Puscifer plays live for the first time in Las Vegas

Posted in Music News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Puscifer, Live in Las Vegas 02/16/2009

Last night in Las Vegas, Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer, the project he describes as his “creative subconscious”, made their live show debut at the Pearl Theatre in front of a crowd of 2,500. According to the SPIN review, the eccentric, electro-lounge industrial music of Maynard’s Puscifer was just a small part of a grand variety show that included a variety of over-the-top comedic visual accompaniments and a large list of guest musicians and performers such as Brian Posehn, Gil and Rani Sharone,  Milla Jovovich, and Tim Alexander. You can hit “read more” below for a full set list from the show

Keenan is an oddball, and the three show set at the Palms Springs Casino that he’s doing right now with Puscifer is the way for any fan to experience this extremely creative (and unwaveringly theatrical & provocative) artist in his rawest and truest form. No video of the concert has surfaced yet, but in the meantime I highly encourage you to watch this brand new video interview the Suicide Girls conducted with Maynard at his winery. Among other things, they delve into the purpose of the crazy Puscifer, the unwritten duties of creative individuals, and his personal love for “the art of” winemaking. As he emphasizes in the video, he’s not content merely being just some rockstar or another guy in the band. To his end, MJK will be a 21st century renaissance man.

Keep reading for the setlist!  Continue reading →

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Video: Royce Da 5’9″, “Part of Me” (Official Video)

Posted in Video with tags , , , , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Tim Althaus

I’ve been waiting for this one for awhile. Here is the premier video for Royce Da 5’9″s single “Part of Me”, which is one Royce’s new album Street Hop due out April 21st. I can’t tell you how much I am anticipating to hear this new album of his, and this video is a great preface to it. Royce is one of those cats that has an unbelievable ability of story telling. The concept for this video is amazing and shouldn’t be missed. Make sure you go out and get Street Hop on April 21st, could be a major contender for album of the year.

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R.I.P. Big L (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999)

Posted in News, Video with tags , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Tim Althaus

big-l The month of February is a sorrowing time for the history of Hip-Hop. We lost James Yancey (Dilla) 3 years ago, and we also lost Big L (Lamont Coleman) 10 years ago yesterday. Many people to this day regard Big L as one of the greatest freestyle emcees of all time and many say that if he was still here would be a modern day legend. He was only able to officially release one album entitled Lifestylez ov Da Poor & Dangerous which had two hits that cracked the billboard top 25. He did have a second album titled The Big Picture which was released posthumasly in 2000 after he died, but many say that Lifestylez was his shining gem as an artist.

The thing that saddens me the most is that Big L was just weeks away from signing with the Roc-A-Fella camp when he died. I can’t even begin to fathom what could have happened if Big L was rhyming over Just Blaze & Kanye West beats, I don’t think that there would be a better emcee in the game right now that’s for sure. Big L had some of the nastiest punchlines and the best story telling that anyone had ever heard at the time. It’s truly a shame that the good die young. Big L was only twenty four years old, he had a long career ahead of him with many accolades he could have accomplished. I’m sure that Big L and Dilla are up in heaven making some of the dopest music anyone has ever heard.

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Video: Northern Outpost Ep. 4, featuring the Windmills

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Our favorite local web tv show, Northern Outpost, has just aired their fourth episode, and this week they’re at the Owl Recording Studio with Minneapolis-based acoustic crooners Windmills. As we said before, the quality of this fully independent, local music show is pretty impressive, and it’s greater proof of the extremely awesome, organic, and supportive scene that exists in the Twin Cities. On this week’s episode, Windmills compare playing in a band in Boston and Minneapolis, talk about the quality of the local music scene, and play some of their upbeat, relaxing, spacey electro folk rock in the Owl Studio. Visit Northern Outpost on NorthernOutpost.net to stay up-to-date on future shows, and watch Episode 4 below!

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Concert Photo Recap: Meshuggah, Cynic, and The Faceless @ Station 4

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Meshuggah live at Station 4

Wow! I don’t think I should be allowed to review this one beyond that one word, seeing as how all these bands place among my favorite active music groups (uh yeah, if you didn’t realize yet, I’ve got a very soft spot in my heart for progressive metal). Years of anticipation for both Meshuggah and Cynic to play again in Minnesota were met with great rewards on Friday, February 13th at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN, with both bands dishing out equal servings of old and new mind-boggling progressive metal. Though nearly half the age of the members of the other bands, The Faceless were right at home on the bill and seemed to turn quite a few heads.

It’s always very difficult getting any good photos at Station 4 when you don’t line up a photo pass. When Station 4 is packed with a metal hungry sold out crowd that is switched on into tornado-mode, thrashing to Meshuggah, it becomes nearly impossible. I did my best, and surprisingly got quite a few keepers. Here are the photos from the Meshuggah, Cynic, and The Faceless show at Station 4:

Meshuggah live at Station 4(Meshuggah)

Meshuggah live at Station 4(Meshuggah)

Cynic live at Station 4(Cynic)

Cynic live at Station 4(Cynic)

The Faceless live at Station 4(The Faceless)

Keep viewing the gallery! There’s still many photos of Meshuggah, Cynic, and The Faceless left, so just hit read more to continue… Continue reading →

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Company Flow talks about the re-release of Funcrusher Plus

Posted in News, Video with tags , , , , , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Tim Althaus

149142coflowMy heart jumped with great content today. I was browsing over at Pitchfork and apparently El-P, Big Jus & Mr. Len did an interview with the people at Pitchfork about the Funcrusher Plus 12th anniversary re-release. Apparently El-P is going to be releasing the album on his own label Def Jux. Might I also mention that El-P’s answers in this interview are downright hilarious, he’s chalked full of humor and it makes for a great read: Pitchfork: “Why reissue Funcrusher Plus now, 12 years after its original release?”, El-P: “I think I got my first hand job at 12.”

