Must've Run All Day.

November 21st, 2009 // GlassJAw & Brand New.
Kool Haus : Toronto, Ontario.














It’s been three years since a band of ruffians and I drove down to see Glassjaw headline the Saints & Sinners hardcore festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Glassjaw had been disbanded for two years already following their third record, Worship/Tribute in 2004 but had recently got together to play three shows scattered across the United States. So naturally, when they decided to open up for fellow Long Island hardcore aficionados, Brand New in Toronto, we had to be there.

I hadn’t heard much from Brand New aside from that one track they released a few years back, but if I could drive the 12 hours to Jersey, I could make it to Toronto to the Jaw play one more time.

For those of you who don’t know, here’s the rundown for Glassjaw. They’re a five piece hardcore punk band from New York – although now they’re classified as a post-hardcore/screamo group. I say ‘now’ because at the time and peak of Glassjaw, those two genres didn’t exist, it wasn’t until their demise some jackass came up with the term screamo and made me want to hit people in the face every time I hear it; but then again, maybe that’s the point. Needless to say this is the stuff your mother warned you about. It’s angry, load poetic music based mainly on vengeance that steams from love, lust and angst; Without a doubt in my mind, the finest example of guitar driven hardcore rock and lyrically quite diverse and profound, blending metaphors and clichés into perfect hate filled harmony – see their second album, ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence’ for more details. Although, for diversity and more commercial sake, I also suggest the third album ‘Worship/Tribute’ (nominated for best/most creative art work at the 2003 Grammy awards).

"I'll hold my child's head underwater.
If it's a boy, I was joking
If it's a daughter, I'll say I did what I did
Because I had to...
And if you find my kid later
Tell her I laughed too."

So now back to whatever I was saying … oh yeah, this is where the story gets fuzzy. You see, that show in Jersey, as cool as it was, was a little disappointing. The group had gone through member changes and it seemed as if they didn’t really want to be there. I mean, it was awesome but lacking. As a headlining band, they didn’t play and encore, didn’t say much; just finished up and walked off the stage. It was intense, the crowd got crazy and a riot began to ensue. Luckily, we were at a metal show so it really wasn’t any different from the rest of the day – although I had missed the other acts because I had spent the rest of the day drinking in the filthiest motel known to man … seriously, we were so close to the venue, bands would come and party at our motel room. Then the bed broke, and the sink too I think. Needless to say I slept fully clothed and with a bottle of Black Velvet whiskey. That’s right, so dirty I needed to drink BV whiskey.


Anyways, the point is my expectations weren’t too high. But then again, it is about the seventh time I’ve seen them so, whatever.

Despite technical and attitude difficulties, the show was intense. The first few tracks, singer and songwriter Darryl struggled to hit his mark and at most points didn’t even recite the actual lyrics to the song. If it wasn’t for all of us hollering out the words and hitting each other, it might have been tough to follow along where the song was amidst the haze. I’m still not certain of whether it was by choice or not but, the five piece group appeared to be missing a key ingredient … their second guitarist – which proved to be the vital in capturing the wall of sound that Glassjaw is known for. And because of this technicality, they couldn’t play many of the tracks from their first two studio albums. But when they did manage to, it was heavy. Remember in ‘Back to the Future’ when Marty heads to the Doc’s house to play with that huge amp before school and it blows, sending him straight across the room and into a pile of boxes. It was like that, except the boxes were gurmans and other drunken hooligans.

"you ask me when do I stop / when the bottles empty."

Afterwards, we all discussed it and some had mixed feelings about the whole adventure. For the most part we were all just happy to see them play again, and play new material at that. We were also quite curious to see what had become of them and more importantly, what we can expect from a new record. A new tour. But despite how anyone felt about their performance and their struggle during it, the main thing is that when Glassjaw has it, they have it. When the track ‘Siberian Kiss’ broke in, you couldn’t help but feel the energy, the magic and chaos that made Glassjaw great and epic in hardcore music’s journey to the forefront. Both musically and lyrically, I find that they along with another hardcore group, Every Time I Die, carry most the most merit and intellect that hardcore has seen since the Swedish revolutionaries, Refused had back in the mid-90’s. It was definitely worth the wait, and with that Glassjaw proves that they will remain what most hardcore wishes it could be; thought provoking indiscretion for misguided angst.

