NYS Music 20​13

Author: Michael Hallisey

  • Busy Dave Grohl getting recognized

    Dave Grohl’s involvement with Swedish rockers, Ghost, was the butt of one April Fool’s prank earlier in the year, but his contributions to the Rock & Roll world may finally be rewarded with a prestigious accolade come next May.

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    A young Grohl as a member of Nirvana.

    Wednesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named Nirvana among a field of 16 nominees for the induction Class of 2014. Grohl was drummer for Nirvana from 1990 to 1994 (and not a mere doppleganger, as some on the Internet have observed).

    “Interesting,” Grohl told Rolling Stone. “Well, hopefully they make us wait as long as Rush did.”

    The field of nominees include – Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, The Replacements, YES, Link Wray and The Zombies, KISS, LL Cool J, N.W.A., Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, The Meters, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Chic.

    Grohl stepped into the limelight in 1990 as part of the three-piece grunge band from Seattle.  The video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” served as the proverbial trumpet blast that ushered in the grunge movement to mainstream television on MTV.

    The band would ultimately disband when Kurt Cobain died four years later. Grohl, however, has remained busy. He continues to perform under Foo Fighters, a band he founded initially as a solo project. Since 1994, Foo Fighters has released eight studio albums.

    Despite the huge impact Nirvana left upon the music industry (selling approximately 70 million albums as of date), Grohl’s personal resume is perhaps more impressive.  He has become ever-present.  Outside of Foo Fighters, Grohl has an impressive resume that includes collaborative work with Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Slash, and Iggy Pop, and Queens of the Stone Ages. He is also a man of many hats, who has taken on the duties of drummer, singer, song writer, film director and guitarist.

    Last week, Ghost revealed that Grohl produced their upcoming EP, “If You Have Ghosts.” In past months, his involvement with Ghost has been speculated to go beyond that of producer.

    Ghost is (in)famous for performing under shadow, of speak.  The front man dons ceremonial garb akin to a Catholic cardinal., and is supported by an act dressed in dark, hooded robes, who refer to themselves collectively as “nameless ghouls.”

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    Ghost, in concert (Photo by: Jim Gilbert)

    This past April, it was reported that Grohl admitted to being one of the nameless ghouls. With the news release reported as of April 1st, the news was quickly debunked as a hoax; however, search engines have an uncanny ability to breath life in such things.

    “If You Have Ghosts,” is scheduled for a November release.

    Nirvana received a nomination for induction in it’s first year of eligibility – 20 years after the death of Cobain.  The induction ceremony will be broadcast in May 2014 on HBO.

    Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, continues to fight the Hall of Fame over mementos of her late husband.  She reportedly slammed the Hall for their induction class back in 2000, and demanded the return of items of which she claims ownership. “I hope that no one I know is ever inducted into your idiotic ‘Hall of Fame,’” she is reported to have stated in a telegram.

    Rush, the legendary rockers from Canada, were inducted into the Hall of Fame only last year, only after several years of clamoring from fans.

  • Heart of Hand, bassist split

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    It was reported Monday that Brit-rockers, Heart of Hand had parted ways with their bassist, Carl Martin.

    The band released a statement over Facebook and Twitter recognizing Martin for being there “from the start” and complimenting him for playing “a huge part [in] shaping Heart in Hand into what it is today.”

    The announcement did not go into detail into why they decided to sever ties with one another, only in that there were no “hard feelings” and that Martin was moving on to other ventures.

    When I reviewed their CD “Almost There” this past May, Martin was not listed among the band members (and that’s likely my fault).  Nonetheless, I found the core musicians within the band to be extremely talented, even likening them to Dream Theatre.  Overall, the instrument play was sharp and had nothing but compliments to share for them.  It will be interesting to see how his departure will effect the band’s overall sound.

    No other news could be found about where Martin is going next.

  • Spirit of flight lost on Psycroptic

    Those who often travel usually have horror stories to share about missing luggage, or being bumped from their flight.  The members of death metal band Psycroptic recently joined that fraternity, in a most inconvenient way.

    Psycroptic is a death metal band out of Tasmania, Australia. They’ve been together for 14 years and have a strong following based on their Facebook page, which has more than 96 thousand likes.  Their most recent release was “The Inherited Repression” in February 2012.

    Based on their Facebook page , Psycroptic was in the midst of closing out a tour across Europe when they were apparently stranded in Moscow, Russia.

