Fantastic Four: Secrets of the Moon @ Thee Parkside, 10/30/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 17 days ago.]

It was going to be a quick in/out. Germany’s best kept secret, black metalers Secrets of the Moon, would open the night at my local dive metal bar Thee Parkside. I planned to swoop in with my warm up Halloween costume, and duck out before Divine Heresy and Moonspell.

At our precise 9pm arrival time, a line around the building indicated that doors were not yet open. It wasn’t too long of a wait though before we made it inside the cozy, dirty confines of the venue. However, shortly after we realized that the band setting up on stage was not the long haired Germans…..

Divine Heresy are not my thing. I would venture to say that they are not good. However, their effect on the crowd was ridiculous. There were guys just totally losing their minds. The rickety barrier barely held them back; they still managed to do what was the equivalent of humping the lead singer’s leg.

This was Secrets of the Moon’s first US tour. The riff raff cleared the room and the tone changed completely. The foursome, including a female bassist, faced the back of the stage as they began. Then they turned around, flipped their hair, and delivered four songs of pure dark intensity.

It may have only been four songs, but it was enough to show me that this band has something special. The vocalist is trancelike and graceful; from the way he kneels to tinker with his pedals to how he gazes upward and signs the cross with his hand. The guitarist plays with his hair over his face, barely peering out at the crowd in a haunting way.

Their dark and melancholy tone had me enraptured. It was the perfect way to ring in Halloween. These guys (and girl) have it- I’m sure they’ll be back next year on a much bigger tour.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

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“Everyone is a story”: Valient Thorr, Hightower, Nihilist @ Annie’s Social Club, 10/29/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 18 days ago.]

The smell of unwashed boys is thick in the air as I enter Annie’s Social Club. Nihilist is on stage, and the sparse yet meaningful crowd is all eyes on the stage. Immediately my radar goes off….guitarist and drummer have major X factor. I can’t describe it here, but you just know it when you see it. The three piece from So Cal are playing like they’re on the big stage in front of thousands. Their thrash metal in the vein of Slayer and Megadeth has the crowd’s interest. The guitarist throws horns in the midst of playing; the drummer stands up and beats the drums sporadically. They finish the set with a Megadeth cover.

A quick changeover and Hightower is up. Another 3 piece- this time local- the set starts with the bassist walking out into the crowd and playing in some faces. Then the guitarist jumps on a speaker and plays for a bit. The sound isn’t doing it for me at first- it sounds out of tune and out of pace…sloppy. By the second or third song, the drummer turns around for a good length of time, facing the back corner of the stage. He half airs drums, half uses his drumsticks to conduct and imaginary orchestra. Then he turns around and starts playing, and things got better from there.

After Hightower cleared their equipment, there was a long wait. So I started people watching. Metal shows at Annie’s are small- maybe 50-75 people- and it always seems like everyone there has a story. Besides the guys in the opening bands milling about, you’ve got guys from other local bands- such as Flexx Bronco, who you can’t miss when they wear their own hoodies. There are people who work at other venues and promoters and photographers and writers like me. This always gives shows a whole other tone- it’s far from amateur night….we’ve all been there, done that, know what to expect, and know what we’re looking for.

I knew something was going on with the long wait between sets, but then a bunch of speakers started being rolled in and a huge crowd walked in front of me and I got distracted. So when the lead singer of Valient Thorr got on stage and said Early Man had a man down- I got really confused…turned out that one of the members of Early Man was sick, so they had to cancel. But Valient Thorr really made up for it.

The vocalist- Valient ‘himself’- is part superhero, part wrestler. His banter is like a reverend; his red lace up high tops, iconic; his demeanor, totally lovable. I think we could be great friends in real life. I wish I could recall every quote he bestowed on the audience between songs….they would start out kinda cheesy, kinda funny and then become something profound and heartfelt. “Come closer” he says, “or the cops are going to come arrest you for not rocking hard enough”.

The stage was too small for them- I thought for sure there would be some black eyes from one member thrashing into another. The crowd was going off….one really tall guy kept reaching his hands for the ceiling and hitting it, two guys in front poured beer on each others heads. “We’ve missed you guys on the last four tours…..thank you for having us. Otherwise, we’d be playing Reno. Or South Lake Tahoe. Or someplace not San Francisco”.

They played new stuff, old stuff, and a song they had never played before. Every song had an introduction- whether it be a statement about semi-boners and pretty girls, or talking about how people from all over were in the room, but “it’s not about where you’re from, it’s where you are” followed by “it’s not black, it’s not white, and everyone is a story”. That kinda blew my mind.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

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HardRockChick Interviews Jesse Dayton / Captain Clegg from Rob Zombie’s Halloween II

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 19 days ago.]

Continuing on with part 2 of what should be 4 entries in my Zombie week, I recently had the opportunity to interview Texas singer/songwriter Jesse Dayton. Dayton’s Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures will be opening for Rob Zombie on his tour, set to kick off today in Phoenix. Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures is the fictional band in Zombie’s Halloween II.

