Supergroups

Well it’s been a busy year for supergroups, and I’ve definitely had a pretty big taste of Supergroup Stew this year. Many people I talk to don’t particularly like what feels like a new phenomenon. For the most part I disagree. And I have some evidence to back up my findings.

Oysterhead
Consisted (past tense, unless you hold out hope they’ll get back together) of Trey Anastasio (Phish), Les Claypool (Primus and 100 other bands) and Stewart Copeland (the Police).

As far as I’m concerned, this is the ultimate jamband supergroup. For my money, Les is one of the best bassists around. I’ll take him any day to back my rhythm section, but then on top of that you add Stewart Copeland?!?! Stewart Effing Copeland?? My god! Legend. And then the cherry on top is Trey? Wow.
In my mind they didn’t disappoint. The live show was fun and entertaining. From what I recall I couldn’t stop watching Copeland. Just a real good time. The album stays in the rotation and gets an occasional listen. Some huge Les/Primus influence. Not that that’s a bad thing!

Overall Grade: B/+


Chickenfoot
This might be the most blatant, hey I lost all my cash when the market went to shit, cash grab of them all. Chad Smith (Chili Peppers), Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (Parts Unknown) and Joe Satriani (one of the best guitar shredders of all time!) teamed up for an album release and a small venue tour, followed by an amphitheatre run.

I was able to see them on the first leg of their US run at the Middle East downstairs in Boston. I think they had about 5 live shows under their belt at that time. If you haven’t been to the Middle East, the place is about as big as my basement. Only it was packed with Marshalls stacks. I was actually scared for my hearing when I walked downstairs. But having an opportunity to see Satriani up THAT close? Once in a lifetime. Well worth the $30 I ponied up.

The album was alright. Paint by the numbers rock. Nothing mind shattering or that original.

Final Verdict: Sammy and Michael? Cash grab. No doubt. Chad Smith? Most likely partying and passing the time until the Chili Peppers get back into the studio. Joe Satriani? Not really sure….

Overall Grade: B- (the venue saved them)

Dead Weather
Jack White is one of my favorite current musicians. No doubt about it. In my mind he’s one of, if not the best, song writer and musician going.

With Dead Weather he changes it up. He’s behind the drum kit instead of on lead guitar. First time since he was like a teenager. But not to worry. The band has plenty to offer.

Allison Mosshart from the Kills provides an amazing front woman presence. Definite punk background there. Rounding out the group are Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar and Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs).

Album verdict? Yummy. Really enjoyed it. No surprise it’s a mashup of the Stripes, Raconteurs and, from what little I’ve heard the Kills. It was essentially confirmed in a Rolling Stone interview with Jack White recently that there is a new album in the works. Look for a spring 2010 release.

Live? Phenomenal energy. Allison Mosshart did not disappoint. Jack Lawrence was steady as he goes. I did feel as though Dean Fertita was playing like Jack White was looking over his shoulder. He probably was. About halfway in he seemed to loosen up. Jack White was a pretty steady rudder for the band. Not bad for a lead guitarist willing to take a risk.

At just over an hour it was a tad bit short for me. Definitely felt as though they needed another album under their belt to carry a live show.

Overall Grade: B (points off for a short live show)

Them Crooked Vultures
This has been Dave Grohl’s wet dream for years- to play with Zeppelin! Oh wait…..this is only part Zeppelin.

I bring you John Paul Jones (if you need an introduction please stop here, go to your favorite record store and get every Led Zeppelin CD available, and call me when you’re done) Dave Grohl (some bands called Nirvana; Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age aka QOTSA) who for the time being are together under the name Them Crooked Vultures.

I saw them recently at the House of Blues in Boston. All I knew about them at the time was what I could find on YouTube. From what little I could see there I could tell that there was a nice energy, and a tremendous sound. Some definite potential.

Well that was confirmed and then some. I left the HOB after about 90 minutes completely impressed and ready for more. Not bad for a band I had never seen live or even really heard before. They were that good.

