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ISSUE 40
The AKAs at Warped 2005
Tr
i
v
i
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z
f
e
s
t‘
05
Soilwork atOz
z
f
e
s
t‘
05
Interviews: Every Time I Die SOILWORK Tower of Power
Live Show Reviews: OZZFEST 2005 / Warped 2005, ANGER MANAGEMENT TOUR, 
Tower of Power and Tom Jones, The Dan Band, Gigantor 
Tons of New CD and DVD Reviews!
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Interviews
EVERY TIME I DIE
Ozzfest
Tweeter Center, MA
July 14, 2005
(KB = Keith Buckley, lead vocals
KZ = Ken Zebbyn)
KZ: You guys have been having a lot of
success. How much does that mean to you guys,
l
i
k
ei
st
ha
ty
ourg
oa
lor
,
i
fnot
,
wha
t
’
sy
our
motivation at this point?
KB: When we first started, I remember the first
meeting we had as a band before we even
practiced. We all wanted to play music for a
living and we were gonna do what it took to be
full-t
i
memus
i
c
i
a
ns
.I
nt
ha
t
,Id
o
n’
tt
hi
nk
a
ny
bodyha
di
nmi
ndt
ha
twe
’
da
c
t
ua
l
l
ybea
s
successful as we were. We just kinda wanted to
get by, you know, and be able to call this our
job. This is all just bonus. We were living our
dream a year ago, let alone now, with the
s
uc
c
e
s
swe
’
v
eha
d.
KZ: When you started out, what made you guys
go to this genre music as opposed to others,
since you can play all different types of music
and have a career. Was there a certain influence,
or was it that you started out in a certain
direction and ended up this way?
KB: I just remember, ever since I was a kid and
I heard first, I think the first heavy record I heard
was The Puppets, and ever since then I
remember always being drawn to heavier sounds
in general. Especially when we first started, as
the main songwriter that was my biggest
influence. I was just drawn towards heavier
sounds. It just seemed to be what I was best at
creating, because things you hear as a kid just
kind of stick in your brain, you know?
Everybody else in the band also obviously
enjoyed what they were doing as well. When I
would write some offering to bring to practice,
the heavier stuff was just what really seemed to
click, especially in the Jordan Sterling style, the
heavier stuff.
KZ: He hits the skins not only fast but hard.
I
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
ypoundi
ng
,y
ourmus
i
c
,e
s
pe
c
i
a
l
l
yy
our
bass and drums go along and it sets that really
fast style that you have. Not that everything you
doi
ss
pe
e
dorha
r
dc
or
e
,
buty
oudon
’
tg
e
ti
nt
o
too much of a dirge sound as a rule. With all the
different styles that are on the tour today, how
familiar are you on a personal basis with other
bands given that a lot of you come from same
place?
KB: We
’
v
ee
i
t
he
rt
our
e
dorpl
a
y
e
ds
howswi
t
h
pr
e
t
t
ymuc
he
v
e
r
yba
ndont
hes
i
d
es
t
a
g
e
,t
he
r
e
’
s
onl
yac
oupl
et
ha
tweha
dn’
tpl
a
y
e
dwi
t
hun
t
i
l
today. We have a lot of existing friendships with
those guys. They all have a very similar passion
f
ormus
i
c
.Thi
swhol
ef
e
s
ti
s
n’
tj
us
ta
bo
ut
wa
t
c
hi
ngg
r
e
a
tba
nds
,f
orus
.Wh
a
tI
’
ml
ook
i
ng
forward to the most is just hanging out with
e
v
e
r
y
body
.Tha
t
’
st
heme
nt
a
l
i
t
yoft
hes
i
de
stage bands, and a lot of metal bands in general,
very down to earth and very much how hard core
bands learn. That real family-like mentality
whe
r
ee
v
e
r
y
body
’
st
r
y
i
ngt
ot
a
k
ec
a
r
eof
e
a
c
hot
he
r
,t
he
r
e
’
snof
i
e
r
c
ec
ompe
t
i
t
i
onor
jealousy. I mean, everybody wants to do the
best for themselves, but we all are pretty levelheaded.
KZ:Tha
t
’
swha
tI
’
v
ebe
e
nhe
a
r
i
ngf
r
omt
he
ot
he
rba
ndswe
’
v
es
pok
e
nt
o,wea
l
lwa
nnabe
t
hebe
s
tbuti
t
’
sn
otl
i
k
e“
You’
r
es
t
a
ndi
ngi
nmy
wa
y
.
”
KB: Ye
a
h.The
r
e
’
snotoneg
o
l
dme
da
lor
anything, our bands could all do very very well.
Sometimes the success of another band helps us,
and vice versa.
KZ: With that in mind, when you get to metal
t
he
r
e
’
sobv
i
o
us
l
yg
oi
ngt
obes
omeol
ds
c
h
oo
l
metal later today on the main stage, and more of
the younger, upcoming acts are on this stage,
e
x
c
e
ptma
y
beRobZombi
ewho’
sbe
e
na
r
o
un
d
for a long time. Metal goes from say emotional
metal, or people are talking about say social
i
t
e
ms
,a
ndt
he
nt
he
r
e
’
st
hede
mon
i
cs
a
t
a
ni
cs
t
uf
f
.
How do you feel you fit in yourself, rather than
someone else trying to label you, as a band?
KB: Lyrically I always write from a very
personal standpoint. I think you can actually
hear the passion in our music. Just drive that
comes from our music being very personal to us.
So lyrically in a sense I would use the personal
things that are going on in my life to drive me to
have that kind of passion for the music, and then
my world view as a person, because I personally
am a Christian. Even when I talk about the
struggles and trials that you go through,
ul
t
i
ma
t
e
l
yt
he
r
e
’
sapos
i
t
i
v
eme
s
s
a
g
ebe
hi
nd
t
he
m.Ido
n’
tr
e
a
l
l
yha
v
eal
otofpol
i
t
i
c
a
ls
ong
s
,
butI
’
mv
e
r
ypa
s
s
i
ona
t
ea
boutt
h
i
ng
st
ha
tha
v
e
hi
tmes
oc
l
os
et
ohomea
ndl
e
s
s
o
nst
ha
tI
’
v
e
l
e
a
r
ne
d,t
r
i
a
l
st
ha
tI
’
v
eg
onet
hr
ou
g
h.
KZ: Are you a big Faulkner fan or is that just a
coincidence?
KB: He has a very good and unique writing
style, but the name, we got the idea from the
novel but it was more just something that we
l
i
k
e
dt
hes
o
un
dof
.I
t
’
sno
tl
i
k
ewe
’
r
edi
e
-hard
fans or anything.
KZ: Was it something you all discovered
together or was it a book, or was it a film?
KB: We
l
ln
o,a
c
t
ua
l
l
yag
ui
t
a
rpl
a
y
e
rwho’
snot
in the band any more originally was studying for
an English class he had in college and he picked
up a copy of a Cliff Notes for whatever book he
was reading, and he looked at the list on the back
and saw the name As I Lay Dying. So the next
time he came to practice a day or two later he
s
a
i
d“
Che
c
koutt
hi
sna
me
,Is
a
wi
to
nt
heba
c
k
ofCl
i
f
fNot
e
sa
ndIt
h
i
nki
t
’
spe
r
f
e
c
t
.
”
KZ: Is anyone in the band familiar with the
actual piece of literature?
KB: Ye
a
h,Ni
c
k
’
sr
e
a
di
tbe
f
or
e
.Li
k
eIs
a
i
d,I
e
nj
oyt
hewr
i
t
i
ngs
t
y
l
e
,butIj
us
tc
oul
d
n’
tg
e
t
through the whole thing.
KZ: Tha
t
’
sc
ool
.Iwa
sc
ur
i
ousbe
c
a
us
eIwas
talking with a couple reporters earlier and a lot
ofpe
opl
edi
d
n’
tr
e
a
l
i
z
et
ha
ti
ti
saFa
ul
k
ne
r
nov
e
l
,j
us
tl
i
k
eal
otofpe
o
pl
edi
d
n’
tr
e
a
l
i
z
et
ha
t
the Black Dahlia is based on a person who was
actually murdered who was from Massachusetts,
and that person moved to California where
things happened.
And they say, “Really? So how do you find this
s
t
uf
fout
?
”I
t
’
spr
e
t
t
ye
a
s
y
,i
fy
oug
ot
ot
he
c
omput
e
ra
ndt
y
pei
n‘
Bl
a
c
kDa
hl
i
aMur
de
r
’a
nd
y
oug
e
tnoto
nl
yt
heba
nd’
swe
bs
i
t
e
,b
uta
l
s
o
everything related to the murder.
KB: Yeah, like when you Google us you get our
web site, but everything else is related to the
book.
KZ: The charting of the album is doing so well
f
ory
our
i
g
htnow.Doy
out
hi
nki
t
’
st
he
ma
t
ur
i
ngofy
ours
oun
dt
ha
t
’
sg
ot
t
e
ny
out
oa
larger audience?
KB: It
hi
nki
t
’
sac
ombi
na
t
i
o
nofama
t
ur
i
ngof
ours
ou
nda
ndt
ha
tna
t
ur
a
l
l
y
,be
c
a
us
ewe
’
r
es
o
y
oung
,we
’
v
eg
ot
t
e
nbe
t
t
e
rbot
hi
no
ur
songwriting and our ability to play. Also, we
spent such a long time building a foundation for
a record tha
tdi
dn’
tr
e
a
l
l
yc
omeoutwi
t
hal
o
tof
hype, it just came out and did pretty decent, and
then just stayed steady for two years never went
down for two years, sold at the same rate. It
took a long time to build that foundation, and
then now looking back ont
ha
t
,
he
r
e
’
st
hi
sbi
g
foundation and in putting out a new record, we
don
’
tr
e
a
l
l
yha
v
et
owor
r
ya
boutt
ha
ts
l
owbui
l
d.
Weha
dt
hebi
gf
i
r
s
twe
e
k
s
,a
ndwehopet
ha
ti
t
’
s
going to go two years long again.
KZ:It
hi
nki
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
yf
or
t
una
t
e
.Whe
ny
our
e
ad
t
hehi
s
t
or
yofal
otofdi
f
f
e
r
e
ntba
ndsy
ou’
l
ls
e
e
that they chart really well on maybe their first
couple of albums and then they never reach that
s
t
a
t
usa
g
a
i
n.Andy
ou’
r
ek
i
ndofdoi
ngt
he
opp
os
i
t
e
,whe
r
enowy
ou’
r
ec
ha
r
t
i
ngbe
t
t
e
r
,a
n
d
It
hi
nkt
ha
t
’
sac
r
e
di
tt
owha
ty
ou’
r
edoi
ng
.
Another thing I wanted to check. Obviously
y
ou’
v
ebe
e
nt
our
i
ngadoi
ngal
otofs
t
uf
fov
e
r
the years. What a lot of people like to see when
reading an interview is possibly a story that
ma
y
bewa
s
n’
tf
unnywhe
ni
twa
sha
ppening
while you were on tour, but now when you look
ba
c
koni
t
,
i
t
’
sadi
s
c
us
s
i
o
ny
ou’
v
eha
dwi
t
h
many people and everyone chuckles about it. Is
t
he
r
ea
ny
t
hi
ngl
i
k
et
ha
ty
ou’
dl
i
k
et
os
ha
r
ewi
t
h
us?
KB: Ye
a
h.I
’
ms
t
i
l
lmi
xe
dwi
t
h- not regret, but
I guess, frustration and humor over the whole
s
i
t
ua
t
i
o
n.I
’
mobv
i
ous
l
ys
t
i
l
lf
r
us
t
r
a
t
e
db
ut
…
recently, a month ago, we went to Europe. On
our tour there the driver we were supposed to get
cancelled, and the guy we got was a first time
ever driver for the compa
ny
.He
’
ss
up
pos
e
dt
o
c
omepi
c
kusupa
ndd
oe
s
n’
tg
e
tu
sa
tt
hea
i
r
p
or
t
,
so we ended up stranded at the airport for the
evening. Finally we get ahold of him and he
s
a
y
s
,“
Oh,I
’
mnotg
oi
ngt
obet
he
r
eunt
i
l
t
omor
r
ow,
”s
owec
he
c
ki
nt
oo
urhot
e
l
.The
nhe
pi
c
k
susupa
ndi
t
’
shi
sf
i
r
s
tt
i
mee
v
e
rdr
i
v
i
ngf
or
the company, and we wanted to drive instead but
wer
e
a
l
l
yc
oul
dn’
tbe
c
a
us
edr
i
v
i
n
gi
nEur
opei
t
’
s
different. If someone gives you directions in
Ge
r
ma
ny
ou’
r
enotg
oi
ngt
of
i
ndy
ourwa
y
.So
after a day of driving we realized this guy really
doe
s
n’
tl
i
k
ehi
sj
oba
nddoe
s
n’
twa
ntt
obehe
r
e
.
And actually he becomes very vocal about it and
very upset with the situation because he wants to
behomea
nddoe
s
n’
twa
ntt
obed
r
i
v
i
ng
.The
ni
t
starts to get worse and worse where it gets to the
point of road rage, so we had to drop him off at
the airport, fire our driver in the middle of
Ge
r
ma
ny
,a
ndj
us
ts
a
i
d“
He
y
,he
r
e
’
st
hea
i
r
por
t
,
g
e
tout
.
”Wedr
ov
eo
ur
s
e
l
v
e
sf
ort
her
e
s
toft
he
Germany. The company was supposed to get us
another driver and never did, and two days
before the tour ended the vehicle we rented
broke down, so we were stuck on the side of the
road in the middle of Germany until midnight,
trying to figure out how we could get to the next
show. When that tour was over I remember
going to sleep in my own bed and thinking it I
j
us
tc
a
n’
tr
e
me
mbe
rt
hel
a
s
tt
i
mebybe
de
v
e
rf
e
l
t
as comfortable as that.
KZ: You definitely went through some trials
and tribulations. So right now Ozzfest is your
focusf
ort
hene
x
tt
wowe
e
k
s
,ma
y
bey
ou’
r
e
doing some side gigs as well. How important
was it to get on the Ozzfest bill this year as
opposed to other things you could have gotten
involved in, such as the Sounds Of The
Underground Tour?
KB: For us, the timing was perfect. We got the
offer to be side stage headliners which - I
c
oul
d
n’
ti
ma
g
i
ner
ot
a
t
i
ngp
l
a
y
i
nga
t9i
nt
he
morning on Sundays, so that offer was a great
offer. Sounds Of The Underground seemed to
me to be a little bit flooded with bands that had a
similar kind of sound. As a whole I think it
takes the genre to the next level, but individually
ba
ndsdo
n’
tr
e
a
l
l
ys
t
i
c
kouto
nat
ourl
i
k
et
ha
t
.
So Ozzfest made the most sense for us because I
t
hi
nkt
hi
si
st
hek
i
ndoff
a
nba
s
et
ha
twe
’
r
er
e
a
l
l
y
unable to reach with our kind of underground
attitude on our last record. These are definitely
me
t
a
lf
a
nsa
ndIt
hi
nkt
he
y
’
l
la
ppr
e
c
i
a
t
ewha
t
we
’
r
edoi
ng
.
KZ: Have you already come out with a DVD of
your stuff, a live DVD?
KB: We
’
r
ewor
k
i
ngoni
t
,weha
v
eall the plans
f
ori
t
.We
’
r
ec
ol
l
e
c
t
i
ngf
oot
a
g
ea
ndt
a
pi
ngs
ome
of the Ozzfest shows.
KZ:Ni
c
e
,y
ou’
l
lha
v
et
ha
tl
o
udc
r
owd.Oneof
the things that really stinks about Ozzfest, at
l
e
a
s
tf
r
ommyv
i
e
wpoi
nt
,i
st
ha
twe
’
r
e
qua
r
a
nt
i
ne
d.Thef
e
a
ri
s
,s
ome
one
’
s gonna take
pi
c
t
ur
e
sofOz
z
y
.Youc
a
n’
tl
e
a
v
et
hep
hot
oa
r
e
a
long as you have a camera. So one of the things
y
ou’
r
eg
oi
ngt
od
ot
oda
yi
se
x
pe
r
i
e
nc
et
het
hi
ng
s
t
ha
tI
’
mnotg
oi
ngt
og
e
tt
od
o,s
e
e
i
nga
l
lt
he
things that happen. Is this like a real circus for
you, walking around and seeing everything all
the kids are doing?
KB: Ye
a
h,
bu
ti
t
’
sk
i
n
dofi
nt
i
mi
da
t
i
ngbe
c
a
us
e
e
v
e
nt
og
e
tt
ot
hee
a
t
i
nga
r
e
awe
’
v
eg
ott
owa
l
k
t
hr
o
ug
h,a
n
dwhok
n
owswha
t
’
sgonnaha
p
pe
n
ne
x
t
.Some
t
i
me
si
t
’
se
nj
oy
a
bl
e
,s
omeda
y
son
t
het
o
uri
t
’
sg
o
nnabeal
i
t
t
l
et
o
omuc
h,butr
i
g
h
t
nowi
t
’
sf
un.
KZ:Whe
ny
ou’
r
eupons
t
a
g
e
,wha
tt
y
peof
things that a crowd could do really amuses the
ba
nda
st
he
y
’
r
epl
a
y
i
ng
?I
si
tmor
eorl
e
s
st
he
“
Showusy
ourt
i
t
s
”s
t
uf
ft
ha
t
’
sg
onnaha
p
pe
n
when Ozzy comes out? Are there certain
r
e
a
c
t
i
onsy
ou’
r
el
ook
i
ngf
orf
r
ompe
opl
e
,
wha
t
’
s
your ideal thing from a crowd, is it just a good
mosh, the wall of death or whatever the heck is
was I saw out there?
KB: They could get some injuries. For me, I
don’
ts
e
ewhyy
ou’
dwa
nnag
ot
oas
howa
ndn
ot
ha
v
eag
oodt
i
me
.Be
i
ngI
’
mamor
eme
l
l
ow
pe
r
s
onof
f
s
t
a
g
e
,whe
nI
’
mwa
t
c
hi
ngac
onc
e
r
t
I
’
mnott
y
pi
c
a
l
l
ymos
hi
ngbuty
ouc
ou
l
dt
e
l
lj
us
t
by looking at me, if you were on the stage and
you looked at my face you c
oul
dt
e
l
lI
’
mha
v
i
ng
ag
oodt
i
me
.I
fIwa
st
he
r
et
os
e
ey
ourba
ndI
’
m
there to see your band. I like to look at each
pe
r
s
on’
sf
a
c
ea
ndwha
t
e
v
e
rwa
yt
he
y
’
r
ea
bl
et
o
e
nj
oyt
heba
ndwhe
t
he
ri
t
’
smos
hi
ngore
v
e
nj
us
t
standing there with their fist in the air or
wha
t
e
v
e
ri
ti
s
,a
sl
onga
sIc
a
nt
e
l
lt
he
y
’
r
ej
us
t
ha
v
i
ngag
r
e
a
tt
i
me
,t
ha
t
’
st
heg
r
e
a
t
e
s
tr
e
a
s
on
why I get on stage. I have the time of my life.
KZ: If I was to look inside the CD player here
what would surprise me?
KB: I
’
mabi
gf
a
nofDi
do.Id
on
’
tk
nowi
fs
he
wr
i
t
e
s‘
e
mors
ome
bodye
l
s
ewr
i
t
e
s‘
e
m,but
s
he
’
sg
ots
omeg
oods
ong
sa
n
ds
h
e
’
sg
otav
oi
c
e
that on long drives on tours made it seem like 5
minutes.
KZ: Is there something, given that this is
basically a Boston market, although we do have
we
bs
i
t
et
ha
t
’
swhe
r
et
hef
oc
usofma
g
a
z
i
nei
s
,
so are there any Boston experiences you could
share with us?
KB: Most bands like camaraderie in the Boston
area. I remember the first time we played
Boston at Axis. We were still very very up and
coming at the time, and Brian from Shadows
Fall was there, not to hang out and be noticed
but to legitimately support our band and also the
bands that were on tour with us. I remember
him jumping out in the crowd and getting into it
just like any other person at the show, and the
camaraderie I remember from that first show. In
general how cool it was that guys would come
out and support us when we at the time were just
getting started.
KZ: I guess the last thing I wanna ask is, in
terms of music, if you weren’
tdoi
ngmus
i
c
y
our
s
e
l
f
,obv
i
ous
l
ye
v
e
r
y
bodyi
nt
heba
n
d’
sg
ot
t
he
i
rowns
t
or
y
,bu
twha
tdoy
out
hi
nky
ou’
dbe
doi
ngi
fy
ouwe
r
e
n’
tdoi
ngmus
i
c
?
KB: Tha
t
’
sag
r
e
a
tque
s
t
i
o
n.On
eoft
her
e
a
s
ons
I was so passionate about doing music was that I
c
oul
d
n’
tf
i
gure out anything else that I really
wanted to do. I did enjoy going to school.
Maybe I would have finished, gotten my
Ma
s
t
e
r
’
sde
g
r
e
ea
ndbeamus
i
c
i
a
nwhe
r
eIc
oul
d
teach and be a better point of influence in our
education system.
KZ: Is there any par
t
i
c
ul
a
r‘
Yourt
a
k
eonl
i
f
e
,
’
any special message you want to say to end the
interview?
KB: Ag
e
ne
r
a
lt
houg
h
to
nl
i
f
e
?Don’
tbe
l
i
e
v
e
e
v
e
r
y
t
hi
ngpe
opl
et
e
a
c
hy
oua
nde
v
e
ni
fy
ou’
r
e
que
s
t
i
o
ni
ngy
ourownbe
l
i
e
f
sy
ou’
l
ln
or
ma
l
l
y
come out stronger if those beliefs are genuine.
SOILWORK
Ozzfest
Tweeter Center, MA
July 14, 2005
(BS = Bjorn Speed, lead vocals
KZ = Ken Zebbyn)
KZ: I guess the first thing I wanna ask you
about is, obviously, the experience of Ozzfest
itself, you probably have done large tours in
Europe, but is this the first large U.S. tour
y
ou’
v
edone
,wi
t
ht
hi
sma
nyba
nds
?howdoe
s
the experience of Ozzfest compare to your
experiences in Europe?
BS: We
’
v
epl
a
y
e
dt
heWor
l
d’
sb
i
g
g
e
s
tme
t
a
l
festival, Open Air, and it reminds me a little bit
of Ozzfest, in a way, but this is with Iron Maiden
and stuff like that. This is really bigger than
a
ny
t
hi
ngwe
’
v
epl
a
y
e
dhe
r
ebe
f
or
e
.I
t
’
spr
e
t
t
y
much the biggest thing you could do in America
a
same
t
a
lmus
i
c
i
a
n,a
ndi
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
yapl
e
a
s
ure to
be here.
KZ: I was reading the tour notes on your web
site and I got a kick out of the fact that you
mentioned I guess your bass player was
watching the Iron Maiden live performance in
t
hes
t
a
di
um.I
si
tf
a
i
rt
os
a
yt
ha
ti
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
y
flattering to be on the same tour, and just meet
and hang out with them?
BS: Of course. I mean, those were the guys that
got me into metal in the first place, really. My
mother bought me a cassette tape at a gas station
because I thought the cover looked cool. It
rea
l
l
yc
ha
ng
e
dmyl
i
f
e
.I
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
ya
nh
on
or
.
KZ: Wha
t
’
sy
ouro
pi
ni
onofFr
e
dDur
s
t
?
Obviously when people were comparing you to
that you took that as a bad thing. Are there
things about Fred that are good and things he
does that are not admirable, or are you just not a
f
a
nofwha
the
’
sdoi
ng
?
BS: I
’
mnotr
e
a
l
l
yaf
a
nofwha
the
’
sdoi
ng
,a
n
d
he
’
sbe
i
ngk
i
n
dofs
k
e
t
c
hyi
nl
a
t
e
s
tf
e
wy
e
a
r
s
,
butI
’
mno
ts
a
y
i
nghe
’
saba
dpe
r
s
onora
ny
t
hi
ng
.
I just think comparison is just fucked up. I know
y
ou’
r
enots
u
pp
os
e
dt
obema
da
n
dy
ou’
r
e
supposed to act so professional but that really
doe
s
n’
tma
k
es
e
ns
e
.I
’
dha
di
t
.I
twa
sj
us
tt
oo
much.
KZ: I look at what they do as, and again
terminology is never right, but I look at that as
Hip hop metal and what you do as death metal,
or definitely more somewhere between
alternative metal and death metal, because I
think what makes your music so good is that
y
ou’
v
eg
ott
heme
l
odi
cha
r
moni
e
sa
swe
l
la
st
he
aggressive, gravel vocal or however you want to
call it. With that i
nmi
nd,I
’
monl
yf
a
mi
l
i
a
rwi
t
h
your current album and I think I heard a couple
of cuts off a compilation previously; has your
music changed in terms of becoming more
melodic, as the press kit mentioned?
BS: Yeah, in a way, I mean, we started out as a
ve
r
yy
oungba
ndi
n’
98a
ndr
e
l
e
a
s
e
dourf
i
r
s
t
album. We were very much influenced by the
scene at that time, but I do believe that we added
some kind of trademark, right from the very
beginning. Today as well, the trademark has
always been there as far as the bloody melodies
a
ndt
hei
nt
e
ns
i
t
y
,i
t
’
sj
us
ti
nad
i
f
f
e
r
e
nts
ha
pe
.
Some
t
i
me
si
t
’
sha
r
df
orpe
opl
et
or
e
a
l
i
z
et
ha
ta
nd
they just think we sound poppier or whatever,
butt
omet
ha
t
’
st
ot
a
l
l
ywr
ong
.Ir
e
a
l
l
yf
e
e
lt
ha
t
we
’
r
edoi
ngs
ome
t
hi
ngv
e
r
ys
ol
i
dwith our
mus
i
c
,a
ndt
ha
ti
tma
k
e
ss
e
ns
e
,i
t
’
snotj
us
t
patchy, you know, riffs and melodic parts and
that stuff. I guess the melodic vocals has taken
over a little bit of the melodic guitars in a way,
buti
t
’
sj
us
tama
t
t
e
rofbe
i
ngi
nadi
f
f
e
r
e
nt
shape.
KZ: I
’
v
ea
l
wa
y
ss
a
i
dt
ha
tt
her
e
a
s
onmos
tba
n
ds
g
e
ta
c
c
us
e
dofs
e
l
l
i
ngouti
sbe
c
a
us
et
he
y
’
r
e
maybe selling out an arena or getting a lot fan
recognition, and just because a lot of fans want
to listen to what every body else hates, they turn
on you, and I ho
pet
ha
t
’
sn
otg
oi
n
gt
oha
p
pe
n.
Any
wa
y
…y
ou’
r
ef
r
omSwe
de
nwhe
r
et
he
r
e
’
sa
n
absolute ton of bands, anywhere in Scandinavia
as a whole, but Sweden in particular, where
t
he
y
’
r
epl
a
y
i
nge
x
t
r
e
meme
t
a
lorde
a
t
hme
t
a
l
,
a
ndIk
n
owt
he
r
e
’
sal
otofPopt
h
a
tc
ome
s out,
but how big is the actual scene there? I know
here there are certain clubs we can go to for
me
t
a
lbuti
t
’
sno
tl
i
v
ee
v
e
r
yc
l
ubi
sme
t
a
la
ndI
woul
da
s
s
umei
t
’
st
hes
a
mei
nSwe
de
n.
