Charlie Sheen

NP: King's X - "Charlie Sheen"

It all works out
It all works out
It all works out
It all works out

I'm waiting for a word beyond our history
And paper tigers dance about within the mystery
Clover of substance I can't put my finger on
And stepping over sidewalk cracks I'm catching the last one

The silent waiting room, the padded soundproof wall
Have become much more terrifying than the shadowed hall
So you can have your reasons for the bloody war
I know I don't want to hate you for what you're not sorry for

Kill the king
Strip the queen
Are you a friend
Dear Charlie Sheen

Roll over Johnny boy
Your song is on the tube
And with it died a dream of mine...
Releasing the balloon
It seems that lately nothing that I ever thought
Can stand up to the pressure of the crap that I have bought
So turn the page and be sure that you rip it out
'Cause it won't be there otherwise unless we figure out
That there are reasons yet behind this bloody war
And I don't want to hate you for what you're not sorry for

Kill the king Strip the queen
Are you my friend
Dear Charlie Sheen 




someone should create a remix with clips of Sheen, perhaps from this interview:

Charlie, lost in his own little world

and others, even stuff from Two and a Half Men, Major League, etc.

and mix them with the King's X song.

King's X and that song should be reaping some kind of high level of exposure from all the Sheen fodder of late. Maybe they are or will soon enough.

2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards: Afterthoughts

I was looking-to do some kind of DotM for these and/or the Academy Awards for tomorrow. And, I may still, I'm kind of playing it by ear right now. I did post some thoughts which I'm sure would have been at least partially rehashed in said DotM, here when the nominations were announced.

But stuff like the breakup of Oceansize and lacking in energy/motivation etc, had me do some other activities the past couple of days. Also, I was hoping to find on youtube, some clips from past shows, namely the year Sarah Silverman hosted. And I found some stuff from that year on youtube, but not the pre-recorded "backstage" part which probably was my favorite thing of the whole show. Namely the quote "Man-Push-Cart....Who-Give-Shit."

No dice, nor from the Rainn Wilson or Samuel L Jackson hosted awards shows.

So, that kind of led me to stop. And then before I knew it, the show was about to air. My plans to see the Gael Garcia-Bernal picture Even the Rain today (which opened at the Uptown Theater yesterday) along with The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra double-cd-release show at The Loring Theater got killed mainly due to snow+sub-zero temps outside and lack of desire to determine which side of the street to park on in Minneapolis in order to avoid a Snow-Emergency parking ticket (or towing).

And in both events cases, I will have more opportunity to see them in the coming weeks.

So, I just finished watching the Joel McHale edition of the Spirit Awards, and I can say, it was certainly better/funnier than 2010's Eddie Izzard snoozer. But I would still say the show hasn't returned to the jaw dropping hilarity it had a few years ago. I guess we'll see next year if it may.

-The winners: Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan all did well. Black Swan probably more than I or many expected. I haven't seen it, but the more I hear or read about it, I'm not sure I want to (despite having Mila Kunis and her hook up briefly :p). I get why Natalie Portman won, and probably will win tomorrow night at the Academy Awards, but it kind of speaks to people voting-for roles that are the most difficult, rather than the most moving/impact-ful.



-5 or 10 years from now, will Portman's performance in that be looked-to the way Jennifer Lawrence's was in Winter's Bone ? I would question that. But then again, I feel the best female performance I saw on film was not even Lawrence's but Katie Jarvis in Fishtank. It's also odd how Lawrence basically made Winter's Bone, and doesn't win, yet John Hawkes and Dale Dickey both did win. But that can be looked at as much for competition or lack-of, as quality of the performance.

-Also one thing Portman said in her acceptance speech, about *never* coming to them before. Am I forgetting, or was she not there when Garden State got nominated (and won?). I know Zack Braff was.

-Why was the stage slicked down with water or whatever else? Comedic effect? the idea might have been okay for like 1 segment/section of the show, but it just became an annoying hazard.

-Please Give won the Robert Altman award, which is all well and fine, as I do like people involved with that film, but I cannot forget about how after a lot of buzz at Sundance and the previews and interviews got me rather excited to see it; but then I left rather underwhelmed by it. And Catherine Keener has been on a roll for me pretty much over the last decade, but I can say this was my least favorite of all the movies I've seen her in.

-Exit Through the Gift Shop winning didn't come as a surprise to me, and I was happy to see it and presumably the main creator behind it, in Thierry Guetta up on stage accepting the award and (trying to) give some kind of inspirational speech. However, when he said "everything is real..everything in this film is real" I wonder a bit if a lot of the skeptical comments about *how real* the whole thing was. I imagine somewhere online there's some decent investigative work about how accurate it is, and how much may be fabricated for the film ala Michael Moore in a lot ways.

-Plus, the lack of stuff like No One Knows About Persian Cats and even Catfish still bugs me about the list. But between those 3, Exit Through the Gift Shop was the best.

-The way they had The King's Speech not only get nominated, but win, for Best Foreign Film is another head scratcher. Is it "independent"? I'm not sure. Is it even really "foreign"? technically, I suppose yes, but given it won at the Globes and SAG's, and is nominated for a number of awards at the Oscars tomorrow night, makes it even being included and in that category seem far-fetched.