Their debut (not sure if there will be more?) came out November 17th. I have a buy recommendation out for all of my clients. It's a fun rock album with some interesting sounds and arrangements.

Overall Grade: B/+

Hear My Train a Comin’

No need to worry, that’s just the sound of Phish barreling down the highway. Again.

Fresh off their successful 3 day run at the site of the Coachella Festival in southern California, Phish just wrapped up their first fall tour since 2000.
More please. I’m officially a Phish junkie.

Unlike some of my fellow long time listeners I feel as though I can listen with an open mind. Is this vintage ’92-’95 or ’96-’98 we’re hearing? No. Not quite. Yet. But it’s still pretty damn good. Best jamband out there. Not even close.

What I’ve heard on the Fall tour and the end of their summer tour is that they’re getting their musical legs back. Especially Trey. I felt as though on parts of the the 2009 summer tour, Trey was the little brother running down the street trying to catch up with his older brothers. Page and Mike definitely came back ready to retake their place as the best jamband this side of the Grateful Dead.

And they appear to be doing it a different way- they’re having fun again. I don’t profess to know every single nugget about the band, but it seems like they’re enjoying each other’s company. And it shows with their recent performances. I can’t imagine what mental and physical toll you put your body and your band’s relationship through while on the road. And if you have your wife and kids in tow, then that just adds another dimension.

For those of you that just want to bitch and complain that Phish 3.0 sucks, stay the F off the internet and stop going to shows. Seriously. More tickets are available for me, and less idiots for me to deal with when I do go to a show. Because you know what, who else are you going to follow? Dave Matthews Band? Go have fun with that.

Because when you’re rubbing elbows and sharing a keg stand with all the frat dudes at a Dave show, I’ll be the narc in the parking lot rolling a fattie with the smelly hippies. And hanging out with some guy in Portland that looks just like the rocker dude from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and he’s wearing nothing but a blue robe. In the front row. In November. Now that’s funny! True story.

My god I must have 100's of stories like that. Need to do a braindump on that. More later....

Guns n' Roses to tour?!

That is no misprint my friends, or some drug induced title. Wow. Talk about a traveling circus. And what an amazing train wreck that would be! Great theatre. The rumors I’ve seen so far are of a tour in Canada, eh! And now South America. Notice no mention of the music? Yeah, that’s intentional.

Have you bought, listened to or stolen a copy of the long anticipated Chinese Democracy? Full confession. I bought it. Yep. I slapped down my $9.99 like a card carrying member of Gn’R nation. My first reaction was disbelief. As if I couldn’t believe I put my ears through that. I felt as though I owed my ears an apology. It’s an absolute mess that’s so far over mixed it should be illegal. I think I get what Axel was going for? I think. But there’s way too many layers here that make my ears want to barf.

It just makes me wish that I was a fly on the wall for some of the mixing sessions that dragged out for what seemed like 10 years. Just seeing Axel Rose, that neurotic S.O.B. losing his mind over the smallest detail would have been worth the price of admission. Now THAT’S a reality show I’d watch!

Zep II

Big weeks for birthdays. Happy 40th Zep II!! Yeam, um, not much to say here. Track list says it all. Turn it up and wake up the neighbors!

Whole Lotta Love
What Is and What Should Never Be
The Lemon Song
Thank You
Heartbreaker
Living Living Maid (She's Just a Woman)
Ramble On
Moby Dick
Bring It On Home

Make Layne proud, or else!

With Alice in Chains' long awaited release Black Gives Way to Blue, they have done just that.

I can hear the doubters on the web “They’re just trying to replace the late Layne Staley” or “I can’t believe they’d carry on without Layne”. Well, before you blanket this release with a negativism, take a listen. You’ll find that it’s pretty damn good. Is it classic Dirt Alice in Chains? Nope. Does it stand alone, and is it good enough to carry the Alice in Chains name? Definitely.

