DIE the Monk is a music alias that explores the macro imperfections of the worlds porous skin. In his latest release, The Beauty Complex, the post-rap artist turns a musical effort emotive. Thus, dissecting brash human composition in real time.
London born, Sebastien Carnot, deems the stage as his battleground, “where the enemy of the past meets the savior of self-preservation.” Likewise storytelling through dramatized musical ideas and industrial sounds are the essential elements to his craft. The Beauty Complex surely isn’t everyones spot of tea, but the inter-workings of the album shed light on modern warfare in the likes of self-destruction and social [media] evolution.
The Beauty Complex album art. Released Nov. 19, 2020.
Carnot pursued the DIE the Monk persona in 2018 when he felt the urge to express energy outwards and publicize his secrets. The realization becomes apparent through The Beauty Complex: that we are all Monks, stewing on our own thoughts for better or for worse.
I was aiming to create a dancy album full of industrial noises. Messages in this album surround feelings of concern for: self-preservation, mindlessness, over-thinking, and listening to your gut.
The 9-track DIY opens with “The Void,” a ghoulish opera that crosses the threshold of your inner black hole. With no hope of return, the monk’s musical tinure holds true to the genres dystopian harmony. Immense reverb, choir like voices and a seemingly subconscious conversation drives the listener indefinitely inward.
“Driver,” may have suited as a better opener, as it sucks you into a heavy trance. Envision London’s late night, underground dance tunnel thriving through all hours, until the explodes into a fountaining half-time.
Point blank song titles provoke emotion in its purest form. “Timid” takes on a mystical intro. Opening with heavenly exploration, the music weaves into a darker reality of ones insecurities. Off-the cuff raps leave hints of social media and Instagram complexes, but in monk’s reply “I’m not a pretty picture.” None of us are.
Influenced by artists like Shabazz Palaces, JPEGMAFIA, Xiu Xiu, and Macula Dog, DIE the Monk has carved an underground vibe that transcends pop-up backyard and basement shows. In 2018 DIE the Monk released his debut album, Privacy, filled with drama and dark underlying tones. In the last year a follow up album, Deep End, captured a love disaster, where on his third effort DIE the Monk states “The Beauty Complex is just the beginning.”
The Beauty Complex is surely an acquired taste, yet worth the exploration in its musical and social exploration. The driving and infinite electronic colours will keep the listener entwined. No “Pressure.”
On November 30, 2016, Billy Joel extended his MSG residency continued with his 35th consecutive show at the World’s Most Famous Arena. His first monthly show at the Garden was on January 27, 2014. Joel committed to playing one show a month at the Garden as long as there was a demand for tickets.
Billy broke his own 2006 record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at his thirteenth performance on January 9, 2015. On July 1, 2015, he played his 65th show breaking the record for the most shows at the Garden by a single artist.
Elton John and the Grateful Dead held the record previously. His 74th consecutive MSG monthly show was scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. The show was initially moved to September, but has now been moved back another year till 2021.
According to a statement on Joel’s website, “Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.”
Setlist: Billy Joel at MSG, November 30, 2016
Miami 2017, Pressure, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Vienna, Downeaster Alexa (with Julian Rachlin), Zanzibar, Leningrad, Allentown, New York State of Mind, Root Beer Bag, The Longest Time, My Life, Don’t Ask Me Why, Sometimes a Fantasy, She’s Always a Woman, The River of Dreams, Take it Easy (Eagles Cover), Nessun Dorma, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man
Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl, It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Big Shot, Only the Good Die Young, You May be Right
On the heels of back-to-back releases in 2019 and in anticipation of his long-awaited album, The Billy Danze Project, Mash Out Posse’s (M.O.P.) own Billy Danze returns. His 13-song, 37-minute LP We Busy (The Listening Session) is a collaboration with Swiss producer, Too Busy. Known for his aggressive delivery and roughneck subject matter, Danze gained notoriety during the mid ‘90’s and early 2000’s as part of the hardcore Hip Hop duo M.O.P., along with fellow Brownsville native, Lil Fame.
The Mash Out Posse
Recognized as a hardcore Hip Hop legend, Danze looks to present fans with a different point-of-view ahead of his upcoming album. A close associate and frequent collaborator to fabled producer DJ Premier, much of M.O.P.’s sound was rooted in classic hip hop principles. Heavy drums and loud snares, plenty of scratching, as well as distinctive riffs and sound effects, as exemplified by their breakout single, “Ante Up.” While The Billy Danze Project may see the Brooklyn-bred emcee return to his musical roots, he looks to show fans a different side of himself on We Busy.
“We Busy is more of the thinking section that leads to my album. The soulful beats helped me showcase the Billy Danze my audience may not know; I’m painting familiar portraits on an unfamiliar canvas,” Danze commented.
We Busy features notable collaborations from a number of Hip Hop legends and pioneers. Along with production and narration from DJ Premier, guest appearances can be found from Method Man, legendary rapper, producer and one half of Mobb Deep, Havoc, M.O.P cohort Lil Fame, fellow Brooklyn native and Firm member Cormega and renowned West Coast rapper, producer and Dogg Pound member, Daz Dillinger.
With varying production styles, the project sees Danze remain in his own pocket on the Method Man assisted record, “Gotham.” Yet, on the song “Damn” the underground veteran tries his hand at more contemporary beats and flows, delivering his rhymes in a much lighter and playful tone. On records like “One to Grow on,” the aforementioned soulfulness rears its head, as the Havoc assisted record shows a vulnerable side of Danze. he raps about his apprehensions, fears, failures, goals and ambitions.