-Seeing Ewan McGregor there, like Gael Garcia-Bernal in 2007 (when The Science of Sleep got no love from any of the Awards shows including the IFPs), just strikes me as overlooked and forgotten with The Ghost Writer. Now the budget thing may seem that point be moot, but it's difficult at times for me to watch these awards shows, seeing these movies and stars win awards, when I know very well that a movie like The Ghost Writer should be recognized and is a much better movie than a lot of them.

-What the hell was Kate Walsh doing there? Was she in or involved with a movie that got nominated? no. And I suppose for that matter, Tae Diggs. I didn't realize the Spirit Awards are now opening their seating for major network tv casts as well, lol.

-The voting process: well I recall learning about it a few years back. And I certainly would be interested in voting if I could. But from memory, you have to pay.

-edit:  this link explains
$95 for a membership. Okay? uh, I love small movies and support them however I can, but in order to vote for these things, it costs me nearly $100? sorry. I'd pay $15 perhaps. Maybe that $95 goes towards more than just the ability to vote for them, but I wonder what . I'd love to believe more, such as ability to bring more smaller movies to town, even if it were a 1-night or 1-weekend thing.

-I can't forget that, along the lines of lacking the in-town screening, 2010's show exposed me to 1 of my favorite movies I saw in the last 12 months, in Easier With Practice. And among the list of titles nominated I was unfamiliar with, I checked out a few trailers, and 1 I even got to see, the yet-to-be-reviewed Tiny Furniture, which I saw a few weeks ago at St.Anthony Main.

-However, while I liked Tiny Furniture (and Lena Dunham won an award for it tonight, best 1st Screenplay I think?..but that award was only mentioned by John Waters and not shown pathetically. WTF IFC?..your show is supposed to be the show that includes the little guy, right? wtf is up with not showing Lena Dunham winning?..maybe she wasn't there?). I don't know if I'd regard it at Easier With Practice's level. But, there's another movie that was nominated, but didn't win, called The Exploding Girl, which has Mark Rendall (who should play Jeff Buckley) and Zoe Kazan, that looks potentially rather good. And I am likely to see rather soon, hehe.

-And I recall liking Zoe Kazan in a few things recently, namely Me and Orson Welles. And well, there's a few reasons to want to see her in anything, after seeing a few clips from Revolutionary Road, hehe.

All in all, slightly better, but not entirely one of the better years for the IFPs again. But, I still look to them more than the Globes and Oscars for the heart of my taste in movies.

Oceansize Breaks Up :(

Twitter Post

Dear Friends, We regret to inform you that Oceansize has split up. An explanation for this occurrence is neither... http://fb.me/TVJB3BAh

Well I'm at work now, so I don't have time at the moment to write a proper, extensive reaction to this. But to put it mildly, I'm rather devastated right now to learn this. But I hopefully will be listening to a lot of their music today in tribute.

More to come...

The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - On Kare11

Dean Magraw, Lehto & Wright, Greg Herriges, Courtney Yasmineh. Give Kare11 credit, they keep giving local musicians I like the air time. That's a lot more than places like 89.3 or even Radio K.

Cover Art appears rather surreal. Of course currently, there's nothing online about All Out of Peaches beyond their facebook page. Maybe after Saturday's "Double CD Release Show" there will be. Of course weather permitting, lol.

Opeth and Unexpect quotes

Well just a couple of quotes to post here until more details come soon.



a quote from one of the members of Unexpect, my guess would be on their fans forum, as I've seen them post there occasionally.

Personnally working my way through the new RADIOHEAD right now. A future classic ?.. We'll know after 13 739 listens.

Protest the Hero, new track is great.

I saw the name DREDG..... I'll look for that one... didn't knew that was still active.

And YES..... finally.... the new UNEXPECT will be released.... after.... allllll that time...... Have been listening to it for over a year now..... it's about folking time!

We'll have a new track up in some days.... Thanks a million times for the patience.

Akerfeldt:

Everybody in the band has agreed on a kind of a change of style, this album doesn't sound like anything the band want to release just to keep the name fresh, I recorded a demo tape with the classic metal sound and played it for Mendez and he pretty much said that he'd be disappointed if this would be our next album. The album is very complex and sounds kind of fusion-like and I think that many fans who think they know what we're about will hate it, but I'm sure many people will love it as well. One thing is for sure, no one will find it boring."

The new Unexpect album has been a long time coming. Good a new song should come soon, and the album not long after. Maybe a tour with Protest or dredg as well? I could see dredg actually going for touring with Unexpect. They did show(s) with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum many years ago, why not Unexpect?

Opeth, going more into jazz-fusion, actually wouldn't surprise me.

Kacica - "A Rainbow" and "Last" (Live)

these are a couple of new songs the band has played live, I imagine relatively recently. They sound a bit different for them, more percussive I guess. But they also sound like tracks, especially when recorded and mastered well, could end up growing on me.

I really love this band from Japan. And I can't help but remind of how groups like Beach House seem to be receiving all the hipster cred and success, when Kacica are vastly better. And even with Warpaint, as much as I love them, the naive bloggers and reviews of Warpaint's music fail to realize the band who should be mentioned with them isn't The XX or Land of Talk, but KACICA instead.

