I've Been Away but Now I'm Back

I’ve been slack. Really slack. I realised today that I haven’t written a post for over 10 months. Inexcusable. But to be honest…life got in the way. I went on holidays (several times), work got busy, weekends got full. You know the drill.

Anyway, I’m going to try and bring this blog back. And to start, I thought I’d do a bit of a dot point catch up of past gigs and general news.

·         I went to the inaugural Harvest Festival in Brisbane last November and loved it! It was a great festival with a fantastic line-up and a really chilled out vibe. I ended up catching the National, TV on the Radio, Bright Eyes, Portishead, and the Flaming Lips, amongst others.

·         In May, I was lucky enough to see the Purple One, Prince, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. His gig was amazing with a great set-list, high production values and lots of general Prince-related awesomeness.

·         In June, I travelled half way across the world to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Hamburg and in London. The gigs were incredible and something that I can cross off my bucket list. Separate gig review post to come.

·         I have tickets to see Radiohead in November! Major excitement.

·         Green Day have announced that they’re releasing not one new album, but three new records. Uno, Dos and Tre will be released in September, November and January respectively. It’s a pretty ambitious project, so let’s see how the albums turn out. The band’s new single, Oh Love, came out early this morning and its….ok.

·         Weezer announced that they are touring Australia in January 2013. The band hasn’t come to our fair shores in over 16 years so there is a lot of anticipation for this tour. Also, they’ll be playing the Blue Album in full!

·         The Red Hot Chili Peppers will be headlining the Big Day Out in January 2013 but seeing as their new record sucks, I’m not sure I’ll be in attendance. Check out the full BDO 2013 line up here.

·         I also have tickets to Harvest Festival 2012. Gracing the bill are the likes of Beck, Sigur Ros, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, Grizzly Bear, Ben Folds Five, Santigold, Cake, the Dandy Warhols and more!

·         I went along to Henry Rollins’ spoken word gig at the Powerhouse in early 2012. As always, it was amazing and Henry Rollins is an outspoken genius.

That’s it for now. More to come soon.

Albums I’m Currently Obsessed With

Lately, I’ve been a bit narrow in my listening and have been obsessed with about four albums, listening to them on repeat. Most of them are old favourites with the comfort factor of a big warm doona.
 

Green Day – Nimrod

I’ve been listening to this album pretty constantly since its release in 1997 and although it’s not my favourite Green Day record, it’s pretty high on the list. The comfort and nostalgia factor of this record is off the charts.
 

Tom Petty – Wildflowers

I’ve only just started listening to this album (after buying it about 6 weeks ago) and already, I love, love, love it. It’s got some rock, some country and some great, lullaby-like ballads. Classic Tom Petty with a softer edge.
 

Social Distortion – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

I’m so obsessed with this album at the moment. A seamless blend of punk, country, blues and rockabilly…and Mike Ness’ amazing voice. Perfection in a punk record.

 

Neil Young – Harvest

Oh, how I love this record. It’s so soothing, so comforting, so beautiful. Even though the recording is less than amazing, each song is beautifully crafted and incredibly heartfelt. A Man Needs a Maid is the definite highlight for me.

Soundwave Revolution Cancelled!

It’s been a bad week for music news. First the amazing Alexisonfire call it quits and now news has broken that the Soundwave Revolution festival has been cancelled!

There are a lot of rumours doing the rounds which suggest that headliners, Van Halen pulled out of Soundwave Rev and that festival organisers weren’t able to secure a suitable replacement in time.
 

According to promoter, AJ Maddah, a lot of the festival bands will still be coming to Australia to put on shows and multi-band mini festivals, details of which will be announced over the next week.

 

It is pretty disappointing that this festival has been cancelled…but honestly, I’m not that concerned because it was originally scheduled for the same day that I arrive here:

I’ll take New York over Van Halen any day of the week!

Alexisonfire Split

Sad news. After a solid 10-year stint, post-hardcore group, Alexisonfire have called it quits. According to the band’s official statement, Dallas Green has decided to concentrate on his City and Colour project and guitarist, Wade MacNeil has also decided to focus his attention on a new project.

I’m a big Alexisonfire fan and was lucky enough to see them live twice. It’s really disappointing that they’ve called it quits as it seems that they were really on top of their game. Their last two albums, Crisis and Old Crows/Young Cardinals, were both fantastic and their live shows were incredibly tight.

Mary Hits Brisbane

Remember when I said that I love musical theatre? Well, last week it was announced that the Australian production of Mary Poppins will be heading to Brisbane after its season in Sydney! How exciting!

The show, which recently won eight Helpmann Awards, opens at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC on the 5^th of January, with tickets on sale from the 8^th of August.

Yes, I’ve already seen it twice but don’t think that I’m not going to go again…because I am.

