Remember the '80s band Devo, still revered by tons of retro/new-wavesters worldwide? They're whipping it good, apparently, suing McDonald's over - get this - a Happy Meal toy. Last April, the chain released some American Idol-themed toys with the food and one of them was an unpermitted likeness of New Wave Nigel, replete with the 'energy dome' red headgear. Bassist Gerald Casale says, "We're in the midst of suing them...they didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonald's, and we don't like American Idol, so we're doubly offended." More power to ya! [absolutepunk]
Generally speaking we're not much into the trendy pop-rock the kids love these days(Fall Out Boy and their legions of copyclones), but Hit the Lights' first album was uber-catchy, including the song that's still my MySpace profile tune, 'Bodybag.' They have a new record out soon, clips of which can be heard over here.
Published just hours after his death, here's a link to the last known in-depth interview given by comedy legend George Carlin, who died last week at the age of 71. Enjoy some of the last wisdom one of the most verbose, intelligent men who ever picked up a mic. And not that we're comparing ourselves to George, but this quote kinda resembles the approach here at the D: "A lot of things are already established in my mind as things I say, things that I'm interested in, things that are fodder for my machine. And when I see something that relates to one of them, I know it instantly and if it's a further exaggeration and a further addition, or an exception—if it plays into furthering my purpose, I jot it down."
Today's small-world moment: reading today in Rolling Stone where M.I.A. is now engaged to Benjamin Brewer, who fronts NYC's The Exit as well as doing double duty - as the son of Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr. How 'bout that. I met Benjamin years ago at a tiny show in the basement of Club SAW here in Ottawa, capacity perhaps 60. Wow.
Also stolen without recompense from RS(like they need our money): not to be outdone by the Guitar Hero folks putting out games devoted to Aerosmith and Metallica, the Rock Band kids are throwing us a curveball, announcing their intention to release their playalong version of Pixies' Doolittle album in its entirety. Didn't see that one coming.
Kudos to godfather Kevin Lyman and his henchpeople: this year's edition of the annual Warped Tour will be the organization committee's first attempt at reducing the tour's massive carbon footprint(when is some band gonna name themselves that, by the way?). The bands will eat their catered meals on reusable dishes with reusable cutlery, the tour will be vending $2 reusable shopping bags in which to deposit your brand-new Aiden t-shirt(or not), and maybe most significantly, a couple of the smaller stages will be solar-powered this year, and tour buses will run on biodiesel fuel(something mewithoutYou and like-minded contemporaries beat them to by a couple of years). Fuel costs being what they are these days, it'll cost the tour almost a couple hundred grand more than they'd budgeted. But still - good for them. [punknews]
Two of Canada's most beloved bands, Tegan & Sara and City & Colour, will be heading the road together this fall. Girl In A Coma(morbid!) will open up. Having seen both acts live recently, the D can verify that it's worth your ticket price to catch the show.
Maybe with age comes the impulse to hurry the hell up: Jimmy Eat World are already thinking about heading back into their own studio to record the followup to Chase This Light, which only came out late last fall. Word is that they're considering self-releasing future work, since this next album will be their last under contract to their label.
And speaking of aging, Tom Araya, who holds down the low end for the mighty Slayer, has said that the band's next album, expected late this year or early in '09, may be their last, as he's getting to an age where the recording-touring cycle is getting to be a bit much.
I don't know enough about the man or his work to really care that much, but if you're a Tom Waits fan - like Scarlett Johanssen is - he interviewed himself(you read that right) over here. Awesome.
You know you're getting up there as a punk icon when your progeny are starting their own bands: son of Bad Religion frontman/UCLA prof Greg Graffin, Graham Graffin and his band The Rolemodels will make their live debut in their native Ithaca, NY next week.
Fans of no-b.s.-tunes, take note - a band containing former members of Botch and Unbroken(!!), Narrows, have put up some stuff online for your enjoyment.
For all tha laaaaaaadies out there - courtesy of the great folks at buzzgrinder: chicks who rock!
