Friday, July 14. 2006
Yes the rumors ARE true, we DO have a new T-Shirt coming. This time it is a reptile & music T-Shirt!
How can you buy one of these awesome new T-Shirts? Answer - YOU CAN'T! We will only give them away as usual. The first chance anyone will have to get one will be when we hand out 1000 at the National Reptile Breeders Expo in Daytona Beach, Florida.
It is now Friday July 14th and it is time to play WTF Friday, the game where you tell us the first 10 songs that come up on your music player when you hit the Random or Shuffle button. At stake is a classic kingsnake.com T-shirt and a chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod.
Our first iPod winner has received hers, maybe she has had time to fill it up so she can play again.
Here is my list...
1. Elvis Costello -Olivers Army
2. The Skunks - Cheap Girl
3. Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death
4. Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco
5. David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Crawling Kingsnake
6. Harry Connick Jr. - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
7. Leadbelly - Mama Did You Bring Me Any Silver? (Gallows Pole)
8. Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod
9. The Stranglers - Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)
10. The Zico Chain - Rohypnol
Once again, we give away a kingsnake.com T-shirt to each of our weekly winners and the monthly winner gets a spankin new 30Gb video iPod! For the complete set of rules see http://club.kingsnake.com/index.php?/pages/wtfcontest.html
You MUST post your list TODAY, Friday, for it to qualify for the contest so POST AWAY!
Thursday, July 13. 2006
SIGH. This is hard. How does one effectively review Gwar? How do you explain what you see without offending at LEAST one person? How exactly does one explain Gwar?
I laughed, I cried, and I twitched. I did enjoy this video. That's the easy part. The anal sex with a sword clip set to music and fart sounds is just plain fun. Most of this DVD is clips of shows set to song. There are skits, bootlegs, and lost demo recordings. There is a talk show set up with Oderus Urungus and Sleazy P. Martini. They chat and review and critique the clips.
Decapitation, evisceration, wrestling, slaves, giant penises, and orgasmic pleasure await those who purchase. It is shot and organized in almost a Troma Film manner. Watching this and thinking back, I wonder why my father even let me go to the shows when I was a kid. I also am reminded that this is the ONLY band that I try to stay as far away as possible from the stage. (Note for light blonde folks, the blood will stain your hair).
Gwar's music is great, but how to describe something like this. Words fail me. I can tell you it is good. It is an metal opera of death, destruction, sex, and politics. It is tongue in cheek and if you don't have a sense of humor, don't waste your time.
I s'pose I can best put it by saying it is Classic Gwar at their greatest. Blood, guts and cum all used in the greatest battle of all. The battle to summon the World Maggot and defeat The Master.
Wednesday, July 12. 2006
No, this is not a companion event to Austin's infamous Spam-O-Rama potted meat cook-off, this is actually an event commemorating October 8th, 2006 as Randy "Biscuit" Turner day in Austin, Texas ( as officially proclaimed by Austin Mayor Will Wynne). As important in Austin's early punk scene as the late Clifford Antone was to Austin's blues scene, Biscuit could probably be considered the original poster child for the slogan "Keep Austin Weird."
My favorite memory of Biscuit was seeing him and the rest of the Big Boys, in drag, blasting though the soul track "Hollywood Swingin," with their amps set to 11 and a full horn section, at the old Duke's Royal Coach circa 1981.
The 2 day Biscuitfest event starts with a parade (they are looking for participants!) and ends up at Emo's with bands, films, and lots and lots of people from the old school punk days who used to haunt places like Raul's, Dukes, and Club Foot. I will be there with my camera trying to document as much as possible for the site, and I have heard there will be a number of special guests from the era. According to the Biscuitfest.org web site Exene Cervenka, Standing Waves, Hickoids, Pong, and Shooting Pains are all scheduled to perform with more bands to be announced.
I think Biscuit is up there giggling his ass off about the whole damned thing and wishing we wouldn't make such a fuss.
Kallipalooza
Friday, July 14, 2006, 7 PM
Lawrence, KS
Forget Lollapalooza, if you're anywhere near Kansas City/Lawrence, KS, this weekend, be sure to check out Kallipalooza.
Kalli Sanders is the daughter of our staff director at kingsnake.com, and she's been severely ill for the last year. She's undergone repeated surgeries and hospitalizations, and had to leave her full time job as a social worker. Needless to say the financial impact on Kalli and her family has been tremendous. So a bunch of Kalli's friends have gotten together and teamed up with the hottest indy bands in the region to put on a benefit they've dubbed Kallipalooza.