    On Monday, the band took to Facebook and Twitter with the following:

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    Though there was no response from the band via Twitter, it appears they were able to reach their destination, albeit later than they had anticipated.

    Qantas is Australia’s largest airline, the oldest continuously operated airline in the world, and boasts to never having lost a jet airliner nor had any fatal accidents – outside of World War II.  The band pokes fun of the airliner’s company slogan: Spirit of Australia.

  • Voice of Gen-X Pearl Jam rings out with Lightning Bolt

    Pearl Jam to tour, release tenth studio album Lightning Bolt Oct. 15th

    Twenty-two years have come and passed since the release of Pearl Jam’s Ten, eclipsing the career of former NBA point-guard Mookie Blaylock, to whose jersey number the band paid homage. But, unlike an aged athlete who fails to recognize the time to retire, Pearl Jam has retained their relevancy through a sound which has matured along with the generation it initially helped define.

    Pearl Jam was born out of the hot cauldron that was the Seattle grunge movement of the early ‘90s. It was a revolution in both music and image.  It revolted against the pop-synth sound that dominated the Top 40 with heavy bass and lyrics that told stories of depression and ostracism. And, where television’s Beverly Hills 90210 portrayed rich, preppy teenagers in the midst of decadence in sunny California, followers often times embraced a hippy look complete with long hair, Birkenstocks, baggy clothes and plaid. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard achieved success earlier as members of the band Mother Love Bone. However, the unfortunate death of their frontman, Andrew Wood, not only served as a harbinger for a heroine-infested scene that would also see the premature deaths of Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon), it created an opportunity to introduce wordsmith and vocalist,  Eddie Vedder.

    Through the years, Pearl Jam has captured listeners with existential lyrics and garage rock sound that continues to speak to members of Generation X, who grew up along with the band.

    Generation X, in general, is characterized by openly acknowledging and embracing social diversity in terms of  race, class, religion, ethnicity, culture, language, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Unlike their predecessors who challenged leaders with an intent to replace them, Gen X’ers are less likely to idolize leaders and are more inclined to work toward long-term institutional and systematic change through economic, media and consumer actions. Views, in which, coincide with those of Pearl Jam as well.

    Throughout its career, Pearl Jam has promoted wider social and political issues, from pro-choice sentiments to opposition to George W. Bush’s presidency. Vedder acts as the band’s spokesman on these issues. The band has promoted an array of causes, including awareness of Crohn’s disease, which McCready suffers from, and Ticketmaster venue monopolization. Gossard has also been active in environmental pursuits, and has been an advocate of Pearl Jam’s carbon neutral policy, offsetting the band’s environmental impact.

    In 2011, Pearl Jam was named Planet Defenders by Rock The Earth for their environmental activism and their large-scale efforts to decrease their own carbon emissions.

    To date, the band has sold more than 31.5 million records in the United States and an estimated 60 million worldwide.  Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries, and is one of the most influential bands. And, come October 14th, the band will be releasing their tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt, to an international audience (October 15thfor domestic release). The release will be followed by a two-leg tour in North America during October and November, then they will headline the Big Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

    PJ_LightningBolt_COVERARTThis 12-song compilation is a signature Pearl Jam experience. Of which, the first three song, “Getaway”,” Mind Your Manners” and “My Father’s Son”, harkens to their garage punk influences. Most notably of this is Manners, a fast-paced, in your face , anthem which McCready has already professed to being influenced by the Dead Kennedys. It’s true to its influence, and comes off as a genuine piece of their own. It’s followed by “My Father’s Son” an introspective look at the narrator, with a foreboding and nostalgic sound that carries a similar fingerprint to Vs.   “Pendulum”, somber and haunting in tone, is yet another song that shares that same similarity that longtime fans will recognize.

    Aside from two ballads, which will be mentioned in a moment, the CD transitions from garage-punk to classic rock, which McCready recently described as having a “Pink Floyd vibe”.  Matt Cameron’s drum play does present a classic-rock presence throughout the majority of the album.  The title track “Lightning Bolt” is an arena rock piece, heavy on McCready’s guitar play, something that should be fun to hear live. The boys, however, seem to go farther back than Floyd on “Let the Records Play,” a piece played in a honkey-tonk style, made popular in the ‘50s, that showcases Ament’s rhythm guitar.