Candy Apple Grey

I am currently obsessed with Husker Du’s 1986 album Candy Apple Grey. I started listening to Husker Du about seven years ago because a lot of my favourite bands cited them as their favourite band. I have a few of their albums but Candy Apple Grey is by far my favourite.

This album is a definite departure from Husker Du’s classic hardcore/punk sound and sees the band experiment with more melodic, almost emo styles of song writing.

Like their previous albums, Candy Apple Grey is still frenetic and angry, but is much broader and well-rounded than their other records. There are the fast-paced punchy punk songs peppered with resentment but then there are some really pared-back, beautifully solemn tracks.

As usual, Bob Mould and Grant Hart individually wrote tracks on the album and shared vocal duties. Both Bob and Grant’s vocals are fantastic, as are their lyrics. To me, stand out tracks include Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely (one of my all-time favourite songs), Eiffel Tower High and Sorry Somehow.

After a few listens, it’s easy to see how this album influenced bands like Soundgarden, Green Day and particularly Nirvana. Candy Apple Grey is full of angst, anger and alienation but is beautifully put together. It’s hard to ignore the similarities that exist between this record and Nirvana’s Nevermind.

Unfortunately, it’s a shallow and tinny recording which will put some people off, but to me, it adds to the atmosphere of the record.

Green Day v Recovery

Remember this post about the greatest Recovery moments? Well, after some clever YouTube-ing I found the amazing Green Day interview for your viewing pleasure.

The quality is awful, probably due to the fact that this clip was once taped on a VHS (I know! What is a VHS?), but it is hilarious. The band look tired and/or stoned and obviously think host, Dylan Lewis is a major tool.

I taped this when it first aired and watched it constantly...so much so that my VHS (ancient technology) actually broke from all the wear and tear! Oh, the memories. Oh, the perils of live television!

Pearl Jam Twenty

I cannot wait for this:

Being a big Pearl Jam fan, I am really, really keen to see this. Lots of interviews, lots of footage from the vault and its directed by Cameron Crowe! Sure old Cameron has directed some crap films (Vanilla Sky) but he's also directed some gems (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Almost Famous? Oh yes!).

The trailer is so great...it gave me goosebumps.

It says it's out in Fall 2011, which I guess means it'll be out between September and November this year.

New York, New York!

This isn't really related to music, but in two months, I'll be here:

I am insanely excited and am starting to count down the days already (58 days to go...if you're wondering).

I must be subconsciously working up to my trip because I've been listening to a hell of a lot of Ramones, Talking Heads, James Brown and old Frank Sinatra recently. Every time I listen to New York, New York I get way over-excited.  

I want to catch a band or two while I'm there. Primus and Portishead are both playing (as well as a stack of others that I wouldn't mind seeing), so we definitely have options, people.

Oh, please let the next two months fly by!

The Rumours Were True!

Remember this post about the heavily rumoured Harvest Festival? Well, the rumours were true! Full details of the festival were announced a couple of days ago, including the (really decent) lineup and the dates.

 

I'd love to see The Flaming Lips, Portishead, Bright Eyes and a couple of the other bands, but at $135 a ticket, it's pretty steep...particularly given all the other great festivals and gigs that have come our way recently.

 

Anyways, here are the details:

 

The Flaming Lips
Portishead
Bright Eyes
The National
Mercury Rev
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Family Stone
Holy Fuck
Death In Vegas
The Walkmen
Dappled Cities
This Town Needs Guns
Foxy Shazam
PVT
The Holidays
Phosphorescent
Kormac’s Big Band


Saturday 12th November – Werribee Park, Melbourne
Sunday 13th November – Parramatta Park, Sydney
Saturday 19th November – Botanical Gardens, Brisbane

Welcome to Blah-town

You know how I said I was (with a great degree of trepidation and scepticism) excited about the new Blink 182 and Red Hot Chili Peppers' records? Well, within the last week or so, both bands released the first singles from their new albums. People, I was right to be sceptical because both singles are very much a trip to Blah-town.

Blink 182’s effort Up All Night sounds like a cross between singer, Tom De Longe’s side project, Angels & Airwaves and Blink’s 2003 self-titled album…which is not a good thing. Basically it’s boring and takes itself way too seriously. Not to mention that the intro sounds nothing like the Blink 182 that we know and love. I actually had to skip to the middle of the song to check that I’d downloaded the right thing! This song lacks the fun, the innuendo and the pop-punk party spirit that the old Blink 182 gave us in spades.