But also as I've mentioned many times before, that will likely never happen because Kacica are too obscure and hail from Japan. And they're also too good and too prog for the idiots who write those kinds of reviews.

But I guess the more significant thing to mention being, these new songs are a sign the band have a new album in the works. It's been awhile since 2008's Mosaic, so as a fan, I'm naturally expecting them to do something pretty soon. Hopefully something will be posted soon about that.

They do have a blog of sorts, posted in Japanese, that I've stumbled on a few times. I used google translator to read some of it. Last thing I recall, a mention of Lemmy. I guess about the new film about him. Being from Japan, it's cool although not too surprising they would be a fan of him and Motorhead.

Jimmy Gnecco and Jon Anderson CONVERSATION

So, I'm sort of just playing messenger here given I'm copying+pasting the entire article along with the link. But to add here, this is a bit unusual. I happen to love both Jimmy Gnecco and Ours of course, along with Yes and Jon Anderson. But those 2 artists and singers specific backgrounds is not really the same demographic. In other words, I know a lot of Yes fans who've never heard of Ours or Jimmy. And some that wouldn't or don't even like their style of modern college rock. At the same time, much of the Ours fan base barely have ever heard/heard-of of Yes before. Maybe they know "Owner of a Lonely Heart" or "All Good People" perhaps. But most of them are not familiar nor all that much into a lot of progressive rock, nor even classic rock I suppose.

But my feeling is, both of these guys are tremendous vocal talents and have made some amazing music. The very idea of someone highly appreciating one and not the other, in my mind, is pretty mind-boggling. But arguments have been made before of course for many reasons.

But why is this conversation taking place? I guess Jimmy is a Yes fan, and a fan of Jon's. I'm not too surprised by that, but am a little surprised not ever hearing that before. Perhaps a big part of what brought this on was the fact both Jimmy and Jon have been involved with The School of Rock (out East, in NJ?). And the fact as Jimmy mentions, the kids can play Yes and King Crimson tunes, so maybe working with them, Jimmy was reminded of his love for Yes again.

Will this conversation and potential interaction and working together apparently, lead to a larger interest from Ours fans into Yes and Jon, and Yes fans into Ours and Jimmy's? I only could hope, but not expect. But if the world works/worked as it should, it would. I guess we'll see.

As a fan of both of them, the idea of them working together is something I'm rather intrigued by. Perhaps even a tour together (or one guesting/sitting-in live for a show or 2).


link

VIEW JON & JIMMY'S GALLERY
stated asked two musicians known for their unique voices—Jon Anderson, legendary founding lead singer of Yes, and Jimmy Gnecco of Ours—to discuss their music and art. One of our editors had been a longtime fan of Anderson and even briefly collaborated on some music through email. His unmistakable vocals span four decades and his influence is heard in some unexpected places (Kanye West samples a refrain from a 1983 Mike Oldfield collaboration in his current hit "Dark Fantasy.")
We became instant fans of Gnecco's haunting voice and caught up with him at a recent gig at London’s Hoxton Underbelly. We reconnected with Anderson by phone. Both showed an infectious joy for their art, and despite their different styles and experiences, their resulting email correspondence was surprisingly intimate and honest.

JIMMY GNECCO: Hi Jon. What an honor it is for me to have this opportunity to speak with you. I want to start off by saying that I've been a fan of your voice and your music for a very long time. Growing up, I was drawn to the tone and intent of your voice. It has always been very beautiful and comforting to me. It's sometimes difficult for me to accept this when people say it to me, but your voice is a true gift. So thank you for sharing it with us for all of these years.
Do you remember what it was that originally drew you to music, and the day that you realized that you needed to sing? Is it still the same thing that calls to you and makes you feel like you want to do it today?
I have so much to ask you, but maybe this is a good start. I know you're on the road now, so thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

JON ANDERSON: Hi Mr J.............great to be in touch...I listened to a couple of your songs, really good....very uplifting....and I love your production ...very simple yet 'right on' the mark...I will reply to your thoughts....what a cool way to 'chat'...like you, I love the modern world of technology.....
My earliest musical world was the radio....Elgar...Opera...jazz...pop..big band 40's 50's.
I worked on a local farm with my brother Tony, we sang all the hits of the day... Elvis... Everly Brothers.....delivered milk around town....and sang all the time...just as loud as possible..
Music is still as exciting today...there's tons of it...'world music etc...
JIMMY GNECCO: Thanks for listening to some of my songs. I tried to keep it all really simple on this latest record. I recognized the influence that your music and your voice had on bands in the 90's, and I've seen a lot of the influence on bands over the last few years as well. Are there still bands that inspire you?
JON ANDERSON: I was listening to The Kin yesterday....really cool songwriting..great singing, a lot of passion...I am constantly inspired, as I was with your songs....Coldplay...'I will fix you''....what a classic song......as for bands...mmmmmmm, there are some really talented peeps out there, but still waiting for the next Mahavishnu to come along.........

