Some musings based mainly on my personal musical journey through life.
WARNING! May include the odd mention of Art, Design, Movies & other warblings life may throw up.
Stuck this album on this morning while I was working. It one of the albums that was on an almost constant cycle when I was working my way through university. John Legend's Get Lifted, Tenacious D's self titled album and Tool's Lateralus were others in the collection of maybe 15 or 20 discs that were pulled out when serious work needed to be done to meet a deadline. This usually meant staying up until the small hours in the loft space of our "Wonky"student house.
So when I threw Is This It on this morning I instantly fell back into that mindset. It's a calming thing. Something that relaxes the stressed muscles that appear when deadlines are needing to be met. Now I have no harsh deadlines right now, but jeez it's a good feeling when you find an album that allows you to work without distraction. It's a phenomenal album anyway and I'd probably have to find room in an imaginary "Top 10" for it.
My one small complaint? It's over too quick. All the more reason to stick it on again and play ridiculous air guitar along with Last Night. I think everyone should bring this album back out of their collections and give it a fresh listen. It's bloody gorgeous!
Enjoy.
So I went to heaven, sorry, Amoeba recently and picked up the latest offering from one of my long-time favourite bands, Dave Matthews Band. In my eyes they can do no wrong. One of the best live acts I've ever seen, consistently superb albums and Dave is a truly lovely guy when you meet him.
I say all this, as I'm not as instantly taken with this latest album. I can't put my finger on what it is but it's just lacking something for me. It somehow feels tame. It might be the mix. I'm really not sure. I'm being harsh of course, but I look forward to their new work so much that I've no doubt built this album up to a point where it was always going to disappoint on some level. Maybe it's a grower and I just need to give it some time for it to force it's way into the reckoning of some of my personal favourite DMB albums. If it's time it wants, then time I shall give it. I really want this to be a winning album. I hope it will grow on me. I hope. No I'm sure. It doesn't have to be my favourite or their best. I just need to like it more than I do right now. It will happen...
The sign outside the venue tempting people in for epic food and a vintage mood.
I only found The White Buffalo by chance after seeing his name in LA Weekly and thinking 'that's a cool name, i wonder what they sound like'. So I got straight onto Spotify and gave the album Once Upon a Time in the West a listen. I was hooked after half of the first track. I spoke to my good friend Sareth Ney and asked if he wanted to go. Lo and behold he was covering it for The Examiner and said he'd ask if we could get some extra tickets to join him (I love this guy).
He did so we set off for some grub and a gig that I was VERY excited about. We got there and The White Buffalo were sound-checking. Jeez they sounded good. Excitement enhanced further, we ate outside as the venue filled up steadily. The place has a very Malibu feel to it, which if you've ever been down that way, you understand what I mean. It's such a relaxed atmosphere, the food was good, the beer chilled and the subtle hint of the ocean in the nostrils.
The support band were The Janks. A local-ish band fronted by brothers Zack (vocals and guitar) and Dylan (vocals, mandolin, percussion) Zmed with Leon LeDoux on drums and Paul Inder (Lemmy from Motorhead's son) on bass. Their music was a mix of rock and folk offering a different twist on the genre made popular again by the likes of Mumford and Sons. Their track Ratracers has an element of The Mars Volta mixed with Black Sabbath and Cream. It was a phenomenal track to hear live with Zack's vocals and guitar playing superb throughout. They gave out free sampler albums too which was a great touch. I'd have bought it anyways so I gave a donation. I'm tempted to go and see then again at the Troubadour before we leave in January.
