral
these Comedy Cen
Records releases!
Dane Cook
Dane Cook
Harmful if Swallowed
Retaliation
Mitch Hedberg
Jim Gaffigan
Lewis Black
Demetri Martin
Mitch All Together
Beyond The Pale
The Carnegie Hall Performance
These Are Jokes
23
cd reviews
GEORGE JONES &
MERLE HAGGARD
Kickin' Out the
Footlights … Again
(Bandit)
George Jones and Merle Haggard teamed up
on an album called Yesterday's Wine 25
years ago, little dreaming just how quickly
that title would describe them. Now on the
sequel, it's fitting that they start off with a
duet on Haggard's “Footlights,” a classic
lookin'-back song if there ever was one: “I
live the kind of life most men only dream of
/ Make my living writing songs and singing
them.” Hag and No-Show do four duets,
and each takes on songs associated with
the other on the remaining 10 tracks. This
produces fine new additions to the country
canon, like Haggard's turn on Jones' wayweepy classic “She Thinks I Still Care” and
Jones' well-oiled take on Haggard's “I Think
I'll Just Stay Here and Drink.” The best of
the duets is Hag's “Born with the Blues.”
The contrast between Jones' tightly controlled vocal and Haggard's world-weary
delivery heightens the desolation of the
lyrics. Notwithstanding the advice of
Satchel Paige and Bob Dylan, sometimes
it's cool to look back. — Salvatore Caputo
AL DI MEOLA
Consequence of
Chaos
(Telarc)
Guitarist/composer Al Di
Meola begins and ends this album by
visiting “San Marco,” the great square in
Venice. He lays a little Italian on us letting
us know that the opening version is modern
(“moderna” in Italian) and the closer is
vecchio (“old” in English). The two versions
sum up what Di Meola is all about: contrasts. He has a classic jazz sensibility, but
VARIOUS ARTISTS
8-Bit Operators
(Astralwerks)
YOKO ONO &
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Yes, I'm a Witch
(Astralwerks)
SONDRE LERCHE
YOUNG LOVE
Phantom Punch
Too Young to Fight It
(Astralwerks)
(Island)
After leaving Texas and
his post-punk band,
Recover, Young Love's
main man, Dan Keyes, headed to New York
City armed with demo tapes of the songs
that had been swimming around in his head
for years. Those, a guitar, and some clothes.
And oh yes, you know it - a dream. He wanted to play those songs cruising in his mental landscape, but they'd never worked for
any of his previous musical projects, as they
were much more dance-oriented, powerful
in a completely different way. Those tunes
became the signature songs that shaped his
new sound. On this 11-song full-length,
Keyes and company create a high-energy
record that merges synth-pop styles from
the Cars to the Killers with a little glam, a
touch of straight rock and the spirit of a
serious pair of disco pants to cause serious
shake 'n' grind action on the dance floor.
— Amy Young
24
With sounds ranging from retro to cutting
edge to just plain weird, record company
Astralwerks is ready to drop three inventive compact discs on the U.S. on Feb. 6.
With a sound that hearkens back to a simpler time in video-game history, 8-Bit
Operators features a collection of 15
Kraftwerk tracks covered by several artists
using lo-bit microchip synthesizers, such
as those used to create game soundtracks
for
Gameboys,
Ataris,
Nintendo
Entertainment Systems and Commodores.
Those familiar with Kraftwerk already
know the band's love of electronic synthesizers and all that sounds computer-generated. But 8-Bit Operators really manages to up the ante, creating a collection
that is both faithful to the original tracks
but uses an electronic language all its
own. Not to mention that the music is
extremely catchy. David E. Sugar's cover
of “Radioactivity” features a sublimely
danceable beat, while still staying true to
its geek-chic roots. “Computer World,” as
covered by firestARTer, sucks the listener
into an almost trancelike state with its
mellow chord progressions, while still
keeping feet tapping with its driving bass
he's always worked in a fusion context, even
when his fingers are flying up and down the
frets of an acoustic, rather than an electric,
guitar. Di Meola sets off his playing in a
variety of band settings, including one-man
overdub band, where the guitar flits over a
bedrock of synthesized keyboard and prerecorded acoustic percussion. Most notable is
his reunion with pianist Chick Corea on
“Red Moon,” which echoes their days in
Return to Forever, and “Cry for You,” a
subtler, sweeter acoustic duet. In whatever
context, though, the Consequence of
Chaos for Di Meola is music that's smart
and soulful. — SC
line. One can almost imagine Mario and
Princess Toadstool at a rave. It's a lot of
fun and is sure to bring a smile to anyone
who owned a Nintendo in their youth.
Yes, I'm a Witch brings some of Yoko
Ono's classic songs re-imagined by some
of today's most influential and creative
artists. The CD features 17 tracks, with
names such as Hank Shocklee, Peaches,
Le Tigre, DJ Spooky, Cat Power,
Polyphonic Spree and The Flaming Lips
attached. Each artist was given the original master recording from Ono's 1977 LP,
A Story, and given free reign to change,
rerecord and otherwise manipulate the
tracks as they saw fit. The result is a collection of songs that are instantly accessible to today's listeners and infinitely,
sublimely weird. Some of the tracks are
straight-up dance tunes, the kind you
would likely hear played in clubs across
the U.S. Others, such as “Cambridge,”
brought to life by The Flaming Lips,
sound as if they would be the perfect
soundtrack for a bad acid trip. An intriguing and avant-garde listen.
Phantom Punch by Sondre Lerche has the
potential to launch the artist's career in a
major way. The Norwegian singer has
crafted a disc full of tight, guitar-driven
pop songs that are both light and fun, but
still manage to demand multiple listenings. A single particularly worth checking
out is “Phantom Punch,” which balances
a loosely funk-inspired bass line with a
propulsive guitar melody that moves the
song readily forward to an energetic conclusion. He also shows a commanding
presence on softer tracks. “After All” is a
fine example, with its softly folkish underpinnings that convey the lyrics' sense of
bittersweet longing and hope. After
spending years touring and recording with
big-time artists such as Elvis Costello,
Nada Surf and Liz Phair, it is obvious
Lerche is ready to take the world by storm
on his own. — Julie Messner
cd reviews
JIVIN' SCIENTISTS
Monsters
(JivinMusic)
Going strong for more
than 10 years now,
Tucson's Jivin' Scientists
are brothers James (aka “Runt”) and Jason
(aka “Deeko”) Owens, originally from New
Mexico, and an ensemble crew of talented
turntable-ists and musicians. Pushing
smooth-sounding, laid-back rap vocals over
hip-hop beats and adding in touches of
funk and soul, the Scientists' newest offering is nothing but hooks and grooves. The
lyrics are frank and tackle individual and
universal issues, while flowing like a calm
river. The sense of championing adversity
comes through in “Almost James Dean,”
with lines like “I pick myself up/And brush
off the dirt/In a real wicked sense/To
improve my self-worth.” The beats on
“Place to Fall,” are so minimal and kick in
with a mild crackle that makes you think
you're listening to some cool old-school
vinyl. Tracks like “All Smiles” are impossible to shake from the brain. — AY
GUITAR SHORTY
We The People
into their careers like the Deftones did last
time out, it usually signals an imminent
split, an inability to agree on ideas or an
admission to the cupboard being officially
empty, like an odds and ends album, which
also followed immediately afterward.
Although Deftones proved the band could
outblast its nu-metal contemporaries with
sheer force of will, it was viewed as a holding pattern by fans of the more progressive
White Pony. They return to art-rock with a
vengeance here, installing controversial producer Bob Ezrin, who blankets the band
with atmospheric reverb until it sounds like
a malevolent storm cloud passing overhead.
Case in point, the magnificent droning and
drowning “Beware,” which also finds Chino
Moreno stretching syllables at half-speed
and ominously asking, “Do you like the way
the water tastes?” The leadoff single, “Hole
in the Earth,” should reconnect the band to
its Adrenaline-era audience as it sounds like
it could be a more-evolved and adventurous
Red Hot Chili Peppers tune and the noisy
“Rapture” will satisfy fans who've stayed on
since the beginning. But it's the balance of
the album that the band can be rightly
proud of, as it assures the Deftones' place
alongside sound alchemists like Radiohead
or Ministry and as far away from the backward baseball caps as possible.