Metallica and Metal Church played the night after Thanksgiving in 1986, and the Mid-Hudson Civic Center was sold out. In years following the Mid-Hudson was usually open floor but this show was seated, which killed the vibe a bit, but did not prevent a massive crush and mayhem in front of the stage.
Late 1986 was a strange and sad time for Metallica. At the beginning of the year, they’d released their monumental third album ‘Master of Puppets’, and capitalized on 3 years of touring and huge underground acclaim by becoming THE band of 1986. They opened a nationwide tour for Ozzy Osbourne (which included several New York State gigs in Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Glens Falls and Nassau Coliseum in Long Island) earlier that year, and the ex-Black Sabbath singer was routinely faced with the prospect of following their fireball performances, daunting even for a titan such as he.
Summer 1986 headline gigs – including a scheduled August ‘86 gig at this same venue – were postponed when frontman James Hetfield busted his arm skateboarding, but were rescheduled for October 1986, when the band were scheduled to return from a European tour and headline across the States. Sadly, these too were postponed, for much worse reasons, when iconic bass player Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident in Sweden in late September 1986.
Astoundingly, the band bounced back almost immediately, recruiting Flotsam & Jetsam bass player Jason Newsted, played their first gig in early November, and the band did a Japanese tour just over a month following Cliff’s death. This Poughkeepsie gig, rescheduled for the third time for November 28, happened just 2 months to the day after Burton’s death.
The opening band for Metallica: mighty Seattle metallers Metal Church, who had just released ‘The Dark,’ their second album, a great record. They opened with “Ton Of Bricks,” and played a solid set with songs from both records, to a decent reception, although the crowd was there for one band.
Metallica were crushing, of course. This was Newsted’s 3rd ever U.S. gig with Metallica, and to this writer, it was weird not seeing Cliff up there. In retrospect, Jason did a fine job as Cliff’s replacement – he could never really replace the man, but he was a good bass player, great background vocalist, and did as solid a job as one could do replacing such a major figure. That night he looked uncomfortable and out of place, and for some reason the band stuck to the same routine they’d had previous to Burton’s death – a bass solo before “Whiplash” – and made Newsted do a bass solo, which was utterly unnecessary and really made you miss Cliff. The biggest cheer came at the end of the solo when he did a quick riff from Cliff’s trademark bass solo “Anesthesia”. Beyond that, no mention was made of Cliff Burton.
Anyway, even with a major absence, a great show – pretty much the same headline set they’d been doing all year, all those immortally mighty songs from the first three albums: opening with “Battery” and “Master of Puppets”, a few more newer ‘MOP’ songs like “Sanitarium” and “The Thing That Should Not Be”, and more vintage classics like “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, a thrashing “Whiplash”, singalong bruiser “Seek & Destroy” and a set-ending, world-destroying “Creeping Death”.
The encores were bulletproof pure metal: first-album standard “Four Horsemen,” a quick Kirk Hammet solo, and then their much-loved cover of Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?,” coupled with a neck-snapping “Damage, Inc.,” and a raging, apocalyptic “Fight Fire With Fire.” A final, extra encore was another cover, this time of Blitzkrieg’s face-removing “Blitzkrieg.” Again, there was an air of strange sadness about the entire thing, without the man in bell-bottoms usually on the left side of the stage, hair flailing, roaring on his bass, something was missing. But it did not stop the raw power of this band – at this point, they were still the greatest band on Earth. All hail Metallica.
Metallica Setlist: The Ecstasy of Gold – intro, Battery, Master of Puppets, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Ride the Lightning, Bass Solo, Whiplash, The Thing That Should Not Be, Fade to Black, Seek & Destroy, Creeping Death, The Four Horsemen, Am I Evil?, Damage, Inc., Fight Fire With Fire, Blitzkrieg
All good things must come to an end. For Phish fans, these eight weeks of Trey Anastasio and the Beacon Jams have been a shining light in the darkness deep. The previous seven shows had featured all sorts of stories, guitars, guests and strings and the eighth and final week of this journey was no different.
The finale was highlighted by an explosive “Carini,” beautiful versions of “Pebbles and Marbles” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” and a touching “Liquid Time.” Over 48,000 viewers flocked to Twitch for this final, free, live–streamed performance as donations poured into The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those suffering from addiction, through Phish’s Water Wheel Foundation.
photo by Jake Silco
Earlier in the evening, Trey posted on Twitter for fans to tune in again at 7:50p EST for another installment of his pre-show video series with Page McConnell. This time they treated us to a brief but truly beautiful rendition of “Brian and Robert.” McConnell’s Wurlitzer added considerable depth to this duet as Trey’s acoustic guitar danced around the notes that Page played. The song choice couldn’t have been more appropriate as we’ve all been staring at our walls for the last three seasons and this past month and a half’s worth of shows has certainly been a welcome relief for phans around the globe.
Deviating from the usual opening, the show started in the stairwell of the Beacon Theater with Trey Anastasio playing acoustic guitar, accompanied by James Casey, Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick. The foursome sang the first part of “Just A Touch,” before moving with the camera onto the stage to join the entirety of the Trey Anastasio Band to end this debut with the new way to end any song these days: “Science!” The energy of the show ramped up immediately as the opening notes of “Carini” filled everyone’s living rooms. Harnessing the power of every second set opener ever while adding the intensity of both horns and Cyro’s energy knocked this song into 12th gear.
photo by Jake Silco
Trey started his audience participation portion by reading a “thank you” on behalf of firefighter fans, a comment about one fan’s dog being scared by that monster of a Carini, and a comment about Cyro perhaps playing an empty pie tin from Thanksgiving as an instrument. This segued perfectly into “Mozambique.” This short TAB favorite was followed up by “Burn That Bridge,” a song written by Anastasio and his “Hands On A Hardbody” partner, Amanda Green.