    In addition to honkey-tonk, “Sleeping By Myself” is yet another stretch from the expected.  It’s a song originally recorded for Vedder’s solo album, Ukulele Songs. As implied, the ukulele takes the forefront in this sweet, laidback piece on unrequited love.

    “Sirens”, which was just released last month, breaks us from the punk inspired songs of the first three tracks.  It’s a beautifully penned ballad by McCready, where the narrator, a “grateful man”, confesses his fears of possibly losing his lover due to poor choices he has made.  This is one of two noteworthy ballads; the other being “Future Days”, the twelfth track on the album.  Days opens with the elegant piano play of Boom Gaspar, but is predominately played on acoustic guitar. With touching lyrics – “I believe, ‘cause I can see, our future days. Days of you and me.”– Days is a love song that will certainly be played as the first dance for couples on their wedding day.

    Lightning Bolt is Pearl Jam’s first album in five years, and has been well worth the wait.  Producer Brendan O’Brien  masterfully facilitates transitions from one song to the next, each blending well in both tempo and style of play.  Longtime fans will embrace such songs as Manners, My Father’s Son, and Pendulum for nostalgic reasons.   But, overall, Pearl Jam has refined their sound, pushed out enough to make things fresh, that I believe there are plenty of gems here to make this CD a worthwhile purchase for even the casual fan. Each song has the potential to stay with you, long after you stopped playing it.

    For more information, visit Pearl Jam at www.pearljam.com.

  • Preview: Zed – Desperation Blues out May 21st

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    Guitarist Angus Young only plays three chords, and he makes no apologies for it.  Do you think he needs to apologize for playing only three chords? Of course you don’t, because he’s Angus Young of AC/DC. Same thing applies with Zed, whose second album “Desperation Blues” is slated for release Tuesday (May 21st). .

    The connection between AC/DC and Zed can be made with a shot of whiskey and a middle finger, as this quartet from the San Francisco Bay Area might say for themselves. They list Young and AC/DC as among their influences, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.  Hard Rock, as it was first established decades ago, but nonetheless still popular. It is the band’s self proclaimed mission to bring back “the guts, the grit and the balls to Rock.” Zed will also list off “contemporaries”, such as Queens of the Stone Age, Clutch and Rage against the Machine.

    (Yes, the word, contemporaries is in quotes to respectfully bust on these Bay Area boys, only because Rage and the lot have been around for 20 years. If they were cars, they’d be classics themselves. And, come to think of it, classic is just how I’d describe Zed’s sound.)

    Right off the rip, you get a catchy tune coming from the first song on the album, “Please.” It comes out with heavy drums, and a distorted bass guitar. The first few seconds sounds like a funky, jazz/grunge fusion. And, you’ll get that peppered throughout. You can hear the influences of Clutch and Queens of the Stone Age, with the choice in cadence and delivery of lyrics from lead man, Pete Sattari.  You can even hear a little bit of Rage in the versatile guitar play of Greg Lopez, and some of that grunge-era bass play from Mark Aceves.  By the time you’re into “Crawl Back to You,” the fifth song on the album, you’ve experienced said versatility.

    Overall, Zed rings true in what they advertise. To say that you’re not going to get anything new or innovative out of these guys is not meant to imply this album is tiresome or boring. This is you’re Budweiser. This is that steak joint downtown that you like.  It’s where you want to go, when you know what you want.  Its one thing for a band to say they’re bringing the rock and roll, but it’s quite another when that band succeeds in delivering, and that’s just what Zed can do.

    For more information, click on the links below:

    zedisded.com

    facebook.com/zedrocknow

    youtube.com/zedrocknow

  • Heart in Hand “Almost There”

    Brit rockers, Heart in Hand, kick-off their second album “Almost There” locally on May 14th.  Produced by Pedro Texeira, they blend together melodic, transcendental instrumentals along with barking lyrics that define their hardcore roots. Front man, Charlie Holmes and crew are apparently excited about what the band calls, “quite simply a masterclass in how to create a truly engaging Hardcore record.”

    One should be able to appreciate some real talent from this group.  In “Old Tattoos”, I was caught up in the ethereal guitar play between Ollie Wilson and Ed Hartwell. It’s perhaps the best (nearly) three minutes on the entire CD that is distantly akin to Dream Theatre. And, you’ll see the same kind of play under tracks “Proposal” and “Vows”. Wilson and Hartwell have no trouble flipping the switch back to the hard stuff to accompany Holmes as well.

