Music Heroes: Part 3

Another one of my all-time favourite people in music is David Byrne. David is one of the founding members and principal songwriter of one of my favourite bands of all time, Talking Heads – a band that was at the forefront of the new wave movement in the late ‘70s.

As one of my parent’s favourite bands, I’ve listened to Talking Heads since birth, but it’s only been in the last 10 years that I’ve really paid attention to the sheer brilliance of their music and to David’s career in depth. I think my dad, in particular, is pretty proud that he’s bred a massive Talking Heads fan and that in recent years, I’ve actually started to understand the intricacies and complexities of their music. The older (and wiser) I get, the more David Byrne fascinates me.

It’s hard to know where to start with David. Aside from Talking Heads, he has done a ton of other projects. He’s enjoyed a fairly successful solo music career, started his own record label, penned a number of books, cut it as a visual artist, produced and directed a couple of films, and is an avid cyclist (he has a regular cycling column in the New York Times) and activist. He’s even appeared on The Simpsons. Oh yeah, and he’s received Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe awards (for his film scores) and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

David’s done some pretty interesting things. In 2008, he designed a series of unique bicycle racks in the form of image outlines (guitars, dollar signs etc) which were placed around New York City for public use. David also released a book, Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information, which included artwork which he composed entirely in PowerPoint. In 2005, he also started his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne.

Over the years, he’s collaborated with more artists than you can poke a stick at including Brian Eno, Devo, Morcheeba, Fatboy Slim and most recently, the Arcade Fire (that collaboration is particularly interesting as I’m also a big Arcade Fire fan).

I love him primarily for his music, but I also respect all of the other projects he takes on too. He is an insanely intelligent and eccentric man, who knows music like the back of his hand. He isn’t afraid to take risks and experiment with different styles, genres and instrumentation.

One of my all-time favourite albums is Talking Heads’ Remain in Light. You’ll have to listen to it for yourself as words cannot describe the brilliance. Song like Born Under Punches and Seen and Not Seen are so complex, with layers upon layers of sounds and effects, but with simple, pared back (almost spoken) vocals and a simple, driving beat. Amazing.

Even Talking Heads’ more popular, radio-friendly songs like Take Me to the River are still complex in their musical style and lyrics, while Psycho Killer is almost complex in its simplicity alone (is that an oxymoron?).

David Byrne’s lyrics are also incredibly unique and reflect his intelligence and idiosyncrasies. As well as his diverse career and numerous side projects, in his lyrics are where his eccentricities truly shine.

David still tours, doing solo shows with a full band supporting him. I’ve been lucky enough to see him play twice, once in 2009 and once in 2005, both times at the Convention Centre in Southbank. Both times he’s been nothing short of brilliant. He plays a lot of his solo music mixed with a healthy dose of Talking Heads classics. His onstage persona is still well and truly intact, full of oddities and quirks. His solo songs are fantastic live, but it’s the Talking Heads gems that really get the crowd going.

I adore Talking Heads and David Byrne and will pay attention to anything that he puts his name to. For someone with such diverse interests and range of projects, I’ll be interested to see what he does next.

Biffy Clyro – Crap Name, Good Band

One of my favourite bands of the past year has been Scottish trio, Biffy Clyro. I started listening to them at the start of last year, even though they released their first album back in 2002. Prior to last year, I’d heard a bit about them from my Irish friend who loves them and has seen them live a couple of times.

After listening to their recent albums Only Revolutions and Puzzle a few times, I went to their gig at the Hifi last May and was blown away. The trio (consisting of twins, Ben and James Johnston, and front man, Simon Neil) gave so much energy on stage and, for a three-piece, their sound was huge. After absolutely hammering through the first few songs, Simon was sweating buckets and was forced to take his shirt off (oh well!). Their gig was absolutely amazing and I’ve been totally smitten with them ever since.

For those who don’t know them, Biffy Clyro have a pretty straight up rock sound with some heavy metal, grunge and punk influences thrown in. They have some beautifully melodic songs like God & Satan and As Dust Dances but they also churn out a lot of heavier rock songs like That Golden Rule. They also do perfect, quirky pop songs like Bubbles and Saturday Superhouse.

Simon’s lyrics are pretty great too…some deep and heartfelt, some totally random and hilarious (“I pronounce it aluminium ‘cause there’s an i next to the u and m”). Also, Simon’s Scottish accent comes through pretty strongly in his vocals which adds another appealing dimension.

