Sunday, April 29. 2007
Peaches catches some air at Coachella 2007
photo by Gary Miller - Staff Photographer |
We have been speaking with our photographer Gary Miller who is among the masses in Coachella and he continues to feed us a few pictures from the scene. He reports that it took 3 hours to get out of the parking lot on Friday night, but that he is having a lot of fun. He was able to shoot sets by Bjork, Peaches and many others.
On Saturday he hooked up with Roky and Sumner Ericson and was able to shoot Roky's set. Roky said to tell everyone at home in Austin and at club kingsnake "Hi!".
Gary plans to shoot pictures of the Rage Against the Machine set today along with a whole slew of other great bands. Watch for him to start posting pictures, and writing about his Coachella experience, once he returns and recovers a bit. Also watch for an article on Coachella from Glen Polanco from our snake site, kingsnake.com
Roky Ericson performs at Coachella 2007
photo by Gary Miller - Staff Photographer
| Roky's set list at Coachella 2007
photo by Gary Miller - Staff Photographer
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Saturday, April 28. 2007
Buddy Leach and George Thorogood
photo by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer |
George Thorogood and The Destroyers
Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
http://www.georgethorogood.com
George Thorogood and The Destroyers Concert Photos
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
Stubb's Bar-B-Q (Austin, Texas)
Also: Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat
Who do you love?
For the crowd at Stubb's on Thursday night in Austin, that answer was obvious, George Thorogood and The Destroyers.
Billing themselves as the "World's Greatest Bar Band" that moniker may be true, but I doubt most bar's could fit George's massive hi-tech stage kit, much less find parking for his buses and trucks. George and the band put all that state of the art gear to good use too, as I wandered about listening to one of the best stage mixes I have heard in a while.
I have been a fan of George's music for a long time, way before "Bad To The Bone" hit the airplay over-saturation point. I first heard him in 1977 when KLBJ added cuts from his second album to their airplay list. Released during the peak of the disco era, his sound found a home on the few AOR rock stations still struggling to stay relevant. It also paved the way for a resurgence in blues guitar, making it easier for musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn to break into the main stream in the 80's.
Continue reading "Concert Review: George Thorogood and The Destroyers at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Austin Tx"
Friday, April 27. 2007
Bjork performs at Coachella 2007
photo by Gary Miller - Staff Photographer |
We have staff at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA, but while we're waiting for their reviews and photos, you can watch live performances on streaming video here.
Webcast lineup for April 27 (all times Pacific):
3:00 PM Brother Ali
3:55 PM Noisettes
4:35 PM Tokyo Police Club
5:35 PM Tilly and the Wall
6:25 PM Of Montreal
7:15 PM Rufus Wainwright
8:10 PM Arctic Monkeys
9:05 PM Stephen Marley
9:55 PM Sonic Youth
10:45 PM Bjork
Thursday, April 26. 2007
Burden Brothers
Genre: Rock / Alternative
Hometown: Dallas Texas
http://theburdenbrothers.com
Friday, April 27th 7:00pm
Burden Brothers Concert Pics
Stubb's Bar-B-Q
801 Red River, Austin, Texas
If the music you hear behind the Burden Brothers new single sounds familiar, it probably should. Former Toadies (I Come From The Water, Possum Kingdom) frontman Vaden Todd Lewis has teamed up with "Taz" Bentley (Reverend Horton Heat, Tenderloin, Izzy Stradlin Band), Corey Rozzoni (Clumsy)Casey Hess (Doosu, Jump Rope Girls) and bassist Zack Busby (Slow Roosevelt, Halls of the Machine) to form what their Wikipedia entry calls a Texas Rock Supergroup. That is probably an apt description as Vaden's characteristic vocals are unmistakable to any Toadies fan that hears them and Taz and the rest of the band have spent countless hours performing on the road.
They are on the road again, in fact finishing up a small break before heading off up the east coast. Performing tomorrow at Stubb's in Austin, guitarist Casey Hess took some time to talk to us a bit about the tour.