When The White Buffalo came out the crowd went nuts. Jake Smith's voice is a dream. I wish I had a voice like that. It's just so effortless when he sings. We were really close to the front and very excited about what lay ahead. So just my luck that the sound tech had on to forget. The stage monitors didn't work, something the band complained about to him throughout, and the speakers closest to us also didn't work, which all meant that all we heard throughout the entire performance was the fucking drummer (Matt Lynott), who hit the skins as hard as anyone I can remember seeing. But instead of quickly trying to fix the mix and the monitors the sound guy just stayed behind the safety of his desk. I was half tempted to fix it myself. The mix was easily the worst of any gig i've ever been to, and just destroyed the vocal talents of Smith and the steel guitarist Tim Walker. Poor Tommy Andrews' microphone cut after the first track so he just slapped his bass as any good bassist should. On the tracks which either had no drums or required less of a beating, Smith's gorgeous vocal warmth shone through. Acoustic tracks such as I Wish It Was True and his cover of Lynyrd Skynyrds T is for Texas was excellent, mainly due to lack of drums. Ballad of a Deadman and How The West Was Won (the crowd went nuts for this one in particular, with plenty of dancing) and The Pilot were other favourites.
Overall I was disappointed by the gig but I can't lay the blame with any of the musicians (yes, even the drummer) for that. I lay the blame squarely with the sound tech. Whatever happened between sound-check and the gig was damaging to the gig and the fact he seemingly did nothing to resolve it was possibly worse. I'd love to see Jake Smith and his band again at a different venue and I can't sing the praises of his album, and previous EPs, highly enough. There's also a YouTube video (see below) of The White Buffalo playing The Pilot, which shows the kind of sound quality I heard at sound-check and expected throughout. I implore you to check them out. You won't regret it.
Thomas Nicholas Band at The Viper Room (Photo: Sareth Ney)
This was another show that my good friend Sareth was covering for The Examiner, which he kindly put us on the guest list for. Now I know everyone has seen American Pie and most will have seen the sequels too (I gave up at 3), but I never knew that "Kevin" had a band in real life. I used this gig as a chance to see inside the legendary Viper Room on Sunset. The club formerly owned by Johnny Depp and famous for the death of River Phoenix. It was a cool venue but not really much different to many of the smaller rock venues back in the UK. Maybe slightly less sticky under foot.
The first band we saw were The Railways who were a great little rock band. Their lead guitarist looked like someone had shoved a broom up his ass, but musically they were great. Hints of blues, masses of rock and some great vocals. They did a blues track to finish their set which I was most impressed with, but left me wondering why they bothered with the soft rock stuff when they were a pretty tight blues unit.
After a short interval Thomas Nicholas Band came out to play. They were ok as a band. Middle of the road rock stuff. Their bassist was great, and cool as fuck. But they made a mistake trying to cover a Foo Fighters track (I forget which one), before which Thomas introduced himself as Dave Grohl, and just made a hideous mess of it. If you can't do a cover-song justice, don't bother. Nicholas came across as a bit of a prick, but there are plenty of musicians who are pricks so I mustn't let that cloud my judgement. But it's telling that the best moment of the night was going to get an ice-cream cookie sandwich from the store next to the Viper Room. Damn that cookie sandwich was fine!
After seeing Volto on the 20th October, John Ziegler said we should come see his other project, BUBBATRON. How could we refuse?!
Just $25 got us 2 sets of music from the band, and jeez it was worth every penny.
With Danny Carey running late due to his attendance at the Lakers vs Clippers game we tucked into a huge baked potato, and the obvious choice of a few bottles of the finest chilled Sam Adams. After apologizing for the drummers' late arrival, John gave him a bit of stick due to the Lakers losing the game. Then we were underway with the music with John on guitar, Danny on drums, Scott Kinsey on keys, Hadrien Feraud on bass and Doug Webb on sax.
From the word go there was a different feel to the Volto gig. Much more improvisation and more of a traditional jazz-fusion feel to the music, with discordances and off-beat rhythms a-plenty. Now having watched John, Danny and Doug only a few weeks earlier I knew what they were about as musicians. One person really stood out for me and was a joy to watch and listen to. Hadrien Feraud is a French bass player who has some of the fastest fingers i've ever seen. They were a blur at times with both hands up and down the fretboard. He had plenty of solos to showcase his immense talent too. Added to that he looked like we was improvising most of the songs as he wasn't so familiar with the chords. He was watching Scott's hands for clues and also John over the other side of the room. Very impressive.