JIMMY GNECCO: I've been watching a lot of your recent shows on YouTube, and I can hear that your voice is still as strong as ever. I can also see that singing and performing still brings you joy, and that makes me happy to see. I'd like to ask you a few things that I think about and see if you have ever felt this way. If it gets too personal and you don't wish to answer, I understand.
Writing songs and singing them brings me a lot of peace, but sometimes I have gotten so consumed by wanting my voice to be great, that I've lost the plot and allowed fear to get in the way of me embracing the moment while on stage. My best shows these days aren't just when my voice is feeling good, but when my spirit shows up to the performance, and I'm able to have a real conversation and an exchange of energy with people. Over the years of performing, did you ever get completely psyched out because you were worried about your voice not being 100%?
JON ANDERSON: I do it everyday....feeling 'it's not as clear' or sounding relaxed enough..could have sung better last night, I will sing better tonight.....and so on!!....I must learn to 'let go' and the more I 'let go' I am amazed how the voice sounds, then I start thinking how great the voice sounds, and , then%&&^$...I miss a lyric...''screwed''..and so on and so on....it's the 'Glass Bead Game'…
JIMMY GNECCO: Did you ever have a period of time when your voice just wasn't working? I don't mean due to overuse, fatigue, or sickness, but a time when it just stopped working and you felt "well, I guess I'm not suppose to be singing right now"?
JON ANDERSON: it happens, you’re up there wailing away, pushing too hard, and then you wake up in the morning, and can't speak...that used to happen a lot on long tours, but over the years I've learned to relax, and let the voice 'happen'....and when I feel that feeling of getting close to hurting myself, I just 'let go'...and step back.....and drink a lot of water, and use 'Singers' spray...it helps a lot...just honey and lemon....
JIMMY GNECCO: I ask that because for the first many years of my life I didn't speak much. I was a pretty quiet kid. Then all of a sudden I had so much to say. I sang, and wrote a ton, and then I went through a period where my voice just stopped working. I had tests done and my chords were perfectly fine. This made me start to think about what else could be happening, and I couldn't help but think that maybe I should just be quiet for a while and spend more time listening. I was just wondering if this ever happened to you.
 
JON ANDERSON: I was known as a constant talker...so excited about everything, coming from a small town, getting a break..so much..now I listen more.....listening is good for the soul...
JIMMY GNECCO: Slightly changing directions here, I've seen, heard about, and I myself have experienced quite a ride so far in the music business. It's been a non-stop balancing act for me to exist within it. Who was it that originally signed you to your first record deal and what were those early years like? Did they support your vision or was it a battle for you?
JON ANDERSON: my mantra is..."music is easy...it's the business that's hard"...Yes was in the right place at the right time...Ahmet Ertugen of Atlantic Records fame was our saviour....he believed in me, and in the idea of Yes music....I thank the musical gods for him.....
JIMMY GNECCO: That's amazing that you had Ahmet in your corner and it doesn't surprise me. I kind of just had an "of course" moment when you said that he signed you. You know years ago I was going to sign with Rick Rubin, to American/Columbia and I just didn't want to be on such a big label at the time. I believed that I needed some development, and the luxury of time. I ended up signing with DreamWorks because there were some great people over there. I often had feelings of confusion and wondered if I did the right thing. I did end up signing with Rick for my last record that I did with my band Ours, and it was the experience that I had hoped for as far as creatively. It was a little rough on the label side because we didn't really have someone in the building working for us, but we made it through it and I'm still standing so it's all ok. It actually all pales in comparison to the road that you have traveled.
Much like you I have had different line-ups in my band Ours and even though it wasn't always what I had been going for, I have moments of looking back where I can really appreciate each line-up for what it was.

Was there a particular line-up of Yes that you enjoyed most?
I sometimes fall out of the loop of modern music and I find myself often clinging to my classic records, but I agree with you, there are some great bands out there right now. It seems like the box of pop music has gotten really small again, but I do hear so many bands experimenting and being very bold in spite of that. It's just hard to keep track of them all because it seems like with the record business crumbling a bit, technology growing, and not having a sort of funnel, it is very hard to find the bands.
I once believed in the record business and I often made reference to Ahmet and his way of doing things. I had often wished that I had that kind of belief and support unit throughout the process of making my first couple of records.
I've been working with the kids at a School of Rock location by my home [in New Jersey], and it's so great to see them learning Yes and Crimson songs. I'm often blown away by their excitement for these songs and their ability to remember the arrangements. Very inspiring.
I also work with my friends' organization Road Recovery. They mentioned that you've done some work with them as well. That's great. They are good guys.
I'm in London now doing a few shows. I didn't sing so well tonight, but I'll try again tomorrow just like you said.
I saw that you have a bunch of solo dates and then you're off to do even more with Rick Wakeman. That's great. I'm going to do my best to line up my schedule so that I can come out to a show. I missed you a couple of months ago at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You were there and I was getting a tour. The girl asked me if I wanted to go and talk to you, but I felt weird and I didn't want to bother you.
I would love to sing something together if your time permits. Maybe we can come together and sing something for some sort of organization. I'm always happy to sing for something that can help others in need.