BS: Sa
me
.I
nSwe
de
nt
he
r
e
’
sal
otofpe
o
pl
e
that believe that as soon as you enter the borders
ofSwe
de
nt
he
r
e
’
sl
i
k
eme
t
a
le
v
e
r
y
whe
r
e
,e
v
e
n
in supermarkets and stuff like that. I can tell you
i
t
’
sno
tl
i
k
et
ha
t
.Yo
u’
dha
v
eaha
r
dt
i
mef
i
ndi
ng
ame
t
a
lba
r
,r
e
a
l
l
y
.I
t
’
sg
e
t
t
i
ngbe
t
t
e
rf
orme
t
a
l
but for some reason people are too lazy in
Sweden to get the hell out of their apartments
a
ndg
e
td
ownt
he
r
e
,whi
c
hk
i
ndo
fs
uc
k
s
,buti
t
’
s
getting better in terms of musical climate for
me
t
a
l
.The
r
e
’
sal
otofba
ndsr
e
a
c
hi
ng
,l
i
k
eThe
Shards and stuff, you know, Dark McKilty, and
also Soilwork and I think Archenemy as well,
a
ndt
he
nHa
mme
r
f
a
l
l
,It
hi
nkt
ha
t
’
spr
o
ba
bl
ya
di
f
f
e
r
e
ntt
hi
ng
,
bu
ts
t
i
l
lIg
ue
s
si
t
’
sme
t
a
l
,a
nd
t
ha
t
’
st
hemos
ti
mpor
t
a
ntt
hi
ng
.
KZ: Iwoul
ds
a
yi
t
’
sa
l
mos
tol
ds
c
hoolme
t
a
l
,
like Iron Maiden?
BS: Yeah, classic heavy metal.
KZ: It
hi
nkt
ha
t
’
soneoft
hec
ha
r
msoft
hi
st
o
ur
,
I mean if every band was the same kind of metal,
Ido
n’
tk
n
ow,a
f
t
e
rpr
oba
bl
yt
hr
e
eba
ndsI
’
ma
l
l
set.
BS: I agree, I totally agree.
KZ: So the other bands on the bill, are you
already familiar with them, or met them on
tours?
BS: Yes.
KZ: Is there a good deal of, you might say
friendly rivalry between the bands from
Sweden?
BS: We
l
l
,t
he
r
e
’
sa
l
wa
y
ss
omes
ma
l
l
competition going on, and of course you want to
show that your band is the best one of the
Swe
de
s
,ofc
our
s
e
.Butwe
’
r
enotwa
l
k
i
ng
a
r
oun
dn
ots
a
y
i
ng“
Hi
”t
oe
a
c
hot
he
rora
nyof
that kind of bullshit. We hang out and stuff like
t
ha
t
.Ev
e
r
y
bodyj
us
tk
i
ndak
nowst
he
r
e
’
s
c
ompe
t
i
t
i
on.Any
bodywhos
a
y
sdi
f
f
e
r
e
ntt
ha
t
’
s
bullshit,
bu
ti
t
’
snoha
r
df
e
e
l
i
ng
s
.
KZ: So you just recently did another video.
This one, as you pointed out in your e-mail, is
pretty much involving more of the band
members than just yourself. How much control
do you really have when you make a video?
BS: Pretty much no control at all. It really was
my idea to make a video having all of them be in
it at that time, but there was a rumor that Peter
was moving to the United States, so it was
impossible. It would have looked weird to have
the rest of the band but not Peter. But it was
r
e
a
l
l
yt
hev
i
de
odi
r
e
c
t
o
r
’
si
de
at
oha
v
eonl
yme
i
nt
hev
i
de
oa
n
dhes
a
i
d,“
Ye
a
h,
wec
a
nbui
l
da
c
ools
t
or
ya
r
oundi
t
,
”b
uti
tdi
dn’
tr
e
a
l
l
yha
ppe
n
and I kind of expected more. All they had was
this scene with burning car rigs and all that, and
I did what I could. It turned out OK, but I see
what people mean with some of the movements,
but that was supposed to be, as well, like major
e
f
f
e
c
t
s
,a
ndi
tdi
d
n’
tha
ppe
n.Ik
i
ndofg
ot
disappointed. I wish the whole band was there.
Now we did this video in Hollywood on our
previous tour, and it turned out really good.
KZ: Any plans in the future for a live DVD or
live CD?
BS: We
’
r
epl
a
nni
ngonr
e
l
e
a
s
i
ngaDVDwhe
n
we have time, but we have to sit down and
collect all the clips and stuff and go through like
shitloads of stuff.
KZ: I noticed in the press kit at first you had
one name and then you relabeled yourself as
Soilwork. Was that something where the band
felt it needed to make a change, or how did that
decision come about? Because sometimes the
de
c
i
s
i
ont
oc
ha
ng
eaba
nd’
sna
mes
e
t
saba
nd
ba
c
k
,a
nds
ome
t
i
me
si
tdoe
s
n’
t
.
BS: Ye
a
h,wej
us
tf
e
l
tt
ha
ti
tdi
d
n’
tr
e
a
l
l
yma
t
c
h
the music, we had more to say. We had more to
say than a typical death metal band so we needed
a different name.
KZ: OK.We
l
l
,e
v
e
r
yt
i
mewe
’
r
ea
tOz
z
f
e
s
twe
s
e
epl
e
nt
yoft
hehor
nsha
nds
i
g
na
l
,orHook’
e
m
hor
nsora
swes
a
yi
nt
heSt
a
t
e
s
.Be
c
a
us
et
ha
t
’
s
also sign for the University of Texas in case you
di
d
n’
tk
n
ow.
BS: Oh really?
KZ: Yeah, so a lot oft
i
me
sI
’
l
lj
ok
ewi
t
hk
i
ds
a
nds
a
y“
Youg
uy
sf
r
omTe
x
a
s
?
”I
nAme
r
i
c
a
pe
opl
ek
n
owwha
ti
ti
sa
ndt
he
yj
us
ts
a
y“
No.
”
Obv
i
ous
l
y
,t
ha
t
’
sn
otwha
ti
ti
s
.Sowi
t
ht
he
amount of Satanic overtures and demonic type
things, at least lyrically, is not really deeply
involved in extreme hate or Satanic messages. Is
that something you think is tongue in cheek in
the metal scene or do you think people are dead
serious? And how does that affect what you do,
a
ndd
ope
op
l
ea
s
ky
ouh
owc
omey
oudon’
td
o
more satanic stuff?
BS: I
’
v
ene
v
e
rbe
e
nr
e
a
l
l
yc
l
os
et
of
e
e
l
i
ngt
ha
tI
wa
ntt
owr
i
t
ea
boutt
ha
ta
mounto
fha
t
e
.The
r
e
’
s
a
l
wa
y
sas
ma
l
la
mountofha
t
ebu
tpe
o
pl
ec
a
n’
t
hate that much. It sometimes gets kind of
pa
t
he
t
i
c
.Iwoul
ds
a
yt
he
r
e
’
sal
otofba
ndsout
there that just talk about hate and a more satanic
message, which is usually all bullshit. I really
respect people that have true belief in Satan and
dot
he
i
rt
hi
ng
,
bu
tt
he
r
e
’
sal
otofhy
poc
r
i
t
e
ba
ndsa
swe
l
l
.I
t
’
st
oug
ht
oha
t
e
,
a
swe
l
l
.You
don
’
tha
t
et
ha
tmuch. I prefer to write lyrics that
f
e
e
lc
l
os
e
rt
ome
,c
ons
pi
r
a
c
i
e
sa
n
dwha
t
’
s
actually happening out there, pure social realism.
KZ: I
’
dr
e
a
l
l
ys
a
yt
ha
ty
ourl
y
r
i
c
sg
e
ne
r
a
l
l
ya
r
e
,
notr
e
a
l
l
ypol
i
t
i
c
a
lbu
tg
e
ne
r
a
l
l
yt
he
r
e
’
sas
oc
i
a
l
message. Is there somet
hi
ngt
ha
ty
ou’
r
et
r
y
i
ng
to get across, or is it like you just said, or is it
j
us
te
x
pe
r
i
e
nc
e
sa
ndy
ou’
r
et
r
y
i
ngt
oe
x
pr
e
s
s
y
our
s
e
l
f
,ori
st
he
r
eac
e
r
t
a
i
nme
s
s
a
g
ey
ou’
r
e
trying to send?
BS: I
tde
pe
n
ds
.I
’
v
ebe
e
nwor
k
i
nga lot with
kids with social proble
ms
.Some
howi
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
y
–you know, it was hard being a kid when I was
a kid, but now it seems to be really really hard.
Kids are being really shoved around now in
t
oda
y
’
ss
oc
i
e
t
y
,s
oIg
ue
s
sIg
otame
s
s
a
g
et
he
r
e
as well. I had a really hard time in school and
i
t
’
sno
twhi
ni
ngi
t
’
sj
us
ts
t
uf
fI
’
mus
i
ng
,t
e
l
l
i
nga
story as far as social relations and that type of
stuff.
KZ: I
st
hi
st
hef
i
r
s
tt
i
mey
ou’
v
ebe
e
nhe
r
ei
nt
he
States touring?
BS: Ac
t
ua
l
l
y
,l
e
tmes
e
ehe
r
e
,i
t
’
st
hef
i
f
t
ht
i
me
.
We
’
v
ebe
e
nt
ouring with Killswitch on the first
tour. The second one was Flames Camara, third
one was Solar Camera, the fourth was the
he
a
dl
i
ni
ngt
o
ur
,a
ndnowwe
’
r
ehe
r
e
.
KZ:I
’
v
enot
i
c
e
d,
a
tl
e
a
s
ti
nt
e
r
msoft
her
e
por
t
s
weg
e
tonwha
t
’
sc
ha
r
t
i
ng
,wha
t
’
ss
e
l
l
i
ng
,t
hat
this album is doing very well. And obviously
Ozzfest is a great opportunity. Do you think this
is going to be a more opportunistic year for the
band?
BS: Absolutely. We
’
r
ei
nag
r
e
a
ts
pot
.I
tf
e
e
l
s
l
i
k
es
ome
t
i
me
swe
’
v
ebe
e
ns
t
a
ndi
ngi
nt
he
shadow of a lot of bands, and this is a perfect
spot to get more exposure for band, and we
hope
f
ul
l
ywe
’
l
lf
i
na
l
l
yg
e
tt
hea
t
t
e
nt
i
o
nIt
hi
nk
wede
s
e
r
v
e
.I
t
’
sa
boutt
i
me
.
KZ: Well I think a lot of the people coming to
the show think so too. When I went to pick up
our tickets there were like six guys with
Soi
l
wor
ks
hi
r
t
so
na
n
dt
he
y
’
r
edi
s
c
us
s
i
ng
whe
t
he
rt
og
oi
ny
e
t
,s
oIa
s
k
e
dt
h
e
m,“
Ar
ey
ou
he
r
et
os
e
eSo
i
l
wor
k
?
”“
He
l
ly
e
a
h!
”t
he
ys
a
i
d,
a
ndIs
a
i
d“
We
l
l
,t
he
y
’
r
eona
t10o’
c
l
oc
ks
oy
ou
be
t
t
e
rg
e
ti
nt
he
r
e
.
”So I know at least those
guys tumbled on in behind me to see you guys.
The reaction pretty good. As far as coming out
first, will that be throughout the tour, do you
draw straws or are you always first in every city?
BS: We were not first, actually, there were two
ba
ndsbe
f
or
eus
.Bu
ti
t
’
sar
ol
l
i
ngs
c
he
dul
es
o
we play, like, all times throughout the tour.
KZ: So depending on the city, you could be
behind Rob Zombie?
BS: No,
t
he
r
e
’
sl
i
k
ef
ourba
ndst
ha
tha
v
ea
permanent set, so to speak, and then the
r
e
’
sa
rolling bill containing like 4 or 5 bands.
KZ: You’
v
epl
a
y
e
di
nt
heSt
a
t
e
sa
ndBos
t
o
n
be
f
or
e
,a
ndwe
’
r
eaBos
t
on-based magazine. Is
t
he
r
ea
ny
t
hi
ngt
ha
ty
ou’
dl
i
k
et
os
ha
r
ei
nt
e
r
ms
of experiences, something that happened in the
Boston area that you could fill us in on?
BS: Bos
t
on
.I
’
v
es
e
e
nt
hec
i
t
yi
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
y
be
a
ut
i
f
ul
;Il
i
k
ei
t
.
I
’
v
ebe
e
nt
hi
nk
i
ngi
ft
he
r
ewa
s
any city I would move to in the United States it
would probably be San Diego or Boston,
hone
s
t
l
y
.Asf
a
ra
ss
t
or
i
e
sIc
a
n’
tr
e
a
l
l
y
remember any funny thing happening as tourists.
Ir
e
me
mbe
ronet
hi
ngi
nBos
t
o
nb
uti
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
y
not a funny story. Just the bathroom started to
leak into the bay area of the bands and we got
totally wet. It was nice.
KZ: With that in mind, one thing fans like to
read is a story about something that maybe
wa
s
n’
tf
unnywhe
ni
tha
ppe
ne
dwhe
ny
ouwe
r
e
on tour, but now that you tell the story is
something that other people can share a laugh
on. Is there one you can share with us,
regardless of where the tour was?
BS: We
l
l
,t
he
r
e
’
s
…o
urba
s
spl
a
y
e
rus
e
dt
odoa
l
oti
fs
t
uf
f
.He
’
l
lpr
oba
bl
yg
e
thi
sowns
e
c
t
i
on
on the DVD. So, he was running around naked
in Indiana, and he was holding a road sign in the
middle of the road. He was standing there ass
naked and just stopped all traffic.
KZ: Soa
sag
r
o
up,
t
he
n,t
he
r
e
’
sag
oods
e
ns
e
of humor among you guys, having fun while
y
ou’
r
edoi
ngt
hi
s
.Youme
nt
i
o
ne
dy
ouwe
r
e
doing I guess some community service working
wi
t
ht
r
ou
bl
e
dy
out
h
.I
st
hi
ss
ome
t
hi
ngy
ou’
r
e
doing yourself, or is the rest of the band
involved?
BS: Not really, that was my job for like three
and a half years until I got started living off the
music. You know, I kind of miss it sometimes.
Inspirational; you felt like you were doing
somethingi
mpor
t
a
nt
,a
ndt
ha
t
’
sa
l
lt
ha
tma
t
t
e
r
s
t
ome
.Tha
t
’
spr
oba
b
l
ywha
tIwoul
ddoi
fI
wa
s
n’
tpl
a
y
i
ngwi
t
ht
heba
nd
KZ: Is there anything in particular mention
y
ou’
dl
i
k
et
obr
i
ngt
ha
tIma
ynotha
v
e
mentioned, any thought you want to bring up?
BS: Watch out for our video, to those people
whol
i
k
e
dt
hepr
e
v
i
o
usv
i
de
o
.I
t
’
l
lbeo
nt
hewe
b
s
i
t
ea
swe
l
ls
oc
he
c
ki
tou
t
,i
t
’
saoutg
r
e
a
tv
i
de
o.
KZ: As far as the web site, do you just do
postings, does the band themselves have some
web skills?
BS: The band is free to just post messages
whenever they want, and I have my own little
corner that I try to update pretty frequently.
KZ: Since you have worked with kids, and
without a doubt the main audience who picks up
the magazine is young people because music is
more important in your life the younger you are,
any life message of final words of inspiration
you could leave?
BS: The only thing I can tell is that music saved
myl
i
f
e
,pr
e
t
t
ymuc
h.I
’
v
es
e
e
nal
otofk
i
dsa
nd
t
ha
tr
e
a
l
l
yg
i
v
e
smes
t
r
e
ng
t
h.I
’
mkeeping in
touch with those guys that I used to take care of,
and now I try to give them inspiration,
encouragement, whatever. Sometimes it works,
s
ome
t
i
me
si
tdoe
s
n’
t
,
b
utt
wooft
hos
eg
uy
s
started playing in a band, and it seems like
t
he
y
’
v
ebe
c
omer
e
a
l
ly focused on music, and
t
he
y
’
r
ebe
i
ngbe
t
t
e
rpe
r
s
ons
.Ke
e
pi
nga
wa
y
from the bad shit and just concentrating on
music.
KZ:Ic
oul
dn’
ts
a
yi
tbe
t
t
e
r
,be
c
a
us
emos
t
people have the unfortunate stereotype that when
y
oul
i
s
t
e
nt
oda
r
kmus
i
cofa
nyt
y
pey
ou’
r
e
automatically a bad person doing bad things, and
It
e
l
lpe
o
pl
e“
Yo
u’
r
emor
el
i
k
e
l
yt
og
e
tbe
a
tu
p
a
taRol
l
i
ngSt
o
ne
sorGr
a
t
e
f
ulDe
a
dc
onc
e
r
t
.
”
BS: Right.
TOWER OF POWER
Fan Pier Pavilion
Ki
t
t
yHar
t
ea
ndLy
s
i
neOr
e
’
se
x
c
l
us
i
v
einterview
with Emilio Castillo, (tenor sax, background
vocals, bandleader) and David Garibaldi (the
drummer), of Tower Of Power. Nice sunny day,
seagulls and planes flying overhead.
KH: Are there any bands now that are doing the
same kind of thing as you, or bands that you
like?
EC: I like Ravi Shankar. A lot.
DG: The
r
e
’
saba
ndf
r
omEur
opena
me
d
I
nc
og
ni
t
ot
ha
tIr
e
a
l
l
yl
i
k
e
.I
t
’
sc
l
os
et
owha
twe
do,s
i
mi
l
a
rs
t
y
l
e
,s
t
y
l
i
s
t
i
c
a
l
l
y
.Ime
a
n,t
he
r
e
’
sa
lot of good bands. Not so much bands like ours.
EC: Notal
ot
.We
l
l
,we
’
vebe
e
nd
oi
ngi
tf
or
over thirty-seven years, not too many of those
around. That kind of separates us a little bit
from others.
KH: Back in the day who did you feel like you
were competing with, musically?
EC: Greensville Station, Earth, Wind, and
Fi
r
e
….
DG: Cold Blood, another Bay Area band –they
were really good. Some others not as well
known.
EC: The
r
e
’
sal
otofl
i
t
t
l
ey
oungba
ndst
ha
t
play clubs that emulate us, in terms of repertoire,
but ah mainstream, big time music, no.
KH: So do you do any covers or do you do all
your own originals?
EC: Wedoa
l
lourownma
t
e
r
i
a
lbutwe
’
r
e
getting ready to do a bunch of covers. Yeah,
we
’
r
eg
e
t
t
i
ngr
e
a
dyt
odooneoft
hos
ec
ov
e
r
records.
KH: If you ever did a cover of The
Commodor
e
s
’“
Br
i
c
kHous
e
,
”ho
wwoul
di
tbe
different?
EC: We
l
lt
ha
t
’
sno
to
newewoul
dd
o,
buti
fwe
were to do it, it would be fun.
LO: Sowhe
ny
ou’
r
epi
c
k
i
ngt
hec
ov
e
r
si
si
tl
i
k
e
a collective decision?
EC: We
’
veg
ott
hi
sh
umong
ousma
s
t
e
rl
i
s
tt
ha
t
we’
r
eg
onnaha
v
et
of
i
g
htov
e
r
.
Ev
e
r
y
body
’
sc
ont
r
i
but
e
dt
oi
t
,a
l
lt
he
i
rf
a
v
or
i
t
e
songs.
LO: Ev
e
r
y
bodymus
tha
v
es
t
uf
ft
he
y
’
r
edy
i
ngt
o
do.
EC: The
r
e
’
sdi
f
f
e
r
e
ntr
e
a
s
onst
ododi
f
f
e
r
e
nt
things, but we have to do at least a few people
recognize.
DG: We have a habit of picking obscure stuff.
When I first joined the band in 1970 they had
already been Tower of Power since 1968.
EC: We were The Motowns before that.
DG: They would do some cover songs when I
first went to hear them, and then they were doing
some original stuff too that was really cool. The
cover stuff they did, nobody would do those
same particular songs.
EC: Wewoul
dn’
td
ot
heo
ne
sl
i
k
e“
Br
i
c
k
Hous
e
.
”Wewoul
dd
ol
i
k
e
,o
bs
c
ur
es
t
uf
f
.
DG: Instead of songs on the radio they would
do like album cuts.
EC: Songs on the radio, no, that is not what
Tower of Power would do.
DG: Other bands would do songs like
“
Re
s
pe
c
t
,
”s
ong
sbyOt
i
sRe
ddi
ngl
i
k
e“
Ca
n’
t
Tur
nYouLoos
e
,
”
EC: Andwe
’
dwoul
dc
ov
e
rl
i
k
e“
Ha
r
dt
o
Ha
ndl
e
,
”“
Bi
gOl
dMa
n
,
”“
Downi
nt
heVa
l
l
e
y
,
”
you know, songs no other bands were doing,
t
ha
t
’
swha
twe
’
ddo.Wedi
ds
on
g
sbyHowa
r
d
Tate, all these kinda weird, obscure artists;
BobbyTa
y
l
or
,“
Doe
sYourMa
maKnow?
”We
di
dc
ov
e
rt
une
sbutwedi
d
n’
tdot
heone
st
he
club owners wanted us to do (laughs).
LO: Like back when Billie Holiday was singing
a
ndpe
opl
ewoul
ds
a
y“
Howc
omewene
v
e
r
he
a
r
dot
he
rpe
opl
edoi
ngt
h
os
et
u
ne
s
?
”a
ndi
t
was because she got the rejects.
DG: We did em our way too, really personalize
everything.
EC: Back in the day club owners would say
“
Youg
ot
t
adot
hi
s
,y
oug
ot
t
apl
a
yt
hi
s
,
”a
n
dwe
we
r
ej
us
ts
a
y
i
ng“
We
l
lwe
’
r
enotdoi
ngt
ha
t
.
”
They wanted you to play those tunes because
t
he
ywa
nt
e
dt
hepe
o
pl
et
oda
nc
e
.We
’
dc
omei
n
t
he
r
ea
ndwewoul
dn’
tpl
a
ynoneat
hos
e
,the
band was just such a grooving band that
everybody was dancing, we always had a
dr
i
nk
i
ngc
r
owdc
a
us
et
he
ywe
r
es
we
a
t
i
n’a
ndhot
y
ouk
nowc
hug
g
i
n’dr
i
nk
sl
i
k
ef
i
s
h.Soa
f
t
e
rt
he
c
l
ubowne
r
sr
e
a
l
i
z
e
dt
ha
t
,t
he
y
’
dl
e
tuspl
a
y
whatever.
KH: Did you ever dress alike in colored suits
and do dance turns, you know, like the
Stylistics?
EC: Yeah, we had suits. I remember when I
first hired Doc (Kupka), we wearing these white
jackets with black pinstripes. Then there was
this guy Mark and we both dressed in these like
lime green suits and the other guys dressed in
different colored suits. Kind of gold tuxedos
with gold shiny lapels, ascots, yeah we did all
that stuff, like, when we were younger.
KH: Have you ever done any songs totally a
capella?
EC: No.
KH: How about instrumentals?
DG: We
’
v
edoneal
o
tofi
ns
t
r
ume
nt
a
l
s
.
EC: We were never that great at singing.
DG: Better players than singers.
EC: We
’
vedones
omeg
r
e
a
ts
t
uf
fv
oc
a
l
l
yon
records, we know how to get it on tape, you
know, and we could always pull it off live. But
not like say Huey Lewis, we played with them
for years, or at least my horns section did. Huey
Lewis would bang out like six songs and wow
the crowd.
KH: The
r
e
’
sag
uyi
nmya
r
t
sg
r
oupna
me
dWi
l
l
Tenney who went to Berkeley High School with
St
e
v
eKupk
a
….
EC: Doc played oboe and English horn.
KH: They were in the band together.
EC: He did g
ot
oBe
r
k
e
l
e
yHi
g
hSc
hoo
l
….
KH: So tell him Will Tenney the bassoon
player says hi. And Otha Sonnie, another person
in my group, wanted me to ask about Lenny
Whi
t
e
,i
si
tal
ongt
i
mes
i
nc
ehe
’
sbe
e
nwi
t
hy
ou
guys?
EC: He was never with us. We had Lenny
Williams.
DG: Le
nnyWhi
t
e
’
sadr
umme
r
.Hewa
swi
t
h
Azteca for a while, then Jamaica Boys.
EC: Lotofpe
op
l
ema
k
et
ha
tmi
s
t
a
k
e
.We
’
r
e
st
i
l
li
nc
ont
a
c
twi
t
hhi
m.He
’
sg
otane
wr
e
c
or
d
out. He actually just re-recorded the biggest hit
wee
v
e
rha
dwi
t
hhi
m,“
SoVe
r
yHa
r
dToGo.
”
DG: Lenny Pickett was our sax player for years,
he
’
snowmus
i
c
a
ldi
r
e
c
t
orf
orSaturday Night
Live.
EC: He sit
si
nwi
t
hus
.AndSt
e
v
e
,he
’
st
he
best. I have to say that every time Steve comes
up.
OL: I
t
’
sl
i
k
eaf
a
mi
l
y
,pe
opl
el
e
a
v
e
,pe
opl
e
c
omeba
c
ki
n….
EC: We have an alumni association.
KH: Wha
td
oy
out
hi
nkofWi
l
l
yNe
l
s
on’
sne
w
Reggae CD?
DG: He has a Reggae CD?
KH: Yeah, it just came out. I heard something
f
r
omi
tont
her
a
di
o,“
TheHa
r
de
rThe
yCome
.
”
EC: He has a cool way that he does his music,
i
t
’
sv
e
r
ype
r
s
ona
l
i
z
e
d,a
n
dIe
nj
oyhi
sv
oi
c
ea
ndI
enjoy listening to what he does, because he likes
to t
a
k
ec
ha
nc
e
sa
ndhe
’
sno
ta
f
r
a
i
d.
DG: He
’
se
x
t
r
e
me
l
ys
oul
f
ul
.
EC: He
’
sac
oolg
uy
.Che
c
kouts
omeoft
he
s
t
a
nda
r
ds
,l
i
k
e“
Cr
a
z
y
”- i
t
’
st
heb
e
s
t
.
DG: The
r
e
’
sal
otofhe
a
r
ti
nhi
smus
i
c
.
EC: His voice, just the way he approaches a
tune, very comfortable. We used to hang out
quite a bit. We did gigs together in Lake Tahoe.
Great guy. First he used to come around when
we toured with Huey Lewis.
KH: Do you have any stories about touring or
being in Boston, something that happened that
maybe didn’
ts
e
e
ms
of
unnya
tt
het
i
me
?
EC: Yeah, for a while back in our early days we
had this maniacal cocaine dealer. He was just
off the hook. He used to manage the Buddy
Miles band when they were based in Boston.
They were a great band. Somehow we got
hooked up with him, that was our crazy days ya
k
now,a
ndhek
e
ptons
a
y
i
n’“
Wa
i
tt
i
l
lweg
e
tt
o
Bos
t
on
.
”Hek
e
ptt
a
l
k
i
nga
bo
utt
hi
sbi
gma
ns
i
on
out in Newport, the Buddy Miles band had lived
there, and we were gonna go there and party and
all that. He was also manager for Sly and the
Family Stone. So we get out here to Boston and
he took us out to this mansion –we were just
talking about this the other day –and it was a
nice house but it was completely empty. I mean
there were beds but there were no blankets, no
sheets, there was nothing there and he took us
out there and dropped us off and split. We were
like stuck there for hours. That was my first
t
i
mehe
r
es
owe
’
r
el
i
k
e“
Ohy
e
a
h,Bos
t
o
n,r
e
a
l
l
y
g
r
e
a
t
.
”Noph
one
sorn
ot
hi
ng
,t
ha
twa
smyf
i
r
s
t
time here.
DG: But we always have a good time playing in
Bos
t
on
.I
’
l
la
l
wa
y
sr
e
me
mbe
ronet
i
mewe
pl
a
y
e
dKa
t
i
e
’
s
.
EC: K-K-K-Ka
t
i
e
’
s
DG: Oh man what a cool time.
EC: The
r
ewa
sadi
s
c
oc
a
l
l
e
dLuc
i
f
e
r
’
s
,t
hi
swa
s
by Copley Square, oh it was cool. We had a
great time.
DG: We burned it up. And remember at
Luc
i
f
e
r
’
st
he
r
ewa
st
ha
tTVs
howdur
i
ngt
he
daytime, there was some TV show they taped
there. We went up there and played.
EC: We met a lot of the local musicians, a lot of
the Berkeley musicians that would come up to us
a
nds
a
y“
He
y
,wes
a
wy
oua
tK-K-K-Ka
t
i
e
’
s
.