Click on the player link on the "continued" page below to listen.
Continue reading "Podcast: Interview with Casey Hess of The Burden Brothers"
 Oh Patti. I wanted to love this. I'm a whore for cover albums. I have loved you since I was 17 years old. I cried with happiness when they put you in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and you sang "baby baby baby was a rock 'n' roll nigger."
I'm so sorry, Patti, but Twelve is just kind of boring. It really is.
I would have sworn Patti Smith would do a brilliant job of Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced," Neil Young's "Helpless," Grace Slick's "White Rabbit," the Doors' "Soul Kitchen." She didn't. They were just kind of rough and tuneless.
I was scared to hear what she'd do with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and rightly so.
I'm so very sorry, Patti, I still love you, but please go write a whole album of your own stuff right now, kthnx.
She did give a great interview to Salon last week, though:
When I was younger there was the mainstream and the maverick, and there was a real difference between us. Right now in America, we're a nation of disenfranchised people. All of us are victims, no matter if we're right wing or left wing, of the terrible mistakes of the Bush administration -- whether it's because of the atmosphere he has produced globally, the loss of Iraqi citizens' life and infrastructure, the loss of American life, the abandonment of New Orleans, the deterioration of our environment. And economically the country is heading for a fall.
I think rock 'n' roll is more valuable as an acceptable form of communication because we don't need some cool, hip thing that only a few people understand or communicate about: We need global action. We need a voice. The new generation is communicating, deciding how they're going to receive and send music [on the Web], and the next step is to inject content into it. And they will do that, because things are just going to get worse and worse and people will react. I don't think the new generations are going to be like Nero and fiddle while Rome burns. I think that people are going to step up. It's just that people are finding each other, finding their voice and figuring out how to process all the information around them.
Go read or listen to the podcast.
But you should probably skip Twelve.
Wednesday, April 25. 2007
When I first heard Chevelle's latest release, Vena Sera, I promised myself I wouldn't read anyone else's review first. Wouldn't you know it, though -- when I googled it for the track list, Rolling Stone's review popped up. And they dogged it. Of course, their rabid fans replied saying it was "their best album ever" I dunno. I gotta go with the Stone on this one.
Tool, er... eh... Chevelle is one of those bands whose musical complexity takes a while to appreciate at the best of times, sometimes requiring repeated playings to hear the subtle hooks. Kind of a "creeper" type of music. The first full play of Vena Sera through my stereo, I couldn't hear a single. It was only after listening for a week that the nuances started to seep into my head. After that, I found myself humming songs such as "Antisaint" and "Brainiac" while I was in the produce section of my local market.
I like Chevelle, and I am not ashamed to admit it's primarily because of Pete Loeffler's ability to channel Maynard James Keenan, but this disc is definitely not their best work. It sounds droney, and heavy, and because many of these songs are previously unreleased material, it feels pieced together. I like a couple songs but this is no Wonder What's Next.
Click Below For Track List....
Continue reading "CD Reviews: Chevelle - Vena Sera"
Monday, April 23. 2007
Snooky
Nu Ethix Suspension
13 Pills
Moloko Shivers
 So here's the deal. You run a popular gentleman's club that has a lot of live local music AND you're in a band. You're turning an unspeakable age. How exactly do you plan on celebrating your birthday? If you are DJB you invite a few other bands and a live suspension team, have a DJ there to fill in the breaks between acts, get your tattoo shop ( Sacred Skin) to pay for the food, and throw a huge party for anyone you can get in the door! So before I get too far into the review, let me tell B "Happy Birthday" one last time.
 Snooky out of Racine WI was the first band. Most people know that since I'm not a musician myself, I tend to get hooked on the vocalists. There's one thing that will always draw me away, and that is an AMAZING BASSIST. Slap bass makes my day.
