It is now Friday Sept 29 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 the last chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod. Also we welcome Metal Blade Records as a contest sponsor this month, so everyone that wins a shirt or iPod will also get a copy of Metal Blade's 2006 Summer Sampler with 18 bands including Cannibal Corpse, Unearth and more!
Here is my list... .
1. Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
2. Frank Zappa - Yellow Snow
3. Rainbow - Long Live Rock & Roll
4. Wanted Dead - Deathwish
5. The Violent Femmes - Love Is Gone ( Gone Daddy Gone)
6. The Specials & The Clash - Rudy Ska
7. Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
8. System Of A Down - Peephole
9. Staind - Fade
10. Soundgarden - Break My Rusty Cage
Kill Rhythm - killrhythm.com Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Status: Unsigned Style: Hard Rock/Metal Releases:
KillRhythm (E.P)
Double Platinum (E.P)
KillRhythm III (E.P.)
KillRhythm 4
Why they don't Suck: Over the course of their 4 recordings Kill Rhythm have evolved into a powerful band that writes great songs. Garth Allen is one of the most talented frontmen I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. "The Future Hurts" just grabs you by the throat and won't let go. What a great song!
See them in cyberspace:The Future Hurts See them Live: They only seem to play once a month. Check their MySpace Page for upcoming dates.
We had a few more entries this week, including a few more photos from ACL fest. We did not limit this contest to amateur photographers because we wanted everyone to participate, and our second weekly winner is Jay West from Austin, Texas a commercial photographer who worked at ACL Fest and has provided us with some shots of Ben Kweller, The Flaming Lips and Gnarls Barkley..
This amazing picture of Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo is this weeks winner (look at the clouds reflected in his glasses) so Jay gets himself a brand new club.kingsnake T-Shirt and is now entered in the contest to win that Nikon D80 for Christmas. Thanks for entering the contest and sharing these great pictures Jay.
If you would like to enter the contest to win one of our weekly T-Shirts or a chance to win Nikon's brand new 10.2 Mp D80 DSLR camera kit for Christmas, a $1000.00+ value, upload some of your best concert pics to our Photo Contest Gallery. Enter as many concert photos as you like and as often as you like.
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Staff and volunteers of OnlineHobbyist and its associated sites are ineligible to participate in the contest though they may certainly post their photos as well.
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Local radio personality Al Kirkcaldy loves the blues, and as such has been instrumental in bringing some of it's greatest touring acts to Peterborough. To the world at large most of these acts are relative unknowns but to the blues fan they are it's biggest stars.
I have to admit that I began my exploration of the blues relatively recently. Especially modern blues. Al's series of local concerts have been great course material for me.
The latest class in the blues took place on September 22nd at the Junction in Peterborough. The instructor that night was Lucky Peterson.
Lucky was a blues prodigy, recording his first single by the age of five. He is often referred to as a "triple threat" as he sings, plays guitar, and also plays the hammond organ. Lucky, now in his Forties, is a commanding stage presence able to paint with a broad palette.
Lucky's guitar playing goes from clean blues standards, to Soul - R&B, and on to fire breathing Hendrix inspired riffing and solos. His vocals are deep and powerful as evidenced by Lucky strolling into the audience and belting out the blues sans microphone while the bass and drums laid down a soft backline.
I'm a guitar player, but I also have a love of that warbling Hammond Organ. Damn, Lucky can play that thing! A good portion of his first set was dedicated to to it, as was part of his second. I wish I'd gotten some photos of Lucky playing the organ, but the stage lighting was so poor at that point that he was pretty much sitting in the dark while on the keys.
After breaking a string on his guitar during the second set Lucky also switched to Organ while work was undertaken to get his guitar back in shape. I'm not sure what exactly happened but he ended up the set with a stratocaster provided by an audience member.
I won't profess to know every song Lucky played but I do remember Got My Mojo Working, Killing Floor, Mustang Sally, Sweet Home Chicago and a short Jimi Hendrix medley.
All told a great evening of the electric blues. Special thanks to Al Kirkcaldy for putting on this show, and for allowing me to photograph it.
I've never watched any of these talent/reality shows, like American Idol. I'm not so much on the television watching.
But there was a time I was hopelessly addicted to a campy, intoxicating show called Xena: Warrior Princess, starring former Miss New Zealand Lucy Lawless in the title role.
I knew Lawless (Battlestar Galactica) could sing, since XWP had several musical episodes (I told you it was campy), so it makes sense that a B-list celeb fest like Celebrity Duets might include her. It pairs entertainers not known as singers with musical legends - usually code for "has-beens," and there are a few of those, but many genuine legends as well, including Smokey Robinson, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight.
