Thursday, November 30. 2006
 Rik Emmett Trio
www.rikemmett.com
Rik Emmett Trio photos in the Gallery
Saturday November, 25, 2006
King Street Centre for the Arts (Millbrook, Ontario)
Every now and then the rock gods get angered, and when they do you better watch out. I'm not sure if it was Rik or me they were aiming at but they took some pot shots at us both.
The night before I was scheduled to see Rik, I'd been out at another show, and shortly after arriving home my son proceeded to stroll out in the hallway and vomit. This led to me being up with him until about 3 am. The next day was spent in a sleep deprived stupor praying that I wouldn't be struck down with the afformentioned stomach bug and miss Rik's show. The rock gods must have taken a break that afternoon, as I was able to make it through the day with nothing more than some stomach discomfort, which I now chalk up to nerves and stress over the fact that I might miss my opportunity to meet and photograph Rik Emmett.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Rik Emmett Trio - King Street Centre for the Arts, Millbrook Ontario."
Wednesday, November 29. 2006
 Blue October
Hometown: Houston, Tx.
http://www.blueoctober.com
Blue October Concert Photos
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Stubb's BarBQ (Austin, Texas)
What a way to cap a full Thanksgiving week.
Houston's Blue October played a 2-day set at Stubb's Bar B Q Thanksgiving weekend in Austin, and considering the buzz off their last album, I was going to have to be pretty lucky if I wanted to see them. After first dropping them from the label, Universal gave them a rare second look that seems to have paid off this year in the hit single "Hate Me." Even though it was a holiday weekend with plenty of other music acts performing in town, Blue October sold out both nights of its Austin show, and boy, let me tell you, it was packed.
 I really was lucky to get in, a very last minute thing. I did so only by the grace of Blue October's tour manager Travis, who was able to somehow extract a press pass for me even though I was late and he had already turned in his guest list for the night. I had already tried my normal avenues like the record label and PR guys, but had been skunked in my attempts and had pretty much written off my chances of attending. Travis went that extra mile for me and got me in, and it was appreciated.
This was going to be an odd night for me. Not only was I going to try to cover Blue October's set, I was going to try to simultaneously attend my 25th high school reunion, 10 blocks away at Scholz Beer Garden, an Austin landmark pub and restaurant since the late 1800s. Reunion started at 6 pm, Blue October was to perform at 9:45, but the lines for the show had formed long before I found a parking place. Grabbing my camera bag and a big handful of T-Shirts for the band and crew, I secured the photo pass, handed Travis the shirts, and then decided to walk the ten blocks humping 50 pounds of camera gear. Not the brightest decision I've ever made, but I weighed the odds of finding a parking spot at all back by Stubb's when I returned and decided to take my chances.
 Arriving at Scholze's 20 minutes or so later, sweaty and out of breath, I parked my camera bag on a table, ambled up to the bar, and ordered a Coke. Looking around the room, man, I felt old. I got to chat with a bunch of my high school friends about how fat/bald/old we all were becoming, and reminisce about getting stuffed in gym lockers by the football team. What fun. Mentioning that I was covering Blue October, and would have to cut out early, really brought home just how old I was becoming, when the only person that recognized the band was someone's 14 year old daughter. She did say they were her favorite, though. I think we both would have rather been at the concert. After about an hour and a half reliving old memories, I needed to start heading back. I pigeonholed a buddy of mine who didn't look like he was having that much fun, and talked him into giving me a lift back to Stubb's.
I arrived in time to catch the last couple songs by the opening act, but way beyond the first three songs, so pictures were out of the question for the moment. Instead, I began planning how to actually get to the photo pit. This was going to be the tough part. At Stubb's, the only way to get to the pit is going through the crowd. Thinking that I could work my way up easier on the left side, I tried slipping up to the front. After a lot of "Excuse me," "Pardon me," me, myself, and my bag eventually made it only to find that the access to the pit from the left was blocked.
 Turning around and going through the "Excuse me," "Pardon me," routine again in reverse, I had backed all the way out. Finding myself over by the concessions, I ran into Sean Claes, editor of Austin's INsite magazine, who had just gotten done working his way out of the camera pit. When the time came we agreed to both push up together so we would only inconvenience people once.