— Serene Dominic
(Alligator)
From the first muscular
guitar riff that opens this
album, Guitar Shorty
(David Kearney) reheats the blues with a
furious flame. In the title tune, about the
bad working-class job economy, Shorty spits
out his contempt: “I thought Congress was
supposed to work for me / Well, it ain't
working!” “Cost of Livin'” mines the same
vein in a country-blues style. Don't get the
idea that this album is full of sociopolitical
commentary, though. It's mostly about men
and women getting it on and turning it off
or is that the other way around? Shorty
embraces Stones-like rock when he asks the
age-old musical question: “What good is
life without good loving?” He hits a modern
vein of devil-on-my-tail blues in “I Got Your
Number,” (why, it's 666, of course). The
churning opening of “Runaway Train” nails
the swept-away emotion: “That woman hit
me like a runaway train / smoking through
the eye of a hurricane.” And you've got to
check out his mini-bio on “Blues in My
Blood.” Shorty's not shy. — SC
DEFTONES
Saturday Night Wrist
(Maverick)
When most bands release
a self-titled album well
DRAINAGE X
Pain
(Embryo)
Peeping at the CD cover
for Drainage X's new
release, Pain, it looks
like these Las Vegas guys just might be able
to cause you some if you met them under
the wrong circumstances. Delving a little
further into their bio information and festive-sounding stage shows, it seems that
members Evil, Rodent, Spider, Animal and
Tribal are most likely delivering their blend
of annihilation-themed tunes with tongues
pressed mildly into the insides of those
extra-pasty cheeks. The songs, both fast
and faster, cover a musical spectrum of predominantly speedy metal with sprinkles of
snotty classic punk and hardcore. — AY
VARIOUS ARTISTS
A Raga for Peter
Walker
(Tompkins Square)
Until the release of this
CD, guitarist Peter Walker hadn't put out a
recording in 37 years. When we last left
Walker, he was on an intense journey into
the music of India, not the way The Beatles
and so many others used ragas to give a new
flavor to their pop, but in an acoustic context that actually sought to find the common musical vocabulary between American
folk guitar and raga music. Walker reached
the firmament that John Fahey and Sandy
Bull did. On this album, he does just four
tunes, but each is a gem of melodies broadly strummed across chords, with the aural
decay of the strings simulating the drone of
a sitar. Even “Hot Fusion,” which opens
with a segment that sounds something like
a minor-key blues, seems closer to the
Ganges than the Mississippi. The rest of the
tracks are previously unreleased originals by
other guitarists - including Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore - that acknowledge the
influence and innovative style of Walker's
work. — SC
INTRINZIK
My Favorite Album
(Intrinz INK)
Intrinzik is probably the
humblest rapper hitting it
locally. “This song is
number zero / I'm way off the charts,” he
raps, knowing that indie-rap fans have his
back. On his last full-length release, Tricks
of the Trade, INT was like the Penn and
Teller of hip-hop, exposing all the smoke
and mirrors involved in maintaining the
necessary facade of a player. Here, he offers
up a resume of what he's been doing the
last five years, and it's an impressive mix
ranging from the rap metal of his band
Fallguy, to personal tidbits about his parents' breakup, to going after the liquor and
tobacco industry for their grim reaping of
profits from death and disenfranchisement.
Guest stars include such fellow Intriz INK
artists as Big B and McNastee plus star
cameos from Wu Tang's Capadonna and,
making possibly his last recorded appearance, Proof. — SD
120 DAYS
120 Days
(Vice)
With the same chillinducing drive of postpunk marvels like Joy
Division and Echo and the Bunnymen,
Norway's 120 Days are impressing the hell
out of listeners everywhere with their new,
self-titled recording. The CD is simultaneously subtle and explosive, threading itself
with a foundation of addictive beats layered
with guitars, classic synth sounds, and
vocals that knock you out by maintaining a
haunting, minimal presence that causes a
prevailing winterlike atmosphere while
absorbing each track as a whole. The band
25
cd reviews
comes from a small town in Norway and
moved to Oslo after pooling enough funds to
get a motor home. Once there, the guys
released a couple of demos and got some
high-profile gigs right quick and signed to
Vice shortly after. The 11-minute-long “I've
Lost My Vision” is exceptional, mixing a
dangerously sharp, poppy bottom track with
ethereal sounds and passionately choppy
vocals. Fans of EXTRMNTR-era Primal
Scream who are getting an electro-fix on
bands like the Killers need to take a little
detour for oh, 120 Days or so. — AY
LINDSEY
BUCKINGHAM
Under the Skin
(Reprise)
Lindsey
Buckingham
runs far from his Fleetwood Mac days.
Although Mac albums were vast, cinematic
soundscapes, Buckingham here sings close
to the microphone in a near-whisper most of
the time, with his guitar front and center.
He may overdub harmonies all over the
place and drench most of the proceedings
in reverb, but that produces a peculiarly
intimate feeling. That dovetails with the
fairly personal lyrics. For instance, in “Not
Too Late” after reading a review that calls
him a “visionary,” he asks himself “what
am I doing anyway?” and notes “my children look away; they don't know what to
say.” The two 1960s vintage tunes he covers - the Rolling Stones' “I Am Waiting” and
Donovan's “Try for the Sun” - fit in so seamlessly that he might as well have written
them too. Listening is like watching autumn
leaves falling and swirling in the breeze and
actually looking forward to winter. — SC
THE FED-UPS
Such is Life
(Self-released)
“Sometimes you gotta say
f*** it/Sometimes you
gotta let go/Or you're never gonna know,” is
the opening line from the CD's first track,
“Philosophy,” and it slams open the door to
more of that rawness and honesty that is
Tempe band the Fed-Ups. The three-piece
does a heck of a job paying homage to
straightforward, snotty '70s punk, and
singer Dane Zimmerman's voice carries all
the sass and rasp of the seminal vox masters, like Stiv Bators and the Pagans' Mike
Hudson. Bassist Jeff Darling and drummer
Jen Brooks are a tight and steady rhythm
section while Zimmerman pounds out the
guitar chords. Eleven tracks of punk-as-youknow-what rock 'n' roll. — AY
26
K-TEL DISCO AND
THE JEFF EFFECT
MAURICE
Funky Dedication
(Pioneer Productions)
(Gold Chain)
K-Tel Disco is back. If
the name isn't ringing any bells right off the
bat, rewind your mind back to 1991. That's
when K-Tel was busting out vocals as the
original front man for the still-popular
Phunk Junkeez - a position he held until
1996 - helping propel the popularity of
post-Beasties hip-hop-meets-rock style that
he’s been kickin' ever since. This go-round,
K-Tel has partnered up with the Jeff Effect
to create a two-man team that does nothing
but pay homage to the foundation of oldschool hip-hop while maintaining a freshness and renewed spirit that looks to the
future. “Big Gold Chain” gives a shout to
some rap pioneers like the Ultramagnetic
MCs (what Kool Keith was doing back in the
day), Spoonie Gee and Big Daddy Kane.
“Real Rhymer” implores you to “Get behind
a real rhymer,” and nods to the day when
bragging rights were earned truly from being
a dope MC. Funky Dedication is a spirited
and righteous return. — AY
Scrapbook
Phoenix MC and producer Maurice is dropping
his first release in years.
After taking some time off and then spending two years working on his latest and
greatest, Scrapbook, he's back and ready to
regain the following that he built back in
the day, when he started out his career by
rapping at house parties. Maurice sums up
his current state of affairs in “Here I Am”:
“I am a little bit country/a little bit rock and
roll/a little rap/a little pop and soul/my
career went from hot to cold/now I'm boilin'
over like pots on stoves.” Some of the selections on the CD are re-inspired tracks from
the MC's history, giving new fans a chance
to span his career while showcasing mostly
new material. Maurice has a quick wit,
whipping up multiple servings of clever and
catchy phrases while telling the story of his
life. — AY
XASTHUR
Subliminal Genocide
(Hydra Head)
THE SHINS
Wincing The Night
Away
(Subpop)
It wasn't that long ago
that The Shins made the
galactic jump from best-kept-secret status
to indie-darling extraordinaires. Thanks,
Natalie Portman. Still, where The Shins
successfully married the spirits of Simon
and Garfunkel with a neo-hipster sensibility
on 2001's Oh! Inverted World and 2003's
Chutes Too Narrow, the unappointed kings
of the geeky set have since moved their
sights squarely to the pabulum of '80s nuro conventions. In fact, it’s as if The Shins
singer-guitarist James Mercer stumbled
upon a crate of his records from high school
and fell in love again with The Smiths, and
in particular Morrissey. The Moz's signature
pout - along with a bevy of other '80s signifiers - finds its way into more than half of
the 11 tracks of Wincing The Night Away.