    I’m not certain I’d be quick to call this one a “masterclass” but Heart in Hand certainly wears their collective heart upon their sleeve in this installment. I give props to Holmes for actually sounding coherent throughout the majority of the CD. But, I have genuine concern for him when I hear the lyrics. For example, from their title track, “You’re the one. Can you save me from myself? Keep me by your side (and) don’t let me go.” I feel that I’m handling someone who is emotionally unstable, and that I should be careful with what is written here. Matters get worse, psychologically, under the eighth track “Old Tattoos.” “I don’t know how I always find a way to forgive you, but I do.  And, I always will. I’m nothing without you.”  It’s like an anthem for unhealthy, dependent relationships. If you can relate to these lyrics, seriously, seek help. I digress.

    I have to admit, the band play on the instrumentals seemed to showcase this band’s talent at its best. Set aside the merits I paid to Holmes for the relative clarity in his singing, but there appears to be a rift in the caliber of performance from when he sings and when he does not. It should be noted that this difference could be a deliberate attempt to move the listener with what the band describes as “soaring peaks and bitter lows.”  Blending together dream-like instrumentals with typically harsh metalcore lyrics was entertaining and done well. Nevertheless, I can’t help but recognize the prophetic nature of the album’s title.

    For more information, visit the band on Facebook: Facebook.com/heartinhandukmh

  • Album Review: NERO DI MARTE

    Nero di Marte is an experimental metal band based in Bologna, Italy. Formerly known under the name “Murder Therapy” since 2007, the band released their debut album Symmetry of Delirium in 2009 and the EP Molochian in 2011.

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    Michael: Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.  This is my first confessional in the Church of Metal.

    Father Ozzy: What is it?

    Michael: I was assigned the task of reviewing Nero Di Marte’s self titled, debut CD.  Well, technically it’s their third CD, but they changed their name from Murder Therapy recently, and this is the first CD under their new name.

    Father Ozzy: Stop bloody wanking and get on with it.

    Michael: Uh, right. Anyway, I got the CD, and I listened to it.

    Father Ozzy: Are you asking me? How am I supposed to bloody know you listened to it?

    Michael: I mean, I listened to it, but…(pause)

    Father Ozzy: Yes?

    Michael: Well, you see. It’s…(pause)

    Father Ozzy: Will you come on with it, already!

    Michael: Father. I didn’t like it….(pause)

    Father Ozzy: Where’s the sin in that?

    Michael: I only listened to it once.  I couldn’t stand to listen to it anymore.

    Nero Di Marte is a quartet out of Italy.  They have a world release out of Prosthetic Records in a few days (March 18th in the United Kingdom, March 19th in the United States and March 22nd in Eurpoe), and I don’t want to pick it up anymore.  It scares me.

    Father Ozzy: You’re talking to the Prince of bloody Darkness, how is this CD scary?

    Michael: I know the band likes to experiment with their sound, but everything was off. The guitars drowned the vocals. The guitars were out of synch with everything. And, don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of drums, but the drums overpowered everything.  Not only that, the cadence was off at times. It sounded like the guitars were playing to a different song than the drums! It was bedlam!

    Father Ozzy: (pause)

    Michael: Father?

    Father Ozzy: What else can you say?

    Michael: Lead singer, Sean Worrell is a howler monkey?

    Father Ozzy: Stop with the bloody howler monkey thing! It’s metal!

    Michael: You didn’t do it!

    Father Ozzy: Don’t you think I’m challenged enough with my speech?

    Michael: What’s my penance, Father?

    Father Ozzy: Listen to the CD again. Ask people not to take your judgments into mind, but let them decide for themselves the quality of this work.

    For more information, please go to www.nerodimarte.com

  • Album Review: Chariots of the Gods – Tides of War

    Touting themselves as “straight up, balls to the wall, in your face Heavy Metal”, Chariots of the Gods have been spreading their melodic death-thrash across Canada since 2008. Though they’ve been around for five years – they have an EP (Reverence – 2010) and cameos on a few compilations to show for it – Tides of War marks their first, full length studio effort, and it doesn’t show.

    chariots of the godsFrom the rip, Tides of War gleams of a polished effort from this Ottawa quintet, thanks in part to producer, Glen Robinson, an acclaimed music veteran whose long list of work includes the names of Queensryche, AC/DC, David Bowie, GWAR and more.