Working our way up to the pit together, with Sean opening a hole in the crowd and me following, worked out well, and we settled into the pit between sets. Sean had interviewed the band earlier and it was good to hear some of his insights and questions.
When the lights lowered and then were raised, Blue October filed onstage. Lead singer Justin Furstenfeld , who recently re-injured his leg broken earlier in May, was helped to his spot onstage by the road manager, Travis, and as he hobbled to his place behind the mike the hundreds of girls in the audience screamed as if all wanting to volunteer to nurse him back to health. In fact, Blue October had cut the rest of its tour short, leaving only a few Texas dates, close to home, while Justin recovers.
Hobbled as he was, Justin alternated between sitting on a bar stool and standing up using his mike stand as a crutch to move about the stage. While the injury may have slowed down his onstage travels, it had no impact on his voice as he belted out number after number. Before I knew it, song three was wrapping up and Sean and I were packing. Running the gauntlet one last time, we finally emerged from the crowd and I headed to the back to grab a coke and watch the show.
Opening with "You Make Me Smile", they chugged through 20 songs, each seperated by the screams of the crowd. It wasn't until song 16 that they played "Hate Me." This is a band that seems to have found its sound and its core audience. They sounded fantastic as well, Sean's brother Jeremy plinking away at the drums in back, Ryan Delahoussaye alternating his time between violin, mandolin and keyboards. C.B. Hudson on guitar and Matt Noveskey on bass spent all night dueling with each other, and Justin, seemingly tied to the chair, was hard pressed not to join in. The show closed with "Italian Radio," and before the band had time to get to their bus a line of screaming fans had already begun forming.
Kudos to Blue October and Stubb's for hosting these shows as benefits for Austin's Blue Santa program.
 Cannibal Corpse
The Rave Basement
Milwaukee WI
11/18/2006
Plus: Dying Fetus
Necrophagist
Unmerciful
We headed to the venue early to make sure that our spot was available (in fact it was hardly used). Good thing we went early. After our photo passes and tickets finally got straightened out (thanks, Paul from the Cannibal Camp for taking care of the issue and still keeping a smile on your face), I headed down into the basement. It's a smaller venue and used to be a bowling alley back in the day. Dank, dingy, dark and smells of stale beer and mildew. Where better to have a night of death metal?
The night's first act was Unmerciful. Classic death metal with a little too cookie monster vocals, but the boy had the guttural scream down pat. Oddly enough, the drummer really stood out for me. He was very powerful but didn't over power the music. The guitars reminded me at times of Pantera. They had a very bouncy feel to the music. I really liked the song "Mass Execution"
The second band, Necrophagist from Germany, had the whole place going nuts. No one knew who they were at the time, but their name started flowing like a rushing river. This was the most unusual and wonderful thing I'd heard in a long time. Critics of death metal often say it's for people who want to be in a band but cant do anything more than play fast. Well, critics, I suggest if you truly believe that, you take a moment to listen to these guys. I've never seen a death metal bad selling guitar tab books, and I wouldn't be surprised if they sold out. The chunky, growling vocals of death metal mixed with the extreme talent of progressive metal floored a room full of death metal freaks, me included. Amazing guitar solos, nothing like you usually hear. I honestly can't think of enough to say about these guys. My notes pretty much included a single word: Amazing. Listening back on myspace, I still say the same thing. This band spans genres and can bring a great crossover fan base for death metal fans as well as more mainstream acts. Oh yeah, and what better band to be reviewed here - they recorded at Iguana Studios.
Dying Fetus came up next, and they are pure classic death metal. I know I've seen them before, I just can't remember when. For those looking for true-to-form classic death metal with speed and aggression as well as the evil growl, this is a good place to start. An old favorite for the crowd, Dying Fetus ground through a 40-minute set, and it seemed like two seconds. Fast and furious. It was almost as if they didn't realize how much they got in. Listening to Dying Fetus is almost like a Zen experience. For some reason while they rile up most everyone, they relax me. Maybe their music saps me of all my anger and aggression
For those who have read my previous comments on Cannibal, you know I'm a fan. I'm an old skool fan. I have seen Cannibal at least ten times, and this was my second time with the boys this year. This was the single best show of any I've seen. I know the sound is better in the basement, but this was more than that. The whole show was tight. They sounded amazing. This is the best formation of the band ever, period. I cant believe I'm forsaking Mr. Barnes, however, there is no way those previous shows had the energy or feel that this one did. The song line-up was damned near a best of hits for them. Short of "Meat Hook Sodomy," I couldn't have asked for a better song line up.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Cannibal Corpse Milwaukee WI"
 The Jimmy Bowskill Band
jimmybowskill.com
Friday, November 24, 2006
Showplace Performance Centre
Peterborough Ontario, Canada
Waaaay back in September, when I heard that Jimmy Bowskill would be playing Showplace, I knew this would be a show to see. So, I emailed his Mom and asked if I could come photograph it. "What?" you say "You emailed his Mom?" Oh, didn't I mention that Jimmy is just 16 years old?
