Henry Rollins on DJs and Modern Music

Mr. Rollins gracing us once again with his infinite wisdom!  Amen Mr. Rollins, Amen!

Five Finger Death Punch Live In Atlanta: Metal Is Alive & Well!

Five Finger Death Punch
Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – 01/31/2010

On a Sunday night in Atlanta, 1500+ people gathered together as a loud and proud testament that Heavy Metal is alive and well. California’s Five Finger Death Punch pulled into town and addressed their congregation of loyal “Knuckleheads” on a tour stop supporting their latest release War Is The Answer. Right off the bat I was impressed with just how loyal their fan base is. These guys have fans of Deadhead proportions. Before the show, my good friend Aaron and I were outside hanging out and we met a few fans (including the lovely Donna from West Palm, hey Donna!) that had driven over 9 hours from West Palm Beach, Florida because they couldn’t wait until the summer to see them on the Mayhem Tour. This was the closest date so they piled into a car and made the trek. There’s something to be said about a band that creates a subculture of fans that are willing to dedicate themselves to a band. I had never see Five Finger Death Punch before but soon enough I would understand just why these people are so dedicated.

Live Stuff: Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ – 12/26/2009 Atlanta, GA

Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ – 12/26/2009 Atlanta, GA [download] [stream]

Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ is without a doubt one of the best kept secrets in the history of Rock & Roll in my opinion.  Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Kevn Kinney is a true American icon and his songs have a way of touching people and becoming part of their lives.  Kevn and Co. have without a doubt been part of the soundtrack of my life for well over 15 years so to see them celebrating 25 years in 2009 was an amazing thing.  The band had just released their amazing  new album “The Great American Bubble Factory” and set out on their most ambitious tour in years.  The band was playing to packed houses everywhere they went and also playing the better shows than they’d played in many years.

This show from The Tabernacle in Atlanta before a near capacity crowd shows the band in top form doing what they do best: rocking some fucking faces off.  The band opens with “Detroit City Rock” from the new album and then delivers a one-two punch by going all the way back to the beginning with “Scarred But Smarter” to a rousing roar of approval.  Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ also shows their ability to hold their own in the world of “jamming.”  While never really known as a “jam band,” Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ was embraced by the jam band world and its easy to see why.  The jams in this show aren’t the kind of noodling that makes you wanna go get a beer.  Their jams are full of life and really lend themselves to adding life to the songs and at times a bit of tension that makes you wonder just where they’re going.

This is a legendary band in their prime and a show not to be passed up!  Get this one NOW!

Blowin’ Wind with Pam Howe of Cicada Sings/PH Balance/Chakra Bird

Pam Howe is one of those singer/songwriters/performers that you can add to a my long list of those that you probably have never heard of but that you should.  Pam Howe (also known as PH) was the leader of Atlanta Bossa Nova heavyweights Cicada Sings.  I literally stumbled upon Cicada Sings by accident and to this day it is one of the best accidents that ever happened to me.  Their one and only release “Lousy Private Fuzz” is an exciting mix of bossa nova and jazzy grooves that while retro sounding is still fresh and exciting.  Over the years, Pam and her long time collaborator/husband Chris “Fatty” Burt expanded the sound and vibe of Cicada Sings in a more hip hop direction with PH Balance who released their debut on Daemon Records and then went on to release a few stellar independent releases.

After relocating to the mountains of North Carolina, PH and Fatty have put together a new band called Chakra Bird.  Chakra Bird is a marriage of all the sounds of Cicada Sings and PH Balance along with some flavor of where they are at today.  Pam has always been one the sweetest people I’ve ever known and she managed to make some time to answer a few questions for the Brainfart.  We talked about Cicada Sings, PH Balance and where she’s headed in the future.  This was a great interview to do and I really enjoyed this one.  Check it out!

Album Review: The Two Man Gentleman Band – Live In New York!

Two Man Gentleman Band – Live In New York!
Release date: January 12, 2010
Highlights: Prime Numbers, Fancy Beer, Summertime, Me I Get High On Reefer, The Hindenburg Disaster

I know its cliche to say that certain bands just aren’t properly represented by their studio releases.  Some bands just have an energy and a vibe that cannot be captured to tape unless what you are capturing is a live performance.  That is the case with New York City’s Two Man Gentleman Band.  Comprised of Singer/Banjoist/Kazooist Andy Bean and Bassist/Kazooist/Singer Fuller Condon, The Two Man Gentleman Band have been on the road consistently for the past 3-4 years and from town to town have been turning people onto the sounds of their vaudevillian, uptempo and tongue in cheek “Two Man Music.”  After releasing four really great studio albums, the Gents finally offer up their music in its greatest setting: LIVE IN CONCERT!  The new album “Live In New York City” has The Two Man Gentleman Band performing live at Serious Business Studios to a responsive and hell raising audience.