Bassist Eric Christian keeps the funk line going with out picking up a single pick. I was reminded of a young Robert Trujillo bass line. It sounded phenomenal live, however I can't wait to sit down and listen to the CD to hear it recorded! They are kinda funk, kinda metal, kinda pop, kinda heavy. They mix a lot of different sounds and influences to make a great sound. Vocals switch between a sweet sounding harmony and a Disturbed sort of strength. The song "Bring Out Your Dead" got stuck in my head for a bit. I liked the combination of aggression and sweetness on "Merrick." And also, how exactly can you go wrong with a song titled "Sucking the Thorny Cock of the Lord of the Hoary Host of the Netherworld"? With vocalist Terry Valdean doing a helluva Hulk Hogan impersonation as well as showing off his exotic dance skills between bouts of amusing sarcasm, Snooky put on a great show. In order to properly describe them for you, I must steal from the words of the great Mike Muir and simply say "Violent and Funky." By the way, did I mention the bassist was amazing?
Continue reading "Concert Review: Bash Your Face In at Heartbreakers"
Saturday, April 21. 2007
 Hmmm, one more iTunes song of the week - meaning a free giveaway - that's pretty good. Their track record is getting better, I think this is the third cut I've liked so far this year.
The Guggenheim Grotto is a Dublin, Ireland folk band. "Philosophia" isn't available on their MySpace page, but you can listen to, and download, four other songs there. That's a lot of free goodness, if you're into slightly edgy folk music. They appear somewhat resistant to the comparison, but there really is a Simon and Garfunkel thing going on here, but fresh. I know they cite a heavy Leonard Cohen influence, but I didn't hear that in any of the cuts I listened to. Cohen, who I revere, is quite a bit rougher and lyrically more obscure than they are.
And of course, Cohen by his own admission can't sing for shit, and these guys vocalize like angels.
Thursday, April 19. 2007
Roky Erickson and the Explosives at Threadgills
photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
As you read this Slayer is just finishing up a little mini-tour down under with a show in Brisbane, followed by a show in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday. Then back to the states to rest up for a European tour that kicks off in March. Now that the doctor has finally cleared me to travel again after SXSW, I might take a trip out to see Kerry during his down time to interview him, and check out his neat snake collection.
Speaking of friends on the road Chris, Ollie and Paul over in the Zico Chain, having survived their trip to America, are kicking off a month-long U.K. tour starting on Saturday. Another friend on the road is Roky Erickson, who just got done performing a psychedelic showcase at the Bowery in New York - to good reviews from none other than Rolling Stone. Roky's next gig will be at Coachella next week. Also at Coachella next week - Moondog! Heading out on his first OFFICIAL club kingsnake photo assignment, Gary will be shooting pics of Roky, Rage, the Pumpkins and everyone else he can get in front of. Glenn Polanco from our reptile site will be doing the write up for this year's Coachella. My only advice to the guys - stay away from the brown fish tacos!
Les Claypool is firing up his Fancy Band again this summer to promote the launch of a new DVD. The tour starts in May and hits a couple of festivals as well as a cutting a wide swath across North America. Les will be playing Milwaukee and Austin on this tour, so we should be able to give you some great coverage, and possibly an interview.
I will be hitting the bricks myself next week, hopefully covering George Thorogood at Stubb's on Thursday, and with a little luck getting a Burden Brothers interview on Friday. Lots of great shows coming up. Watch for more updates soon.
Finally, the music world mourns the loss of possibly the most famous ukulele player of all time, the Lawrence Welk of Luana Kai, Mr. Don Ho. After a career spanning over 40 years entertaining visitors and servicemen in the islands, Ho has given away his last lei. Don passed away from heart failure on Saturday at age 76.