It's not hard to see where a show like this could suck. It's hard to see, in fact, how it couldn't. And if you're sitting there thinking I'm going to tell you it doesn't suck, you're wrong. Because it sucks so massively it's causing a disruption in the space-time continuum. It's sucking at Olympic levels. It's sucking like the last sucky thing in the galaxy.
Are you getting the picture?
Let me give you an example, much as it pains me.
Actor/comedian Hal Sparks (Survival of the Richest, Queer as Folk, stupid VH-1 series I Love the 70s, I Love the 80s, and I Love the 90s) and Dee Snyder (Twisted Sister) singing "We're Not Gonna Take It." The sheer badness of this duet is, frankly, indescribable, although that won't prevent me from attempting to describe it for you. Sparks is notable for having been called "too white" by Celebrity Duets judge Marie Osmond earlier in the show, and when Marie Osmond thinks you're "too white," honey... you're too white. Not just to sing Motown, which he tried to do, not just to sing, but to GO ON LIVING.
But I'd rather see him singing Motown every day for the rest of my life than have to live through his duet with Dee Snyder again. It was tuneless and soulless and horrifying. He was wearing too much eyeliner, and in his case, any is too much.
And I must not be the only one, because despite much diligent searching, I can't find video of this nightmare performance on YouTube or anywhere else people upload these things.
As soon as someone uploads it, I'll show you Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) singing "Lady Marmalade" with Patti LaBelle. She can still sing like some kind of goddess even though her wardrobe needs serious attention. And Jai looks like a debauched paperboy. Just listen but don't watch, because vocally? They owned me.
So here the deal. I've stumbled across lots of great Canadian bands/musicians either at live shows or on that crazy little thing called the internet (they have it on computers now). What sets them apart is that they suck me in and leave me wanting more. They might be veteran touring acts, major label rockers, an indie act just finding their following or some kids in their parents basement. Inspiration and Innovation seem to be my keywords these days and again that's what I'm looking for.
Lets begin, shall we?
Jimmy Bowskill - jimmybowskill.com Location: Bethany, Ontario Status: Unsigned. Two independently released albums with another on the way. Style: Blues Releases:
Old Soul (2003)
Soap Bars and Dog Ears (2004)
Awards and Nomintions:
2005 Juno Nomination - Blues Album of the Year
2005 Canadian Indie Award - Favourite Blues Artist
2004 Canadian Indie Award - Favourite Blues Artist
2004 Canadian Maple Blues Award - Best New Artist
2004 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - Galaxie Rising Star Award
2004 DareArts - Children For Peace Leadership Award
Why he doesn't suck: Jimmy may only be 16 years old but in him dwells the soul of an old blues man. His initial break came when, at the age of eleven, he was invited to sit in with Jeff Healey. Since then Jimmy has surrounded himself with other talented blues musicians (Jerome Godboo and Jack DeKeyser for example), maintained a fairly rigorous touring schedule (especially true considering he's still in highschool) and shared the stage with the likes of Dicky Betts.
Upcoming Dates:
Friday, October 13, 2006 - Algonquin Theatre, Huntsville, ON
Saturday, October 14, 2006 - McKeck's Place, Haliburton, ON
Saturday, October 21, 2006 - Uxbridge Music Hall, Uxbridge, ON
Saturday, October 28, 2006 - The Orangeville Opera House, Orangeville, ON
Friday, November 10, 2006 - Aylmer Old Town Hall, Aylmer, ON
Saturday, November 11, 2006 - Victoria Jubilee Hall, Walkerton, ON
Friday, November 24, 2006 - Showplace Performing Arts Centre, Peterborough, ON
Saturday, November 25, 2006 - The Academy Theatre, Lindsay, ON
Protest The Hero - protestthehero.com Location: Whitby, Ontario Status: Signed to Underground Operations Style: Heavy Metal Releases:
Search for the truth EP (2002)
A Calculated Use of Sound EP (2003)
Kezia (2005)
Why they don't suck: I was immediately impressed when I listened to the songs featured on their MySpace page. Heretics and Killers is a hell of an introduction to this band. These kids can play. This is fast articulate metal with soaring vocals and flawless guitar work. Iron Maiden Evolved!
