Judas Priest/Heaven and Hell/Motorhead/Testament @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion 8/28/2008

The Metal Masters tour. An audacious name for a concert tour. Matched by a star-studded lineup of some of the biggest names in metal from the 70's and 80's. But would the bands be up to the par indicated by that audacious tour name? I wondered that even as I stepped into the venue. But as I found my way to my seat, I found myself thrilled that I would be evaluating the validity of the tour's name in a prime seat, that would have cost over $130 if I had paid for it (a factor I felt important in determining the strength of the experience).

Testament was first in the lineup, and were quick to remind the audience of their dominant role in the late 80's thrash scene with a few older hits which left no doubt as to why they were standouts back then. Interspersed with older hits were a few tracks from the new album, but only a couple, which is no surprise given the band only played for half an hour. Unfortunately, despite the energy put in by the band, the performance never really clicked with the audience. Doubtless, this is in part due to the lack of an audience presence when they came on (probably less than 1/3 full), and due to the fabulous Arizona heat beating down so intently on those of us there that it was impossible to do more than sit and enjoy the music. So with these factors in mind, Testament did not perform as I was hoping such a Thrash legend would, but given their role as an opener, they were more or less successful in getting the crowd excited for what was to come.

Motorhead was next up, and I was a bit anxious about this performance, as the last time I had seen them was about eight years ago, and I had fond memories of it, but I had read that on this tour they were more or less an incoherent wall of noise. Perhaps my saving grace was the earplugs I was wearing, the band was certainly mind-bogglingly loud, but I quite enjoyed the performance, and the performance was not bogged down in a wall of incoherency. The fact of the matter is that Lemmy is god, and so I was relieved to see that such a god is able to maintain his performance standards over the decades. One of the highlights of this performance was the out-of-nowhere drum solo that came in the middle of a song and was surprisingly quite decent, and then the solo flowed well back into the close of the song, it was well-practiced and very entertaining. The band was also very good at extending and enhancing their songs live, adding dimensions not present on their albums. Additionally, a few rows in front of me were the cutest father/son grouping. Both going wild and singing along to every song. It's good some parents raise their children on good music.

Heaven and Hell I knew would be somewhat of a disappointment going in. As awesome as Dio is, there are just some Black Sabbath songs you really want to see when you see Black Sabbath, whether or not Ozzy is singing. No War Pigs was in fact the biggest disappointment, though I knew it coming in. That being said, I also confess an embarassing unfamiliarity with the Dio-era Sabbath material. I would say I only recognized about half of the song played during their set. But the set itself was great, whether or not I knew the songs. However, for all the elaborate stage setup, little was used in the performance (a combustible metal flame and gas-breathing gargoyles were among the stage props tested prior to the performance which never made an appearance in the show). All the same, the general environment set up on the stage defined a remakably evil setting which may not have enhanced the music, but it did look pretty awesome. These guys were also great with the live performance of their songs, as those songs I did know came off much better live, and I left inspired to dig into Dio-era Sabbath.

Judas Priest I had the highest expectations for. Not only were they the headliners, but they're big enough that even non-metalheads know of them (the same can be true of Sabbath, but Sabbath wasn't really on tour). Despite the high expectations I was pretty blown away. From the constantly changing backdrops (reflecting the album of origin for the song being played), to the extended live versions with a few extra guitar solos, to the motorcycle on stage, it was really all anyone could want in a Judas Priest concert. The set list was also great. A few tracks from their latest album, but I like for the most part I was listening to a "best of" Judas Priest compilation. As this was my first time seeing them live, I was more than content with such a playlist, in fact I was more or less thrilled to hear most of my favorite songs in one set. I think their decision to end the normal set with Painkiller was a bad one though, it would have been a better encore piece.

But at the end of the day, was this really a showcase of metal masters? Well, all the bands on this tour have certainly paid their dues, and the performances ranged from solid to outstanding, so rest assured their mastery was prevalent and clear, but was it a $130 worth mastery? Well, that depends on the size of your pocketbook.

Pitchfork Fest Diary 2008

This past July 19th-21st weekend, COTMA correspondent Owen Marshall was in Chicago to
witness the 2008 installation of the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park. Here is his non-comprehensive and ill-informed account.