It was only 30 minutes into the show when the donations hit $100K and Trey was visibly blown away by all of the support that had been shown, not only so far this evening, but throughout the entire Beacon run. Showing his gratitude to all those watching, the band went into a marvelous version of “Cayman Review,” featuring Cyro jamming away on the washboard. The conversation then moved back to spatchcocking, to which Ray mentioned that he always hears his name when the topic comes up. (I think we’ll be hearing him referred to as “Ray Spaczkowski” for years to come.) We also learned that Cyro is now officially a grandfather and that Trey now has a picture of his cat Joey on the headstock of his guitar. After these revelations, the band dove into “Speak to Me,” a song that Trey says might be about organic chemistry, which became reality thanks to some new lyric changes.
photo by Jake Silco
After a few heartfelt dedications and fan group donation shout-outs, Trey improvised a mini-song about Buzzetta before going into “Love Is What We Are,” as the donations for the night surpassed $200K. Trey’s chair and acoustic guitar came out as the Rescue Squad Strings arrived on the stage for the first time of the evening and the hearts of everyone watching leapt as Trey began to play “Pebbles and Marbles.” This gorgeous rendition of the classic Phish song showcased the incredible level of detail that string arranger, Don Hart, has shown over this entire concert series.
As the Rescue Squad left the stage, Trey wished Jimi Hendrix a happy birthday and shared that Tony Markellis had seen the guitar legend not once, but twice. This sort of banter has been just as exciting as the music that has been shared these last two months and will surely be missed by everyone who has tuned in. Trey led the band into classic versions of “Drifting” and “Night Speaks to a Woman” before going back into the fan comments and retelling a tale of a TAB performance in Utica at the Stanley Theatre where they had rocked so hard that part of the balcony fell, ending the show early. That infamous show was Cyro’s first performance with the band and certainly speaks to the intensity of this lineup that we’ve grown to know and love.
photo by Jake Silco
Trey interrupted “Liquid Time” less than a minute in to share that he wrote this particular song while under house arrest following his 2006 incarceration, reiterating to anyone that needs help to ask for assistance and thanking everyone again for donations for his treatment center before restarting the song. This was followed up by “Fast Enough for You,” which was amplified by the backup singers that we’ve all been enjoying these last few weeks. By the time this song had completed, the nights donations had passed $300K, and after a couple more fan comments, the band jumped into “Shine,” after which Trey came clean that it shared the ending to a Badfinger song. There’s truly nothing better than Trey coming clean.
“Show of Life,” another great example of a Phish song that’s intensified by the horn players on stage, was dedicated to their drummer, Russ Lawton. This fantastic version segued beautifully into “Ether Sunday” and then a shred-full version of “Simple Twist Up Dave”. Seemingly out of breath, Trey took to his acoustic guitar once more in order to dive into a phenomenal “Slave to the Traffic Light” with the Rescue Squad Strings before soaring into the ending of that masterpiece on his electric guitar.
photo by Jake Silco
Before closing the night, Anastasio belatedly thanked the entirety of the lineup over the last eight weeks as well as the countless people who helped make this entire aural experience possible. The Beacon Jams were capped off in the best way possible, with “First Tube.” The entire band and the Rescue Squad Strings were bathed in the mirror-ball light as Trey gleefully danced around, never missing a beat. Finishing the song with his guitar over his head, Trey ended the night with elbow-bumps to his band before walking out into the Beacon Theater seats to congratulate the staff with facemasks that said “LOVE.”
But the percussion didn’t end as the camera followed him into the Beacon Theatre lobby where over a dozen dancers grooved to the beat as Trey walked out the doors onto the New York City streets where the venue’s marquee showed the immortal words: “Thank You Heather McDougal and to our Frontline Heroes for Everything You Do!”
Set 1: Just A Touch [1], Carini [2], Mozambique, Burn That Bridge, Cayman Review, Speak to Me, Love Is What We Are, Pebbles and Marbles [3], Drifting > Night Speaks to a Woman, Liquid Time [4], Fast Enough for You[2], Shine, Show of Life > Ether Sunday > Simple Twist Up Dave, Slave to the Traffic Light [5], First Tube [6], Jam [7]
[1] Debut; began with Trey on acoustic guitar accompanied by James, Jennifer, and Natalie on vocals in a stairwell in the Beacon and finished with them on stage. [2] Full TAB debut. [3] Began with just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and the TAB horns before switching to electric guitar and the rest of the band joining in. [4] Stopped for Trey to talk and restarted. [5] Full TAB debut; began with just Trey on acoustic guitar with The Rescue Squad Strings and the TAB horns before switching to electric guitar and the rest of the band joining in. [6] With The Rescue Squad Strings. [7] Percussion jam with Trey exiting the Beacon.
Profound Storyteller, Matt Butler, releases a cinematic and heart-stabbing single “Counting The Days” today, Friday, November 27. A stripped down acoustic demo also companies the release.
