Kerry King of Slayer - more photos... photo by Jeff Barringer - staff photographer
It's been hard keeping a lid on this one as long as we have. No its not another SXSW rumor, though I have a few of those too, and some confirmed stuff as well. No, this involves our namesake reptile web site kingsnake.com and it's 10th annual chat week symposium.
Every year we ask famous reptile people to stop by our chat room and talk about their cold blooded pets. Once in a while we get some big name people that cross over from the entertainment industry. This year we had people like Lassie's vet and Animal Planet's Nigel Marvin. In the spirit of saving the biggest for last we have been holding back on the final guest announcement - until now.
This year our final chat week guest will be Kerry King, lead guitarist for the thrash metal band Slayer.
Best known to his many music fans as one of the founders of the seminal thrash metal band Slayer, Kerry has been keeping snakes almost as long as he's been playing guitars. An accomplished reptile breeder Kerry will stop by our site to chat with fans about his snake collection, some of the reptiles he has produced, and what he does with them while he is on tour. The chat will be primarily about reptiles and those that wish to come and just hang out or ask questions are welcome. To check out the chat room go to http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_name=Reptile+%26+Amphibian.
No special software is needed but you will need to have JAVA enabled on your browser. Kerry's chat is scheduled for Sunday at 8:00pm EST. UPDATE: Kerry has RESCHEDULED HIS CHAT FOR TONIGHT!!! His chat will occur in the same place but will now be tonight (Saturday March 1, 2008) at 10:00 EST.
Ok now onto SXSW...
The Scion day party Thursday at Stubb's looks even better now. Not only is Motörhead playing but so are Napalm Death, High On Fire, and Enslaved. Sounds like it's going to be mosh city at Stubb's. This is confirmed. What has not been confirmed yet are those "Body Of War" special guests. A new wrinkle in the rumor mill has popped up as well. It seems The Boss aka, Bruce Springsteen, may be one of those special guests. Springsteen, who features predominantly on the soundtrack, would be a natural as he is not touring
during that period and band mate Little Steven is already rumored to be appearing at this years SXSW.
Leonard Cohen wrote one of the most beautiful -- and frequently covered -- songs of all time, "Hallelujah." He recorded two versions of the song, the original version from Various Positions and a version I like better, longer, edgier, more modern, with very different lyrics, from Leonard Cohen Live In Concert.
Given that there are ten thousand versions or so of this song out there, it's hard to believe that there's only one video of Cohen performing it on YouTube -- and it's the original 1985 version -- and sadly, it's not very good, just a European television appearance lip sync.
Some of the best and most interesting of the many other versions, under the jump -- John Cale, Allison Crowe, kd lang, Jeff Buckley, Brandi Carlile, and Bono.
I was hoping to write this review without mentioning Nickel Creek. And I tried, I really did, but try as I might I found I simply could not resist the comparison. The band is a five piece outfit comprising Chris Thile and his mandolin, a banjo, a violin, an acoustic guitar and a double bass; all good ingredients for a country folk ensemble.
I was looking forward to some harmonic, smooth tunes laced with melancholy lyrics. I wanted a series of clever little melodies with that interesting twist a la Nickel Creek at their best. I wanted to hear the musicians blend together into something beautiful and sleek, occasionally showcasing one instrument or another in all its glory. And, at times, this is exactly what I got.
After a typically Nickel Creek-esque fiddle led instrumental first song the band broke into a real rip-roaring blue grassy track. (Wayside – Back in Time). I loved it. This was what I was here to see! Astonishingly well arranged, and it was obvious that these guys love playing together.
The vocal harmonies which introduced the next track “Heart in the Cage� further assured me that Punch Brothers were here to deliver. Out came the melancholy lyrics along with a little black humour. It seemed that they were delivering exactly what I had hoped for and, apart from the rather crazy but short mandolin solo midway through the track, I was loving every minute of it.