Mercer and guys - drummer Jesse Sandoval,
keyboardist Marty Crandall and bassist
Dave Hernandez - deliver some bright
points. “Girl Sailor” jams along with a blue
richness like vintage Air, while the opener
“Sleeping Lessons” sounds like an odd
clump of Jon Brion vibes and Brandon
Flowers vocal riffery. “A Comet Appears”
finds the guys returning to their established
“New Slang” soul swagger, which is just
awesome. — CL
There are fine lines that
separate the many genres
of the black-metal realm.
Because the music is rarely anything except
a terroristic and continuous sonic attack, it
can often take the keen ear of a true aficionado to determine the subtle distinctions between artists. Xasthur, the output of
one-man act Malefic, leans a bit toward the
side of Norwegian black metal by using its
symphonic elements within his layered
songs. Subliminal Genocide is an 11-track
ride that ventures through the darkness on
a foundation of textures; subtly forceful
drum beats, ferocious guitars and vocals
that are so guttural that they often equal, if
not surpass, the power of the instrumentation. The more than 12-minute long “Prison
of Mirrors” flawlessly shifts from a brutal
wall of sound to an atmospheric soundscape, while the much shorter “Pyramid of
Skulls” explores the latter style, showcasing
the minimalist side of Xasthur. — AY
JELTS AND IDOLIZE
Tomorrow's Last Try
(Earsweat)
Straight from Phoenix's
Wild Life Refuge collective, Jelts and Idolize
started out this debut recording endeavor
already armed with supreme MC and pro-
cd reviews
duction skills. What they ended up releasing highlights every last bit of their individual and collective talents. One of the best
hip-hop records this side of the Millennium,
Tomorrow's Last Try matches the excitement
and sizzle of old-school hip-hop, infusing
tracks with that luscious crackling sound
indigenous only to a well-played piece of
vinyl. It also represents a fusion of styles
from the aforementioned old school to sexy
soul with Jelts' insanely keen production,
making it visionary and replete with passion
for future possibilities. “Always on the
move/And never do we stop/To look back on
the past/And dwell on what was,” from “I'm
So Dead,” clearly drives that message
home. Intelligent, fearless and boasting
some exquisite beats and production techniques. — AY
THE POSTMARKS
The Postmarks
(Unfiltered Records/World's
Fair)
The Postmarks, a band
described as “nouveau pop,” is set to
release their debut full-length CD Feb. 6. In
the meantime, the band's record label
released a nine-track disc of remixes for
journalists to review. The problem is that
the disc contains different remixes of the
same two songs, so it's hard to get a feel for
what the album is going to sound like. The
disc does, however, contain the album version of one of the tracks, “Goodbye.” It's a
lovely tune -- dark and bittersweet in all the
right ways, with just enough brightness to
keep the track firmly rooted in the pop
genre. The ethereal lead vocals float over
the synth-pop beat, punctuated with horn
and string flourishes. The lyrics describe a
relationship strained to the breaking point
as the vocalist sings, “Don't leave a key/
underneath the mat for me/ 'cause I won't
be/ coming back around here.” Judging by
the CD description on the band's myspace
page as a journey from the “creative mire of
emptiness to the overflowing well of heartbreak,” we can likely expect more tunes in
the same vein. — Julie Messner
BRAND NEW
the early Y2K sound of alterna-punk and
numetal, Brand New pioneered indie-progrock like Oingo Boingo did in the '80s. This
time around, Brand New is again on a totally different plane. The group's third studio
album proper, The Devil and God Are
Raging Inside of Me, is more mature, more
cohesive than earlier efforts, and quite simply, it rocks. Singer Jeff Lacey harnesses a
dark but plaintive mood, like he's aged
decades since Deja Entendu, but not in an
antiquated way. Sounding more '90s college than experimental indie, songs like
“Sowing Season” and “The Archers’ Bows
Have Broken” show off the band's hardearned new street smarts, while “Jesus”
will give goose-bumps to even the most
soulless music snobs out there. There's
even what sounds like a choir of children
singing on “Degausser,” albeit a morose
choir. Brand New's members recapture their
throne as the kings of original indie-progrock, if there is such a genre. Regardless,
there's little doubt that The Devil and God
will impress longtime Brand New fans and
newcomers alike. — CL
APPLES IN STEREO
New Magnetic
Wonder
(Yep Roc)
Those sweet and delicious Apples are back, and they have pulled
out all the stops on their first release in five
years. New Magnetic Wonder is the band's
fifth full-length and first release on Yep
Roc. Recorded in five cities over the span of
a year and produced by Bryce Goggin
(Pavement, Sebadoh, Sean Lennon) with
assistance from the band's own Robert
Schneider, this is a 25-song adventure in
style and smile. The disc begins with the
poppy anthem “Can You Feel It?” with a
chorus so short, sweet, synthesized and
catchy that it will loop through your mind
while your ears drip perfect cubes of sugar.
Think ELO with an extra saccharin injection. Sure, the outside influences like The
Beatles and Beach Boys are undeniable,
but play more like brief, interspersed tributes throughout the band's unique little
slices of fuzz-pop pie. — AY
The Devil And God
Are Raging
Inside of Me
SARAH SHANNON
(Interscope)
(Minty Fresh)
When Deja Entendu was released in 2003,
it marked several things. One, Brand New
really was doing something brand new.
That, and people were developing an open
ear for this brand-new sound. Breaking from
City Morning Song
Sarah Shannon, former
lead singer of 1990s
indie-rock band Velocity
Girl, releases her second solo album, a collection of softly pop-ish songs full of intro-
spective lyrics and bittersweet charm. The
CD's 12 tracks include six on which she collaborated with piano player Matt Perry. The
songs, upon first listen, appear to be lighthearted love songs, but multiple listenings
reveal layers of melancholy and distrust that
suggest she's been put through the wringer
more than once. On “Along the Way,” she
asks, “Have you ever seen the inside of
love?/It's not the riot they've been talking
about./So rare and precious like it's sent from
above/I don't know how long I've been living
without.” On “Hey Heartache,” she has a
one-sided conversation with the heartbreak
personified and declares, “I've got so much
to answer for/let's all gather round and watch
me fall apart.” But she manages to make the
songs thoroughly pleasant listens with her
beautiful, whiskey-tinged vocals and pleasant, upbeat arrangements. — JM
COCO MONTOYA
Dirty Deal
(Alligator)
Getting right to the point
is the beauty of the
blues. No cloying ploys
luring you to the end to discover the source
of the angst - you grab the woe right at the
beginning and cruise with it until the last
tangy riff subsides. Coco Montoya kicks off
this new one with “Last Dirty Deal,” clearly
cementing that theme with a chorus that
resonates finality: “It's all over baby/You've
done your last dirty deal.” Hired as a drummer by “Master of the Telecaster” Albert
Collins in the '70s, Montoya developed his
own longtime guitar skills while working
with the legend, went on to play guitar with
John Mayall and finally busted out as a solo
artist in the early '90s. Montoya poses questions like “How Do You Sleep at Night?”
and unapologetically accuses with tracks
like “It's All Your Fault,” atop a layer of the
precisionist playing that has made him a
modern blues favorite. — AY
ANAÏS MITCHELL
The Brightness
(Righteous Babe)
Using her childlike voice
and the acoustic guitar
as her paintbrush, Anaïs
Mitchell has painted an intimate portrait of
wonder, doubt and beauty on her latest
release. The 25-year-old Vermont native has
only been making music since 2002, but
you wouldn't know it by listening to this collection of songs - her lyrics are full and
lush, rich with detail and mystery. Her
music is the type of music you would likely
find being played in a coffeehouse on the
27
cd reviews
rainiest of days, but she distinguishes herself from the folk-rock pack with her unique
voice - think Dolly Parton without the twang
- and her satisfying song arrangements.