Overall, Biffy are easy to listen to, have a distinct sound without being sameish and put on a killer live show.

Music News from Around the Traps

·         Rumour has it that production on the Jeff Buckley biopic (which has been in the works for years!) is due to start soon with Penn Badgley (of Gossip Girl fame) cast in the lead role. Penn apparently beat out Robert Pattinson (thank god!) and James Franco for the role. Personally, I think James Franco would have been better cast. I just can’t see old Lonely Boy cutting it as the late great Jeff Buckley.

·         For their latest tour of the US, the Foo Fighters have put together a hilarious 52 page rider of backstage demands with tongues firmly in cheek. There are plenty of jokes, insults, diagrams and activities included in the rider. Read more here.

·         Metallica and Lou Reed have been in the studio, working on some new material together. It seems an unlikely (but awesome) combo. From what I’ve heard, it’s basically a ten-track Metallica album with Lou Reed on vocals. Should be interesting!

·         This week marks the 25^th anniversary of The Smiths legendary album The Queen is Dead. Most fans and critics agree that this is the Smiths’ masterpiece, however the band disagree, stating that they prefer Strangeways, Here We Come. Whatever, Morrissey!

·         Apparently a new supergroup is headed our way. It’s no Audioslave or Velvet Revolver, but the band’s line-up is still pretty interesting – Dillinger Escape Plan’s guitarist, Ben Weinman, former Mars Volta drummer, Thomas Preidgen, ex-Jane’s Addiction bassist, Eric Avery and Mastodon guitarist, Brent Hinds. The band doesn’t have an official name yet, but they’re joking around with the name Giraffe Tongue (gross).

Rock n Roll High School

A couple of weeks ago I got an invitation to my ten year high school reunion…terrifying, I know. While my high school days were really fun, the idea of going to a ten year reunion is pretty daunting. Seriously, has ten years really past since I walked out of those school gates?!

Anyways, when I got the invitation, I started reminiscing about high school – mostly about my friends and our shenanigans but also about the music I used to listen to. I hear some songs now and I’m instantly transported back to the year nine common room or the quad outside the canteen.

So here is a list of songs that remind me of the old high school days:

·         My Poor Brain – Foo Fighters

·         Popular – Nada Surf

·         Apple Shampoo – Blink 182

·         Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World

·         Eulogy – Tool

·         Self Esteem – The Offspring

·         The Grouch – Green Day

·         Heroin Girl – Everclear

·         Leaving Home – Jebediah

·         Pinball Les – Custard

·         Chop Suey – System of a Down

·         Blue Monday – Orgy

·         Got the Life - Korn

·         Disco 2000 – Pulp

·         Intergalactic – Beastie Boys

·         Song for the Dumped – Ben Folds Five

·         Take a Picture - Filter

·         Ship of Beers - Frenzal Rhomb

·         She’s Got the Look - Guttermouth

·         Pretend We’re Dead – L7

·         Bound for the Floor – Local H

·         Fox – Millencolin

·         Punk Rock Song – Bad Religion

·         Shake Hands with Beef – Primus

·         I Make Hamburgers – The Whitlams

·         Just Ace – Grinspoon

·         The Impression That I Get – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

·         Celebrity Skin – Hole

·         The Rockafeller Skank – Fat Boy Slim

·         Glycerine – Bush

·         1979 – Smashing Pumpkins

Some are a bit embarrassing (Korn…god), but to be honest, I still have most of these songs on my iPod today.

Music Heroes: Part 2

Say what you will about Green Day, but I love them…always have and (probably) always will. I’ve loved them since I was a wee lass of just 10 years old when my primary school friend stole her sister’s copy of Dookie and played it to me in her bedroom. I didn’t know much about music back then, but as soon as I heard the opening bass line of Longview I was hooked.

From this...

Since then, I’ve been a devoted fan. I’ve stuck by them through the changes (sell outs, some may say), the good albums and the not so good albums (hey, I still dig Warning). I have all of their records, all of their DVDs, all of their b-sides and everything else in between. Anyone who knows me will tell you how obsessed I am with this band (particularly my friend J, who I've dragged along to five of their shows so far). Judge away but I’m not afraid to say that they are my favourite band of all time.