”
We used to play the Paradise Ballroom a lot. All
these people from Berkeley would come out and
all these musicians would line up - all the sax
players talking to the sax player, all the trumpet
players, bass players, drummers. And we had a
really cool gig at Berkeley performance center.
Tha
twa
sadoub
l
ebi
l
l
.Ido
n’
tr
e
me
mbe
rwho
was on it.
DG: Santana, we played with.
EC: Our first two times here we were with
Credence Clearwater and Santana. We played
t
heBos
t
onGa
r
de
n,t
heCe
nt
r
um… BobLuc
r
a
y
in the early 90s.
LO: Did you ever play a show where you and
the other band were a really bad mismatch?
EC: Uh, yes! We did that one we had this
meeting ice arena Savoy Brown or
LO: A friend of mine saw that!
DG: We bailed on the tour it fell apart
somehow. Totally lame.
EC: Then we went to Korea. I was six months
s
obe
rs
ot
ha
twa
s198
8,t
hes
umme
rof’
88,we
we
r
ewi
t
hFog
ha
t
.We
’
r
et
our
i
nga
l
lt
hemi
l
i
t
a
r
y
bases in Korea, and in our mi
nds
,
i
t
’
sl
i
k
e
,
“
We
’
r
eg
onnaslaughter these guys. Kill ‘
e
m.
”
We get out there all the guys that are stationed in
t
heDMZ,
t
heDe
mi
l
i
t
a
r
i
z
e
dZone
,a
ndt
he
y
’
r
e
ba
c
kont
heba
s
e
,t
he
y
’
r
eoutt
he
r
edr
i
nk
i
n’be
e
r
,
and Tower of Power and Foghat are playing. Oh
no they loved Foghat, hated us. Every night we
bombe
da
ndFog
ha
twa
st
hebi
gwi
nne
r
.Tha
t
’
s
wha
tha
ppe
nswhe
ny
out
hi
nky
ou’
r
eg
onnak
i
c
k
s
ome
body
’
sbut
t
,
weg
otourass kicked. Plus on
the way to the gig, getting ready to fly out of
LAX we pick up Rocco in a limousine and the
driver takes an illegal U-turn, and a car hits us.
Lee Thornburg was knocked out, Doug, knocked
out. he got hurt. Doug, when he was on the
plane he went into shock all this blood coming
outta his ears - trip from hell. We took him to
Korea because he could speak Korean and all the
time we were there all he did the whole time was
sit in the bed. He nearly died - broke a few ribs,
punctured a lung, real freaky trip.
DG: Lotta good ones though, on the other side
of the ledger.
KH: How do you feel about Tom Jones, being
on the same bill with him?
EC: I
t
’
sha
r
di
na
r
e
a
swhe
r
ewe
’
r
enots
owe
l
l
k
nown.We
’
r
epopu
l
a
ri
nt
hi
sa
r
e
a
,Con
ne
c
t
i
c
ut
,
Boston, but when we get down to Atlanta,
Mississippi, a lot of the older what we call blue
ha
i
r
sc
omei
na
ndl
ooka
tusl
i
k
e“
Wha
ta
r
et
he
s
e
boy
sdoi
nghe
r
e
?
”
KH: Yeah, I was thinking the audiences for the
two bands would be in the same age group but
different.
EC: Butwe
’
r
eg
e
t
t
i
ngov
e
r
.He
’
sg
r
e
a
t
,g
r
e
a
t
guy, the band is great, great equipment, every
ni
g
hti
t
’
sa
l
wa
y
st
hes
a
me
,ac
oup
l
eofv
e
nue
s
2,
5
00pe
o
pl
et
ha
twoul
d
n’
tn
or
ma
l
l
ys
e
eus
e
v
e
r
yni
g
ht
.I
t
’
sg
r
e
a
tf
orbot
ha
c
t
s
.
DG: About7
0y
e
a
r
s
’c
ombi
ne
dmus
i
c
a
l
experience, the continuity in itself is pretty
interesting.
EC: Plus i
tpa
y
spr
e
t
t
ywe
l
l
,l
i
k
ewe
’
r
enot
getting paid joke sums like some little opening
a
c
t
.We
’
r
ema
k
i
ngg
r
e
a
tmone
yf
orl
i
k
et
wo
mont
hsa
ndi
t
’
se
a
s
y
.Theg
uy
sa
r
eg
e
t
t
i
ngour
sound check last so we get there late, we do a
sound check, we have dinner, and after we play
hedoe
s“
Downt
ot
heNi
g
h
t
c
l
ub
,
”a
ndwedot
ha
t
s
ongwi
t
hhi
m.The
n,pa
c
ku
pa
n
dwe
’
r
eoutof
there. We get there last, we leave first. William
Mor
r
i
sbo
ok
suss
owhe
nhet
e
l
l
suswe
’
r
eg
onna
dooneoft
he
s
eTomJ
one
st
our
swe
’
r
el
i
k
e
,
“
Re
a
l
l
y
?He
l
l
o,TomJ
one
s
?
”Hes
a
y
s“
We
l
l
,
you might want to consider it. He gets the most
requests here in our office next to Willy
Ne
l
s
on.
”Theg
uydoe
ss
upe
rb
i
gbus
i
ne
s
s
.
KH: I hear he does different stuff when he tours
in Europe but mostly plays old standards here.
DG: Ik
nowi
nEur
opehe
’
sg
otmor
eofa
c
ur
r
e
nt
,“
Se
xBomb”r
e
pe
r
t
oi
r
e
.
EC: Idi
gt
ha
ts
o
ng
!He
’
sg
oti
tg
oi
ngonov
e
r
there.
DG: Ov
e
rhe
r
ei
t
’
smor
et
hewome
nt
ha
tus
e
dt
o
throw their panties at him in 1971
I
t
’
sdi
f
f
e
r
e
ntf
orust
here as well. They relate to
music there in a much different way. Whereas
he
r
ey
ouc
a
nbeak
i
ndofbeaha
sbe
e
n,t
ha
t
’
sa
thing that goes on, but over there you get respect
for your longevity. Kids in the audience
e
i
g
ht
e
e
na
ndun
de
ra
ndt
he
y
’
r
es
i
ng
i
ngall our
s
ong
st
ouswhi
l
ewe
’
r
epl
a
y
i
ng
.
EC: We had a career over there based on our
90s recordings, not on our 70s recordings. We
would go over there same set that we did in the
s
t
a
t
e
sa
ndi
twoul
dn’
tg
e
tov
e
r
.The
ywa
nts
t
uf
f
from the 90s. But then, as years went by, and we
did a live record with some of our old hits and
t
he
ys
t
a
r
tl
ook
i
nga
ti
ta
n
ds
a
y
i
ng“
He
r
e
’
ss
ome
ne
ws
t
uf
ff
r
omTowe
rofPowe
r
.
”Wepl
a
y
whatever we want to play and they just love it
all.
DG: Michael put the band on television.
EC: The
r
e
’
st
hi
ss
howc
a
l
l
e
dOhne Filter on
television and we were on it about about three
times. That helped us out a lot so now we tour
Germany. The jazz festival there was huge for
us.
LO: You ever get to Sweden any? Stockholm?
EC: No, not lately, but Sweden, Finland, and
Denmark was all we could play at first. Now
we
’
r
eg
oi
ngt
oEur
o
pebu
twe
’
r
enote
v
e
ndoi
ng
Nor
wa
y
,Swe
de
n,De
nma
r
k
,orFi
nl
a
nd
.We
’
l
l
just have to go do that on a different leg I guess.
One of our fans calls and leaves messages. He
says (imitates hoarse voice) “
I
’
ml
ook
i
nga
ty
our
s
c
he
dul
ea
n
dy
ou’
r
enotc
omi
ngt
oOs
l
o.I
t
’
s
a
l
wa
y
ss
ol
doutt
he
r
e
.Howc
a
nt
hi
sbe
?
”(
Back
to his own voice)“
Sor
r
y–scheduling problems
–we
’
l
ls
c
he
dul
ei
ts
oo
n.
”Weus
e
dt
opl
a
y
Goteborg, Sweden - they love us there.
KH: When we were there the Rolling Stones
we
r
epl
a
y
i
ngt
he
r
e
,a
ndnowt
he
y
’
r
epl
a
y
i
ng
here.
EC: They used to play with us a lot there.
LO: I know with England sometimes my
i
mpr
e
s
s
i
oni
st
he
y
’
r
emor
ef
a
i
t
hf
ult
oi
t
,t
hey like
the old blues.
EC: Weha
dn’
tpl
a
y
e
di
nLond
o
ni
nal
o
ng
time. We played at a place called the London
As
t
or
i
a
,t
heSt
o
ne
spl
a
y
e
dt
he
r
e
.We
’
r
et
ol
d
t
he
r
ewa
sl
i
ke500pe
o
pl
eo
ut
s
i
dewhoc
a
n’
tg
e
t
i
na
n
dwe
’
r
ei
ns
hoc
k
,l
i
k
e
,“
Wha
t
’
st
hi
s
?
”We
hadn’
tbe
e
nt
he
r
ei
nal
o
ngt
i
me
.Sonowwhe
n
we go we fill up the place pretty good.
DG: 1,500 or 2,000 people –we packed the
place.
EC: Id
on’
tk
nowi
fi
t
’
ss
omuc
ht
ha
tt
he
y
’
r
e
f
a
i
t
hf
ul
,It
hi
nkt
he
y
’
r
enots
wa
y
e
da
smuc
hby
radio as they are here in t
heSt
a
t
e
s
.The
y
’
l
ldi
ga
c
e
r
t
a
i
nk
i
ndofmus
i
ca
ndt
he
y
’
l
lg
os
e
e
ki
tout
,
g
os
e
ei
t
,g
ob
uyi
t
.The
ydon’
tha
v
ee
ve
r
yda
y
t
her
a
di
ot
e
l
l
i
ngt
he
m“
Br
i
t
ne
ySpe
a
r
s
,Br
i
t
ne
y
Spe
a
r
s
.
”I
nt
heSt
a
t
e
s
,e
v
e
r
y
bodyi
ss
o
programmed by the media. They could be way
into Tower of Power, but then they leave the
c
onc
e
r
t
,a
n
dt
woda
y
sl
a
t
e
rt
he
y
’
r
ea
l
l“
Br
i
t
ne
y
Br
i
t
ne
yBr
i
t
ne
y
.
”I
nEur
opei
t
’
snotl
i
k
et
ha
t
.
Pe
o
pl
edo
n’
tha
v
et
her
e
g
i
ona
l
… Ev
e
nwhe
nI
g
odoi
nt
e
r
v
i
e
ws
,J
a
pa
n’
st
hes
a
mewa
yt
oo,
t
he
y
’
r
ej
us
tmuc
hmore interested in the
pr
og
r
a
m.He
r
ei
t
’
sr
e
a
lc
or
por
a
t
ee
v
e
r
y
body
’
s
got that same 39 songs. Even the oldies stations,
i
t
’
sa
l
wa
y
s“
Re
s
c
ueMe
,
”“
Ai
n’
tTooPr
o
udTo
Be
g
.
”Onl
yt
hec
l
a
s
s
i
chi
t
s
.The
ywon’
te
v
e
r
branch out. In Europe they have interviews and
s
t
uf
f
.Al
lt
hi
swe
i
r
ds
t
uf
f
,a
ndi
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
yc
ool
.
They have an opinion. Whereas here I think
opi
ni
o
ni
sdi
c
t
a
t
e
d.Ev
e
r
y
body
’
sl
i
k
eawi
c
k
e
d
automaton.
DG: There are fans here they bring their kids to
s
e
eusa
ndI
’
ma
l
wa
y
sa
ma
z
e
da
tt
hel
o
okont
he
k
i
ds
’f
a
c
e
s
,i
t
’
sa
l
mos
tl
i
k
ewhe
r
edi
dt
he
s
eg
uy
s
come from, a real band? Kids these days, if they
wanna have a band like us, where are they gonna
pl
a
y
?I
t
’
st
oug
h.The
ys
e
eusdoi
ngourt
hi
ng
,
still going it at a really high level, putting on a
killers
how,a
ndt
he
yg
o“
Whoa
.
”The
i
rmout
hs
are open.
EC: Ye
a
h,i
t
’
sd
i
f
f
e
r
e
ntov
e
rt
he
r
e
.I
nag
o
od
way. And it always has been. Like jazz
musicians, over here they were disrespected.
Thi
si
swhe
r
et
he
y
’
r
ef
r
om.Wedog
oo
dhe
r
e
,
but we have to approach it differently.
KH: OK final question: Does the name of the
band, Tower of Power, have a phallic reference?
We have to ask.
DG: Does it what?
EC: Does it have a phallic reference? No
(laughs). I picked it off a list. We were The
Motowns. We were The Motowns because I
was born in Detroit Michigan. My mother was
ma
na
g
i
ngt
heba
nda
nds
hes
a
i
d“
I
fy
ou’
r
eg
onna
pl
a
ys
oulmus
i
cy
oug
ot
t
abeTheMot
owns
.
”
Well, then we started working and getting older,
we
’
r
el
i
v
i
ngi
nOa
k
l
a
nda
n
dt
he
ybui
l
tt
h
i
s
Fillmore auditorium thing and we wanted to go
t
he
r
ea
ndwek
ne
wwe
’
dne
v
e
rg
e
ti
nt
he
r
ea
s
The Motowns. Got to get rid of the suits and all
t
ha
t
.We
’
dne
v
e
rg
e
ti
nt
he
r
ewi
t
ht
heba
n
da
s
we were so we were doing a little bit of
recording and this guy constructed a list. They
were all these really psychedelic names like and
I was going down the list and we saw Tower of
Powe
ra
ndt
h
oug
ht“
Ye
a
h,t
ha
tde
s
c
r
i
be
sour
s
oun
d.
”Sono
,i
t
’
snotap
ha
l
l
i
cr
e
f
e
r
e
nc
e
.
KH: Nott
ha
tt
ha
t
’
saba
dt
hi
ng
.
Stallion, Copyright 2005
Live Show Reviews
AGRESTIX / INSOLENTS / LATEX NUNS /
BLOODY MESS & THE TRANSFUSIONS /
SUPERMEN
VFW HALL, Western Ave.
Peoria, IL.
11-26-05
The Agrestix opened with a really short set which
was a shame, as I did like them. They sounded a
bit like old Gorilla Biscuits (which I totally dug).
2nd up was the Insolents, who did a pretty
lengthy set. To me they had the feel of the bay
area street punk (Rancid after Op Ivy and before
they went back to the Op Ivy sound, Swinging
Utters, etc.). Good band, lots of rocking to be had
by all. 3rd up were The Latex Nuns, to me alot
of fun. I really liked them alot (hell had to buy
their lil CD). I would like to see them again.
4th were Bloody Mess and the Transfusions.
They played a short set, but what can I say that
has not been said a billion times about Bloody
Mess over his 25+ year career at this, he was full
of action and to me did not miss a beat. It is
awesome to see this man throw himself about on
stage night after night giving the old full 100
percent. And finally the Supermen,g
r
e
a
tr
oc
k
i
n’
sound. They came out dressed in Mexican
wrestling uniforms, and started to kick some ass.
Unfortunately (and this is my opinion soleygimmick bands get old to me very quickly, but the
band was rocking none the less).
Overall it was a fun Saturday night. I can think of
one thing that would have made it better, but to
see old friends and some new ones made up for it.
Godi
t
’
sg
r
e
a
tbe
i
ngba
c
ki
nPe
o
r
i
a
.Thes
hows
,
although few and far between, are still a whole
shitload of fun, and bring back memories of when
I was the age of the majority of the crowd (note: it
was an all ages show, and by all ages... It was
ALL AGES, at times I felt like I was at a
pedophile picnic...).
Good to see the youth out supporting shows, I
guess I am just old, am so used to seeing bands in
bars and night clubs exclusively... Have not been
to a VFW Hall show in over 10 years.
What a trip). - Chance Rush
ANGER MANAGEMENT TOUR 3
The Tweeter Center
Mansfield, MA
July 10, 2005
Let me just start out saying this concert was
pounding from the beginning to the end just loud
bass flowing from the speakers.
The concert started with an announcement and a
twenty second countdown to get to your seat or
you would miss the start and most people did
because they were still boozing in the parking lot
and standing around the giant Vitamin Water
stage that was dedicated to Fifty and his personal
Fifty Cent Grape Vitamin Water, you can get it at
your local beverage retailers.
So at the end of the countdown the two video
screens on the sides of the stage started playing a
video game graphic of two H2 Hummers, one
white one black, racing each down a street and
crashing into each other. The driver of the white
H2 Hummer was Lil Jon, and then another Lil Jon
Pops out the top of the black Hummer and opens
fire with an AK 47 assault rifle at the other Lil
Jon. Then the two Hummers flip over, the curtain
drops, and Lil Jon walks out on stage with his
pi
mpc
upa
n
dh
i
sOa
k
l
e
y
’
sonwi
t
hagigantic
backdrop of himself and what must have been a
twenty by twenty foot statue of himself with a
moving head and arms like a giant Lil Jon puppet
wi
t
ht
heOa
k
l
e
y
’
son.The
nLi
lJ
ons
t
a
r
t
e
dwi
t
h
hi
sba
s
sp
umpi
nga
nt
he
m“
Thr
owI
t
,
”a
ndha
l
f
wa
y
through the song the East Side Boys join in with
“
YEEEAAAHHH”
.Then Lil Jon went into
“
Wa
t
c
hGonnaDo?
”The
nPi
t
-Bull came on stage
a
ndg
ott
hec
r
owdg
oi
ngwi
t
hhi
shi
t“
Cul
o,
”a
n
d
t
ha
t
’
swhe
na
l
lt
het
e
e
na
g
eg
i
r
l
si
nt
hec
r
owdwe
nt
crazy, and then they kept the crowd going with
Da
ddyYa
nk
e
e
’
shi
t“
Ga
s
ol
i
na
.
” The
nthe bass
k
e
e
pspoun
di
ngwi
t
h“
Ge
tLowGe
tLow,
”“
Fr
om
the Windows t
ot
heWa
l
l
s
,
”a
ndt
he
nhet
hr
owsi
n
al
i
t
t
l
e‘
Sha
k
eLi
keaSa
l
tSha
k
e
r
”a
nda
l
lt
he
asses in the crowd just start shaking. I felt
vibrations because there was some major booty
bounce at this one point. Then all of a sudden
ssshhh comes on and the little girls start singing
along about wanting to see dick. (What is this
world coming to when 40 year old moms with
their fifteen year old daughters, with matching
tattoos of course, are singing along about dick? It
just ain't right, but hey, what cha ya gonna do?)
Then Lil Jon and the boys walk off the stage and
then you see Dave Chappelle on the two screens
talking to the crowd, and he goes into his Lil Jon
skit. You might have seen it on his show;
WWWHHHAATTT!!!!,
OOOOOOKKKKAAAYYY!!!!!,
YYYYYEEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!,
YYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!
!
!
!
!
”Af
t
e
r
Dave, Chris Rock is on the screen giving a shout
out to the crowd, and then all the ladies scream
because Usher is on the screen saying how he
wishes he was there and how he has to introduce
Li
lJ
on’
sf
i
na
l
ewi
t
ht
he
i
rh
i
t“
Lov
e
r
sa
nd
Fr
i
e
nds
,
”butLi
lJ
oni
s
n’
tons
t
a
g
ehe
’
swa
l
k
i
ng
around the lawn seats of the Tweeter Center with
Pit-bull, serena
d
i
nga
l
lt
hel
a
di
e
swi
t
h“
Love
r
s
a
ndFr
i
e
nds
.
”Us
he
r
,J
o
na
n
dLudaha
dt
odoi
t
again.
After Lil Jon finished, the intermission was full of
advertisements all including Fifty Cent. The
commercial ranged from previews to his new
Fifty video game. This included his Reebok
commercials promoting his G-Unit foot apparel.
The favorite Reebok commercial of the night was
the one with Manny in it - all twenty times we
saw it. Very sad. The two other advertisements
were for his Formula Fifty water, which is grape
flavored and made by Vitamin water. Then the
advertisement for his movie about his rise from a
crack dealer in Jamaica Queens to a Platinum Rap
Star. You probably already guessed the name of
i
t
;y
oug
oti
t
,
i
t
’
sc
a
l
l
e
d“
Ge
tRi
c
hOrDi
e
Tr
y
i
ng
.
”Were have we heard that before,
Kiddies?
(Edi
t
o
r
’
sno
t
e
: You may have heard that riots
br
ok
eou
ta
tt
hemov
i
e
’
sope
ni
nga
nds
ome
oneg
ot
s
hot
.Yo
uma
ya
l
s
oha
v
ehe
a
r
dt
he
y
’
r
ema
k
i
nga
movie about that n
ow.I
t
’
sc
a
l
l
e
d“
Ge
tPopc
or
n
orDi
eTr
y
i
ng
.
”Ba
dump-bum.)
Then after twenty minutes passed the lights got
low then there was a loud explosion the curtains
dropped and here comes Fifty dropping down
from the rafters in harness to more loud
e
x
pl
os
i
ons
.Heg
oe
si
nt
o”
Di
s
c
oI
nf
e
r
no”t
og
e
t
the crowd going. With Fifty on the stage when it
started was Tony Yayo. Fifty had an outrageous
backdrop. He had the head of the Statue of
Liberty hanging from the rafters behind him with
a catwalk going from one side of the stage to the
other. He also had a mural of The Brooklyn
Bridge behind everything else. He had garbage
cans with fire shooting out of them - very great
pyrotechnics. Ri
g
hta
tt
hee
ndof“
Di
s
c
oI
nf
e
r
no,
”
Lloyd Banks rises up and is on top of the catwalk,
t
e
nf
e
e
thi
g
ha
bov
eFi
f
t
y
’
she
a
d.Then Lloyd
Banks walks down the stairs singing his hit song
“
Fi
r
e
,
”a
nde
v
e
r
yt
i
mehes
a
i
df
i
r
e
,f
i
r
ewoul
d
shoot out of the trash cans on the stage. So with
Fifty, Lloyd, and Tony on the stage one person
was missing and that was Young Buck. But
boom, all of a sudden Young Buck appears on the
catwalk behind the rest of G-Unit. While he
wa
l
k
sdownt
hes
t
a
i
r
shea
s
k
sa
l
lt
he‘
s
ha
wt
y
s
’i
f
they would like to ride with him; that leads to his
hit song off his album. So Young Buck is on the
stage talking to the crowd by himself, and he asks
the crowd if they love Biggie. When they cheered
he had MASE from bad boy walk on stage and
wave to the crowd. After he walks off, Young
Buck continues to ask the crowd if they love to
smoke herb. Then he lights a blunt on stage
accompani
e
dbyRi
c
kJ
a
me
s
'
s“
Ma
r
yJ
a
ne
.
”He
asks the crowd if they love old school, and he has
t
heDJpl
a
y“
Ai
n'
tNot
hi
ngButAGThi
ng
”byDr
.
Dr
e
,t
he
nal
i
t
t
l
e“
LaDiDaDi
”bySl
i
c
kRi
c
k
,a
nd
f
i
ni
s
he
dof
fwi
t
h“
YouSa
yHe
'
sJ
us
tAFr
i
e
nd”by
Biz Markie. So now Young Buck wanders off the
stage and Fifty and Yoyo walk out in tuxedos,
Fifty wearing a white one with a black top hat and
Yayo rocking a black tux with a red shirt and
matching hat, singing P.I.M.P. Then Fifty
introduces the newest members of G-Unit: the
Infamous Mobb Deep. They hit the crowd with
“
Don'
tGe
tI
tTwi
s
t
e
d”a
ndc
ont
i
n
ue
dwi
t
h“
Qui
e
t
St
or
m.
”The
nFi
f
t
yj
oi
ne
dt
he
mons
t
a
g
et
od
ot
he
ne
ws
ong“
Out
t
aCont
r
ol
”of
fofFi
f
t
y
'
sne
w
album. Fifty then proceeded to introduce the
other new members of G-Unit, MOP, and they did
t
he
i
rf
a
mousol
ds
c
ho
ola
nt
he
m,“
Ant
e
-Up.
”At
this time the DJ alerts them that if they don't leave
the stage and go past their time they will be fined
two thousand dollars a minute. So they continue
onwi
t
h“
I
nDaCl
u
b,
”“
Wa
nk
s
t
a
,
”a
ndf
i
ni
s
he
d
wi
t
h“
IWa
nnaGe
tt
oKnowYa
.
”Now Fifty gets
the crowd to chant GGGG-UUNNNIIITTT. He
walks off and Young Buck and Lloyd Banks say
goodbye to the crowd and FUCK THE POLICE.
Eminem did steal the night though. He had a
three-story catwalk with a cathedral background
and all the doors open, which was pretty cool. He
started off with a song off his latest album. The
next song he did was total talking shit about
George Bush. He had a person wearing a big
George Bush mask waving to the crowd. EM
continued to talk to the crowd and then decided to
c
huc
ks
omemoont
hec
r
owd’
swa
y
.Tha
t
’
sr
i
g
ht
,
he flashed us his skinny white ass and it sucked,
but all the forty year old women there were eating
i
tu
p.Het
he
ns
i
ng
s“
AnAs
sLi
k
eTha
t
.
”During
t
hes
ongi
ts
h
owe
dEmi
ne
m’
sCr
a
nkYa
nk
e
r
sdol
l
on the screen singing along. Then the true
Eminem now comes out when he starts hearing
the voice of Mariah Carey playing in the
ba
c
k
g
r
ounda
n
dhec
ont
i
n
ue
ss
a
y
i
ng“
Le
a
v
eme
a
l
one
,I
'
mma
r
r
i
e
d,y
ou’
r
ec
r
a
z
y
.
”Hes
a
y
s“
You
ma
k
emes
i
c
k
,
”a
ndhewa
l
k
supt
hec
a
t
wa
l
ka
nda
toilet bowl gets pushed out the door. He proceeds
t
ot
hr
owupi
nt
het
oi
l
e
ta
n
ds
a
y
s“
Ma
r
i
a
h,You
Ma
k
eMeSi
c
k
.
”Now D12 wanders out on stage
a
ndt
he
ydo“
40Oz
”a
nd“
MyBa
nd.
”Emi
ne
m
c
ome
sba
c
kouta
ndd
oe
s“
Emi
ne
mWi
l
lFuc
k
i
n
Ki
l
lYou
,
”“
Cl
e
a
ni
ngo
utMyCl
o
s
e
t
,
”a
nd
“
Ha
y
l
e
y
’
sSong
.
”EM needed a break then, so
Obie Trice came out and talked about his new
album coming out soon. Then he sangs his hit
“
GotSomeTe
e
t
h.
”Ne
x
tEmi
ne
mdi
d“
Toy
Sol
d
i
e
r
s
,
”“
Le
t
’
sGe
tDownToBus
i
ne
s
s
,
”“
My
Na
meI
st
heWa
yIAm,
”a
nd“
HeDi
dSt
a
n.
”
Tha
t
’
swhe
nIde
c
i
de
dt
obe
a
tt
hec
r
owda
nd
leave. My final thoughts are that all three acts
kicked ass and all brought something different to
the table, which made the concert better. KZ JR.
BLOODY MESS AND THE TRANSFUSIONS
Texas Mini-Tour
Sanctuary, San Antonio TX
Headhunters, Austin TX
Sept 3 and 4, 2005
The first show of the mini-tour was at Sanctuary
with 6 bands! First up was The Dispicables of
San Antonio. The lead singer (shown here with
Transfusions frontman Bloody Mess) rocked and
growled for a while while the audience restlessly
prowled around and then it was time for the next
band, Second To None. They played hardpounding punk, led by Retarded Dan (photo).
The lead and bass players had cool fire-engine red
guitars; the bass player, a woman, had red cords
and pickups too. Very hot. (Web site
www.myspace.com/secondtonone.) Next up was
the shirtless The Perturbed.The
y
’
v
ebe
e
n
playing since 1988, with Ramone-influenced
vocals and sweet rock and roll. (Check their site,
www.theperturbed.com.)
