Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tunnel Light Found
Been digging out of dank darkness with a dull plastic spork....see some light. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
XOSOS
Ever have so much to say you end up saying nothing at all? I've been staring at this empty post window for two days now through a steel sharp net of emotion..every time my tongue comes out to talk, it darts forward and brushes against it, and bleeds. Is it protective, or is it reflective. I use this blog primarily to say what I want when I want, and it just so happens that I mostly talk about music anyway. So I put the two together and try to reach out and touch somebody with wit laughter or venom. Sometimes I inspire someone to talk back to me, but usually not. Blogging is lonely activity for lonely people. I've got my blogging friends who I am thankful for, but to tell you the truth, after two years of writing, sometimes more for you than me, networking to the best of my ability given my glowing lack of a grasp on social networks....shit.
Its become just a constant neverending plateau of lack of proper dedication to the craft, lack of any musical inspiration on most days. (Hell, I'll give you an example...I just went to see Pearl Jam,took pictures from the front of the front at Madison Square Garden....WHO gets to do that for free and write about it? Guess what , the high from that experience lasted until the ride home, it took me 7 days to care about reviewing the show, while I danced around the murky puddles from the shit storm of my life right now.) and the rewards ad up to about 6 comments a month. Shit, my best friends hardly read this thing. Maybe its because they know what to expect. The experiences and throwaway opinions of an angry man who has always thrown his grenades in a rubber room.
This place is like the room in the basement I never built for so many reasons. Not rubber, but close. Sometimes I just wanted go down there and blast music from real speakers until the paint peeled and then scream and punch the wall like a fucking teenager until the emotion dissipates...but its not there..it never became real...so I started to come here more often to be the man child that I am, who can't balance a checkbook but can muse about sharpie guitars until the hair ain't high, boost morale and throw a few smiles your way. Right now, I'm dodging mental uppercuts and most days energy just drains out of my pores. Right now...i feel I can only complain out into the ether for so long, especially if its about something I am far more passionate about than most everyone I know. Right now, I can't force it.....when I'm inspired and not tired, I'll write.
I'll just say this...my boy turns 4 tomorrow, and some things are more important than a rant or a rave about anything except the wonder of childhood, and what a saviour of joy that feeling is.
Its become just a constant neverending plateau of lack of proper dedication to the craft, lack of any musical inspiration on most days. (Hell, I'll give you an example...I just went to see Pearl Jam,took pictures from the front of the front at Madison Square Garden....WHO gets to do that for free and write about it? Guess what , the high from that experience lasted until the ride home, it took me 7 days to care about reviewing the show, while I danced around the murky puddles from the shit storm of my life right now.) and the rewards ad up to about 6 comments a month. Shit, my best friends hardly read this thing. Maybe its because they know what to expect. The experiences and throwaway opinions of an angry man who has always thrown his grenades in a rubber room.
This place is like the room in the basement I never built for so many reasons. Not rubber, but close. Sometimes I just wanted go down there and blast music from real speakers until the paint peeled and then scream and punch the wall like a fucking teenager until the emotion dissipates...but its not there..it never became real...so I started to come here more often to be the man child that I am, who can't balance a checkbook but can muse about sharpie guitars until the hair ain't high, boost morale and throw a few smiles your way. Right now, I'm dodging mental uppercuts and most days energy just drains out of my pores. Right now...i feel I can only complain out into the ether for so long, especially if its about something I am far more passionate about than most everyone I know. Right now, I can't force it.....when I'm inspired and not tired, I'll write.
I'll just say this...my boy turns 4 tomorrow, and some things are more important than a rant or a rave about anything except the wonder of childhood, and what a saviour of joy that feeling is.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Pearl Jam live at Madison Square Garden May 20
Pearl Jam has been on the road for almost twenty years now, yet not a hint of rust or wear and tear was showing as they began their two-night stay at the Garden. Their super fans have been in on the secret for a while now and are as rabid and loyal as any known to man. But to the occasional concert goer, albeit one lucky enough to score a ticket to either of these sold out shows, witnessing this band from opener to encore is like joining hands with the forces of nature of a musical kind .
The band opened the May 20th show brazenly with three deep cuts: the low-key but passionate “Sometimes” from the 1998 album No Code, the abrasive rush of " Breakerfall” from Binaural, and the push/pull of Vitology’s “Last Exit.” This triad gave one the sense that the band could cull songs from any album, any era, and the extreme fans would devour them just as lustfully and in tandem with the rest of the crowd, who finally settled in with the band's youthful take on 90s FM playlist favorite “Animal.”
But if you still listen to the radio, you would know that Pearl Jam aren’t just some dinosaur grunge holdover who continue to tour and bring out old chestnuts for a spit shine in every city. They continue to write popular rock songs. They’ve had two hits from each of their last two albums. Who knew, right? “The Fixer” and “Just Breathe”( for which they even rolled out a string section) were in the set list, and from the looks on the faces of the faithful and the frat boys, people knew every word.