Every track was a joy. I don't think my foot stopped tapping or stomping all night. I was thrilled when they covered Volto's Grip It but they'd saved the best for last. Now this is the beauty of such a small intimate gig. Knowing who was in the house, John called for David Rozier to come to the stage for a blues number. Dressed in his apron and kitchen garb, the Baked Potato's own chef joined the band on stage with his Harmonica in hand. He looked slightly nervous but the smile was there for all to see. He just wanted to play music. And boy could that man play his harmonica. The whole band had grins on their faces as he set off on his solo at the start of the track until John took a solo which Rozier flitted in and out of as Webb disappeared into the audience.Webb reappeared with Brandon Fields (sax legend) and strapped a sax to him. Fields then took off on an incredible solo before being joined by Webb and Rozier. All 3 played different motifs but it all fitted seamlessly around the other band members who just kept the whole thing ticking along. At one point it seemed everyone was doing their own thing entirely but it just stewed together so well, as though there was some incredible chef blending things together to make this sumptuous musical masterpiece. Afterwards we had a brief chat with Danny, Hadrien and John, who it turns out is a massive Anglophile. He invited us to the next gig again. Something tells me it will be hard to resist.
The board outside the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd
Officially my first experience of a live hip-hop show and also my debut at the legendary House of Blues on the Sunset strip. I've not had too much exposure to hip-hop over the years as it's just not been on my radar. People have tried to introduce me to certain acts over time and i've just never really "got it". There have been exceptions. I'm have massive love for Jurassic 5 before they split. So when my good friend Sareth Ney got some free passes for the RZA gig that brought to a close The Iron Fists Tour, I snapped them up and joined him for my first taste of hip-hop.
As this was a special tour for RZA there was a whole bunch of support acts, all of which had their own styles and they switched out so fast I couldn't catch who they were. I'll talk about the guys who really caught my eye though.
First off, a scruffy looking guy with a huge mop of hair, shorts and socks upto his knees came out with only a DJ as backup. EYENINE blew me away with his speedy rhymes and clever quips. He clearly loves words and the way he can twist them to suit his needs. I specifically remember enjoying his tune called Photoshoplifting. You can check his album The Insomnia Sessions out on Spotify.
Now to the guy who stole the show for me. I've don't think i've ever seen anyone so enthralling on a stage. The man's name...Supernatural. He's a freestyle artist and clearly one of the best around. I was speaking, during the break before he came out, to a local hip-hop fan, who told me that Supernatural is one of the best and consistent guys on the circuit. He certainly didn't disappoint. He was absolutely incredible. He did a section during his set were he asked people in the audience to hold up items and he would rap about them. I don't think my mouth closed for one second after he started. He also did a section were he transformed from himself to various rappers, including Dre, Snoop and Biggie Smalls. Once again he had the audience, and myself in the palm of his hands. The crowd adored him. I'd have happily watched him all night but he had to hand over to the main act, RZA. RZA introduced some of the cast of the movie before starting his set. It quickly became a party atmosphere in the House of Blues as RZA passed bottles of Hennessy, Grey Goose and Champagne around. He performed songs from the Wu-Tang catalogue as well as his own tunes. I have to admit i'm not the biggest fan of his vocal sound. It's very coarse but that didn't stop me enjoying the show as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy which didn't stop until almost 2am.
A thoroughly enjoyable first taste of both the venue and hip-hop as an artform. I will be sure to pay more attention to it in future.
RZA on stage at the House of Blues
My goodies from the gig. Special guest wristband, ticket & sampler CD
Good job they had Sam Adams. I'll take 2 please...