Upcoming Dates:
10.01.06 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues (Orlando)
It is now Friday Sept 22 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 the chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod. Also we welcome Metal Blade Records as a contest sponsor this month, so everyone that wins a shirt or iPod will also get a copy of Metal Blade's 2006 Summer Sampler with 18 bands including Cannibal Corpse, Unearth and more!
Here is my list... .
1. Primus - Southbound Pachyderm
2. Adrian Belew - Big Electric Cat
3. Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home
4. Rage Against The Machine - Pocket Full of Shells
5. Tom Petty - Breakdown
6. Staind - Dysfunction
7. The Cult - Here Comes The Rain
8. The Offspring - L.A.P.D.
9. Suicidal Tendancies - Join The Army
10. The Vapors - Turning Japanese
Ahhh the pleasure of this "job" is unless I am being sent somewhere, I get to pick and choose where I go. So when I hit The Exclusive Company for CDs, I check the fliers. I came across one for a hardcore show. Hot damn, people are still making that stuff? Well, the reason I happened to go to this show was primarily because of the recommendation of one man. A man I met briefly in 2003. A man who is a living legend. A man named Billy Milano (See my bio for my brief encounter with Billy). Anyhoo Billy said it was good. I followed his lead. It's been ages since I have seen a good hardcore band and damned if I was going to pass up this chance. There were several bands playing, one had to be good. Off to MySpace to check out and see what I was looking at. The show got a two hour late start, so we did miss one band.
Been a very long time since I have even seen a show at the BBC. And that was a mid-evening show of a friends band. BBC has remodeled some. They have a nice set up in the upper level for shows now. Small yes, but hell, its a great place to get a start and get a following. And for the most part it sounds a helluva lot better than some places.
First up is a group of younger kids in a band called An Eternal Farewell. Self described as "Brew City Mosh Core," they sound somewhat Pantera-esque. They are having their second show of the day (first being a pig roast) and it's their third show with their new bassist. Not bad over all, the singer really got into it, and the band as a whole is a very high energy group. A little thrash, a dash of some hardcore sounds, a splash of death in the vocals at times. A very nice mix.
This is where it gets hard to describe. Hardcore is a hard thing to explain. The sound is definitive. Angry, hostile, forceful, and glorious all at once. You need to scream for hardcore. You need some anger somewhere in your soul. But you need to also have some talent. It's a very working class guy type of music (or in my case working class broad). It's a mix of punk, thrash, speed, and hostility. It works the aggression out of your soul and you leave a show pumped up. Then you get home and you have a Zen-like relaxation. Ok, maybe its just me. But that's why I've always liked hardcore. Music to work your anger out on. I have music for moods. Hardcore is my aggression killer. It helps me work it out.
40 oz Fist was pretty darned cool with the dual vocalists. One high and one low. I really did enjoy the dueling vocalists, gave them something different to entertain me with. A six-piece band from Milwaukee, that is something that is a standout. This is hardcore. Almost had a big guy fall in my lap running up to the window sill from the pit. Tables knocked over. Small crowd, but they were into it. A few songs the guys did were "Lesser of Two Evils," "What's Yours is Mine," "Come Get Some," and "Break Free."
Now for the band we actually planned on seeing. I tried very hard not to get to know them or any other band playing. I wanted to go in with no impressions and have the bands make them on me. New Society of Anarchists has been said to be true hard,core by Milano. Well if you remember the old school hardcore, this is the best way to say what this is. I was really taken by the bassist's Zakk playing. It almost has a slap funk undertone. To kinda explain what I heard, if I mention a bassist's playing think Robert Trujillio in his ST/Infectious Days. Robert is my bass GOD and if I mention a bassist the sounds are much along these same lines. The bass was very ST Style. A few songs played, "Conviction," "The Few, The Proud, The Brutal," "Gang Mentality." This is what I remembered hardcore being, and I can honestly say I'm eagerly awaiting writing a review of their upcoming CD For the Forgotten.
I'm glad I found hardcore is still going. While other shows have mosh pits, I've seen that hardcore shows are the only shows where in the pit you can punch someone in the face and get up and then hug that person. Hardcore pits are the only ones I ever avoided.
When I started out as a music journalist in 1980, the second band I interviewed was one that had come all the way from the U.K. on their very first tour to play Austin's legendary Armadillo World Headquarters. They were supporting their first album release, Drums and Wires, and I was very fortunate to see them because shortly afterward they stopped touring completely.