Bands featured include:
Gourmet Mushroom X (possibly the loudest band in Kansas)
Froyd
The Lonesome Hound Dogs
The Gleaners
Music Row
For more information and tickets, visit Kallipalooza info.
Syd Barrett, co-founder of the legendary rock band Pink Floyd, died this week. After he founded the band with Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright in 1965, he left the group in 1968. He was involved in the writing and playing on both The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets. He also is the person credited with naming the band, borrowing names from the bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Barrett became heavily involved with psychedelic drugs, and it's believed that mental illness, aggravated by heavy LSD use, was the main reason for his leaving the band. Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour. He went on to produce two solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett (both released in 1970) before withdrawing completely from public life. Opel, released in 1988, was his final music release. It consisted of previously unreleased material.
It is believed that Pink Floyd songs "Brain Damage" and "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," as well as the album Wish You Were Here, were Pink Floyd tributes to their fallen band mate. David Bowie recorded a cover of "See Emily Play.". Bowie named Barrett as a major influence in his song writing.
Barrett reverted to his given name of Roger Barrett and lived a quiet life in his hometown of Cambridge, England, for a little over 30 years. While no cause of death has been given, it is believed that he succumbed to complications relating to diabetes. A spokewoman for Pink Floyd said a small, private funeral would be held.
Monday, July 10. 2006
Slayer
Hometown: Huntingon Park, CA
Friday July 7, 2006
The Rave Ballroom
also: Thine Eyes Bleed, Children Of Bodom, Mastodon, Lamb Of God
Unholy Alliance Tour
Maybe I should start the story at the beginning. The Rave NEVER sells out. EVER. Period. They just keep packing in bodies until no one can move. Seen it a MILLION times. To avoid massive ticketmaster charges we always get our tickets at the box office the day before. Well, the day before, the truck was in the shop, the first shift girl called in sick at the job that pays the bills, and I was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Never made it. Email Thursday night tells me that I not only did not win the Slayer guitar in The Rave's contest, but our plans for celebrating our third wedding anniversary with Slayer (for those who do not know, slayer lyrics were written in our vows, "Dead Skin Mask") had died. A couple of depressed emails went out to folks. Friday morning. First shift girl called in sick, full time needs me. Working part time, in a bad mood, rescheduled tattoo appointments, shitty day. But get home from work, see an email. A darling friend told me to hang tight. 5 PM hope is lost and then there is a phone call. "There are tix waiting at the box office will call window in your name." The shining light in a day shot to hell. I did underestimate the power of SLAYER. I was wrong and after 20 years of listening to them, I should have known that the show would have sold out. I'm just glad I have friends.
We were late. Naturally, with getting the tix at 5 no way to be on time. Not when a girl is involved. Gotta get the war face on. So I am vain. Deal.
First off, The Rave Ballroom sucks for sound. If you have never been there, you would think the band was off. Milwaukee crowds are great, but the sound sucks. We all know this, we accept it. The Ballroom was actually at one point a gym. Basketball games were played there. It's big and open with huge high ceilings and open alcoves. Sound sucks. A dixie cup of water is $3 and a dixie cup of beer is $6.
Mastodon was just finishing up their last song as we walked in. I'm just getting into Children of Bodom and the Rave was NOT the place to get further in. From their CDs I love them, but the Rave is just plain bad to get introduced to new bands. Had we gone downstairs to the Rave itself (the old presidents' room for you Milwaukee old fogies like me) it would have sounded better. You just can't see anything.
Lamb of God is a band that I have been into for a little while. They played a 30-40 minute set. And hell they had a midget on stage, that earns extra points! They are a nice show to watch. Very high energy. They played a decent selection of songs from their catalog. No I can't remember what they played. The last thing I thought of was my notebook when I was walking out the door. Some we can remember: "Now You've Got Something to Die For," "Laid To Rest," "Hourglass," and "As the Palaces Burn." One thing I have to say: LOG had the single best pit going at the Rave that I can remember. The pit was an old skool circle mosh. When a singer calls for an all floor circle mosh and the room listens, it is a beautiful thing. For those not there, imagine a basketball court sized mosh pit. It was lovely. Those on the sidelines watching it were all smiles. In the words of Nedley Mandico, it was hot.