Alice in Chains needs a specific type of singer that not only compliments their broody, dark approach, but can also carry it. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce William DuVall. His tone and approach is very similar to that of the late Layne Staley. Is it a coincidence? Maybe so. Maybe not. Could Arnel Pineda, the replacement lead singer of Journey carry this band, not only with this release but also their catalog? Ummmm. Yeah. Probably not. But this new combination works. And in my opinion it works very well. Sample "Check My Brain", "Last of My Kind" or "All Secrets Known" and tell me you don’t hear AIC? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Now stop reading this and go out and buy it! Seriously.

Happy Birthday Pretty Hate Machine

A day late. Sorry Trent! 20 years ago yesterday Nine Inch Nails released Pretty Hate Machine. 20 years. Damn I'm getting old. Long before Limp Bizkit, Korn, Linkin Park et al were doing their "I did it all for the nookie" thing, along comes Trent Reznor with this mish mosh of hard rock, industrial rock, and for good measure throw in some goth and there you have it. And I gotta say, what a freakin' masterpiece! I gave it another listen today. Still relevant. Still edgy. Still very angry! Definitely stands the test of time.

It's a shame NIN faded into the sunset a few months ago. Reznor called it quits from touring. I've heard some of the farewell shows. My lord. Top of his game.

My only regret is never seeing NIN live.

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? Did you take Bon Scott with you?

I might be going off the plantation a little here, but I absolutely love AC/DC. Let me qualify. OLD SCHOOL AC/DC. A good friend of mine calls Van Halen audio Red Bull, and if you think about it, let it sink in you’ll find yourself saying “Abso F’n Lutely!” You get extra credit for saying it while throwing the metal salute. Points off if you're saying "Huh"?

Well, AC/DC for me is Jolt. A little dirty, a little raunchy, a little more trailer trash, but equally as good and satisfying. Try it sometime when you need a lift and you’ll find Bon Scott’s booze induced wail coupled with Angus Young’s rock strut will take you to the place you need to be.

I’m convinced Bon Scott and Keith Moon were nursed from the same mother. That immense sense of reckless abandon is mind boggling. According to the death certificate he died from Acute Alcohol Poisoning and Death by Misadventure?!? Who the hell dies from Death by Misadventure??

(For the record, Brian Johnson-led AC/DC doesn’t exist. Just a figment of your imagination. With the obvious exception of Back in Black. Damn that’s a masterpiece!)

Are these guys gonna win the Pulitzer Prize for such masterpieces as ‘’Big Balls’’? Please. But if you need a pick me up throw on Dirty Deeds, High Voltage, If You Want Blood You’ve Got It or Highway to Hell and get back to me. You’ll be glad you did. Give me a call when you’re done and I’ll have a smoke and a shot ready for you!

The day the music died….and nobody cared

For those of you waiting on pins and needles to see if Oasis will reconcile their brotherly spat and get back together, wait no longer. They’re done. Yep the band that brought us such memorable hits as “Champagne Supernova” are history. Finis. And I say good riddance.

I thought these guys were supposed to be on par with the Beatles? Just reading that makes me laugh. Oasis is better than arguably the best songwriting duo in history? The coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, or I might just be too lazy right now, but I think their first release is the highest selling album ever in England?? Or was that the Arctic Monkeys? Hmm. As far as I’m concerned they were about as relevant as Bush. They cut out a nice little niche in the mid nineties with a few alternative (that word gets sooooo overused) hits and have been holding onto that success ever since. Thirty years from now they’re a speed bump in the history of Rock n’ Roll.

While I’m on the topic, what is it with brothers and keeping a band together? And yes, I’m looking straight at you Chris and Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes!

Now here’s a band that should take out an ad on the back of a milk carton because they went from vital in the early nineties to completely irrelevant today. How does a band go from the tops of the charts with Shake Your Money Maker to completely no fanfare when their new release Before the Frost...Until the Freeze came out? It came out about a month and a half ago. Never heard of it? Thought so.