Oh, and Brand New was pretty good too.

GlassJAw | www.glassjaw.net

"has the light gone out for you ... cause the light's gone out for me"

Even before coming into this millennium, it had already been tainted with black clouds. The threat of Y2k, the threat of George W. and a serious lack of flying cars, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Recently I've been seeing many journalists and reporters review this last decade of music, with little to no thought of what is really going on in music. MSN.com's list tops NE-YO, Avril Lavigne and Kardinal Offishall as all having tracks in the top 25 of the decade ... and that's really said. These are the same cats that are thanking god that Miley Cyrus managed to squeeze in "Party in the U.S.A.", just in time to add it to their shit list.

In a decade where mp3s, 'talent' shows, myspace.com and itunes took to the masses, any musician or half baked act could get heard. But what people don't realize is that the music industry is a lot like a giant baboon. Level with me here ... if you continue to poke and paw at it, steal it's spoiled child's toys, it will react by throwing large amounts of shit at you. And in this case we're not talking handful or buckets, we're talking galaxies worth of shit ... right at you .... right in your face.

So here's just a few tracks to keep in mind when reflecting on all that has been over the last ten years - and these tracks are nothing new, I mean, I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass by citing bands you'd never heard of like some backwoods progressive, art rock band from Iceland that play harps and performs magic during an 18 minute guitar/imported Egyptian bongo solo. I'll leave that to your neighborhood scenesters.


Radiohead | Bodysnatchers.
> 2007.

After nearly a decade since the release of the epic 'OK Computer' record in 1997, Radiohead brought back a sound we had all thought got lost in the mind altering madness of 'Kid A'. The sound is basic in comparison, distorted guitar rifts and clever satirical lyrics that only Radiohead can produce ... and finally did. Not only that, but the beauty of this track - and record for that matter - is that Radiohead is one of the most influential and creative bands of our time and it's refreshing to know that when futurists look back on bands throughout our generation with actual longevity and "purpose", it wont just be lame that the billboard charts said carried merit like, Pearl Jam and the Jonas Bros. (*ps. - Gurm, if you're reading this we will never speak of it again)


the Strokes | Last Nite.
> 2001.

I remember the first time I heard this track on the radio. My sister said something like "hey, I think you'd really like this song." We were sitting in a 7-Eleven parking lot with Big Glups in hand; and before the last note had even struck or my beverage had even been largely sipped, we were at the record store and 'Is This It?'was already in my mitts. This track reintroduced the world to a thing long since forgotten ... rock music. Gritty, danceable rock music. This track along with the band, helped pave the way for acts like Arctic Monkeys, White Stripes, the Killers, the Hives, Franz Ferdinand, and so on. With the release of the track 'Last Nite' the group managed to catapult themselves over several genres, not as lame as the Killers did it, but still, enough to rebirth the genre of dirty underground new york rock. The likes of which that hadn't truly been seen since perhaps the Ramones and CBGB outbreak of the late 70's and early 80's ... yeah, I said it.


Death from Above 1979 | Romantic Rights.
> 2004.

I've praised these cats before as being one that, to me, helped spark an entirely new wave of musical taste. A grimy, clash of punk-rock and distorted electronica that aided in the popularity (in this country anyways) for groups like Boyz Noize.


Dr. Dre | Still D.R.E.
> 2001.

The second installment of the 'Chronic' saga proves to be just as bumpin' and grindin' as the first. The original 'Chronic' took the best in west coast hard base driven funk beats; and the second record, and this song in particular, took the same idea but with a more modern approach and proves to be a great example of where hip hop was at the time, especially when it come from a dude who helped mold it. This to me was one of the last true mainstream hip hop tracks, still gangsta, but actually witty and smart.


Minus the Bear | This Ain't a Surfing Movie.
> 2005

If you have never heard of MTB ... what is wrong with you. Minus the Bear is, again in my opinion, perhaps the best group in my lifetime. I know, it's a bold statement. But these guys continue to challenge themselves as well as the laws and physics of sound itself. You can pick up any, yes any, one of their records and not a single person would say, "yeah that's good but not as good as their older stuff," and that in itself is not only refreshing but unheard of with the majority of musicians over the last few decades, especially in more recent years. I know it's opinion but can you think of all the greatest acts in our time, can you really say that about any of them ... Nirvana? Nine Inch Nails? U2? Van Halen? T-Pain?