But I should have seen it coming. I read somewhere that the band came into being after the break up of Chris Thiles marriage. Take five musos, put them in a room with loads of alcohol and a sad story to write about, and I suppose you’ll eventually end up with a Punch Brothers set. Yes, there were flashes of brilliance. Yes, there were some unbelievably tuneful tracks. Yes I longed for a set full of these types of songs. Unfortunately five drunken musos with an axe to grind will also invariably disappear up their own arses. Or perhaps I just didn’t get it?
“Blind Leaving the Blind� was a 40 minute piece of four movements. To me it seemed to be the folk version of modern jazz, where each of the musicians seems to be playing a different song. Call me old fashioned but I do like a tune, a bit of a melody that I can follow. I wasn’t sure what to make of this long self indulgent arrangement. There were short snippets of the brilliance we had tasted in the first few songs, but these were only a tease amidst what seemed to be the results of a drunkenly self absorbed jam session. Like I say, perhaps I just didn’t get it. These guys are obviously more musically talented than I, but I found these tracks to be beyond my comprehension.
As if to reward us for sitting through the craziness we were treated to their version of Ophelia by The Band. This was a real rough ass blow out which retrieved the attention of those amongst us who had drifted elsewhere.
After the interval came more of the same. I was dazzled at times and longed for more after tracks like “How to Grow a Woman from the Ground.� So astonishingly sad it gripped me in the way all good music should. Other times I wished I had brought my iPod.
I think I was looking forward to Nickel Creek, and in places I was more than satisfied. Some tracks delivered the goods and then some. But the Punch Brothers are not Nickel Creek and if you’re expecting them to be so then you will be disappointed in places and overjoyed in others.
The Super Insurgent Group Of Intemperance Talent - photo by fred
The Super Insurgent Group Of Intemperance Talent
Genre: Other / Rock / Blues
Hometown: Bandung, West Java, Indonesia http://www.myspace.com/thesigit
Thursday, March 13 12:00 p.m.
BD Riley's (204 E 6th St) (subject to change) Add this to your SXSW Calendar
Even for someone whose native tongue is english their band's name is hard to pronounce, just try saying it once much less three times, fast. The Super Insurgent Group Of Intemperance Talent, or as they refer to themselves The S.I.G.I.T. is a band visiting SXSW for the very first time all the way from Bandung, Indonesia.
With reviews from NME calling them "Scorching Gonzo Zep Rock", the band sets a frantic pace with guitars wailing and blazing away. Raw, stripped, lean, rock music taken to its hard core, they could be another White Stripes or Wolfmother in waiting, and possibly one of SXSW 2008's breakout stories. After building a solid core audience in Indo and Australia and with a couple of releases under their belt, they are ready to taste some Texas BarBQ. We spoke to The S.I.G.I.T.'s frontman and guitarist Rektivianto Yoewano, who is busy packing for the trip. Click on the "continued" link below to listen to the interview.
Everybody's favorite guy named Lemmy will be bringing Motörhead to SXSW this year, according to 2 separate sources. Motörhead are currently in L.A. laying down tracks for a new disc but will come to Austin to play the Scion day party. More details as they become available.
Serj Tankian, frontman for System Of A Down, will not only be playing the Body of War showcase at Stubb's on Thursday, but also has his own showcase later that night at La Zona Rosa. Of course the Body Of War showcase also includes Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello and "Special Guests". I'm torn because I am otherwise committed and it will take an act of god for me to catch either set.
Speaking of those "Special Guests", the Foo Fighters are popping up on the SXSW rumor screen again. Seems that their tour, which has an unexplainable gap during SXSW week, currently has two opening acts, Serj Tankian and the band Against Me!. Both of those acts are slated to play SXSW. My sources are telling me that there is a good chance that we could see Dave Grohl pop up as one of those "Special Guest's" and maybe, just maybe, a full Foo Fighters showcase.