HardRockChick: Having lived in Austin for 7 years myself, what is it about the city that makes it such a haven for musicians? What are your favorite places there?

Jesse Dayton: Austin has always been a magnate for musicians, because it simply has always had more clubs to play than any other town you can name…Austin has bands everywhere all the time….I walked off an airplane the other day at the airport and there was a killer western swing band playing IN the airport…only in Austin…my fav joints? Antones, Broken Spoke & Continental Club are best for music and you can’t throw a stick without hittin a great BBQ or Mexican food joint!

HRC: You’ve been described as having a cult following…what does that mean to you?

JD: A “cult following” is kind of a weird concept these days, isn’t it? I mean, the whole business model has changed so drastically you have to go to alternative sources anyway to enjoy real music…I would like to think that by touring and making records all this time that I have fans who love what I do and no radio format or label can take that away…yep, it’s a hardcharger cult!

HRC: What makes you tick besides music?

JD: New experiences make me tick….I’ll try just about anything once….I’m a Gulf Coast paddle boarder…I love the smell of gasoline running through a flat-head Ford…I love the Astros….I love cooking gumbo and drinkin’ wine w/ my family….other cultures really do it for me as well, so I’m a travelin’ man…I’ve really been working a lot outside of music in the film scene lately…film is a whole new language to learn.

HRC: What is going on with country music right now?

JD: Country music doesn’t really exist on a popular level….I mean , the stuff they call country today is just bad pop music for soccer moms who like to have crushes on famous people….my grand-dad is rolling over in his honky-tonk dancin’ grave when people call it “country” music….there’s a lot of great contemporary folks, but you’re never gonna hear that on mainstream radio…I personally listen to Willies Place & Mojo Nixon shows on Sirrius/XM for better programming.

HRC: Were you a fan of Rob Zombie before entering into this collaboration?

JD: When I was younger I only remember the White Zombie songs on the radio…I always thought Rob was like Ozzy or Alice Cooper and ya know what? HE IS! Rob is the coolest….I mean, he listens to Otis Rush and Buck Owens just hanging out!

HRC: What served as your main inspiration for the Captain Clegg material created for H2?

JD: Rob and I talked at length about Clegg….he came up with the idea because he loves those old English horror movies….we had extensive conversations about the songs and the influences of the songs….in the end, he cut me a check and said now go to Austin and record whatever you want….he’s all about framing an idea and then letting people do what they do and leaving them alone…I wrote all the songs in suite #2 at the LaMothe Hotel on Esplinade St. in the French Quarter in New Orleans in 3 days…it was a very paranormal experience.

HRC: What is it about the horror genre that makes music such an important component?

JD: I’m 40 man…I came up w/ all the classic 70’s & 80’s horror stuff….of course I love Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series and really dig the Italian stuff like Black Sunday with Barbara Steele…but all that music from those early movies influenced all popular music….people like Iggy Pop and Roky Erickson we’re totally into it…even Buck Owens had a great song out called Monster’s Holiday…eventually it morphed into a genre…I’d like to think we’re doing something fresh in this genre….Fangoria seems to think so.

HRC: Regarding the upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, are you worried at all about the reaction of the fans that are more of the metal crowd?

JD: I’m not really worried about the reaction from the Rob’s metal crowd….I went out w/ Mike Ness of Social Distortion all last summer and we killed the audience….besides, this time I’m Clegg so we have license to rock those little bastards peckers off!

HRC: I’ve seen John 5 play some mean honky tonk tunes…any chance we’ll see any collaboration on that front?

JD: Hmmm….I know John 5 is a shredder, but never heard him play “honky-tonk”….would love to though….he’s a brilliant player by any stretch and we’ll be glad to get out on the road and hang out…we come from 2 totally different worlds….sometimes that makes for the best hang when you’re apples and oranges….gotta feeling we’ll be doin some genre bending guitar picking backstage.*

HRC: I’ll be going to the San Jose show and the LA Halloween show….should we expect something special for the holiday?

JD: Let me think, something special for the holidays. huh? The Night Creatures have been playing Hollywood Babylon by the Misfits, so we might have to break into that in LA….we’ve got a ton of weird covers worked up for this tour and wouldn’t you like to know what night we’re gonna shoot’em all over the crowd….beware: we’re killers…we wanna murder the first 5 rows of people** and at least mame the rest….all I can say is, get there EARLY to see the most white-trash guitar shredding rock n roll revival held under the Pentecost…let the conjuring begin!

*Um, HRC would LOVE to see this…..INVITE ME PLEASE!
**looks like I’m getting murdered!

Genre(s): Interviews

2940Comments (0)2009-10-29+17%3A18%3A29hardrockchick

Thinking Woman’s Metal: Pelican, Black Cobra @ The Independent, 10/27/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 20 days ago.]