Franz Ferdinand | What She Came For.
> 2009

Okay, I love Franz Ferdinand. I was waiting years for 'Tonight' to come out in January of this year. This song is a great example of everything that is these four lads for Glasgow. Its base lines, its tongue and cheek lyrics, its catchy rhythm and its overlapping rock and roll break down to finish. Franz Ferdinand helped bridge the gap between rock n' roll and synth. This track is a good showing of the bare minimum that franz brought to this decade of sound, and reassures all of us that no matter what remix records follow, they'll always know where their roots lie.

dial A for awesome.

If you’re like me, you love playing with your cell phone … it’s just too bad all those phone calls get in the way. Not anymore, if you’ve got an iTouch, you have to get this app, it’s awesome. The company Truphone has released an app - which downloads for free – that allows one to call anyone, anywhere (local or long distance) for free.

The only downside is that you cannot receive incoming calls, just make outgoing calls. Once installed the contacts and format are similar to that of the iPhone.

It’s been out for a couple months now but if you haven’t gotten it, get it.

check it | http://www.truphone.com/

Jon and Kate plus Hate.

The whole idea of ‘reality’ television never really sat all that well with me. Watching fictional characters live their lives on the television was entertaining, now we’re going out of our ways to watch people that we couldn’t even stand being around in real life. It’s gotten so out of hand, there are actually fake reality shows (Trailer Park Boys, Kenny vs. Spenny, the Hills, Paper Heart). Solidified by the fact, as I mentioned before, that people refer to incidents or situations as if ‘they were on a reality show’- this is killing me; smarten the fuck up.

But the aspect that really gets me going is that fact that every reality show participant is a ‘Reality TV Star’. Star? Really? For a dude on something like a ‘Shot at Love with Tila Tequila’ or even that one with Flava Flav to be considered a star is unfair and unjust to those who actually have talent and worked their way to stardom. Those other cats are not stars, they’re star fuckers, there’s a difference - Flava Flav was in Public Enemy and he’s not even a star. Jon and Kate are bigger stars and all they did was exploit their children ... and marriage.

The word gets tossed around more often these days than the term ‘Hero’ after 9/11 or awesome when is used to describe a tasty brew of Pabst. If that’s all it takes to be a star in today’s Hollywood, K-FED should be a superstar - he’s already fucked a celebrity and got money from it, meanwhile he’s still referred to as a common jackass.

All I’m asking is that we change the use of the word. Let’s call them what they are either: a) Idiots or b) TV Personalities.

It’s not much to ask for. When I was a kid, reality TV stars were called Wrestlers; but now, things done changed so lets just try to reserve the verb ‘Star’ for those who are actually deserving of the description ... like Steve McQueen or George Michaels.

"Just like High Definition TV!"

How is it possible to put on a pair on sunglasses that would convert everything you see into high definition. It's reality. Seeing things with your own eyes is the highest definition you can get. I don't understand. Thats like when people say 'it was bizarre, the whole thing was like a reality show' - it is reality you twit, it can't be like a reality show if it's real life; thus there is no higher definition than your own eyes ... right? But after seeing the commerical, I suppose I could be wrong - I mean they do look pretty awesome. I bet Tiger Woods uses them.

















>> HD Vision technology gives you clarity
that you have never experienced
>> Enhance your vision
>> Just like High Definition TV
>> Modern European Style

Order your HD Vision Glasses |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKYKyIObXyM

"little hand says it's time to rock and roll."

At a very young age, I had already made a serious decision in life. I knew what I wanted, what I liked and what I needed out of life. In a time when the film Scarface was at its peak, I didn’t go looking for wisdom through the words of Tony Montana. I didn’t find it in the courage of Rocky Balboa taking the beating of his life. My future didn’t lay behind enemy lines like in Full Metal Jacket. Not even in the humor and wit dressed in those Cosby sweaters - Nah, growing up in the 80’s there was only two things that I knew I needed. It was in that wisdom, Tony Montana said, “you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.” Well I wanted to skip all that and get to part three, the women, and I knew just the cats to take me there. The late wizard Michael Jackson and the now dearly departed Patrick Swayze. You see my ideal was, first you get the moves then you get the girl. And there was no better dirty dancer and moonwalker on the planet, than those two gents.