Bloody Mess and the Transfusions followed,
introduced by Peter Yarmouth of Black and Blue
Re
c
or
ds
.The
i
rs
e
t
:“
De
t
r
oi
t
,I
’
mI
nTown,
”
“
Wr
ong
,
”a
ndt
he
nt
woc
ov
e
r
s
,“
Be
a
tBe
a
tBe
a
t
”
a
nd“
Chi
ne
s
eRoc
k
s
.
” Ne
x
twa
soneofmyf
a
v
e
s
,
mostly for the way Bloody Mess be
l
t
si
tout
:“
I
Ca
n’
tRe
me
mbe
r
.
”The
ydi
d a new one “
Tor
e
Up,
”a
ndt
he
nt
hee
v
e
r
-po
pul
a
r“
HungOv
e
ra
nd
St
one
d,
”whi
c
hc
a
us
e
dt
wog
uy
st
os
u
dde
nl
yg
r
i
n
at each other and do one donut of a do-si-do. The
c
r
owd’
sf
a
v
or
i
t
e
,t
ho
ug
h,a
n
dt
heonepe
opl
e
asked me about after the show, was the song
“
Empt
y
.
”(
“
Thes
unc
ome
supa
n
dt
hemoo
ng
oe
s
down/
Ev
e
r
y
t
hi
ngi
sbe
t
t
e
rt
ha
nbe
f
or
e
.
”
)Gi
ve
t
ha
to
neal
i
s
t
e
n,
y
ou’
l
ll
i
ke it. A last-minute
pr
og
r
a
mc
ha
ng
eha
dAus
t
i
n’
sThe Beltones out
next. They played nice, loudfast punk rock, and
had some cool t-shirts on sale. There was a round
logo of writing around a pair of high-top sneakers,
a
ndt
het
e
x
tont
o
ps
a
i
d“
TheBELTONES.
”
Be
l
ow,i
ts
a
i
d“
SHI
THEAD.
”NowIwi
s
hI
bought one. Finally, the Lower Class Brats, local
favorite out of Austin, took the stage. Here’
st
he
lead singer, Bones:
Their high energy set included a mad cover of
“
Se
xa
ndVi
ol
e
nc
e
,
”or
i
g
i
na
l
l
ype
r
f
or
me
dby80s
SoCal band Mad Parade. Some of the great
or
i
g
i
na
lt
i
t
l
e
st
he
ypl
a
y
e
dwe
r
e“
St
a
r
tt
heNi
g
ht
,
”
“
Bi
t
et
heBul
l
e
t
,
”“
J
us
tLi
k
eCl
oc
kwor
k
,
”“
Gl
a
m
Ba
s
t
a
r
d,
”“
WhoWr
i
t
e
sYourRul
e
s(
For
Re
be
l
l
i
on)
,
”“
Sa
f
e
t
yPi
nne
da
n
dSi
c
k
,
”a
nd
“
Ul
t
r
a
-Vi
ol
e
nc
e
”
.The
yha
dak
i
ndofDr
oogl
ook
too (Clockwork Orange,i
t
’
samo
v
i
e
,Bubb
ba
)
.
Word has it they plan to do a cover of The Dead
Boy
s
’“
Wha
tLoveI
s
”ona compilation CD.
As you can see from the photos, everybody had a
rockin good time. Even the audience.
The next day was Sunday and the show was in
Aus
t
i
na
tHe
a
dhu
nt
e
r
’
s
.TheTr
a
ns
f
us
i
onsk
i
l
l
e
da
little time at a head shop and then wandered over
towards the club. Damn there are a lot of bars in
Austin. On the way there we saw some tourists
riding in a horse-drawn carriage. They were
stopped at a light and the horse, a gigantic
Clydesdale, decided it was time to take a piss. He
was a trip, rocking his body around while he did
it. The driver smirked and the passengers
pretended they were somewhere else. We stopped
in a bar where everyone was watching Family
Guy (a cartoon set in Rhode Island). I got the
feeling the people there did that a lot. We passed
the time in idle chatter. When I told Billy (the
dr
umme
r
)“
Bum,ba
dum,ba
dumpap
umpum,
”
he knew exactly what guitar riff I was talking
about. Cool. It was from In the Air Tonight. He
also said Sheryl Crow is hot.
Hi Billy!
Dave Moe and I talked about Basement Steve and
howhes
t
a
y
si
nhi
sba
s
e
me
nt
.“
Doe
shes
mok
ea
l
otofpot
?
”Da
v
ea
s
ke
d.“
No,
”Is
a
i
d.“
Hec
a
n’
t
a
f
f
or
di
t
.
”“
Hes
ho
ul
dg
e
taj
ob,
”Moes
a
i
d.
“
The
r
e
’
sa
l
wa
y
ss
ome
t
hi
ngy
ouc
a
ndo
.Le
a
r
nt
o
type.
”
When we finally made it to Headhunters, I was
s
i
t
t
i
ngu
ps
t
a
i
r
st
a
l
k
i
ngt
oBi
l
l
y
.Nowhe
’
sbl
i
n
d
due to an accident, and yet he still offered to go
downs
t
a
i
r
sa
ndg
e
tmeabe
e
r
.“
No,I
’
l
lg
e
ti
t
,
”I
t
ol
dhi
m.Whe
nIc
a
meba
c
khes
a
i
d,“
Yo
ud
i
d
n’
t
pa
yf
ori
tdi
dy
ou?
”“
No,It
ol
dt
h
e
mi
fwa
sf
or
y
ou.Gotmy
s
e
l
fonet
oo,
”Is
a
i
d.
“
Youdi
dn’
tpa
y
f
ory
our
s
,di
dy
ou?
”hea
s
k
e
d.Is
a
i
d“
No,It
ol
d
‘
e
mi
twa
sf
orLi
nc
ol
n.”Billy laughed. I laughed.
We drank our free Pabst Blue Ribbons. But I
digress. More about me later.
The advertisement for thatni
g
h
ts
a
i
d“
Bl
oo
dy
Mess and the Transfusions NYC and The Texas
Wr
e
c
k
i
ngCr
e
wAus
t
i
n.
”We
l
lBl
oody
’
sba
ndi
s
from the Peoria area. So all through the show, he
k
e
pts
a
y
i
ng“
We
’
r
ef
r
omBut
t
e
,
Mont
a
na
,
”or
“
We
’
r
ef
r
omDa
v
e
npor
t
,I
owa
.
”Ev
e
nt
ua
l
l
yhe
announced that they were now a country band,
a
ndt
he
ypl
a
y
e
d“
The
s
eBoot
sWe
r
eMa
def
or
Wa
l
k
i
n’
”f
ol
l
owe
dby“
Fol
s
omPr
i
s
on.
”La
t
e
rhe
announced that his record producer was in the
Mafia. A low voice from the darkness
i
mme
di
a
t
e
l
yg
r
owl
e
d“
The
r
eis noMa
f
i
a
.
”
Lincoln, the guitar player, wore a short kilt-like
skirt and did some of the vocals too.
At one of the clubs someone was smoking crack
i
nt
heMe
n’
sRoom.FYI
.Ido
n’
tr
e
me
mbe
rwhi
c
h
club it was. One thing about Texas - the water
from the faucet never gets cold in the summer.
Youc
o
ul
dr
u
ni
ta
l
ls
umme
ra
ndi
t
’
ds
t
i
l
lbepiss
warm. KH
BLOODY MESS AND THE TRANSFUSIONS
/ AD FRANK /
the deetees / ABERDEEN
Big Horse Lounge
Chicago, IL
October 23, 2005
It was the first night of the 2005 World Series, the
small TV was on and being viewed. It was close
enough to Halloween that some people were in
costume, of particular note a certain Bo Peep who
caused a lot of rubbernecking. On the calendar
behind the bar it was still August. Some chick
was selling copies of Bloody Mess and The
Transfusions CDs with the names of the
Tr
a
ns
f
us
i
ons
’ba
s
sp
l
a
y
e
ra
ndl
e
a
dg
ui
t
a
rr
e
v
e
r
s
e
d
on the inset card, what an idiot! OK, that was me.
I can tell them apart better now that I realize the
dark-haired one (Dave Moe, lead guitar) is a lot
taller than the blond guy (Lincoln Log on bass).
Then there was the checks guy. You may not
know the term: checks are discarded cigarette
butts with some smokability left (in the eyes of
the desperate addicts who smoke them). Well, he
was one of them, a very enthusiastic and friendly
guy who picked up an ashtray full of checks and
methodically proceeded to smoke each one while
enjoying the bands and sometimes dancing a little.
It was a big ashtray, too. After a few hours of this
the woman whose checks he was smoking
disgustedly took the ashtray, which was full again,
to the bar and left it there. Quite the amusing little
sideshow.
Meanwhile, the bands each played 30 minute sets.
First up was Aberdeen, with a hard-driving 5 or 6
s
ong
s
.“
Su
pe
r
d
ome
”wa
soneoft
he
i
rmos
t
melodic songs but still high energy. Then there
was a song about Brendan Frazier, after which the
v
oc
a
l
i
s
ta
nno
unc
e
dt
ha
the
’
dj
us
tt
hr
ownu
po
n
hi
ms
e
l
f
.He
’
ss
i
ng
l
e
,byt
hewa
y
….
f
i
r
s
tbuddy
”then he ranted a little, telling them
that they are all dumb bleached blondes and he
better not come back i
nhe
r
eorhe
’
l
lk
i
c
khis ass,
etc. Then i
twa
s“
Si
x
t
hGr
a
deFi
e
l
dTr
i
p”a
nd
GG’
s“
Be
a
tBe
a
tBe
a
t
.
”AChi
c
a
g
ov
e
r
s
i
onof
“
HungOv
e
ra
ndSt
o
ne
d”wa
sne
xt
,t
he
n“
ICa
n’
t
Re
me
mbe
r
.
”The
r
ewa
sg
r
e
a
tg
ui
t
a
rpl
a
y
i
ng
e
s
pe
c
i
a
l
l
yon“
IWa
nnaBeYourDog
,
”f
ol
l
owe
d
by“
Empt
y
”a
ndf
i
ni
s
hi
ngup with a kick-ass
r
e
ndi
t
i
onof“
NoFu
n.
”The
nt
hec
he
c
k
sg
uy
asked Bloody to sign his backpack, and presented
Bloody with a chocolate box of Christmas lights,
which Bloody graciously accepted after the
checks guy autographed the box. An interesting
weekend for sure. KH
BUCKETHEAD
Paradise, Boston
October 30, 2005
Next up was Ad Frank,“
TheWor
l
d’
sBe
s
tExBoy
f
r
i
e
nd.
”We
’
vehe
a
r
dhi
smus
i
c
,butt
he
sound system at the Big Horse was not good to
him. He has catchy lyrics that you need to be able
to understand, kind of like the Dandy Warhols or
Talking Heads (in a sub sub sub way), but that
di
d
n’
tha
ppe
n
.If we could have understood it the
crowd probably would have liked the Car Nazi
s
ong
.The
ys
a
yt
he
y
’
r
ef
r
omBos
t
onbutt
ha
t
’
s
because no one in Chicago knows where
Somerville is. Anyway he had a really nice shirt
on, 2 women on keyboards and 2 other guys, all
with expensive equipment.
Then a band (maybe called the Astros?) played
rattlesnake punk a la ZZ Topp meets John Lee
Hooker and Golden Earring and they all get
wicked drunk. The drummer was amazing
though.
After that was The Dee Tees, a 3-piece band with
a sound like Green Day with some Ramones riffs
thrown in. They seemed to scare away a lot of
customers, or maybe it was just getting late.
Finally at about 1 am Bloody Mess came on and
a
nno
unc
e
d“
Fuck The White Sox. Suck my ass,
Chi
c
a
g
o!
”After some heckling, the Transfusions
br
ok
ei
nt
o“
De
t
r
oi
t
,I
’
mI
nTown,
”“
Tor
eUp”
f
r
omt
he
i
rne
wCD,“
Che
e
r
l
e
a
de
rf
orDe
a
t
h,
”t
he
n
“
Ba
c
kOnt
heSt
r
e
e
t
.
”The
r
ewa
saGi
r
l
sGone
Wild bus outside and someone suggested that
Bloody invite them in. Bloody did then the guy
responded how much will you pay. Bloody said
“
Ri
g
hthe
r
e
”poi
nt
i
nga
thi
sme
a
t“
a
ndy
ouc
a
ng
o
The freaks were out in full force at a gathering on
October 30, the night before Halloween. Half the
crowd was dressed in costumes celebrating their
favorite holiday of the year. And here comes the
main act, sporting long hair and a mask, with a
Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket over his head. Is
it Colonel Sanders reincarnated? He starts
wailing some Ozzy riffs on the guitar, and now
you know where you are! You are at the
Buckethead show at the Paradise Rock Club in
Boston! And the biggest freak of them all is
headlining the show! With 30 years of seeing
shows under my belt, I figured I had seen it all.
But here comes a trio like no other. A keyboardist
who MC's part of the show and goofs around
singing a number or two, a bass player, and
Buckethead. His music is hard to describe, but he
is surely a guitar virtuoso. Buckethead does not
talk...he just wails away for the most part on his
array of guitars and a banjo. He does the robot
break dance and goes wild with martial arts
numchuks when he puts down his instruments.
The show starts with Buckethead charging into
the opening instrumental riffs of Ozzy Osborne's
Crazy Train. Halfway through the song he
switches to this, that, and then the other
thing...That's a Buckethead show! Through the
two set performance, Buckethead and his merry
men took you through a series of guitar jams as
well as an assortment of guitar noises simulating a
roller coaster ride. Heavy metal was paving the
way but funk, country, Mexican and television
show theme songs come into the mix. The mostly
instrumental show would switch from one format
to the next like a runaway car eluding the cops
and switching lanes back and forth on the
highway...that fast! Highlights of the show
included a lovely acoustic instrumental Mexican
ballad and an instrumental version of Born Free as
well as some quick picking on a banjo. But for
the most part it was Buckethead tearing apart the
guitar going from one intense jam to the next and
him messing with your head between jams with
his gyrations. The second set opened with the
keyboardist/mc and bass player coming out and
goofing heavily singing and dancing to a version
of Earth, Wind & Fire's big commercial hit,
September. Goofing they were as halfway
through the song Buckethead hits the stage and
starts tearing into his guitar with some heavy
metal riffs. The encore was the best part of the
show as Buckethead did an instrumental mix that
included Ozzy's Crazy Train and then switched
over to Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady and finally
ended with Frank Zappa's Advance Romance.
This mix seemed to highlight some of his
foremost musical influences. The show was a bit
short considering it was two sets, but the man
with the bucket on his head couldn't play any
harder for you. The show would not be for
everybody, but if you are into some unbelievable
"experimental" guitar and a goof factor to go with
it, go check out Buckethead! Joe Reyes
BUILT TO SPILL
The Avalon, Boston
October 3, 2005
Even after ten plus years, Built To Spill is still
lighting up stages with undeniable presence and
top notch performance. The show at the Avalon
on October 3rd was satisfying to say the least.
Hundreds of heads bobbed until close to midnight
on the Monday evening before Rosh
Hashana. With smooth yet colorful vocals, Doug
Martsch sounds just as he does on the 1994 hit
r
e
c
or
d,“
The
r
e
’
sNot
hi
ngWr
ongWi
t
hLov
e
.
”
Martsch meandered onto stage in a Fruit Bats tee
shirt and broke into a reggae-like song on his
guitar, which had a anti-Bush sticker on it. This
first tune did not seem to be recognized by many
members of the crowd, but was so
musically tight and syncopated, it seemed to be
appreciated by all. As soon as the song was
finished, the band broke into a highly enjoyed
Bui
l
tt
oSpi
l
lc
l
a
s
s
i
c
,“
Ce
nt
e
roft
heUni
v
e
r
s
e
.
”
All members of the rather eclectic audience
nodded their heads in unison. Those deciding to
push closer up to the stage found that their
competition in getting closest to the band was not
against the typical boys with tight pants and hip
glasses, but with thirty-year-old men who
seemingly stood their ground. One man bickered
about how he should be close to the stage, not
thirteen year olds. In a sense what he was saying
hadap
oi
nt
.
Ma
nyofBui
l
tToSpi
l
l
’
sr
e
c
or
ds
peaked back in the early 90's when most kids who
were at this show were still in kindergarten.
Seven albums later, this current three-guitar
ba
nd’
sc
r
e
a
t
i
v
ea
ndc
a
t
c
hyt
une
sdr
a
wi
nf
a
ns
wearing everything from Black Flag shirts to
Abercrombie tank tops. In the middle of an
intense jam, bassist Brett Nelson
broke a string and the band waited for him to
repair it. Meanwhile guitarist Jim Roth began
flirting with the audience in a manner that earned
him shrill hollers in return. The band then
s
udde
nl
ybr
ok
ei
nt
ot
hec
l
a
s
s
i
c“
Bi
gDi
ppe
r
,
”a
s
the backdrop behind them impressively lit up with
hun
dr
e
dsoft
i
nybl
uea
ndg
r
e
e
n“
s
t
a
r
s
.
”
Martsch announced the so-called last song and
summoned for his friend, lead singer of Helvetia,
to join them on stage and play a deep drum for the
t
e
e
na
nt
he
m“
I
nYourMi
n
d.
”Thede
v
ot
e
dc
r
owd
continued to nod their heads rhythmically even
though the guitar trance feedback portion
they added to the song was too long and made me
feel like a bit I was being abducted by aliens. An
e
nc
or
eof“
Twi
nFa
l
l
s
”wa
spl
a
y
e
da
l
o
ngwi
t
ht
he
final closer of the show, a cover of The Beatles’
“
Whi
l
eMyGui
t
a
rGe
nt
l
yWe
e
ps
.
”Bands opening
for Built To Spill included The Bales Of Hay,
which can be compar
e
dt
oBos
t
on
’
sSol
t
e
r
oi
f
they dropped acid and went blue grass. Helvetia
sounded like a more generic version of Built to
Spi
l
lwi
t
hCol
dpl
a
y
’
sChr
i
sMa
r
t
i
n’
sv
oc
a
l
sl
e
s
s
on pitch. Although some may have found this
relaxing, many would likely find it dull. Mike
Johnson and the Evil Do-e
r
’
sof
f
e
r
e
dmor
bi
d,
repetitive, comatose sounding rock –
differentiating among songs was a tedious task. Leah Wellbaum
CAMELOT
North Shore Music Theater
Beverley, MA
(date)
Ther
e
c
e
ntNSMTs
howof“
CAMELOT”wa
s
held in Boston at the Shubert Theater due to the
unfortunate fire from this past July. The next
pr
o
duc
t
i
onof“
FULLMONTY”i
ss
l
a
t
e
dt
obe
presented at the North Shore Theater in
November. The set was more elaborate and
versatile as the theater space differed from the
usual style. But the center focus was a round
circular platform (an homage perhaps to the usual
performance location perhaps?).The
accompanying songs and costumes were up to the
high standards of the other North Shore Theater
productions. The colors, fabrics and designs of
the customes brought out the period superbly.
Fr
omt
hec
onc
e
i
t
e
dLa
nc
e
l
ot
’
ss
o
ng“
C’
e
s
tMoi
”
(
r
e
mi
ni
s
c
e
ntofGa
s
t
on’
sa
r
r
og
a
nc
ei
n“
Be
a
ut
y
a
ndt
heBe
a
s
t
”
)t
oAr
t
hur
’
sa
n
dGue
ne
v
e
r
e
’
sdue
t
s
i
ng
i
ng“
Ca
me
l
ot
”t
hemus
i
c
a
lnumbe
r
swere
strong. The three main leads Arthur (delightfully
performed by Joseph Dellger), Guenevere (the
beautiful Nili Bassman) and Lancelot (the
handsome Maxime Alvarez de Toldedo)
complemented each other perfectly in their acting
and gorgeous vocals. The strong supporting
ensemble shined and I enjoyed scene five the
s
ong
s“
TheLus
t
yMont
hofMa
y
”a
nd“
Ta
k
eMe
t
ot
heFa
i
r
.
”Themus
i
c
a
lnumbe
r
sa
nda
c
t
i
ng
were excellent and continued the tradition of
quality acting in a NSMT production.
The one big drawback was the long performance
time. Act one was very long (2 hours) and
fortunately act two was shorter. Some parts could
have been made shorter to better accommodate a
more reasonable performance time. Otherwise,
another triumphant performance for the NSMT. –
Anna Ing
CHILDREN OF BODOM, TRIVIUM,
AMON AMARTH
The Palladium.
Worcester, MA.
December 12, 2005
So the line outside was a little on the ridiculous
side. Wrapping around three blocks or more of
kids waiting to get in. Instead of waiting till the
point when the show sold out and all the kids with
no tickets were pushed into the cold city air, my
friend Foghorn (known for being able to vocalize
a foghorn exactly) walked around to the front of
the place. After waiting for a few minutes, we
were ushered inside and out of the cold.
We wandered the venue a bit, already it was
packed and at least 500 more kids wanted to get
in. Pushing our way to the sound man, we caught
up with a few more friends. It was official, we
were rolling deep. About 9 heads in our group,
and all ready to battle! Thus began the show.
I would like to point out two things needed at all
metal shows. First, the necessity for overtly
dramatic intro music. Second: BANNERS!
With that said, AMON AMARTH took the stage
first. Singer John Hegg, embodies that of an
ancient Viking. Grizzly beard and stringy long
hair, he runs on stage topless, a beer gut hanging
over his tight black pants, and a horn full of beer!
He kept leaping up and down screaming into the
air with his horn in hand, he must have been
having a blast! It was a great way to start the night
with true Norse metal!
Next up was TRIVIUM, one who I don't like. At
all. I saw a song, then Foghorn and I went
walking around. He does a show called The Stress
Factor on WUML, Lowell, the college radio
station we both help run. It is about three hours of
real metal. So we spent the set talking about how
shitty TRIVIUM was. At least we are
pretentious...
Finally they left the stage, and CHILDREN OF
BODOM took over. Again, enter the cheesy intro
music and banners galore, but more importantly
enter the metal! I had a photo pass so I managed
to spend their entire set at the edge of the stage
watching them play. Personally, I am not super
familiar with all their songs, but with this band
live, there is no need to be!
Individually, these guys are amazing, flat out.
Each taking solos all over the place. Alexi Laiho,
lead singer and guitarist, is a shredder. Straight
up. A little shorter then everyone else, he jumps
all over the stage ripping sweeps and running the
fret board like it is a race track. The entire show
he seemed to be having a blast. This was where he
wanted to be. At one point he battled the
keyboardist, Janne Warman, with solos. As
Warman would solo or play some amazing riffs,
Laiho would get up to him and tuck his head
under his arm and the two of them would laugh
and not miss a note. Sometimes they even helped
each other to drinks.
Drummer Jaska Raatikainen took his solo alone
on stage. The first half was the metal side.
Cymbals and toms as hard as he could. Then he
paused, and went into this solo that spoke, 'yea, I
know how to play drums'. Laiho and the rest of
CHILDREN OF BODOM got out to play again.
All in all, an amazing show. I highly suggest
seeing these guys live, totally worth every penny.
Black metal will eat snails! Peace - gilroy
The show got even funnier when he sang
“
Mi
l
k
s
ha
k
e
”a
nds
e
v
e
r
a
lSa
l
t
-N-Pepa songs. He
f
i
ni
s
he
dt
hes
e
twi
t
h“
Ty
r
one
,
”“
Fl
a
s
hda
nc
e
,
”
“
Fa
me
,
”a
ndhi
sf
a
mousr
e
ndi
t
i
o
nof“
Tot
a
l
Ec
l
i
ps
eoft
heHe
a
r
t
.
”Hel
e
f
tt
hes
t
a
g
ea
ndt
he
n
t
he
yc
a
meba
c
ka
nde
nc
or
e
dwi
t
h“
YouOug
ht
a
Know”a
nd“
La
dy
.
”Overall one of the funniest
and most amusing concerts I've been to in years.
If you can't catch them live, just watch the movie
Old School and watch the scene at Will Ferrell's
wedding. There you will see the Dan band
s
i
ng
i
ng“
Tot
a
lEc
l
i
ps
eOfTheHe
a
r
t
.
”KZJ
R
DAUGHTERS/SOME GIRLS
The Living Room
Providence, Rhode Island
October 15, 2005
GIGANTOUR
Bank of America Pavilion
Boston, MA
August 26th
Getting up to the Boston harbor area on a Friday
afternoon is never an easy feat but we got up there
just in time to see Ne
v
e
r
mor
e
’
slast couple of
infectious renditions from their new album
e
nt
i
t
l
e
d“
Thi
sGodl
e
s
sEn
de
a
v
or
”
.Nevermore
produced some killer quality guitar work along
wi
t
hl
e
a
ds
i
ng
e
rWa
r
r
e
nDa
ne
’
sve
r
ys
t
r
ong
v
oc
a
l
sont
he
i
rf
i
na
ls
onge
nt
i
t
l
e
d“
Fi
na
lPr
od
uc
t
”
.
It was great to see this Seattle band after 6 albums
still cranking out high energy metal that kept
e
v
e
r
y
one
’
sa
t
t
e
nt
i
onunt
i
lt
hee
nd.
Nevermore has
truly become a classic band of the heavy metal
movement. After Nevermore stunned the crowd it
was time to get out our shit kickers and get to the
front for Fear Factory.
THE DAN BAND
The Paradise
Boston, MA
July 23, 2005
What do you get when you put six men on stage
singing songs originally song by women? You
get Dan Finnerty and The Dan Band, a highly
amusing and entertaining concert, to say the least.
The Dan Band had a short film set up on a sheet
raised in front of the stage before they came on.
The short film showed everyone in the band
walking into different Ladies bathrooms all
getting dressed in their show attire. Then boom,
t
hec
ur
t
a
i
ndr
opsa
n
dt
he
r
e
’
st
heBa
ndg
oi
ngi
nt
o
their first song, which was an ABBA medley.
The
nhes
a
ng“
Mus
k
r
a
tLov
e
,
”a
ndwhi
l
es
i
ng
i
ng
it he pulled out a finger puppet of a rat and started
serenading it on stage. In between songs he
would talk to the crowd and just insult people for
the amusement of others, making the concert even
better. The Dan Band sang a wide variety of songs
s
uc
ha
s“
Fr
e
eYourMi
n
d,
”“
IAmWoma
n,
”
“
Gl
or
i
a
,
”a
nd“
Mi
c
k
e
y
.
”The lead singer Dan
while singing would just be pelvic thrusting
towards women in the crowd, and they were
loving it and it didn't even matter the age. I saw
forty year old women wanting his hips thrusted in
their faces. He had quite the back up singers
running around on stage also, doing the pelvic
thrusts and shaking their asses in women's faces
and wiping their sweat on women in the crowd.
I
fy
ou’
v
e ever searched for a man who talks like a
Southern priest and behaves like an obscene,
dr
u
nkChi
p
pe
n
da
l
e
’
sda
nc
e
r
,l
ooknof
ur
t
he
r
.
Da
ug
ht
e
r
s
’f
r
ontma
nLe
xi
st
her
e
a
lde
a
l
.With
stringy brown hair half way down his back, this
beer spewing screamer causes boys and girls
across the states to join together in holy insanity.
I
ft
heOc
t
obe
r1
5t
hDa
ug
ht
e
r
s
’pe
r
f
or
ma
nc
e
tactics could be described in one word, it would
be bald. Atl
e
a
s
tt
ha
twa
st
hes
t
a
t
eofDa
ug
ht
e
r
s
’
s
i
ng
e
rLe
x
’
sg
e
ni
t
a
l
i
a
,whi
c
hhee
x
pos
e
d for half
of their set. With brilliant, although somewhat
disturbing methods of getting the crowd’
s
attention. The Daughters are so well rehearsed
t
ha
tt
he
yma
na
g
e
de
xe
c
ut
ec
r
owdf
a
v
or
i
t
e
,“
Fur
Be
a
c
h,
”whi
l
eha
l
fdr
unka
ndbl
e
e
di
ng
.The other
headliner, Some Girls, contains members of The
Locust and Give Up The Ghost. TheSomeGi
r
l
s
’
performance lacked a certain distinctability
necessary to be truly memorable in this genre of
music. Get Killed, a more punk influenced band,
opened the show with a high energy performance.