Founded by Patrick Boutwell and Jonathan Downs in 2002, SXSW veterans The Brother Kite will be returning to the Habana Calle 6 again for this years SXSW. With a thick layered sound that hearkens back to the days of the mighty, massive, multiple overdubs and Phil Spector's wall of sound, the group released a split 7" in 2003, followed by a full length debut album in 2004. Releasing their second full length CD last year, we got a chance to talk with Jon about the two years it took to record it in their home studio, as well as talking about the music scene in Providence post-"The Station", as well as their upcoming trip to Austin for SXSW. Click on the "continued" link below to listen to the interview.
Flogging Molly is a septet out of L.A playing an Irish folk/punk rock blend. With a touch of the Pogues, the Clash and perhaps some Stiff Little Fingers they have crafted their sound to be their own.
Monday night, a new holiday in Ontario known as Family Day, at the Kool Haus was packed. A sold out all ages show on a week day must have had something to do with college reading week.
The first thing security told me as I entered the photo pit in front of the stage was if I got a tap on the back to watch out for crowd surfers. Some good advice as Flogging Molly came out and jumped right into "Selfish Man" off their first studio album Swagger. The bodies came sailing hard and fast. The crowd was hyped and besides the bodies flying so were the beer cans. A fellow photographer got one can in the head about 30 seconds into it.
There's not much I can say about protest live that hasn't been said here and here and here and here before.
Only the day before, Fortress had debuted at Number One on the Canadian album charts. There couldn't be a better time for PTH to play in Toronto. Tickets were scarce on the night of as was made evident when I queued up at the will call to pick up my photo pass for the show. One lucky person managed to buy the last two tickets available at the box office, while many others were left disappointed.
In classic Protest fashion the stage was lined with friends and family (I spotted at least a couple of the guy's mom's and dad's). The 40 minute set opened with the lead track from Fortress "Bloodmeat", and steamrolled on through "The Dissentience" and several other new songs. I wish I'd kept better track of the set list but my attention was focused on navigating the claustrophobic photo pit and later on securing a vantage point from the crowd. While the promoter had only sanctioned two photographers (myself among them) it appears that the boys in Protest had handed out photo passes to just about everyone with a digital rebel and kit lens who'd asked. With the pit full of security the likes of which you only see at a PTH show, at least a dozen photogs and a couple of videographers, frequent visits from crowd surfers, and dim stage lighting this was an exercise in careful maneuvering and cautious shooting. I think we actually got to shoot from the pit for four songs, and then were given free reign to shoot from the audience.
Pinhead Gunpowder Hometown: San Francisco, CA Website: http://www.pinheadgunpowder.com/
Sunday/Monday, February 3-4, 2008
Chain Reaction (Anaheim, CA), The Troubadour (Hollywood, CA) Opening act:This is My Fist
All I can say is, wow! Pinhead Gunpowder at two small clubs in Southern California. Let me explain. Pinhead Gunpowder is kind of like the equivalent of Velvet Revolver to the punk scene. Kind of a punk super group if that exists. Let me explain further. Pinhead Gunpowder is Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, Aaron Cometbus from highly influential East Bay (CA) punk band Crimpshrine and famous punk fanzine "Cometbus," Bill Schneider ex-Monsula, and Jason White.
Pinhead Gunpowder was formed back in the early 90s, and fans of early Green Day will certainly appreciate the songs they put out. The band is obviously very Green Day-like but with a more raw edge courtesy of Aaron’s previous band, Crimpshrine. Aaron writes most of the band's lyrics and they are chock full of angst, self realization, and hope. I urge you to check out Jump Salty. If you like good pop punk you will enjoy this record!
Tom Morello at SXSW 2007 - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer
In case you missed it, over the past couple days SXSW has listed a few more artists for this years music festival. Van Morrison will be playing a SXSW gig at La Zona Rosa in addition to his non-SXSW gig at the Austin Music Hall. Legendary punk band X will also be performing over at Emo's.