Saxophone and piano are used to great
effect, as are the cello, viola and banjo.
Tracks worth checking out include “Your
Fonder Heart,” “Namesake,” “Song of the
Magi” and “Hobo's Lullaby.” A good choice
for fans of girl-powered folk ballads. — JM
GILL LANDRY
The Ballad of Lawless
Soirez
(Nettwerk)
From the very first note
of Gill Landry's debut album, you know
you've found a real original here. If you've
got to classify, Landry is a folksinger, but
how many folksingers include horns on the
chorus of a song like he does on “Lawless
Soirez”? The claustrophobic recording
sound echoes the old-time string instruments and the unadorned plainness of
Landry's voice. You'd think he was recording
78-rpm records in some dilapidated
Southern gin joint in the late 1930s, especially on a jivin' beat number like
“Loneliness”, where he describes loneliness
as “the middle of nowhere,” adding “happiness can't even go there / it passed out at
the end of the bar.” The music takes oldtime blues and country as its main inspirations, but you might also hear echoes of
other musical eccentrics like Randy
Newman and Tom Waits. There's plenty of
lowdown drinking, lost love and aimless
traveling, but Landry knows how to twist
them into something new. — SC
JACOB SMIGEL
Eavesdrop: A Wealth
of Found Sound
(www.jacobsmigel.com)
Jacob Smigel, a folksinger out of Las Vegas, looks at found
sound, recordings made in the field, as a
historian of the age of personal recording,
which started when affordable recording
devices showed up about mid-20th century.
On this CD, Smigel offers 40 by-and-large
unedited voyeuristic peeks into daily life. He
culled them from various personally recorded discs and cassettes (including answering-machine cassettes) dating back to 1946
that he bailed out of thrift shops in Vegas,
originally just for his listening pleasure. It's
a low-budget chronicle of everything from a
video clerk's conversation with a customer
to the disturbing recorded diary of a young
art student who masturbates to forget how
crappy the rest of her life is to concerned
parents making repeated unanswered calls
28
to their son's answering machine. Somehow,
he's paced it well enough to keep listeners
engaged all the way through. — SC
CORVUS
We All Fall Down
(Self-released)
Back in the days when all
we had was Leapfrog,
saying music reminded
you of video games was a right slam. Now of
course it's the ultimate high five since gaming sales have been progressively outgrossing music sales long after “Pac Man Fever”
slid off the charts, and it's a natural area for
Corvus, which plays mainstream metal with
emo tendencies, to get some added lucre
and exposure. Drop the laser beam on any
instrumental passage on this 10-song
Corvus demonstration disc and you'll hear
formidable foe pursuit music (“Drowning in
Doubt”), disassembling-a-hun music (“The
Wasteland”), off-road driving music
(“Kissing Aurora”) and any number of character themes that play underneath the
menu while you select what colored body
armor you want. But Corvus also has singer
Brock Brown investing the earnest urgency
you'd need to get girls interested and radio
play on board. The most radio-obvious song
would be “Hurt You Again,” but most radioworthy would be the title track which veers
from introspection to bombast with considerable authority. — SD
BLIND DIVINE
Melancholia
(Self-released)
This beautifully packaged
box set by Tucson duo
Blind Divine features
three CDs - the recent Music for Unmade
Movies, Desire to Destroy and 2005's
Devouring the Beautiful (of which several
tracks were featured in Harold Brodie's
indie film, Orphans and Angels). Due to the
perfectly infused beats that thread through
their music, Blind Divine is often described
as trip-hop, but the way the duo uniquely
uses elements of other forms like classical
and electronica make them impossible to be
defined by simply one genre. On each
recording, Daniel Martin Diaz creates, and
brings texture to, multi-instrumental
arrangements, producing rich, layered and
addictive melodies that naturally co-exist
with the aforementioned rhythms. Singer
and lyricist Paula Catherine Valencia does
nothing but draw you in with her sultry and
hypnotic vocals. The lyrics, themselves, are
both provocative and personal, delivered
with pure, raw sincerity. Where the empirical meets the ethereal. — AY
HOLMES BROTHERS
State of Grace
(Alligator)
If you could record a grin
from ear to ear, it'd sound
a lot like this joyous
album. State of Grace is a perfect showcase
for the Holmes Brothers' radical reworkings
of cover songs - there's seven here, including a zydeco-fied “Bad Moon Rising,” a Stax
soul revision of “What's So Funny About
Peace Love and Understanding” and a
gospel-y “I Want You to Want Me” that
invests the Cheap Trick standard with more
emotional input than Rick Nielsen ever
intended. Some of the Brothers' sharpest
originals are here too, like “Standing in
Need of Love” and “(I'd Run Through Hell
in) Gasoline Drawers.” Guests include Joan
Osborne in an impassioned “Those
Memories of You” and Levon Helm in his
first recorded performance since his throatcancer operation on “I've Just Seen the
Rock of Ages.” Producer Craig Street astutely just lets Sherman, Wendell and Popsy be
the Holmes Brothers. The sparsest numbers
are the best place to hear years of dues-paying reap the sweetest rewards. — SD
CHARLIE LOUVIN
Charlie Louvin
(Tompkins Square)
Approaching 80, Country
Music Hall of Famer
Charlie Louvin doesn't
have anything to prove. In
the Louvin Brothers (with his brother, Ira)
from 1940 to their 1963 break-up, he
helped sing, write and record a classic catalog of country gospel songs and tunes of
romantic loss. After not recording for more
than a decade, Louvin gathers a bunch of
Charlie and Ira tunes (including their last
hit, “Must You Throw Dirt in My Face,”
which he sings here with George Jones) and
tunes by other country legends such as
Jimmie Rodgers and A.P. Carter and sings
and plays them with an array of guests
including Jones, Elvis Costello, Bobby Bare
Sr., Tom T. Hall and Alex McManus of Bright
Eyes, among others. Still the best moment
is when he sings “Ira” all alone, a tribute to
his brother who died in 1965: “Ira, I still
hear you / Off in the distance / Your sweet
harmony.” — SC
29
dvd reviews
HATE CRIME
THE SHUNNED
Image Entertainment, Not rated
Anchor Bay, Rated R
When gay-bating Fundamentalist Chris Boyd (Chad
Donella) moves into a suburban Dallas home next door to
a couple of homosexuals
planning their commitment ceremony, well,
you know the brimstone is going to fly.
“You're going to Hell,” Boyd tells accountant
Robbie Levenson (Seth Peterson) as he urges
him to find Jesus. “I'm Jewish,” Robbie says
with a puzzled look. Soon after, Robbie's
boyfriend is brutally beaten with his own
baseball bat, goes into a coma and eventually dies. Guess who Robbie thinks is the culprit. The first part of the movie plays fairly
realistically, depicting the way tension escalates to violence, but instead of a biting commentary on the dangers of intolerance, it
becomes a kind of Mission: Impossible caper
as Robbie finds all decks stacked against
him in his quest for justice. My creative writing teacher used to say, “A man can't fool
with the Golden Rule in a crowd that don't
play fair.” Hate Crime is a movie about heeding that advice, and only you can decide
whether it's about getting justice or
vengeance - and whether there's a difference
between the two. FYI: The movie took a couple of awards, including Best Feature, at the
Sedona International Film Festival and won
several others as it traveled the movie festival
circuit. — Salvatore Caputo
THE QUICK AND
THE UNDEAD
Anchor Bay, Not rated
From the “Hey, you've got
your zombie movie in my
spaghetti Western” files
comes this gruesome tale of a virus ravaging
humanity for 85 years, turning the entire
United States into a ghost town where unemployment is on the decline, but only if you're
a zombie bounty hunter. The movie's antihero
is played by Clint Glenn, who may as well be
Clint Eastwood Jr. for all the difference it
makes. He's square-jawed and stone-faced,
just like the man with no name. Naturally,
he's got a double crossing Tuco/Eli-Wallachtype following him around. Only this time, it's
gold in them there zombie veins, as there is
a fortune in organs and body parts. The best
line comes when another remorseless outlaw
explains his crazy plan to create his own
farm-factory zombies. “Crazy? Crazy is turning around and seeing your 10-year-old
daughter and she's got the flesh of her mother in her mouth and you know you've got to
kill her 'cause she'll do the same thing to
you.” Yep, two great slowpoke-moving movie
genres that taste great together. In bad taste.