JON ANDERSON: cheers Mr J.........send an mp3 of a song...I have my studio on my laptop....and I will sing harmonies with you....you never know.......'change' is healthy......so keep working on it....music will escort you through many worlds......as for the best Yes group...to me they all have their merit...the 'Fragile'/'Close to the Edge' band was soooooo in Harmony....pure magic....
to explain, I would sit in the middle and direct....they had the talent to play anything...so that's what we did, 'anything'....no barriers........very pure energy...'Awaken'....that was enormous for me.....
i had the School of Rock kids play it on one show....the last show in fact 3 years ago....they begged me to do it...I kept saying, no, lets get the show together first, which we did...5 shows on the west cast....then the last gig....they called and pleaded with me....i said , ok, lets do it...but if it falls apart...do a drum solo...
but it didn't fall apart....they played it 'note for note'...I was in tears.....
life is good....Music is God.....be in touch....
JIMMY GNECCO: Ok, I'll send you a song as soon as I get something together. That would be amazing.
I agree about the 'Fragile' and 'Close to the Edge' period. Really magical. I have that similar role and relationship when I make records with a group of musicians. Some people have beaten me up for having such a strong role, but I tried to just let things happen years ago, and that doesn't really seem to work for everything. Every once in a while we would stumble upon something together, but I do believe that there needs to be someone who makes that final decision on things when it's not working, even if it's not the right decision it seems to yield something and forward movement.
Communication has always been key for me. I am willing to try anything that anyone hears, and I hope for the same with any collaborators and musicians. I've learned to always say what I'm feeling to the band, and to present it without negativity. That's what's helped us do it together for so long. As long as everyone's intentions are pure and they are committed to greatness, we can figure it out.
I noticed that you've had your daughter sing with you. That's great. I had my daughter sing with me on the last Ours record. She has gotten so good over the last couple of years. I'm often convinced that I was just put on this earth to bring my children into the world. She has a really rich tone to her voice.
I'll spend some time thinking about something that we can sing together and I'll get it to you. I have to run out to my show now.
Have a great night.
Jimmy
JON ANDERSON: wonderful to chat.....best of everything....if you’re working on something and need harmonies....we will sing together...............cheers...jon

---

VIEW JON & JIMMY'S GALLERY
Jon Anderson
After illness left him unable to tour with Yes in 2008,  Jon Anderson recovered and returned to touring on a smaller scale. He just completed a fall tour of Europe with fellow former Yes band mate Rick Wakeman, and is about to begin a series of solo shows in the US. "The Living Tree" with Wakeman just released, and several projects will follow, including the solor project—"Survival and Other Stories"—and a live DVD with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland.
www.jonanderson.com
www.facebook.com/TheJonAnderson

www.twitter.com/thejonanderson

Jimmy Gnecco
Jimmy Gnecco is currently touring in support of his first solo effort, "The Heart," released in July 2010, after three albums as lead singer of Ours. 
www.jimmygnecco.com
www.ours.net
www.facebook.com/jimmygnecco
www.twitter.com/jimmygnecconews

Deerhoof live at the Triplerock Social Club 2/17/11

So I attended this show last evening in Minneapolis. I've never seen Deerhoof in concert, but have heard/read a lot of good, even superior things about their concerts (compared to their albums).

And I think overall, that belief makes sense. They had this great, fun energy about them for more or less every tune. I think that is what made their performance as interesting as anything.

Set list? I am not going to pretend to know song titles by heart or anything given I really only have listened to their 2 most recent records, 2011's Deerhoof vs. Evil and 2008's Offend Maggie to any moderate amount of frequency. But I'm pretty sure the majority of the songs came from those 2 albums since I did recognize probably more than half of the songs they played.

I guess my belief that seeing them live may inspire me to try and hear and digest not only those 2 albums again/more thoroughly, but of course the size-able back catalog they have.

Today I'm listening to maybe their most well-known lp in 2004's Milk Man. And the record that came before it 2003's Apple O'.

But I guess I'm still seeking their acceptance to view them at a slightly higher level. They seem to be still a dichotomy to me. Their songs often have these really cool parts, however they rarely last too long. They're almost like a prog band with a punk mentality. Let's come up with an awesome section, and chop it in half for the song.

Kiss Kiss are 1 band who kind of write music in that mind set I sense, except I guess their songs seem less of a tease. They wrap those ideas into whole songs more consistently.

But damn, Deerhoof have so gawd damn many songs with those little sections, I really think more effort on my part should be worth giving to really get a more accurate gauge on them.

Cloud Cult I can say recently I have done that with and thus far, has definitely been worthwile. I'm still in the process of getting to know many of their albums better, but I've given them more time and can say I view them and their whole catalog at another level now.

I think Deerhoof are primed for a similar breakthrough for me. And certainly finally seeing them last night helped.

The vocals namely are sort of the biggest hurdle. I like them, but they don't stand out extremely well on every song. The female japanese style with noisey, dissonant power-chords seems incongruous , but I really can't say it doesn't work. I think their singer's vocals can be looked at like many extreme/death metal vocal lines. They aren't the part of the music that grabs me, but every once in awhile they surprise me enough, that over time they become more enjoyable.

Satomi Matsuzaki, their singer is kind of brilliant in that way. I don't expect to like them, but with little time and taking them in enough, they have a tendency to be pretty good.

