Category Archives: Music

My Complaints About The Rock Hall Induction Ceremony On FUSE

Thanks to my DVR I finally have found some time to sit down and see what the people at home got to view last week on FUSE during the Rock Hall Induction Ceremony.  In case you forgot or had no idea I was one of the lucky in attendance last week and wrote a little blog about it.  You can read that HERE if you feel so inclined to do so.

I realize the FUSE broadcasting was supposed to be live but the ceremony started 1 hour prior to the showing so obviously there would be some editing to make it appropriate for TV.  Still I had a couple complaints…mostly over overlapping.

Little Anthony and the Imperials should have had both songs they performed live shown on FUSE and not edited with their acceptance speeches intertwined.  Honestly their performance was one of the best of that evening…

Same thing with Bobby Womack…  I guess this is how they do the ceremonies.  I admit this is the first time I ever sat through a Rock Hall Induction Ceremony on TV so I am not sure how previous ones were.

I am glad they showed Eminem’s entire speech.

Jeff Beck’s middle finger of course was blurred.

I got a better look at Tal Wikenfeld owning the bass during the Jeff Beck / Jimmy Page performance.  She is without a doubt…amazing.

I did get a kick out of the backstage footage of Jeff Beck and Tal Wikenfeld playing her bass at the same time.  I guess that was a bonus of seeing this ceremony from the comfort of your home…

Wow, the DJ Fontana / Bill Black sideman induction got butchered.

Wanda Jackson’s induction was nicely mixed with Rosanne Cash’s speech and video footage.  Did I just give a compliment?  Yes, I did.  I also was not aware how short Wanda Jackson was when I saw her last week…  Tiny woman.  Tiny woman also did not have her performance shown on national TV…  There’s my complaint.

Metallica.  It was clear that FUSE was/is pro-Metallica seeing how they broadcast as much Metallica during the week leading up the the induction so it was no surprise more of their footage shown from the induction than other inductees.  Flea’s speech was great to hear again, even if it was edited…  By the way, Jason Newsted’s wife/girlfriend is HOT…haha.

Dumb move having Metallica’s acceptance speeches overlapping their live performance of “Master Of Puppets” though I am glad the some parts of each member’s speeches were included.  They did NOT show Cliff Burton’s father speak and that to me should have been shown.

I’ll say it again too…  How cool would it be for Jason Newsted to join Metallica again???

One of the all-star finales (performance of “Jail House Rock”) was not even shown!  What gives?  They really should have shown that.  Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Rosanne Cash, DJ Fontana, Bobby Womack, and others really put on a fun little number.

I was nice to see a re-cap of sorts thanks to the FUSE broadcast of the Rock Hall Induction Ceremony.  I do feel that the people at home were really robbed of some memorable moments during the evening granted they did not have to pay anything more than a cable bill to see it, but still…

Again it was awesome to be a part and still can not believe I was a part of it.

By the way, have you seen what Matt at Addicted To Vinyl had to say about the event?  It is an exceptional read and I will be eternally jealous of him…

Manchester Orchestra Video Chapters

I have seen the band name Manchester Orchestra popping up all over the place as of late and really had not checked them out until recently.  For some reason I thought they were more of a rock jam project but was corrected by a friend and learned that in fact they are an indie rock band.

With a new album coming out on 04/21/09 titled Mean Everything To Nothing the band is promoting their CD with a full-album collection of videos that have been popping up on the internet. Have you seen them yet?  Well you are in luck as I have included the first three on this blog.  Word is the band will have videos for all of the songs on the album.  I think it is a great idea.

Additional info about the videos from a recent email I received from SonyMusic.com:

The full-album series concept was conceived by the Emmy Award winning directing team of Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki of Destroy Rock Music Inc., whom also directed “I Can Barely Breathe” from the band’s debut I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child.

Lipsky notes that the vision behind the videos are to “create a cinematic collage of decaying film and lost memories intertwined with a loose narrative about a young woman on a surreal journey to find what she is missing.” The videos to follow will continue to discover the many layers hiding within the new record.

Chapter One featured on AbsolutePunk:
Manchester Orchestra – “The Only One”

Chapter Two featured on Spin.com:
Manchester Orchestra  -“Shake It Out”

Chapter Three featured on MySpace:
Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”

The Casualties To Record New Material

Looks like The Casualties are back.  Granted they have pretty much been touring non-stop since 2006’s Under Attack, there has not been any new material recorded.  The street punkers are stated to be in the studio this morning to push out a new release still to be named under SideOneDummy Records.  The band has also announced a summer tour.