I saw Volto back in 2008 at the Baked Potato. Danny Carey being the draw thanks to my love for his work with TOOL. This time round I was sat slightly further away from a speaker, which is tough seen as the Baked Potato is such a tiny venue. The guys in the band are so friendly. They try and say hi to most in the room, even if its just a nod of the head.
They don't really have a set list. John (Ziegler) tends just to have a little chat between songs and they all come to a decision as to which they should play next, making the whole feel of the gig a lot more relaxed. Its like you're being let into their practice room. They're all just having great fun bouncing ideas around and jamming. Of course it helps that you have one of the best drummers around keeping everything together, but to just focus on Danny would be a massive injustice to the other members in the band. Bassist Lance Morrison has played with Alanis Morissette, Rod Stewart and Don Henley. He's a superb bassist and his solos are excellent. Jeff Babko was excellent on keys. Fresh from fulfiling his duties as keyboardist, composer and arranger on Jimmy Kimmel Live he is one hell of a talented keyboard player. He's also recently been heard playing with the legend that is James Taylor, Alanis Morissette, Frank Ocean and Jason Mraz. Doug Webb also guested on about 5 different saxophones.
My favourite track is probably Grip It which is a terrific blend of rock and jazz. It also has some of the best riffs i've heard throughout especially at the start and end of the track. Danny's drumming is immense and the filthy bass line is a joy. Teamed together with some wailing organ and John's playful guitar it's certainly the standout track for me. That's not to say that their cover of All Along the Watchtower by Hendrix isn't one of the best versions around. It's just not quite as good as Grip It.
I'm very excited about an album, something I told John afterwards. Fingers-crossed it not too much longer until it's available to make my ears happy.
If you're in LA when they're playing I would highly recommend the $25 entrance fee to one of the best venues around. The sound quality for such an intimate space is amongst the best I ever heard. A great night out.
Now to say my wife is a fan of musical theatre is an understatement of the most massive proportions, but neither of us had ever seen a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) and Tim Rice's rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. So when it was announced as being the subject of yet another TV series in which they would try and find a new "superstar" (works on both levels), I thought it would follow the usual pattern of talentless wannabes fighting it out for a place to be on stage for a UK tour of the musical. How very wrong I was. Very early on in the show it was clear that ALW would stand for none of the usual bollocks that usually accompanies such shows. The talent was great and it showed as the TV show ran its way to a finish. The final week i'd have been happy with watching any of the finalists on a stage.
When it came to the day of the show I think I was more excited to see what Tim Minchin was like, than I was the eventual winner of the show, Ben Forster. Having seen Minchin's own musical, Matilda, in the West End I was already a huge fan of the man. Matilda being possibly the best musical I have ever seen on stage. It's just an incredible work of art. I digress, the show did not disappoint. The three stars of the show, Forster, Minchin and Mel C, were superb. The production was superb throughout. My only gripe was with the giant speaker at the side of the stage obscuring the view of some scenes. Even Chris Moyles couldn't ruin what was a superb night. His comedic X-Facter style section in the show was superbly executed and the audience lapped it up. It made what could've been a tired, old show up to date and relevant to current media. His "singing" voice wasn't bad either. But for me the star of the show was Minchin. His portrayal of Judas Iscariot was wonderful to behold. His singing performance was stunning. The range of his vocals was breathtaking, and his qualities as an actor were just as good. That's not to say that Forster wasn't worthy of his role, he was. He handled the role superbly well and the final scene of him on the cross was extremely moving and a wonderful piece of theatre.
I'm very disappointed that there is currently no audio recording of this cast as I personally would have bought it to relive Minchin's role again (I believe there will be a DVD/Blu-ray released before Christmas). I certainly hope this isn't the last time we see him take on a challenging role such as this, and I would love to see him write and produce another show of him own as he's done so well with Matilda.
Well played ALW, you win again.
Now, i'm going to warn you before I set out that I have a family member in this newly formed band from Liverpool, so this may be a little biased.