Saturday, July 19, 2008:

It was a short but noisy stroll from the Travelodge to the L stop. Someone was apparently grinding down some old rusty metal in the scaffolding above. We haven't even got on the train yet and I'm already reconsidering my decision to not bring earplugs. With two recent Dark Knight viewings under my belt, I was geeking out at the real-life rusty track girders and the old brick buildings set against those shiny black skyscrapers. I hid my nerdy southwestern provincial urge to gawk at buildings more than 80 years old. The plan was to arrive in time to hear the Fleet Foxes' vocal harmonies collide with the beginning of Dizzee Rascal's set. So far so good.

I was just starting to wonder whether we were heading in the right direction when, two stops down the way, the doors opened and let in a SEA of indie kids. It was a sight to behold. In mere moments the average train demographic became about 5 years younger, 75% whiter, and 200% beardeder. The expressions of the non festival-goers on the train confirmed my hunch that this was an unusual occurrence.

Am I the only one who is surprised at how muscular Dizzee Rascal is? My impression of the world's most famous Grime representative's physiology has always been more Flava Flav than 50 Cent but I stand corrected. His set was impressive, summoning "Oi!"s from the crowd and more than doing justice to hits like "Fix Up Look Sharp" and "Jezebel".

New Zealand duo the Ruby Suns took to the Balance stage in the tree shaded far corner of the park. Their orchestration consisted mostly of bass, electronics, and spirited drumming from frontman Ryan McPhun. Their tropical and spacy sound set a tone that would continue to resonate through the fest in likeminded acts such as High Places.


I really wanted to like Elf Power. Their Elephant Six credentials and long history should have produced something more than what they brought to the lineup: competent but unremarkable rock music. Sorry guys, I like your name though.


After grabbing some expensive and watery veggie curry and some expensive but tasty Goose Island beer. We made our way back to the Balance stage (already becoming a favorite area of the park) to see some Kenyan tropical funk...

Extra Golden was one of a couple World Musicky offerings at the fest. They brought African style jams with their large and lively band.


Animal Collective ended the day with a short but hypnotic set. New songs and drastic reworkings of older material mingled well with the familiar samples and melodies of "Fireworks" and even a brief foray into Panda Bear's "Comfy in Nautica". Their custom light and speaker setup pulsed pleasingly and when it abruptly ended at just short of 10PM people were still itching for more. Third time seeing AC live and seeing Geologist's headlamp flail around still brings a smile to my face.

After AC left the stage it was like a nightmarish reenactment of the day's earlier train event with thousands of people crowding the train platform. We took a cab.



Sunday, July 20, 2008:

Brooklyn experimentalists Dirty Projectors started the second day off with a perfect performance of their meticulously composed Black Flag tributes (as well as some older originals). Despite their vocals going out midset and their unenviable sun-facing stage position, the three part harmonies and elegant guitar arrangements impressed the heat-stroked crowd. This guy next to me was scribbling in his notebook about how the drummer wasn't very good but I adamantly disagree! The persistent drumbeat throughout "Rise Above" was the best I heard all festival.


Across the way from the Dirty Projectors, the Awesome heaviness of Boris was unfolding. Guitarist Wata's orange amp stack and the drummer's flourescent kit belied the dark awesomeness of their riffs and howls. The drummer's head-mounted microphone was also a nice touch.


After a couple hot and sunny hours at the two main stages, we decided to sit under tree by the balance stage take in the sweet sounds of High Places and HEALTH. The former brought some sample based jungle pop with plain but pretty female vocals. The latter brought scary LA noise with brutal tribal drumming. Having seen HEALTH in the confined industrial storefront of Phoenix's Trunkspace, it was refreshing to hear their din spilling out into a sun-dappled picnic atmosphere. It was nice to see that there are hundreds of people who are willing to listen to screeching feedback while sitting on blankets in a park.

The fest had a series of tents where concert poster designers were displaying their work. Next to that was a shuffleboard sponsored by Saucony shoes. I have to say, as someone who wears Sauconys, it was freaking weird to see EVERYONE wearing them. Is Chicago the Saucony capital of the world or something? On more than one occasion I was standing in line and noticed that two people around me were wearing Jazz originals. Yet another instance of the message I was receiving during the whole fest: "you are not as unique as you thought you were". That was, until I saw this t-shirt:


Which brings us to the musical highlight of the fest. The Dodos totally killed it with their tight set of kinetic folk rock. The inclusion of a third member on the xylophone did alot to expand the original palette of guitar, drums and vocals. Guitarist Meric Long's chair actually broke mid-song and he fell on his back... still playing. The drummer was crazy as usual courageously facing the sun sunglassesless with a fuzzy mustache on his face and a tambourine taped to his foot. The looped trombone interlude that preceded "Fools" was especially interesting and demonstrative of the bands talent for instrumentation. After their set, the crowd was filled with much warranted buzz over what may be remembered as the bands breakout performance.