The Manhattan singer-songwriter gets your heart pounding immediately, boasting you up as Mr.Tough Guy, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. If you’re a Matt Butler fan, you’re sentenced for life. After an interview with Matt at the last instalment of Vans Warped Tour, it was clear he is the real deal. Remarkably his synergy of music, storytelling and humbleness are all backed by a hunger to improve. That will never let the fire die in Matt’s eyes. He makes things real. He makes it personal.
“Counting The Days” is overwhelmingly vivid, released Nov. 27, 2020.
So many palatable emotions rush through your body throughout “Counting The Days” that it’s hard to react. The track opens with an ominous yet eloquent acoustic strumming. Sixteenth-note bass drum kicks make the listener’s heart anxious, ready to unleash a lifetime of pain.
Music is a provocative tool. Opening lyrics immediately cue a 35-mm story reel in the listeners head. Some close their eyes in hopes music will spark their mind’s subconscious and craft inspiration, “Counting The Days” takes out all of the guess work.“Sound of the flies buzzing like a drill / Blood pooling on the table with the beer he spilled / I was frozen still.“
Butler goes on. “Too hot outside to dig a hole in the sand. And too tired to hide the gun in my hand. There was never a plan.” The strings carry momentum, as the tape reel plays, and the image sways on your mind with the heavy 2 & 4 backbeat that Butler carries.
Now, let’s get back to Mr. Tough Guy. Butler hits home here with the stereotypical male complex, that builds you up as each chorus replays. It is easy to feel like that kid, or cowardly man Butler depicts, as the alter ego makes him stand up. As you anchor your feet into the floor, Butler sucks you right into the shoes of the protagonist. It’s unclear who Butler is singing about: You? Me? Himself?
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight? Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight? God be praised, now I’m locked in here I’m just counting the days It was always gonna be this way
Photo Courtesy of Matt Butler.
Butler’s songs are rooted deep in hardship. For those who don’t know Matt, he travels to prisons across the country; singing, sharing and engaging a locked-up community. These stories are so vivid that they bring a tear to your eye. Matt is compassionate and helps these people overcome through song. That effect is compounded on the average listener.
Moreover, when we last interviewed Butler he was on the brink of music school. Now that dream has come to fruition. “I actually produced most of this new track myself, been learning Logic and Ableton during quarantine,” said Butler.
” [I] did a day of tracking vocals and overdubs in the studio and Rocky, the engineer, really helped get the sound. It’s my first real genuine attempt at self producing.”
Read More About Matt Butler on NYS Music
Matt Butler shows have an organic and mysterious quality. There are tears, but there is also laughter. Whether he’s performing at a theater, a state prison or delivering a keynote for a mental health conference, Butler delivers an experience that engages and transforms his audience. Everyone ends up feeling a little more whole, more human, and more connected – often with a changed view of the world around them. Blending rock and folk styles with a few lingering hints of his punk roots, Butler’s music shines a light into some of the darkest corners of our world. He paints vivid pictures of pain and truth while exposing the glimmers of hope that only exist in those raw moments where redemption is born.
“I was drawn to music for as long as I can remember, but music seemed very difficult and inaccessible… You have to risk being rejected and judged. That’s part of the plan, that it’s so scary. I think that whatever you’re scared of doing most, that’s probably what it is that you’re supposed to be doing – on an evolutionary level.”
Manhattan’s own, Matt Butler took an early set on the Monster Energy Stage. The folky, singer-songwriter gave a refreshing outsider’s perspective that pushed Warped fans outside of their comfort zone. Butler has gathered the sounds and stories of the road, shaped in ‘Warped’ roots; he grew up playing in punk and rock bands at CBGB’s and Arleen’s on the lower East Side. “My Favorite bands in high school were Nirvana and Fugazi… my favorite album was Ten by Pearl Jam,” said Butler. “I got more into folk and songwriting because of a band called The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen [laughing]. That’s always the bridge – as we say that in Boardwalk Hall, very appropriate.”
Butler’s set featured numerous tracks recorded this past March, but not yet released including soon-to-be single, “Tell Lucy That I Love Her.” Butler wrote the tune inspired by a tour of state prisons, and at this point he has played around 200 jails in the past 16 months. The idea quickly boomed from a fan-funded endeavour to Butler securing his 501(c)(3) non-profit, to officially bring curated arts programs to jails and underserved institutions – a heart-wrenching inspiration and driver for his music. At certain times it can be as little as four people in a room where they collectively share stories, experiences and music. “It’s a way to see the country, I’ll tell you that. This new song (Lucy) comes from the perspective of someone incarcerated.”
https://youtu.be/Iqto9tBus0M
“Counting The Days” Lyrics
Sound of the flies buzzing like a drill
Blood pooling on the table with the beer he spilled
I was frozen still
Too hot outside to dig a hole in the sand
And too tired to hide the gun in my hand
There was never a plan
But when I saw him sitting there watching TV
I knew he wasn’t planning on letting me be
One of us was always gonna end up dead
But he never saw it coming when he got up and said
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
All summer long he was always around
Had a job painting houses in another town
But couldn’t hold it down
So I’d go out at night and I’d come home late
He’d have the lights turned off but he was wide awake
He was happy to wait
But I didn’t mind the hits I took
If it got my little sister off the hook
I can still hear the sound of her screams
And I can hear him shouting every night in my dreams
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
I’ll tell you right now I always knew I was gonna end up in these prison blues
And if I had a choice, I’d do it again
When I hear that voice I say Amen
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
Billy Squier had pretty much jumped the shark by ’89 – he was constantly on rock radio in the early 80s, but his melodic hard rock throne had been usurped by hair metal bands by this time. His unintentionally hilarious, career-destroying 1986 ”Rock me Tonight” MTV video did not help, in which he sashayed around like… well, go watch it on YouTube, and read the comments, which are fantastic and hilarious, much like the video itself. If this place held 2500 max, there were maybe 200-300 there. The world had moved on from Billy.