Hot on the heels of word of their demise, From Autumn to Ashes have a live(posthumous?) album just out called Live at Looney Tunes, which is a record store somewhere that I can't recall. Probably the band's native Long Island.
It's amazing - the day has finally come(maybe). What is allegedly a large chunk of Guns 'N Roses' new album Chinese Democracy has found its way onto the interwebs over here. Could it be true? Somewhere, this dude is gnashing his teeth and weeping. [theprp]
One of the NYHC bands I loved most in high school, Vision of Disorder, have a live DVD coming out - no idea when, just that it's coming - and a trailer has been put online. Enjoy!
Regina melodic hardcore band Means are touring their new album To Keep Me From Sinking(Facedown in the US and the world, Underground Operations here in Canada), and they'll be swinging through Ottawa this Sunday, June 22nd at Cafe Dekcuf(221 Rideau St. downtown, upstairs). When I'm not blogging mercilessly on pop culture and the music I love, you'll find me at my day(night?) job at CHRI FM in Ottawa, particularly Friday nights from nine to midnight Eastern, spinning Christian metal, hXc, punk and indie. We'll have bassist Todd Wells of Means on for an interview this Friday - two nights from now; if you're down to listen, stream it live at CHRI.ca. Worrrrd up.
Not quite sure how it developed, but Frank Black sure will be opening up for Stone Temple Pilots this summer on tour under his Black Francis moniker. No word on where the other Catholics may be. [Paste]
Don Cheadle, one of my absolute favourite actors from films like Traffic and Ocean's Eleven, will be honoured in Los Angeles at month's end with the Spirit of Independence Award, bestowed by the LA Film Festival to someone who's pursued their own independent artistic vision. Others who've been similarly honoured include Clint Eastwood, George Clooney and Charlize Theron. Congrats to Cheadle!
Iced-out rapper Ludacris - I call him Luda - is hyping something new called WeMix, his new website that he says will put an end to the entire traditional recording-press-radio junket artists have had to endure for fifty years. With this system, users can record stuff on their cellphones and upload it to the website, for instant broadcast worldwide - a Youtube for musicians. Disney has their fingers in this as well, calling it a 'mobile recording studio' for users. Innnnteresting.
My beloved Toronto Blue Jays, already not playing well the last two weeks, have left ten men on base through eight innings this evening in Milwaukee. Permit me to simply register my disgust with that fact.
Good night.
A light night for major-league baseball, and rather slow at the office - meaning a busy Monday update here at the D. As the broadcast said last night after this guy - as usual - came up with a huge clutch putt at the US Open, "would you expect anything else??" PS: Tiger is not human.
Hey, Gainesville, what up? Against Me! - who, unlike these dudes, have kept the extraneous punctuation mark - have slapped up an unreleased tune on their myspace called 'So Much More.' [punkbands]
Our boys Underoath told MTV last week that the new album, due out September 2nd, will be called Lost in the Sound of Separation. They do like their verbose album titles, don't they?
He was pretty much in the band already, but bassist Josh Newton of the now-defunct From Autumn to Ashes has officially joined Every Time I Die on the low end, making him the band's 35883489th bassist in their history. Seriously, they've had lots of bassists.
October will reportedly see a live Between the Buried and Me DVD, footage for which will be shot at the band's August 2nd set at Rocketown in Nashville. Fun fact: Rocketown is owned by Christian-music superstar Michael W. Smith. Hilarious.
Hit Youtube for the new video from The Weakerthans, for the song 'Tournament of Hearts.' The band will be in Ottawa for Bluesfest! Stoooooked.
Former Essential Listening band Ambitions have already decided to be over. Booo-urns.
We mentioned the other day that Pearl Jam were gonna headline the Bonnaroo fest - apparently their set was a full three freakin' hours. Amazing. [buzzgrinder]
Essential Listening for today, June 16th, is Lansing-and-area, Michigan's own, For the Fallen Dreams. I don't actively dislike most of the Rise Records roster - just an amiable apathy, mostly - but FTFD's Misery Signals-inspired melodic metalcore stands out. Check 'em out, y'all.