That's all. Check back for next year's installation: maybe I'll even get press credentials next time.

Radiohead is a U2 ripoff

So I happened to read this article today on Yahoo, and apparently Radiohead is a U2 ripoff. Go figure.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/getback/338/u2-and-the-bands-who-pretend-to-be-them

Candidly Brendan Canning

You can now download Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning! Canning doesn't seem to pumped about it, but you can snap it up from the Arts & Crafts site. Here's what Canning posted to his Facebook today:

It has come to my attention that an unmastered version of my album has been leaked through the internet. With the retail release being six weeks away, I've decided to correct the situation by releasing the album digitally myself, because I can. So this is for all you early birds who just couldn't wait for July 22nd. But you know, it won't be like going to your favourite record shop and getting a copy in your hot little hands, or sitting in your basement downloading it to your iTouch phone while playing Grand Theft Auto, it merely corrects the situation that is...a messed up version of my record floating around on the internet, and this is not how I wanted my record to drop. Believe me, this is not a minor situation. We're talking recall here folks...With all of this in mind, please note: 'Something for all of us...' will be available at all fine retail and digital outlets in North America July 22nd with some additonal artwork inside and slightly later for the rest of the world.

Thank you all, please enjoy.
BC

Return to Forever @ The Paramount 6/3/2008

How do you being to grade or rate a band that is composed of masterful musicians? Any sort of criteria relating to musicianship seems irrelevant essentially, because you can't help but rate them well. Indeed, Return to Forever is one such band that is filled with those who are renowned for their mastery of their instruments, and as expected, they exemplify that mastery live.

Unfortunately, that mastery was far from appreciated during the performance. While most of the audience seemed to recognize that they were watching extremely skilled musicians perform their craft, very few audience members seemed to truly appreciate it. The difference ties to what the audience was composed of, that is, middle class, middle-aged pseudo-pretentious music fans. They knew enough to recognize the skill, but not enough to really appreciate it. Which was depressing because they clapped and screamed throughout the solos and songs, obscuring the subtleties and even annoying the performers quite a bit. This was a crowd of Rock fans at a Jazz concert, and they were sorely out of place. It certainly didn't help that so many were inebriated, but I feel these people wouldn't know class if it looked them in the eye.

Beyond the crowd though, the show was amazing. The first set was the more Fusion-oriented set, but still with the Jazz-improv that meshes the Jazz and Rock worlds in these types of bands. Technical issues plagued Chick early on, but by the start of the second song he seemed to have worked things out for the most part...although his acoustic piano was muted when he first started playing it. The first set, while great, was overshadowed by the second set, which was primarily acoustic.

The second set began with Al Di Meola's solo and it was a very nice acoustic piece leading into the opening song of the set. Chick opened the second song with the best solo of the night, without a doubt. The masterful experimentation ranging from using mallets and even his fingers to stroke the piano strings, to lovely Jazz compositions with very loose structure. It was both beautiful and almost incomprehensible, the latter likely lending to the strength of the former. Stanley's solo was the most flashy solo of the night and certainly energized the crowd. The solo was possibly the most creative of the night. While Chick's blew Stanley's away in terms of musicality, the things Stanley did with his upright were things i have never seen done before. Very interesting and unique and memorable. Lenny's solo was in the midst of the last song and was my least favorite of the night sadly, despite my drummer nature. While not bad by any means, compared to the avant-garde style employed by Chick and Stanley, Lenny's solo seemed far too accessible and simplistic for a man of his talents. There was not anything very interesting going on in it either, mostly rudiments and weirdly timed fills and, while difficult, the solo did not wow as much as his peers' did.

The encore began with Chick on the keytar involving the audience in singing along to his melodies while the rest of the band looked on. Gradually the band built into the start of something before bringing the audience back in again. After that they began the encore song. The song itself was sort of a let down after all of those solos. It felt empty as it was played without as much improv as previous pieces and was much more straightforward. While a fan favorite, they could have done more with it musically to end on a high point.

That being said, the show was amazing, period. In simple summary: amazing musicians play amazing music.

Nightwish/Sonic Syndicate @ The Ogden 5/26/2008

Sonic Syndicate was forgettable. Completely and utterly mediocre, at best. The best parts of the songs were keyboard leads...but there's no keyboardist in the band. It would also help if the band didn't sound like Killswitch Engage or, as Nick said, "These guys sound like Atreyu." Well now I've confirmed why I don't listen to Atreyu either. At the end of their set they announced it was their last song and there were a few shouts to the effect of "Thank god!"