Happy entrails to you! — SD
30
An exceedingly violent horror
movie set in the Old West,
The Shunned tells the story
of a sheriff and marshal who
must work together to end a
deformed axe murderer's grizzly killing spree.
Simple yet brilliant, the movie was made by
people who obviously love the genre and have
an eye for the intense. The murders are savage and realistic, depicted more gleefully
than in any movie in recent memory, and the
atmosphere is harrowing and intense
throughout. Horror movies are about conveying a feeling to the viewer, and The Shunned
does just that. It proves that making an
impact is about good technique, not a big
budget, famous actors or an intricate plot.
Anyone who enjoys the genre would do well
to check this flick out and remember why
they started watching horror in the first
place. — Daniel Raven
DEVIL'S HIGHWAY
Image Entertainment, Not rated
We're all Beelzebubs on this
bus! Sure, who doesn't get a
little homicidal on long road
trips? These passengers go
from Greyhound to hellhounds in three uneasy rest stops, without
the aid of bad food, bumpy terrain, plagueinfested rest rooms and metal seat backings
digging into their knees. Part Dante's Inferno
and part Murder on the Orient Express, each
rider shares a seat with a dark secret buried
in their past and one by one gets picked off
by the gathering evil, from the traveling priest
(now simmer down kids) to the father searching for his lost daughter to three crazy young
adults who decide the one thing a truly
creepy bus trip through the scorching desert
could really use is - dropping some acid!
Every secret will be revealed by journey's end
and it's no spoiler to note that Shane Brolly
gamely plays the only ticket holder with no
redeeming value at both ends of the sojourn.
Word of caution: When the devil tells you,
“It's my way or the highway,” uhh, it's really
the same way. — SD
BLOOD STAINS
Lions Gate, Not rated
Fans of that old Robyn
Hitchcock song “My Wife
and My Dead Wife” should
enjoy this domestic thriller,
which first aired on the Lifetime Channel,
cable TV's Siberia for aging actresses who
refuse to get botox injections. Soap opera
refugee Barbara Niven plays a single parent
who moves into a new house with her father,
a retired prosecutor who is unofficially back
on the job once he finds out the domicile's
previous tenant was murdered. In the study.
With a knife. Former Must-See Thursday star
Daniel J. Travanti looks older and more frail
than Frasier's dad here, but his grim-faced
reaction shots keep the suspense moving
while Niven is busy falling in love with the
hunky lady-killer next door (Gary Hudson).
He's a real cut-up (heh heh) once his meltdown begins, flying off the handle whenever
his dead wife pops up unannounced like
Endora on Bewitched. Note: Lions Gate is
really leading the witness here with its bloodbath DVD artwork - you've probably spilled
more globins in a shaving mishap than you'll
see in all this murderous spree, but it's heartening to know Lifetime's plunging full gore
into the supernatural/slasher/suburbia genre.
All that's missing is a referral if you'd like to
learn more about psychopathic serial killers
at the end. — SD
THE KUMITE
Lions Gate, Rated PG-13
The Kumite is a martial-arts
flick for those who enjoy a
hearty helping of romance
along with their action. The
movie centers on Bond, a
student who is trying to juggle schoolwork
with his martial-arts training. The first 40
minutes or so revolve around the budding
romance between Bond and his school
teacher, Mei. They frolic through train stations, hold hands on cruise ships and generally make doe-eyes at each other every
minute they're on screen. The film starts
picking up when Bond quits the dojo where
he has been training, because he was not
selected as a member of the team to fight
in a prestigious competition. He dreams of
taking on Tank, a particularly vicious, and
famous, fighter who enjoys beating competitors beyond recognition. Tank meets a
new trainer, who insists he learn kung-fu.
Enter a montage, which shows Bond training with an impressive array of masters,
including a trainer in Catholic priest vestments (always fun to see). After training,
Bond is accepted into the competition,
where he faces a number of comrades from
his old school, and eventually, Tank. We are
treated to a number of excellent fights during this chapter, not just between Bond and
his opponents, but other fighters as well.
It's also refreshing to see real street-style
sparring, with no wires or other special
effects involved. — Julie Messner
dvd reviews
ZOMBIE NATION
Lions Gate, Rated R
It's extremely difficult to
review Zombie Nation without lamenting the fact that it
does not contain a nation of
zombies. Zombies are horror
gold, making it pretty unfortunate that this
movie only features five flesh munchers,
barely enough to put together a basketball
team. The zombies, all of them foxy young
ladies in snug-fitting outfits, are the victims
of a serial-killing cop who butchers and
buries them to appease the voices in his
head. Resurrected through inexplicable
voodoo rites, the ghoulish beauties embark
on a mission of revenge, hunting their killer
and devouring anyone else who crosses their
path. This movie's plot obviously isn't anything to write home about, and the acting
isn't much better, but if you aren't a stickler
for that stuff and enjoy cheesy horror flicks,
then there is a lot of gory fun to be had with
Zombie Nation. — DR
GRIM REAPER
there's nothing as skin-crawlingly unpleasant
as watching comedians tank. Or as funny, if
you're a sadist. With that in mind, director
Pete Schwaba casts himself as Joe Keegan,
a struggling comic singled out for stardom
but never breaking through, because he handles hecklers with the same timidity as a
substitute teacher. He gets a tip from his
prop-comic buddy (played by Lance Barber,
who looks and acts like a junior Marty Allen
in search of Steve Rossi throughout) that a
Tonight Show talent scout will be in the Pine
Lakes, Wis. area for a Rocktober festival.
Both men head out there to audition, and
Keegan's set is ruined by local emcee Dug's
divisive introduction. Thomas Lennon of
Reno 911 pretty much steals the movie as
the boorish compère. All in all, pretty funny,
in an easy-going, cheese-wedge hat sort of
way. BELIEF SUSPENSION ALERT! Lauren
Holly plays Keegan's high school teacher and
love interest. Holly is in her 40s, that point in
an actress' career where only Mom and crazy
landlady parts remain, but she still looks
great and way younger than the dog-faced
Schwaba does. Also: expect to hear a score
by Wisconsin's own BoDeans and more
“Macarena” than you have in the last
decade. — SD
Lions Gate, Not rated
Bet you thought Limbo was
a place where nothing happens to you. Naw, it's actually a condemned mental
institution where you get
Tasered, stabbed, electrocuted, shot and
decapitated - and that's just the waiting
room. Haw! No seriously, here's the predicament just-killed stripper Rachel Wilson
finds herself in: She's stranded between
this world and Hell, presumably because
putting her boyfriend through med school
with lap-dance dollars didn't cut it on the
“good deeds” list. With the help of some
other lost souls, she hopes to change her
fate and cheat You-Know-Who, depicted
here like a guy who double-dipped at the
costume store, dressing as a mummy under
a grim-reaper robe that's fresh out of the
plastic bag, folded creases and all. Will they
foil an angel of death as intellectually challenged as a spook on Scooby-Doo, with
depth perception challenges to boot? My
guess is he'll get us all in the end, so it's
probably best to just let him have 82 minutes in advance. — SD
THE GODFATHER OF
GREEN BAY
Image Entertainment, Rated R
We have Sally Field's horrendous Punchline to thank
for the dearth of films about
stand-up comedians, possibly because
THE DARKROOM
BEER THE MOVIE 2:
LEAVING LONG
ISLAND
Halo 8, Not Rated
Not to be confused with last
year's Beerfest, this movie
combines the documentary drinking binge
aspects of Comedy Central's Insomniac with
the drunken on-the-spot comedy of Jackass,
from a bunch of guys who have a show
called Beer on Fuse doing this very thing.