Some may argue that they’re a perfect candidate for the ‘'Quit While They're Ahead’’ award. Think Boston. And I’d say yes if it wasn’t for their sophomore release Southern Harmony and the Musical Companion. This is the height of their talent and then went to shit from here. Take a listen. I hear a nice blend of southern blues and a fun lovin' party vibe that fits nicely into the jamband genre. Put them on the same bill with the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, etc and it works. But where did they go from here? Bad songwriting? Crappy management? Bad karma? Kate Hudson effect? Not sure.

Don't call it a comeback!

Yeah that's Right L.L. Cool J, don't call it a comeback!

One of the most influential bands of the last 20 years is back after a few years hiatus. And I have to ask, "Where's the press?" Hmmmmm. Haven't seen any.

If this was Springsteen or Bono, my god, they'd be on 60 minutes or sitting down with Bob Costas just blabbing about it! (For the record I think Springsteen's overrated and the Rolling Stone giving U2 5 stars for their new album? Really. Did I miss something? Smells of a rubber stamping to me.)

Yeah, you guessed it, I'm talking about Phish. Heard of them? The band that will headline, not only one, but 2 nights of Bonnaroo, currently the biggest summer music festival this side of the Atlantic.

The band that I have the 75/95 rule for? Phish at 75% is better than 95% of the bands out there! Still haven't heard of them?

The band that flooded the major highway in Vermont with over 30 miles of traffic just to get to their last weekend "together"? Still not ringing a bell? How about now?

The band that Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler and Widespread Panic need to thank for putting them on the map! still no?

The best jam band since the Grateful Dead? Am I getting warmer Rolling Stone?

Well, they kick off their world domination this weekend. You've officially been put on notice!

Those that should've quit while they were ahead

Recently I was listening to Boston's debut album and I starting thinking, "This is an amazing album" . No fluff. Every song has its' place. And every song rocks from start to finish.

Well, then I start thinking, what the heck happened to them after their impressive debut? Don't Look Back and Third Stage? Ouch. Well, as my mind sometimes wanders into places unknown, I start to think about other bands who may have had a similar fate: solid debut but then fall off the map after that.

I offer up my list my list of bands who have fallen prey to killer first album/lousy follow-up(s)

1. Guns N' Roses: They drop Appetite for Destruction, arguably one of the most influential rock albums of the last 20 years; full of angst; "dirty Sunset Strip rock'' as I like to call it. It's the type of rock where you lock up the women and children and hide the sheep!

This album could also be traced back to be the one album that may have put the first nail in the hair band coffin, and contributed to the grunge and rap/rock revolutions. Yeah, pretty heavy stuff.

I was a Sophomore in High School when it came out and it was like getting hit by a freight train......and then follow-up with Gn'R Lies; Use Your Illusion I & II, etc, etc. Nope. Not even close. I must admit that I'm a huge Gn'R fan. I own all of these albums. Heck, I even bought Chinese Democracy! That's for another time....


2. Boston: They bring us Boston. I was very close to switching #s 1 and 2. I actually gave Gn'R the edge based upon historic value. Let's just take a step back and take a look at this impressive debut.

• More Than a Feeling
• Piece of Mind
• Foreplay/Long Time
• Rock & Roll Band
• Smokin'
• Hitch a Ride
• Something About You
• Let Me take You Home Tonight

Wow. What else is there to say? And then they come back with ......Don't Look Back and Third Stage. Umm.....No further questions. Defense rests.


3. Van Hagar: This one took a little research, but with a little help from my friend Al Gore and the internets I present.....5150. The debut from the new Van Hagar lineup. This album I think resembles the the attitude that Van Halen brought us in the 70's, and provides a bridge to the prevalent sounds of that time. After that, they brought us such memorable albums as OU812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Thud.


4. Buckcherry: Solid debut. Dirty L.A. rock is back! Oh wait..did I just hear them on Kiss 108 sandwiched between Beyonce and Taylor Swift? Dammit!