Breather Resist followed Get Killed,
demonstrating strong musicianship and clever
syncopation that sets them apart.
- Leah Wellbaum
Front man Burton C. Bell never disappoints when
it comes to his hard core vocals coupled with their
ripping guitars, heavy percussions, & melodic
rhythms they definitely drive it home every time I
s
e
et
he
ml
i
ve
.I
t
’
st
ooba
dt
heBa
nkofAme
r
i
c
a
Pa
v
i
l
i
o
ndi
d
n’
ta
l
l
owf
orpi
t
sbe
c
a
us
et
he
r
ewould
have been a monstrous one for this show. They
kept everyone tight in their rows but at least they
were allowed to get some head banging in without
getting kicked out. Si
nc
et
hi
sv
e
n
uedi
dn’
ta
l
l
ow
for a second stage we missed out on Life of
Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic, and a
couple other metal bands. But at least we got right
into the meat of the show next with the infamous
band from Berkeley, Dream Theater.
These guys never cease to amaze me every time
t
he
yc
omea
r
ound.The
y
’
r
enota
sol
d as The
St
one
sbutde
f
i
ni
t
e
l
ya
r
e
n’
t21a
n
y
mor
e
.
However, they still put together brilliantly
orchestrated musical compositions that blow your
mi
nde
v
e
r
yt
i
me
.I
t
’
sr
e
a
l
l
ya
ma
z
i
ngt
os
e
et
he
lead vocalist James Labrie stilling belting out their
high end notes with no problem at all.
I
“
He
yma
n,Ima
k
eak
i
l
l
e
rha
mbur
g
e
rbutIs
u
r
ea
s
he
l
ld
on’
twa
ntt
odot
ha
tf
ort
her
e
s
tofmy
life!
!
!
”- FrankyMFHouse
Lead guitarist Mike Portnoy was also very
phenomenal when it came to his guitar work.
The
ye
nde
dont
he
i
rbi
g
g
e
s
thi
t
,“
Pul
lMeUnde
r
”
which finally woke the crowd out of their trance
they were in. Near the end I ran into their wives
club at one of the bars and they were still having
the time of their lives playing the hottie groupies
they once were. I was impressed to see them
coming out to support their men. Now it was time
f
ort
heg
odsofme
t
a
lt
ohi
tt
hes
t
a
g
e
…Megadeth!
The
i
rl
a
t
e
s
twor
k
,“
TheSy
s
t
e
mHa
sFa
i
l
e
d,
”ha
s
brought them to another pinnacle of musical
genius. I was right in front with the other press
g
uy
swhe
nt
he
ys
t
a
r
t
e
dwi
t
h“
Sk
i
nO’MyTe
e
t
h”
& I had thought for sure that there was a technical
issue going on with the system. c
oul
dn’
the
a
ra
damn thing Dave Mustaine was singing! I had to
move around a bit in order to catch some of the
v
oc
a
l
sf
r
omoneoft
hemoni
t
or
sb
uti
twa
s
n’
ta
g
oode
x
pe
r
i
e
nc
eov
e
r
a
l
l
.I
’
mnots
ur
ei
fDa
vewa
s
having an off night bu
thedi
d
n’
ts
e
e
mt
oomuc
h
into it at all. They caught back up to the crowd
wi
t
hs
omehi
t
sl
i
k
e“
Sy
mphonyofDe
s
t
r
uc
t
i
on”&
“
Pe
a
c
eSe
l
l
s
”whi
c
he
nde
dwi
t
hl
ot
sof
pyrotechnics & fireworks. My wife asked me why
these guys still go at it after all these years and I
go back to my recollection of meeting Dave back
stage in 1997. I asked him a similar question and
he said to me
JOHN BUTLER TRIO
Somerville Theater
Somerville, MA
October 2, 2005
The John Butler Trio came to town on the night of
October 2nd at the Somerville Theatre in
Somerville, MA. The next night it was to be a full
moon. But on this night I did witness a werewolf
like transformation as Butler angrily savaged into
the neck of his instruments with his claws the way
the werewolf would savage into the neck of his
prey on a full moon. The American born Butler,
who sharpened his claws and skills in Australia,
has long nails on his entire right (playing) hand
that act like picks. This unique style, which was
used more in the old days before picks, leads to a
barrage of sound that Butler and his band produce
as he hits notes with faster speed and precision.
Close your eyes and you would think a five piece
band was playing in front of you. Butler is a man
that takes his anger out on his guitar and writes
songs with a purpose. He opened with Bound To
Ramble on his banjo and sang about Company
Sins, your Attitude, and being a Betterman for
slightly over two hours. He spoke against the
Freedom Act and he passed out two large buckets
to go around the crowd and gather donations for
Hurricane Katerina victims. Having been
discovered in the streets and markets of Australia,
he has no problem getting out his word and
playing to the crowd. The third song of the
evening included Butler on lap steel guitar starting
us out with some arabic flavored notes for fan
favorite Treat Your Mama. Again he spoke in
terms where kids today could certainly learn a
thing or two as he speaks of treating your mama
with respect or get slapped upside the head. Soon
enough he brought out singer/songwriter Tristan
Prettyman, who opened the show with a short
acoustic set, for an acoustic duet of Bob Marley
favorite No Woman, No Cry. This was a
highlight as was the next song, a solo extended
instrumental called Ocean where Butler went into
a rage and tore up the 12 string acoustic guitar for
the good side of fifteen minutes in anger over the
Katerina victims. The crowd reaction was
amazing as they appreciated this guy bringing
new meaning to the words solo acoustic! Peaches
& Cream followed, a lovely mellow tune where
Butler talks of this love for his wife and daughter.
The song slowly builds up with Butler hiding in
the background around his amps and letting the
band start it up. He then jumps in half way
through as the song has built momentum and he
takes it from there. Betterman was outstanding
and included long solos for all the musicians.
Shannon Birchall plays a stellar stand up electric
bass. Like a hunter, he had several bows that he
takes out and fires sounds at us usually heard from
violins and other string instruments. Drummer
and percussionist Michael Barker is intense and
sounds like he does the work of two men at
times. Butler was wringing the neck of his 12string acoustic guitar during his solo, extracting
sound from it like a juicer extracts juice from a
piece of fruit. Hello eventually incorporated a
new look as all three players took out bongos and
bongo fury erupted. The show closed out with
another long one, Pickapart, where the musicians
were once again able to let loose short solos with
Butler hiding in the background only to jump in
and unleash another fierce attack on his guitar to
close out the show. The fans screamed J-B-T and
clapped three times over and over until Butler
came back for an encore. He started out solo with
a banjo for Damned To Hell. This song was a
short punchy number that sounded like something
you'd hear in a European pub during a session.
He then brought the band back and followed with
2004 single Zebra. This was the crowd favorite of
the evening that talks about all the different
stripes he can have (I can be loud or silent...
young or old...I can be a gentleman or be
violent...I can be just like the calm before the
storm...I can be ignorant or informed, I can lead or
be led...I can be anything I put my mind to, all I
gotta do is give myself a half a chance). The
night closed out with Funky Tonight, an excellent
tune that get everyone out of their seats and
dancing as Butler "guaranteed you and me are
gonna get Funky Tonight." Overall, it was quite
amazing seeing Butler and his band up close and
this was one of my favorite shows of the year. I
had seen him one other time this spring in New
Orleans at The Jazz & Heritage Festival but that is
a shortened set in the blues tent. The Butler set
was one of my surprises during the two weekend
long festival. But catching this whole Butler
show instead of the shortened festival
performance proved to be a difference maker.
Getting to see all the different tempos and flavors
of music, all the highs and lows and how he
allows the other musicians room to express
themselves was fabulous. And getting to see this
guy manhandle these acoustic guitars was a sight
for sore eyes. I have seen other acoustic guitar
players over the years and many are boring as the
day is long. If you want to see a player that brings
new meaning and sound to acoustic guitars, go see
the John Butler Trio right away before he is
playing in larger, less desirable venues. Joe
Reyes
O.A.R WITH PEPPER AND THE
SOUTHLAND
Bank of America Pavilion
Boston, MA July 28, 2005
There's a new kid on the Rock & Roll party scene,
with a special emphasis on "kid" and
"party." O.A.R. invaded the Boston area in late
July, playing back-to-back nights and drawing
crowds in the vicinity of 10,000 at the picturesque
Bank of America Pavilion. The crowd was young
(mainly teenyboppers and college-aged fans),
well-lubricated and ready to party (it wasn't an
uncommon sight to see intoxicated patrons being
wheeled out on stretchers, having imbibed a bit
too much, and leaving the remnants of their
stomachs on the pavement). But for those who
were there simply for the music, and not just the
party scene, O.A.R (Of A Revolution) has an
infectious sound that packs a punch. The 5-piece
band, led by lead singer, Mark Roberge, expects
fan participation, and receives it, cranking it up on
such hits as ''Wonderful Day" and ''That Was a
Crazy Game of Poker." The crowd was
absolutely delirious, a devoted fandom that would
make any band proud - sort of akin to the Grateful
Dead for Teenyboppers. Other songs that got the
hearts pumping included: "Risen," "King of the
Thing," and a pulsating "Missing Pieces," which
sent the fans on their way home, happy, drained
and ready for a good night's rest.
Fans of the band had another chance to get them
at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, a 13,000-seat
facility in Providence, RI, which played host to an
Oct. 6th concert. They also have a new album on
the horizon. ''Stories of the Stranger" is scheduled
for an October release. It's the band's seventh
album. Party on! -- Uncle Stewey
OZZFEST 2005
Tweeter Center
Mansfield MA July 15th 2005
Ozzfest is now in its 10th year as it kicked off at
what was Great Woods when the festival of heavy
me
t
a
lbe
g
a
ni
t
sr
un.Ic
a
n’
ta
g
r
e
ewi
t
hRob
Zombie when he told the stage 2 audience that
Ozzfest has not changed a bit. I would qualify it
as saying it is still the premier metal showcase.
What has changed over the years is the sound.
What began as what we now call classic or old
school metal has gone through the influx of
hardcore, speed, hip-hop and now death metal.
Both stages featured a good deal of this genre.
This event is not easy to cover in depth anymore.
Tha
nk
st
ot
hepa
pa
r
a
z
z
i(
i
nc
l
ud
i
n
gBos
t
on’
sown
Herald)whowon’
tho
nort
her
e
q
ue
s
tofSha
r
o
n
Osborne not to take pictures of Ozzy, the press
that had photo passes were quarantined to the
backstage area of stage 2. Later we were escorted
to a press holding area for stage 1. Basically from
t
hee
ndofRobZombi
e
’
ss
e
tt
oMudv
a
y
ne(
whe
n
all but 3 photographers were escorted out of the
venue) it was first 3 songs only and return to the
holding area. One of the photographers (most
likely the Herald in disguise because he had very
nice equipment and the Herald did not get a photo
pass this year but still ran a picture of Ozzy)
snuck out of the photo pit after a minute or so and
disappeared in the audience. Security could not
find him. This is strange. He had a great deal of
photography gear that could not be concealed
under clothes in the heat. Regardless I saw the
whole thing and am reporting it for what it’
s
worth. Being that it was the first date of the tour
Satan himself wasn’
t going to miss it. Here he is
captured by our camera as he watched the action
on the second stage. Choiring minds need to
know.
speedy mix of death metal and more melodic
e
l
e
me
nt
sf
oundc
ommonl
yi
n19
8
0’
she
a
vyme
t
a
l
like Iron Maiden. Bass player Ola Flink
kept doing a cool bass walk across the stage as all
the members moved around the stage to get in
view of all the fans. Vocalist Speed Strid
commands attention with his imposing look and
indefatigable delivery. Showcasing the new CD
“
St
a
bbi
ngTheDr
a
ma
”a
smuc
ha
sy
ouc
oul
di
na
20 minute set. Up next was the young IT DIES
TODAY who urged the crowd to jump up and
down. It was so hot when they played the
audience only hopped for 20 seconds.
The guys looked more like a goth band than the
dark speed metal they played. Talk about access
they were in the lawn area when the main stage
opened and were there at least till Iron Maiden
when it began to get dark and vision limited who I
could see. Next was another band from Sweden,
ARCH ENEMY who are led by:
After the usual ticket/security holdups we got to
the second stage at 10AM an hour after the start.
First up was Sweden’
s SOILWORK who play a
Angela Gossow, whose vocals are as demonic as
any other extreme metal vocalist. She asked the
crowd if they were ready for real fuckin metal?
They responded my having a steady mosh and
crowd surfing. Big time work for security as they
began catching the kids getting tossed over the
stage barrier. The guitar work of Michael Amott
was tremendous. Maybe someone to keep track
of. If she could develop some more stage activity
ala Wendy O Williams this act could really fly
high! Speaking of flying high next was
TRIVIUM who got the crowd to get the Texas
Longhorn hook en horns in the air. The dark
music they played set the stage as next up was the
black metal madness named for a brutal crime.
THE BLACK DALHIA MURDER delivered
the most baneful lyrics of the day.
Now as you can see this ‘
zine is from Medford
MA. The victim (Elizabeth Short) has a plaque
right on Salem Street in Medford that mentions
the murder. Kind of a real life Boxing Helena.
Anyway after that I was busy interviewing and
missed out on The Haunted but caught a bit of
the sickness called BURY YOUR DEAD
before doing another interview. I missed A Dozen
Furies but did catch the guitar solos of
MASTODON. Appropriately named as these
older rockers played on like the dinosaur they are
named after. Next AS I LAY DYING came out to
a frenzied crowd who waived their horns and fists
in the air to most every note of the set.
The San Diego boys cranked out tunes from the
catalog and selections from metal’
s hottest CD
“
Sha
dowsAr
eSe
c
ur
i
t
y
”i
noneo
ft
heda
y
’
s most
crowd pleasing sets. It was obvious that a lot of
As I lay Dying fans were in attendance. (Songs
included 94 Hours, Empty Hearts, Eulogy, Blue
Struggle, Goodbye, Forever.)
Up next was KILLSWITCH ENGAGE who
were a last minute fill in band 2 years ago at
Ozzfest 2003. Jesse Leach came out flipping off
the fans as he strutted all over the stage in a dance
if you will. They dedicated one of their songs to
all the women with sweaty tits cause that’
s how
they like em! Sick but in this heat easy to find.
Speaking of which this pair popped out right
before ROB ZOMBIE rocked the second stage.
With a backdrop of naked women he delivered a
set that included some classics from his White
Zombie days. Zombie told the crowd he agreed to
do Ozzfest when he was told he could headline
the Second Stage. A smart thing as it has been
better than the first 2 main stage slots in most
years. This one may be the exception. While
waiting in the holding area a few of the other
photographers were discussing how Zombie was
acting very effeminate in his set. I totally
disagreed saying that they were all basing it on
one of them having one of the shots they took on a
laptop screen. But to each his own but I was quite
disappointed that all I got to see was the first 4
songs of his set. He was non stop movement and
was very hard to photograph so maybe that’
s the
real reason for the dis. Onto the main stage. The
seated arena area was at least a third full when IN
FLAMES came out and delivered a combo of the
new emotional material and a speck of the black
sacriligious metal they built a following on. They
bludgeoned the assembled with a se
tof“
Cl
oud
Conne
c
t
e
d”
,“
Touc
hOfRe
d”
,“
Pi
nba
l
lMa
p”
,
“
Qui
e
tPl
a
c
e
”a
nd“
MySwe
e
tSha
dow”
.Br
ut
a
l
.
Ne
x
twa
sa
nOz
z
f
e
s
ts
t
a
pl
e
.Za
k
kWy
l
de
’
s
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. Zakk is a die hard
Ya
nk
e
e
sf
a
na
ndba
c
k
s
t
a
g
eDJ
’
sf
r
omaWAAFI
think were wearing Yankees jerseys since they
lost a bet to Zakk on the previous night’
s game.
TheDJ
’
sbi
t
c
he
da
b
outi
tont
hea
i
ra
ndba
c
k
s
t
a
g
e
t
ousph
ot
og
r
a
phe
r
s
.The
ydi
dn’
tt
hr
owt
hej
e
r
s
e
y
s
a
wa
ys
oi
tc
oul
d
n’
tha
v
ebe
e
nt
ha
tba
d.
Any
wa
y
Zakk began by doing some sort of strange ritual
that included spiting and some hand movement. It
looked like maybe a black mass blessing, who
knows. What I do know is that if you like to hear
guitar playing metal music this is it! Putting on a
show like Zakk does is awesome. Playing at one
point with his teeth. Rockin the house with
Mons
t
e
r
sl
i
k
e“
St
o
ne
dAndDr
un
k
”“
De
s
t
r
uc
t
i
on
Ov
e
r
t
ur
e
”a
nd“
Be
e
nALongTi
me
”.Za
k
k
should have been out later a lot of people miss
him every year and a 30 minute set to remember..
Then it was another local act made big
SHADOWS FALL.Voc
a
l
i
s
tBr
i
a
nFa
i
r
’
s
dreadlocks were longer than ever past the knee
and almost touching the ground. His locks nearly
hit the press in the photo pit in front of the stage.
Next was MUDVAYNE and they did come out in
costume garb after all. Backstage other press were
mentioning that theydon’
tdr
e
s
supa
ny
mor
e
.I
t
was a very entertaining set with singer Chad Grey
came out with a derby hat and a gorilla suit minus
the head. Bass player---- in a red/black paint was
a visual for sure. The music was as insane as
expected but the crowd was anxious to see
Maiden. I was sitting outside the main arena
talking to a huge Maiden fan and Ozzy walked by,
the real one not the guy who looks like him that
always goes. Security walked him through and the
people gathered to touch him as if he was their
savior. Disturbing even for me. Finally it was time
for some old school metal. IRON MAIDEN did
not disappoint. Bruce Dickenson came out
flashing the Union Jack flag just as he did years
a
g
owhe
npl
a
y
i
ng“
TheWa
r
r
i
or
”Thev
i
s
ua
l
s
di
d
n’
ts
t
opt
he
r
e
.I
twa
sl
i
k
eal
a
t
e80sc
onc
e
r
t
with lots of theater. An giant inflatable Baphomet
with moving horns and head along with blue lit
e
y
e
sha
dt
hec
r
owd‘
sa
t
t
e
nt
i
o
nwhi
l
et
he
ydi
d
“
Si
g
nOfTheBe
a
s
t
”.Thewhol
ec
r
owds
ang
a
l
ongo
n“
Ru
nForTheHi
l
l
s
”a
nd“
Wr
a
i
t
hc
hi
l
d”.
What surprised me though was the majority of the
fans staying to see Ozzy and Black Sabbath. In
the past years festival the lawn was a lot thinner.
Maybe it was the new video screens, maybe the
roster of bands fans were a better match, who
really cares. Thing is one of them screens looked
great and the other 2 looked crappy kind of like
regular TV vs. HiDef. Ozzy taunted the audience
to yell louder as he stayed behind a curtain that
had BLACK SABBATH spelt out on it. The place
roared as the curtain fell and out came The
Wizard for a louder roar. He did a cool set that
i
nc
l
u
de
dt
hes
t
i
l
lr
e
l
e
v
a
nt“
Wa
rPi
g
s
”i
nas
i
ng
along as well as other Sabbath favorites. All
Sabbath band too no substitutes as rumored
bac
k
s
t
a
ge
.Oz
z
yc
a
n’
thi
tt
hehi
g
hn
ot
ea
swe
l
la
s
he used to but the music was very tight and it
di
d
n’
tma
t
t
e
rI
T’
S OZZY!. The crowd showed
much love for the Ozzman too responding always
t
oh
i
sr
e
que
s
t
st
opa
r
t
i
c
i
pa
t
e
.Ido
n’
tk
nowhow
many more he has in him but I hope its at least a
few years. Still the best place to catch a day of
Metal music even if the price is 40-100 bucks.
Still cheaper than a Sox-Yankees game (which
was going on as the festival played into the night)
and a lot louder too. The question is will this year
be his last? Let’
s hope not. DB
SAVES THE DAY/SENSES FAIL
The Avalon
Boston, MA
October 27th, 2005
If you enjoy emotional pop tunes and sad looking
boys in tight pants, then the Saves The
Day/Senses Fail/Early November show on
October 27th might have enthralled you.
However, this reviewer found this scene to be
overly whiney and repetitive.
The Early November offered catchy tunes with
simplistic drum beats and occasional keyboard
breakdowns. With music somewhat more
recognizable than other bands in this genre of
poppy emo, this groove-happy band presented
energy that fans seemed to eat up. The Early
November ended their set with bassist Dave Costa
climbing up the ten-foot speakers on the Avalon
stage and jumping off.
Senses Fail was full of it. Singer Buddy Nielson
swore entirely too much. With a guitarist looking
strikingly like Dave Grohl, this band produces sub
par angry rock, complete with screaming and
poorly expressed songs about chicks. Occasional
out of tune harmonies added to the unsatisfactory
experience of seeing this band. At one point,
Nielson made some reference to Boston having a
good hardcore scene, and then played yet another
song sounding like the last fifteen. Throughout the
Senses Fail set, I found myself wondering why
this band wrote songs in which their own singer
c
oul
d
n’
ta
c
t
ua
l
l
yhi
tt
hen
ot
e
s
.
Newly joined by the bassist from Glassjaw, Saves
The Day has a devoted following. I was
surrounded by hundreds of teenagers with highpitched voices all screaming out the lyrics to
s
ong
sl
i
k
e“
YouVa
nda
l
,
”a
ndop
e
ne
r“
Fi
r
e
f
l
y
”s
o
loudly that I could barely hear Conely singing.
Saves The Day managed to crank out tune after
tune of recognizable songs with whiney yet
relatable lyrics and cool syncopation. This high
energy group has been a clear influence on the
other bands who have been touring with them.
Toward the end of their set, Conely played a solo
a
c
ous
t
i
cv
e
r
s
i
onofc
r
owdpl
e
a
s
e
r“
Thr
e
eMi
l
e
s
Down,
”dur
i
ngwhi
c
hane
a
r
byg
i
r
ls
hr
i
e
k
e
d“
Ig
ot
my screen na
mef
r
omt
hi
ss
ong
!
”The band
closed with an all time favorite, off hit album
“
St
a
yWha
tYouAr
e
,
”“
AtYourFune
r
a
l
,
”a
bittersweet anthem about singing a requiem at an
ex-l
ov
e
r
’
sf
une
r
a
l
.~Le
a
hWe
l
l
ba
um
TOWER OF POWER AND TOM JONES
Fan Pier Pavilion
Boston, MA
July 16, 2005
I really wanted to see Tower of Power but I
wa
s
n’
ts
os
ur
ea
b
outTomJ
one
s
.Atl
e
a
s
tTOP
was on first, I said to myself. The crowd was
pretty mixed, a wide range of ages but not a really
young crowd to say the least. When TOP came
on the oldest half of the audience looked
c
onf
us
e
d,l
i
k
e“
whoa
r
et
he
s
eg
uy
s
?
”We
l
l
t
he
y
’
v
ebe
e
nt
og
e
t
he
rf
orde
c
a
de
s(
a
sha
sTom
Jones I assume), touring the US and Europe and
releasing dozens of albums. They were touring to
promote their new album Oakland Zone, which
has some great tunes fully worthy of their
previous fame. Of course when they play the US
they pretty much have to play their biggest hits
f
r
omba
c
ki
nt
heda
y
:“
You’
r
eSt
i
l
laYo
ung
Ma
n,
”“
Wha
tI
sHi
p?
”
,a
nd(
“
SoVe
r
y Hard to
Go”
)
.Thos
ea
r
ea
l
lg
r
e
a
ts
ong
s
,butt
heone
so
n
t
hene
wCDa
r
eg
r
e
a
tt
oo,e
s
pe
c
i
a
l
l
y“
Li
f
eI
s
Wha
tYouMa
k
eI
t
”
.Tha
ts
e
e
me
dt
os
umupt
he
philosophy and spirit of TOP as well. The band
has all this brass and a really full sound, plus they
always seemed to be enjoying themselves. At one
point Doc Kupka did a cute little joyful dance
while he soloed. At the end of their set they
pl
a
y
e
dt
hel
a
s
ts
ong
,“
Downt
ot
h
eNi
g
ht
c
l
ub,
”
with Tom Jones, and it rocked.
The Tom Jones crowd was a trip to watch so I
stayed for that too. Tom Jones was good, though.
Hec
a
ns
t
i
l
ls
i
ng
,
buthed
oe
s
n’
twe
a
rt
i
g
htpa
nt
s
any more. Like TOP, he has a following in
Eur
o
pef
orhi
sne
we
rwor
k
,but“
Wha
t
’
sNe
w,
Pus
s
y
c
a
t
?
”s
e
e
me
dt
obet
hi
sc
r
o
wd’
sf
a
v
or
i
t
e
;t
he
women went nuts, rushing the stage, and yes some
pa
nt
i
e
sma
det
he
i
rwa
yont
ot
hes
t
a
g
e
.I
’
v
ene
v
e
r
seen so many drunks staggering out of a concert,
note
v
e
na
tOz
z
f
e
s
torWa
r
pe
d,I
’
ms
e
r
i
ous
.The
difference was that these drunks were mostly 40+
“
l
a
di
e
s
”i
nhigh-heeled sandals trying to help
e
a
c
hot
he
rt
ot
he
i
rl
i
mos
.Wha
t
e
ve
r
….KZ
VANS WARPED TOUR 2005
County Fairgrounds
North Hampton, MA
August 15, 2005
Mud
,mus
i
c
,a
ndma
y
he
mt
ha
t
’
swha
tIg
otoutof
the Warped tour. This being my first Warp tour I
didn't know what to expect. But it turned out
better that I thought. First I got there two hours
late due to traffic on the Mass Pike. Advice to all
you young kids going to next year: watch the
road and put the herb down, no word of a lie!
There were seven car accidents and at every
accident there were at least 8 to 15 kids standing
on the side of the road dressed like they were
going to the show. Next time pay attention and
you won't miss a great show. I start heading
towards the show and the first thing I see is mud
everywhere, then I see people just walking around
covered in mud. IIt was hilarious.
When I finally reached the first stage I caught the
end of Reliant K’
sset. They were rocking the
crowd hard. People were moshing and crowd
surfing, very entertaining to watch. The next act
I caught was the Street Dogs on the Volcom
Stage. They had more of a punk sound. They
really got the crowd into it. I could tell this was
one of the favorites on the smaller stage because
they had a pretty big crowd compared to the other
acts on the smaller stages. After the Street Dogs I
continued my way back to the Mike stage and
caught Strung Out.
They had that hard heavy metal sound. A lot of
hard sounding guitar rifts and loud sounds from
the drums ruled the set. After having my ear
drums pummeled I needed something a little
softer on the ears so I made my way over to the
Code Of The Cutz stage. Tha
t
’
swhe
r
eIhe
a
r
d
Hangar 18.
Two MCs and a DJ is what they were providing.
They put on a great set. They were rhyming back
and forth with the DJ spinning the beats, one of
the better acts of the day. Next I was on to the
Hot Topic stage to catch the A.K.A.s.
These guys were at least entertaining to watch and
the music wasn't that bad either it was actually
pretty good, but the lead singer stole the act. Just
his energy on stage was the selling point, his
jumping around and constant movement is what
kept me standing there for a while. They had a
beautiful female bassist which also kept my
attention. Much love to them for that.
I continued on my journey through the crowd to
try and catch the Dropkick Murphys but I was too
late. I caught the end of their set; it was pretty
cool that they let people up on the stage with them
for the last song. On my journey through the
backstage I ran into Travis Barker from Blink
182.
He let me snap a couple of quick photos and I shot
the shit with him for a few minutes then I had to
continue on my way to catch Fallout Boy.