Clifton Park Arena, which was not far from where Upstate Concert Hall is currently, wasn’t around for long – it was an ice-skating rink that hosted smaller arena-level gigs in 1989 and 1990. Alice Cooper, and also The Cult played some pretty well-attended shows there not long after this gig. This was not really a well-attended show.
King’s X opened, promoting their brilliant Gretchen Goes To Nebraska second record. They’d just played the area just two months before at Saratoga Winners, a pretty packed show, and played to many less people – dozens, maybe – during their early slot at this show. They did maybe six songs, that were excellent, but few were there to see it. One of the great, underhailed-yet-brilliant bands of loud rock. All hail King’s X.
A few more people joined for Blue Murder, kind of an all-star outfit with leader/Btitish guitar hero John Sykes (previously with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang), plus celebrity drummer Carmine Appice and ex-Firm bassist Tony Franklin. Sykes had made his fortune with Whitesnake’s massive ‘1987’ LP, which he had co-written and played on, and he was looking for a repeat with Blue Murder. It was not to be. BM were a pretty good band – that self-titled first record had some solid tunes on there, but nothing great. It was all very over-produced and Whitesnake-like sounds proved a bit dated these days. As fantastic as Sykes’ playing is, by 1989 the public was moving on from that kind of thing.
Blue Murder’s very produced, ‘big rock’ sound, with an image that looked like pseudo-glamorous, made-up pirates, was a couple years past the sell-by date. People wanted Metallica, Jane’s Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Big hair-big rock was on its way out, it just didn’t know it yet. They played a bunch of songs from that first BM record and “Still Of The Night,” which confused most of the sparse crowd, who didn’t know that Sykes had played on it, because he hadn’t been in the video.
A full report on Billy Squier those 31 years ago, is not possible. After the BM gig, I went and interviewed Blue Murder for my WCDB college radio show, and asked Sykes a ton of Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang questions. He was very cool and friendly, telling lots of stories about Phil Lynott and early Tygers.
These days, Sykes is largely an international man of mystery – after Blue Murder dissolved, he toured through the later 90s and early 2000s with a reformed, tribute Thin Lizzy, made a few solo albums. For well over a decade he has been out of the public eye, occasionally teasing a return to action, but largely his mighty guitar has been absent from the world.
I didn’t really see Billy Squier – never really being a fan, and only saw the first couple songs before we went to interview Sykes. He came out and opened with a couple of those hits they always played relentlessly on PYX-106 and MTV (“Lonely Is The Night,” I think was one). While watching, Blue Murder’s road manager found me and said “pretty good so far, eh?” I had to admit it was. “It’s all downhill from here,” he replied, before leaving to interview Sykes + co. I didn’t bother going back afterwards. That said, a solid triple-bill before a less-than-packed house.
In the gatefold of “Freak Out!,” his stunning double disc debut from 1966, Frank Zappa includes a telling quote from Edgar Varèse, the composer he idolized first and maybe above all others. It’s a creative call to arms in seven words, one he lived virtually round-the-clock for most of his 52 years: “The present day composer refuses to die.”
With Alex Winter’s long in the works documentary ZAPPA, we get an all-access and bravely unvarnished view of the life of this epic American creator and thinker. It’s the story of a man, a composer first and foremost, who would defy any obstacle to get the music dancing in his head out and heard. And the most important audience for it, the only one that really mattered though millions would come to love it, was Zappa himself.
Frank Zappa in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Roelof Kiers. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
ZAPPA is anything but the formulaic rock doc of “rise-fall-rebirth” pioneered by the likes of VH-1. It’s a comprehensive and surprisingly honest look at a cliché, that holds a hell of a lot of water in this case – the agony and ecstasy of the artist.
Winter’s documentary follows every chapter of Zappa’s struggles and triumphs, from his childhood and teens in Baltimore and the California desert, to the global adoration he was beginning to enjoy at the time of his death in 1993. In the end, Zappa was finally acknowledged as both a serious composer in the grand classical tradition and a singularly eloquent champion of freedom. This was for his almost solitary anti-censorship battle with the Parents Resource Music Council (PMRC) in America and Eastern Europe, where his free-spirited music helped power the “Velvet Revolution” against the Soviets.
Importantly, the doc also spotlights the sacrifices and conflicting emotions of many musicians who worked to bring his challenging music to life, and the family that took a backseat to the ceaseless writing, recording and touring his muse demanded.
Through Zappa’s widow Gail, Winter and his creative partners were granted exclusive access to a voluminous collection of unreleased recordings, concert footage, incomplete films, unseen interviews and home movies. It’s the latter, spanning his childhood through his final days, which really shed a fresh, relatable viewpoint on this genius music giant.
Portrait of Alex Winter. Photo Credit: Philip Cheung
The film begins at the end, with Zappa at his final public performance in Prague in 1991. Here he is playing guitar for the first time in three years to help the Czechs, who had a special love for him and their Zappa superfan President, Václav Havel, celebrate their independence. Then come clips of the many news stories worldwide that marked his passing. Following is a scene of Frank walking the corridors of his vast “Vault,” an archive containing tens-of-thousands of hours of music, film and other artifacts, the entirety of nearly 40 years of his creative labor.