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news, rumors, and buzz compiled from around the web by the club.kingsnake staff
Wednesday, April 18. 2007
Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T's
photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
Plain White T's
Hometown: Chicago, IL
http://www.plainwhitets.com
Plain White T's Concert Photos
Sunday, April 1, 2007
La Zona Rosa (Austin, Texas)
Also: Dear and The Headlights, Lovedrug, Boys Night Out
The Plain White T's are a band your mom would approve of. In fact, judging by the number of chaperones slipping over to the the bar during the show, many of them did - and brought their teens and tweens out to enjoy a Sunday set at La Zona Rosa. Although they didn't attract a huge crowd, the T's drew an enthusiastic one, many members of which were later found outside by the tour bus getting autographs from the band. A Chicago-based emo band, they all looked like they would be more at home working at your local video store rather than fronting a rock and roll band, although ptrong performances by frontman Tom Higgenson give them a solid base to work from. On their first headlining tour, they are building a widespread following. Click Here for More Pictures.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Plain White T's at La Zona Rosa, Austin TX"
Tuesday, April 17. 2007
 iTunes sends me little love notes throughout the week, and today I idly clicked on "What Light," the only available cut from Wilco's forthcoming album Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch, due out May 15).
I thought about buying it and then I saw a review saying something to the effect of great song, but hey, save a buck, Wilco has it as a free mp3 for download on their website.
So I went and they did so I did.
Your turn.
Sunday, April 15. 2007
 I've noticed something about the reviews I've read of Stephen Kijak's documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. Most of them end up being more about Walker's music than the film.
The intense focus on the music rather than the man isn't an accident, nor even a concession to Walker's legendary privacy, but a genuine reflection of Kijak's own focus. When I interviewed Kijak in Austin, the entire hour was spent talking about almost nothing but the music. So don't see this film expecting an uber-cool alt/indie version of a VH-1 special. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man isn't an industry "music bio."It's a film documenting what director Kijak called "the evolution of a songwriter over time."
David Bowie
From Scott Walker: 30 Century Man |
That evolution has covered a lot of territory, from his early years as a 60s UK boy band pop star, to his presence today as a composer of work so experimental and abstract it defies categorization. Scott Walker has crooned ballads to an orchestral accompaniment, and created percussion by thwacking a side of pork. He brought Belgian singer Jacque Brel into vogue with Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel and his still-iconic performances of Mathilde and Jackie. He entered the consciousness of a new generation of listeners with the stunning compilation Boy Child: The Best of Scott Walker 1967-1970. He's influenced everyone from Lulu to David Bowie (who executive produced and appears in the film) to Sting to the Smiths to Brian Eno to Marc Almond to Radiohead to Pulp (he produced We Love Life, and Jarvis Cocker is all over the film) to Dot Allison, and dozens, even hundreds, of other musicians. And once you've seen it, there's something else anyone who has listened to alternative/indie music in the last forty years will quickly realize: Even if you didn't know Walker's name, you've been listening to musicians influenced by him all your life.
Continue reading "Review: Scott Walker: 30 Century Man"
Tuesday, April 10. 2007
Salon features a free music download every day - even if you don't subscribe to Salon, you can get a free day pass - and "Golden State," a cut from ex-X John Doe's forthcoming album is up today.
Says David Marchese at Salon:
As a founding member of the legendary Los Angeles band X, John Doe was one of the first punk rockers to fully embrace the rebellious spirit of country and folk music. A quarter-century on, Doe's music is a little more controlled than the punk bursts of yore, but as this track from his upcoming CD, "A Year in the Wilderness," shows, he's still mighty rambunctious. Spurred on by some seriously Stones-y guitars, "The Golden State" finds Doe rocking out with all the conviction and authority of the rebel music pioneers he cares so deeply for, thanks in no small part to Kathleen Edwards, whose spirited vocals make this track sound like a skid row reworking of a classic June and Johnny Cash number.
GET IT.
Sunday, April 8. 2007
Face of Ruin
An Eternal Farewell
No Conviction
Writhen
40ozfist
Nothing like a little neighborhood hardcore show to drive away the cold and the rain. Been kinda quiet on the show front, so when the guys from 40ozfist invited us to come check out the show, we jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, they got moved from the Rave's basement venue to one of the side bar areas. Which also means the good sound of the basement was missing and we were left with a bad mix job with a smidge too much feedback. Such is life at the Rave.
Continue reading "Concert Review: 40ozfist and friends at the Rave"
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