Now this is one band I have actually heard of.
The
ydi
dt
he
r
eh
i
ts
o
ng
,“
Sug
a
rWe
’
r
eGoi
ng
Down. “Idi
dn'
tk
n
owa
ny
t
hi
nge
l
s
et
he
ydi
dbu
t
the crowd was loving it because they were
throwing mud at the stage. I got hit a couple of
times. I was wondering if that was a good thing
or not but I guess it is. Now the one band I was
looking forward to was The Offspring.
Never heard of them before but it was
recommended that I see them. They were pretty
impressive. They incorporated a lot of keyboard
into there set more than anyone else did. It was
something different, something that I haven't
heard in a while. They had a pretty large fan base
for some one playing on one of the smaller
stages. Their set was a nice way to end the
night, they were easier on the ear drums then the
other bands were. Overall this concert rocked. I
enjoyed seeing the different kinds of music styles
that they had incorporated into this festival. They
had something for everyone..
TheOf
f
s
pr
i
ngs
t
a
r
t
e
dof
ft
hes
e
twi
t
h”
ComeOut
a
ndPl
a
y
.
”At the end of the song Dexter the lead
s
i
ng
e
rs
a
i
dt
ha
ts
o
ng
’
ss
t
i
l
lahi
t
,
t
he
nt
he
ywent
into Self-Esteem.
Offspring rocked the rest of the set with the crowd
just singing along with every song they did. Now
last but not least the emo side of the show. I made
my way to the Hurley stage to catch MAE.
It was also a great people watching event. I've
never seen so many people covered in mud and
enjoying themselves like I did that day. By the
time the show ended the crowd was divided and
there was a huge mud fight. Another thing that
caught my eye was a woman with her six year old
daughter rolling around in the mud. Nothing says
quality family time like rolling around in the mud
while listening to music, that right there is the
American Dream. Oh yes I cannot forget, thank
you to the two ladies who were covered in mud
who flashed for my camera, one more time thank
you. On this day of August 15, 2005 Mud, Music,
and Mayhem rule the day. KZ Jr.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE VANS WARPED TOUR‘
05
All photos courtesy Ken Zebbyn, Jr.
The Offspring
Mud
Fallout Boys Drummer
Strung Out
Tats
The Crowd
CD $8.00 US
also on cassette $5.00
Free Shipping inside US and
Canada only!
www.blackandbluerecords.com
Black and Blue Records
P.O. Box 410325
Cambridge, MA 02141 USA
CD Reviews
BLACKMORE’
SNI
GHT–
Christmas Eve
(Steamhammer/SPV)
Ri
t
c
hi
eBl
a
c
kmor
e
’
sChr
i
s
t
ma
sa
l
bumwa
soneI
had high hopes for. Yeah, open some vino, soft
light and sexy music, get some sweet oral from
my best gal - this CD put her to sleep before We
Three Kings even started, and totally ruined my
well-laid plans. Thanks Ritchie. SA
THE ABSENCE - From Your Grave
(Metal Blade Records)
Standard Medal Blade fare with run of the mill,
overly melodic, Gothenburg type leads that go
absolutely nowhere. The production of Eric Rutan
(from HATE ETERNAL) is too polished and
much too clean, creating a sterile sound.
Strident vocals, sweeping guitar themes and
restless medal undercurrents. This baby had me
nervously looking around the room to make sure
Angus Scrimm hadn't just stepped out from
some hidden portal to another world. I'd hate to
catch one of those spiked balls right between the
eyes. 10 tremble inducing tracks featuring
"Necropolis," "Summoning The Darkness," and
the title cut "From Your Grave." JV
AGENTS OF THE SUNMonarchs Of A Fallen Society
(www.agentsofthesun.com)
Modern metal pop that is as good or bad as the
r
e
s
toft
hema
i
ns
t
r
e
a
ms
poog
e
.I
ft
hi
sa
i
n’
to
na
majorl
a
be
lIc
a
n’
ts
e
ei
tg
o
i
nga
n
y
whe
r
e
.The
r
e
’
s
just too many soundalikes that have that leverage.
LB
AGAINST ME!
Searching For A Former Clarity
(Fat Wreck Chords 2005)
When I was fourteen, Against Me! was my
favorite band. And although I stopped listening to
them religiously long before they went on tour
with Green Day, it still hit a nerve to hear that the
once anarcho-punk-never-sellout-underground
band was going to be playing a show with one of
popp
unk
’
smos
ti
nf
a
mousg
r
oups
.I would guess
Against Me
!
’
sf
r
ont
-man, Tom Gabel, would
c
l
a
i
mt
heba
nd’
sne
wr
e
l
e
a
s
e“
Se
a
r
c
hi
ngFor
AFor
me
rCl
a
r
i
t
y
”ha
snotbe
e
ni
mpa
c
t
e
dby
breaking into the commercial punk band scene.
However I think all past avid listening would
agree–this CD is different. This music is less
politically motivated and no longer possesses the
right to talk about struggling in the underground
music world. Against Me! is probably aware that
they are potentially on their way to, as track
t
hi
r
t
e
e
nput
si
t
,“
l
os
i
ngt
o
uc
h.
”Is
us
pe
c
tt
ha
tt
ha
t
millions of semi-angsty boys and girls all over the
country will buy this CD and think it is a great
masterpiece. All I have to say to them is go and
buy“
Re
i
nv
e
nt
i
ngAx
e
lRos
e
”
–Ag
a
i
ns
tMe
!
’
s
recording that generated the initial serious buzz
helped to lead them to where they are now. I think
i
t
’
sc
l
e
a
rt
ha
ta
l
t
h
oug
ht
heor
i
g
i
na
lme
s
s
a
geof
Against Me! has faded, it has not completely
disappeared on this recording. I
t
’
sj
us
te
x
t
r
e
me
l
y
close. ~Leah Wellbaum
ALL HOURS –
InFlagranteDelicto
(Hybrid)
Neither good nor bad. A mix of a lot of outdated
music styles makes this yet another easily
ignorable CD. MB
BOYSNIGHTOUT - Trainwreck
(Ferret)
The CD starts out with a Kim Fowleyesque
apocalyptic talk over dirge metal which made me
think this could be a keeper. But from there it
goes slowly downhill into what sounds like Good
Charlotte pop punk. This is a trainwreck! MTC
IAN ANDERSON –
Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull
(ZYX Records/RED Music Distribution)
I
t
’
sa2-CD set of flutist Ian Anderson playing
with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra.
They do mainly classic Jethro Tull tunes
(Locomotive Breath was never better actually) as
well as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. It was
recorded in December 2004, which explains the
Christmas (Holy Day?) music. Also available as a
DVD, with bonus interviews. KH
ANIMOSITY - Empires
(Metal Blade)
Nice counterplay between the grunt-core and
screech-core vocals. It's like listening to two
satanic drunks puking in octaves while the dull
thump of slightly muted speed metal drones on
and on in the background. If you're even slightly
suicidal, steer clear of this abominable mix of
medal madness. 9 nefarious nocturnes from hell.
JV
ASGUARD - Dreamslave
(This Dark Reign)
Mainstream symphonic black medal in the realm
of TIDFALL and SUSPERIA. The kick triggers
drive me up a wall. I'm having Dr Rhythm
flashbacks. It also sounds like rent-a-synth Verd.
This album is trying to bridge the gap between old
school and the newbies but alas, it fails miserably
on both ends of the spectrum. JV
BALSACOut Of The Grave And Into The Dark
(Misfits/Ryko)
This DVD/CD combo is chock full of Music and
video from these gothpunkers from Nipon. The
DVD has live and MTVish clips and a short
horror film which should put to rest the pooh
poohing of the band’
strue appreciation of horror
flicks. The audio portion begins with a dark gothic
melange of sound that ended with a violent
chainsaw guitar and nail gargling extreme vocals.
Soon though the album settles into a more of a
classic UK punk sound. The more I listened it
reminded me of Die Totten Hosen as well as their
idols The Misfits. MTC
ROBIN BECK –
Do You Miss Me
(Locomotive)
The vocals are a muddled mix of Amy Grant,
CHER and HEART. Robin's got Bob Segaritis,
that being, the songs almost get there but not
quite. 12 also-rans featuring "What About Us",
"Find A Little Faith" and the title track "Do You
Miss Me". The answer is a resounding no but if
you show me your tits I might just be persuaded
to change my mind. JV
BOLT THROWER –
Those Once Loyal
(Metal Blade)
It's hard to believe that this band has been around
for 20 years now. I must be getting old. Karl
Willetts is back on guttural vocals and they're as
dark and demented as ever. It's melodic speed
abomination at its best. 9 tracks of pure corruption
including "Entrenched", "Last Stand Of
Humanity" and of course the title track "Those
Once Loyal". JV
PAT BOONE AND FRIENDS PRESENTS Thank You Billy Graham
(The Gold Label)
Metal legend Pat Boone brings together a bevy of
stars including Michael McDonald, LeAnn Rimes,
Kenny Rogers, Marty Stuart and many more, to
sing a tribute to a man who got the call, the ever
popular Billy Graham. JV
BRAZEN ABBOT –
My Resurrection
(Locomotive)
Abbots are bad. Yeah, they are. It sounds like
FIREBALL MINISTRY meets DIO. Rick
Derringer, eat your heart out. Pure 70's glam rock.
I wonder if they've got the fluffy hair and the
strategically placed tears in his tights too? High
octane, full rectum vocals, creating a seminal
situation. Protect your children. JV
BROKEN BONESDem Bones and Decapitated 1983-86
(SOS)
Re
c
y
c
l
e
dpu
nkg
a
r
ba
g
et
ha
twa
s
n’
tbi
gi
nt
he80’
s
and hopefully not today either. DB
THE SLUTS ARE BACK!
OFF THE STREETS!!!
Hear the sintillating sounds of America's favorite "Working Girls" and their
band of Johns captured live on this brand new CD. Includes both classic Slut
Rock tunes and all new material with a special introduction by Peter Yarmouth.
CD Only release ($8.00 US - free S&H in US and Canada).
www.blackandbluerecords.com
BLACK & BLUE RECORDS
PO BOX 410325
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141 USA
MUSIC TO MAKE YOUR EARS HURT
CHANTAL CHAMANDY –
Love Needs You
(Nine Muse)
Britain's answer to Barbara Streisand. Why
bother? You can have ours. 14 flowery flops. JV
CHILDREN OF BODOM –
Are You Dead Yet?
(Spinefarm Records)
Slightly dark, mildly blistering shout-core. I think
I just invented a new musical genre classification.
The "lead singer" (and I use that term very
loosely) is gonna pull a groin muscle if he ain't
careful. They snuck a little pop influence into the
musical arrangements. I think they're hoping for
some decent radio play. Good luck with that. 9
metallic mutations featuring "Are You Dead
Yet?", "Bastards Of Bodom", and "If You Want
Peace... Prepare For War". JV
JAMES CHRISTIAN –
Meet The Man
(Locomotive)
Another Steve Perry clone, stuck in the 80's. The
lead guitar licks are right out of the Yngwie
Malmsteen handbook. 11 carbon copy cuts of
pure corn. JV
THE CLASSIC STRUGGLE –
Feel Like Hell
(Ironclad Recordings)
Knuckle dragging metalcore by a bunch of skinny
little nerds from South Carolina. The classic
struggle is making it through the first track. 12
cuts of UNEARTH worship. JV
CLUSTER & ENO
(Water)
For those who have no clue as to what ambient
music is here is a chance to get educated. Back in
t
hel
a
t
e7
0’
sBr
i
a
nEnot
e
a
me
dupwi
t
ht
he
instrumental duo known as Cluster. This is the
first collaboration of this team that has influenced
so many modern artists today. The rest of the
catalog is scheduled for re-release on Water so
you can experience it all. KZ
ALICE COOPER –
Dirty Diamonds
(New West Records)
Wi
t
hac
a
r
e
e
rt
ha
tbe
g
a
ni
nt
hel
a
t
e60’
sa
n
d3
0
albums (of which I am most familiar with the first
s
i
x
)Is
i
ta
ndl
i
s
t
e
nt
oh
i
sl
a
t
e
s
tof
f
e
r
i
ng
.NowI
’
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be honest I have thought his material after and
i
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omeToMyNi
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s
mostly boring corporate metal. I enter with a
somewhat bias attitude. The opening 3 tracks are
love songs or at least about women of which the
2nd is downright awful. The title track follows
and is pretty good actually. Then comes my
favorite track Jesse Jane. It’
s a witty tune with
lots of humorous anecdotes about transvestites.
The story is about a murderer who is wearing his
sisters wedding gown and how he is in prison
waiting. From there on the album kicks in with
some more good songs. The problem is that the
l
y
r
i
c
sr
e
a
l
l
yk
i
l
lt
heCDf
orme
.Al
i
c
e
’
sda
y
sof
adding dark lyrics to Michael Bruce’
s melodic
rock have disintegrated into more cute than dark
themes. You could say Alice has lost any edge
he
’
se
v
e
rha
d.Whi
l
eDi
r
t
yDi
a
mondsi
sa
surprising treat and a huge improvement over his
releases from 1980 to 2000, if you want to hear
Alice Coopers best you still need to hear his 2nd
to 5th albums. (Easy Action to Billion Dollar
Babies or the best of CD). Sorry Alice it’
s just the
way it is. KZ
SHERYL CROW - Wallflower
(A&M Records)
This is certainly an angst driven, melancholy
collection of confessionals. It should come with
its own box of tissues. I already had my mid-life
crisis but good luck with that. 11 odes to the
search for joy. JV
JOE DENINZON & STRATOSPHEERIUS –
Live Wire
(Fiddlefunk Music/BMI)
Fiddlefunk is right. Most of the cuts are
instrumentals by Joe D., squealy and squeaky with
horns, strings, and strange percussion. He also
c
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r
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,
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ong
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Cont
us
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.
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cover; an ambitious choice of artist and material,
and a good effort, but vocally and musically a
lesser version of the original. The Simpsons
theme follows and is more of a re-interpretation,
fun and still recognizable. Overall a good listen,
e
s
pe
c
i
a
l
l
yi
ft
het
e
r
m“
f
i
ddl
e
f
unk”i
nt
r
i
g
ue
sy
oua
t
all. KH
CRYPTOPSY - Once Was Not
(Century Media)
Acid jazz infused extreme technical metal. 11
torture tracks. JV
CORETTA SCOTTTwist & Shout
(Rise)
Modern rock ala The Used or Thrice that has its
moments. Just not too many. LB
CRANES-Particles & Waves
(Manifesto)
This is the first new offering in over 4 years. This
storied act led by siblings Ali & Jim Shaw present
a charming DVD CD combo. The DVD contains
live performances and the audio disc is the
traditional album if you will. Similar to the dual
f
or
ma
ti
t
’
st
he2s
i
de
sofTheCr
a
ne
st
ha
tma
k
e
s
them so fascinating. Ali with her almost childlike
innocent vocals and atmospheric music and Jim
singing more of a folk or minstrel style of tunes.
Powerful, yet modest offering. MB
DAY OF CONTEMPTThe Will To Live
(Epitaph)
Aus
t
r
a
l
i
a
’
se
nt
r
yi
nt
ot
hee
x
t
r
e
meme
e
t
s
mainstream metal sound. One nail gargling vocal
and one sounding like Creed. Kind of like
Avenged Sevenfold. This EP is dedicated to the
memory of a young couple and baby with The
Ghost of Tragedy being the best track. MB
DEMANDER –
Demander
(Triplicate Records)
Captain Beefheart style arrangements with
slightly out of tune female pop vocals. Just shoot
me now!!!!! 5 forgettable flops. JV
Shannon,, Coolio, Dian, and Paris Hilton Play
Poker
DIAN DIAZ - Dian Diaz
(Strip City Records)
A cross between Vanessa Williams and Toni
Braxton. 10 smooth and sexy tracks. JV
THE DIFFS
(SOS)
A new ba
ndpl
a
y
i
ngl
a
t
ea70’
sPunkRoc
ks
t
y
l
e
of music. Kind of like The Rezillos. Full of
sarcasm and angst just like back in the day. Rock
on kids! DB
ETERNAL FLIGHT - Positive Rage
(Cruz Del Music)
What the hell did Hoag call this stuff again?
Scandinavian-grind? Nordic-core? Anyway, for
Viking medal shit it ain't half bad. 11 high seas
adventures featuring "New World", "Beyond (The
Golden Gates)", and "The Moon King". JV
EVERY TIME I DIEGutter Phenomenon
(Ferret)
One of the hottest new extreme metal bands
today. This CD is a collection of angst and
earsplitting screams and thrashing guitar chords.
Loud shit when you see its only 2 guitars and a
drummer along with Keith Buckley’
Dextreme
vocals. MB
FENIX TX –
Purple Reigh In Blood Live
(Adrenaline)
I haven't even heard it yet and I guarantee the
vocalist is a flamer. The purple reference in the
title gave it away... Yup, I was dead on. The
bonus video on the disc only makes me hate them
more. They should be tryng to disguise their lack
of talent, not flaunt their incompetance like they
do. Go back to the garage where you came from.
13 crappy tracks JV
50 CENT
The Massacre Special Edition CD/DVD
Aftermath / Interscope Records
What can I say the leader of G-Unit did it again.
This CD has everything from club music to street
music to love making music. This CD really has
no surprises. Every song is different and each
song has a beat that will make u want to listen.
It's a good listen from beginning to end. The only
difference between this CD and the originally
released CD is that the original has Hate It or
Love It featuring the Game and this new one
doesn't; the new one features the remix of Outta
Control featuring Mobb Deep and the old one
doesn't. The DVD kicks ass - it features a video
for every song on the CD. Each video is different
one is even a cartoon! It's a great watch. I
recommend going out and finding a copy urself
watch the video and smoke a Fatty to it because
that's what it was originally attended for. It's a
Must Have for The Collection. KZJR
FIVESPEED - Morning Over Midnight
(Virgin Records)
Very kick ass, highly infectious hard rock.
PARRRRR-TAYYYYYYYYY!!!! 10 tracks JV
FROM THE INSIDE
featuring Danny Vaughn
(Locomotive)
What the heck is this guy thinking? Danny's
singing pseudo Steve Perry (JOURNEY) vocals
over "CHER does Vegas" song arrangements. I'm
telling ya, it literally made my teeth grate. The
record sleeve says it has 11 tracks and the promo
sheet says it's also got a bonus video for "Nothing
At All" and an interview clip but I never made it
past the one minute mark of the second song. JV
TOM FULLER-Chasing An Illusion
(Red Cap)
Classic rock, I think not. Classic rock style of
music? Maybe if you want to imitate the
McCartney silly pop spooge that permeates this
album. LB
THE FULLY DOWN –
Don't Get Lost In A Movement
(Fearless Records)
Hard rock music with glam-rock/pop vocals. Not
my particular cup of tea but not bad for what it is.
How's that for taking a stand? 13 tracks JV
ED GEIN - Judas Goats and Dieseleaters
(Metalblade)
STOOOOOOOPP SCREEEEAAAMING!!!! JV
GLITTER PALS - Unleash The Compassion
(Lovepump United)
Let Jake and Mookie uplift you with 4
grandiose psalms from the good book of
friendship and devotion. GLITTER PALS are out
to save you. JV
THE HIDDEN - Smash To Ashes
(Electrical Audio Studios)
Arrogant New England street punk. The lead
singer couldn't fuckin' carry a tune in a bucket but
with this shit, does it really matter?? 10 terrible
tracks. JV
GO BETTY GO - Nothing is More
(SideOneDummy)
This band of Latino women from Glendale have
got a cool sound that is like the Go-Go’
sbutabi
t
harder musically and lyrically. Not as extreme as
The Lunachicks. They have many a pop hook and
GoBe
t
t
yGoa
i
n’
tj
us
tac
ut
ena
me
. They rock,
Betty plays a neat lead guitar. MTC
ROBERT GORDON - Satisfied Mind
(Koch)
Whe
nRobe
r
t
’
sf
i
r
s
ta
l
bumc
a
meouthewa
s
always compared to Elvis. He made it a policy not
t
oc
ov
e
ra
nyofTheKi
ng
’
sma
t
e
r
i
a
l
.Thi
sne
wCD
still reminds me of wiggle hips as it combines
R&B, Rockabilly, country and a bit of Gospel
music. Trust me its better than the new previously
unreleased Presley material. He does do Turn Me
Loose which is not the first time he has broken his
early rule and that alomg with Sweet Nothi
n’
sare
very Las Vegas if you catch my drift. The C&W
version of These Boots Are Made For Walkin
works well while his cover of The Hollies’Long
Cool Woman is as painful as the album gets.
Maybe it’
s because I never liked that tune anyway
but it is the lowlight of the release. If you want a
50’
ss
o
un
dwi
t
hmode
r
npr
o
duc
t
i
onv
a
l
ue
sg
i
v
e
this one a spin. Uh Huh, That’
s right. KZ
LEAH-CARLA GORDONE –
Dancing On The Dragon
(Butterfly Child Music)
Masochistic jazz lounge by a poor man's Tori
Amos. Nothing overtly offensive but It just sort of
plods along.and every track sounds the same. It's
like one looooooooong song but it's really 11
tracks, or so the CD cover says. JV
THE GROOVE DIVINITIES
(Luck Media)
Formed from a collection of veteran talents of
R&B origins. Led by Guitarist Jimmy Sloan and
keyboardist/vocalist Kenni Ski the music takes on
a smooth funk style. It is kind of a mix of studio
blues band with a touch of soul and modern urban
elements with more ups than downs. Smooth as a
creamy yogurt shake. MTC
JAMES HARDWAY COLLECTIVEOver Easy
(Lunatic Works)
An interesting collection of urban sounds from hip
hop to smooth jazz. The 2 CD set has multiple
versions, original long play, instrumental and 7
inch vocal version. Overkill to some extent but
a
f
t
e
ry
ous
pi
ni
taf
e
wt
i
me
sy
ou’
l
lun
de
r
s
t
a
nd
.
MTC
HEADRUSH - S/t
(Locomotive)
Flowery hard rock with a URIAH HEEP
overtone. The music's solid enough but there's just
a bit too much vibrato goin' on with the lead
vocalist. Don't try so hard, Roberto. You might
pull something... unintentionally that is, if you
catch my drift. Alex De Rosso really lives up to
his "Italian guitar-hero" rep. 12 tracks JV
HELLOWEEN - Keeper Of The Seven Keys
(Steamhammer)
Hamburg's version of heroic-goth-core, in other
words it's a little bit metal, a little more goth
and way too much Broadway in the vocals. 2
discs consisting of 13 audio tracks and a bonus
video for "Mrs. God." JV
HORRORPOPS - Bring It On
(Hellcat)
Yet another punkabilly band with a stand up bass
ala Tiger Army. Hold yer stereotypes cause this
time the bass is handled by the vivacious Patricia
Day whose vocals lead the troop. Give this CD a
s
pi
na
n
dy
ou’
l
lbec
ha
nt
i
ngGo Na-Na-Na-Na-NaNa yourself. While some of the songs are a little
too pop for my tastes overall this one rocks and is
a keeper. LB
INSTITUTE - Distort Yourself
(Interscope Records)
Ex-lead singer for BUSH, Gavin Rossdale, sounds
a lot like Peter Gabriel to me.... and the music
sounds like homogenized metal. Not enough angst
for the teen scene and not enough bile for the
metal heads. Is VH-1 still around? 12 rubber
biscuits. JV.
ION DISSONANCE - Solace
(Abacus Records)
They've changed their sound to more of a
hardcore vocal approach, kind of an EARTH
CRISIS JR. meets INTEGRITY. On their first
album, they played death grind that totally killed.
This one is just killing me. I hate those macho,
tough guy, knuckle draggin', bull shit, gang
vocals. Puke and get it over with already. Hey
buddy, life sucks, get a helmet. JV.
THE JONES GANG - Any Day Now
(AAO Music)
Legendary British rockers Kenney Jones (The
WHO), Rick Wills (FOREIGNER) and Robert
Hart (BAD COMPANY) with guest appearances
by Ron Wood (ROLLING STONES). It comes
with a 3 song CD-ROM. 11 songs JV
QUINCY JONES –From Q With Love
(UMe/Hip-O Records)
Long, slow, atmospheric seduction songs. I was
expecting more of a Superfly soundtrack, but this
album tracks another kind of action, hopefully not
s
ol
obuto
neo
no
ne
.“
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c
r
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)
”s
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ou
l
dg
i
v
ey
oua
ni
de
a–i
t
’
s
like part Barry White, part Stylistics, and a little
bit of Chef from Southpark.Il
i
k
ei
t
.“
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by
,
Comet
oMe
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sa
ss
we
e
ta
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dr
e
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nd“
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l
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v
e
rIc
oul
d
n’
tl
i
s
t
e
nt
ot
ha
tl
a
s
t one, as both
demo/advance CDs would only play the first nine
tracks.) Two hours of smooth, relaxing music for
seduction. Can I get a massage with that? Light
s
omec
a
ndl
e
s
,y
e
a
h….KH
KOTTONMOUTH KINGS –No.7
(Suburban Noize Records)
Another Bluntastic album from KMK. How they
can keep rapping about weed, money, and bitches
is amazing but yet still entertaining. They leave
nothing out with a good mixture of Rap, metal,
rock, and punk. My advice if your a KMK fan or
not is go out buy this CD twist a Phatie and just
hit play its a good listen all the way through. It's a
must own. And KMK Just Keep Blazin. - KZJR.
THE JULIANA THEORY –
Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat
(Abacus)
They're Detar, Chad and 3 guys named Josh, DIY
being the name of the game. Are you kidding me?
Get the fuck out of here....... What's that? It's an
anti-Love album? That explains it. Bunch of
Nancy boys. 10 tracks JV
LISA KARP –Fuchsia Blue
(Adore Records)
Attempted breathy piano lounge music but Lisa's
just tryin' way too hard. It's like a bad parody of
RICKI LEE JONES. Dr. John almost saves one of
these ten tedious tracks but not quite. JV
KILLING THE DREAM –In Place Apart
(Deathwish)
Contemporary hardcore from California. I just
can't get into this screaming at the top of your
lungs shit and calling it vocals. Shut the fuck up
and let the guitarist take a solo or two or twelve as
the case may be (There's 12 tracks, get it?).
Recommended (by the band, not me.): "Critical
Thought", "We're All Dead Ends", "Sick Of
Sleeping", "29th And Glisan", and "Four Years
Too Late". Profanity tracks: 3, 5, 6, 7 & 10. JV
LEON-VEST –So Blue
(Red Rooster Studios)
Garth Webber's lead guitar playing is exceptional
(Larry Carlton would be proud) but even that
couldn't cancel out Sandy Leon's "off color"
vocals. I started surfing for the guitar solos half
way through the 2nd of 8 cuts. JV
THE LOST PATROL BAND
(Burning Heart)
An upbeat album of tunes that remind me of The
Boomtown Rats or Ruth Ruth depending on the
track. This is the new band for Dennis Lyxzen
from International Noise Conspiracy. I never
knew he was a big Bob Geldorf fan. LB
JANN KLOSE –Black Box
(3 Frames Music)
All songs are written by Mr. Klose, and all
arranged by him too except for the string on one
cut. His voice is very nice, but I think his
strengths are writing and arranging his music.
Four cuts of nice, easy-listen acoustic rock. KH
LU - Issues
(Studio Rat Productions)
Instrumentally, they've got kind of a Curtis
Mayfield thing goin' on but unfortunately, the
vocals are quite another story. I can't tell if it's a
guy with a high voice or a girl with a deep one but
it's definitely creapin' me out. I suppose I could
just look at the promo kit but then I'd have to find
it first and I really don't care in the first place.