Some of the more structured skits you can
imagine on SNL in that last half-hour where
they dump everything even they're not sure
is funny but elicits weird chuckles. The
slam drunks score high marks for a blackand-white filmed skit parodying the early
Beatles being vulgar and abusive to Ringo,
a re-enactment of a Saved by the Bell
episode starring Jesus and Hitler and for a
phony Spanish TV channel commercial for a
penile-enhancement product featuring a
masked Mexican wrestler who shows up
sporadically in the film. When a movie
poster encourages you to “watch drunk,”
you'd rightfully expect the worst, but this
movie plays pretty funny if you're stone-cold
sober. That is, if you're the kind that likes
laughing at dumb-ass drunks. That's everybody, right? — SD
Anchor Bay, Not rated
With all the M. Night
Shyamalan wanna-bes out
there making movies with a
twist at the end, it's easy to
get jaded and apply every one
of those road-tested conclusions to the latest
mystery-occult movie you're watching. Maybe
I'm getting stupider 'cause I didn't foresee
THIS twist in the distance. And it's a good
one. A guy who was found wandering in the
woods covered in blood hasn't been able to
remember anything about his pre-bloodied
existence for the last 50 years. He suspects
the worst, as he keeps having violent images
of a gargoylelike creature attacking beautiful
girls. After testing for a miracle drug that can
help restore his memory turns out violently
bad, he escapes a mental hospital, becomes
homeless and is befriended by a young boy
with a wicked stepdad who invites the crazy,
silent brooding loon to live in the family's tool
shed - a kid-buddy movie combination
Disney in all its years never bothered to try.
Of special interest to Xena fans, Lucy
Lawless plays the kid's meek and mousy
mom, totally against type and a blonde to
boot. Incidentally, that's not the twist. I'm
not telling you the twist. But mark my words,
it'll end in blood! And yeah, tears. — SD
MURDER-SET-PIECES
(DIRECTOR'S CUT)
Lions Gate, Not rated
Allegedly, two Hollywood labs
refused to process this film
for its graphic violence
against women, against their skulls, against
children and for the gratuitous insertion of
actual 9/11 footage into the killer's dream
sequence (either to assert his motives are no
different from the terrorists, or that the burning towers remind him of what he'd like to do
to the Doublemint Twins). Sven Garrett plays
a Nazi fascist fashion photographer whose
specialty is gore-traits, dismembered hookers
and strippers who won't sit still for the camera without a little help. After a lot of flashbacks, swearing in German, killing and
weightlifting to sterile techno music, we get
to the core of his Dr. Phil-worthy problem: “I
am the bastard son of a goddamn whore!”
Forget linear narrative or a serious psychological probe into the mind of a serial killer you're getting a blood-drenched psycho, and
director-producer-writer Nick Palumbo will
tell you when snuff's enuff. Note: He even
stages a massacre at an adult video store that
makes no sense except to plug his last
straight-to-video splatterfest, Nutbag. — SD
31
cd new releases
FEBRUARY 6
The 20 Belows ..............................Headaches and Moodswings
Angels and Agony ........................................................Unison
The Apples in Stereo ..............................New Magnetic Wonder
Arab Strap ..................................................Ten Years of Tears
Arsonists Get All the Girls ............................Hits From the Bow
Backyard Tire Fire..............................Vagabonds and Hooligans
Barenaked Ladies ............................Barenaked Ladies Are Men
BARENAKED LADIES
Barnaked Ladies
February 13
Bayside ................................................The Walking Wounded
Bloc Party..............................................A Weekend in the City
Stefano Bollani ......................................................Piano Solo
Bob Booker & George Foster ..........You Don't Have to Be Jewish
Bracken............................................We Know About the Need
Elliott Brood ........................................................Ambassador
Car Bomb ................................................................Centralia
Belinda Carlisle ..............................................................Voila
Jason Michael Carroll ..............................Waitin' in the Country
Marc Cary ........................................................Abstrakt / Blak
The Cat Empire ......................................................Two Shoes
Danny Cohen ........................................Shades of Dorian Gray
Conflict ........................................................Standard Issue II
The Cult ................................................................Dreamtime
Miles Davis Quintet ......................................................Cookin'
Dead Child ............................................................Dead Child
Dear and the Headlights ..................Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
The Dexateens ..............................................Hardwire Healing
John Digweed ......................Renaissance Presents Transition 2
Tanya Donelly ........................................Whiskey Tango Ghosts
Doobie Brothers....................................................Very Best Of
Kenny Drew ........................................................Undercurrent
Champion Jack Dupree ......The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions
The End ................................................................Elementary
Fall Out Boy....................................................Infinity on High
MILES DAVIS QUINTET
Cookin’
February 6
Maynard Ferguson............................................On a High Note
Goldfrapp ..................................................Ride a White Horse
Patty Griffin ....................................Children Running Through
Impious ............................................Holy Murder Masquerade
Freddie Jackson ..................................................Greatest Hits
32
Rickie Lee Jones ..............The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard
Kataklysm ......................................In the Arms of Devastation
B.B. King..............................................Best of the Blues King
Kiss Kiss ............................................Reality vs. the Optimist
Kool Keith ....................................................Ultra-Octa-Doom
Sondre Lerche ................................................Phantom Punch
Lillydale ......................The Art of Becoming One's Own Shadow
Little Brazil..................................................Tighten the Noose
Chico Mann..............................................Manifest Tone Vol. 1
MC Eiht ..................................................................Represent
Mnemic ..................................................................Passenger
Monty Python..............................Another Monty Python Record
Monty Python ......................................................Life of Brian
Monty Python ..........................Monty Python's Previous Record
Monty Python............................................The Meaning of Life
Jelly Roll Morton ..................................The Library of Congress
Obscurus Advocam......................................Verbia Daemonicus
Yoko Ono ........................................................Yes I'm a Witch
Over the Rhine............................................Discount Fireworks
Jordan Pruitt ..................................................No Ordinary Girl
Public Enemy ......................Fight the Power: Greatest Hits Live
Corinne Bailey Rae ............Corinne Bailey Rae (Deluxe Edition)
Sonny Rollins ..........................................................Plus Four
Rotting Christ ..........................................................Theogonia
J. Sands ............................................................Breaks Vol. 2
FALL OUT BAY
Infinity on High
February 6
Horace Silver ........................................You Gotta Take a Little
The Sleeping ....................................Believe What We Tell You
Stacey Q......................................................Queen of the '80s
Sun Kil Moon................................Ghosts of the Great Highway
Tierney Sutton..............................................On the Other Side
Jesse Sykes &
The Sweet Hereafter......Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls Of…
Teddybears ........................................................Soft Machine
Therion..........................................................Gothic Kabbalah
Ashley Tisdale........................................................Headstrong
The Used ........................................................Berth (CD/DVD)
John Waters Presents ..........................A Date With John Waters
Wax Poetic ................................................................Istanbul
Kurt Weill ..............................................................Happy End
Tyrone Wells ..............................................................Hold On
Westside Bugg ..............................................The Roach Motel
White Mice ..................................................Blasstphlegmeice
Keller Williams ............................................................Dream
Lee Ann Womack ..........................Finding My Way Back Home
Zeb ..................................................................Stop the Earth
FEBRUARY 13
8Ball & MJG..........................................................Ridin' High
Da'Unda'Dogg Presents ..............................................Bay Boyz
cd new releases
Dragonforce ......................Inhuman Rampage (Special Edition)
Dukedagod ......................................Jr. Writer: Writer's Block 4
Bill Engvall ..........................................................15 Off Cool
G-Dep ......................................................................Bad Boy
Ginuwine ..............................................................I Apologize
GINUWINE
I Apologize
February 13
Jerry Goldsmith ........................................His Final Recordings
Nina Hagen................................................................Fearless
Josh Harris ..................................Distortion on the Dance Floor
The Infamous Stringdusters ............................Fork in the Road
J. Flexx ........................................................Billboard Dreams
Jefferson Airplane ..................................Sweeping Up the Spot
Keak Da Sneak, P.S.D. ..........................................Da Bidness
Klubbheads..............................................Present Klubb Tunes
Gerald Levert ......................................................In My Songs