5. Wolfmother: They actually DID quit while they were ahead. Literally. Their drummer and bassist recently left the band! This choice is actually a speculative choice because I can't imagine them topping their debut.

It's actually nice nice formula for success- throw in some Deep Purple and Zeppelin stadium rock and add a dash of ELP and sorcery and wizard imagery. Fantastic debut album. We'll see what the revamped lineup brings us.

Are the Killers making themselves extinct?

In one word- DEFINITELY. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system let me explain…..

You can count me as a fan of Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town. I’ve read some not so flattering thing about Sam’s Town. In many ways I actually think it’s a better album. I think it’s a nice progression from Hot Fuss; shows some maturity without completely blowing up the nice little niche that they built which includes a current Pop/Rock feel with an 80’s Depeche Mode and Erasure flair. I actually think Brandon Flowers might be one of the better singers out there.

Ok. Fast forward to what happened after Sam’s Town. Apparently they had a bunch of material leftover. So, hey, let’s make a B-sides, leftover material album and call it, ahem …Sawdust? The name should’ve been a dead giveaway because I think the only thing sawdust is good for is making wood pellets. I wish ITunes had a money back option because I’d have a credit in my bank account.

After Sawdust they overdosed on too much Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Bowie, etc. because, as far as I’m concerned, they lost their way. That little flair of the 80’s has now come front and center, and I’m not impressed. Their newest release, Day and Age, is just littered with this new approach and when you throw in some lounge acts tunes like ‘Joy Ride’, I again want a refund.

I saw them recently in Boston, and I can honestly say it was one of the worst shows I’ve seen in a while. Sound mixing was terrible; they were way too loud. I felt like I was watching a hack band in the old part of the Vegas Strip. The band looks like a mix of Bowie impersonators and The Gladiator extras. Well, if I’m Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), I’m giving them the big thumbs down and feeding them to the lions!

And now I read that they’re planning a covers album? Thank god ITunes has an auto-preview feature…..

Trivia Time

According to Wikipedia, aside from Van Halen, Pearl Jam, U2, Dave Matthews Band, Staind and Metallica, what other rock band has three #1 albums in a row? STOP. ANSWER BELOW.
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Disturbed. Yep- I bet bet you got that one, right?

I must say that I am a fan and they probably should've been included in the artists you haven't heard of (or heard) but need to.... list. Well, I'm officially giving them honorable mention. Shame on me for the oversight!

The Sickness and Believe, in my humble opinion, are fantastic hard rock/metal albums. I find The Sickness to have a little more raw, metal edge to it. Believe dulls the metal blade just a hair, but still brings a ton of head banging, fist pumping anthems for my liking.

As an aside, I find absolutely humorous that we always need to find a label for bands How the heck do you give a label to Phish, for example. Sure, they play a majority of rock straight ahead rock, but they dive pretty heavily into bluegrass, border on country, and can on occasion throw in some funk. Oh, let me guess. Rock? Maybe?? Sorry. Getting back into character.

The Power Ballad

Growing up I was stuck with the paint by the numbers tunes WBLM in Portland, ME was playing. Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Ratt to name a few. Aside from the hair products and jean jacket patches, 80's bands also brought us the first over the top, cheesy power ballads.

Poison (I admit I’ve seen them 3-4 times live) could be just ripping through their set, but when Brett Michaels reached for his acoustic, the lights went down except for that lone spotlight, and he started belting out ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’, every Bic from Boise to Boston would light up the place. I’m actually amazed arenas weren’t burned to the ground given the level of drunkenness and combined number of brain cells at any given show. Everyone was doing it. It was like the plague, from Skid Row’s ‘I Remember You’ to Tesla’s ‘Love Song’ and the Scorpions ‘Wind of Change’. Winger’s entire existence was a power ballad!

The trend continues today with such wonderful tracks like Creed's 'With Arms Wide Open', Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain' and just about anything Staind puts out these days.

I file the power ballad under guilty pleasure. Makes you remember certain times in your life and hopefully makes you smile, but it’s something you’d never admit to. Oh crap.