SouleD Out
Life's Too Short Not To
Vampire Weekend
The preppy indie rock band hailing from New York quickly became one of 2007's most buzzed-about new bands. The foursome is a great mix of personalities from the "ex" Columbia University students with a cool new (well not new, but definately cool) sound that combines Ska, New Wave and a twist of today's pop and bit of reggae. Indie music just keeps growing and growing and this group called Vampire Weekend is here to prove just that.
For most of the album, Vampire Weekend tries to keep things somewhat ordinary and a bit simple, but after some of the music that has been surfacing, it is quite refreshing. The name threw me off at first, I actually thought it would be some kind of dark, creepy gothic band or one of those new "Emo" bands but I was proven wrong after listening to them. I think the reason I like them so much is their easily listenable melody and great lyrics about...Luuuuuv, I love luuuuv lyrics! OK, so I am kidding, their songs are more about luuuuv on the college campus, but hey, they tried. The melodic groove and bluesy roots vibe is phenominal if you ask me, same feeling I get when I listen to Ziggy, no what i mean mon?
I must admit, my husband was the first to school and educate me on this new quartet of sorts...I'm still trying to figure out how he knows of all these underground, above ground and indie bands that stream the internet, apparently he spending way too much time on the "Information Highway"! Anyway, he told me about this..."great new band" so I thought i would check it out for myself, maybe then he would subscribe to my site :)
The guys were pretty cool, but what do us 40-somethings know about good music anyway...take a listen for yourself here. LISTEN NOW
Visit Them on MYSPACE if the download causes ADHD in you www.myspace.com/vampireweekendfan
OR go directly to their website! www.vampireweekend.com OH WAIT! I have a video you can watch for free here!
METALLICA...Seek OR Destroy?
I started my teenage journey listening to Heavy Metal and Classic Rock (from my parents side) and realized that although Heavy Metal was what all the cool kid's were listening too, I found that I liked it but more on the "ballad" tone. This is where Metallica and it's legacy came in for me.The band Metallica was formed on October 15 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Cliff Burton, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newstead were the remaining members of the band. Little did they know back then that they were about to form a true legacy.
It would later be known that officially in 1982 that Metallica really would take off and by the end of that year they would have played their first headlining gig, changed their bass player, recorded four demo tapes and had their first appearance on an official record (Metal Massacre).
So it began, it was 1977 when Jason Newstead formed his first band "Diamond". In September of 1977, James Hetfield started his first year at Downey high school and became friends with a guy named Ron Mcgovney who would later become the bass player in Metallica.
James formed a band called "Phantom Lord" I believe sometime in 1980, that was not mentioned tremendously anywhere I have been aware of. The same year James first got together with Lars Ulrich after after responding to an ad in the local newspaper, now known as the Recycler. Lars was the one who had placed the ad to find fellow band-mates. The success was failing at this point according to James anyway, because he felt like he was not as skilled as Lars.
Later, Lars persuaded friend Brian Slagel to find a band he could use on a slot for a heavy metal compilation LP that he was producing. Lars approached James with the idea of forming a band but this time with the offer of getting a song onto a record which would become the "Metal Massacre LP". The rest just fell into place as "Metallica" was born.
The first demo that Metallica produced was recorded in January of 1982 it was a one track demo of one of their hit solo's, "The Lights". In March the band recorded their second demo it was a three track demo one original song, two cover songs and the the demo, "The Lights". The band recorded this demo so that they could get the opening slot with "Saxon" at the Whiskey in Hollywood.
In April Metallica recorded their third demo tape untitled but later to be called "The Power Metal Demos" this demo tape was four original songs and, you guessed it..."The Lights" again.
Metallica's only appearance as a five member band, officially happened on April 23, 1982. With great things following, it just seemed as everything was coming together perfectly. An LP called, " Metal Massacre" was born and released, they were playing out constantly in local venues and the only thing leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth were the incorrect spellings of the band name and member name's.
The first mistake was their band name, which was incorrectly spelled as "Mettallica" and Lloyd grants name was misspelled as Loydd Grant. Brian Slagel did not have the money to reprint the sleeves and they had to stay as the were. If they had only realized that they were going to become maga stars anyway, they probably would have laughed the whole thing off.
Metallica played their first San Francisco gig at the "Keystone" in September and on November 11, the band played the "Woodstock" festival in Los Angeles hanging with Y&T. It was on November 29 that Metallica played their first headlining gig in San Francisco, CA with a hard driving band called "Exodus" that was opening for them.