From there, Winter takes us to the beginning, with some remarkable home movies that humanize this larger-than-life figure as a child. There’s young Frank in the kitchen with mom and dad, in the backyard cavorting with brothers and sister. He’s an all-American boy for sure, but one already carrying an all-knowing smirk, even then. There are also scenes from a goofy horror movie he made with his dad’s film camera in 1956. Experimenting with his dad’s 8-millimeter gave Frank a love of editing and splicing, something that would go on to inform much of his musical output. It is the flowing editing of all the unearthed material above smartly juxtaposed with his many eras of diverse music to it, that makes this film such a rewarding and dreamy viewing experience.
Perhaps inspired by his dad’s work as a munitions scientist, Frank developed a love of chemistry. He reminisces in the film about learning how to make gun powder at 6, and his last experiment, when he was suspended for attempting to blow up his high school at age 15.
It was another thing that went boom, the work of Edgar Varèse, that drew Zappa to music. The fun loving Zappa just had to seek out an LP that a magazine claimed was the “ugliest” and “most frightening ”music ever committed to vinyl, Varèse’s 13-percussionist heavy “Ionization.” With this as inspiration, Zappa takes up the drums and states his intention to become a classical composer, just like his idol. Watch for the great footage of a military haired Frank banging away on the trap kit, with pork pie hat on his head and ciggie in mouth, with his first real band, The Blackouts.
The film then proceeds in chronological order through the many chapters that seeded his career, told with a remarkable collection of unseen footage, interviews and sounds.
There’s the teen years in the California desert, where he discovers a love of R&B with his good pal Captain Beefheart. Don’t forget his experimental days with his own recording facility, Studio Z, which he bought with the proceeds from scoring two films. There’s more intriguing footage from a never-completed sci-fi film he worked on with Beefheart. Also, the details of his bust for obscenity, for making a racy audio tape for an undercover cop who wanted to shutter his studio. According to Zappa in the film, “that little escapade was the most informative part of my political training.” There’s also great images of the Mad Magazine-inspired greeting cards Zappa created in his day job as commercial artist, all to supplement his musical aspirations.
Frank Zappa in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Zappa Trust. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
“If I was ever going to hear what I wrote, I would have to put a band together”
Zappa
This quote leading to some suitably psychedelicized footage of the early Mothers at the LA’s Whiskey A Go Go and their six-month, nightly stint at the Garrick Theater in New York in 1967. It’s the latter that proved most formative to the non-musical parts of Frank’s oeuvre.
“The Garrick was like the Beatles in Hamburg,” says Zappa’s wife Gail. “The attention to the theatrical side grew because they needed to do a new show, every night. It was like the theater of cruelty… the same people came again and again. But it really helped him perfect what he could get away with on stage.”
Two of the most meaningful interviews in the film come from early Mothers, saxophonist Bunk Gardner and Ian Underwood, Zappa’s musical second through the early ‘70s.
Frank Zappa performing with The Mothers of Invention in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Cal Schenkel. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
“Not too many bands had horns, and no bands were playing Stravinsky, which made me feel good about what we were doing,” says Gardner. “Perfectionism became our duty. We would go in for eight, 12 hours, him drinking black coffee. He didn’t stop. It didn’t matter if it was Christmas or Thanksgiving, we were going to rehearse. He was writing all the time, introducing new stuff.”
“But in the four years I was with him,’ Gardner laments, “he shook my hand and said, ‘good job’ maybe once.”
Underwood states the bottom line: “The band wasn’t anything other than Frank’s ideas, and each show was like a new composition.”
The film tells of Zappa’s decision to break-up the much-loved original Mothers in 1969. He was $10,000 in debt and didn’t want to be responsible for other people. He wanted to make new and varied musical statements and would put together the ideal musicians, often undiscovered virtuosos, to make them happen. It was an ever changing lineup, one that made the careers of new stars like Adrian Belew and Steve Vai along the way.
Theatrical one-sheet for ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Bill Gubbins. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The film closely details the many musical chapters and aggregations that follow. There’s his film “200 Motels” with his band with the Turtle’s Flo & Eddie and their Fillmore East jam with John and Yoko. There’s the “Waka Jawaka” jazz big band, the incredible fusionoid “Roxy & Elsewhere” band with George Duke, Ruth Underwood and the Fowler Brothers thru to his final 1988 ensemble which broke up in the midst of what would be his final tour.
“I was a tool for the composer and (Zappa) used his tools brilliantly. Frank was a slave to his inner ear. He tried to manifest it in a world of limitations, financial and performance limitations. That led to a lot of suffering for his art.”
Steve Vai observes
Ruth Underwood, the brilliant percussionist who was with Zappa on and off from his Garrick days, recalls. “He was a mass of contradictions, but very consistent with them.He had great feelings for us. He was human, at times cruel, but very passionate. He had real love, and the people he loved he kept bringing back.”
ZAPPA is perhaps the first officially sanctioned Zappa content that doesn’t sugarcoat the emotional impact of Frank’s workaholism on his marriage and children.
Frank Zappa in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Roelof Kiers. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
One thing I was clear about is that I married a composer, and you have to be out of your mind to take it on. There’s no guarantee you will earn an income and nobody cares, the odds are pretty fantastic.
Gail Zappa
The film has more unseen home movies and details, provided by super groupie and Zappa family nanny Pamela Des Barres, about Zappa’s time at his famed “Log Cabin” in Laurel Canyon. His home served as the “centrifugal point” for homegrown stars like Jim Morrison and The Byrds and visiting rock royalty like Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck.