The annual Bonnaroo festival, now in its seventh year, kicked off with a bang yesterday, from all accounts; Metallica played their first US outdoor fest in years, scorching through a set that was heavy on Black Album standards - after being intro'd by Chris Rock, who is awesome. My Morning Jacket's epic set will be talked about for weeks, we're told, while DJ Tiesto pumped up the late-night crowd in his inimitable style. Calgary's Tegan & Sara performed as well, as did Primus, Rilo Kiley and The Raconteurs, who are as amazing as Chris Rock. Day two went down today with sets from Mastodon, the legendary B.B. King, Kanye West and headliners Pearl Jam. We wish we were there instead of Canada. [Billboard]
R. Kelly has dodged the proverbial bullet, having been acquitted on all charges of child porn at trial this week. The jury reached their verdict in under eight hours yesterday in Chicago, after Kelly had gone up on fourteen counts that would've seen him in prison for a minimum of four years, as well as having to register as a sex offender in Illinois. Justice, however one views it, has been served by the people.
Just in time for their first tour in many years, half of Stone Temple Pilots have been slapped with lawsuits by Atlantic Records. Drummer Eric Kretz and singer Scott Weiland are accused by the label of using California laws to nullify their contracts with Atlantic, which are governed by New York state laws. The other half of STP, the DeLeo brothers, were both released from their contracts some years ago after the band's first stint had run its course. Without delving deeply into the well of legalese here, Atlantic is basically coming off as a desperate traditionally-modeled record label trying hard to squeeze some last juice out of a band they still see as viable. Pathetic.
We don't know how it's still possible, but Disturbed just scored their third consecutive number-one album. How? Why? Who? We demand answers!
From Disturbed to music that's actually meaningful, Buddy Guy is still truckin' and working on a new album - and he's scored some bigtime help in the form of Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph, among others. Skin Deep will drop July 22nd, and relatively speaking no one will buy it, and it will be largely ignored by the scads of skids who prefer this bilge, and justice will NOT have been served. The defense rests. PS Buddy will be on tour the day after the album hits, with openers George Thorogood & the Destroyers. Damn straight.
Sure, the Eagles did it, but somehow we didn't see AC/DC following this path - reports here and there indicate the legendary Australian rock act's next album will be another Walmart exclusive. Others who've taken this route include Garth Brooks and Journey. Aren't AC/DC supposed to have more chutzpah?
Random opinion - funny how record sales of three million now qualify for journalistic terms like 'enormous success.' Less than ten years ago, you had to move ten mil to get that kinda props.
We'll end the night on a higher note - no reunion in the last five years has excited me more than that of Living Sacrifice, and Arkansas' finest have their first brand-new album tune since 2003 up on their MySpace. Dig in, enjoy, and you're welcome. It sounds like LS never left.
My history with Seattle's The Myriad goes back to their debut nationwide release Never Trust A Ladder(2005, Floodgate Records), but with their new album out - With Arrows, With Poise - and a serendipitous sequence of events ranging from a label upgrade to MTV love, the band are poised(sorry) for bigger things. Check out a recent article documenting just how they went from zeroes to heroes - seemingly overnight. And then go go listen.
Looks like Janet Jackson is pretty pissed with her label, the iconic Island/Def Jam, who she says have given up promoting her latest album Discipline. She told Radio & Records that Island discontinued promo for the album after the second single they released failed to do squat on the charts, though singles one and three both cleared no. 40 on Billboard, including 'Feedback,' which may be the worst thing I've heard since Buckcherry's awful hit 'I'm Sorry,' which continues to test my patience - and gag reflex - whenever I have the misfortune to hear it. Anyhoo, Jackson says that this lack of support means she won't be able to go to Europe for her world tour, which kicks off in Vancouver in September - the label, however, says, they ain't got nothin' for her, woman. [R&R]
I've heard the first single in the shower(I keep a little FM radio in the bathroom to monitor what kind of crap is on the air these days), and while I'm very much 'meh' on it, you can decide for yourself by listening to the new Offspring album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace over here. [decoy]
Suddenly I'm sixteen again: Blues Traveler, Live and Collective Soul will be touring this summer - TOGETHER. Fantastic! Where do I sign up?