After probably five failed attempts at seeing local metal duo Black Cobra, I finally made it to a show. Man, had I been missing out. First off, these two guys are loud. It should be illegal for two people to make that much noise with only a drum set, guitar, and screams….at least, that’s the only way it could be made more fun to see. Second, it’s heavy and frantic. Guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian delivers some sludgy tones while screaming like he’s trying to claw his way out of a garbage disposal. He takes a stance on occasion where he looks like he’s about to run offstage. Drummer Rafael Martinez plays like he’s working out to save his life- shirtless in athletic shorts and sweat dripping everywhere. I was really wrapped up in the chaos until this woman started distracting me. She came right up to the front and center of the stage, and started air drumming and dancing like she was in a nightclub. It was so funny and random that I just couldn’t stop staring at her. Luckily she cut it out after a few songs…maybe Black Cobra rattled her back into sobriety.

Pelican set up as I discussed upcoming shows with Photo Ray, Alan, and Umlaut.

And then the rest is kind of a blur.

It’s a good blur- one that comes along with spacing out to heavy, instrumental metal that doesn’t have lyrics to guide you anywhere. It sent me on a weird head trip inside my brain, where I spent the next hour with my recent life flashing before my eyes, gaining some perspective, and bringing things into focus; all while watching four guys play on stage.

From the moment they began, I was assured that they weren’t going to stand there half dead and jam. All members maintain a dynamic stage presence regardless of any vocalist instructing them like a stage play. It actually really allowed me to watch their hands move- such precision, such flow…..and that’s where I got lost.

I start thinking about my day, how I talked to Rob Zombie on the phone earlier, and how he claims to not get scared. Then I start thinking about how I had just heard that the Bay Bridge was shut down after some rods came crashing down…almost exactly one week to the minute after I drove across for STP and tweeted that I hate that bridge. One of the guys moves and I come back into focus and notice that these guys are all really skinny and wear shirts that are probably the same size as mine. I notice the ink on the lead guitarist’s forearms and wonder if he has a tattoo of a pelican. Then I start thinking about this guy I saw earlier with really nice tattoos that was really good looking, and start thinking about how Pelican would probably be nice make out music. No polarizing lyrics or mood killers….then the guitarist and bassist switch places. The lighting changes and I notice the people around me. This one guy looks familiar. This other guy is wearing a horrible hat. There are only one or two other girls around. And then the set ends.

They come back out for one more song. I manage to stay focused on them for it, but realized that I really enjoyed that hour of spacing out….maybe I need to do that more. Perhaps my perpetual state of work->show->write is wearing me down. Because seeing Pelican was one of the most relaxing nights I’ve had in a while. Except my ears hurt when I left.

I went home and IMed with my best friend in New York about shoes (or as she says, ’schewz’) for a half hour, but still made it to bed before my usual time of 3:30am. Why I share this with you I don’t know. Pelican relaxed me.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2936Comments (1)2009-10-28+22%3A51%3A19hardrockchick

Rob Zombie: Tour and Album updates….and HRC’s one little question

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 20 days ago.]

So I got to participate in a teleconference with Rob Zombie yesterday. It’s kind of a weird concept- a bunch of interviewers call in and are allowed one question with the man himself. I get it- they want to kill a bunch of interviews with one stone, but I also kinda don’t- there’s no flow or opportunity for follow up questions. But still, I TALKED TO ROB ZOMBIE ON THE PHONE YESTERDAY. But I don’t think he liked my question.

The teleconference would last one hour. For the first 20 minutes, he seemed happy to give rich answers to some not so deep questions. Then, answers started getting shorter, and delivered with a less pleasant manner. Mine came at the 45 minute mark.

It was funny that Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails were cited in two different questions regarding record companies and developing a TV show- AND NEITHER WERE MY QUESTION! Both times, RZ was like ‘I was not aware that he was doing that’. My takeaway from this interview, and he even said it himself, was that Rob Zombie lives in “a bubble”, albeit a very cool, creative one.

So what was my question? Well, I was starting to tire from tour and album and film news, and I could tell he was, too. So I asked him what the last thing that scared him was and why.

Looonnnnggg pause. I thought he wasn’t going to answer! I think I heard him roll his eyes. And then he gave a ‘dude answer’: nothing. He said that people ask him if he has any phobias or anything and he doesn’t, and that being scared means that your life is out of control, and apparently he never feels like that. The only example he could cite was the Northridge Earthquake…..which happened in 1994….ROB ZOMBIE HASN’T BEEN SCARED SINCE 1994! He leads a charmed life…..I dunno, I guess I thought in the spirit of Halloween that something interesting might come out of this…..I mean, I could list about 10 societal things that scare the hell out of me right now: global warming, nuclear threat, healthcare, genocide, etc…..but that’s just me I guess. OH YEAH, AND I FORGOT, ROB ZOMBIE IS A DUDE AND DUDES DON’T GET SCARED.