Lead singer Eddie Vedder has a perfect combination of chops, charisma, and compassion. He’s as serious about his dedications as he is about making sure everyone has a good time. He will fawn over sons getting their sick fathers to the show and give shout outs to veterans before blazing into “Army Reserve.” When he chugs from his obligatory bottle of red wine, and hangs back while guitarist Mike McCready explores a sprawling solo during “Evenflow,” you feel like you could be the next guy he passes that bottle to while you scream out the chorus slightly off key. The stage is a bare bones affair and is lit economically, which makes the crowd focus even more intensely on any back story or stumping he may let loose with.
The band opened the May 20th show brazenly with three deep cuts: the low-key but passionate “Sometimes” from the 1998 album No Code, the abrasive rush of " Breakerfall” from Binaural, and the push/pull of Vitology’s “Last Exit.” This triad gave one the sense that the band could cull songs from any album, any era, and the extreme fans would devour them just as lustfully and in tandem with the rest of the crowd, who finally settled in with the band's youthful take on 90s FM playlist favorite “Animal.”
But if you still listen to the radio, you would know that Pearl Jam aren’t just some dinosaur grunge holdover who continue to tour and bring out old chestnuts for a spit shine in every city. They continue to write popular rock songs. They’ve had two hits from each of their last two albums. Who knew, right? “The Fixer” and “Just Breathe”( for which they even rolled out a string section) were in the set list, and from the looks on the faces of the faithful and the frat boys, people knew every word.
Lead singer Eddie Vedder has a perfect combination of chops, charisma, and compassion. He’s as serious about his dedications as he is about making sure everyone has a good time. He will fawn over sons getting their sick fathers to the show and give shout outs to veterans before blazing into “Army Reserve.” When he chugs from his obligatory bottle of red wine, and hangs back while guitarist Mike McCready explores a sprawling solo during “Evenflow,” you feel like you could be the next guy he passes that bottle to while you scream out the chorus slightly off key. The stage is a bare bones affair and is lit economically, which makes the crowd focus even more intensely on any back story or stumping he may let loose with.
The songs never suffer. In fact, according to their fan club, this and the following night’s show (also at MSG) were heralded as two of the best ever seen by many. This band easily traverses the energy and the dispersion of emotion needed to seamlessly roam through a 35 song set, night after night, year after year.
To say Pearl Jam are at “the top of their game” or “have never been better” might give someone a hint as to why they’ve been around so long. But it is much simpler than that. With passion, dedication to their fans, and a very non- grunge, diverse songwriting palate of great rock songs sung with conviction and entwined with a virtuosity that was on full display for the evening, they continue to amaze as they entertain, which can only help to germinate new allegiance even twenty years on.
This review first appeared at blogcritics.org.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
When The Levy Broke/ Bonzo on the BBC
My friend Johnathan Carman , drummer extraordinaire from the band Leslie turned me on to this BBC radio special on John Bonham that aired in the UK on his birthday, May 31. Here's the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00slsdw/The_John_Bonham_Story/
Its a great one, and is narrated by superfan Dave Grohl. It's hard to believe that its been 30 years, not Ten, Years Gone. Nostalgia creeps in and allows me to remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. In Senora Mandelson's Seventh grade Spanish class. A kid named Bill Yembrick who was seated next to me on that September day, had his head down, and was crying and sniffling into the folded arms of his black Levi's corduroy jacket. I asked him what was wrong en espanol. "Que pasa, Guillermo?" You see, if we used any words that were not Spanish words in class, we had to put a nickel in a jar on Sra. Mandelson's desk. Even in a moment of crisis, I was a wimpy little rule follower. Anyway, Bill, told me he had bought tickets to go see Led Zeppelin in Buffalo, NY that November..( Yeah, he was 12, and yes, LZ was scheduled to play the Buffalo Auditorium on November 1, 1980) and from that moment, the moment we lost Bonzo, he (and I) knew it was over. We knew the band was no more.
Happy 62nd Birthday John Henry Bonham, wherever you are.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00slsdw/The_John_Bonham_Story/
Its a great one, and is narrated by superfan Dave Grohl. It's hard to believe that its been 30 years, not Ten, Years Gone. Nostalgia creeps in and allows me to remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. In Senora Mandelson's Seventh grade Spanish class. A kid named Bill Yembrick who was seated next to me on that September day, had his head down, and was crying and sniffling into the folded arms of his black Levi's corduroy jacket. I asked him what was wrong en espanol. "Que pasa, Guillermo?" You see, if we used any words that were not Spanish words in class, we had to put a nickel in a jar on Sra. Mandelson's desk. Even in a moment of crisis, I was a wimpy little rule follower. Anyway, Bill, told me he had bought tickets to go see Led Zeppelin in Buffalo, NY that November..( Yeah, he was 12, and yes, LZ was scheduled to play the Buffalo Auditorium on November 1, 1980) and from that moment, the moment we lost Bonzo, he (and I) knew it was over. We knew the band was no more.
Happy 62nd Birthday John Henry Bonham, wherever you are.
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