These photos are from the heavenly performance that Brooklyn’s psychedelic/experimental/exotic/gospel/folk/rock/whatever prodigies Yeasayer gave to the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on October 30th. An amazing show, to say the least! Check out the full photo album by clicking here…
And if you haven’t read it already, check out the review I recently did of Yeasayer’s newest album, All Hour Cymbals! More concert photos are here.
The Sacramento Bee reports that Deftones bassist Chi Cheng is in a coma in a San Jose hospital following a car accident in Santa Clara on Monday (November 3). It isn’t immediately clear what caused the crash or if anyone else was injured, but Cheng is currently listed as being in “serious, but stable condition”. Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno confirmed the accident today in a posting at the Deftones studio blog for their forthcoming album Eros:
“It deeply saddens me to inform you all that our brother Chi Cheng was involved in a terrible car accident [Monday] night. He is currently in a Northern California hospital in serious, but stable condition. I am on my way up north right now to be by his side, along with the rest of our bandmates and family. Chi is one of the strongest people I know, and I’m praying that his strength will get him through this. Please say a prayer for him as well.”
What’s even more disheartening is that apparently Cheng was leaving a memorial service for his older brother when his car was hit.. My thoughts are with Chi and his friends and family. Get better soon so that you can finish up that cd and get back out on the road to see us! You’re in our prayers man!
After nearly 5 years of war and waiting, heavy metal has made its inevitable return to the city of Baghdad. In 2003, Iraqi thrash metal Acrassicauda band was the last metal band to play in Iraq (as documented in the awesome fucking movie Heavy Metal in Baghdad) before being forced to flee to Turkey, and according to a great USA Today report security has recovered to a level that makes it possible for fans to gather and express their love of metal once again! At a private dinner club on the shores of the Tigris river, 250 Iraqi’s clad in black gathered to rock out to the anthems of local death metal bands Brutal Impact and Dog Faced Corpse.
Seriously, how unbelievable is that? As Muthana Mani of Brutal Impact indicated to USA Today, during the war “being a member of heavy metal’s unique subculture could amount to a death sentence”. After being threatened from every other force in Iraqi culture, metal was forced to go underground to be practiced and grow behind closed doors. Five years have passed, though, and these band’s felt that it was time to just say “fuck you” to the extremists in Iraq and bring metal back into the public.
Among the hundreds of concertgoers in attendance that night were everyone from veiled females to corpse painted shaved head males. Most of the patrons were attending their first metal concert ever. But while the appearance of the some attendees might not have matched the expected, most of the metalheads there knew exactly what to do and how to act. Like I indicated in my review of Global Metal, no matter where you come it only takes the passion inside to be a part of the global metal community. This situation is a perfect example of how youth around the world can use metal both as voice of dissent and a source of personal therapy.
The video that USA Today captured of the concert (at the top of the page) is goosebump inducing, and it’s very inspiring after years of constant reporting on attacks from Iraq. If the traditional black garb doesn’t convince you that these fans know what they were doing, perhaps the mosh pits, broken tables, and Metallica sing-along would. It’s a beautiful thing! Good luck to all the Iraqi metal bands that are struggling to persevere; the rest of the community is looking forward to the future of Iraqi metal!
Sacramento’s Far has reunited! No one saw this coming, but we can expect some new music from them, so I’m excited. Right now they’ve even got a UK tour booked and have added a new song to their myspace. Maybe they can hook up a U.S. tour with the Deftones or something so that I can actually make it out to see them.
Who would’ve guessed that one of alt-country’s most beloved singer-songwriters held underground black metal in such high esteem? While Ryan Adams isn’t an artist that many metal fans would break out on regular occassion (unless you’re trying too hard to impress a girl), a recent New York Times interview has shown that he has much higher kvlt cred than your average country boy. A favorite excerpt of mine…
..on one-man California black metal band Xasthur
“My listening tastes are absolutely not in tune with the kind of music I make. The music that interests me is a bit weirder. “Defective Epitaph” has really far-out guitars; it’s not really lyrical. When I close my eyes and listen, I think of a heartbroken demon sitting beside these ashes in hell and really missing his girlfriend. It’s like romantic death metal. The aggressiveness of [Malefic’s] guitar riffs can be quite brutal. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s really clever.”