Anyhoo, here’s a synopsis of what I learned from listening to everyone’s questions on the upcoming album and tour:

The HBD2 Tour:
-He’ll play a couple of new songs, specifically calling out ‘Werewolf Women of the S.S’.
-There will be songs played from his back catalog that have never been played before
-The tour will utilize some digital technology that wasn’t around the last time he toured
-The LA Halloween show will be different from all of the other shows. It’s the closest thing to a hometown show for them. The Art Director from H2 will be art directing the venue. They will be utilizing pyro and will recreate the club scene from H2, complete with the house band and host. It will be an “event”.
-This is just a warm up tour. Once the album releases, they will tour for most of next year
-Don’t expect to see the guys sightseeing while they are on tour- between shows they “do nothing”.

Hellbilly Deluxe 2:
-It became a sequel, or “companion piece” to the 1998 album because it made sense with the content
-It took 3 years to make
-The delay was really “just a few weeks”. It sounds like more of a record label issue- there was no time from when it was finished to when tour rehearsals started to promote it properly and make a music video. They felt like they were “cutting corners”. The big announcement that was promised with the delay announcement should be coming any minute now…
-This is his last album obligation with Geffen, who he has been tied to since ‘91 with White Zombie, renegotiating in the late ’90s when he went solo.
-His other band members are “fast on their feet” and were able to write and record quickly. For instance, the single ‘What?’ was completed in a few hours. No one expected it to be the single since it happened so fast, but after listening to everything it was always people’s favorite or second favorite track.
-RZ and John 5 remain the main song writers for this album. RZ comments that you will hear some of John 5’s playing on the album and will think it is a sample or sequencer until you see him play it live- comparing this to Morello’s work in RATM.
-They don’t have a writing process- but RZ used this question to make some interesting comments on the heavy metal sound. He said that sometimes low production sounds good- when you clean things up too much it sometimes loses something. Also, he commented on how some bands set out to sound “heavy”, which is “limiting”.
-While he hopes this won’t be his last physical album, he believes things will move to a focus on singles, citing iTunes stats to back this up.

Film:
-The H2 Director’s Cut should be available by Xmas. He likes this version much better. It has a different ending.
-There’s “some truth” to The Blob remake rumors
-He has no doubt someone will remake his films, especially House of 1000 Corpses. He imagines it will be like when someone covers one of his songs- “fun even if you don’t like it”
-His next film will be outside the horror genre, and people “will be shocked as to what it is”.

Random:
-He like Candy Corn, but apparently feels bad about eating it
-Did he ever in his wildest dreams imagine that he would be doing what he’s doing? “Yes, absolutely”. He talked about how every kid paints and draws, but drifts away from it at some point. Two of the quotes of the interview were made here: “The definition of being miserable is being an adult” and “If you don’t have a vision for your life, you’ll be working for someone who does.”
-Band documentaries: he likes them, but don’t expect to see him direct one or have one made about his band. He prefers for some things to remain “behind the scenes”.
-If he had extra time to take on another project, he would essentially want to curate a theme park attraction around Halloween.

I’ll be covering the LA Halloween show and the San Jose show- so stay tuned for my adventures with Rob Zombie over the next week!

Genre(s): Interviews

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We Demand an Apology from Ms. Cheney

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 21 days ago.]

My quick letter to this organization that calls themselves ‘Keep America Safe‘ who recently said offensive things about two of my favorite rock stars, Trent Reznor and Tom Morello:

To Whom It May Concern:

I can distinctly remember when I heard that ‘March of the Pigs’ was used to torture prisoners at Gitmo. I was appalled to say the least. A few days later, I would see Trent Reznor perform that very song in Sacramento, CA for the first time since that news broke. I always wondered how that felt for him.

Fast forward almost one year, and the issue has come up again. It seems that not only has progress not been made to stop this, but that backpedaling organizations such as ‘Keep America Safe’ are adding insult to injury by calling these musicians’ efforts to stop their art from being used in ways they didn’t intend “pathetic”.

There are so many things wrong with this I don’t know where to begin. So here are some easy to reference bullet points to give you a topline summary of my thoughts on the matter:

* A commercial has to license music to use it. A store has to license music to play it. But a government run facility can use songs without permission to torture prisoners? I’m sure there are some artists out there that would gladly license their music for use in torture.
* Do you know who Tom Morello is? Google him. Pretty much the only thing that separates him from Barack Obama on paper is the guitar thing.
* Why does someone in a metal band not “have a moral authority on national security issues”? Are you telling me that Toby Keith, someone who sings ‘Beer For My Horses’, does? If you do a content analysis of metal lyrics, I’m pretty sure you’ll find some of the most sophisticated themes of any music genre.
* Remember that time you worked really hard making dinner, only to have one of it’s recipients pour ketchup all over it? Pretty insulting, right? Well, there’s really no comparison to having songs these artists created used for torture, but perhaps that’s a good point of reference for you.
* May I ask what you are personally doing to Keep America Safe? These artists have devoted their lives to creating music that make people who choose to listen to it feel good. Perhaps this music has saved some of those people from doing bad things. Creating an organization that is run on fearmongering and finger pointing seems counterproductive to the cause it claims to support.
* This entire debate seem diversionary from the real issue at hand: torture! It’s wrong…..whether it be music or waterboarding; we shouldn’t be doing it. Any person with real human feelings will intuitively understand this.