The short history is that at the ripe old age of 11, Jimmy travelled to Toronto and busked his way into an invitation to sit in with guitar great Jeff Healey. Jimmy was then on the fast-track to celebrity. Obviously there was the novelty act appeal, but this kid could actually play, and play with feeling. Now Jimmy's all growed up (well, sorta), and at the ripe old age of 16 he is fronting a power trio with Al Cross (drums) and Wayne Deadder (bass).
I arrived at the venue a little after 7 pm and introduced myself to Jimmy's mom Teresa, who was busy setting up the merch table. She told me there'd been some delays and that Jimmy was just now finishing up his soundcheck. Teresa escorted me past security so I could see the last of the soundcheck and work out the logistics of my photo shoot.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Jimmy Bowskill - Showplace Performance Centre, Peterborough, Ontario"
Tuesday, November 28. 2006
 Fun Fun Fun Fest with:
Circle Jerks
Spoon
Peaches
Negative Approach
Riverboat Gamblers
Lucero
more...
December, 1, 2006
Waterloo Park, Austin, Texas
Wow - This is almost like ACLFest. I say "almost," because it's not some insane three-day adventure broiling in the September heat and dust storms as you stumble between eight stages.
Fun Fun Fun Fest has some great acts. The lineup includes 26 bands and a number of DJs playing on three stages in Austin's Waterloo Park. Put on by the guys at Emo's, who know good bands when they book them, the fun starts at 1 pm this Friday, December 1; bands start at 2 PM. Tickets to the event are just $20, and get you access to all the bands/DJs on all three stages. Doors open at 1 PM, and bands kick off at 2 PM. Tickets are limited and we expect this show to sell out, advance ticket purchase is highly recommended. Fun Fun Fun Fest is sponsored by 101X, METV, Emo's, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
And yes, club kingsnake will be there with another 100 FREE SHIRTS to hand out!
A full schedule of bands and events is under the jump...
Continue reading "Concert Preview: Fun Fun Fun Fest - Waterloo Park, Austin Texas"
Monday, November 27. 2006
 Motorhead
imotorhead.com
Also: Clutch
Thursday Nov. 19, 2006
Rock City
Nottingham, UK
“WE ARE MOTORHEAD – AND WE PLAY ROCK AND ROLL!�
I’d waited a long time to see these guys although I can’t explain why. My mate Dan has been a big fan for a long time, and so I should have tripped over a gig with him long ago. The guy even has a Motorhead tattoo, for heaven’s sake!
Having bought tickets for this gig some months ago, I was a bit disappointed when it looked like we might not be able to go. See, Dan went and got his missus pregnant, and guess when her due date was? Not only that, but she was having twins, and they generally make an appearance early. Going to a gig and leaving her home alone was clearly a bad move, so we had to hatch a plan. Eventually it was agreed that my girlfriend would keep Juliet company, whilst Dan and I went to Nottingham Rock City. Sorted, so long as Juliet kept her legs crossed.
The support band, Clutch, was damn good, and I’ll be checking out their stuff for sure. I particularly enjoyed “Sea of Destruction� and perhaps you will too. In the meantime here’s a link to their site so you can listen to them for yourself. http://www.pro-rock.com
I tried my poxy little camera to see if I would likely get any shots of the main act, but soon realised that it was about as useful as a fishnet condom. I managed to check it at the cloakroom but I was worried about letting it out of my sight. After all, Nottingham is the crime capital of the UK.