So needless to say, these past few months have been really hard on me. To this day Swayze remains one of the greatest actors of our time. Starring in many of my personal favorite films including: Point Break, Roadhouse, Youngblood and yes, Dirty Dancing. Swayze had the moves and the girls, and in the case of Roadhouse, he had the power too. Swayze taught me a lot about life and love, dancing and rebelling, thievery and ass kicking. He’s been nominated for three golden globes over his career and has even broke into billboard’s top ten singles in 1987 with “She’s like the Wind,” from the film Dirty Dancing.













Other notable films include: Ghost, Donnie Darko, Red Dawn, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Next of Kin, Steel Dawn, and that book you all wasted your time reading school when you could have just seen Swayze shred it in the film version of The Outsiders.

So now, I'll leave you with some advise about life that Swayze once gave me, "All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."

Cheers brother.

Nothing 2 Step 2.

Earlier this year A.A. and myself got the pleasure of opening up for, in my opinion, one of the best acts in the country; both in the musical-lyrical sense as well as a live performance. They're one of the top duos I've seen in a while - that's including big coliseum shows. In earlier blogs, I haled these two as some of the savors of Canadian music and grassroots hip hop in this country. You may know them for such fame as: "Jerk It", "Little Booty Girl" and "Nothing 2 Step 2".

Anyways, the place was a small and intimate venue (no longer in existence) called Pepper Jack's in downtown Hamilton. I had seen them a year prior on the same stage and was blown away - despite the handful of folks that were there, and the fact that many people hadn't even heard of the duo, they through down without hesitation. So naturally, when they came back into town, I had to get on the bill - that bill was the Exclaim! Magazine Anniversary Tour.



The night started out in mayhem with my partner, A.A. no where to be found and Thunderheist hitting the stage for sound check, naturally I started hitting the sauce cause, well, what else is there to do. The singer, Isis, starts into a rendition of Run DMC ... she had me at "and it goes a little something like this."













The show starts in pandemonium, I mean, Jim Ross himself couldn't commentate the anarchy that was put forth when Isis, along with beat-master and DJ Grahamzilla slammed down on stage - pouring Cuervo into the mouths of any party person who was willing (and not yet drunk enough) to take it.

Keep in mind before this tour Thunderheist relied heavy and well, mainly actually, on internet junkets - myspace, pitchfork, etc. - to get their music to the people. Buzz, word of mouth and Djs were how they got their market. So this time round, they came equipped with dancers and their first full length studio record entitled simply Thunderheist!. Despite problems with Graham's mixer (and him and I devise a way for us both to play using mine) they played in full force tossing out all the assets they had - even remixes and freestyles. They even went as far as to come out a shoot some additional tracks as an encore, which is rare these days for lesser known bands in small venues.

Even after the show they continued to entertain, battling A.A. and I in some piggyback wars, singing, dancing, mingling and doing shots of tequila with us until someone literally hit the floor. I could go on for a long while about these cats and their hyjinks but I think their videos and the photos speak for themselves.

Be sure to check them out at ROKBAR with me and my boy, A.A., opening up for them again on SEPTEMBER 23rd here in Hamilton. Shameless plug? Maybe ... but once you see the show you'll understand why.

check out | www.thunderheist.com

and see more photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100405&id=562184621&l=7e635c7a9b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100407&id=562184621&l=e2aed0277f

Can't Tell Me Nothin'.

Back in 2004 when I heard the first single “Through the Wire” from Kanye West’s debut record The College Dropout, I have to amid, I was impressed. Here was a producer turned front man who was literally spitting lyrics through the wire that was clamping his jaw shut. The surgery and the track itself came from a car accident he had endured earlier that year. I was surprised, in a time of gangster rap really coming on strong, it was a steady change that hip hop needed to get back into the good books of mainstream popularity and parents a like. It brought back the fresh, painless lyrics and beats that were reminiscent to that of De La Soul or the Black Eyed Peas pre-Fergie days. The album, which would go on to win best rap album at the 2005 Grammy’s, is still in my good books as one of the best and most diverse hip hop records of my lifetime.

I told everyone about this record and about Kanye, I knew that this was going to blow up and be the next new trend in music … but if I only knew what kind of ego-dickhead would resurrect from this, I would have never said a word.