“Live In New York!” is a testament to what a great live experience seeing this band is.  The banter between Andy Bean and the audience is absolutely priceless and the banter between Bean and Fuller is even funnier.  These guys know how to not only connect with their audience but they connect with each other and that right there is what makes an audience love a band.  The Two Man Gentlemen Band really create quite an experience for their audience.  Songs like “Fancy Beer” get the audience involved in heated call and response that literally takes the energy up to new levels.  The Gents even break it up a bit by showing a somewhat serious side as they deliver and absolutely gorgeous rendition of “Summertime” that is so gritty and muggy that I could feel the hot, thick air of the south on my neck.  No sooner than the Gents serious it up a bit, they come back hitting hard with “Me, I Get High On Reefer” which is classic Two Man Gentleman Band without a doubt.  The album closes out with two of the band’s “hits”, “William Howard Taft” and the “The Hindenburg Disaster” which has the Gents leading the audience in a “screaming” session to simulate them crashing into New Jersey.  Brilliant to say the least.

Download the MP3 for “Me, I Get High On Reefer” from “Live In New York!”

Hidden Treasure: Cicada Sings “Lousy Private Fuzz”

Cicada Sings – “Lousy Private Fuzz” [iTunes] [MP3]

Cicada Sings as a band is as much a hidden treasure as their album “Lousy Private Fuzz.”  In 1994 when Atlanta, GA was boasting a very large and growing Heavy Metal/Punk scene, Cicada Sings literally was the underground underdogs.  When one thinks of “underground” music, I’m sure that Bossa Nova/Jazz/Lounge Music is the LAST thing you would think of but that’s exactly what Cicada Sings was.  Cicada Sings was comprised of the husband and wife team of Chris Burt and Pam Howe.  Pam was the guitarist and singer with a voice as smooth as satin and as warm and settling as a warm summer night in the South and Chris Burt was the bassist that had a way of delivering such warmth and flair from his instrument that seemed to be a driving force behind the groove of their music.  Cicada Sings was always a band I could go to when I just needed to get away from the noise.  When the rest of the city was loud and chaotic above, from the basement of an old ratty hotel Cicada Sings would play to a modest audience of those that were privy enough to be in on the secret as we sat on the floor in a circle around the band and were taken away as if to be whisked away in some musical time machine.

Lousy Private Fuzz is a collection of songs that is retro and a blast from the past yet fresh and exciting to hear even after nearly 15 years after its initial release.  This is an album of songs that pays homage to a timeless era and genre of music but is timeless on its own.  The album consists of mostly original material the is hard to even believe at times that these songs were written by people their age.  The songs sound classic in their own right. Pam Howe at times channels a bit of Astrud Gilberto in the way that she possesses a dreamy quality to her singing that is hypnotic and captivating.  Songs like “Voodoo” possess a bossa nova quality to them that makes you want to dance and shimmy while “Variation On A Theme” is a melancholy and beautiful stab at Pam’s disliking of the idea of beauty by media outlets like MTV.  “Slickers In The Sun” can literally warm your bones on the coldest of days and “Niagara” can whisk you away on a dreamy ride.

Unfortunately, this is release has been long out of print.  I recently spoke with Pam Howe from Cicada Sings and she gave me her blessing to make “Lousy Private Fuzz” available for download right here.  Do yourself a favor and add this to your collection.  It will be your new favorite way to escape the hustle and bustle of life in general.

Megadeth Hits The Road for “Rust In Peace” 20th Anniversary Tour

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Megadeth released their classic “Rust In Peace.”  That album is without a doubt one of the greatest Metal albums ever made and I put it right up there with Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” as far as being a truly classic metal album.  Just last month it was announced that the American Carnage Tour featuring Slayer, Megadeth and Testament had been canceled due to Slayer singer/bassist Tom Araya’s back surgery.  Yesterday it was announced that Megadeth would instead be taking to the road on their own with the “Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary” Tour.  Megadeth will be performing “Rust In Peace” in it’s entirety along with other selections as well.  Joining them on this tour will be two Heavy Metal legends, Testament and Exodus.  This should prove to be a great fucking time and in all honesty, I think I’m more looking forward to this one than I was the Slayer tour.

This tour also has the bands performing in more intimate venues which should make for a really amazing experience seeing all these heavyweight legends.  At last account, Testament was planning on performing “The Legacy” in it’s entirety so we can only hope for this as this could possibly be a contender for tour of the year.

