Some notes from the last couple weeks of attending live performances from different genres:
- Converge wreck everything in sight - too bad about their Red Sox
- ditto Ohio metal band From A Second Story Window, who were here
in Ottawa Friday night with Montreal's Ion Dissonance
- Ottawa-based popsters Lure are so talented it's disgusting. Catch
their show if you can
There's word trickling out of Winnipeg tonight that hardcore kingpinsFigure Four are apparently inching closer to a full-on reunion(thanks Armin); rumours are afoot that a surprise F4 set was unleashed following the Winnipeg stop of the Shattered Realm/Hollow Ground tour, and pressure is apparently being applied to F4 vocalist/Comeback Kid guitarist Andrew Neufeld. Here's hoping!
Life In Your Way used to share members with another band who're making a name for themselves - fellow Connecticut natives With Honor. How 'bout that. Both bands are ridiculously good, by the way.
Wow. Swedish metal greats(though it's widely said that they've gone downhill the last couple records) In Flames have signed a deal with - get ready for this one - Jersey's Ferret Music. As in the label owned by the two guys in Nora. Whose t-shirt I was wearing earlier tonight. Wow, have they gone hit the big time. Anyway, Come Clarity will be out on Ferret in February. In Flames formed in 1990 back in Sweden and have since released nine albums. On Ferret. That's insane. [noisetheory]
Today's Essential Listening(October 16th, and yes, I know we don't do this every day like we used to): Australia's In Name And Blood, bringing the melodic metalcore assault on their myspace page, because after all, no one even needs to bring the mosh anyplace else anymore.
Is it just me or is Abacus Recordings out in California snagging new bands left right and centre? Ion Dissonance, Stavesacre - and now Planes Mistaken For Stars, who will keep up business ties with their former home(Florida's No Idea Records) for a vinyl-release of 2004's Up In Them Guts(still a hilarious title). Good for PMFS. Great dudes. [punkhardcore]
There's a bunch of shows coming up here in Ottawa, and we're working on getting bigger banner ads that you see when you show up here at the ol' Diz(that's slang for 'disaster', you see). I can barely make 'em out either. We're doing what we can.
Sad news: Sir Jorge of Culver, California's finest Mexican alive, has stepped down as the news king over at hardcorechristian. Bummer! Who's gonna make fun of the Christian bands now? Geez. Who else would say the following: "Tooth and Nail signs The Classic Crime to their list of slaves...er..signed acts. You can visit their site full of flash intros you can't skip, and iframes that are just lovely." Or how 'bout this one: "Zao to release a DVD. It will feature footage of [vocalist]Dan huddled in a ball crying while screaming lyrics." Man, I'll miss you, Culver. No one alive hated flash-intro graphics quite as eloquently as you did, brother.
Hey, twenty-three days til November 8th, when the Beloved DVD hits stores! We were listening to Failure On in the car tonight. Still one of the best records of 2003.
Good Lord, I can't remember if we posted this, but As I Lay Dying's first headlining tour in support of Shadows Are Security(the same as Frail Words Collapse, basically, with far better production) will feature openers Norma Jean, Madball and A Life Once Lost. Gee, which one is the odd band out here? Wow. Great tour if it comes to Ottawa. We'll see.
As much fun as Cornerstone Festival was last summer(and oh, it was fun for this cat, who waited ten years to go!), you can vote over here on who you wanna see next year. I suggest Society's Finest, Dogwood(didn't play this year), the aforementioned Stavesacre(ditto)...who else...reunions from Travail, Living Sacrifice and Embodyment...oh, the list is endless...just vote...please...you're killing us over here.....geez.....
The Chariot are putting out an EP called UnSung through Solid State on December 6th. This is not to be confused with their insanely-long-titled full-length album, nor that thing they did with that Matt Goldman producer guy. Whatever it isn't, it will destroy everything in its path, bulldozing its way to deconstructed-metal greatness. Oh yes. It will. Best beLIEVE!!!
New video from The Juliana Theory over here. Let's not even discuss how they had to bail on Ottawa last month.
Remember Canadian actor Rick Moranis(SCTV, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids)? He's recorded a country/bluegrass album. Heaven preserve us.
Well, that didn't take long at all: Lovedrug have already signed to a major label(Columbia, in this case), who'll reissue their debut, Pretend You're Alive January 24th. I predict a short run of maybe two albums max before they're dropped for being too smart for the average idiot. [aversion]
Weeeeeeird: indie/rock/pop act The Exit(I saw them once, years ago) are gonna open for...what the...311? Rad! Here're the dates if you wanna go:
Oct. 19 - Soma, San Diego
Oct. 21 - House of Blues, Las Vegas
Oct. 23 - Freeborn Hall. U.C. Davis, Davis, Calif.
Oct. 28 - The Fillmore, San Francisco
Oct. 30 - Roseland Theater, Portland, Ore.
Oct. 31 - Moore Theatre, Seattle
Nov. 1 - The Big Easy, Spokane, Wash.
Nov. 2 - Valley Ice Garden, Bozeman, Mont.
Nov. 4 - Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minn.
Nov. 10 - "Donuts" Arena, Providence, R.I.
Nov. 11 - Asbury Park Convention Hall, Asbury Park, N.J.
Nov. 16 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York
Speaking of touring, the Mae-headlined The Music Is Much Too Loud tour featuring Mute Math and others was in Buffalo Friday night, the closest it will come to Ottawa. I didn't go. Frig. They better come here sometime!
We have a great interview with Boston vets Cave In over here. Antenna was another smashing success in 2003 - just not for RCA Records, who, being a major label, lacked vision and have since lost Cave In back to the indies where they always belonged. Perfect Pitch Black is the new one, and it's off-the-hook madness. Read all about it.
Last month's issue of Saturday Night magazine(supplemental to the Canadian daily National Post newspaper) contained a feature on Toronto's Thousand Foot Krutch, alerting us here at sd that this 'zine might have something other than mainstream pop culture to offer - and we were right: the new issue has a piece on Montreal's DJ A-Trak, who won the DMC World Title in 1997 at fifteen years old(the DMCs are the Super Bowls of turntablism). He's now the DJ for this unknown dude named Kanye West. And before that, with Usher. Boy's come a looooooong way. He's also on the new CD from DJ Serious; we'll have our review up ASAP.
Posted by mike at October 16, 2005 04:55 AM