I have always liked these guys.  They remind me of the harder punk rock of the eighties like The Exploited and The Subhumans as well as hardcore punkers Discharge.  Having only seen them a couple of times live I have enjoyed their material since I first heard 2001’s Die Hards.  From there I checked out their entire catalog and have been a fan since.

Per an email from SideOneDummy Records:

THE CASUALTIES ARE PLANNING A NEW RECORD FOR LATE SUMMER AND WILL HIT THE ROAD IN JUNE AND JULY

Los Angeles, April 8, 2009 – The Casualties are headed back to the Blasting Room in Fort Collins this month to record a new album with producer Bill Stevenson. The album is yet to be titled and will be the follow up to Under Attack (2006). The release date is tentatively set for August 4, 2009 on SideOneDummy. The band will also be doing a short run of shows in June and July. Here are the dates.

Thur. June 11 Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
Fri. June 12 Richmond, VA – Canal Club
Sat. June 13 Norfolk, VA – The Norva
Sun June 14 Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall
Tue. June 16 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Wed. June 17 Jacksonville, FL – Plush
Thur. June 18 Orlando, FL – The Backbooth
Fri. June 19 Orlando, FL – The Backbooth
Sat. June 20 Pensacola, FL – Sluggos
Sun. June 21 New Orleans, LA – Dragons Den
Tue. June 23 Houston, TX – Java Jazz
Wed. June 24 Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock
Thur. June 25 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
Fri. June 26 Austin, TX – Red 7
Sat. June 27 Dallas, TX – The Door
Sun. June 28 Oklahoma City, OK – The Conservatory
Wed. July 1 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Thu. July 2 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre

Times Of Yore: Gift

Bringing back my little Times Of Yore entires, I’ve decided to take a break from the music and focus on a film I used to love when I was in high school.

The movie was called Gift.  Does anyone out there remember this movie?

It starred Perry Farrell, of Jane’s Addiction fame, and his girlfriend at the time Casey Niccoli as well as included some Jane’s Addiction songs.  The film focused on a semi-autobiographical drug-addicted tragic love story that involved mainly heroin and does not necessarily have a happy ending.

Watching the movie I knew that Perry Farrell and Casey Niccoli were an item in the early nineties.  While the movie surrounded their love there were also heavy doses of fiction making for a wild viewing.  I remember a lot of my friends getting confused after viewing the movie.  I do not want to ruin anything so I will not metion the scenes that caused the confusion.

I should note that this was not intended to be a Jane’s Addiction movie and the band was only featured in a few scenes.  The film  created by Perry Ferrell and Casey Niccoli was more of a vision between the two lovers.

One part of the film showed a live cover of Sly & The Family Stone‘s “Don’t Call Me N*****, Whitey”  featuring Ice T and Body Count.  Seeing them on stage with Jane’s Addiction was, to me at the time, amazing (still is).

I also remember one of the lines said by Perry Farrell in the movie that was chilling to my ears:

“What would you do if you came home and found the person you loved the most in the world lying dead on the floor?”

At a day and age where I was turning from a teenager into a young adult, this movie opened my eyes to things never before I had thought of.  Hardcore drugs, overdose, depression…  I watched it over and over with my friends and sometimes alone.  I loved the performances by Jane’s Addiction even if they were brief but more so I loved the art aspect of it as well as the performance and execution of the idea by a musician.

The story itself was less than what I needed as a kid trying to learn what love was all about.  At times it was sweet to see the two in love and happy but towards the latter end of the film tragedy strikes and scarred my young eyes.

Sadly the VHS I obtained from Half Price Books for a only $7.98 collected dust for years and I finally rid of it thinking I would never want to watch it again.  Wrong.

As luck would have it though it is coming to DVD.  The film is scheduled to be released on DVD as part of the Jane’s Addiction box set, A Cabinet of Curiosities in April 2009.

Rancid – “Last One To Die” MP3 Released!

I just downloaded “Last One To Die”, Rancid‘s latest release from their upcoming Let The Dominoes Fall.  You should too:

Hellcat Records

Made By Squad


Normally I would just include a link to download the MP3 but that has not been made available to me yet so just enter your email address and they will send you a link for a download of the song.  That is all you have to do, I promise.

I am pretty sure you will dig the song as much as I have too if you are a Rancid fan.  The song is catchy and maintains the Rancid standard, meaning it will not shock you and it keeps with the sound you expect to come from Tim Armstrong and crew.

It’s been over 5 years since Rancid pushed out an album.  Good things come with time and I am honestly glad they were not putting together a mess of a release just so they could offer something for their fans.  I have high expectations from this CD.  I also have a feeling that this is NOT going to be their last effort.  Some people are thinking it might be time for these punk rockers to hang up their guitars and take a seat but I really have the feeling that these guys are going to be cranking out material for years to come.