I’ve seen them live a bunch of times and they put on a truly amazing show. Their shows have become giant spectacles, with fire, explosions, t-shirt guns, and tickertape, but they still manage to keep a sense of intimacy, making everyone in the audience feel connected to the music and to the band. On their most recent tour, Green Day delved into their archives and played a ton of older songs, as well as the newer, bigger hits. I never thought I’d hear Going to Pasalacqua or Scattered live…but I did and it was incredible.

....to this.

I honestly don’t know what it is about this band that keeps me coming back for more, that has kept me utterly obsessed for almost 17 years now. I love their early pop punk records, and their faster stuff (Insomniac). I love Billie Joe Armstrong’s singing voice and intonations. I love Tre Cools drumming style and Mike Dirnt’s bass riffs. I love that they change things up and try new styles (they managed to pull off two concept albums, people!). I love that their music reminds me of different periods in my life, from being a teenager in Hobart, to moving to Brisbane, to being at uni and beyond. Their records are just so comforting to me…even the newer ones.

Sure, they’ve changed a lot. They moved from an independent label to a major, they’ve become more mainstream and accessible, they’ve branched out to Broadway (and apparently cinema, if the rumours are true), and many have criticised them for selling out, but I don’t care.

I love this band more than words can describe. Maybe it’s pure nostalgia, maybe it’s something more. All I know is that when I hear news about Green Day (like that they are currently working on new material!), I still get all teenage fan girl at the ripe old age of 27.

The Rumour Mill: Harvest Festival

It looks like there might be another new music festival headed our way. New music festivals seem to pop up all the time – Sunset Sounds, Soundwave Revolution and now the heavily rumoured Harvest Festival.

There has been a lot of rumours going around but it seems that Harvest will take place in mid-November in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and is being put on by the team that brought us Soundwave and Soundwave Revolution.

Rumours surrounding the line-up are also starting to spread with The National, Portishead, Bright Eyes, The Flaming Lips, Aphex Twin and Mogwai tipped to play. I’d go just to see Portishead, Bright Eyes and The Flaming Lips alone!

I guess we’ll see what news comes out over the coming months. You can check out more info here.

Let’s Go Surfing

Last month, I saw New York hipsters, The Drums at the Hifi Bar. They delivered a really fun, upbeat show, full of cute indie pop songs about surfing, cats, love and loss. We were up on the balcony and had an awesome view of the band (and the hipster crowd below…seriously, so much plaid).

Image courtesy of myheartbeats

The lead singer has a great, unique voice and some truly superb dance moves (think Flashdance). They really got the crowd going, with the whole audience singing along to their more popular songs like Let’s Go Surfing and Forever and Ever Amen.

The Drums were supported by Tiger Choir from Tasmania who had a really interesting sound and got the crowd warmed up nicely.

Image courtesy of myheartbeats

The acoustics at the Hifi seemed a bit crap on the night, with quite a bit of feedback, but that didn’t hinder anyone’s enjoyment. It was a great, fun gig, full of memorable songs…and memorable dancing.

The Loved Ones / Dave Hause

Last year, I was lucky enough to see The Loved Ones open for Strung Out at the Hifi. I have to admit that prior to the gig, I didn’t know The Loved Ones, but that night I became a massive fan. Last year, I was also lucky enough to see Dave Hause (lead singer of The Loved Ones) doing a solo gig, opening for Hot Water Music and the Bouncing Souls at the Zoo.

After the Loved Ones’ gig in June, I went out and bought all of their records and have played them pretty heavily since. In case you’re wondering, they have two full albums, Keep Your Heart and Build & Burn and a couple of EPs, Distractions and The Loved Ones. Dave Hause also released his first solo record, Resolutions, earlier this year and while it’s not as great as the Loved Ones’ albums, it’s still pretty solid.

When I heard them at the Hifi, the thing that drew me to them was definitely Dave’s voice. It’s melodic, strong, sometimes a bit rugged and scratchy. He sounds a bit like Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem, but with more range and depth.

Apart from Dave’s voice, The Loved Ones’ music is fun, catchy punk rock, with a few ballads and slow songs thrown in for good measure. In my mind, Keep Your Heart is their most solid album, full of classic songs with interesting lyrics that really showcase Dave’s voice. They also put on a great live show with heaps of energy, crowd interaction (“How do you pronounce my name? ...Dave.”) and great sound.