Des Barres, Gail and Frank himself confirm what had been kept somewhat mum until now – his horn dog ways as a touring musician. “She didn’t like it, but she knew,” says Des Barres of Frank’s affairs on the road. And in a never-before-seen interview, Zappa says of his time on the road: “I’m a human being, I like to get laid.”
Ruth Underwood observes, “Frank had a polarity of passion. He couldn’t wait to get out of the house and go on road, but he was happy when he got to come home.”
When Zappa was home, he was largely away from his family, working the night shift in his basement studio, then sleeping all day. One poignant chapter in the doc is the genesis of his only Top 40 hit, “Valley Girl.” This came about when his daughter Moon figured that the only way she would get to spend time with him was to suggest they make music together. She slipped a note under his door telling him this, and their collaboration led to mainstream acceptance and a Grammy nomination. Another beautiful scene is of baby Moon being cuddled by her parents and they dance to the strains of a classical favorite that Zappa quoted often, Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”
Kerry McNabb and Frank Zappa in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Yoram Kahana. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The film makes clear Zappa’s true obsession. “My desires are simple. All I want to do is get a good performance and a good recording of everything I ever wrote, so I can hear it. If anyone else wants to hear it, that’s great too. Sounds easy, but it’s hard to do.”
A good portion of the final third chronicles Zappa’s classical works, and the struggles to not only finance their production, but to have them performed on a level that would meet his exacting standards. It spotlights his work with the London Symphony Orchestra and Kronos Quartet, whose David Harrington puts Zappa in league with “American experimentalists like Harry Partch and Sun Ra, who reimagined what music could be.” Also covered is his explorations of doing it all by himself, with the then edge-cutting computer music station, Synclavier, with snippets from the final work released in his lifetime, “Civilization Phase III.”
The film ends with a positively jaw-dropping 13-minute sequence of the Ensemble Moderne performing Zappa’s acclaimed “Yellow Shark,” at his last public appearance in November 1992. With Ensemble Moderne, Zappa felt he had finally nailed it in the classical realm. And here, this remarkable music serves as backdrop for a lengthy montage, where the scenes of his life rewind before viewer eyes in true Hollywood tradition. After a music and dance encore of his treacherously beautiful “G-Spot Tornado,” and a 20-minute standing ovation, Zappa winks to the audience and concludes: “I guess there’s no accounting for taste.”
In the end, whether it was his true feelings or a put-on, Zappa gives this advice to aspiring composers. “Get a real estate license. If you want to be a composer, you must have another job to support your habit.”
I would be remiss not to add a few more important thoughts about this movie. The first is that it is a product supported by the fans, by a two-year crowdfunding campaign that raised more than any other documentary, nearly $900,000 which went to restoring the archival material. And all the fans who put up their hard earned cash up receive mention in the lengthy credits.
Frank Zappa in ZAPPA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit Dan Carlson. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Unlike recent rock documentaries like “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band,” this film is all the stronger for not being afraid to show Zappa’s missteps and personal failings, the people who also suffered and might’ve felt slighted as he pursued his sonic calling. Unlike the aforementioned documentary, where Robertson does a somewhat dishonest job of PRing his own contributions and sweetening over his massive conflicts with his bandmates, there’s none of that here. And with Frank being the control freak he was, this documentary could’ve only been done in such a way after his passing.
For a Zappa lover like me, this film was a truly rewarding and emotional experience. Zappa’s music was and still is an important soundtrack to my life. It’s the work of a fearless free thinker and experimenter, a self-reliant visionary who inspired me seek out sounds and thoughts from out of the mainstream.
For those not in the know, it’s the perfect primer. It’s an artfully constructed, comprehensive cinematic introduction to a man who made as broad and lasting an impact as any 20th Century musician. It’s also a study of the resourcefulness and fortitude needed to succeed in any creative endeavor, and a salute to a brave and much missed warrior for the causes of creativity and freedom of expression.
On Friday, November 22, 2019, Alice Cooper performed at The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, Long Island. “Ol” Black Eyes opened the show with “Feed my Frankenstein” followed by “No More Mr Nice Guy” and “Bed of Nails.”
The 22 song set took fans on a musical journey from the mid eighties to present day with songs like “Devils Food” from his first solo album, “Welcome to my Nightmare” and “Fallen in Love” from his most recent album Paranormal.
Alice’s band consists of Chuck Garric on bass and vocals, Ryan Roxie on guitar and vocals, Tommy Henriksen on rhythm and lead guitar and backing vocals, Glen Sobel on drums and Nita Strauss on lead and rhythm guitar and backing vocals. One of the highlights of the night was Nita’s guitar solo on “Poison” which left fans awestruck.
For the encore, the rock and roll hall of famer performed “Under My Wheels”, and his signature song “School’s Out.”
The show was awesome and Alice can still rock out. It was filled with the usual theatrics you would normally see at a Alice Cooper show and the band sounded amazing.
His new album Detroit Stories was recently announced and is set to be released in 2021. Hopefully concerts will soon resume and he can get back to touring.
Alice Cooper – November 22, 2019, The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, Long Island
Setlist: Feed My Frankenstein, No More Mr Nice Guy, Bed Of Nails, Raped And Freezin, Fallen In Love, Muscle Of Love, He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask), I’m Eighteen, Billion Dollar Babies, Poison, Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss), Roses On White Lace, My Stars, Devil’s Food, Black Widow Jam, Steven, Dead Babies, I Love The Dead, Escape, Teenage Frankenstein
Western New York has always provided safe haven for the Grateful Dead and among their more popular stops in the region is Rochester, specifically the War Memorial. The band would play 15 known gigs in the Flower City during their historic touring career. Ten of them would be in this building. Unfortunately, the later part of this 1978 tour had to be cut short due to an ailing Jerry Garcia. But there were certainly heaters to be had before then, this show among them.