Maxwell ................................................Black Summer's Night
Anais Mitchell ..................................................The Brightness
Van Morrison ........Van Morrison at the Movies: Soundtrack Hits
Dolly Parton..................................................................Jolene
Johnny Prez......................................................The Knockouts
Nini Rosso ..............................................................Il Silenzio
Slim Thug and Boss Hogg Outlawz ....................Serve & Collect
South Central Cartel............................................Westurrection
Steel Bridge Songfest ..............................Steel Bridge Songfest
Storyhill ....................................................................Storyhill
Tack ..............................................................................Porn
Tape Five ......................................................Swingfood Mood
Simon Webbe ................................................................Grace
Lucinda Williams ............................................................West
The Young Dubliners ......The Young Dubliners Will All Due Respect
Zohar............................................................Do You Have Any
FEBRUARY 20
Aborted ................................Slaughter & Apparatus: A Method
Abrasive Wheels ............................................Nothing to Prove
Anthony B ..................................................Higher Meditation
Aqueduct ....................................................Or Give Me Death
Arkansaw Man ..................................................Arkansaw Man
Asleep at the Wheel............................Kings of the Texas Swing
Nanny Assis ..................................................Double Rainbow
Asteria ..........................Slip Into Something More Comfortable
The Ataris ..................................................Welcome the Night
Audionom ............................................................Retrospektiv
AZ Presents Begetz ..............................................Ghetto Pass
Big D and the Kids Table/Brain Failure............Beijing to Boston
Boredoms ........................................................Super Roots 6
Boredoms ........................................................Super Roots 7
Bunny Rabbit ..............................................Lovers and Crypts
Jaki Byard ..............................................Sunshine of My Soul
Victor Calderone............................................................Evolve
Call Me Lightning ..............................................Soft Skeletons
Calla ......................................................Strength in Numbers
Cashman ......................................................Texassippi Stomp
Catamenia ..............................................Winternight Tragedies
Cheeseburger......................................................Cheeseburger
Chelsea..................................Faster, Cheaper & Better Looking
Gael Chiarella ......................................................Living Peace
Chyna Whyte ......................The Whyte Out Chopped & Screwed
Comeback Kid ....................................................Broadcasting
Jack Cooke ......................................Sittin' on Top of the World
Cool Hand Luke ..........................................The Balancing Act
Cradle of Filth......................................................Bitter Suites
Deathstar ....................................................We Are the Threat
Andy Dick ........................................................Do Your Shows
Dir En Grey ............................................The Marrow of a Bone
Dora Flood ..........................................................We Live Now
Double U ................................................................Bosphorus
Sheena Easton ..........................................................Freedom
Echoes of Eternity ................................The Forgotten Goddess
Electric Light Orchestra ....................................Out of the Blue
Elephant Man ....................Energy God (Monsters of Dancehall)
Eluvium ........................................................................Copia
Roger Eno & Kate St. John ..........................................Familiar
Erasure ..............................On the Road to Nashville (CD/DVD)
Explosions in the Sky ..............All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Fat Kid Wednesday ......................................................Singles
The Frames ..............................................................The Cost
Ron Franklin ..........................................................City Lights
Fu Manchu ......................................................We Must Obey
Tia Fuller ..........................................................Healing Space
Furious Styles ......................................................Life Lessons
Goddess of Desire ....................................Awaken Pagan Gods
JJ Grey & Mofro ................................................Country Ghetto
Guess Who ................................................................Let's Go
Herbie Hancock ........................................Techno Voodu-Astral
Happy Mondays ..........................................................Step On
Hex Hector ............................................................Remixology
THE ATARIS
Welcome too the Night
February 20
Helloween ..................Keeper of the Seven Keys: Legacy World
High Llamas ......................................................Can Cladders
Peter Himmelman..............................................My Green Kite
Kataklysm ..................................Live in Deutschland (CD/DVD)
Kidz Bop Kids ....................................................Kidz Bop 11
Kittie ......................................................Funeral for Yesterday
Laibach ..........................................................................Volk
Lil Keke & 50/50 Twin ......................Southern Elites Volume 1
Little Feat ..............................................Rocky Mountain Jam
Lovehatehero ..........................................................White Lies
The Magic Numbers ......................................Those the Brokes
33
cd new releases
Metalium ....................................Nothing to Undo: Chapter Six
Minus the Bear ..................................Interpretaciones Del Oso
Mob Rules ....................................................Ethnolution A.D.
Mr. Knight Owl ......................................Classics for the Calles
JJ GREY & MOFRO
Country Ghetto
February 20
Mr. Shadow ................................................................Respect
One AM Radio ............................................This Too Will Pass
The Polyphonic Spree ......................................................Wait
Rasmus The ....................................................................Into
RZA Presents Freemurda ............................Let Freedom Reign
The Silos ......................................Come On Like the Fast Line
Zoot Sims ..............................................................Zoot Suite
Southern Culture on the Skids ..............Countrypolitan Favorites
John Starling & Carolina Star................................Slidin' Home
Corey Stevens ..........................................................Albertville
Sylvan ......................................................................Presents
Thirston Howl III & Rack Lo................................Lo Down Dirty
Trans Am ..............................................................Sex Change
M. Ward ..............................................................To Go Home
Nick Warren....................................................................Paris
34
The White Barons ..............Up All Night With the White Barons
Bill Withers................................................Best of Bill Withers
Wizard ......................................................................Goochan
Tommy Womack ................................................There I Said It
Wylie & The Wild West Show ....................Bucking Horse Moon
Bill Wyman ........................................Stuff (Expanded Edition)
Xasthur ......................................................................Xasthur
The Young Knives............................Voices of Animals and Men
Zero In On ....................................................The Oblivion Fair
Zodiacs ..........................................................................Gone
Zu & Nobukazu Takemura ............Identification With the Enemy
FEBRUARY 27
B.G. and the Chopper City Boys ............................We Got This
The Colour ..........................................Between Earth and Sky
John Denver ....................................The Essential John Denver
Dr. Dog..............................................................We All Belong
Elana James ........................................................Elana James
Jesse Malin ..............................................Glitter in the Gutter
Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective ..........................Watina
Wilson Pickett ..........................................................Hey Jude
Red Rockers ............................................Schizophrenic Circus
Boz Scaggs ..........................................................Silk Degrees
Patrick Simmons ..........................................................Arcade
Snowgoons ......................................................German Lugers
Sosohuman ............................................................Twenty-Six
UGK ..............................................U.G.K. Underground Kingz
Willard Grant Conspiracy ..........................................Let It Roll
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FEBRUARY 6
Mo'Nique's Fat Chance 1 & 2
Android Apocalypse
Argento - Pelts
After Innocence
Musicares: A Tribute to Brian
Wilson
Babes in Kongland
Men Behaving Badly: The
Complete Series
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amazing Screw-On Head
Animal Clinic
Anything But Love Vol. 1
Arabian Nights
Baywatch: Season 3
Ben 10: Season 1
Bloody Mary
Blume in Love
Case Closed 2: Season 2 Cracking the Perfect
Beauty & The Beast: The
Complete First Season
Mutual Appreciation
Billy the Kid Returns
Paul Mooney: Know Your
History - Jesus Was Black, So
Was Cleopatra
Nadine in Dateland
Butcher Boy
NBA Street Vol. 3: Class of 03
Cave of the Yellow Dog
Nightowls of Coventry
Pennywise: Smoke Out Festival
Deadly Weapons & Double
Agent 73
Nightstalker
Pickpocket
Playas Ball
Raven
The Departed
Devil's Den
Doll From Hell
Rebel Beat: The Story of L.A.