They are a relatively unknown band (in Australia at least), which I find strange because their music is so appealing and accessible. But the fact that they’re not that big definitely isn’t a bad thing. They still keep the DIY punk sensibility alive. When I saw them at the Hifi, they were manning the merch stand and when Dave toured with the Bouncing Souls, I’m pretty sure he was moonlighting as the roadie. Also, I had a (slightly drunk) chat with Dave at the Zoo…and he was lovely!

It’ll be really interesting to see what these guys do next. They’ve definitely won me over.

Some Upcoming Shows

Here is a list of some upcoming shows (that I’m interested in) in and around Brisbane. I’m definitely going to a few, undecided about a few, and missing one big one (Soundwave Revolution is on the same day that I land in New York. Bit disappointed as I’d love to see Van Halen…but hey, New York is going to be fricking awesome!).

·         Helmet – June 23^rd at the Hifi

·         Rise Against/Sick of it All/Break Even – July 18^th at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

·         Del tha Funkee Homosapien – July 22^nd at the Hifi

·         No Use for a Name – July 23^rd at the Zoo

·         Get Up Kids – August 5^th at the Hifi

·         Regurgitator – August 20^th at the Hifi

·         Soundwave Revolution – September 24^th at the RNA Showgrounds

·         Chris Cornell – October 15^th at QPAC

·         Elton John – November 30^th at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Reviewed: Eddie Vedder, QPAC, 10.03.2011

As this blog is brand, spanking new, I’m going to be doing some backdating. A few months ago, back in March, I saw Eddie Vedder (best known for his Pearl Jam front man duties) play at QPAC in Brisbane. I guess it was similar to The Cure concert in a sense – “big artist plays intimate gig with amazing acoustics”. I went along to the first of three sold out Eddie shows in Brisbane, and while I had truly crap seats (as crap as you can get in a 2,000 capacity venue, I guess), the experience was amazing.

I saw Pearl Jam play in 2009 at QSAC (definitely not to be confused with QPAC) to a sold out crowd of tens of thousands of people. While the band played a fantastic set, with great energy and tons of classic songs, the gig was slightly disappointing due to the ridiculously expansive venue and distinct lack of intimacy. It definitely wasn’t the band’s fault…the venue just sucked big time. Eddie’s solo show was pretty much the antithesis of the Pearl Jam gig of ’09.

When Eddie appeared from the side of the stage, he was met with a wall of cheers as the crowd erupted. It was clear that the audience was full of diehard Pearl Jam fans who were truly elated to see Eddie play such a small and (there’s that word again) intimate show.

Eddie’s show was simple and beautiful…it was basically him, a seat, some mics, a kickboard (which he used to great effect) and a bunch of guitars in the middle of the stage. After the screams died down, Eddie launched into a set full of Pearl Jam songs, covers and some of his own songs taken from the Into the Wild soundtrack and his newly released solo album, Ukulele Songs (which was unreleased at the time of the gig).

From the first note of the first song, Eddie had the audience captivated. The covers and his solo work were met with a captivated mellowness, but the crowd really got going when Eddie launched into Pearl Jam classics such as I Am Mine, Man of the Hour and Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (my personal highlight of the evening).

In his laid back, down to earth manner, Eddie interacted with the crowd a fair bit, cracking jokes and telling stories. Oddly, he also messed up a few of his songs half way through and had to start again (“When you’re really into a song, that’s when you fuck it up”). I’m not sure if it was nerves or just a lack of practice. It was endearing though and seemed to make the audience love him even more.

Speaking of the audience, there was a fair bit of (positive) heckling going on. If ever there was a lull between songs, someone would scream out “LOVE YOU, EDDIE!” or something similar. It seemed to catch Eddie off guard, but he seemed appreciative and humble.

After Eddie’s set, he came back to play a six-song encore including The Needle and the Damage Done (a Neil Young cover which Eddie dedicated to Mike Star of Alice in Chains who died of an overdose a few days prior) and the Pearl Jam mega hit, Better Man.

He also came back for a second encore, which seemed to leave the crowd more confused than anything. The second encore was only one song and it was a cover (Hard Sun). When Eddie finished the song and left the stage, the entire audience hung around for ages, expecting him to come back with more…but sadly, he didn’t. It was a bit of an odd ending to an otherwise amazing and memorable concert.

Eddie Vedder is a real craftsman and his passion for his music is evident. It was great to see such a huge music legend in such an intimate setting and it only heightened my love for Eddie and Pearl Jam.