Getting back near the front turned into a mission as the place had filled up to capacity plus. I’ve been to Rock City many times before but never seen it this full. Indeed, we met a guy who had done the whole tour and it seems they had crammed much bigger venues to the rafters too. The stage security guys were handing out bottles of water before the gig had even started. As the natives became increasingly restless, I was glad when the lights dimmed to announce their arrival on stage:
“GOOD EVENING - WE ARE MOTORHEAD - AND WE PLAY ROCK AND ROLL!�
And boy did they! They kicked off with “Dr Rock,� a standard opener since the 80s, but the crowd still predictably went wild. There was beer and water all over the dance floor and people were landing on their arse left right and centre. Dan and I stood at the edge of the pit and waited for the kids to tire themselves out a bit and took the opportunity to watch the band. I wouldn’t have expected any different from Lemmy and Co, and to their credit the band seemed to be giving it some! We slurped our water through the next track, grinning at each other whilst deflecting flying bodies from the pit.
“Is it fuckin’ loud enough?� said Lemmy?
“NNNNNNNOOOOOOO,� said we.
“Shall we fuckin’ turn it up?� he replied.
“Yes!!!!!�
So he did.
And that was the last clear thing I heard anyone say until lat the next day. Rock City is a mid size venue with a 2000-plus capacity. They had enough volume to fill Wembley Stadium, if indeed it still stood. Even the banter in between songs was incomprehensible; probably a combination of the sheer volume, my perforated eardrums, and Lemmy’s pissed up slurring.
They banged out some tunes I knew from my wayward youth, such as “Killed By Death,� “Stay Clean,� and “I Got Mine.� “Sacrifice� still sounded awesome mid-set: Mikkey Dee’s drum solo has been slotted in here for some years now, but his brilliant playing never ceases to impress.
There were also a couple I recognised from the newer albums that Dan had played at dinner. “Killers� and “Sword of Glory� proved that the newer material is just as worthy as the early classics. Thin Lizzy’s “Rosalie,� played as a tribute to Phil Lynott, was also a welcome inclusion.
I particularly liked “Whorehouse Blues� from last year’s Inferno LP, as did the rest of the crowd. This stripped-down acoustic blues number provided a welcome respite from the full-on signature heavy rock and roll live fare. It did need to be heard live to be appreciated.
I was glad of the rest when the band left the stage before the encore. Dan and I congratulated ourselves on our performance in the pit, but we were well and truly knackered. I was sweating like Michael Jackson’s paperboy and smelt like the inside of a Slipknot mask. The second round of free water was much appreciated.
I realise it is a cliché and I realise that Motorhead have done some great stuff both before and since, but everyone wants to hear “Ace of Spades.� I wasn’t disappointed. Lemmy introduced it in what seemed to be a resigned fashion, but as soon as the riff kicked in all hell broke loose. They didn’t hold back and gave everyone what they wanted to hear. When it was over I felt like I should roll over, fart and light a cigarette. I was spent.
We listened to the first few minutes of “Overkill,� the perennial set-closer, before heading for the exit in an attempt to beat the rush. We knew the car parks were heaving and everyone would be headed for the M1, just like us. Two hours and 100 miles later I crawled into bed next to my girlfriend. As my head hit the pillow all I could hear was a high pitched EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
She muttered something that I made her repeat twice before I rolled over to try to sleep.
Next morning we expressed our disappointment, as Juliet had not given birth in the night. Spoilsport! That evening I lay in bed, a good 24 hours after the gig had finished. My girlfriend rolled over and said something in my ear, but all I could hear was
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
“Huh?� I grunted.
Bloody tinnitus!
Thanks to Dan for his input and to Juliet for her hospitality, not to mention the picture of her husband’s hairy breast.
Saturday, November 18. 2006
 Sebastian Bach
Hometown: New Jersey, USA
sebastianbach.com
Baz on MySpace
Also: Make it Your Business
Thursday Nov, 16 2006
Whitby, Ontario. Canada
I love it when bands do club shows in between opening slots on Arena tours. Sebastian Bach has been out with Axl Rose's Guns 'n' Roses. I'm glad that when "Baz" got near his hometown he decided to stay a while.
The club was in Whitby, a little less than an hour from Peterborough where Sebastian spent his formative years. There was a large contingent of Peterborough folk in attendance, many that remembered him from his Skid Row days and a few that remembered Kidd Wikkid, Madam X and V05.