1983 was the year that Metallica really made an impact on the heavy metal world. They moved to San Francisco and played their first show ever at "The Stone" including the opening band "Exodus".
It was during their move from Los Angeles to San Francisco that the band became concerned with Dave Mustaine's (the guitarist) and his new found lifestyle. The band was anything but Christian genre and the band criticized Dave for his religious discovery during that time.
It was later decided by the other band members that they were going to have to replace Dave with a new guitarist due to his conflicting lifestyle, so as soon as they got to San Francisco they hit up Kirk Hammett to fill in on guitar until an official decision could be set with Dave Mustaine.
Dave Mustaine played his last gig with Metallica in April and soon was officially told that he was out of the band, but was kind enough to pay his way back home, how sweet of them, right? Welcome to the world of Rock N' Roll!
Let's jump right into time now. The sad song of Dave Mustaine would later prove well for Dave, as he became a part of a whole new legacy of his own, "Megadeth" and Metallica went on their musical way as well, when they released "The Black Album" however divided among once Metallica fans.
The Black Album was a controversial album amongst fans of the band. While the album and the band were praised for it's sound and success, some fans definately showed their angry fangs of disappointment and even outrage at where Metallica had ventured. Gone for the most part were the hard driving, faster riffs during verses and infamous deep vocals found on the band's first four albums. The overall speed and sound of the music were greatly reduced.
The Black Album presented a more radio-friendly style for the band, a kinder, gentler Metallica, like what was heard on the ballad "Nothing Else Matters", my personal favorite along with "Enter Sandman". However, fans were still divided and the band still criticized for ultimately jeopardizing the bands' metal sound and fame.
Some even say this is when Metallica finally "Sold Out" and not in a respected way. Fans believed that Metallica let the airwaves determine the band, disregarding what fans craved. Now I personally enjoyed the softer side of Metallica, but for most, they were now just thought of as a "Hard Rock Band".
ZZ TOP...KICKIN TUSH!
A bunch of old long haired, long bearded hell raisin' guys from Texas, well they were not always old...hehe! yes Ma'am, that would be ZZ TOP, the small town band with the BIG ROCK sound! ZZ TOP shifted their grinding gears in 1983 with the hell raisin' trio's eighth album, or was it seventh? Well we know it is called "Eliminator". The band busy creating a new sound, sort of a Hot Rod-Blues-Boogie Rock meets new wave punk in the City sort of sound! The album roared into the MTV age, then found the VH1 Classics slot and now right back into the music store shelves. Driven by a trio of smash hit radio singles and bathing suit beauty video's that helped make Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank become international superstars almost overnight.
"Eliminator" also holds the "Crowned Title" of being among the first group of albums to be awarded the, "Diamond Certification" by the RIAA for sales of a WHOPPING 10 million copies sold. ZZ TOP's signature cherry-red 1933 Ford coupe returns to take a victory lap and kick up some dirt with a special CD/DVD set to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary. WOOT-WOOT! I'm sooo there! The set includes bonus tracks and previously unreleased live tracks, as well as videos featuring the album's singles and rare live performances.
The "ELIMINATOR COLLECTOR'S EDITION" Cd contains a remastered version of the album's first pressing, including the rare original album version of the Top 10 HITS "Legs," which was replaced with a single version edited for radio, damn censorship! Along with the other runner-up hit singles "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man," the disc will not dissappoint with new features of seven bonus tracks. The live tracks include "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," "TV Dinners," and "Got Me Under Pressure," all recorded at Castle Donington in England as well as "I Got The Six," recorded at The Marquee Club in London. The bonus tracks feature both the single and 12" dance remix versions of "Legs." The deluxe packaging also features rare photos and extensive liner notes from longtime ZZ TOP publicist and confidant Bob Merlis. Now I'm not too sure how much I like the "Dance" versions of anything that spells ZZ TOP, sort of wierd actually, we all know we are supposed to "Rock Out" not dance to the sound of synthesizer's...but whatever, ZZ TOP is still brilliant regardless!
One of the biggest albums of the '80s, ZZ TOP's "Eliminator" was also responsible for creating some of the decade's most memorable videos by mixing hot rods and hot bods and let's not forget about the dark sunglasses and beards! The DVD includes iconic videos for "Legs," "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man." Known collectively as "The Eliminator Trilogy," all three videos were directed by Tim Newman and all starred the '33 Ford coupe, with the ZZ pinstriping down the side, and a trio of leggy beauties. Also included is the video for "TV Dinners," which starred a ZZ TOP-loving claymation alien named Zelt.