I’m willing to bet that that quote would surprise the fuck out of the majority of Adams fanbase; but personally, it’s just great to see that an artist appreciates strong influences from something so different from their own art. In my opinion, being open to this kind of extreme variety can only be healthy for artistic progression, so I say kudos and horns up to Adams. You can continue this interesting read at New York Times website, where Adams justifies his love for everything from stoner, black, and thrash metal to pop and hip hop.
For now, everyone should check out the contrast between Adams performing live and the dark chaos and aura of Xasthur (and for the record, I personally love them both – so Adams must be doing something right)… Continue reading
It’s here, and it’s trippy as fuck.
The Jacob Bannon-curated hardcore label Deathwish Inc. has just released their fall digital sampler as a FREE download at their site. Bannon knows what he’s doing, and Deathwish is one of the only remaining labels in hardcore that has been able to still consiste – this is worth your time to give this one a listen! Artists featured on this mix include Blacklisted, Rise and Fall, Cold World, Narrows, 108, The Carrier, Carpathian, Victims, Killing The Dream, Trap Them, Reign Supreme, Bitter End, Shipwreck a.d., Pulling Teeth and non-deathwish bands United Nations (featuring Converge, Glassjaw, and Thursday members), Lewd Acts, End of A Year, Rot in Hell, and New Lows. There’s even some classic Hope Conspiracy and Supermachiner cuts on here (..in anticipation of their forthcoming release..)! When you’ve got the zip downloaded, don’t forget to check out the always spectacular Jake Bannon cover artwork.
Spylacopa began as an obscure ambient-electronic side-project for Brooklyn-based Candiria guitarist John LaMaccia, but after accruing a band of notables – namely Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan, Jeff Caxide of Isis, and Julie Christmas of Made Out of Babies – the project was bound to gain momentum. Judging by the sounds of the new song “Haunting A Ghost” that was posted to the band’s MySpace earlier this week, Spylacopa has evolved into an entirely different beast all together. While LaMaccia proved to have a knack for combining head-pounding beats with ambient soundscapes on Spylacopa’s earlier output, this song is far more rocking and metal-friendly than anything I’ve heard from them so far. LaMaccia’s distorted guitar progressions and electronic sequencing seems to have matched perfectly with the lush mix of Puciato’s own touches and his trademark vocal approach – the high contrast of soaring melodies and screaming and bellowing – and the thick layer of groove from Caxide. The forthcoming debut self-titled EP (available November 18th) has already garnered high praise from Terrorizer Magazine, and Puciato seems to like it well enough… but don’t just listen to us! Listen to “Haunting a Ghost” for yourself online here.
In related news, John has finallly made an update regarding Candiria and LaMaccia also revealed more about the 4 volume (!) series of remix/interpretations 12″ LP’s entitled Toying With The Insanities that will be released on his label, Rising Pulse Records. The release is said to feature contributions from members of Suicidal Tendencies, Dillinger Escape Plan, Dysrhythmia, Dub Trio, Kayo Dot, Dälek, and more. However, this great collection will only be released as a limited edition available on vinyl (with free mp3 download with purchase) with only 250 of each volume pressed!
More intriguing perhaps is that LaMaccia implied that there will be new Candiria recording in the future, saying that the band is “moving forward” and was “back on track”. After news last year, that Candiria wasn’t allowed to release their last album through Type A records since they couldn’t tour, many people were unsure if we’d ever hear from them again. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting my hands on this remix collection, and now I’ve got hope for more Candiria in the future. Stay tuned here.
After the release of his 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, anthropologist (and lifelong metalhead) Sam Dunn became a renowned figure in the international metal community. The film was a poignant and passionate portrayal of the history behind this infamously beloved genre and the working class roots that it embodies. While A Headbanger’s Journey served perfectly as both outsider’s introduction into the depths of the world of metal and an affirmation to fellow metalheads to keep headbanging, Dunn realized that there was a much bigger story to tell.