I suppose another report about my exploration into Deerhoof's older work should be in order if I have the time and remember to, likely in 2011.

I also can't forget, part of what I dig about Deerhoof is the guitar tones they use, which remind me at times very much of Oceansize. If you are an Oceansize fan, Deerhoof is one to check out. There's good reason why Mike Vennart is such a big fan of them. Also their drummer, Greg Saunier, just pounded his skins last night, kind of reminding me of Danny Seim from Menomena in some ways (or John Bohnam of Led Zeppelin who some have compared Danny to).

Born of Osiris - The Discovery (2011) (1.0)

2/16/11 1:53AM
Cover:



2/2/11 12:16AM

facebook "BandPage" link to stream new single "Follow the Signs"

Facebook Wall that includes links for pre-order info, cover art for "Follow the Signs."

I maybe overreacted a bit in my preview for this album, because I will admit, this new tune, at least on the surface, sounds MUCH better than I expected.



b-mouth

Chicago-based progressive metal hybrid BORN OF OSIRIS will release its third full-length album, "The Discovery", on March 22 via Sumerian Records. The CD was recorded at BOTA Studio in Lake In The Hills, Illinois and was mixed by Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM, DEVILDRIVER).

Commented guitarist Lee McKinney: "I should start by saying this new album is heavier than anything the band ever released. We have moved onto seven strings and it couldn't have complimented our sound any better. We brought back the 'BOO-bounce' on this one. It's definitely a really fun and upbeat album. Also, the addition of our new guitar player, Jason Richardson, has increased the amount of shred on this album. There are some really incredible guitar solos on this album from the both of us. It takes the band to a whole new level of musicality. This album contains an awesome mix of our most heavy, most technical, most atmospheric and most beautiful melodies ever."

BORN OF OSIRIS is preparing to co-headline the third annual "Atticus Metal" tour with DARKEST HOUR. AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK and THE HUMAN ABSTRACT round out the stellar bill. SLEEPING GIANT will be special guests on all West Coast dates and look for other special openers on other shows depending on the region.

BORN OF OSIRIS's sophomore album, "A Higher Place", came out in 2009. The CD was recorded at Planet Z in in Hadley, Massachusetts with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, WHITECHAPEL and THE ACACIA STRAIN, among others.

BORN OF OSIRIS' debut album, "The New Reign", was produced by Michael Keene of THE FACELESS.

The band's sound is said to be "an epic mix of intricate and memorable melodies with challenging time signatures that still hold an infectious groove, all while maintaining sheer, tasteful brutality."

that's all well and good to learn. However, I found 2009's A Higher Place to be a huge disappointment. Production-wise, writing-wise. They didn't even use any of the great subtle synths that made A New Reign great.

So, this is sort of a make-or-break record for me. If it's as bad or worse than AHP, well, I guess they've likely found the shark-jump. But if it's better, obviously my interest may return.

I hope between them and among others, especially The Faceless, 2011 will see a return to some of the recent extreme metal bands quality that I got so into a few years ago.

What's Left of Her - Perceptions (2010) (1.0)

1 Prologue 1:26
2 Oceans 4:21
3 When I Was Human 2:18
4 In Extremis 3:31
5 A New Aesthetic 3:13
6 Timekeepers 2:35
7 Que Alt Two 1:11
8 Needlework 6:02
9 Fireball Jungle 5:01
10 Sleeping With Ghosts 2:45

"Progressive Deathcore" is one-term to describe these guys, like some may describe bands like Born of Osiris or Painted In Exile.

I've played this debut full-length album of theirs, which a digital version is totally free (here) from the band on their

Facebook and Myspace pages, three times over the last week. Actually, four times considering I streamed it 1st. And when I streamed it initially, I liked a lot of it, but was a little skeptical of the production on the cymbals and the vocal style and mix compared to the music.

Well, after a couple of times through, I am pleased to say neither of those 2 issues seem apparent. Cymbals sound clean, the vocals fit overall with their style. And maybe best, the compositions maybe work even better than I realized from that 1st time hearing them on PC speakers.

They use keyboards, namely some video-game like tones rather well. Born of Osiris did some of that on their debut record; but I'd say already, I think this album takes a lot of what BoO did on The New Reign and added or expanded upon it.

Now 3 or 4 times through, one other group I am reminded of to a point. Dark Tranquillity. The flow, energy, atmosphere, and mix of death growls with a gothic element. And the songs never over extending themselves.

This is almost like a Dark Tranquility-core album. And it's rather effective in doing that. I'm a little surprised on how much I'm enjoying it, but perhaps some of that has to do with how little I expected of it.

New Radiohead album in 5 days (2/19/11)

My thoughts about this? I'd consider listening if a decision was made to not have Thom Yorke sing on this album.

He's basically as unlistenable to me as Circa Survive's Anthony Green.

Maybe they'll offer an all-instrumental version of this album as well.

Oedipus - TBA (2011) (1.0)

link/posting/updates

BACK IN THE STUDIO

We were back in the studio last night @ the Den Recorders tracking what will be a full length LP set to drop this coming June. Stay tuned for more updates on this and some behind the scene sneak peak's of the sessions.

there's that post, and they keep posting about working on the album on their twitter account.