After an opening roar of electric guitars, the show begins in earnest with “Promised Land,” a popular Chuck Berry cover. Keith Godchaux plays some inspired keys on this one behind the guitar play and makes his presence felt early. Afterwards comes the first of three “Take A Step Back” announcements from Bob Weir, looking out for the “bug-eyed” folks in the front row. Once that’s accomplished, the instrumental into of “They Love Each Other” kicks in with Jerry Garcia manning the vocals. Unfortunately, some feedback issues mar this one a little bit early on. It’s salvaged though with a delightful Garcia solo and the continued strong play of Godchaux on keys.
Following an extended tuning break, the band bursts into “Cassidy,” with Donna Jean Godchaux now added to the vocal mix. It’s is a tidy yet superb version with the whole band in full synchronicity. This lays the foundation that’s topped with another poignant Garcia solo.
Choosing not to run with this momentum, another tuning break follows which seems to fuel the rabid audience even further. Out of this, “Dire Wolf” rears its head. Garcia’s vocals seem to improve a little on this one from earlier in the show before he infuses it with his traditional guitar licks.
Then comes round two of “Take A Step Back.” This time Weir’s pleas for the people on the floor to move back as much as they can is accompanied by a spattering of “Finiculi Finicula” from the band. Afterwards, Weir stays on the mic for lead vocals and leads the band through their Western classic, “Me And My Uncle.” They waste literally no time at its conclusion before launching into a raging “Big River,” thanks to an ultra-seamless transition they’ve perfected for these songs.
Things then slow down a bit with the relaxed pace of the “Row Jimmy” that follows. Jerry and Donna Jean’s vocals eventually merge nicely in this delicate yet fairly straight forward version. Afterwards, it’s Weir’s turn once again as he leads the Dead through “New Minglewood Blues.” Believe it or not, the five-show gap between its last performance was actually a fairly large one for this first set standard. Another opening set regular, “Loser,” follows before one last notable segue closes things out. A raucous “Jack Straw” that’s fueled by some blistering Garcia-supplied guitar licks towards the end. Before the last “wine” is even finished being sung, “Deal” starts up instantly. This concludes a first set that’s fairly standard in terms of song selection, but executed to near perfection.
The second set begins with one last plea from Weir to everyone on the floor to move back as much as possible. Then the Dead are off and running with “Bertha.” This longtime first set staple had now shifted to a regular spot in the second one in 1978. Starting with this tour and well into 1979, it was featured in the second set each time. And it was followed every time by a cover of The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’.” Tonight would be no different. While it may not have the same cachet as other traditional song pairings, “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” was a verified couple from the middle of 1977 until late 1979, appearing next to each other every time played.
Jerry Garcia then leads the group through “Stagger Lee,” a cover of a traditional folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by “Stag” Lee Shelton in 1985. Lloyd Price would later find fame with it thanks to his 1959 recording that topped the charts. After this rather atypical beginning to the second set, things begin to take a more familiar turn. “Estimated Prophet” sees Weir’s wailing vocals paired with Donna Jean’s harmonies that give it a nice touch. But the highlight is the tail end that sees Garcia gradually escalate a mesmerizing sequence through his guitar’s signature tone for this song. Bassist Phil Lesh is also heavily involved as the jam progresses.
Then, somewhat suddenly, Garcia pivots and begins strumming the opening rhythms to “Eyes Of The World.” This version is vintage 1978, with Garcia again taking lead and navigating the rest of the band through this beautifully crisp and funky rendition.
As the “Eyes” jam slowly peters out, The Rhythm Devils then take things over. Drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart get their moment in the sun with an all out 10-minute percussive assault in the traditional “Drums” section. The ecstatic War Memorial crowd and their approval can be heard loudly throughout.
After a brief “Space” section, the beginning of “Not Fade Away” starts in almost comical fashion with Garcia coming in extremely late on the beginning vocal section. It gets cleaned up nicely though and eventually stretches out into a full-fledged jam that melodiously stretches well past the ten-minute mark. Weir’s frenetic rhythm guitar play back Garcia wonderfully before the jam devolves into a slower pace and “Black Peter” appears. This, too, extends nicely with a patient and deliberate pace that’s peppered with more brilliant Garcia guitar fills.
The show maintains its vague theme of some odd song placements with a “Truckin’” that closes out the second set. The Rochester crowd once again noticeably voices their approval after the “New York’s got the ways and means” line as well as the nod to Buffalo.
In true Chuck Berry “bookending” fashion, the show ends with another cover of his, a quick romp through “Johnny B. Goode.” This puts the finishing touches on the fourth of ten overall shows the Grateful Dead played at the Rochester War Memorial.
Grateful Dead – War Memorial, Rochester, NY 11/21/78
I: Promised Land, They Love Each Other, Cassidy, Dire Wolf, Me & My Uncle> Big River, Row Jimmy, Minglewood Blues, Loser, Jack Straw, Deal II: Bertha> Good Lovin’, Stagger Lee, Estimated Prophet> Eyes Of The World> Drums> Space> Not Fade Away> Black Peter> Truckin’ E: Johnny B. Goode