In addition to the videos, the DVD portion of "ELIMINATOR COLLECTOR'S EDITION" includes five performances originally broadcast in England on the popular music television program The Tube. The songs includes "Got Me Under Pressure," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Tube Snake Boogie," a song that originally appeared on ZZ TOP's 1981 album, El Loco.
I know where I'll be in March...Let's just call it the new and improved...MARCH MADNESS! Stay tuned for more reviews!
Queensryche Hates Their Fans???
Queensyche, the legendary, and I mean legendary Seattle metal band, has been running a promotional contest to have one of their fans sing a cover song at each of their shows on their current tour. Sounds cool right? Wrong! So far no one has been able to measure up to the legendary "Geoff Tate".
"With 'American Idol' being such a hit, we felt the fans deserve to hear amateurs butcher songs live," said Tate. What? was he serious? First of all...ANY queensryche Tribute deserves justice...where the hell is the REAL queensryche these days anyway? Tate goes on to say..."Plus, and this is totally off the record, it makes me feel so much better about myself. Seriously, have you heard some of these people? This is clearly not a 'Ripper' Owens situation."
I'm pissed now, who the hell IS this guy? Now I have heard of Rockstars acting obnoxious...but this is just INSANE! This guy needs to realize he is a zillion years old, and no one gives a damn about queensryche these days...well unless it is a tribute band...one in particular, Empire...who have decided that the days of trying to impress are over, but they are the HEROS damnit!
YouTube clips of the guest lead singers are among the most searched Queensryche clips on the video-sharing site.
"Yeah, I wouldn't put too much weight in that," added Tate. "Millions of people are watching '2 Girls, 1 Cup' too." I'm sorry, but I HATE this guy, he is right up there with PHIL ANSELMO! Screw you...you OLD man!
They've GOT the BEAT!
The Go-Go's went bye-bye awhile back but still remain a pop culture phenomena. My son who is 12, knows the song, "We got the beat" and "Vacation" by heart, now how did that happen? Well let me say this, it happened because the band drew attention to themselves, kept recording what should have been "one hit wonders" but instead, "constant wonders".
May 1978. BELINDA CARLISLE and JANE WIEDLIN (Then known as JANE DRANO)were sitting out in front of a party in Venice Beach in California with a friend named MARGOT OLIVARRIA. They were sure to not be passed by without a second glance, no way! These girls could make your own mother cry, in fact they did many times with their ripped barbie doll clothing they wore, black lace up boots and fishnet on every part of their bodies except where it was meant for, the legs. They even wore trash bags occasionally in place of dresses. MARGOT played the bass, JANE played rhythm guitar, painting tiny numbers on the fretboard to learn chords, ELISSA BELLO soon became the drummer and BELINDA sang, and a true songbird she was.
The girls had their band, and started playing out. It helped that they lived right in the heart of Hollywood aiding them in finding anyone and everyone music scene. Their rehearsal studio was in the basement of a porno theater, which also served as a serious hangout for anyone Punk. They made their debut album right in that basement in 79'.
All good things must come to an end, and for the Go-Go's there were no exceptions for this rule. The chemistry between the friends was changing and so was the music. It was not long before the band had a whole new lineup, that was GREAT! More girls with attitudes and a passion for Rock N' Roll music brought The Go_Go's to life in a big way. There was one tiny mole hill to jump, the punks were now trashing these rocker beauties for their new sound, a sound that we all grew to love called pop. The punks decided that The Go-Go's were now "selling out" but non of these professional bandsters were threatened at all, they loved their new sound and so did the entire population! They were on their way to stardom.
In 1980 the girls went on a six month tour in England , pawned everything they could to pay their way around and live like true rock stars now, poor, hungry and sleepless zombies. In 1981, THE GO-GO S signed to I.R.S. RECORDS. Two TOP 20 HITS, "OUR LIPS ARE SEALED" AND "WE GOT THE BEAT", Their debut BEAUTY AND THE BEAT would go double platinum. They had finally done it, they could eat now! Off they went in a van, then later moved on up to a bus and then a full blown tour bus with a real life Manager in tow.
Once again, turbulence hit. One thing that is sure in any band is that tension can build and get ugly quickly, again, no exception for the Rock N' Roll beauties. According to Jane in the band, things were getting more difficult as the fame was rising chest high. Their was an "unspoken code" among the band girls, that in order to be a GO-GO, they had to all be exactly the same every minute of every day. This meant that they dressed alike, partied alike, liked the same guys and even had to agree with each other on all levels of band decisions. This is not an easy task for anyone, but throw a bunch of hormonal girls into the mix and you have a raging explosion.