"Hot Dam" (you done fucked up again, oh shit,
they ain't no way out of it...) was mildly amusing
but I'll take a pass on the rest of it. 17 tracks JV
LUNATICA –Fables & Dreams
(Locomotive)
A female version of SONATA ARCTICA, but
that's not necessarily a good thing. To call this one
commercial is an understatement. Devoid of highs
and lows (translation: ZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz)
PseudoEpic and disturbingly grandiose, long and
drawn out, flat and emotionless. JV
THE LOVEMAKERS –Times Of Romance
(nterscope Records)
TATU meets LOVE & ROCKETS for a
transgender confrontation with an alternate state
of cosmic reality. Techno candy. 13 nuggets of
love. JV
STEVEN MARK-Aloneaphobe
(Basset Records)
A very syrupy pop offering of modern music with
a70’
s
-8
0’
sr
e
t
r
oi
nf
l
ue
nc
e
.Be
s
td
e
s
c
r
i
be
da
sa
poor man’
s George Harrison guitar playing a mix
of Eagles meets Gram Parsons country rock. No
really it is. LB
MARY-JANE –What I Came Here For
(Timeless Music Project)
Suzi Quatro wanna be. Repetitious elementary
guitar. Piss poor production, it sounds like it was
recorded in an empty tuna fish can. How about
adding some bass for starters. 07 sludge pop
cuts. JV
THE MASS –
Perfect Picture Of Wisdom And Boldness
(Crucial Blast)
They say they're malevolent indie-thrash. I say it's
more like sinister screech-core. Either way,
they've really got some good cryptic heaviosity
goin' on. 8 electrified cuts featuring "Cloven
Head", "Arcass", and "Corpse Wielder". JV
MAZARIN-We
’
r
eAl
r
e
adyThe
r
e
(I And Ear)
Andwhe
r
e
v
e
r“
The
r
e
”i
sIwa
ntt
oa
v
oi
d.
This is
the 3rd release and if the first 2 are anything like
t
hi
so
neI
’
mg
l
a
dImi
s
s
e
dout. G-ickey pop
stylings, maybe a sub par Blur or Oasis with
excessive sound effects. These technical
e
nha
nc
e
me
nt
sc
a
n’
tc
ov
e
rupf
orl
a
c
kof
originality or dare I complain about talent. People
make fun of pop, punk, and country for being 2 or
3 chord tunes. Mazarin breaks more wind than
ground. MTC
MY RUIN - The Brutal Language
(Rovena Recordings)
It sounds a lot like Joan Jett doing heavy medal
which, believe it or not, is strangely arousing. My
pants are getting tight. 10 troubling tracks JV
ROBERT PALMER-Best Of The Island Years
(Island)
This is all you need from Robert. From his early
LPs where he leveraged his friendship with
Lowell George to his MTV mega hit videos it is
all here. Might as well face it you know you want
this. Doctor Doctor give me the news that this CD
is not a bunch or rehashed spew. Of course it had
Addicted To Love but my favorite is the opening
trio of tunes off his 1st LP. Saling Shoes, Hey
Julia, and Sneaking Sally Thru The Alley. KZ
PATHS OF POSSESSION –Promises In Blood
(Medal Blade Records)
They've got Corpse Grinder of CANNIBAL
CORPSE on vocals but the wanky melodic leads
and guttural vocals just don't mix. Formulaic and
totally lacking in intensity. It plods along from
song to song with no variation in sight. They're
trying WAY too hard. It's down
right embarrassing. Have a Ricola. JV
MIA-Arular
(Interscope)
Electronic world music with a big Jamaican
dancehall flair. Mia is the child of Sri Lankan
Tamil rebel Maya Arul Prasasam who has been
living in London since she was 12. Now 28, her
obvious love for hip-hop rings true on this her
groundbreaking debut. Her vocals although hard
to understand at times are very interesting and
they just grab your attention. Look for more if
Mia cause with as hot as this one is forget the one
hit wonder tag. Groovealicious fun! MTC
MISFITS Meet The NUTLEY BRASSFiend Club Lounge
(Misfits/Ryko)
I was appaled at The Nutley Brass Ramones
t
r
i
but
ea
ndt
hi
sc
o
l
l
e
c
t
i
o
nofe
l
e
v
a
t
ormus
a
ki
s
n’
t
any better. If you enjoy the mello versions of rock
music that vaguely resemble the originals this
one’
s for you. The rest of us can continue to
ignore this. Why was my first reaction and the
question lingers. MTC
MIZAR-King Of The Stars
(Mia Mind Music)
Remixed and adding 4 new tracks can not save
this from a thorough trashing. At best a modern
day Tiny Tim or is that at worst. The new
sacreligous cover of Mizar dressed up as a Jesus
s
houl
dn’
td
omor
et
ha
na
t
t
r
a
c
tbu
y
e
r
swhowi
l
lbe
greatly disappointed. What did you expect me to
say. Thi
sCDi
sl
i
k
epa
r
tofade
a
df
i
s
h,i
td
oe
s
n’
t
look like a fish but it sure smells as bad. PU! LB
NUMBERS FROM THE BEAST –
An All Star Salute To IRON MAIDEN
(Restless)
It's actually not too bad. It's got Paul Di'anno from
IRON MAIDEN on "Wrath Child" vocals and
Lemmy from MOTORHEAD on "Trooper". Hold
the phone. It's the Ayatollah of rock-n-rolla, the
Millennium man himself, Chris Jericho, aka Y2J
on "The Evil That Men Do". Oh yeah, John Bush
and Scott Ian of ANTHRAX are on
"Wickerman". JV
NATALISE –I Came To Play
(Stars823 Records)
Very rudimentary song construction (J-Lo
anyone?) but the girl's got a sexy voice and a good
look. Hire some new song writers and try again.
Oh yeah, next time, do you have to swear like a
truck driver? It's not very lady like. 18 adult
themed nursery rhymes. JV
NEW ENGLAND ROSES-Face Time With Son
(DogPony)
Artsy and pretentious bullshit presented as an
amazing mix of originals and covers. Folk meets
ambiance along with campfire girls singalongs. I
was mildly amused on Blood Blood Blood with
t
hes
i
l
l
yl
y
r
i
c
sbutt
he
ys
a
yi
tbe
s
t
.“
Dowes
uc
k
?
”
The answer is yes you really do. MTC
OLD MAN'S CHILD - Vermin
(Century Media)
Majestic black metal from Norway's frozen
forests. 9 sonically challenging arrangements. JV
ORANGE-Welcome To The World of Orange
(Hellcat)
For those like myself who always are complaining
about the lack of angst in contemporary popular
punk rock this was a bit of respite. Joe Denmans
delivers the goods as well as the current pop
element on tunes like WhyWon’
tSheGoOut
With Me? No Rest For The Weekend and the
bands self titled theme song. Bringing back the
whole bored and apathetic attitude that has been
missing for so long. KZ
PORCUPINE TREE-Deadwing
(Lava)
The much anticipated sophomore release from
this UK band is finally here. They continue the
mix artistic creativity, pop sensibility and
songsmanship setting them apart from the usual
Oasis like Brit pop spooge so many love and I
loathe. If I may lets call it pretension backed with
real talent. Steven Wilson is to modern music
wha
tBr
i
a
nWi
l
s
onwa
st
ot
hel
a
t
e60’
sBe
a
c
h
Boys sound. The single Swallow is worth
checking this disc out alone for. With Lava
Re
c
or
dsdi
s
i
nt
e
g
r
a
t
i
ngi
nt
oAt
l
a
nt
i
cRe
c
or
dsI
’
m
hoping it has no impact on this fine albums
success or marketing but it probably will. MTC
PREMONITIONS OF WAR –
Glorified Dirt * The True Face Of Panic
(Medal Blade Records)
Medalcore, the dog's barking, skin heads, genitalia
piercing, full body tats, week old wife beaters,
post hardcore nonsense. JV
PRESENCE - Presence
(Curb)
Metal Edge says that they're "The most
convincing band of their ilk in years." The
question is, which ilk are they talking about? Is it
the [Theme music for this month's WWE PPV is
by PRESENCE] variety? 12 tracks
featuring "Inside My Head", an unusual cover
version of "Somebody's Watching Me" and their
single "Ride". When Vince comes a callin', don't
say I didn't warn you. JV
PROGRAM THE DEAD –Program The Dead
(Low Altitude Records)
Glam-metal, pop-core, psychedelic folk, gypsy
rock, I don't know what the fuck they are but
they've got attitude, damn it. 12 sassy (in a manly
way) tracks. JV
MIKE PARK-North Hangook Falling
(SubCity)
Easy listening music that is his second solo effort.
Thi
sonef
e
a
t
ur
e
sal
ooki
nt
oMi
k
e
’
sKor
e
a
nr
oot
s
.
The music is a modern day Art Garfunkel if you
REBECCA PRONSKY - The Early Hours
will. Blah stuff, it is not a bad sound but nothing
(i-heights studio)
t
on
ot
ee
i
t
he
r
,pr
a
c
t
i
c
a
l
l
yf
or
ge
t
t
a
bl
e
.I
’
m all set.
Intensely serious folk-pop. I know, I don't get it
MTC
either. 6 songs JV
SIX FEET UNDER –
A Decade In The Grave
(Metalblade Records)
One of the supreme American death metal
bands. It's about time they released a "best of".
Led by ex-CANABLE CORPSE vocalist Chris
Barnes, the band sound really took off when they
booted out OBITUARY guitarist Alan West and
replaced him with Steve Swanson. Barnes vocal
attack is similar to KILLJOY and is
exceptionally brutal. A must have 12 cuts off
the 5 disc box set. JV
THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS-PCD
(Interscope)
Check out Ashley, Melody, Kimberly, Nicole,
Carmit (Carmit?), and Jessica. The publicity
reeks of sex as the ladies are very attractive to
say the least. But check out the photo, not the
music.I
t
’
s pure disco pop bullshit and really
lame hip-hop DJ mixed in to give it credibility
with the youth. Probably best to watch videos of
t
he
mt
oot
he
rmus
i
ca
sIc
oul
dn’
tg
e
tt
hr
oug
ht
he
album it’
s that awful. MTC
SLAB-Society As A Friendly Pusher
(Onset Records)
Starts out with old school punk ala The
Dictators. After a few tracks it quickly changes
to a variety more known as the current punk
sound more like NOFX. Why you say, they have
be
e
na
r
ou
ndf
ory
e
a
r
ss
oi
fy
aha
ve
n’
tn
ow’
s as
good a time as any to check them out. Who
won’
tt
or
oc
kt
o“
We
’
r
eGonnaRa
i
nOnYour
Pa
r
a
de
”
?LB
THE REAL McKENZIES-10,000 Shots
(FatWreckChords)
Hoot man, let’
s all get a wee breath of some
scotch and get into the spirit of bagpipes and
punk rock. Oh yes its time for another CD from
the Real McKenzies. I really like the mix of
sounds. The reason they are Real is because we
don
’
tne
e
dab
unc
hofk
noc
kof
f
soft
hi
ss
ou
nd
.
This is thirsty music for sure so bend yer elbows
t
os
se
mba
c
kl
a
ds
.Andd
on’
tf
or
g
e
tt
ot
a
k
et
h
os
e
Chasers. MTC
SO I HAD TO SHOOT HIM –
Alpha Males And Popular Girls
(Crucial Blast)
They refer to themselves as modern blastpop
visionaries, sugarcoated and venomous, a
marriage of monstrous metallic riffing and
surreal, swirling pop seizures to cyclones of
gasoline-soaked noise skronk and arena-sized
rock blowouts that are fronted with utter sass and
ferocity. Allow me to translate. Random guitar
noise with some chick named Libby who looks
like Xena screaming and moaning over the top.
10 torturous tracks. JV
GARY REYNOLDS &
The Brides Of Obscurity
(ElectroKitty)
A CD where the best songs are a bizarre mix of
John Lennon and David Bowie styled pop tunes.
Not really like that’
s a good or bad thing it’
s just
what came to mind listening to it. On the weaker
cuts it’
s almost painful. Gary and company are
not from the UK but the US Northwest. A real
l
a
t
e60’
se
a
r
l
y70’
smus
i
c
a
le
x
pe
r
i
e
nc
e
.LB
RICKY LEE ROBINSON-MuShu Pork
(Hypnodisk)
Pick something else off the freakin menu. PU!
Starts off with a cover of the old Crabby
Appleton tune Go Back. It sounds like the
freakin Archies on the second track and the rest
oft
heCDi
sar
e
ha
s
hof70’
sa
n
d80’
sr
oc
k
stylings. Ricky needs to join a band as his solo
effort is as exciting as freeze dried ice cream.
MTC
ROOFTOP SUICIDE CLUBAlways Like This
(Stop, Pop and Roll)
La la la pop spooge that would drive many fans
of the underground to want to poke out their
eardrums. For those who are looking for some
catchy garage pop with syrupy sweet vocal
harmonies you might want to check out these
boys from New Bedford. MTC
BRIAN STACE –Blue Eyed Bad Boy
(Little Round Records)
Mighty purty slide guitar work but the gun
toatin', whisky drinkin', wife beating bums
makin' up the rest of the band are draggin' him
down to their level. 10 crappy country tracks.
JV
JEFF SCOTT SOTO –
Lost In The Translation
(Locomotive)
LITT sounds like a cross between VAN HALEN
& THE DIXIE DREGGS with Steve Perry on
lead vocals. Formulaic 80's melodic rock all the
way. A little too FM friendly for my tastes. 12
overtly trendy tracks and the bonus video "If
This Is The End". JV
AMILIA K SPICER - Seamless
(Allspice Music)
A country clone of Sheryl Crow and Lisa Loeb.
Too adagio. 13 subtle soulful songs. JV
SPIN DOCTORS –
Nice Talking To Me
(Ruffnation / Universal)
They're going for a cross between the BEATLES
and the ROLLING STONES... and they fail
miserably at both. Pure pop slop. I didn't think it
was even possible but the SPIN DOCTORS have
actually lost the edge that I never knew they had.
10 tripe tracks on the audio CD and some utterly
pretentious interview and concert footage on the
DVD. I liked them better the first time around.
JV
TRESA STREET –
Baby It's You
(A.M.I. Records)
This is only a 1996 reissue but it already sounds
quite dated. Tresa can really belt out a tune but
I'm just not into country pop. 10 twangy tracks
JV
STAIRWAY TO ROCK –
(Not Just) A Led Zeppelin Tribute
(Pick Up Records)
I dig the acid rock version of "Whole Lotta
Love" but hip-hop "Heartbreaker" I can
definitely live without. 11 unorthodox Zeppelin
covers. Which are the hits and which are the
misses? You decide. Proceed with caution. JV
STARBREAKER - Starbreaker
(Locomotive)
A cross between Bon Jovi and Steve Vai.
Melodic metal with TNT's frontman Tony
Harnell on vocals and Swedish guitar
master Magnus Karlsson providing the speed
metal licks. It's a little on the pop side but that
ought to get them some decent main stream
exposure so it's all good. 13 tracks, a bonus
enhanced video of "Lies" and an video interview
clip. The music's not bad but their politics really
suck. I know it's a hard concept to understand
but George Bush isn't the problem. Radical
Islamic extremists who cut off innocent peoples
heads and blow themselves up in crowded areas
are. JV
SUPERCREEP - Supercreep
(Pat's Record Company)
Another bunch of masculinely challenged
toadies. These guys make the BEACHBOYS
Mike Love sound like death metal. This is
beyond lame. Pure early 60's bubblegum. Who
would want to sound like that? It's creepin' me
out, and not in a good way. 12 limp wristed track
of true candycore. JV
THE SYN - Syndestructible
(Unbrello Records)
After 40 years, Chris Squire of YES reunites
with clothing and sporting goods magnate
Stephen Nardelli to revive the legendary band
THE SYN. They're one step above elevator
music in the intensity department. If you're in the
mood to mellow out to coma levels then this one
ought to help get you there. 7 extremely tranquil
tracks. JV
6S - Secrets Of 6S
(Tin Wolf Studios)
I'll tell you what the secret is. The lead singer's
got a split personality. He can't figure out
whether he wants to sound like a lounge Mick
Jagger or a basement Jim Morrison. More Mick
Morrison then Jim Jagger. Hit the bricks, pal. 10
bombs JV
TESTAMENT –Live In London
(Eagle Vision)
They still sound alot like FOZZY on meth with a
sore throat to me (see their DVD review in this
issue) but I like the CD a bit better than the DVD
because I don't have to look at their ugly mugs
too. Alex Skolnick's quite the musical gymnast
on guitar. 14 spastic tracks featuring "Into The
Pit", "Practice What You Preach" and "Over the
Wall". JV
t.A.T.u. - Dangerous And Moving
(Interscope Records)
Musically, they're a popped out, substantially
less spiritual version of Anya. Sexually, they're
confused. The title track "Dangerous And
Moving" is passable but not worthy of building
an entire album around as the other 11 tracks are
pretty much just throw-aways. JV
3 - Wake Pig
(Metal Blade)
While I totally appreciate the crisp acoustic
guitar speed licks fused with metal-maniacal
madness, there's just something about Joey
Eppard's vocals that grate at my last nerve. She's
reminiscent of EVANESCENCE lead singer
Amy Lee but devoid of that lilting mystical
quality. 13 tracks. JV
THRICE- Vheissu
(Island Records)
I was never a Thrice fan–then I heard this
recording. Thrice has managed to produce a CD
where you find yourself trying to keep up with
complex instrumental lines, and intriguing
syncopation. Up until this CD, Thrice sounded
strikingly similar to every other pop punk band.
Vheissu, however, features tracks ranging from
mellow piano with constantly changing meters,
to some serious screaming from singer Dustin
Kensrue. Although the lyrics on this album are
somewhat repetitive concerning dreaming, being
lost, and other typically dismal subjects many
screamo bands sing about, Thrice shows
impressive musical talent and depth on this
recording. I
nt
r
od
uc
t
i
o
nst
os
ong
sl
i
k
e“
Be
t
we
e
n
TheEnda
n
dWhe
r
eWeLi
e
,
”e
x
pr
e
s
st
he
creative growth Thrice has undergone since they
first started recording. ~ Leah Wellbaum
THE THUNDERLORDS –
Noisy Songs For Noisy Kids
(The Thunderlords)
The first kid's metal band? Oh, this is gonna be
rich. "Old Man Olaf" had a farm, e-i e-i ooo.
"Growl Like A Lion", "Ice Cream Headache", "I
Like Dirt" plus 5 more. I wonder if they're
pedophiles? JV
TOWER OF POWER -The Oakland Zone
(Or Music)
Another highly listenable album from TOP,
which still includes a lot of the original
members, most notably Emilio Castillo and Doc
Kupka. These are some really great tunes, with
the rocking and complex horn section that
defines Tower of Power. Adolfo Acosta on the
flugelhorn blows me away (no pun intended and,
I
’
ms
ur
e
,nonet
a
k
e
n)
.I
nc
i
de
n
t
a
l
l
y
,i
t
’
sDa
v
e
Ma
t
t
he
ws
’t
a
t
t
oooft
heTOP“
ha
t
”l
og
ot
a
t
t
ooon
the CD cover. Check it out! KH
TNT - All The Way To The Sun
(Mayhem)
Scandinavian melodic hard rock, think BLACK
SABBATH with a slightly smarmy JOURNEY
pop vocal over the top. 12 candy crusted cuts
featuring "Sometimes" and a unique reworking
of the classic Louis Armstrong favorite "What A
Wonderful World". More like "what a
pretentious pant load" if you ask me. JV
THE TRANSIT WAR - Ah Discordia!
(Orange Peal Records)
Overly polished punk with Joe Jackson
harmonies over hanging tritones. Let's just say
that it's not my particular cup of tea and leave it
at that. 8 songs. JV
PETER ULRICH - Enter The Mysterium
(City Canyons Records)
It sounds like an electronic folk mixture of both
American Indian and far eastern Indian
influences. Kind of a Hindu scales with injun
tom-toms sort of a deal. I hope this means we'll
be smoking hash in the peace pipe!!! 11 tracks
JV
VARUCKERS-1980-2005
(SOS)
Fast paced angst punk oi from the UK. While I
have never heard of these guys before, they sure
capture the true spirit of punk missing from the
scene today. LB
VIVA K - Viva K
(Stinky Records)
Hindu grunge. Yeah, that's some pretty fucked
up stuff right there. 12 chunks of inasnity. JV
VOLTAGE –
Building The Bass Castle, Vol. 1
(Flameshovel Records)
Strike one; Don't ever send me a promo kit like
that ever again. Camp Gay? Strike two; press
play. Strike three; You're not PAN SONIC. 8
moronic pseudo-artsy offerings. JV
VOODOO HILL –
Wild Seed Of Mother Earth
(Locomotive)
Mellowed out AC/DC style lead vocals, hair
band pop harmonies and pseudo-grunge
accompaniments. Oh yeah, there's finger tapping
too, lots of finger tapping. They left this one in
the blender a bit too long. It needs more edge if
it's gonna stand out from the pack. 11 pieces of
over-processed pop/rock. JV
RICK WAKEMAN –
Out There
(AAO Music)
Overtly dramatic sweeping classical keyboard
arpeggios and hybrid Norse vocals delivered
with pompastic indignance. If you were
expecting YES, then you've come to the wrong
place. 9 overhyped demo tracks. JV
SARA WENDT - Here's Us
(City Canyons Records)
Is this George Wendt's daughter? Low budget
ANYA. Introspective song construction. You
know, that whiny folk-pop rot. Her vocal range
is non existent. She's like a modern day MIMI
FARINA, Joan Baez' sidekick in the 60s. 6 silly
songs. JV
ABDEL WRIGHT
(Interscope Records)
Abdel Wright brings us the sounds from the
island with his self titled album. He has a very
good mixture of instruments, and many different
styles of music too. It's a very soul full album.If
you’
re looking for something poppy but not
overkill pick it up. - KZJR.
YIP YIP-Pro-Twelve Thinker
(Strictly Amateur Films)
These 2 lads (Brian Esser and Jason Temple)
from the Orlando FL suburbs are the creators of
this space
yt
r
a
nc
ee
l
e
c
t
r
oni
cof
f
e
r
i
ng
.I
t
’
sg
e
t
t
i
ng
rave reviews (excuse the pun) from the techno
dance crowds. This stuff requires drug testing.
Which one do you want to test first? LB
YOB The Unreal Never Lived
(Medal Blade Records)
Retro 70's stoner rock sound ala PENTAGRAM.
A rudimentary rock / pedestrian medal, dyslexic
ride to hell. JV
TONY YAYOThoughts Of A Predicate Felon
G-Unit / Interscope Records
Yayo's first album out of the clink is hard. He
raps about life on the street and life in the clink
but it also talks about his pimp side in So
Seductive featuring 50. This CD is a good listen
and a must have for your G-Unit record
collection. And just be ready for some more hot
shit to come from YAYO. - KZJR.
REBECCA ZAPENJapanese Bathhouse
(Bashert)
Light and airy like a French pastry or should I
say Shrimp Chip is a way to explain this well
executed mix of folk jazz and swing. Rebecca
songs are not a showcase of her classical violin
training. They are in some ways songs that could
go on a children’
s album. A little too mello for
my tastes. MTC
BEYOND EXTREMES –
Summer Sampler
(Candlelight USA)
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeet, I'd say this one lives up to its
name. MARDUK, VREID, ENSLAVED,
ENTOMBED, OCTAVIA SPERATI,
SUSPERIA and 14 more. Can be hazardous to
your hearing JV
FLAMESHOVEL –
Pretty Active Sampler
(Pretty Active)
Indie punk/rock assortment. It sounds like a
garage band competition. I vote for COLLIDE
THE TIDE. What's that? I can vote for two
more? Okay, how about COMMON NATURE
and FUMIO NAMBATA HAD A FARM. 13
contestants JV
MASTERS OF HORROR
(Immortal Records)
2 discs - 30 different bands - every kind of medal
under the sun. Features: ANDREW WK,
DEATH BY STEREO, MASTODON, A
CHANGE OF PASE, RISE AGAINST and
more. JV
FRET-ESSENTIAL –
The All Instrumental Compilation CD
(Quintessence Metal Webzine)
Also known as "Guitar Compilation", it's exactly
what the name implies, 15 assorted metal
guitarists, ripping & slashing their way to
stardom. Sadly, quite a few of them don't stand a
snowball's chance in hell of ever getting there.
For brevities sake, I'll just list the ones I really
liked; DAVE BEEGLE/FOURTH ESTATE,
THE ROB SBAR NOESIS, THE DAVE NEIL
CLINE BAND and JIM MORRIS. They all have
websites where you can delve deeper into their
personal madness' but you'll have to buy the CD
to find out what they are because I'll never tell.
JV
HAZY DREAMS
(Not Just) A Jimi Hendrix Tribute
(KOCH)
Myi
ni
t
i
a
lr
e
a
c
t
i
onwa
s“
Thi
si
ss
a
c
r
i
l
e
g
e
”
.
Good thing Jimi is dead cause this would kill
him to hear this bastardization of his music.
With a book out questioning if Jimi was gay, a
documentary on TV suggesting he beat women,
and a biographic movie where they hint his death
may have been murder. Milking money from
dead is disgusting. Then I thought a little more
and maybe this is a way to introduce Jimi to the
modern audience. The more I listen to this CD
and in particular to Ice-T’
shi
ph
o
pv
e
r
s
i
onof
Little Wing it starts to sink in. This is a tribute to
J
i
mi
.Andi
s
n’
ta
na
l
b
um of covers that sound
like the original the worst kind of tribute? This
a
i
n’
ty
ourg
r
a
ndpa
’
sHe
n
dr
i
xf
r
omt
he60’
s
kiddies. From modern pop metal to grunge to
modern R&B and rap. The only complaint is my
usual one on Jimi stuff. If you are doing a tribute
then songs Jimi covered should not be included.
All Along The Watchtower and Hey Joe are
covers of covers. Very lame. All that considered
I recommend you pick up a copy of Smash Hits,
Electric Ladyland or Axix Bold As Love by Jimi
himself instead. This is amusing but not
essential. MTC
THE SUICIDE GIRLS –
Black Heart Retrospective
(Epitaph)
13 classic goth club hits. Most of these belong in
the dark wave category. This comp's out about 5
years too late since there is no goth anymore, as
far as I know…. The only good thing about it is
SKINNY PUPPY and maybe THE CULT. JV
www.blackandbluerecords.com
See web site for details or write to us at:
Black & Blue Records
P.O. Box 410325
Cambridge, MA 02141 USA
DVD Reviews
ASSEMBLAGE v1.0 –
A Music Video DVD Compilation
(Grey two-eleven Productions)
A collection of 20 assorted band's angst driven,
punkesque videos. The usual chinga-chinga
guitars, repetitious monotone/whine vocals,
rickenbacker bass lines and accent on the two &
four drum beats but a few of these groups have
actually managed to polish up that old indy punk
turd to such a high gloss that even though I
wanted to hate them all with my usual venomous
passion, I just couldn't. Some of these videos are
down right deep. God help me, I've gotta give
this comp the thumbs up but if you ever tell
anybody, I'll kill you. JV
BAD MANNERS - Live In Concert
(MVD)
10 piece British ska band featuring Buster Blood
Vessel, a big fat bald chap with an abnormally
large tongue and a tin ear. While the overall
musicianship of the band was more than
adequate, the vocals left much to be desired. I'll
give'em this, some of their there song selections
were interesting with cuts like "In The Mood",
"My Girl Lollipop" and "Woolly Bully" but the
execution was streaky at best. 25 tumultuous
tracks, an interview with Buster and a bit of
soundcheck footage. JV
BRAZEN ABBOT –
A Decade of BRAZEN ABBOT
(Locomotive)
The noodlie intro sounded like CAMEL, a 70's
prog band. Is that Bobby Goldsboro on lead
vocals? Did I mention that Abbots are bad? Oh,
that's right. I said it on their CD review. The
guitars do absolutely nothing for me. It's like
running Steve Vai through a strainer. Oh, he
lived in Finland in '89? Well, that certainly
explains it. Wishy-washy wannabe classic rock.