I personally can’t wait for this no brainer classic to be re-issued. Funcrusher Plus to me was so far ahead of its time. According to an article this re-release will feature some pre-1995 tracks that Company Flow did before Funcrusher as wel as tracks that were after the Funcrusher release. This album has been out of print for awhile now, so you know hardcore heads are going to be grabbing this album right when it comes out (hint: me). This last year also marked the reunion of Company Flow at a live concert. I wonder if we will get to hear any new creative genius anytime soon? (Lets all hope to god that we will)

Just a few things that have been said about Funcrusher Plus:

“One of the most influential rap groups of the late ’90s, Company Flow laid the groundwork for nearly all the experimental hip-hop that followed, and its advancement of hip-hop as an art form is still being felt.” ALL MUSIC

“Widely recognized as one of the genre’s greatest achievements.” PITCHFORK

“Company Flow became heroes to alternative rap fans when they released their Funcrusher album”. ROLLING STONE

You can read the interview with Pitchfork here. Make sure you go out and grab the re-issue of Funcrusher Plus when it comes out because it’s going to be a great addition to your collection, as well as a great album. But, don’t leave now; click read more and make the jump to watch Company Flow’s classic video for “8 Steps to Perfection” from the original release of Funcrusher Plus… Continue reading →

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Download: Cymarshall Law, Cyology 3: The Freedom Writer

Posted in Downloads, Video with tags , , , , , on Monday, February 16, 2009 by Tim Althaus

cymar1 I was very elated to see that I had a message in my inbox containing to mixtapes of Cymarshall Law. This guy is an absolute beast on the microphone and never fails to leave the microphone torn apart. As I had metioned before in a prior post, Cymar was a part of one of the best albums of last year Hip-Hop in the Soul with Mr. Joeker. I have been playing out that album like crazy lately and I am glad that I was able to get some more of his material in my hands. This guy is definitely one of the most official emcees I’ve heard in a while. When you put a dope ass beat behind this guy the result is uber insanity with great lyrical content.

It’s great to hear a guy like Cymar dropping more music and ultimately making himself more accessible to Hip-Hop heads. I think that if he can consistently drop this beat torching material, he is going to solidify his position in the game. I truly hope to hear a lot more from this guy in the near future, Hip-Hop in the Soul had a huge impact on me and I have a feeling that I am going to feel the same about anything else Cymar does.

Here is the download link for Cyology 3: The Freedom Writer.

Also Check out Freedom Entertainment’s Two Thousand Mine hosted by Cymarshall Law. Hit read more and make the jump to view some stellar video features on Cymar from Vimby and Hip Hop Official… Continue reading →

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Sunday Metal Minute: Cephalic Carnage, “Lucid Interval”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags , , , , , , on Sunday, February 15, 2009 by Ryan Buege

This week, Mayhem’s Blackened Fest tour was announced, and with such a well-rounded list of band’s scheduled to play, it can be easy to overlook some of the talent that will be on stage before they get to play.

Cephalic Carnage may be the biggest misfits of the entire tour, if only for the reason that they actually inject some humor into their brand of technical death metal. Over the course of the years, I’ve seen Cephalic Carnage playing support at nearly every type of aggressive show; death metal, hardcore, thrash metal – you name it, they’ve played it. The beautiful part about it is that they typically start these sets as unknowns, but no matter who they’re playing with, they always win over the entire crowd by the end. During their last performance at Triple Rock, they incited even bigger pits than the headliner, Darkest Hour, and their hilarious costume changes and over-the-top antics were laugh-out-loud funny with their clever pointedness.

Cephalic Carnage has had a long and storied career in the death metal/grind underground, and they’ve got incredible newer albums, like their recent Xenosapien, but this video of  “Lucid Interval” from their 2002  album of the same name sums up their approach perfectly. Cheap and gritty, dirty and sickening, brutal, and truly hilarious.

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Valentine’s Day Audio: Cymarshall Law – “Luve Story”

Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags , , , , , on Saturday, February 14, 2009 by Erik Burg

Cymarshall Law drops an exclusive track for Valentine’s day. What a nice guy. “Luve Story” is a beautiful song, and definitely a perfect treat for this day of love. The lyrics are maybe a little over-played and cheesy, but hey, if there is ever a day for such nonsense, today is that day. The track is a lot more soulful and smooth than anything on his album releases, which I really enjoy. “Luve Story” is the perfect track for those who couldn’t get into Cymarshall’s other material and a great gift on this day of celebration. Enjoy, and tell someone you love them!

cymarshall-law

MP3: Cymarshall Law – “Luve Story”

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Video: Burnt By the Sun first studio recording sessions for final album

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , , on Friday, February 13, 2009 by Ryan Buege

We were on the ball in reporting this a few months ago, but if you missed it, there’s a newsflash: Burnt By the Sun has reunited to record one final album! Apparently, after Dave Witte and Mike Olender heard some of the material that Jon Adubato and Ted Patterson had been recording after they left, they were simply compelled to rejoin with them and make one last record together. Witte has been having great success playing drums for the incredible Municipal Waste during the last few years, and it’s not like he really needed to go back to BBTS. So, with that in mind, I’m predicting that this is some of BBTS’s most incredible material to date. Right now, this world needs more BBTS, and I’m hoping that their final album, Heart of Darkness, will help earn and solidify the prestigious place in the history of hardcore and metal that they rightly deserve.

Keep reading below to watch their web video featuring interviews with Witte and Olender and the studio recording of the song the sparked the reunion, “Goliath”: Continue reading →

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