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.
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.
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!
Greenville, SC wanted the best and on October 17th, they got the best. In support of their latest album “Sonic Boom”, KISS has taken their massive and bombastic live show to the road again. In addition to celebrating their newest album and best album in years, “Sonic Boom”, they are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the album that made them a house hold name “Alive”.
KISS’ “Alive 35” tour was exciting news to me because, as with all KISS fans, I just knew it was going to be an amazingly fun time. My emotions are still mixed about having Eric Singer (drums) and Tommy Thayer (guitar) wearing the classic makeup of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. I have always made my disappointment in this action loud and clear but let’s face it, it’s going to be a KISS show so how bad can it be right? When they announced a date for Greenville, SC, I immediately called my buddy James who without even pausing said, “YES! Let’s go”. So off to Ticketmaster I go to get our tickets.
The show finally arrived and we were pumped. Right away you know you’re at a KISS concert by seeing random audience members with their faces painted as their favorite KISS member. I spotted a guy with denim jackets with KISS patches covering every square inch of fabric and the overall excitement in the air let’s you know where you are at a KISS show. We made our way our seats which were all the way to the back of the arena. While we were far way, it gave us an amazing full scale view of the stage and the ability to take in the full spectrum of lights, explosions and the really great sound mix.
After over 15 years, I finally got the chance to be graced with the presence of Hope Sandoval. On Friday October 16th, Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions performed to a packed standing room only audience at The Loft in Atlanta, GA. While I have been a Mazzy Star fan for years, I actually really find her Warm Inventions material to stand strongly on its own. It has been 8 years since the release of the brilliant “Bavarian Fruit Bread” album and when I heard Hope and company were releasing a new album titled “Through The Devil Softly”, I was not just excited that I was going to get to hear new music; I was going to get to see her live with The Warm Inventions for the first time.
The show kicked off with opening band Dirt Blue Gene who I felt to be a very fitting opener. They had a sound that was like a fine mix of Mazzy Star meets Pink Floyd. The band had a very mellow sound and the use of subtle effects throughout the mix made it a very ear candy type of experience. The band really didn’t have any memorable songs but this isn’t to say that they weren’t good. I felt like they are a band to see in the moment to really get what they’re about. It was also no surprise to find out that they were also The Warm Inventions.
I remember being in high school with all my brothers in metal (aka. My dorky friends) and being so stoked to see our favorite bands. It was also nothing for us to wait around after the concert out by the tour bus for sometimes two hours for the bands to come out from backstage. There was always that rush of thoughts going through my mind. Are they gonna be cool? Are they gonna be assholes? Are they gonna chat with us and hang out? Then all of the sudden there they were, coming out of the backstage door towards us.
I’ve had the extreme pleasure of meeting some of my favorite bands this way. Henry Rollins, Pantera, Ugly Kid Joe, Skid Row, Babylon AD, Green Jello, Testament, The Black Crowes, Dave Matthews, Saigon Kick, Quiet Riot, The Allman Brothers Band, Neko Case and countless others. Some were cooler than others. Some were just flat out assholes. Babylon AD was one of our fave metal bands from LA and when they played in Atlanta, after their show they came out, hung with us, took pictures and gave us all guitar picks and were cool as hell. Neko Case was great and we had a great conversation about thrift shops and folk music and The Black Crowes were humorous and posed for pictures while talking about everything from baseball to the best places to grow weed in the country. The guitarist for Saigon Kick was a real asshole and Gregg Allman looked at me, smiled and said “Hi there” and kept on walking past me to the backstage door. I could go on with all these stories and hell, they might even get their own entry someday. Anyways, the point to all of this is that I got to experience meeting these people and they were all unique experiences. With a little patience and a bit of waiting and some time, you can meet just about anyone you want.