Soon after the release of A Headbanger’s Journey, Dunn and his coconspirator Scott McFayden set about filming a followup to their ultimate metal documentary. The next chapter is entitled Global Metal, and it is just as brilliant as the first.
In Global Metal, Dunn and McFayden circle the planet to tell the story of how metal has been adopted by like-minded kids in some of the unlikeliest of places. Through this documentary, we are able to see how the culture, dedication and stigma that comes with extreme music is a part of life for people all around the world – from America and Germany to Brazil, India, China, Japan, and Iran. The most interesting aspect of the film is its documentation of the way is which metal as been molded to become a voice of the people in these third world countries. As Dunn explains, these new fans of metal aren’t just listening to metal, they’re making it something entirely their own. The cultural aspects between the places that are visited in the film are so strikingly different that one can’t help but wonder in what ways the genre can be reinvigorated by being integrated with these cultures in the future. It is a form of expression that has been subverted in many non-Western cultures, but when it is allowed to become a part of their culture it becomes a likely vehicle for social change.
But while Sepultura established Brazil as a remote mecca for metal nearly two full decades ago (and even distinguished metal as music for Brazilians to be proud of), this explicitly western form of music has only recently began to gain popularity in some of the more remote parts of the world. Although the film makes it clear that small pockets troo-metalheads exist in nearly every country, metal is a musical concept that is entirely foreign to most people in these far off destinations – and in many cases they are persecuted for listening to it. Metal has been incorrectly demonized in many of these third-world countries, and without tolerance of their form of expression it is very hard for third-world metal bands to even play their instruments. In the future, it’ll be very interesting to see if metal fans in Jerusalem, Tehran, Beijing, and Mumbai will be allowed the same freedom to bang their heads so that they can make an impact at an international level, as well. As Dunn points out, the feeling that metal provides to its listeners is universal – we all deserve the right to headbang at our own will – we are one global community.
Global Metal premiered in theatres this spring, and on November 4th it will be available for purchase on DVD. It features interviews with members of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Sepultura, Sigh, Tang Dynasty and metalheads from every corner of the world. Check out the trailer for the film below:
Philadelphia’s premiere hardcore group, Blacklisted, has announced plans to come to a city near you. The Deathwish Records’ band will be hitting the road for the month in support of their recent incredible Kurt Ballou-recorded album, Heavier Than Heaven Lonelier Than God. While I’ve personally considered Blacklisted to be at the top of the hardcore heap since they emerged, they’ve proven to be a band that consistently improves with each album release. In my humble opinion, their most recent release being their finest to date. Even if they didn’t already have a good enough back catalog to warrant checking out the show, seeing them perform the new songs will be the biggest reason to go out and raise your fist alongside them. The tour begins today, October 20th, in Baltimore and circles around the country before ending on November 19th in NYC; support will be provided by Have Heart, Ceremony, and Letdown.
10/20 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
10/21 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
10/22 – Atlanta, GA @ MJQ
10/23 – Orlando, FL @ Blackbox Collective
10/24 – Tallahassee, FL @ Beta Bar
10/25 – Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9
10/26 – Memphis, TN @ Nocturnal
10/27 – Tulsa, OK @ Pinkeye
10/28 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
10/30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
10/31 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/01 – Berkeley, CA @ Gilman
11/02 – Portland, OR @ Satyricon
11/03 – Tacoma, WA @ Viaduct
11/05 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
11/06 – Mission, KS @ Mission Theatre
11/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
11/08 – Madison, WI @ Club 770 / University Of Wisconsin
11/09 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
11/10 – Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter
11/11 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
11/12 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
11/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roboto Project
11/14 – Syracuse, NY @ Klub Polski
11/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
11/17 – Manhattan, NY @ Knitting Factory
11/18 – Maplewood, NJ @ Garden State Music
11/19 – Deer Park, NY @ Deer Park VFW
MIND INVERSION 