The video quality is pretty good though. JV
CHER Extravaganza - Live At The Mirage
(Eagle Vision)
154 minutes of live CHER footage from 1991
featuring the hits "I'm No Angel", "If I Could
Turn Back Time", "Bang Bang" plus 12 more
songs, backstage home movies,
bonus performances with multiple angles, a
photo gallery and a whole bunch of other crap
thrown in for good measure. If you're a CHER
fan then this disc will definitely tickle your
pickle. I hate to admit it but the old broad looks
pretty hot in some of those revealing outfits. I'd
do her. JV
MILES DAVIS –The Cool Jazz Sound
(EforFilms)
Recorded in 1959, this disc contains vintage
footage of the masterpieces "So What", "The
Duke", "Blues For Pablo" & "New Rhumba". I
enjoyed every single minute of it. The only
complaint I have is that there weren't nearly
enough minutes to enjoy. If you're a Miles fan
(and if you know anything at all about jazz then
you are) this is a MUST HAVE!!!!!! JV
DEVO - Live 1980
(MVD)
It's a double sided disc with DVD video on one
side and audio CD on the flip. Features live
performances of the blockbuster hit "Whip It"
and the classic "The Girl You Want". While
"Whip It" stood the test of time, "The Girl You
Want" was a lot weaker than I remember it.
They need a bass player. JV
DOMINATOR –The Animated Movie
(Eclectic)
Lord Desecrator usurps Lucifer's rule and then
plans a direct attack on humanity. Doctor Payne
tries to stop him but his three bimbo daughters
accidentally open a conduit between Hell &
Earth by playing metal music at their band
rehearsal. Bottom line, the cartoon art is
excellent but the story line is a bit contrived to
say the least and the music isn't really my cup of
tea. Featuring songs by CRADLE OF FILTH,
MATTER, SIKTH, V-8 PACK, DIGITALIS,
SYNTHETIC, THE GUILLOTINES, KILLING
MODE and many more. If you're into animated
movies with loud obnoxious soundtracks then
this one's for you. JV
DWARVES –Fuck You Up And Get Live
(MVD)
Offensive metalesque crap performed by a bunch
of perverted idiots but the females are hot, hot,
HOT!!!!!! I give this one two thumbs up....... the
dwarf's butt. 75 minutes of twisted bliss. JV
EAST OF SUNSET
To me it's a dark romantic tale about a pill
popping teacher "Carley" and a reformed heroin
addict bartender artist "Jim". The Carley is
played by (Emily Stiles). She meets Jim played
by (Jimmy Wayne Farley) at this club she
always goes to. So these two start hanging out
and sleeping with each other. Then Jim gets his
break and has his artwork shown in a gallery in
SoHo. When he's there he relapses and does a
little H and tells carley about it and she freaks.
So Jim has to go back to New York to show his
work and tells Carley he'll stay off the junk. If
you want to know the rest go watch it I don't
give away endings but it's a good one. I was
shocked. So if ur in the artsie mood go out and
rent this one it's rather enjoyable. There are some
nude scenes too. - KZJR.
THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP –
Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966
(Cherry Red Films)
The "meat" of this DVD is rare archive footage
of the original line-up, including the Winwood
brothers, playing live and includes many of their
most famous hits from that period. The
"potatoes" is a documentary on the group
from 1967 including footage of the postWinwood line-up. 92 minutes of classic 60's
rock featuring "Dust My Blues," "I'm A Man"
and "Gimme Some Lovin." You haven't really
experienced British rock'n'roll until you've heard
Spencer and the gang. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!!!!! JV
DUKE ELLINGTON –The Big Band Feeling
(EforFilms)
12 tantalizing tracks by the quintessential big
band master featuring his timeless classics
"Caravan", "Mood Indigo" and "I Got It Bad
And That Ain't Good." Hot damn but this is
some mighty good shit!!!!!
THE ENGLISH BEAT –
In Concert At the Royal Festival Hall
(MVD)
A dark stage. Singer Ranking Roger, covered
with zippers, starts jumping around. Bouncy ska
music starts up on the drums and guitar.
“
Ra
nk
i
n’Ful
lSt
op.
”Oooh, they’
r
es
obr
i
t
i
s
h.
“
Roug
hRi
de
r
”i
ss
of
t
e
r
,s
t
i
l
lr
e
g
g
a
es
t
y
l
e
.I
wi
s
ht
he
y
’
dpl
a
y“
Ai
n’
tWha
tYouDo,
”t
ha
t
’
sa
g
r
e
a
tone
.Or“
I
’
v
eGotMePa
r
k
a
.
”Well if they
never sang that one, why not? OK be that way.
KH
50 CENT
The Massacre Special Edition CD/DVD
(Aftermath / Interscope Records)
What can I say the leader of G-Unit did it again.
This CD has everything from club music to
street music to love making music. This CD
really has no surprises. Every song is different
and each song has a beat that will make u want
to listen. It's a good listen from beginning to
end. The only difference between this CD and
the originally released CD is that the original has
Hate It or Love It featuring the Game and this
new one doesn't and the new on features the
remix of Outta Control featuring Mobb Deep
and the old one doesn't. The DVD kicks ass it
features a video for every song on the CD. Each
video is different- one is even a cartoon it's a
great watch I recommend going out and finding
a copy urself watch the video and smoke a Fatty
to it because that's what it was originally
attended for. It's a Must Have for The
Collection. - KZJR
GRAVITATION - Lyrics Of Love
(The Right Stuf)
A cheesy manga adventure about singer and
lyricist, Shuichi Shindo's homo urging for an
elitist cad named Yuki. Yeah, let's
indoctrinate preteens in the gay life style before
they've really had a chance to experience normal
love and see this shit for the perversion that it is.
Utter rubbish!!!!! JV
THE HUMAN LEAGUE –
Live At The Dome
(MVD)
This electronic Jickie shit didn't age very well. I
suppose, if you’
re musically stuck in the 80's
then you'll probably want to pick this one up but
otherwise, I'd take the tea and crumpets instead.
17 tracks featurng "Hard Times / Love Action,"
"Louise" and "The Snake." JV
IMPOTENT SEA SNAKES
Live In Wacken Germany
(MVD)
Filmed at the Wacken Open Air Festival,
alternative press says that ISS are "perhaps the
most outrageous band the U.S. has ever
produced." Change outrageous to contagious, as
in open festering sores and I'd thoroughly concur
with that opinion. The musical highlight was a
typical bar band cover performance of "Rock &
Roll All Night." Given the fact that the band's all
dressed in drag and there are a bevy of
unattractive naked sluts performing S&M skits
in the background, you might just enjoy this one
a bit more if you turn down the volume, put
some real music on the stereo and just enjoy the
visual freak show. I believe Andy Warhol once
said that all the best looking women have dicks
and this one does absolutely nothing to prove
him wrong. JV
THE ISLEY BROTHERSSummer Breeze- Greatest Hits Live
(Eagle Vision)
This DVD chronicles a long recording career of
R&B, funk, and soul hits that started with the
single “
Sho
ut
”i
n 1959 and continues thru this
concert recorded in 2005. They perform “
Twi
s
t
a
ndSho
ut
,
”whi
c
hwa
stheir first hit in 1962.
Just after that they had a hit with MoTown (not
included here). It was “
This Old Heart of
Mine,”and Jimi Hendrix was in the backup
band. The
yc
ove
rSe
a
l
sa
ndCr
of
t
’
s“
Summer
Breeze”a
ndToddRu
ndg
r
e
n’
s“
He
l
l
oI
t
’
sMe
.
”
The 70s stuff was the funk rock, including
“
Who’
sTha
tLa
dy
”a
nd“
I
t
’
sYou
rThi
ng(
Do
Wha
tYouWa
nnaDo)
.
”R. Kelly has a cameo
as The Other Man i
n“
Cont
a
g
i
o
us
,
”wi
t
hl
y
r
i
c
s
i
npa
r
t
:‘
Yo
u’
r
ec
o
nt
a
g
i
ous
,
drive me crazy,
g
i
v
emewha
ty
ou’
v
eg
ot
.
’We
l
li
fhes
a
ngi
tt
o
me I think I’
ds
t
o
pc
he
a
t
i
ngonhi
m.
The candid interviews with two of the brothers,
Ron and Ernie Isley, are split into short clips.
Ron’
sc
l
i
psha
v
ehe
a
di
ng
sl
i
k
e“
Re
c
or
di
ng
Cov
e
r
s
”a
nd“
Fi
r
s
tTi
meOnTheRa
di
o.
”I
nthe
former I learned that they covered Dy
l
a
n’
s“
La
y
Lady Lay,”a
ndi
nthe latter Ron says it was
“
l
i
k
eChr
i
s
t
ma
s
.I
twe
ntt
o#
1.
”Buthe
’
snot
sure what the song was. Ernie’
si
nt
e
r
v
i
e
wc
l
i
ps
ha
v
ehe
a
di
ng
sl
i
k
e“
I
nf
l
ue
nc
eoft
heI
s
l
e
y
s
”a
nd
“
Br
ot
he
r
s
.
”I
t
’
sni
c
et
oha
v
et
hos
ehe
a
di
ng
st
o
c
l
i
c
kons
oy
oudo
n’
tha
v
et
ol
i
s
t
e
nt
ot
hewhol
e
thing, and you know what to expect. KH
RICK JAMES –Millennium
(MVD)
This best-of DVD naturally starts out with
“
Supe
rFr
e
a
k
.
”It looks so 80s that Rick James
is like a caricature of himself, or like Eddie
Mur
p
hyi
ndr
a
g
.He
’
sha
v
i
ngwa
yt
oomuc
hf
un,
too; women colorfully made-up wearing hot pink
and turquoise spandex and silver studs dance
around him doing head jerks and hip hops. He
has glitter on his face and long braids flying
around. Much better than video of him, bloated,
s
a
y
i
ng“
Coc
a
i
ne
’
sahe
l
l
uv
adr
ug
…”Then he
doe
s“
Gi
v
eI
tt
oMe
,Ba
by
,
”f
ol
l
owe
dby
“
St
a
ndi
ngOnt
heTo
p”wi
t
ht
heTe
mpt
a
t
i
ons
.I
n
that video Rick James is on a separate platform
in a blue spotlight, and the 7 members of the
Temptations are all in tuxes and spinning in
uni
s
o
n.Od
d.Het
he
ndoe
s“
Ebony Ey
e
s
”with
Smokey Robinson, and finishes wit
h“
Gl
ow.
”
Fun and nostalgic. KH
LYDIA LUNCH - presents Willing Victim /
The Audience As A Whipping Boy
(MVD)
Lydia's a slightly bulbous skank who went to the
Yoko Ono school of obnoxious vocals. This 13
song DVD was filmed in Graz, Austria on June
21, 2003. It truly is an unforgettable
performance but not in a good way. I can't get
her "cat in heat" wailing out of my head and I
only sat through the first three cuts. This is only
speculation on my part but I strongly suspect that
sitting through this entire collection of noise art
could lead to permanent dementia and chronic
drizzling shits. JV
a
l
t
e
r
na
t
ev
i
de
of
or“
Wa
r
r
i
or
soft
heWor
l
d
Uni
t
e
d.
”The2nd DVD is Behind the Scenes,
including the Hell On Earth III release party, and
TV show footage t
ha
ti
nc
l
u
de
s“
Touc
hMyTi
t
s
.
”
Ge
e
,Iwonde
rwha
tt
ha
to
ne
’
sa
bout.
Both DVDs are subtitled in 12 languages! And
i
ft
ha
t
’
snote
no
ug
hMANOWARf
ory
ou,
there’
sa
l
s
oab
on
usCDwi
t
h“
Ki
ngofKi
ng
s
”
from their new album MANOWAR. Very nice
package design as well, like they used to have on
those round black vinyl things called record
albums. You take the little book out of its case,
unfold it and there’
sapi
c
t
ur
eoft
hea
udi
e
nc
e
,
split down the middle. Open those and you get
the 4 band members, one on each panel, and
when you open the first 3 panels each one slides
the disc out for you to grab. The 4th panel has a
pamphlet with concert pix and illustrated
discography. Two horns up! KH
MUSHROOMHEAD - Volume 1
(Filthy Hands Co.)
On the road with the band that everyone loves to
hate, it's time for some good old fashioned nasty
ass black metal, smothered in syrupy pop
background vocals. You won't know if
you're shittin' or cumin' and I'll never tell.
Proceed at your own risk. JV
ORGY - 1997 to 2004
(D1 Music & Associates)
This documentary DVD contains 2 plus hours of
up close and personal behind the scenes action
from 1997 to 2004, including studio, backstage,
tour bus antics, live performance clips, and as an
extra-added bonus, the bands entire music video
collection and a remix version of "Pure." JV
MANOWAR
(Magic Circle Music/SPV)
It’
sa2-DVD set. The Main Program, 32 cuts of
concert footage and other stuff, starts with Hell
On Earth Part IV. In the “
Con
do
mHe
a
d”c
l
i
p,a
concertgoer has managed to fit a condom over
his head, covering his nose and ears. He
proceeds to blow it up, laboriously, holding his
ears and blowing thru his nose. When he finally
gets it inflated some one pops it with a cigarette,
and the scene explodes from flames into concert
footage. Manowar, clad entirely in black, blasts
“
Ki
ng
sofMe
t
a
l
.”The audience, clad entirely in
black, is all holding up arms in horned salute.
There are clips of Manowar on German TV,
where the host asks if loud music will damage
their hearing. Joey Demaio says that the
vibrations make all the female fans have
orgasms. While the host laughs, Joey and Scott
Columbus put their shoes up on the table, and
“
BI
G–DICK –ME –TOO”i
swr
i
t
t
e
na
c
r
os
s
the soles of thei
r4s
h
oe
s
.The
r
e
’
sa
l
s
oan
PIANO ..The Melody Of A Young Girl's
Heart... - Movement 2: Confessions
(The Right Stuf)
A very cutsie manga adventure about two junior
high school friends, Yuuki and Miu, mooning
over boys and struggling with what seem like
major life altering decisions. Kind of like a
cartoon soap opera for teenage girls. Okay, so I
thought it was pretty entertaining too but I'll
deny it to my grave. I can't wait for the next
chapter to come out so I can see what happens at
Miu's big piano recital. Did I just say that? I
really need to get a life. JV
PUNK ROCK HOLOCAUST –
Punk’
s Not Dead... But Its About To Be..
(Backseat Conceptions & Springman Records)
A Troma inspired "horror" movie about the 2003
Warp Tour that has to be seen to be believed.
Murder, mayhem and music, a perfect punk
trifecta. I laughed, I cried, I pissed my pants.
Okay, so maybe the excessive beer consumption
contributed to my leaky bladder but don't let that
stop you from checking this shit out. Features
the melancholy sounds of ANDREW WK,
HORRORPOPS, ME FIRST AND THE
GIMME GIMMES, SUICIDE MACHINE and a
whole lot more, plus a bonus DVD thrown in
with episode one of a five episode series called
Punk Rock Holocaust 2 that can be found on
Kazaa.com. JV
RUSH - 30th Anniversary World Tour
(Anthem)
With 2 DVDs, a double CD and 2 guitar picks
thrown in for good measure, there's a ton of good
shit in this multi-disc collection. To be more
precise, it's great to see all the old footage from
the vault but some of the newer live stuff really
lacks the energy of their youth. I loved the vocal
ad lib by the rhythm guitar dude in "Closer To
The Heart", right before the big guitar solo. All
in all, a must have for collectors of classic rock
shlock. JV
THE SELECTER –
Live From London
(MVD)
Solid British electric ska band (no brass, just
guitars and keyboards) with a funky looking
dude on vocals, dressed like Frank Sinatra, who
turns out to be a woman in man's clothing.
Features a biography, 15 infectious tracks filmed
at Dingwalls, London and an interview with
cross dressing lead singer, Pauline Black. I really
liked the music but lose the suit, Pauline, and put
on a freakin' dress. Better yet, show us your
tits!!!!! JV
CARLY SIMON –
A Moonlight Serenade On the Queen Mary 2
(CMV)
Some lucky ducks on a cruise ship got to see and
hear this concert? Some of the songs seem
pretty crusty, but who goes on cruise ships
anyway? Probably old people and newlyweds.
She looks and sounds like Carly but only about 3
songs of the 20 are hers; the rest are –well, let
me just lis
taf
e
w:“
IOnl
yHa
v
eEy
e
sForYou
,
”
“
Al
lt
heThi
ng
sYouAr
e
,
”a
nd“
I
’
v
eGotYou
Unde
rMySk
i
n.
”OKId
on’
tk
no
wi
ft
hi
sDVD
was actually filmed/recorded on the Queen Mary
2,b
utIwi
l
ls
a
yt
ha
tIt
hi
nki
t
’
sag
oodc
h
oi
c
ef
or
anyone who wished Carly would sing the old
songs they remember while they ate shrimp
cocktail. K? KH
SHINGU –
Secret Of The Stellar Wars
(The Right Stuf)
The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of
some manga cartoon characters. I guess we're all
screwed. But seriously folks, this one's kind of
hard to follow. From what I could tell, there's a
galactic federation that stages giant spaceship
showdowns with rival intergalactic gangs and for
some unexplained reason, they have to conduct
them over China. I guess they went for the
biggest audience possible. Get it? 'Cause China's
so overpopulated? Ahhh, never mind. JV
THUNDERS, KANE & NOLAN –
Yo
uCan’
tPutYourAr
msAr
oundA
Memory
(MVD)
Filmed live at the Roxy in 1987, these ex-Dolls
are as embraceable as they ever were. The title
characters are all dead except Kane; rhythm
guitar player Barry Jones still walks the earth too
but besides this I never heard of him. Johnny
comes out smoking a cig and playing guitar to
“
Pi
pel
i
ne
,
”whi
c
hs
o
un
dsal
otl
i
k
e“
Se
c
r
e
t
Ag
e
ntMa
n.
”Ont
hi
sDVDThu
n
de
r
si
sf
a
i
r
l
y
alert and not falling down. They do the Dolls hit
“
Pe
r
s
o
na
l
i
t
yCr
i
s
i
s
,
”s
omeHe
a
r
t
br
e
a
k
e
r
shi
t
s
,
a
ndma
nyofJ
ohnny
’
sownwr
e
t
c
he
ds
o
ng
swi
t
h
ripped-off blues riffs. Also some very bad
covers of R & B songs, and an acoustic set with
at
r
ul
yhor
r
i
bl
er
e
ndi
t
i
o
nof“
Ev
eofSe
duc
t
i
o
n”
(
s
i
c
)
.BobDy
l
a
nhea
i
n’
t
,t
ha
nkg
od.
Finally the
acoustic set ends and the band is plugged back in
f
or“
Gr
e
e
nOni
ons
.
”J
o
hn
nys
i
ng
st
he
He
a
r
t
br
e
a
k
e
r
s
’“
J
unk
i
eBus
i
ne
s
s
”qui
t
eba
dl
y
,
whe
r
e
’
sWa
l
t
e
rLur
e
?Then Johnny appears in a
tricorn Paul Revere and the Raiders hat and
de
s
t
r
oy
s“
Mi
dni
g
htHo
ur
”i
nme
mor
a
bl
ef
a
s
hi
on.
The title cut is as wretched as originally
intended. I
fy
ou’
r
enotJ
oh
nny
-ed out by the end
oft
hi
so
ne
,Ido
n’
twa
ntt
ok
n
owwha
ty
our
problem is. Very enjoyable. KH
commentary by SV that you can turn on or leave
off. I saved that for later. KH
TESTAMENT –Live In London
(Eagle Vision)
They sound alot like FOZZY on meth with a
sore throat. Okay, so the lead singer really plays
a mean air mic stand, I'll give'em that, but he’
s
still no Chris Jericho. Hey, it's just your typical
demonic electric circus music. 14 frenzied mugs
of bile featuring "Into The Pit", "Practice What
You Preach" and "Over the Wall". Oh yeah,
there's some interview footage too. JV
TURBONEGRO –The ResErection
(Bitzcore)
The sad sad tale of a Norwegian punk band who
almost make it to the top, only to break up due to
t
hel
e
a
ds
i
ng
e
r
’
sdr
uga
ddi
c
t
i
on
.
Ohn
o,i
t
'
snot
sad that they broke up. The real tragedy is that
they get back together again. They make a career
out of screaming the word "erection" while the
lead guitarist plays 3 seconds of Jimmy Page's
speed lick over and over and over again. 110
minutes of complete and utter bull shit. JV
SUZANNE VEGA –
Retrospective: The Videos of Suzanne Vega
(UMe/Universal Music)
A great bunch of videos. Ms. Vega wrote all 16
songs (some co-wr
i
t
t
e
n)
.The“
Luc
a
”v
i
de
o,i
n
grainy black and white with a jangling guitar,
Suz
a
nneVe
g
a
’
swor
ds
,a
ndhe
rv
oi
c
e
, give me
goos
e
bumps
.“
Tom’
sDi
ne
r
”(also known as
“
That Doot-De-Doo-Doot, Doot-De-Doo-Doot
Song From The Car Comme
r
c
i
a
l
”
), there are
dancers filmed in black and white, and Suzanne
dances in color and sepia. Forks drum on a
j
uk
e
box
.Thes
o
ng
’
sa
bouthe
rbe
i
ngac
us
t
ome
r
in a diner and people don’
ts
e
ehe
r
.Atthe end
ofbot
hoft
he
s
e
,s
hel
ook
sl
i
k
es
h
e
’
sa
boutt
o
c
r
y
.For“
Bl
o
odMa
k
e
sNoi
s
e
,
”the images are
more edgy and colorful to match the song. You
see gears and primary-colored outlines of men
climbing stairs.“
I
’
dl
i
k
et
ohe
l
py
ou,doc
t
or
;
”
the words r
us
ho
utf
a
s
t
e
rt
ha
nt
hebe
a
t
.The
r
e
’
s
also an alternative video for “
Ca
r
a
me
l
,
”a
nda
WEATHER REPORT GIRL
(The Right Stuf)
Manga for the 17+ crowd, it's a cartoon movie
about the cut throat business of weather
reporting. Who'd a thunk this kind of stuff goes
on behind the scenes at a Japanese TV station? If
you're into potty humor, cartoon titties, lesbian
S&M and oral sex then this little soap opera
ought to really float your boat (like it did mine).
JV
Videotape Review
ELKLAND - Apart
(Columbia Records)
FLOCK OF SEAGULLS wannabes without the
gaudy makeup. Thankfully, this is a 3:24, one
song demo. Any longer than that and I would
have had to wash my ears out with ignited
lighter fluid to remove the taint from my ear
drums. When did it become cool to be a gay
preppy prick? Just give me 5 minutes in the
moshpit with these nerdy pukes and I'll
straighten' em right out with a little five knuckle
shuffle to their foreheads. JV
Editorial
PAYOLA ALIVE AND WELL IN THE MUSIC BIZ
I
nr
eadi
ngheadl
i
nesi
nBost
on’
sf
r
eedai
l
ypaperMet
r
oon726-05, music giant (recording industry titan, giant sleazebags,
or whatever euphonious appellation you prefer) Sony BMG
was fined for paying radio stations to play whatever music
Sony told them to. They were fined $10 Million for Payola
practices after losing a civil suit in the state of New York.
Metro reported that others are to follow so this should not be
interpreted as Sony being the only one. Just like Buddy Cianci
i
sn’
tt
heonl
yMayorwhobentl
awst
oachi
evet
hi
ngs.Payol
a
i
sn’
tdead,i
tneverdi
ed,andt
hi
sr
ul
i
ngwon’
tst
opi
tei
t
heri
n
my humble opinion. $10 mil to Sony is like 60 dollars to me.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment owns several record labels
including: Arista Records, Columbia Records, Sony Music
International, and Jive Records. (So what does BMG stand
for? Big Music Giants? Big Money Giver? Boogey Man
Granola?) Apparently what Sony (and other music giants)
stands for is forcing huge main stream stars down our throats;
stars the music industry already created by shoving them
down our throat
s.Andwhat
’
swi
t
ht
hat“
Musi
c
Ent
er
t
ai
nment
”i
nt
hei
rname? Doest
hatmeant
hei
rpr
oduct
s
are Music in the same way that wrestling is considered a Sport
–by adding the word Entertainment?
And who do they pay the $10 Million to? Not Stubble!
Do we get free review copies from record companies, yes we
do. Free concert tickets for review? Yup! But never have we
allowed any perceived perk change the reviews our writers
submit. I am not trying to make Stubble sound Pure or a
model of Decency because we ar
enot
.I
’
mj
ustsayi
ngwecan
not be bought (or threatened by idiots who send us hate mail
for not agreeing with a review one of our writers wrote, a
review is an opinion not absolute truth). And really folks I will
not refuse to review releases or cover Sony artists or
deliberately trash them because of this. This zine is going to
continue as it always has. We review what we receive. No
except
i
onunl
essi
t
’
sademoornoncommer
ci
alr
el
ease.They
are not alone.
Ohwel
l
,i
tdoesn’
tmat
t
er
,asl
ongasSonypays the fine the
world is once again safe for democracy. Which is just two
wol
vesandasheepvot
i
ngondi
nneranyway.I
t
’
snotl
i
ke
anyone is surprised that the music industry is corrupt and full
ofasshol
es.I
’
m not
!
Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizzo once told me in an
interview that he would like to be known as one of the nice
people in the dirtiest business in the world. That business is
t
heent
er
t
ai
nmenti
ndust
r
y.I
t
’
swhatt
heyar
e,i
t
’
swhatt
hey
do. When big money is involved, assholes follow the money.
Can you say American Idol?
And by the way, could the Metro newspaper have chosen a
better picture to go with their story, than a photo of
Br
i
t
neySpear
s? Br
i
t
neySpear
si
sonSony’
sJi
veRecor
ds
label, and she needs the publicity, right? So, Metro news,
what did Sony pay you?I
’
m onl
yki
ddi
ng!Il
over
eadi
ng
your free zine (yeah I called it a zine). Ken Zebbyn- Editor
And Another Thing
How about that Howard Stern? Now people have to get Pay
Radio to hear him be offensive –i
ft
heywantt
o.I
’
m just glad
that Free Radio is safe again. I can push any button I want
and –yaay –no fear of Howard rearing his ugly head. KH
Book Reviews
Ballpark Blues
A novel by C. W. Tooke
Doubleday, 2003
This novel is narrated by a fictitious sports writer who forges a
relationship with a phenomenal Red Sox baseball player, also
fictitious. I
nawayt
hat
’
si
nt
er
est
i
ngbecauset
hi
sbookwas
written before the Sox won the World Series. The writer in
question eventually lands, then throws away, a job with Sports
Illustrated. He also lands, then gives away, an intriguing and
speci
alwoman,whoj
ustsohappenst
obet
hephenom’
s
foster-care sibling. So did he give up the job he should have
loved to keep The Girl? That feels right, but then he gives her
away to the ballplayer, Casey in an improbable scene at the
airport. This last-minute switch, the ballplayer instead of the
writer, is an arrangement improbably and instantly accepted
by all three people involved. The ballplayer and gets the girl
and they fly off into the sunset, to Honduras to work with
underprivileged children. Yeah, right. That scene was about
asconvi
nci
ngast
heaut
hor
’
scl
ai
mt
obeanat
i
veBost
oni
an
who lives in San Francisco, California. The author
consistently misspells Landsdowne Street, which is right next
to Fenway Park. You know, where they have all the Red Sox
souvenirs. Anywr
i
t
er
,eveni
fhedoesn’
tcl
ai
mt
obef
r
om
Boston, oughtta know better. He’
spr
obabl
yacl
osetYankee
Fan. KH
Using Your Art and the Media to Comfort People
by Anne Leighton
Published by Free To Run, 2005
A large-f
or
matpaper
backi
nt
endedt
ohel
pot
her
s“
f
eelbet
t
er
,
”
I
’
m pr
et
t
ysur
et
hi
sbookwasconcei
vedi
nr
esponset
ot
he
events of September 11th 2001. Most of the fun, accessible
illustrations are by Athena Schaffer and depict friends, music,
and often cats. This book deserves a second glance, as it
actually could give someone ideas on how to help a friend in
need of comfort, such as reading to them or bringing them
flowers. This advice is intermingled with ideas on getting
media coverage for various projects you might want to do to
help others. And I learned that Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
apparently loves cats (too). KH
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