With that said, I’d like to add my voice to the mix and request a public apology from Keep America Safe, Ms. Cheney, and Ms. Debra Burlingame in particular.

Thanks to the NIN Hotline for spearheading this effort.

Genre(s): HRC loves NIN

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This Shit Will Fuck You Up – Combichrist, Informatik, Everything Goes Cold @ DNA Lounge, 10/25/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 22 days ago.]

I couldn’t go to see Zombichrist and not dress like a zombie. So I threw on some makeup and scared some neighbors on my way out and some tourists on my way into DNA Lounge.

Everything Goes Cold started as soon as I had perched myself in the balcony. They sounded ok….neither offensive nor mind blowing. The highlight was when the drummer and keyboardist both broke out into the robot mid song.

There was a lot on that stage…

After meeting one of my twitter followers and a fellow zombie, Informatik took the stage. I realize that they had some technical difficulties- but I was really bored by this set. Also, the lead singer broke out a cowbell for one song….and you just can’t use a cowbell while trying to be serious. Blame Christopher Walken.

This was my second time this year seeing Combichrist at DNA Lounge, and my third time seeing drummer Joe Letz. While I’m not the biggest fan of their music, their live shows aren’t to be missed. They break stuff, they’re belligerent, all the irresponsible things most musicians have lost now that they just say no.

They come out on stage looking half dead; half on purpose (zombie makeup), half unintentional (road weary). The crowd goes wild as these tattooed zombies pulsate to their music. Andy stomps back and forth along the stage, stopping often to shake his head, bulge his eyes, and grimace. Joe furiously, chaotically, and psychotically beats the drums, often tilting pieces, throwing drumsticks away, and pouring water onto the drum heads in the midst of everything. Z_Marr is fit and in a zone; he throttles back and forth but never loses control. Trevor, the percussionist, punishes his set, often stepping onto the drum heads to gain leverage for even more annihilation.

There are some visuals on display on the smallish screen behind the band. The crowd is very into the set. Andy comments on how SF was home to one of the first Combichrist shows back in the day when he didn’t have a backing band.

The band leaves and quickly returns to the loud crowd, eventually playing the loudly vocalized request ‘This Shit Will Fuck You Up’. Andy lifts a little girl on stage- one that had given the band a baggie full of chocolate chip cookies that they all ate one of on stage- to sing the title of the song. She was probably about 10 years only, dealing out a two expletive song title…mom clapped with joy. A bit into the song Andy picks her up by one hand and sets her in the crowd, where she surfs a little and is safely taken back to mom. Hmmmmm….that’s the second time a small child has done that here this year…

They leave and come back out again, and Andy lets us know that it is Joey’s birthday. To celebrate, Joey must get on his knees as Andy pours a significant amount of a bottle of vodka down his throat. He’s given another drink as well, to which he nearly throws up, then stumbles around, sits at his drums, and starts playing even more furiously than before.

At the end of the final song, WTFIWWY, the guys throw around their equipment, mostly spearheaded by Joey. Leaving nothing unturned, Joey goes to the mic, “we’re going to come back for one more song”. And people stood there waiting, even though the equipment looked like it had exploded.

That was a fun one.

I bought a very cool limited, hand numbered, signed by the band poster. It’s one of my better ones for sure.

As I was walking out the door, the lead singer from the first band was laying on his side on the ground with a few other people, puking his guts out. The vomit was streaming down the sidewalk. Everyone just stood there smoking like nothing was going on. That’s exactly how you end a good club evening. This shit will fuck you up.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2919Comments (3)2009-10-26+09%3A38%3A54hardrockchick

Doom & Art Room: UFOMAMMUT & Acid King @ Varnish, 10/24/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 23 days ago.]

Last night really couldn’t have been more different from Friday even though it was in the same genre.

To get to Varnish, an art gallery nestled in the heart of SoMa, you have to maneuver one of SF’s shantytowns. The smell of urine abounds, shopping carts must be dodged, and tents and boxes line the street. A man is brushing his teeth on the corner and spits in my direction. I quicken my pace.

Varnish is a fairly large space for an SF gallery. The band’s gear is set up in a corner. I grab a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (in a real glass…at a metal show) and go upstairs to check out some of the art. It was just the kind of thing I love- work that looks like it belongs in a really dark and disturbing children’s book. Check out these artists: Jennybird Alcantara, Lucien Shaprio, Pierre Merkl, and Michael Page. All are based in San Francisco.

After rubbing elbows with some of SF’s finest in metal, including the artists from Secret Serpents, Photo Ray, and Umlaut, and listening to Slayer, it was time for the live music portion of the evening.