There were a bunch of bands on for an evening of noise-filled entertainment. The first I saw were the superb Scare Tactics. Full of energy and fantastic musicianship they are one of the best metal bands to come out of Liverpool in a while. I was genuinely surprised by Andy Barker's impressive singing voice. Not what I expected, but a very pleasant surprise all the same. It's a shame bassist Danny is disappearing for 4 months to travel the world fighting dolphins, sharks & other marine critters because this band could go onto bigger things. A very tight unit indeed with Paul Charnock on guitar and support vocals and Stu Barker behind the kit. I'm reliably informed that a third Barker (Alex) will be filling for Danny during his jaunt as required.
Obviously as previously stated, the reason I was at the gig was to support Rain May Fall in their first gig. Comprising of former members of Zuprowski Connection & Under God Fury and stating amongst their influences metal powerhouses such as Alter Bridge, Sevendust and Soundgarden everyone in the building was hoping for an exciting and energetic first performance from the group. They didn't disappoint. From start to finish there was an energy flowing between the lads that was impressive for their first live performance. With Mark Smith offering a powerful vocal line and Tim Cunningham (the brother-in-law) offering some soaring harmonies and lead guitar they were never really going to dissapoint. Add into that mix the talents of John Hodson (guitar), Alex Barker (bass) and Dave Larkin (drums) it's quite the metal fans' wet dream. They will no doubt get tighter as they perform together and the crowds will swell as word gets round that this Liverpool "supergroup" are on the circuit. I look forward to the forthcoming album, of which i've had a sneak peak (thanks Tim), to see what music will be showcased in future. I would highly recommend buying the EP (and maybe a t-shirt or two) and getting down to their next gigs.
Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details... https://www.facebook.com/RainMayFall
It was my first time in the newest venue in the North West. I have to say I was very impressed by what I found. Not overly big like the MENA or O2 London the views were superb all-round.
Me and my wife took her brother Chris for his birthday as Blink are one of those bands that we tend to throw into the playlist when creating art. I must admit that i've never been a huge fan of Blink. They're a band i've always admired but i've been snobbish, in that the people who tended to like them when they were massive 10 years ago were people I didn't much like to be around, so I only knew their "hits". In recent years however this has changed as i've listened to their albums properly and realised why they were so successful.
We were sat to the right of the stage, almost in line with the microphones, and although I always prefer to be in the centre of the main speakers to get a good sound, I can't complain. The sound was good, if not great, but the great view of the stage, and in particular Travis' drumming, was superb.
They opened with Feeling This which set the tone for the rest of the gig. High-tempoed and full of energy. All the classics were in there, The Rock Show, What's My Age Again? and All the Small Things. I have to admit my favourite parts were watching and listening to Travis Barker's drum solos. If Travis has only been spared death on a few occasions, for bringing this kind of pleasure to people then i'm thankful for that. The guy is just a phenomenal drummer. It was truly a pleasure to watch. He had is kids sat with him behind the kit with their ear defenders on. His girl had her own sticks and was air-drumming along with him. You could see he got a huge kick out of that. A very special moment indeed. When Travis played Can a Drummer Get Some? off his solo album as part of the encore, the place went nuts. His solo album was certainly one of the albums of last year for me. His drumming, mixed with some hand-picked hip-hop artists was just sublime. I highly recommend it if you haven't had a listen.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Mark and Tom, having settled their differences, have come back together and captured the essence of what made them great over 10 years ago. That coupled with Travis' drumming produces a wonderful show that you can't help get enthusiastic about (although the girl next to me obviously didn't feel that way. Face like thunder doesn't come close).
Support: The Blackout (we missed their set eating Pizza) & The All-American Rejects who seem to have regressed from the band i used to dislike 10 years previously. The singer was whiny and full of himself which worked for the girls down at the front who were lapping that shit up, but why anyone would actually pay to see them is beyond me.