Since pushing his way into the spotlight in 2004, Kanye has managed to say and do some of the most despicable incidents in music history. It took him less than two years to not only alienate himself but actually take hip hop a step backwards in the eyes of respectable musical outlets and fans. This rant could on forever about what a douche Kanye is but I’ll try and limit myself – here some of the highlights of what an overpaid asshole is capable of ... starting with last night.

2009 | During Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Awards for Best Video of the Year, Kanye brusts on stage, swipes the mic and says: “Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" I don't get it, now he's decided to complain when other people don't win. Apparently, he's really running out of things to bitch about ... for now, anyways.

After the death of Michael Jackson in June, Kanye decides that he will be the new King of Pop, citing that he has the moves, the look and the greatness to fill MJ’s dynasty.

2008 | During the Glow in the Dark Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music Festival stop, Kanye pushes his 8.00 pm time slot to 2.45 am, to make the glow in the dark shit more impressive. No one has ever performed that late in the festival’s year history. Pearl Jam ended up playing an extra 50 minutes to fill the gap. Then Kanye pushes it back to 3.30 am, the crowd, now getting rowdy, starts chanting ‘KANYE SUCKS’ and begin to disburse. Eventually, Kanye arrived on stage at 4.25 am. Kanye would later go onto his blog and cuss out all the fans for not waiting around and also for not only chanting "Kanye sucks," but also chanting “Jay-Z would have been on time.”

2006 | The MTV Europe Music Awards, Kanye’s “Touch the Sky” video loses out to Justice and Simian's “We Are Your Friends”. Another Kanye tantrum leaving him yet again, interrupting an acceptance speech stating, "it cost a million dollars and Pamela Anderson was in it." After the onstage appearance, he continues to bitch to reporters and anyone else who would listen stating:

"It's complete bullshit. I paid a million; It took a month to film; I stood on a mountain; I flew a helicopter over Vegas ... I did it to be the king of all videos."

2005 | Prior to the 2005 Grammy’s, Kanye stated that there “would be a real problem” if he went away empty handed. He went on to win three awards including: Best rap song and best rap album. During the same tirade, he also went on to cuss out the source and vibe magazines for not giving his Late Registration album “classic” status, then compared himself to Tom Cruise.

During a live NBC interview regarding the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert, Kanye’s states “George Bush doesn't care about black people.”

2004 | Kanye walks out of the American Music Awards stating he had been “robbed” when country singer Gretchen Wilson won best new artist. Calling her a “redneck woman” and that “I was the best artist of the year!” (of course).

.... and so on, and so on.

All and all, I find that Kanye’s attitude and douche bag mentality trumps the music for me. No longer could I bring myself to buy, listen or even embrace the music or the bullshit from this guy. This is the last time I can handle a diva to this magnitude. No one is good enough to produce this amount of drama and more importantly to be that cocky and that self righteous. Next time you listen to a Kanye’s track, listen closely because, despite he having the lyric “doesn’t anyone make real shit anymore?” (in the track "Stronger", a beat took from Daft Punk), the majority of top 40, billboard charting hits comes from other sources - mainly motown, blues or other top 40 jams. So in answer to the question, does anyone make real shit anymore? - no, especially you, dick.

Ready for the Remix.

In 2007, Calvin Harris managed to produce an extremely diverse, interesting, fun and (suprisingly) billboard charted house record to the masses - more importantly, the (North) American mainstream. For whatever reason, Canadians and Americans alike choose the most bullocks overseas trash (Amy Winehouse) to import into their hearts, rather than indulge in some talent that is well, good. Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, Blur - all that aside we don’t truly embrace or try to decipher the good from the bad. The perfect example is that the Kings of Leon were huge, filling venues all across Europe before anyone in America took them seriously … and it took the worst record of their career to gain that trust from their fellow countrymen.

Anyways, surprisingly enough, Calvin Harris managed to skip across the pond. After the 2007 release of ‘I Created Disco’, which spawned two top ten hits in the U.K., ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ and ‘Girls’, Harris is back at it with the release of ‘Ready for the Weekend’ – and I got to say, with the mentality towards European music, his stay here wont be too long.