Acid King have been an SF staple on the metal scene since the ’90s. Their psychedelic stoner metal sound consumed the room and everyone in it. Singer Lori S.’s voice sailed above the sludgy guitar and the raspy beats. The black clad crowd nodded their heads in approval.

This would be UFOMAMMUT’s second US show, after playing LA last weekend. When I received the press release for it, I was confused because it talked about poster art as much as it did the band. Well, it turns out that they create some amazing poster art on top of their very satisfying psychedelic doom metal. Ah, the Italians…mi piace molto gli Italiani.

They launch into a pretty intense 45 minute set that shook the room. The bassist/vocalist had mannerisms very reminiscent of Troy Sanders. The drummer would stand up and bow between songs. At one point, he took what I assumed was a setlist out of his pocket and glanced at it. The guitarist swayed back and forth headbanging along nonstop. I completely forgot that I was in an art gallery for the duration of the set. They were really great and exactly what I wanted to hear.

It was a very unique evening of music and art. I was really entranced by this one poster of theirs- a pregnant woman with a glitter baby inside. I might have to order it. I did pick up a poster from the LA gig to hold me over in the meantime…

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2915Comments (0)2009-10-25+20%3A19%3A17hardrockchick

Let Loose at Slipknot w/ Deftones @ San Jose Event Center, 10/23/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 24 days ago.]

There’s something exciting about rushing out of work right at 5 on a Friday, transforming into my metal attire, and hitting the road for the hour long trip to San Jose. I’m maximizing the weekend and I’m about to enter uncharted HRC territory: a new venue in a new city with bands I’d somehow never seen before. With Photo Ray at the helm, and Umlaut riding shotgun, the vets once again took HRC under their wing for another adventurous evening.

We walked through the side door of the venue with our various passes and were surprised that Deftones were already on stage. The San Jose Event Center is on the San Jose State campus…it’s actually a gymnasium! Cue ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’….a song that reminds me of high school, skateboarding, and making skateboarding videos. Yeah…..so luckily the ‘King of VIP passes’ hooked me up, so I got to watch from the side of the stage and didn’t have to deal with the massive rough crowd.

This was one of the first Deftones shows since the bassist was in an accident that left him in a coma. With a replacement bassist in tow, Deftones put on a surprisingly mellow show. The only member that moves around is the singer- granted he does that a lot- but it got kind of boring. After a few songs, we decided to go exploring backstage.

We found a hallway and walked into catering. It was a very small room, and there was a family- mom, dad, and four kids- sitting at one table. In walks ‘the tall one’, Jim Root, or #4. He’s wearing his mask, and he bends down to talk to the kids and takes pictures with them. We thinks it’s funny that he greets them in his mask. My partner in crime takes a covert pic….my closest thing to a picture with Slipknot:

Exit #4, enter #1, Joey Jordison. Also in his full mask and attire, he greets the kids and takes a variety of pictures. It was at this point that I notice that the kids are wearing buttons that say ‘Make-A-Wish‘. My heart breaks. What a heavy situation…..not only do I become aware that one of those kids must have a terminal illness, but I start thinking about what this night must mean to them, and how the band must feel about being the choice for his wish…..heavy stuff.

I enlist a woman in catering to help me find the lady’s room, and she escorts me across the back of the stage to the crew bathroom….which was VERY interesting, a) because as she left me, she said, ‘I like how small you are’ and pointed at my waist…..WTF? and b) it was the crew bathroom, with various hoodlums milling around and shower curtains concealing urinals……anyways, I hike back to catering in time to see #7 greeting the kids, to which the mom says, ‘they’re a little scared of you’. They all were so nice with these kids- such a stark contrast to their appearance that it was a little mind numbing.

At this point I hear ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’, my other favorite Deftones song, so we go out and watch it from a different side of the stage. I realize that this is the most access I’ve ever had backstage…just wandering around wherever. I could get used to this.

When the set is over, we are walking to the back dressing room/catering area again and I collide with the very sweaty Deftones drummer as he’s on his way back to his dressing room….oops! Then we stop in the hallway while my partner in crime talks to some of the Machine Head guys….and I realize that this is the second time in a week or so that I’ve stood within a few feet of Robb Flynn. He stood next to me at a show at the Regency Ballroom recently…Lacuna Coil I think…or maybe Children of Bodom. I’ve been to too many shows lately.

I was granted a photo pass, so I went into the photo pit with Photo Ray to await Slipknot. As soon as I walk in there, one of the security guys remembers me from STP earlier this week- he was the one who had the drunk girls all over him. So we laugh about that. Then I start getting the usual question from the rail people: ‘Are you with the band?’. I don’t know why people always ask me this- apparently I don’t look like a photographer (ok, I’m not that either- my camera sucks). I use the opportunity to make some new HRC fans. They want their picture in the review….I promise to take one once the show starts, and I kept my promise:

The pit is already looking rough as the show is about to start. ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’ plays, and everyone sings along- security, all the photographers, the crowd….it’s a fun moment. Then the lights go down and the guys start trickling out, and I shoot for (sic)->Eyeless->Wait and Bleed. To say the guys are hams for the cam is an understatement. They stand there staring at the crowd for what seems like an eternity. And then it begins.