This band I got into a few years ago, and actually a search on this blog would probably trace back to that. Their debut record, 2004's Humbility I enjoyed when I 1st heard it, and have liked a bit more ever since. More or less over the last couple of years.

They're kind of in the Silverchair/Biffy Clyro/Muse vein to a point. Heavy art-rock that includes much of a catchy/power-pop style to it. They also seem to have some songs that are more bass-driven.

Their most recent release, 2008's Covetous EP I liked, although not as much as Humbility. But it'll be nice to finally hear more new stuff from them soon, and I suppose see how it compares to their previous work.

Annuals - TBA (2011) (1.0)

2/9/11 6:19PM



facebook post

ok forks, we are sooooo close to being done with the next album! it's nail biting time! we will post a sample of a couple songs here soon. looking forward to some feedback. Love you ALL!!!

great news. I really love this band sometimes, and I think they are so good, they haven't made their best studio work yet. Definitely one to get excited for, rather soon it sounds like. Maybe a late Spring/Summer release.

I really would love to see their success reach to where bands like Local Natives and even Warpaint are now at. But of course, without requiring Hipfork's rape-services.

Capital Records to release The Beach Boys "Smile Sessions"?

story

In an interview with Examiner.com last week, Al Jardine let slip news that pop fans have been waiting to hear for over four decades. According to the guitarist, Capitol Records is planning to release The Beach Boys’ lost masterpiece, Smile, this summer. The album, which was intended to be the follow-up to the group’s magnum opus, Pet Sounds, was scuttled in late 1966 for a variety of reasons and has never been released to the public in its entirety. In 2004, Brian Wilson rerecorded the material as Brian Wilson Presents Smile, winning three Grammy nominations for his efforts. But until now, The Beach Boys’ version has remained on the shelf. Jardine, though, says that is all about to change.

“Capitol Records plans to issue a Beach Boys version of Smile sometime this summer to begin the celebration of The Beach Boys’ anniversary,” he said. “Smile is the Holy Grail for Beach Boys’ fans, so it will be good.”

He continued, “I don’t have many details on it, although we didn't do any new recording. I'm happy to see it finally come out. Brian’s changed his mind about releasing the material, but it was inevitable, wasn’t it?”

this would be great to have happen. Although as a friend of mine has said, Capital Records have been saying they were going to release these for decades. A bit like Chinese Democracy, but much longer.

If they do actually do come out, it'll be fun to hear them this way (compared to the bootlegs), and compare them to Brian Wilson's Smile from 2004.

To Do List:

Entries:
Crotchduster (band)
What's Left of Her (band)
Tiny Furtniture (film)
Water & Bodies (band)
Painted In Exile (band)
television: Psych, V, Tyler Labine Show, Shatner's Raw Nerve, The Killing, Kevin Pollak shows guests Fairly Legal
Radio/Podcasting
Essentials
Academy Awards
Annie Haslam - Annie In Wonderland (band)
Crippled Black Phoenix (band)

Dean Magraw & Marcus Wise @ The Cedar Cultural Center 2/5/11

So, the big "cd release" show for How the Light Gets In is this evening, at the Cedar Cultural Center. Good to see an appearance on Kare11 with of all people, Diana Pierce. I was just asking myself, what are the odds Diana ends up going to the show, or even listening to the album (or more of Dean's music)? I'd love to know.

But it's cool they did that appearance. This town (and plenty of other towns) though need like a dozen more kind of stories about this album and Dean, at least to the point where it'll seem his name and everything he's overcome will be known to the point it should be.

But along those lines and this show which I am attending this evening (and having to unfortunately miss Greg Herriges show at the Loring Theater), I have been taking-in some other recent Dean purchases.


Dean Magraw's Red Planet - Space Dust


Peter Ostroushko with Dean Magraw - Duo

These 2 records have been getting regular rotation for me of late. The Red Planet album is a live disc recorded at The Artist Quarter in St.Paul (I believe) sometime in the last few years. 2007 maybe. Anyway, it's phenomenal, and maybe the best account that I've heard, on any mastered recording, of how amazing Dean can be live. He does those Coltrane adaptations so masterfully. Others like Hendrix, Gershwin, and the Solomon Linda tune "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is breathtaking. Plus some original stuff from him and his Red Planet band mates Chris Bates (whose brother JT plays drums with another one of Dean's groups Eight-head), and Jay Epstein.

Jay Epstein honestly, is maybe the most precise drummer I've ever seen live. And it comes across in that album too. My gawd, he might rival Paul Wetico. He's just so intricate. When I saw them perform back in December, my jaw kept dropping over and over.

And I guess for that reason among others, I might regard this Red Planet disc Space Dust as my favorite Dean album ever. Or at least among what I've heard. I enjoy his recordings, but the shows have always been what have taken the cake for me. And finally, I can look to something on record and call it my go-to.