The reasoning for this is that the album lacks the Calvin Harris signature sound. The type of sound you would here in tracks like ‘Merry Making at My Place’ heard on ‘I Created Disco’, or the notorious bass lines he produces on remixes such as Passion Pit’s ‘the Reeling’ or the Ting Ting’s ‘Great DJ’. Aside from the blatant Euro-club influence, it is lacking another key ingredient to any electro song -the hook. The record is missing the sweet combination of beats and gimmicky catch phrases that make you want to light up the club floor like a sidewalk under MJ’s heels. In a recent interview Harris sheds some light on to why this might be …

"Every song is a song and it’s not forced in any way. I tried to keep it interesting to listen to but it also retains features of dance music that we all know, so I’m just trying to update all my favorite parts of dance music for 2009. It’s basically the best that I could do and if you don’t like this then you don’t like me."

The album as a whole reprises that European house music scene with a modern twist. It is remonstrant of those slow, monotone rave tracks that have you on the edge of your seat waiting for a climax, or for something to happen at least, but it just never comes. The quality of singles lack enough to lose what little airplay this young DJ could possibly get in this clusterfuck of a Western market. The title track and featured single, ‘Ready for the Weekend’, lack the balls needed to keep the interest of not only radio listeners but, club goers and scenesters. The second single ‘I’m Not Alone’ is a good easy going track to hear but not necessarily one to provoke a party and/or dance floor. The tracks you want to look out for are ones called: ‘You Used to Hold Me’ and (maybe) the previously leaked song ‘Dance Wiv Me’ featuring U.K.’s newest hip hopper sensation Dizzee Rascal. Or just wait and check out the next single (to be released in the U.K. anyways) called, ‘Holiday’ and let me know what you think – but don’t get me wrong, I love Calvin Harris and I’m not mad … I’m just disappointed. It's got a lot of potential though, I think I'll just have wait for the dozens of remixes to surface instead.

http://www.calvinharris.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/calvinharristv

I Used to Couldn't Dance.

August 6th, 2009 // Eagles of Death Metal & Rival Schools.
Webster Hall : New York, New York.


















Alright so earlier this month I had a chance to catch the Eagles of Death Metal in New York. As cool as Eagles of Death Metal are I was more interested in hearing the new sounds of the New York based Rival Schools, who released their debut record 'united by fate' in summer of 2001 ... and nothing afterwards.

I show up late and a tad bit drunk. They had PBR's on special in a small side bar at the venue and, well what can I say I was homesick and figured what better way to feel like I'm in steal town than shot gunning cheap beers and seeing a metal show ... well sort of metal show.

Rival Schools (the band not the video game) took to the stage and sold it - just like they did eight years ago. Not missing a beat or lick. The back-story of Rival Schools, for those who don't know, are that they are what some might label as a post-emo band, when in reality they are more of a folk pop group. Nevertheless, a bizarre choice to be opening for Eagles of Death Metal. Although they're grassroots are in metal, including the ex-drummer of screamo legends GlassJaw, but their music is somewhat softer than all that but still awesome. Check them out and brush up because by the sounds of it the new record, set for release this fall, should be quite similar and (hopefully) well worth the wait. Despite the fact that most records can't bridge a gap of that distance, the sounds in the air that night said otherwise ... or maybe it was the shot gunning. Anyways, check them out both now and then, pay close attention to the track from 'united by fate' called 'big waves'.



Then crowd moves in close and tight and suddenly I find myself alone, drunk, lost in New York and surrounded by the moustache wearing, truck driving, slum living guys and gals (yeah, gals with moustaches, no kidding). This was redneck metal at it's finest ... or so I thought. As awesome and elaborate these cats are on stage, there is one thing that just killed it for me - their mothers. YES! Their mothers were at the show. Their wives were at the show. Their kids were at the show. And the biggest mother lover of them all was singer Jesse "Boots Electric" Huges.

Despite having an awesome nickname, this cat would constantly blow kisses and holler at his ma. His son, who must have been about 8-years-old or something, would run out on stage and whisper things to his old man. He even went as far as to do a duet with his wife. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for family values, but there are a few limited rock and roll rules that should be followed at a show; a) you shouldn't talk about pounding ladies with your mother/wife there; b) you shouldn't have your mother/wife there; c) you should only be blowing kisses to strippers and whores. But despite all those minor interruptions, the show was intense. They definitely know how to get the crowd rowdy and strike up a dance party/throw down better than Master T on Electric Circus. So when they come through your hood, steal yourself a bottle of Jack, a pack of Marlboros and grab your shit kicking boots then get down on it ... and just hope your parents aren't there ... or theirs either for that matter.