Rockabilly
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Robotech: The Shadow
Chronicles - The Movie
Ennio Morricone: Arena
Concerto
Romancing the Bride
Fat Friends: Season 1
Romeo & Juliet: Music Edition
Gandhi
Running With Scissors
Ginger & Fred
Science of Sleep
Girl in the Bikini
She Likes Girls
Glorious Gloria: The Swanson
Collection
Circle
Cowboy G-Men 2
Crossing Delancey
Da Block Party 2
Def Comedy Jam Vol. 1
Elders: Live at the Gem
Flags of Our Fathers
Flicka
For Your Eyes Only
Gene Autry Collection: Public
Cowboy No. 1
George Michael: Twentyfive
Goldeneye
Goldfinger
Grudge 2
Harvest Time
Have Sword Will Travel (Shaw
Brothers)
Heading South
Heiress
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
Spy Who Loved Me
Stocks & Blondes
Strawberry Shortcake: The
Sweet Dreams Movie
Studio One Presents Suspense:
Two Sharp Knives
Emergency: Season 3
N Word
Paul Robeson: Portraits of the
Artist (Criterion Collection)
Picket Fences: The Complete
First Season
Pink Floyd: Up Close and
Personal
Platinum Comedy Series:
Earthquake
Police Story 2
Quiet
Ragman's Daughter
Reno 911: Reno's Most
Wanted Uncensored
Golden Girls: Complete
Seventh and Final Season
Road to Glory: Wrestling's
Hottest Superstars Before They
Were Stars
Grenadier: The Beautiful
Warrior - Economy Collection
Samoan Wedding
Gun Crazy Vol. 4: Requiem for
a Bodyguard
Shock to the System
School for Scoundrels
Half Nelson
Sixth Day
Supertramps
Half-Cocked
Slaughter in the Snow
Thunderball
Hardwood Dreams: Vols. 1 & 2
Tokyo Trash
Hills: The Complete First
Season
Smiles & Spectacles: The
Harold Lloyd Treasury
Train Man
So Goes the Nation
Transporter: Special Delivery
Edition
Hustle: The Complete Season 2
Sonic X Season 6
Infamous
Tribute to Brian Wilson
Infernal Affairs 2
Steve Martin: The Wild and
Crazy Comedy Collection
Trust the Man
Infernal Affairs 3
Vibrator
King of the Cage: Combat
Collection
Hellboy Animated: Sword of
Swords
Viewtiful Joe Vol. 7
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Wetback: The Undocumented
Documentary
Kommissar X Collection
Hitchcock: 3-Disc Collector's
Edition
Wonderland
Hollywoodland
WWE: New Year's Revolution
2006
Late Night With Conan O'Brien
10th Anniversary Special/The
Best of Triumph the Insult
Comic Dog
I Am an S+M Writer
Mr. Moto Collection Vol. 2
Bicycle Thief (Criterion
Collection)
Passion of the Christ: Definitive
Edition
Charmed: The Complete
Seventh Season
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
You Are Alone
Last of the Mohicans
Steve-O: Gross Misconduct
Stuart Little 2
Super Fuzz
Tom Hanks: Comedy Favorites
Collection
Total Destruction
U.S. vs. John Lennon
Unconventional
Uriah Heep: Demons & Wizards
Killer Drag Queens on Dope
Lawless Frontier
War and Peace
Last Unicorn: 25th Anniversary
FEBRUARY 13
Like Father, Like Son
Wild Camp
17000 Block
Like Mother, Like Daughter
All in the Family: The Complete
Sixth Season
Loneliness of the Long
Distance Runner
Yucko the Clown: The Damn
Show
American Idol Unauthorized
Marie Antoinette
An Evening With Paul Lynde
Marine
Zoey 101: The Complete First
Season
Masters of Horror: Dario
Zoom
License to Kill
Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields
and Crossfields
Mad About You: Complete
Third Session
Masters of Horror: Family
36
National Lampoon's TV: The
Movie
Zelimo
dvd new releases
FEBRUARY 20
Adventures
Complete First Season
Last Bomb
49th Parallel
Impossible Elephant
Johnny Carson Show
When a Woman Ascends the
Stairs (Criterion Collection)
Last King of Scotland
Alias Smith and Jones: Season
One
The Joint Is on Fire
Zerophilia
Laurel and Hardy
Alice Faye Collection
American Hardcore
Journalist in the Jihadi: The
Murder of Daniel Pearl
FEBRUARY 27
Master Ninja Collection
Anna's Eve
Julius Caesar
42nd Street Forever
Megilla 83
Apartment Zero
Kadokawa Horror Collection
Asylum of the Damned
My Name Is Fame
Bloom
Kataklysm: Live in Deutschland
Autopsy
My Sister Maria
Bob Marley: Music in Review
DVD
The Keeper of the Seven Keys
Keeping Mum
Beat Route: Around the World
With Jools Holland
Nine Inch Nails: Beside You in
Time
Boyz N The Hood
Lethal Chiba
Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
Oedipus Mayor
Broken
Man for All Seasons
Buster Keaton Collection
Our Gang
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Man of the Year
Outerworld
Captain Sabertooth
Martha Reeves in Concert
Chevalier D'Eon
Carlos Santana & Wayne
Shorter: Live at the Montreux
Jazz Festival
Mestizo
Crossover
Chainsaw Sally
The Midnight Riders
Curious George: Zoo Night and
Other Animal Stories
City of the Living Dead
Naked Ape
Last Supper
Lost Worlds
P.O.V. 20th Anniversary
Collection
Patrick
Paul Robeson: Speak of Me As
I Am
Dark Castle Collection
Neil Young Under Review
1966-1975
Complete Secret Agent AKA
Danger Man: The Complete
Collection
Dead Mary
Night of the Living Dorks
Conversations With God
Planet Brooklyn
The Directors Series: Rob
Reiner
Paradise Found
Count Dracula
Planetfall
Penn & Teller: Bullshit - The
Complete Fourth Season
Crooked
Prayer Beads
Disinfocon
Deep Red
Recruiter
Dream Follies & Dreamland
Capers
Persons Unknown
Depot of the Dead
Rector's Wife
Duel at the Supreme Gate
(Shaw Brothers)
Philadelphia
Devil's Highway
The Prestige
Digging for the Truth: The
Complete Season 2
Rockford Files: The Third
Season
E.S.P.
Queers: The Queers are Here
Eden Formula
The Rasmus: Live Letters
Elimination Pursuit (Shaw
Brothers)
Robin Hood
Evanescence: Broken
Eye of the Leopard
Second City: The First Family
of Comedy
Fall Guy: Jon Stewart Story
Dog the Bounty Hunter: The
Best of Season 3
Perversion Story
Russell Simmons Presents Def
Poetry: Season 4
Stranger Than Fiction
Don't Torture a Duckling
The Tempest
Doris Day Show: Season 4
Theory of Everything
Frankenstein vs. Baragon
Three Stooges
Shut Up and Sing
Frostbitten
Tideland
Family Ties: The Complete First
Season
Sickness House
Futtock's End
Two Soldiers
Sixth Day
Gangs de la Mafia
Unconventional
Fifty Pills
Speaking of Sex
Vegas Vampires
Flight of Fury
Street Fury: World Wide
George Carlin: Live Is Worth
Losing
Ruth Rendell Mysteries Set 1
Flushed Away
That Night in Rio
For Your Consideration
Gang's All Here
Three Stooges: Hapless HalfWits
Godfather of Green Bay
Twelve Chairs
Guide to Recognizing Your
Saints
Twilight Samurai
Gunbuster
U2: Achtung Baby: A Classic
Album Under Review
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Anime Movie Classics
Hawkwind in Concert: Out of
the Shadows
Helloween: Keeper of the
Seven Keys: The Legacy World
Holly Hobbie & Friends: Secret
Twitch City
Ghostbusters: The Animated
Series Vol. 1
Girlfriends: The Complete First
Season
God Memoirs
God, the Universe and
Everything Else: Stephen
Hawking
Good Year
Voyage to the Bottom of the
Sea: Season 2 Vol. 2
Hundra
Wandering Swordsman (Shaw
Brothers)
Inferno
The Well
What's New Scooby-Doo: The
Immortal: The Complete Series
Voltron Defender of the
Universe: Collector's Edition 3
Walking Tall: The Payback
Warrior
Whose Line Is It Anyway
Seasons 1 & 2
Women at Work
WWE: Royal Rumble 2007
Young Avengers
Zen of Sword
Zombies: Live at the
Bloomsbury Theatre London
Journey to the End of the Night
King of Kings
37
38
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Sunshine Anderson
Sunshine At Midnight
Sean Price
Jesus Price Supastar
X-Clan
Return From Mecca
Sparta
Threes
Wired All Wrong
Break Out The Battle Tapes
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MISCHIEF VI:
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FARCE OF THE
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LISA
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39