May of 1985, the band was disbanded, officially. The Go-Go's were no more or at least in the sense that they once were. When have you ever known any woman to roll over and give up...NONE. In 1990 the girl's decided to put aside differences to record a cover version of "Cool Jerk" and briefly toured the US, to for kicks.
Today, their music is still huge, every karaoke bar, every radio station and every teen in America has tuned in to listen to these beautiful girls of Rock make history. And now even more with RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF THE GO-GOS, A 36 Track collection of single hits, B-SIDES, Live Tracks and previously unreleased songs that start with rehearsal tracks from back in 1979.
Buying Music ONLINE
Music! It makes the world go round and round, on the turntable anyway! So here is a very sad but true fact, music stores are almost obsolete, I mean there is never anywhere decent to go and buy new release albums, collector vinyls and those cherished Cd's anymore.
In my neck of the woods, we have literally NO music stores within reach. So I had to resort to on-line shopping for my "oldies but Goodies" and my children's new weekly craze. I actually think it is better. There are more Artists to choose from, simplicity in buying and pretty affordable shipping too.
My favorite is EBAY, you can sign up for free, create an account and paypal account, for free and browse all your favorite music, for free. Visit www.ebay.com today to see if that old vinyl you were trying to find is up for auction, at a steal!
Another fantastic resource for on-line music, especially those, "In A Hurry" downloads is Walmart. Take a look at their goodies at:
http://musicdownloads.walmart.com/catalog/servlet/ MainServlet
CDNOW is a great source for affordable downloads, Artist Accounts and even a few specials here and there. They have a website too you know! www.cdnow.com and is a fantastic, easily usable website.
The Music Industry has made it inconvenient for your "Average Joe" to enjoy his music in his own home, without spending a pretty dollar on his favorite music selections, but there are ways my friend, there are ways. Visit the mentioned on-line music locations for a few really great deals.
If you are into Indie Music, many bands have created pages on their websites that you can download their music for free. These are Musicians, Bands and Artist's that are local Musicians trying to get their music heard. This is often where the deals are.
A few websites of interest for Indie Music would be, www.souledoutmusic.net or www.bandzoogle.com They both offer a wide selection of unsigned artists that display music available for free downloads, royalty free too!
It is illegal to download music from famous Artist's without a fee of some sort, and believe me, the Government will find you. Rather than take the risk, just visit the on-line stores or Musician websites listed to search thousands of great Artist's for free or affordable prices.
TWISTED SISTER..WRUNG OUT?
I feel as though I am preparing for a "Back To The Future" episode. I had almost forgotten about the once popular band called "Twisted Sister". Well this is going to become a very interesting article for me to write indeed.
Twisted Sister, an American heavy metal band from New York was formed by their guitarist Jay Jay French in 1972. The band set out to write, record and produce songs that were primarily about teenagers, life and conflicts between the generations. Following right along with all the other bands of that time and soon the bands from the 80's and 90's, they became known as the next "Glam Band". The group's hits include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both popularized by regular airplay on MTV in the 1980s.
It was not long before they found themselves "twisting" around the pole of fame as many before them. In June 1982, the group released their first EP, Ruff Cuts, on the Secret Records label. This was followed shortly by their first LP, Under The Blade, produced by Pete Way of UFO. Despite rather low production quality, the album was a surprise underground hit in the UK, providing the band with sufficient name recognition to open for such metal acts as Motor-head. The album had an overall raw metal sound and included "Tear It Loose", a very fast speed metal song featuring a guitar solo by "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motor-head. Another single, the future hit "We're Not Gonna Take It", was planned for release, but Secret Records went out of business, which is never shocking in the Music Industry, before Snider was able to complete the lyrics. "We're Not Gonna Take It" later became one of their top singles.
"Roll Over Twisted Sister" should have became the next song title as the band said their well respected goodbye's to each other somewhere between 1985 and 1987. All good things must come to an end, and there are no exceptions with Rock Stars. Wait! I believe I hear the band wagon coming once again! Yes indeed I do, and who do you think it is? Yes Sir it is Twisted Sister rearing her once ugly head again. Twisted Sister's famous "I Wanna Rock" was featured in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as a playable song (instead of being a cover like several songs featured in the game, it was the version from the 2004 remake of their classic album Stay Hungry, titled Still Hungry, ). Well looks like they are going to continue upsetting parent's everywhere, all over again.
For concert Info or to see these "Twisted" guys rock in a town near you stop by their newly updated website at http://www.twistedsister.com . And remember to tell your parent's that, "You're Not gonna take it" anymore.