Chapel Hill dynamic duo Birds & Arrows are without a doubt one of my favorite bands. Consisting of husband and wife Pete and Andrea Connoly, Birds & Arrows’ songs are love songs. Professing your love for one another in a band setting through your music can really run the risk of being cheesy but these two do it in such a way that makes you fall in love with them as you listen to them. The vocal arrangements are pure and real and you can’t help but be drawn in by their personalities and they’re over all warm nature towards each other and their fans.
This particular show has the band performing some (at the time) new songs that would be featured on their 2nd EP “Woodgrain Heart”. The awesome “Garden Shed” serves as a great opener and Pete’s “Black Shoes” from this show is what made it one of my top 5 fave Birds & Arrows songs. Together, they sing with such passion and when singing alone, it’s amazing how their personalities come out. Andrea projects her vocals with passion and with confidence while Pete’s vocals show a tender and maybe even vulnerable side of him which serves as a great balance. The two cover closer featuring The Pretneders’ “Brass In Pocket” and an amazing version of U2’s “Bad” was a strong and captivating way to end the show. These guys are fantastic and I highly suggest checking their stuff out. You’ll be glad you did!
Kick my frigign’ ass won’t ya? The Scorpions are one of those 80’s metal bands that had a great singer, great musicians and great songs. Not all were great but this one is a great song. And to top it off, it’s the live version from World Wild Live. Not that “fake” live bullshit but REALLY live. The video has them kicking ass in Japan where they were and still are huge (SURPRISE!). I always thought live videos were cool and even dug when the band added footage of them fucking around backstage and around town being goofs. Great video and kick ass song.
Megadeth – Symphony Of Destruction
Here we are once again with Megadeth kicking ass. The video has lots of political and social imagery about how the big fat bald white guys make money and stand by as the long haired kids suffer at his evil grasp. Burning American flags, protest marches, tear gass and a politician who gets shot definitely takes this video to “11”. The only thing that would’ve made this video better is if Dave Mustaine same out and started beating the politician dude with his pointy flying V guitar. When you’re Megadeth, it’s hard to not look like you mean fucking business.
This just kicks all kinds of ass! This is the Foo Fighters performing at Vh1’s “Rock Honors” for The Who. They do Young Man Blues and then bring out Supergrass singer Gaz Coombes to kick mucho ass on Bargain. Enjoy!
October 6th was to be an exciting day for KISS fans/dorks (aka. The KISS Army) all over the country. This was the day that Walmart stores would unveil KISS Korner. KISS Korner is a special section that features KISS merchandise such as the new album “Sonic Boom”, KISS Potato Heads, blankets, trading cards, and a few other assorted KISS items. Detroit area Walmarts unveiled the KISS Korner early due to the band’s appearance at the legendary Cobo Hall and fans went apeshit up there!
So October 6th gets here, and guess what? NO KISS KORNER! That’s right. I started getting emails from readers all over saying that they had called their local Walmarts and even visited them in person only to find that there was no KISS Korner. To top it all off, the people at the stores seemed to know absolutely nothing about it. I decided to do my own investigative research into this matter since not only am I blogger that looks after my readers, I’m a KISS fan that wants my cool shit! As first I thought maybe it was because some of these folks were in rural areas where the market for KISS stuff wasn’t that great but then I started getting messages from people in NYC about the same thing. Forgive me if I’m wrong but last time I checked, NYC is a HUGE market for KISS. It’s their fucking hometown!
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).
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 
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.
Greenville, SC wanted the best and on October 17th, they got the best. In support of their latest album “Sonic Boom”, 
After over 15 years, I finally got the chance to be graced with the presence of 
I remember being in high school with all my brothers in metal (aka. My dorky friends) and being so stoked to see our favorite bands. It was also nothing for us to wait around after the concert out by the tour bus for sometimes two hours for the bands to come out from backstage. There was always that rush of thoughts going through my mind. Are they gonna be cool? Are they gonna be assholes? Are they gonna chat with us and hang out? Then all of the sudden there they were, coming out of the backstage door towards us.
October 6th was to be an exciting day for 