Megadeth “Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour” w/ Testament & Exodus

March 1 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
March 2 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
March 3 – Medford, OR – Medford Armory
March 6 – Calgary, AB – Big Four (Testament with Special Guests)
March 7 – Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Centre (Testament with Special Guests)
March 8 – Saskatoon, SK – Prairieland Exhibition Hall
March 11 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theater
March 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Palace Theater
March 13 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
March 15 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
March 16 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
March 18 – Scranton, PA – Scranton Cultural Center
March 19 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
March 21 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
March 22 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
March 23 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
March 25 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater
March 26 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Amphitheater
March 27 – Lubbock, TX – The Pavilion
March 28 – El Paso, TX – Club 101
March 30 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
March 31 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium (Testament with Special Guests)

The Internet – Best Thing That Ever Happened For Music Dorks!

When I was 10 or 11, I can remember sitting around in my room on Friday night listening to one of my many Heavy Metal albums or one of those awesome K-Tel “Masters of Metal” compilations.  You know the ones.  They were these awesome compilations that usually had pretty kick ass shit on it and then one song that made you think, “Why the fuck is this song on here?”  For instance, you’ll be jamming out to Black Sabbath’s “Heaven & Hell.”  Then Triumph “Lay It On The Line” comes on and then all of the sudden you get some crappy Rainbow song like “Street of Dreams,” some crappy song by Slade like “Run Runaway” or even worse, you’ll get “I Love Rock & Roll” by Joan Jett.  How the fuck is that metal?

Anyways, I’d be sitting in my room listening to what the fuck ever and reading (and even re-reading) my stacks of Metal mags.  Circus, Hit Parader, Metal Edge, Faces, you name it, I had it.  In the back of Hit Parader and Circus magazine there were always advertisements for free catalogs for bootlegs, live 8×10s and t-shirts.  I would get out my notebook, write a short letter and send it off so that I could get these catalogs.  They would arrive and I would breeze through these bootleg catalogs and man was I even in heaven.  KISS bootlegs, Motley Crue bootlegs, Iron Maiden bootlegs, you name it, they had it.  Most were available on cassette and others on vinyl with crazy ass artwork.  The prices of these things were usually astronomical.  Actually, they were probably like $25.00 or so but when you 11 years old, $25.00 is a years salary.  I remember the holy grail for me was when I head heard that there was a “full version” of Iron Maiden’s “Maiden Japan” live EP.  The commercial release only had 4 songs on it but this was the full show baby.  The full kit and caboodle.

Live Stuff: Crosby & Nash – San Francisco 12/14/1974

Crosby & Nash – San Francisco 12/14/1974 [zip file]

In my opinion, Crosby & Nash shows can sometimes be absolutely untouchable.  Talk about two kindred souls who were meant to perform together.  Their voices literally complete each other and I challenge anyone to find something that sounds as absolutely beautiful as those two voices together.  Its like every note hits a nerve in your body causing you to just melt into a fucking dream.

This show from San Francisco in 1974 is a testament to just what kind of magic these two delivered together.  Just two buddies, their guitars and some of the greatest songs ever written.  The opening “Deja Vu” will make the the hair on the back of your neck stand up and that’s them just getting warmed up.  Its really cool to hear them do a cool acapella version of “What Are Their Names?” that totally raises the roof.  It even sounds way more convincing as they go right into “Chicago” and really bring the house down.

Enjoy!

Album Review: Iggy Pop – Preliminaires

Iggy Pop – Preliminaires
Release date: June 2, 2009
Highlights: Les Feuilles Mortes, Spanish Coast, How Insensitive, A Machine For Loving, She’s A Business

So I can’t say that I have ever been a fan of Iggy Pop nor have I ever disliked him.  He always seemed like a cool guy but I never really dove into his material.  When I was given a copy of “Preliminaires” by a friend I couldn’t wait to just check it out.  There’s a reason Iggy Pop is held in such high regard as a groundbreaking performer and writer.  This album is everything that I love about music.  It’s an album that is full of diversity and it really kept my attention.  So much that by the time the last song ended, I couldn’t believe that it was already over.

You’ve got Iggy and his deep, brooding gothic voice singing in french over a samba on the opening track “Les Feuilles Mortes”.  You get Iggy singing jazz on “I Want To Go To The Beach” and you get Iggy sounding like a Jim Morrison fronting The Talking Heads on “Nice To Be Dead.”  My personal favorite is “A Machine For Loving” which has Iggy Pop sounding like a cross between Jim Morrison and what could be dialogue from a Clint Eastwood western.