Sebastian's set consisted mostly of Skid Row songs. All of these were performed with an intensity seldom seen, especially 20 years down the road. This wasn't some washed up hair band flogging their back catalog, this was Sebastian doing what he loves to do, and that was evident throughout the night.
Early in the set Baz pointed out his mother (who happened to be standing right in front of me) and intoned "It's all her fault! Blame her!" At other points Sebastian greeted old friends and aquantinces and shared the mike with die-hards. It's funny, I realized later that had I not known who Baz was, I wouldn't have doubted someone who told me he was a twenty-something up-and-comer.
I'd heard rumours that the Trailer Park Boys might make an appearance at this show, and sure enough about half way through Baz's set I spotted Julian up in the VIP Room. Shortly after that, Bubbles, Ricky and Julian all made their way to the stage. Bubbles strapped on a Goldtop Gibson Les Paul and led an impromtu jam of the Rush classic "Closer to the Heart". Sebastian's band stepped up and backed Bubbles admirably. In classic Bubbles fashion, after the song he had this to say:
I dropped my fuckin' pick. You know how hard it is to play "Closer to the Heart" without a fuckin' pick? For fuck sakes!!
Next from the Trailer Park Boys was a Bubbles original entitled "Liquor and Whores." When Sebastian, unfamiliar with the song, flubbed the ending, Bubbles berated him and sang it himself. Classic!!
Sebastian's set closed with "I remember You" and the anthem "Youth Gone Wild". Welcome home Baz!!
The opening act further added to the homecoming feel of the evening. Make It Your Business (MIYB) are a young band from Peterborough that shows a lot of promise. It doesn't hurt to be related to the headliner, but I won't dwell on that as I feel MIYB held their own and put on a great show. These five guys had great stage presence and were really tight. They play heavy rock that I have a hard time putting a label on. That's fine with me. The highlights for me were "When All Else Fails" with its brutal double kick drum intro, and the last two songs of their set; "Ctrl Alt Delete" and "Gutless." Spencer (guitar) told me they will be heading into the studio soon, so keep an eye out for a followup to their debut release Shades of Grey to be released in the coming months.
Setlist and acknowledgements after the jump.
Continue reading "Concert Review - Sebastian Bach in Whitby, Ontario"
Monday, November 13. 2006
 Indigo Girls
Hometown: Decatur, GA
http://www.indigogirls.com/home.html
http://www.myspace.com/indigogirlsmusic
Thursday, November 9, 2006
Warfield (San Francisco, CA)
I'm not the world's biggest Indigo Girls fan. Their records sometimes leave me feeling very sleepy. But give me a chance to see them live, and I'm there, because they bring some kind of fire to their live performances that their recorded work rarely approaches.
I've never seen them anywhere but San Francisco, so I don't know if it's true, but I've been told by many obsessed Girls fans that they are known for doing their best shows here. I can't quite imagine how they could have been any better than they were at their Nov. 9 and 10 shows at San Francisco's Warfield. (I wasn't at the Nov. 10 show, but a friend who was assured me it was actually better than the Nov. 9 show I attended. She also brought me the handwritten set list from the stage, thanks, Robin!)
Emily came out wearing an AC-DC t-shirt, which amused me perhaps more than it should have. They opened with the country-tinged "Little Perennials," the single off their current album Despite Our Differences. The folky "Pendulum Swinger" followed, which made the fans happy. Neither of those are songs I particularly care for, although I like them a lot more live than on CD. They then went into "Heartache for Everyone" from 2004's overproduced All That We Let In. This song is the perfect example of one I actively loathe on CD but enjoyed tremendously live.
Still, it was "Power of Two" from Swamp Ophelia (1994) that marked the moment the show caught fire for me.
I've got the complete set list after the jump, but the highlight of the show was, without question, "Kid Fears," sung with Three5Human's Trina Meade - this one literally brought the house down. Amy and Emily do magic with their voices. Even if you hate their music, you can't deny it. But that magic got magnified a hundred times when Trina joined them.
The Indigo Girls have incredible musicianship, and have been performing together for over 25 years now. They talk little to the audience, or to each other, but there's a palpable sense of connection anyway. They may be the only band I'd unhesitatingly take friends who mostly only like alt rock to see, because when they're at their best, they transcend genre and just make music.