For more insight check out:

Rival Schools >>
http://www.myspace.com/rivalschoolsunitedbyfate

Eagles of Death Metal >>
http://www.myspace.com/eaglesofdeathmetal

the Boys Bad News.

a few weeks back, myself and A.A. spun an explosion of cockrock n' roll at the new Absinthe Lounge in Hess Village. one hour after we posted our flyer (seen above) and event on facebook, the 'man' had us take it down and threatened our facebook future. so we figured the poster shouldn't go to waste.

Happy Holidays.

Much like every holiday while the rest of the world is celebrating, I'm fuckin' working. So here a couple of videos for y'all to check out while enjoy the festivities.

The Canadian Dream.

In an effort to further homegrown Canadian artists, it seems, and maybe I’m the only one, that we are sitting through some of the worst talent this vast country has to offer. Perhaps it’s because, as I said, anyone can be a musician these days - or maybe it because we need so much Canadian content for big brother’s quotas that we need to keep producing this half assed attempt at good music. In doing so we’ve compromised the stamina of, not only our patience but, the music itself. Jully Black, Simple Plan or Lights would be my prime examples. With entertainers and songwriter like that, the standards to become an actual epic, long lasting band, have dropped dramatically.

I mean, I’m sure I’m wrong but, if you ask most citizens who the best Canadian acts are, typically, would imagine, the answer would be Neil Young, Burton Cummings, Rush, Paul Anka – and those cats are all dynamite, but since them it’s hard to say who could really compare or even succeed them. If you ask critics, they’ll say the Arcade Fire or, you know, Celine Dion or something. So here’s a couple good mainstream albums that might have just got lost in shuffle of all the other awful Canadian acts we’re forced to swallow.

Matthew Good Band – Underdogs (1997)
Maybe you had to be there to truly appreciate this one. To me this was the Canadian answer to the Foo Fighters, Color and the Shape album. It’s what rock and roll music - especially at that time - was missing. As pop music took over the airwaves as well as Muchmusic, Matthew Good Band put out a record that was straight up, rock n’ roll. With lyrics like this from Middle Class Gangsters: “Well everybody up and down my block, they used to matter when we used to rock.” Awesome.

Matthew Good Band >> Rico.
http://www.mediafire.com/?13nztwyjkw1

Sam Roberts Band – We Were Born In a Flame (2004)
This is the quite possibly one of the best folk rock (but more rock than folk), I’ve ever heard. It’s bathing in such positivity you can’t help but we happy and know everything’s going to be alright.

Sam Roberts Band >> the Canadian Dream.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ynm5njjnxnn

Death From Above 1979 – You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine (2004)
Clearly. This album started the electroclash movement. So ... thanks boys.

DFA 1979 >> Blood on our Hands.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zejwdywzgzz

Bryan Adams – Reckless (1984)
Okay, I guess this is what one might consider to be a guilty pleasure; but I don’t feel bad about it … I can’t help it, he just makes you wanna romance somebody - and that is straight from the heart.

Bryan Adams >> (Fuckin') Run to You.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jdmmnxfmhzt

Thunderheist – Thunderheist. (2009)
I’ve been waiting two years for this one and it was well worth the wait. As a side note, if you ever get chance to see these cats live, go. They surely do know how to rock a party.

Thunderheist >> Sweet 16.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ndtwqjc5vnn

bad cover version of a blog.

With the state of world right now too many things have become far too cumbersome to bear. Global famine, the Middle East, the dawning of yet another recession, and even more current, the initiation to divide the Antarctic between surrounding countries. With these problems and so many more surrounding our everyday lives, the media has given us one desperate escape we truly need … the massacre of all the art forms we've grown to love with their incessant remakes. Arguably the worst of these 'revisions' is the cover song.

A cover song is about the fashion equivalent to a pleather jacket; they're easy to acquire, they look good to the average man and even the person wearing it knows how bad it is, but just hope nobody says anything – in other words they're about as entertaining as a Dane Cook punchline. However, there are quite a few covers that are well done. Sometimes too well done.

