Album Review: Alice In Chains “Black Gives Way To Blue”

Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue
Release Date: 09/29/2009
Spotlight Tracks: Check My Brain, Your Decision, When The Sun Rose Again, Black Gives Way To Blue

Alice In Chains joined the ranks of bands who did what many hold to be unthinkabe, reforming with a new singer. This was obviously met with mixed emotions but the end result was completely amazing if not mind blowing. Here’s my opinion about this move. I feel that if a band is going to reunite after losing a main and iconic member such as Layne Staley (or like Blind Melon did after the passing of Shannon Hoon), you need to not only be able to stand your ground and be respectful and honor your legacy, you need to be able to be willing to make a new beginning with material that will stand on it’s own. Alice In Chains has done just that with William DuVal and their new album “Black Gives Way To Blue”.

Ronnie James Dio Diagnosed With Stomach Cancer

Wendy Dio, the wife and manager of legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

“Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans.

“Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio.

“Thanks to all the friends and fans from all over the world that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up.”

============================================

I think I can speak for metal fans all over the world when I say that we send Ronnie and Wendy nothing but positive vibes and best wishes. In his 67 years, Ronnie James Dio has melted faces as the front man Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, DIO and recently for Heaven & Hell. Dio is a true metal god and rock icon who has been one of the most influential artists of all time.

I know he can pull through this. He has been through way worse. Hell, he’s worked with Vivian Campbell so after going through that, he can pull through this. In all seriousness, my positive thoughts and best wishes go out to Ronnie and Wendy. Ronnie, it’s not your time brother. We still need you here!

Thank You…

Thanksgiving day is hands down my favorite holiday.  It’s a non-secular holiday in which you give thanks by stuffing your face with kick ass food.  In all seriousness, giving thanks is something I do every day but I decided to make an entry just to say thanks.  A HUGE thanks go out to all my readers (whether you like me or not) for keeping up with the blog and voicing your opinions (whether I like it or not)!  I truly appreciate your feedback and I hope you will continue to read on and argue on!

A huge thanks to all my friends and family (near and far) for all the love and support that you give to me.  I truly love you all and I hope you all know that no matter how much distance is between us, you are all close to me at all times, on my mind and in my heart.

Thanks to my fellow bloggers who have linked me and that I have linked to help each other spread the word of music whether it be critical, entertaining or all the above.  You all entertain me and bring a huge smile to my face so many thanks for that!

Last but not least, a special thanks to Mr. Miner and all Phish fans for the countless hours of laughs and entertainment.  Keep it coming!

 

Fuck You Phish!

Thanks to my buddy Jaymz, I have been enjoying probably the funniest blog on the planet. The blog is called FUCK YOU PHISH. I haven’t laughed this hard in sometime and it was really funny to read. Phish fans are some of the most inconsistent fans any band can have. You have Phish fans who love the band yet can be critical of them and then you have the fans who little tiny baseball caps have been fitted too tight on their heads and they believe that Phish can do no wrong whatsoever.

The best part about the later mentioned Phish fans is just how upset they get at folks who call out Phish for not being perfect. When the band makes a crappy album or has a crappy show, a fan should be able to call them out for that and not be considered a traitor or any less of a fan for doing so.  Phish fans can really annoy the crap out of me and I’ve pissed my share of fellow Phish fans off.  Hell, just read my blog.

Fuck You Phish proved to me that there is a Phish fan out there with a sense of humor proving that not all Phish fans are a bunch of mindless, pretentious, tight baseball cap wearing jock freaks that lets a band piss in their ears and call everything they do “amazing”.

Hope you enjoy myself!

Going To California…

Like many my age, I grew up a fan of the Los Angeles/Hollywood Hard Rock and Metal scene.  If it was loud and obnoxious, I loved it.  Motley Crue, RATT and Poison, were just a few of the many bands that I loved as a kid.  In their prime, they were the Kings of the Sunset Strip but before anyone know who they were, they were just another slew of unknown bands that roamed the strip handing out flyers hoping to get folks to check out their shows as venues like Whiskey A Go Go, The Roxy, Gazarri’s and the Troubadour only to go hang out and post show party with friends and fans at the Rainbow Bar and Grill.

Lacuna Coil Takes Atlanta!

Lacuna Coil pulled into Atlanta on November 7th as part of the HARDDRIVE RADIO tour and I was lucky enough to see them twice in one day. They played an amazing acoustic set at Criminal Records in Little 5 Points to a very appreciative audience earlier in the day and it was an awesome way to give the fans something different and fun. They did a short but sweet four song set that was closed out with a gorgeous acoustic version of “Shallow Life” which was the first time they had ever performed this song live. It was such a treat to be hearing this for the first time ever. I loved that they really did great acoustic renditions of their songs. It wasn’t just the songs played normally with acoustic guitars. I could really tell that they put some effort and thought into the translation of the songs to acoustic and it made for a really pleasurable listening experience.