The venue is good and the sound was mostly great. I could even hear most of the lyrics. But whoever set the drum sound levels should get their ears checked, especially in the second half - it was a mess.
Set list after the jump.
Continue reading "Concert Review - Indigo Girls, San Francisco, CA"
Sunday, November 12. 2006
 Splinter
Hometown: Fort Worth, Tx.
http://www.myspace.com/splinter1
Splinter Concert Photos
Wednesday, November 11, 2006
Redrum (Austin, Texas)
Hard rocking Fort Worth metal band Splinter volunteered to be our second experiment in video, allowing us to film some of their appearance at the Redrum Club in Austin.
A small venue, the Redrum has taken over the heavy metal reins from the now D.O.R. Club, the Back Room, home to Austin's metalheads since the late 70s. Not only did the Redrum inherit the heavy metal scene, it seems to have also inherited the Back Room's infamous "center pole" right smack dab where the lead sets up, obscuring views of the vocalist from some angles. With some workarounds, I was able to shoot from the sides and avoid the head on views. I will be shooting the upcomming Cattle Decapitation show at the same venue later this week and needed to get a feel for where to set my video cameras, so this was a welcome opportunity.
Playing songs off their first release and off an upcoming disc, Splinter has a sound that incorporates a number of different metal styles, influenced heavily by bands such as Slayer, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and I think even a little Judas Priest. Their songs are "hooky" and memorable, not just some klodgey mass of noise and guitars like so many others. This is more a return to old school metal or alternative metal rather than death or speed metal.
Good old fashioned knuckle busting rock & roll. "Get Some" is probably one of my favorites from last night, and I liked "Fallen" as well, and have made those videos available here. Check them out!
Thursday, November 9. 2006
J.Price
Hometown: Austin, Tx.
http://www.jpricemusic.com
J.Price Concert Photos
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Red Eyed Fly (Austin, Texas)
Yes I guess its "official". We are now playing with video technology. You will have to pardon us for being late to the party, and if some of our first attempts are pretty basic, but we will get better as we improve our technology and our craft. We will have lots of local Austin bands featured, especially bands performing at SXSW07 showcases, as well as national touring acts. So far we are scheduled to shoot video at the upcoming Mower, Cattle Decapitation and Cannibal Corpse shows and I am sure that we will have lots of other interesting video treats like interviews and maybe even a travel adventure or two depending on who lets me tag along on their tour.
Now, that said, J.Price and the band were kind enough to volunteer to be my first real test subjects with video and hat's off to the Red Eyed Fly (again) for letting me shoot in their venue and plying me with soft drinks. This band has a poppy feel with an alternative rock background. Not quite hard, not quite soft, not quite emo, definitely indie and definitely Austin. With a couple of releases under their belt, they tend to not really fit into any particular genre, and incorporate a lot of different styles to their music. Best of all, I don't really think I can think of anyone that I can compare their music to, specifically, which is great because that means they leave unique footprint in my brainpan. I keep hearing "Star Light Star Bright" over and over in my head today. Definitely a band to check out around Austin if you get the chance and when they hit the road as well. The audio mix in these videos tended to lose a lot of the vocals, and really don't do absolute justice to the band, but check out their web site to listen to some of their studio cuts.
Sunday, November 5. 2006
 Primus
Hometown: San Francisco, Ca.
http://www.primusville.com
Primus Concert Photos
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Austin Music Hall (Austin, Texas)
also: Drums & Tuba
I am really not trying to suck up to Les Claypool, I swear, I just really really like his music, and always have, whether it was with Primus, any of his other side projects, or even his session work. The things he can do with a bass are different and distinctive and set him far above the mean average for bass players, and I've always been a little awstruck watching him create his sound live. It is probably too much to expect an UNbiased Primus review from me, but I have yet to hear a bad record or see a bad live show Les has participated in.
 That said, Primus' tour in support of their new greatest hits CD and 2003 tour DVD launched in Austin on Wednesday night, before heading off to Houston and beyond. Opening the tour at the Austin Music Hall, after touring all summer with his Fancy Band, Les and Primus just blew the doors off the place. Had Social Distortion not been playing Stubb's the same night I daresay the show would have sold completely out. As it was, the place was packed, as evidenced by the 300 or so people trying to squeeze into the outdoor smoking area between acts. (If I know some of you in a biblical sense now because of the porch, I am sorry, but I swear that really was my camera lens.)