I'm sure it's only a coincidence, but...okay, no it ain't. Nas has posted a new song over on Youtube called 'Black President.' The hook? Supplied by a guy you may have heard of called Tupac.
Wonder if this is an open admission to the world that he's a huge nerd, but Leo DiCaprio will direct and star in the upcoming movie Atari, about Nolan Bushnell, the creator of the pioneering game system. I'd watch that. Oops. *blushes*
Zebrahead still exist!
Baltimore's oppressionist-metal maestros Misery Index(I bantered with them about minor-league baseball once!) will partner with Origin to headline the 2008 Relapse Records Contamination tour. The jaunt kicks off July 21st in St. Louis - check local listings, as they say.
Ah, punch-drunk punk-rock romance(I see you, Every Time I Die): rumours abound that New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert is dating Paramore frontwoman Hayley Willliams. I bet they're a cute couple. Or something.
More band-label wars - Bleeding Through(the band who in my opinion closest approximates the sound of an atom bomb going off onstage) have called out Trustkill Recs over the label's plans to put out a special edition of 2006's The Truth. Check out the nastiness over here. I don't have the time.
Let the controversy ensue!
Today's totally random fact: the other day we spoke highly of Sleepercar and their new album West Texas; I saw them live last week here in Ottawa and they covered a Flying Burrito Brothers song while opening for City & Colour. Well, yesterday I'm reading a back issue of Rolling Stone, the Eagles cover story, and it turns out one-time Eagle Bernie Leadon was a member of the FBB. How 'bout that. PS: the Eagles are disgustingly wealthy thanks to their coziness with Wal-mart.
Seemed like a really long time coming, what with the drama that always seemed imminent in their camp: emocore co-founders From Autumn to Ashes have split up. They're calling it an 'indefinite hiatus,' but it's over. Two of them have a new band going called Warship. [SPB]
Check out a new Integrity tune over here! New music for the first time since 2003!
If you miss Refused - and who doesn't? - two of them have formed another band called AC4, and though there's no album or tour or anything, a video does exist of the band performing a song live.
Hatebreed are working on a covers album. Artists who will be hatebred? Misfits, Obituary, Sheer Terror, Metallica, Agnostic Front and more. This will be, um, loud and hardcore-y.
White Stripes drummer/sometimes vocalist Meg White showed up out of the blue, appearing onstage at a Raconteurs show recently. Ten short months ago, her bouts of anxiety forced the Stripes off the road during a world tour. Her compatriot, Jack, also a Raconteur, has already said that the duo are at work on the WS' seventh album. [RS]
I worked security at the one here in Ottawa last year: the 150th Myspace Secret Show went down last night in New York City, headlined by Gnarls Barkley and opened by (?) math-rock dudes Battles. Weird bill. In case you were wondering, the Ottawa affair was an acoustic show featuring All Time Low and Boys Like Girls. Not my favourite bands, but who cares? I was well paid.
Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten is apparently living up to his name - allegedly. The man born John Lydon is facing a lawsuit for apparently beating up a woman in a hotel room - the woman being a representative of the Bodog Battle of the Bands enterprise; Lydon was part of the show last fall when the incident occurred. [aversion]
Following a few personal issues(namely, a drug-related arrest) Snow Patrol are back at work on the followup to their breakout 2006 album Eyes Open. "Some loveliness is happening and it's very exciting to hear songs I've been demoing over the last year or more spring to noise-covered life," says singer Gary Lightbody on the band's website. 'Hands Open' is still a favourite song of mine.