And the new Chili Peppers song, The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie (worst song title ever!), isn’t much better. It’s just…dull. Sure, it sounds like the Red Hot Chili Peppers but it doesn’t deliver the same punch and energy that a lot of their other singles have in the past. The lyrics and tempo are predictable, Anthony Kiedis’ vocals sound stale, and new guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer hasn’t brought anything exciting or innovative to the table. To me, the Chili Peppers have long been about musical innovation and the seamless mixing of genres but this song is just a big nap. We’ve heard it before and we’ve heard it done a lot better than this.

Will the records be better than the singles? Will there be some hidden gems that recapture the magic of these once great bands? We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess.

Men in Kilts

Hooray! Boston-Celtic punks, Dropkick Murphys are headed back to Australia!

It seems like just yesterday that they were here, playing in the torrential rains at the No Sleep Till festival. Despite the bloody awful weather (it was December, it was pouring nonstop, it was freezing), the Dropkicks played a great set full of Celtic punk favourites.

They are returning in October and are brining alt-country punks, Lucero with them. There will be bagpipes, accordions, kilts, possibly even a jig or two. And the Brisbane leg is at the Tivoli. Should be a grand evening all round!

19th October Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane

20th October Enmore Theatre, Sydney

21st October Panthers, Newcastle

22nd October Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide

23rd October Metro City, Perth

25th October Forum Theatre, Melbourne

The Return of Blink 182

Is it wrong that I’m kind of excited about this? Dick-and-fart-joke pop punkers Blink 182 are set to release their first album since their 2003 self-titled effort. The band declared an indefinite hiatus in 2005 before officially reforming in 2009. Their new album is apparently in the mixing stage and should be released in the next few months. And I’m kind of keen to hear it.

Their first three albums (Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State) pretty much defined my high school days so the nostalgia factor is high. They’re just a fun, funny, stupid party punk band and 14 year old me is pretty stoked about their return.

Whether the new album is any good is anybody’s guess. Will they bring a more mature sound to the table or are they still writing songs about being peeping toms? They aren’t snot-nosed little punks anymore…they’re pushing 40. It’ll be interesting to see which direction they take.

Late on the Bandwagon: Girl Talk

I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon. Not because I’m a snob, but mainly because I’m slow to pick things up. I don’t listen to the radio and 99 per cent of music press drives me insane. Anyway, I pretty much missed the Girl Talk bandwagon, but hey, it’s not too late to jump on now, right?

Last week, my friend Chuck gave me a copy of Girl Talk’s latest album All Day (amongst a truck load of other things) and after a few listens, I am a fan. It’s not proper music, really. Instead, this is an album full of mashups…mashups of the highest calibre. Girl Talk uses hundreds of samples of (mostly) well known songs to create new music which makes my inner music nerd jump for joy.

The Beastie Boys’ Hey Ladies is layered against Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life, Ludacris is sampled over Black Sabbath, Missy Elliott’s Get Ya Freak On appears over the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop. Throughout the album there are so many “oh my god, I love that song” moments as samples from Radiohead to Busta Rhymes to Fugazi to New Order are all mashed in.

If you haven’t heard the album, it might just sound like a bunch of random crap all smooshed together, but Girl Talk actually makes these samples work and manages to create incredible new songs with them.

This album is insanely detailed but more importantly, it’s just a really good party record. It’s fun, it’s got a sense of humour and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Be warned though; if you listen to this record, you will spend most of the time playing “guess that sample”. Or you can just check out this list.

Hill Hates…Stadium Rock

Be warned, this is a rant. Ever since I heard that Foo Fighters are playing at Metricon Stadium, I’ve been in rant mode because let’s face it, stadium shows suck. I’ll admit that apart from festivals, I’ve only been to a couple of stadium shows, mostly because I avoid them like the plague.

I saw Pearl Jam play at QSAC in 2009 to a 35,000+ strong crowd and while the band did an amazing job, the gig was disappointing. Firstly, the sound was piss poor. Outdoor concerts never sound as good as indoor gigs, but the sound that night was particularly bad. Secondly, we made the mistake of getting seating tickets and although our seats were some of the best in the house, they were still about 5 kilometres from the band. “Man, what are those ants doing on stage? Oh, wait…that’s Pearl Jam.”

I also saw Green Day play at the SCG in 2005 which was better than Pearl Jam, but only because I managed to get tickets in the front mosh pit, closest to the stage.

I can see why bands do it. It’s a spectacle, it’s a way to sell more tickets and make more money, it’s a sign that they’ve ‘made it’ as a band. But seriously, think of the fans. Think of the lack of intimacy, the crap sound quality and the fact that most people there can’t see a damn thing. 

I think these shows are so alienating and put an even bigger gap between the band and the audience. It’s hard to feel like you’re part of something when you’re surrounded by 40,000 other people and the band is 5 kilometres away. Bands talk a lot about trying to connect with the audience at a show, but it’s almost impossible to do that at a venue which holds 40,000, 60,000 or even 80,000 people.