 Primus, consisting this tour of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry Lalonde, and drummer Tim Alexander, as well as a huge inflatible spaceman and a set of lights that look like giant "bug zappers," started the tour off right in Austin plowing through such crowd favorites as "Seas of Cheese," "My Name is Mud," and "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver." With Les using the standup "stick" bass and playing it with a bow, they also blasted through Mr. Krinkle. Larry just shredded on the guitar and I don't think Tim missed a beat on his drum kit. Primus played a solid 75 minute set, Les expectedly and finally donning a pig mask for the last number, "Here Come The Bastards." They did not play "Wynonas Big Brown Beaver," but I don't think the audience even noticed. I would have enjoyed hearing "Southbound Pachyderm" again live, and I am still waiting for them to do "Mephisto and Kevin" live.
 Opening for Primus, Drums & Tuba had me half-expecting to see some weird marching band based on their name, or maybe some avante garde experimental fusion group, but in reality they are a hard hard rocking power trio consisting of Brian Wolff on tuba, Neal McKeeby on guitar, and Tony Nazero on drums and lead vocals. From New Orleans, kind of like Tool with brass, these guys have a hard driving sound and Nazero's voice has an slightly rough, edgy sound, much like Shaun Morgan of the South African band Seether or Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs. Opening for Primus on a number of shows before handing over the reins to equally different Rasputina, this is a great band, well worth seeing as a headliner with a full set. Catch them if you get the chance.
Primus Set List - Austin Music Hall 11/1/06
To Defy The Laws of Tradition
Pudding Time
Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers
Seas of Cheese
Mr. Krinkle
Eleven
Is It Luck
American Life
My Name Is Mud
Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Here Come The Bastards
An audio copy of this show is available at http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=501454
Saturday, November 4. 2006
 Adrian Belew
Hometown: Burbank, Ca.
http://www.adrianbelew.net
Adrian Belew Concert Photos
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Cactus Cafe (Austin, Texas)
also: Saul Zonana
To refer to the Cactus Cafe as intimate would be an understatement. I think my high school football locker room had more space. It's amazing that this tiny venue, which only holds 150 people, attracts such eclectic and noteworthy artists to its tiny stage. Nestled into the back of the University of Texas' Student Union, the Cactus Cafe has had such performers as Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan, and Chris & Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes.
It was at there that guitarman extrordinaire Adrian Belew, former member of King Crimson, literally packed 'em in, standing room only. Playing such a small venue really did make it a very personal experience, with Adrian taking time out to interact with many in the audience. This audience was nothing but longtime fans and guitar heads, too; nary a person under 30 could be seen.
Ripping through his own songs such as "Dinosaur" and "Big Electric Cat," he also took time out to play many of the King Crimson songs as well like "Thela Hun Gingeet" and "Frame By Frame" and "Elephant Talk." Supported, ably, by a brother and sister drummer and bass player combo, Eric and Julie Slick, whose combined age was less than anyone in the room, this show was an event to remember for the few people able to squeeze in. I was able to go to the show with a bunch of my old music crew from back in the day and we all sat basically front row, passing my cameras around like some electronic doobie, each snapping pictures from our own perspective in turn. While my cameras were put to good use by the others, I managed to capture a couple of numbers on grainy video using my cell phone and these can be viewed to the right.
After the set Adrian and band hung around to greet fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. Our crew hung around as well, being the last to leave. I got to ask Adrian a few questions, focusing on his new disc and his work on it with Les Claypool. He said that working with Les was great, he had worked with him before, and that he is as just like you would expect, as crazy as his music. He took time to take a few pictures with my friends, then we all headed off to find our cars, as Adrian and crew packed up for their next tour stop.
 Opening for Adrian was solo artist (sort of) Saul Zonana. I am not very familiar with his work, but he sounded great, and certainly had a knack for interacting with the audience. He brought along his band in an electronic format to provide his rythym section as needed. His most memorable song was a song about a blow-up sex doll named "Bette". Poppy, clean, he is less daring and more mainstream than Belew's music, but a good match for the venue.
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