Hard to believe it's been three years already since Lagwagon's career-rebirthing Resolve album, but it sho' nuff has, and now they're working on a little EP with perhaps the best title in some time: I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon. No tracklisting or cover art to tell you about yet, but that title's enough on its own. And only is this new EP coming down the pipe, beginning in late August the band are blitzing across Canada with the likes of MXPX, The Sainte Catherines and Only Crime:
08/26/08 Vancouver, BC Canada at Croatian Cultural Center w/ The Sainte Catherines, TAT
08/28/08 Calgary, AB Canada at Warehouse Night Club w/ The Sainte Catherines, TAT
08/29/08 Edmonton, AB Canada at Dinwoodie Lounge w/ The Sainte Catherines, TAT
08/30/08 Saskatoon , SK Canada at The Odeon Events Centre w/ The Sainte Catherines, TAT
08/31/08 Regina, SK Canada at Pyramid Cabaret w/ The Sainte Catherines, TAT
09/01/08 Winnipeg, MB Canada at Pyramid Cabaret w/ MXPX, TAT
09/04/08 London, ON Canada at Call The Office w/ MXPX, TAT
09/05/08 Toronto, ON Canada at Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ MXPX, Only Crime, TAT
09/06/08 Montreal, QC Canada at Metropolis w/ MXPX, Only Crime, TAT
09/07/08 Quebec City, QC Canada at Imperial w/ MXPX, Only Crime, TAT
09/10/08 Halifax, NS Canada at The Marqee Club w/ MXPX, Only Crime, TAT
We have no idea who TAT are either.
Remember how Aerosmith got their very own Guitar Hero game? Well, no one really cared about it, and now Metallica are hoping to cash in some of that same consumer apathy with their version. Now we can all pretend to rock 'One' and wish the band was even a fraction that good anymore.
July 29th will see the Oliver Stone-directed Rolling Stones concert movie Shine A Light come to DVD - highly recommended by the folks here at the D. A few backstage cuts and some tunes that didn't make the movie are included as extras.
Somehow, as sometimes happens, this escaped me - Sloan will release their ninth album Parallel Play next week Tuesday, June 10th. I will buy it. [chartattack]
Remember when Thursday somehow forgot all their legal grievances against their label Victory Records and released that live DVD of theirs called Kill the House Lights through said label? Well, it looks like Victory's won another one - a victory, pardon the pun - with Hawthorne Heights, who've dropped their August 2006 lawsuit against the label and will soon release their new album Fragile Future on August 5th with, you guessed it, Victory Records. Check out the statement from HH drummer Eron Bucarelli: "We now regret having begun the lawsuit we filed in 2006. We should not have listened to those who, for whatever reasons, were then advising us to pursue this strategy. We are sorry for having put Victory Records and Tony Brummel through this ordeal, and regret any negative publicity that may have resulted. Many false, hurtful and incorrect statements were made, especially on the internet, none of which were true. Tony Brummel and Victory gave us our start, and did an unprecedented job with our first two albums. We hope they can repeat that success with our third studio album. Unfortunately, we cannot change the past, but we're now taking steps to heal the wounds and start fresh." How 'bout that.
Speaking of live DVDs, I purchased Underoath's new one Survive Kaleidoscope yesterday, and we'll surely let you know how it looks/sounds.
I was just having a conversation last night with a friend saying that I was pretty much done with breakdown-centric metalcore, unless it was done by experts, namely Unearth - well, they must've been listening, because Boston's finest are coming out with a new record. Check out a discussion with main man Trevor Phipps about the differences between the last album and this upcoming new one, who will produce it and more over here.
One of our faves here at the D, Between the Buried and Me, toured with Ozzfest in 2006 and hated the entire thing.
Today's Essential Listening - for June 7th, 2008, y'all! - is West Texas natives Sleepercar, aka the new Americana/country band featuring At the Drive In/Sparta veteran Jim Ward and a bunch of his cronies. The debut album, simply called West Texas, is eleven songs of steel-forged outback music, rocky here, country there, and excellent listening throughout. Listen!