The Duo record with Peter Ostroushko is also something I've been sleeping on for far too long. And now being 2011, it is the 20-year anniversary of its release. I'm not sure if KFAI or another station or media outlet will do something for that, but they should. As far as the album though, it's a little different for me hearing Dean play primarily rhythm parts with Peter's incredible mandolin work. But the mandolin certainly is a big part of the quality of it. Some awesome acoustic jams. The 3rd cut "Three Brazilian Melodies" has some wonderful sections to it. "The Prairie Suite" as well. There's a lot of good cultural music on here.

I guess with some of the acoustic music I've been enjoying of late, such as Punch Brothers and even The River Empires, Lehto & Wright and The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, this record certainly has mixed well.

I think it's also note worthy that it was a few years later, the Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty record The Rite of Strings was released. I doubt it, but I couldn't help wonder if there was an influence. Who knows, maybe those guys knew/know Dean and Peter and were inspired to make an acoustic jazzy string record after hearing Duo.

Timmy Sean & the Celebrities - East Coast Girls and West Coast Dreams (2011) (1.0)

Timmy's facebook announcement

I am THRILLED to announce that I have signed with Lowe Records to not only release the debut Sir Video LP in 2011, but also to release the first album from my brand new band TIMMY SEAN & THE CELEBRITIES, East Coast Girls And West Coast Dreams ("Like" us here:)! While Sir Video will be slimming down to a duo consisting of John Tiedemann & myself, Timmy Sean & The Celebrities will be a huge line-up of powerhouse musicians including John on drums, Michael J. Roxx on guitar, Frankie Pedano on keys and vocals, and a rotating cast of charlatans on bass, guitar, keys & horns including Chris LeFevre (TheChristie Lenée project, The Mahoney Brothers), Dan "Sally" Salyerds (LUZER), and more!

Whereas my debut solo album "Songs From & Inspired By Noisewater" gave a home for all of my Brian Wilson/Jon Brion/Jeff Lynne inspired material, Sir Video has become a perfect outlet for my love of dance and pop music. Unfortunately this has left a void for my biggest love of straight-ahead guitar-driven Weezeresque/Fountains Of Waynesque/Cheap Trickesque powerpop rock 'n roll that was such a big part of my life for so long with LUZER. Enter Timmy Sean & The Celebrities stage left...

Not only do I have a full-album worth of material ready to go for Timmy Sean & The Celebrities, but I decided that my initial decision to not perform anything from "Noisewater" live was...well...no fun. So beginning with a very-special-soon-to-be-announced event in April, I will be debuting my new band live and performing material from both the upcoming Celebrities record, as well as never-before-performed-live tracks from my 2010 debut solo LP!

Recording for both projects will commence in 18 days in South Carolina with multi-platinum producer (and all around swell guy) Kenny Gioia at the helm, followed by that previously mentioned very special live event for our North East friends and fans in April.

FINALLY, we will then soon after be packing up our guitars and toys (and toy guitars) and FINALLY relocating to our new label's small hometown of Los Angeles, CA!

The guys and I are beyond excited for ALL OF THIS, and would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the one and only Mr. Mike Lowe for making every bit of this happen!

Many more details (and some music sneak peeks) coming very soon and very often!

So, this sounds like something to keep up on. Timmy's 2010 solo debut album Songs From & Inspired By Noisewater I honestly only listened to the last 6 weeks of the year, but it quickly bacame one of my favorites, placing pretty high on the 2010 Index.

But from this posting, Timmy has 2 records coming this year, this one, and another from this band Sir Video. What I'm curious about is, how the Celebrities record will differ from the Sir Video one, and both from his debut record from last year. Sir Video might be more singer/songwriter and the Celebrities more layered. My guess is the Celebrities album will resemble more of the Beach Boys/Queen kind of stuff I loved on the record from last year. But I'm looking forward to hearing both of these albums.

There's some samples (demos) already up here, and they have a sampler called The Free Three I guess for a show the Celebrities are doing in April.

Protest the Hero - Scurrilous (2011) (1.0)

2/3/11 7:12PM
I know, this is a few hours late given it was posted when I was at work. But here's a stream of the Opening track "C'est La Vie":

link

Protest The Hero - C'est La Vie (Pre-Order Scurrilous Now!) by VagrantRecords

 not bad, but namely the 1st minute and change = rather predictable sounding. The 2nd half I enjoy what they're doing more so.



2/2/11 12:10AM,
1/18/11 8:50PM

http://protestthehero.com/

cover art and track list:


1. C’est la Vie
2. Hair-Trigger
3. Tandem
4. Moonlight
5. Tapestry
6. Dunsel
7. The Reign of Unending Terror
8. Termites
9. Tongue-Splitter
10. Sex Tapes

Canadian pre-order link with that track listing, tab book, t-shirt, etc

1/13/11 12:35AM

Mar 22 – Protest The Hero Scurrilous (Underground)

http://antcomic.com/blog/?p=5807
According to that Link/List. That is the title and it's released on March 22nd. I'm still a bit suspicious about that, given the band themselves haven't announced anything. But it is a Canadian Media list (CBC), so it seems credible enough, and there are other albums listed as "tba" there.

here's some previous info about it, although I never added the fact Jadea Kelly, the female vocalist who I loved on Kezia and I felt was painfully missed on Fortress is going to be returning on this new record.


Stewdio Pupdate tree. from Rody Walker on Vimeo.