Slayer is like heaven to my ears. While I can't remember the set list, I can remember most of the songs. Naturally they opened with "South Of Heaven" and closed with "Angel of Death." Songs played (not in this order): "Cult" (the new one), "Mandatory Suicide," "Dead Skin Mask," "Chemical Warfare," "God Hates Us All," "War Ensemble," "Raining Blood," "Blood Red," "Hell Awaits," and a shit load of others that I can't remember. I was disappointed not to hear 213 (being Milwaukee and all, they need to give us our props on good ole Jeffery). The show was great, Slayer may be getting older, but they move through the songs like butta. A smidge of a break that you barely notice. The inverted cross Marshall stack was pretty darn skippy and the laser show was noticed about half way. We were on the side of the stage so we missed most of the images on the big screen. I did however hear they are pretty disturbing at times. And contrary to what he said, it didn't seem like Tom was taking a break. Lastly it was great for me to see all four back together. If I remember correctly (and when trying to remember that is a BAD thing sometimes) I do not think Dave was with them last time. But I could be wrong.
Afterwards, with thanks to some friends, we got to see Kerry at the aftershow. It's been a long time since being back stage at the Rave. Memories of Dee Dee Ramone relieving himself in the stairwell, having a smoke with Dime, a beer with Chuck and Ice , and other good times came back. Sitting there, smelly and sweaty after the show, having a beer with Kerry was cool, but add to it talking snakes. Now that is good times. Mentioned I was going to have to write a review and damned if I was going to remember everything they played. Kerry told me just to say they were good. Well Mr. KFK, you are wrong. As always Slayer is just plain Fucking Insanity and a little Taste of Heaven on Earth. Slayer FUCKING RULES! See ya in Daytona Big Man! This was my at least my tenth time seeing them, and they never have disappointed me yet.
Now I am off to ice my old ass neck. While I skipped the pit because it is AWFULLY hard to explain a black eye as being a good time in an office situation, I didn't just sit there like a stump either. However I don't think the show was nearly loud enough because my ears aren't ringing. Or maybe that is early hearing loss setting in.
One last thing, Thank you K! You bailed me out girl! I owe ya!
Sunday, July 9. 2006
Buckcherry
Manufacturer:Eleven Seven Music
Released:11 April, 2006
When Buckcherry first came out I didn't want to like them. Yeah sure, in the past I partied pretty hard, but a mega hit song about cocaine? Come on now, that's just plain bad. Then I kept listening. I got Time Bomb. I got hooked.
To me Buckcherry is the glam of the new century. I hear a lot of things that remind me of bands like LA Guns, GNR, even Crue at times. They are a little rougher around the edges, but they are to me at least the New Glam Metal. They sing about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll and they make it seem fun again.
"Crazy Bitch" is the first song I heard off of this on Bubba the Love Sponge's Show used as bumper music. So what if I am a bubba mark, I sure as hell wasn't going to hear this song OFF of satellite radio. And if I did, it wasn't going to be anywhere near as fun. Come on, a song about sex with a half crazed woman? Tell me that isn't glam. Unfortunately it is catchy as hell, and let me tell ya the folks at the grocery store give me dirty looks when the song gets stuck on repeat in my brain.
Everything is a sweet sounding song about basically a girl having a shit ass life. "Sorry" is the true glam love ballad. The apology song. "Carousel," a song about broken romance. "Brooklyn," a song about rock star life.
Sure there is no substance. Sure it's a whole lotta fluff. Sure it's catchy and will probably get some mainstream air play (can't tell ya for sure tho). But it's a damned fun CD. It's glam, but it's damned fun.
Song List
So Far
Next to you
Out Of Line
Carousel
Sorry
Crazy Bitch
Onset
Sunshine
Brooklyn
Broken Glass
Fave Songs
Crazy Bitch
Sorry
Broken Glass
Saturday, July 8. 2006
Henry Rollins has something to get off his chest; lucky for us IFC has given Henry his own weekly show. With a sardonic wit that is as dry as it is cutting, Henry keeps us up to date with world events, politics, and entertainment, saying the things that Jon Stewart wishes he could get away with.