For all those doubting Thomas's and those that overlooked the fine print, there is a band listed as Body of War, after the film of the same name, and if you look at their listing it lists them as being Kimya Dawson, Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello(Rage Against The Machine) and Special Guests. One can only wonder if my rumors of an Eddie Vedder or Rage Against the Machine surprise appearance are coming closer to fruition as their Special Guests. Certainly seems to be, what with Vedder having produced the soundtrack, the movie being shown at the festival, and with many of the artists from the soundtrack in town.
In other Austin Music News...
National Product has been gathering some steam ahead of their visit to Austin's Red 7 tomorrow, and their show promises to be the hot set of the night. Tracii Gunns will be bringing his version of L.A. Guns to a new venue, the Rock City Icehouse, on Wednesday night.
On Friday Feb 29th NOFX, Flatliners, and No Use For A Name will be filling up the pit over at Stubb's, and Saturday March 1 Marilyn Manson and Ours will be playing over at the Austin Music Hall. On Sunday March 2, Built To Spill and The Meat Puppets will also be at Stubb's. Guitar virtuoso Pat Metheny will play the Paramount Theatre on Tuesday March 4th, the same night Willie Nelson opens at the Star Of Texas Fair & Rodeo at the Travis County Expo Center. Dropkick Murphy's play Stubb's on Friday March 7, then Protest The Hero plays Emo's on March 8th.
Looking out past SXSW we have some interesting stuff on the horizon. Acid Mother's Temple plays Emo's on March 17, Bob Mould at Antone's on March 20, The Moody Blues at The Austin Music Hall on March 21. New Model Army from the U.K look like they finally have their visa issues cleared up and will be playing at Elysium on March 28.
Willie Nelson will be playing the "new" Long Center on March 29th, the same night as Les Claypool over at Stubb's. Liam Finn, son of Crowded House/Split Enz founder Tim Finn, will be playing the Parish on April 2. George Clinton and PFunk will be playing the Swamp Thing / Crawfish Boil Festival on April 5th. Dropping Daylight and Sick Puppies over at Emo's on April 7th.
La Zona Rosa hosts Manchester Orchestra and Say Anything on April 9th, then Armor For Sleep and Saves The Day on April 10. Ministry will play La Zona Rosa on April 15, Buddy Guy and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Stubb's on April 18th. Panic at the Disco plays Stubb's on April 19th, followed by Cat Power the next night, and then Behemoth the following night.
Rush plays the Frank Erwin Center on April 23, David Allan Coe plays Stubb's on April 25, Joe Jackson plays The Paramount on April 28. Billy Talent and My Chemical Romance play Stubb's on April 28, and then to end out April we have Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco at the Frank Erwin Center on April 30.
If you're asking yourself why this review is a comparison between these two awesome bands, understand that this is not exactly the type of metal I listen to. But these solid releases have dominated my stereo for weeks, and I keep thinking these two together would be a hell of a show.
Their music tracks a very natural progression of classic metal becoming more extreme. Being a death/black/ thrash metal head, it took me a few listens to get used to these "real" vocalists who actually sing. Once I got past that, I have to admit these records are nothing short of astonishing. Incredible music, captured perfectly by the recording engineers.
This is going to be one long review so get yourself a frosty beverage, some popcorn or whatever, and read on. These bands absolutely deserve some attention.
In what will probably be another blow to SXSW's headliner list, Dolly Parton has announced that she is postponing her tour scheduled to start on February 28th in Minneapolis. Parton will be rescheduling her dates in April and May, which would preclude her appearance at SXSW this year, though that has not been specifically stated. On her web site, Dolly attributes the postponement due to a back condition "hey, you try wagging these puppies around a while and see if you don't have back problems". That means the Saturday night slot at the Austin Music Hall will be free, it will be interesting to see who SXSW gets to fill it. It's a big room.
Technorati Tags: SXSW,Dolly Parton
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Tokyo Police Club photo by clint gilders - staff photographer
I could hardly believe my eyes as I perused the SXSW 2008 Biglist. Yeah, there are cool bands coming from all over the world, but the 100+ acts making the pilgrimage from Canada set my mouth watering.