Live Stuff: It Was 14 Years Ago Today…

Phish – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater  11/9, 11/10, 11/11/1995 [torrent of all three shows]

11/09/95
Set 1: Tweezer Reprise, The Divided Sky, Prince Caspian, Punch You In the Eye, Simple > Reba, Tela > Sample in a Jar
Set 2: Theme From the Bottom > Julius, The Lizards, Bathtub Gin[1] -> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday Reprise, Life on Mars?, Hello My Baby, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Loving Cup

11/10/95
Set 1: Bouncing Around the Room, Runaway Jim, Taste That Surrounds, The Old Home Place, It’s Ice, Dog Faced Boy, Maze, Guyute, Cavern
Set 2: Free, Scent of a Mule, You Enjoy Myself -> Crossroads -> You Enjoy Myself, Strange Design, Sparkle, AC/DC Bag, Sweet Adeline
Encore: Harry Hood

11/11/95
Set 1: Cars Trucks Buses > Mike’s Song > A Day in the Life > Poor Heart > Weekapaug Groove, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Ya Mar, Stash, Amazing Grace[1], Fee > Chalk Dust Torture
Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > David Bowie, Suzy Greenberg > Uncle Pen, Fluffhead, Sleeping Monkey > Frankenstein -> Suspicious Minds > Hold Your Head Up, Run Like an Antelope
Encore: Acoustic Army, Good Times Bad Times

14 years ago today, my life was literally changed forever! On this day, for the first time I would see my first Phish show at The Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA. This was a huge time for me in my life. At the beginning of 1995, I had just discovered Phish, The Grateful Dead and all of my father’s folk albums and my life was changed. I was at a point in my life where I knew I needed to be a different person and I was desperately seeking myself. I dabbled in a bit of everything but it was in this music that something spoke to me. Something reached deep into my heart and into my mind and pulled me deep into a world that I never knew existed and a world that I couldn’t have been more happy to embrace and become part of.

Stumbling Onto Cat Power

It’s amazing how even though I try to be the most open minded music listener I can be, I still turn my nose up and ignore certain bands and artists just on what I’ve read or heard about them before hearing a lick of music.  For instance, if you asked me if I liked Kings Of Leon, I’d say that I fucking hated them but I’ve never heard a lick of music by them.  I hate them because I read an interview once where all they did was bitch and talk about how much they disliked being famous and how they’d rather stay home and get stoned and play music.  They say that yet they continue to make music and sell out arenas.  Why don’t you quit if you hate it so much?  Anyway, you get my drift here?  That’s exactly what I had done to Cat Power (aka. Chan Marshall).

All I remember knowing about Cat Power was hearing all about her live meltdowns at her shows.  She would freak out mid song and run off the stage canceling the show.  She would yell shit at the audience for talking or something like that.  All of these things mixed with the fact that she was a darling of the “indie” scene (which I already despise) didn’t make exploring her music the least bit enticing.  Of all things, it would take a class on Bob Dylan to introduce me to the music of Cat Power.

Visiting The Ghosts of My Heroes

My wife has been out of town for nearly a month for her job so needless to say, I had to find ways to keep myself busy to keep from going nuts and missing her.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that the Thursday I had to myself I would go to Macon, GA.  I promised myself that since we moved back to Atlanta that I would make it a point to go seek some much needed inspiration by paying a visit to the resting place of Allman Brothers Band members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.  The Allman Brothers Band has been a huge source of inspiration for me for well over 20 years.  Much like the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band has been a huge part of the soundtrack of my life so it seemed only suiting that to find some inspiration, I needed to go back to where it all began.

Being less that two hours from Macon made for a nice and easy trip.  I loaded up the iPhone with some Allman’s and hit the road.  One of the first things I noticed before I got to Macon was an exit sign for High Falls Road which was so insane because High Falls was actually playing when I saw it.  I just smiled to myself and just knew it was going to be a fun trip.  My first destination was The Big House.  The Big House is the place that the band, their families, and various friends called home from 1970 to 1973.  It was such a surreal feeling to be standing on the steps where these guys once hung out with their families, drank beer and just plain out lived.  Unfortunately, the Big House isn’t open to the public until December but just being able to see it up close and take in the spirit of it all was a moving experience.  I just smiled to myself, took a few pictures and then made my way back to the car.

Bob Dylan Revisited

I have been taking an awesome evening class called Bob Dylan Revisited in which myself and a few other fellow Dylanophiles discuss Bob: The Man, The Poet, The Performer, The Troubadour and the many other hats that he has worn over the years.  One of the things that I’ve loved about this class is diving deep into his music and seeing just how many artists Mr. Zimmerman has inspired over the years.

So many acts have covered Dylan over the years so as a little project, I headed over to YouTube and found some amazing clips of some of my favorite acts doing Dylan songs.  While the Dylan influence in most of these acts is very obvious, it’s really fun to see their own interpretations of these songs.  Whether its note for note like the Black Crowes or different and original like KT Tunstall, you just can’t go wrong with these songs.  I hope you’ll enjoy these versions and maybe feel moved to go hear the originals.  Enjoy!

Derek Trucks Band – Down In The Flood (Live)