This week he has a no-holds-barred conversation with controversial musician Peaches, and has Ringside as his special musical guest. Upcoming shows include guests like club.kingsnake fav Slayer, and the New York Dolls. Un-cut and un-censored, Henry's show is definitely not for those who have an aversion to either profanity or truth. Hats off, Henry, for telling it like it is. You can catch the show on Saturday nights. For a look at the full show schedule and to download clips check out the web site at http://henryrollins.ifc.com/.
(BTW - Henry - help a bro out man, hook me up with your band intro girl ;) )
I'm kind of a sucker for cover songs. There are songs I hate in their original version, that I love as a cover song - and of course, there are approximately four hundred million examples of the reverse, because, you know, bar bands. Wedding bands. Bad tribute bands. Shit, GOOD tribute bands. I'm just saying.
But still, I'm a sucker, like I said. So here is a totally bizarre collection of some of my favorite cover songs, from the "Just Covers" playlist on my iPod. I mean, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I haven't actually refined this into a top ten or anything. I did skip multiple tracks by the same artist, but otherwise this is the first ten I got when I shuffled the covers playlist.
Ten Random Cover Songs from my iPod:
1. Gloria by Patti Smith
She is as a god to me. This is why. Well, this and all her other music. But seriously... what she does with this song is almost impossible, and quite possibly illegal in South Dakota. "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."
2. Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You by the Pet Shop Boys
OK, so.... the Pet Shop Boys' "You Were Always On My Mind" routinely makes it onto "Ten Best Covers of all Time" lists, and it's good, it's really good. But I like this one better, a strange electro-dance version of the U2 classic mixed up with the old 60s pop hit. I've heard Bono really liked this, and so do I.
3. Lola by The Raincoats
Genderfuck to the nth degree. You can take the girl out of punk but you can never really get the punk out of the girl.
4. Sisters of Mercy by Sting and the Chieftans
This is from a tribute to Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen called Tower of Song. This, and Peter Gabriel's cover of "Suzanne," are the standout tracks, but it's all good.
5. Helpless by kd lang
It was this or her cover of "What's New, Pussycat," but I went with this even though it was a big hit and you probably already heard it. But covers don't get any better than this, a great Neil Young original, a great cover, and one of the greatest voices ever. Her entire album of covers of songs by Canadian artists, Hymns of the 49th Parallel, is the only kd lang album I really like. Although if I weren't doing this randomly, but had been able to go in and pick and choose, Roxy Music's version of Young's "Like a Hurricane" would have been here instead.
6. Take Me to the River by Talking Heads
I've seen this once or twice on "Top Ten Cover Songs" lists and I don't know why it's not on all of them. It's scorching.
7. Hurt by Johnny Cash
I don't know, I was scarred for life by his cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," although I love the Marilyn Manson version, but this cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" is devastating. In a good, someone please just leave me here in a darkened room in a fetal position sucking my thumb kind of way.
8. I Fought the Law and the Law Won by the Clash
Yeah, here's that 80s thing again. I can't help when I was born. I can't help loving the Clash. I can't help it that I ummmm kind of put this song on continuous replay while I clean the house sometimes.
9. Man in Black by Marc Almond
This is on a UK compilation for an AIDS organization called the Terrence Higgins Trust. It's a tribute album to Johnny Cash called 'Til Things Are Brighter, and it features a huge number of really good and really strange things, of which in my opinion, this is the best. If you can find it on Ebay or somewhere, you should get it. Other artists include Michelle Shocked singing "One Piece at a Time," Cathal Coughlan doing a kick-ass cover of "Ring of Fire," the Mekons' version of "Folsom Prison Blues," Tracey and Melissa Beehive's deadpan "Five Feet High and Risin'," and I don't know, it just gets better and weirder all the time.
10. Everytime We Say Goodbye by Annie Lennox
From the original Red, Hot, and Blue compilation, a tribute to the songs of Cole Porter and also an AIDS benefit album and video. (It was recently re-released on CD and DVD.) It's full of good stuff ... the video for Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop's version of "Well, Did You Evah!" is worth the price of admission alone ... but Annie Lennox's "Everytime We Say Goodbye" is particularly gripping. The video for this track was supposed to be directed by British filmmaker Derek Jarman, who was at the last minute unable to do it because he was dying of AIDS. Lennox chose to film it standing in front of a blank screen with home movies of Jarman's childhood being projected on her face. "Every time we say goodbye, I die a little."
Someone better post some thrashy hard assed cover songs now, because I am such a fucking girl sometimes.