And honestly, if you lucked out and got seriously crap tickets to a stadium gig, you may as well just stay at home. You’re not going to see anything, the sound quality will be awful and you just wasted $100.

Stadium shows only work is you’re in the first 40 rows from the stage…or you watch them on DVD. And hey, stadium shows make great concert movies.

Here are some visual examples of why stadium gigs and large outdoor concerts are ridiculous. Take a moment to look where the stage is and how far back the audience spreads. Seriously. The people at the very back would see zip!

Foos Fail

Sadly, I am no longer that excited about the Foo Fighters tour. Firstly, they are doing stadium shows…and I hate stadium shows with a passion. Secondly, they’re playing at the Gold Coast instead of Brisbane. Seriously, WTF Foo Fighters?! Majorly disappointing.

Epic fail, Dave Grohl!

In better news, the Foos are being supported by Tenacious D, which will most likely be hilarious.

Anyway, here are the details:

Monday 28th November – NIB Stadium, Perth
Friday 2nd December – AAMI Stadium, Melbourne
Monday 5th December – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Thursday 8th December – Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 10th December – Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (BOOOOO!)
Tuesday 13th December - Western Springs Stadium, Auckland

Mind Readers…

So you know how I just said that I was keen for the next Foo Fighters tour? Well, look what popped up on the band’s Facebook page a couple of hours ago.

Good morning AUS + NZ. So.... Are you guys gonna be around tomorrow ? Checkin the facebooks & stuff ? Kinda have something we should talk about....cough cough.. rock tour.. cough cough..

Excellent! Stay tuned for details tomorrow.

Wasting Light – A Return to Form

For a long time (since about 1997) I’ve called myself a Foo Fighters fan. Actually, I’ve been a fan of most of, if not all of, Dave Grohl’s projects. BUT, in the past few years, I’ve found my love for the Foos waning. I didn’t mind 2005’s In Your Honour  and 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was ok.

But that’s the problem…these albums from a band I once adored were just ok, passable, listenable. I loved the early Foo Fighters records because they had grunt and edge and big ass guitars mixed in with cutesy pop songs and melodic ballads. I get that Dave was experimenting with more acoustic ballady stuff and grandiose musical landscapes, and that’s cool. Go ahead. I just prefer my Foo Fighters with the volume turned up to 11.

So on the weekend, I bought the Foos new album Wasting Light, admittedly with mixed emotions. I’d heard good things. Really good things. The album was recorded in Dave’s garage. Husker Du’s Bob Mould was contributing vocals (being a big Husker Du fan, this particular piece of news got me pretty excited). Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic was a guesting bassist. Ex-Foo, Pat Smear was back on guitar. The band were going back to their ‘rock roots’. The album was being produced by Butch Vig. All great things! But still, I was hesitant.

Anyways, I’ve listened to the record four or five times now and…it’s good! It’s actually really good. The opening track Bridge Burning is a real return to form with big ass guitars, memorable riffs and Dave’s classic rock vocals. White Limo is fast and pulsing with distorted vocals and almost sounds like a track from Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf. Bob Mould’s back-up vocals make the track Dear Rosemary and I don’t think the song would be nearly as good without his contribution. There are also a couple of songs that sounds like classic Foo Fighters songs, like These Days and Arlandria.

Overall, it’s a very solid album from one of the biggest rock bands around. It’s a return to form for the Foo Fighters and is probably their best album since There Is Nothing Left to Lose…possibly even since The Colour and The Shape. I’m keen for their next tour now!

Recovery Moments

This article on Faster Louder has made my day! The Top 25 Best Recovery Moments.

Recovery was possibly the greatest thing to happen to television in Australia...ever. Three hours of music gold every Saturday morning with amazing bands, hilarious interviews and of course, Dylan Lewis. And then they took it away and the world went black.

Faster Louder's post is amazing with heaps of videos of hilariously awkward interviews and a random selection of live performances. I actually remember most of these videos from when they first aired. The Green Day video is a highlight. Hilarious!

Now that Channel 10 has cancelled its Saturday morning music show, Video Hits, I think it's high time the ABC considered airing reruns of Recovery. It would make Saturday morning hangovers so much more enjoyable.

Dolls & Cigarettes

70s glam rock legends, the New York Dolls are heading to Australia in October to play some solo shows, headline The Boroughs in Melbourne…oh, and play at a bunch of cigarette trade shows for tobacco giant Peter Stuyvesant. That just seems wrong to me…but whatever.

Oh the hair...and the shoes!

I saw the Dolls at V Fest in 2007 and while they were entertaining enough they have obviously lost a lot of their on-stage oomph and shock value over the years. And they lost Johnny Thunders and his legendary hair many moons ago.

Anyway, the Dolls are playing in Brisbane on the 13^th of October at the Hifi.