With classic songs such as "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Life Begins at the Hop," a slew of other singles like "Senses Working Overtime,""Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)," and "Generals and Majors," as well as the incredible and controversial "Dear God," XTC has influenced countless bands over the years with their complex arrangements, poetic lyrics and intricate sound. They remain a favorite among musicians and fans worldwide. Their music has been covered by artists ranging in diversity from Primus to Sarah McLachlan, and they have worked with musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Aimee Mann, Thomas Dolby, the band Blur, and others.
I was fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with Andy Partridge from his studio in the U.K. and to catch up a little bit on the 30+ years since our last conversation. Visit our Podcast Interviews Page or download the MP3 and take it with you.
There's baggage and then there's Three Days Grace (3DG). 3DG frontman Adam Gontier either has a lot of issues he's worked/working through or a very vivid (if not very fertile) imagination.
While their self-titled debut dealt with, among other things, Adam's anger toward his father, One X drags us into self destruction, drug abuse, crumbling relationships, and other dark topics. The scope of the album is a little limited, with several songs on the topic of women fucking you over and how you've moved on, and several others about being a misfit.
I wanted to love this album. These guys grew up just down the road from me and I remember hearing of them in the "Groundswell" days. I really wanted to love this album.
In my initial draft of this review I really felt that I couldn't love this album.
Angry disenfranchised teens would eat this stuff up. When I was 16 I would have loved this and felt like Adam was talking directly to me. I've been to the dirty underbelly and come out the other side, 3DG isn't really telling me anything I don't know.
But......
Just yesterday I realized that every time I get in my car I put it on. What's that mean? I guess, what it may lack in substance and breadth it makes up for with some great hooks and solid riffs.
The production values of One X are much improved over those of their first release. This time the guitars don't sound like they were played through a Peavey Backstage Plus with a Boss Metal Zone and recorded on a Fostex 4 Track. The vocals are also higher in the mix and overall the sound is less muddy.
High points:
Animal I Have Become
On My Own
Get Out Alive
It is now Friday Sept 29 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 the last chance to win the monthly grand prize, a black 30Gb video iPod. Also we welcome Metal Blade Records as a contest sponsor this month, so everyone that wins a shirt or iPod will also get a copy of Metal Blade's 2006 Summer Sampler with 18 bands including Cannibal Corpse, Unearth and more!
Kill Rhythm - 
We had a few more entries this week, including a few more photos from ACL fest. We did not limit this contest to amateur photographers because we wanted everyone to participate, and our second weekly winner is 
I've never watched any of these talent/reality shows, like American Idol. I'm not so much on the television watching.
Jimmy Bowskill - 
First up is a group of younger kids in a band called An Eternal Farewell. Self described as "Brew City Mosh Core," they sound somewhat Pantera-esque. They are having their second show of the day (first being a pig roast) and it's their third show with their new bassist. Not bad over all, the singer really got into it, and the band as a whole is a very high energy group. A little thrash, a dash of some hardcore sounds, a splash of death in the vocals at times. A very nice mix. 
40 oz Fist was pretty darned cool with the dual vocalists. One high and one low. I really did enjoy the dueling vocalists, gave them something different to entertain me with. A six-piece band from Milwaukee, that is something that is a standout. This is hardcore. Almost had a big guy fall in my lap running up to the window sill from the pit. Tables knocked over. Small crowd, but they were into it. A few songs the guys did were "Lesser of Two Evils," "What's Yours is Mine," "Come Get Some," and "Break Free."
Now for the band we actually planned on seeing. I tried very hard not to get to know them or any other band playing. I wanted to go in with no impressions and have the bands make them on me. New Society of Anarchists has been said to be true hard,core by Milano. Well if you remember the old school hardcore, this is the best way to say what this is. I was really taken by the bassist's Zakk playing. It almost has a slap funk undertone. To kinda explain what I heard, if I mention a bassist's playing think Robert Trujillio in his ST/Infectious Days. Robert is my bass GOD and if I mention a bassist the sounds are much along these same lines. The bass was very ST Style. A few songs played, "Conviction," "The Few, The Proud, The Brutal," "Gang Mentality." This is what I remembered hardcore being, and I can honestly say I'm eagerly awaiting writing a review of their upcoming CD For the Forgotten.
When I started out as a music journalist in 1980, the second band I interviewed was one that had come all the way from the U.K. on their very first tour to play Austin's legendary Armadillo World Headquarters. They were supporting their first album release, Drums and Wires, and I was very fortunate to see them because shortly afterward they stopped touring completely.
There's baggage and then there's Three Days Grace (3DG). 3DG frontman Adam Gontier either has a lot of issues he's worked/working through or a very vivid (if not very fertile) imagination.