Friday, July 7. 2006
Ouch - I actually FORGOT it was friday (all week has felt like friday). I guess it is the holiday that has me all outta whack. Anyway it's time to play WTF Friday, the game where you can win fabulous prizes just by hitting the "shuffle" button on your music player and tell us the first 10 songs that come up.
Here is my list:
1. Surrender - Cheap Trick
2. Peaches - The Stranglers
3. Making Plans for Nigel - XTC
4. Never Been Any Reason - Head East
5. Planet Caravan - Black Sabbath
6. Airbag - Radiohead
7. India - Psycadelic Furs
8. I'm waiting for the man - Velvet Underground
9. Shiver - Cold Play
10. Voices - Disturbed
Once again, we give away a kingsnake.com T-shirt to each of our weekly winners and the monthly winner gets a spankin new 30Gb video iPod! For the complete set of rules see http://club.kingsnake.com/index.php?/pages/wtfcontest.html
You MUST post your list TODAY, Friday, for it to qualify for the contest so POST AWAY!
Wednesday, July 5. 2006
Country legend Johnny Cash died almost three years ago, leaving behind a wealth of unreleased material recorded prior to his death. This is the fifth in a series of albums of this work, produced by longtime Cash collaborator Rick Rubin.
American V: A Hundred Highways is the final volume in this series and was released on July 4. From the Amazon.com review:
The ethical questions surrounding this final album in the American Recordings series are as unavoidable as they are, ultimately, peripheral. While the vocal tracks were recorded in the months just prior to Johnny Cash's passing in September 2003, the arrangements weren't undertaken until two years later. And though producer Rick Rubin had become a trusted friend, the Man in Black wasn't around to approve or disapprove, let alone guide, the final sessions. However, if the pure power of these recordings doesn't quiet the skeptics, nothing will. With Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and slide guitar session pro Smokey Hormel on board (all three of whom appear on earlier Cash albums), along with guitarists Matt Sweeney and Johnny Polansky, the sound is stately and acoustic, but rarely staid, even as the dynamics of earlier recordings in the series are absent. Instead, the songs have a measured, elegiac intensity, the sound of musicians choosing their notes carefully and making just the right choices.
Monday, July 3. 2006
Congrats go out to Kim in Scarborough who won our first 30Gb video iPod.
Her response "Wow, I'm not even sure I believe it. uhm, thanks! "
Kim you BETTER believe cause sometime in the next 10 days your postman is gonna pod you up courtesy of club kingsnake. June's T-shirt winners were Dawn from Mishawaka and Tim from Belfair.
Our contests will get bigger and better as we go along so everyone stay tuned. The next time you can enter the iPod contest is this Friday. For the complete set of rules for our iPod contest click here.
P!nk
June 27, 2006
The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)
http://www.pinkspage.com/
I've tried to approach this like a good reviewer and write a balanced, objective, factual review of P!nk's concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco. But I can't, so I won't.
Why fight it? I'm just a fan and much of that is not just because I like her music ... because I do like it, but that's really all, I like it, I don't love it ... but because I like HER. I like her attitude, I like her brains, I like the way she tries to get the little girls to THINK, I like her sneer and her sass and I like the way she looks in a rock and roll can-can girl skirt and motorcycle boots, I just fucking like her.
Other than some minor sound mix problems and a few equipment glitches, the show was great. If you didn't like her when you went in, you'd probably love her when you left. She focused on her best-known and most popular songs, particularly those on her newest album I'm Not Dead ( review), including "Stupid Girls" and her new single, "Who Knew." She ripped through bouncing renditions of "Trouble," "Just Like a Pill," "18 Wheeler" and other stuff from her back catalogue.
She sang a shorter second set, in the guise of an encore, of some of her slower stuff, including the crowd-pleaser "Dear Mr. President."
She chatted with the crowd, which worked really well in a venue the size of the Fillmore. The sold-out crowd was only about 20 percent teenagers, although they made up most of the fans down in the front.
So I loved it. She's great. Sue me.
Saturday, July 1. 2006
Hot on the heels of the announcement of the Back Room's closing, Austin's Redrum picks up the (spiked) ball and runs with it, hosting the Extreme Texas Metal Fest III this weekend. With twenty-three metal bands over three days, the black leather and spikes were out in force to show that Austin still has a sharper edge. We will have pics from this show up in the gallery on Monday. For more information on Extreme Texas Metalfest III click here.
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