Nightwish, however, was amazing. Normally, when you go to a show, you tend to enjoy the songs you already know well. That wasn't even the case here. The songs I knew were good, but some that I didn't know ranked among my favorites of the night. Let me get one thing out of the way now, Annette is not Tarja. Her range and operatics just do not match Tarja's at all. But if she is taken on her own and not compared to Tarja (though she performs songs Tarja originally did), she is actually not bad really. She's a more subdued voice, and has less focus in this new version of Nightwish, but it's by no means ruined by a lack of Tarja.

In fact, all five band members were, in my opinion, essential performers of the night. The keyboardist is a great player and also quite entertaining. The bassist (the other vocalist) not only provided a good stage presence, but had good, fun stage banter too. He even was well-versed enough in Colorado lore to know that Colfax (where the venue is located) is known as a street to pick up whores, and make a joke about it. The drummer has as much stage presence as most any drummer can have, about 1 in 2 songs he ended up on top of his set jumping and giving the crowd energy. The guitarist was also great fun to watch and had some great solos (especially the improvised harmonization with the keyboardist, that was awesome). Annette did a great job of not only singing but continually engaging the crowd, dancing, doing whatever she could to keep everyone entertained, and it was effective.

Also, unlike far too many bands, Nightwish does not play live like they do on CD. The songs are different, there are added sections, there are neat recordings added not from the album, and it's great. I pay far too much money listening to bands play what I already own, only with worse sound quality. Not true for this band.

Also, the band did a great job of making the show feel intimate, and they are so friendly they were still greeting fans when I left 5 minutes after they stopped playing. They were so appreciative too. Rare in bands that are well-known in their music scene.

Free Download? Cha-TING

The Ting Tings' full length We Started Nothing drops July 22, but here's a killer remix of "Great DJ" to tide you over till then!

New ScarJo, No More [Tom] Wait[s]ing

Except I'm lying about Tom's absence. Scarlett Johansson's debut album Anywhere I Lay My Head hits shelves May 20. Listen to clips right hizzere. If you have an Imeem account, you can experience it in its entirety over thizzere.


After seeing her do Just Like Honey with Jesus and Mary Chain at Coachella last year, I kind of wanted to hate this album. I'm not yet sure if I hate it, and I might even slightly like it.

What do YOU think?

Top 10 Most Annoying Singers of All Time?

This list was posted today. I have to admit adamantly disliking or at least not liking any of the artists on the list other than Lily, so it works alright for me.

I imagine some of you will hate it though ^_^

Thrice/Circa Survive/Pelican @ The Marquee 4/19/2008

Pelican was my second favorite of the night by a large margin. It's funny but I always think these Post-Rock/Metal groups are always going to be boring live and every time they blow me away. Unlike when I saw Mono, the crowd never really got into these guys, but they really were great. Like all of these sorts of bands, it took me about 5 minutes to really get into it with them, but once I was there, the whole journey was amazing. Also did a good job of moving around and getting into the music which the crowd never ended up feeding off of unfortunately. Also really friendly folks, ended up manning their own merch booth after the show and they were quite nice and enthusiastic about what they do. Every time I go see a Post-Rock/Metal band I think I should go to a sitting venue but every time I am so mistaken. These bands are amazing live.

Circa Survive was maybe on par with the last time I saw them. The music is good, and the crowd energy level was high when they came on, the crowd was jumping just seconds into their set, but they failed to harness that energy. By the end of the first song, the crowd was more subdued and just sort of nodding along. I don't know what it is, because the music is fine, but the extra hidden factor just isn't there for these guys. It's a shame because they had such a solid base to build on that i thought they would be really great.

Thrice was amazing as usual. Still nothing from Identity Crisis but a few from Illusion of Safety including Trust which was a new one for me. A lot of focus on newer songs of course, which was cool and not cool at the same time. The newest album came out Tuesday but I had not yet heard it so there were a handful of song I was completely unfamiliar with. Add to that the drunk next to me who couldn't stop ruining the show for everyone around him and we have so strong negatives. But all the same I think this was the best show of theirs I have been to. It might have just been my long hiatus from going to shows, but I really felt...cathartic...going to this show. I screamed my heart out along with the band, moved my head until my neck was stiff as a board, and through it all thoroughly enjoyed the whole show. Objectively, their set up is getting better everytime though. The whole experience continues to improve music remains amazing as ever, with some extended endings even on a few songs.