From a live aspect, cover tracks are great. Going to see an act that covers a tune well is exciting, and an unexpected change from the set you've prepared yourself to hear - but to release a cover track for capital gain as a single, that's just sad. That has about the same integrity as an AIG exec. But I don’t want to talk about those just yet - that's the next installment. So here's a look at some of the worst trash the dreaded cover track has to offer. Some I’ve missed, some I may be too harsh or too dumb but either way here you are. (In no particular order)

Celine Dion & Anastasia >> You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
Obviously.

Counting Crows >> Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
I’m unsure what goes on at a band meeting when someone actually would suggest remaking an already shitty Joni Mitchell tune. That’s like the guy who shows up at the office and says ‘Listen, I’ve got this million dollar idea, they’re called shrimp flavored potato chips and they taste exactly how they sound!” And that, my friends, is the very definition of ‘the end of your rope’.

Limp Bizkit >> Behind Blue Eyes (the Who)
Haha. We saw them play this track while opening for Metallica at the Skydome years ago. Fred Durst put down the flamethrower he was carrying (no kidding) and started crooning the ladies in the audience by climbing into the stands. It was awesomely funny.

John Mayer >> Kid A (Radiohead)
That John Mayer is just a little sweetheart to any soccer mom that will listen .. oh wait, every soccer mom listens to John Mayer - Anyway, listen John, someone should have mentioned it before, Radiohead doesn’t even pick up chicks with that tune. Better late than never though.

Madonna >> American Pie (Don McLean)
Dear Madonna, this shit wouldn’t fly when you were awesome in the 80s, it ain’t going to work now.

Hilary Duff >> My Generation (the Who)
Your generation is pre-teens Hilary and lucky for you, they don’t yet understand you’re brutal.

Presidents of the U.S.A. >> Video Killed the Radio Star (the Buggles)
We all owned a copy of the bands debut album but for their follow up (entitled II) the first single was this terrible cover of an already terrible song … and now they all sell peaches from a can (in a factory downtown).

Sheryl Crow >> Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses)
This weasel was nominated for a grammy after covering this song. So later she would opt to next destroy Cat Stevens 1967 hit, “the First Cut is the Deepest”. In an ironic twist, more recently, Crow is pushing forth a motion to congress demanding that she and other musicians collect royalties whenever their songs are played on the radio and other sources. Luckily for her, I’m sure Yusuf Islam doesn’t care too much about her cashing in on his tunes. Axel on the other hand …

Coheed and Cambria >> Sister Christian (Night Ranger)
Maybe I’m a little harsh on this one because, um … Coheed and Cambria are terrible – yeah, I said it and it had to be said.

Aerosmith >> Come Together (the Beatles)
I’ve vented about this track for the last 15 years of my life. I don’t have anything more to say about it.

Marilyn Manson >> Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
Manson first got his big break remaking the 1983 tune “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics, so naturally in 2004 when his career starts to hit the skids, he goes back to the safe bet – butchering a classic.

The Ataris >> Boys of Summer (Don Henley)
To remake and awful song to begin with, you’ve already doomed yourself to failure, oh yeah and you’re the Ataris, so you’re already doomed for failure.

DJ Sammy >> Heaven (Bryan Adams)
Nobody can remake a B.A. tune. Nobody.

Mike and the Flower Pops >> Wonderwall (Oasis)
Mike and his flower pops absolutely stripped the song of all emotion and passion, they made it into a campy 50’s style love ballad - which might have worked a bit better if the Oasis version wasn’t still of the charts.

I’m going to group these ones together because, I just get so angry at how bad these tracks are I can’t type .. and what little wit I have I already used up. So let’s just leave it at they’re dogshit:

Goo Goo Dolls >> Give a Little Bit (Supertramp)
Ozzy Osborne >> Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh)
Evanscence >> Heart Shaped Box (Nirvana)

* hip hop remix is a hard one to classify. They may reuse the same hook but rarely use the same lyrics – but believe me there are a ridiculous amount of terrible remix/cover tracks in hip hop (ie. Puff Daddy covering Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and any Kanye West song past 2001.). That’ll have to be a segment in it self.

the Introduction.

Thanks to the glory of the world wide web and technology, everyone now has an opinion on everything. Anyone can become a digital photographer, a recording artist and an expert on everything from celebrities to politics to nutrition. So I figure I'd might as well get a say - It doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about but, it's worth a try.