I’m walking around trying to capture each member’s tediously thought out costume. I get nailed by a crowd surfer getting ejected from the pit. It was really the easiest band to photograph that I’ve done so far: they see you trying to take a pic, and they move in full view so you can get one. It was quite entertaining, in fact; I laughed multiple times because of it.

Slipknot put on such a high production show- and there’s so many of them- that I had to remind myself I was taking pictures lest I just stand there and start taking it all in. Drums go up, drums go down. Someone jumps on something. It’s like an amusement park ride.

After photographing, I had heard I wasn’t going to be able to watch from the side again, but I really didn’t want to go out in that crowd, so I flashed a smile and they let me back. On my way back there, Clown must have jumped off stage and walked right by me….I was like, ‘isn’t that one of the band members….is he going to go mosh with the crowd?!’ Apparently he did something by the soundboard. A few more songs in, their head of security came and looked at me and asked me who I was with….to which I replied…..’um…Slipknot’…….to which he stared at me….to which I said ‘I’m not sure exactly who, someone just gave me this pass’. And he let me stay

It was very interesting to watch things from the side. I watched ‘Clown’ work: drum, jump off and walk around the kit, beat something with a baseball bat, drum, turn cameras on some chicks, drum, go up and drum, come down and drum, have one of the other guys come over and hangs from the kit, drum some more.

It’s interesting from this perspective, because I become highly aware that the guys are working. This is their job. What a fucking job. The crowd is going crazy. There’s a kid in a clown mask with a drum stick held high, mimicking Clown’s beats and staring at him the entire night. The mosh pit is a swirl; surfers are being ejected from it over the rail at a rate of one per minute.

Corey Taylor has a great voice. Last time I saw him was on the Justice Tour with Tom Morello. Sometimes I’d see him walk towards the back of the stage and wipe the sweat that collected at the bottom of the mask away with his hand. How they handle the heat in those masks I have no idea. Isn’t that bad for your skin? Nevermind…..girl moment.

I know the sound isn’t great from the side, but I can still tell that what I’ve heard is true: there’s a lot going on at a Slipknot show. The guitar gets lost in the percussion. Sometimes it feels like its not quite about the music. But it doesn’t really matter because everyone is having fun. Despite the masks and ‘ominous’ aesthetic, there isn’t some overlying sense of danger and the devil at a Slipknot show. It’s just a hard and fast good time.

When they came back for the encore, I spied a familiar face going to fiddle with the drums…..the drum tech from the past several NIN tours! AHAHAHA! Me and my girlfriends would always drool over him while we waited for NIN to come on. Small world. Anyway, I was ecstatic when all that preparation led to Joey’s drum kit going upside down- something I had wanted to see when I saw Tommy Lee earlier this year. It was especially good that I was able to watch Joey Jordison from the side of the stage, where I could actually see him work, because he is so tiny you can’t really see him over his kit!

At the end of the set, the guys threw various swag into the crowd, and several of the members came over (once again, one by one) and made sure the Make A Wish kid got a bunch of goodies. My eyes got a little glossy.

I have to say, I was kind of impressed by this show and the Slipknot guys. They may not have the best songs, or even the best sound, but there’s something to say about The Slipknot Experience. It’s a fun time.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2902Comments (1)2009-10-24+21%3A30%3A48hardrockchick

Interstate Love Song: Stone Temple Pilots @ The Fox Theater Oakland, 10/21/09

by hardrockchick [about 4 months, 27 days ago.]

For some reason, Stone Temple Pilots never make it on the list of ‘my bands’. Why is that? I pretty much know every word to every song. I go see Weiland or the DeLeo brothers anytime they are near. What’s the deal?

I can distinctly remember seeing the video for ‘Plush’ in 1992 and thinking, ‘what is this?’. I have a very vivid and bizarrely random memory of being in the back of my parent’s suburban in 1993, as we moved from Houston to a small town in Texas, and I was listening to a cassette tape I had made of songs I recorded from the radio. The songs I remember were STP’s ‘Creep’ and Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. I remember thinking, ‘it’s weird that these bands that appeal to the same demographic have songs with the same title and similar thematic elements that released at the same time’. OK, maybe I didn’t think quite in those terms….

However, STP will be most tied to a pastime that existed within my small town called ‘roadtripping’. Sure, everyone knows what that is- but to us it was often our only social option. We had it down to a science- there were small ‘backroads’ that made a giant loop around our small town of 10,000 people. There were stopping points along many of the roads (one was called ‘69′….not after the sexual position, but rather, the hidden Tool track), where you might stop and meet up with people. But most of all, the roadtrips involved alcohol and music. You’d pile your friends in the car, people would fight to play DJ, you’d crack open a beer, and you’d hit the road. It sounds horribly dangerous- and it was- but these are the things you do when your town doesn’t even have a movie theater.