The Blacklist at SXSW 2007 - more photos... photo by Jeff Barringer - staff photographer
SXSW made their big list announcement today as expected, with a whopping 1594 bands in all, surpassing the band count at ACL Fest, Bonaroo, Coachella, Jazz Fest, and Langerado combined. There are at least 20 bands alone with the word "Black" in their name.
Think about it, almost 1600 artists and bands, all looking for a place to park the van at once. So many bands that musicians wander the streets in packs like African plainsmen armed with accordions, stalking unwary members of the press like frightened gazelles. Eighteen wheelers packed stem to stern with tortilla chips and beer will be poised ready to deliver at a moments notice, and even spare couches will be running upwards of $50 a night for those who can find time to sleep.
Its good to see the list out, and on time, though our readers have been familiar with almost half the list for a while now. Our rumor on Ice Cube has been confirmed, and some neat new names have surfaced like Jakob Dylan, ex-frontman for the Wallflowers and son of Bob Dylan. There are so many bands and artists it will take me a couple days just to fully digest the list. Then it will change.
I suspect that there are still a few artists to announce, including some more top drawer talent. There are still many people on my "rumored" list that have yet to burble to the surface. I will continue to maintain the "rumored" portion of My Unoffical SXSW Band List, and will freshen my copy of the "official" list from time to time.
We will be doing a bunch of SXSW Artist Spotlite interviews over the coming weeks as we close in on the start of the festival. You can expect to hear interviews starting with The Hymns, The Brother Kite, and The Super Insurgent Group of Intemperance Talent all the way from Bandung, Indonesia. We will also proabably check back in with a few of our past SXSW interviewees like Paul Collins, and Blacklist, both returning from last year.
We are only days away from the official band announcements from SXSW and we are still hearing about gigs left and right. This will probably be my last post to the "unofficial" list for 2008.
The guys over at Showburner confirmed my Adele rumor as well as digging up confirmations for The Wombats, The Bug, Captain Bliss, and a handful more. Also, PaisleyUmbrella dropped me a note to confirm a few other bands. Her(?) list includes Austin's own The Ugly Beats, The Cynics, Mondo Topless, and a band that just sounds cool based on it's members, Magic Christian. With Cyril Gordon of the Flaming Groovies, Clem Burke of Blondie on drums, and "Fast" Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls on bass rather than guitar. Listening to their songs, they sound like the rock soundtrack to the 1967 film Casino Royale.
This all happens at the Get Hip Records showcase though I have conflicting sources as to whether this is a Friday or Saturday showcase. Also doing the Get Hip Records showcase is Paul Collins And The Beat. Paul, one of the founding members of the seminal power-pop bands The Nerves, brought his band all the way over from Spain last year, and after running into Peter Case had an impromptu SXSW Nerves reunion at The Saxon Pub and at Waterloo Records, both of which I missed. I did catch up with Paul last year long enough to get an interview with him and the band. This year Paul will be over here celebrating the launch of his new CD Ribbon of Gold which releases in Europe on March 24th. Produced by Chips Kiesby, (Hellacopters, Nomads) in Sweden, Paul forwarded me 2 dynamite tracks, the title track and "I Still Want You" that I immediately stuck on my iPhone. Paul Collins and The Beat will also be playing over at The Soho Lounge Saturday night and a few other neat stops along the way. I look forward to treating Paul et al to a nice sit down Tex-Mex dinner at El Azteca when they get here.
It ain't over til the tribute bands sing. Just because they launch the official list this week (hopefully), doesn't mean you can let your guard down. They will still be adding showcases and sets almost right up until the last night of SXSW, Sunday March 16th, when Emo's whips out the traditional tribute band showcase. Until then walk ons and secret shows are possible at any time, on any stage, with any band. Only when the last tribute band has left the stage can you really say "it's over" and stop looking for the stars.