    The band describes itself as showing only nuances of metalcore, but frontman Renaud Jobin certainly rings true to that genre (I call it being a howler monkey, but I can’t pan his efforts only because it doesn’t agree with my own personal tastes). His singing fits in well with the music. These nuances, as they say, really comes out on the CD’s third track, “Blind Assassin”. Guitarists Mathieu St-Amour and Dimitri Gervais each play with such precision and at lightning speed on this track, and throughout their entire work, to work in concert with Rich O’Neil’s rapid drum work is enough reason to pick up this CD.

    But, what impresses me most from Tides of War, and what I think really shows the personality and drive behind this band, lies within “Revillusion (1905)”, “Snow Falls on the White River (1914)”, and “Severing the Bloodline (1917)”. As it stands alone, “Snow Falls” doesn’t sound like it belongs on this CD. Its slow, melodic acoustic guitar is joined by piano play that slows down the overall pace. But, in fact, it accompanies the introduction to “Revillision” nicely. It’s a brief, minute-and-a-half transition that indeed fits. You can see Chariots of the Gods are not interested in serving up the cliché, and that they push to stretch out beyond being just another metalcore band. Tides of War does not have the theatrics of Queensryche’s metal operetta Operation Mindcrime, but the subtleties are present enough to sense Robinson’s influence here as well.

    If this is your first time hearing of Chariots of the Gods, I guarantee this will not be the last. The howling of lyrics that goes with metalcore may not appeal to me, personally, but these guys have a whole lot going for them. Their debut installment screams of an ambition and a discipline that exceeds their peers. Their sound is polished and can appeal to the masses. Tides of War showcases a wide breadth of talent, a talent that will take this band wherever it is they choose to go.

    For more information, visit www.chariotsofthegods.net

  • Album review: Edge of Attack

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    Son, we live in a world that has heavy metal, and heavy metal has to be played by men and women with passion. Who’s gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility (as a reviewer) than you could possibly fathom. You weep over the death of hair bands, and you curse the Edge of Attack. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want guitar solos, you need marathon drum solos. We use words like old-school, thrash, power. Edge of Attack uses these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain them to someone who rises and sleeps under the blanket of awesomeness that Edge of Attack provides, and then questions the manner in which they provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way.

    Edge of Attack isn’t about to apologize for the nostalgic sound that harkens back to acid washed jeans and teased out hair that was ever-present in the 1980s. (Nor am I apologetic for invoking Jack Nicholson’s iconic Col. Jessup from “A Few Good Men”. Both have a time and a place, and when that all comes together, it sounds pretty awesome.) The crew from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada only recently released their third installment (February 19th), a self-titled CD that makes good on their promise to provide old-school metal “with a modern edge.” It’s a formula that’s dangerous to handle, as nostalgic metal certainly has an appeal to an older demographic, but to be attractive to everyone, you have to provide something different.

    Edge of Attack has ten, of what I call, war anthems. Each song portrays a battle being fought, from “In the Night,” (To fight or die, is your fate.) to “Set The World Aflame”. The CD’s opening song, “In Hell” has an Icelandic Folk Metal influence akin to Korpiklanni, but the vocals are sincerely their own. Their work has an eclectic blend of sounds interwoven within this CD. That’s aided by the fact that three of the songs feature vocals from outside the band – Ivan Giannini, Ryan Bovaird (Hallows Die, out of Ontario) and PelleK (Damnation Angels, out of England) – which enhances the overall experience. An awkwardly-placed “howler monkey”, three-minutes into the song nearly taints what, otherwise, is a refreshing lyrical experience provided to the listener by lead vocalist, Roxanne Gordy.

    [A howler monkey describes the occurrence of lyrics being barked, grunted and bellowed, rendering the song incoherent; nonetheless, it has become commonplace in metal today.]

    The signature track on the CD would have to be, “Set The World Aflame,” Timing in at nearly eight-and-a-half minutes, it presents a bombastic display of heavy metal goodness, showcasing Trevor Swain’s machine gun drums to the feverish guitar work of Jurekk Whipple (lead), Dallas Dyck (rhythm) and Denver Whipple (bass).

    Not to take away from the band’s abundance of talent, or this CD to which I find to be a joyous experience, Edge of Attack works the nostalgic metal formula just well enough to be good. So much so, whatever it is preventing them from catapulting into the stratosphere, is somewhere in the night. And, it can be certain, they will be fighting. Otherwise, you want this CD. You need this CD.

    Available on iTunes, here.