STP would often be the music of choice. It appealed to everyone. There’s something about the pace that’s good for driving, and the mood is upbeat but not too happy. It reminds me of sunny Texas springs, low water crossings, dark curvy roads, and green grass.

I first saw STP in 2002 opening for Aerosmith in San Antonio. It was my first and last lawn ticket. They were really far away. It had been raining for days, but had stopped in time for the show. It was incredibly muddy and slippery. Some drunk chick decided she didn’t want to go find the restrooms and pulled down her pants to pee on the lawn, and slipped and fell in the mud on her bare ass. One of my top hilarious concert memories. But I don’t even remember what they played.

Since then, I saw Army of Anyone (one of my first write ups on here- it’s terrible), Velvet Revolver two times, and Weiland on a solo trek earlier this year.

After making the much hated trip over the Bay Bridge, I arrived at the beautiful Fox Theater and walked straight up to the front row corner of the barrier- ‘my spot’. You know it’s a good one when the cocktail waitress walks by and whispers, ‘you have the best spot in the house’.

At precisely 8pm, the opener walks onstage. I hadn’t done my research; so when they launch into Police songs, I’m caught pretty off guard. They are The Police Experience, a tribute band. Now, I can completely separate their talent and my special hatred for The Police. I realize that they sounded really good; that mimicking Sting’s voice takes talent. But that music is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Also, I thought it was a really strange choice of opener…..REALLY strange. In fact, I started to wonder if Weiland was back on drugs again.

Between sets, there was a sudden influx of the most annoying female concert-goers imaginable. Two drunk girls on my left start flirting with security, and don’t stop talking to him for the rest of the night. They were actually doing a photo shoot with him…..it was ridiculous…..even more ridiculous that this is not the first time I’ve seen it happen. By the end of the night they were falling all over me, and I’d look at security, like- do your fucking job- and he would look at me, say sorry, prop the girls back up, and continue the flirtation. Then there was a girl who looked about 16, with her boyfriend, who was the very definition of amateur hour. She tried to get on his shoulders. She would yell ‘Encore!’ before the main set was even over. She kept talking about how she was ready for the mosh pit and wanted to crowd surf. But the worst was that she kept throwing her hands in the air like she was shooting a basketball at each member of the band and hitting us in the front row in the head the entire night.

But, the band was so good that I was able to forget about all of that.

They walk out and begin with ‘Silvergun Superman’, a killer, if unusual intro. I’m standing right in front Robert DeLeo, who is super fun to watch. He just radiates that energy where you know he must be a really nice guy in real life.

The stage has a large screen at the back, with a visual sequence for each song. Moving onto ‘Wicked Garden’, my focus moves to Mr. Scott Weiland.

Weiland is one of my favorite front men. After seeing Perry Farrell so much this year, I feel like there are a lot of similarities. There’s something old school about his performance- the way he dances and spins around on the stage. Then there’s the way that they wear their drug addled past. With the news of Weiland’s seizure on a plane last month, relapse rumors started to fly again. But he seemed sober. Weiland is painfully skinny, and he has the look in his eyes like he’s seen it all. Unlike Farrell, Weiland never smiles. For tonight’s performance, he seemed almost uptight about delivering a technically perfect performance. When he did look at the crowd, there was almost fear in his eyes. There’s something about watching him up there that is like looking at a ghost.

‘Vasoline’. ‘Big Empty’. ‘Lounge Fly’. In my mind, I’m sailing down the road in my burgundy Nissan 240SX, with the sunroof open, and it’s 95 degrees outside. Dean DeLeo is playing the chords on my hood, and Weiland is dancing on the roof.

There’s little talking to the crowd- a ‘how are you doing Oakland?’ here and a ‘you might know this song’ there. This performance was more about giving us STP’s greatest hits and executing them perfectly. It’s really comforting to go to a show where I know every single song that is played…..a lot of the shows I go to are for bands I’m only marginally familiar with.

The band chemistry was good…..with Weiland’s track record of pissing off his band members, they definitely set that aside on stage. He would dance around and lean on the DeLeo brothers to help spotlight their playing from time to time. They looked like they were having fun.

They briefly left the stage and came back out for two more songs- the always fun ‘Dead and Bloated’ and ‘Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart’. They all gathered at center stage and took a bow.

All of the guitar picks had been thrown to the center or over my head, and to my surprise, as soon as the band left the stage, what I’m pretty sure was the band’s head of security came and handed me a guitar pick, saying, “I think you missed out on getting one of these”. I thanked him and asked if it was possible to get a setlist, and he walked up on stage and pulled it off the ground for me. As you can imagine, I was floored. You don’t encounter security that is that nice very often. On my way out, people kept stopping me to look at the setlist like I had won a prize. It felt good.

It has the wrong date and city, and is missing ‘Sin’…..but otherwise should be accurate.