Opus Grey... little singer with a big voice. ;)



Listening to:

Todd is Godd... still.

I've made it no big mystery that one of my favorite musicians of all time is one Todd Rundgren. He's just, like, the all-around "guy" when it comes to writing, recording, producing... his career has lasted more than forty years without pretty much any help from record companies... at all.

If I tried to sit down and pick favorite albums of his, it would be next to impossible... each recording he's put out are their own "thing..." from the lightest of lighthearted to the heaviest of concepts. I would probably single out A Cappella as an absolute, can't-live-without album, though (where all the "instruments" and such are made with samples of his own voice).

It was really cool to see him taking Ric Okasek's place in the "New Cars" for a couple years... he fit that band like a glove. It was really impressive. Too bad they didn't make another album of originals, because I bet it would have been pretty spiffy.

In 2004, he released the album Liars, which was one of the angriest (and most passionate) things I'd seen him do (pointing lots of fingers at government, religion and families) in years... until Arena, which hit the shelves a couple months ago... Arena continues to grasp at the anger of Liars, but is even a little darker, definitely heavier and even more... conflicted about the world we're living in, today. And it's very cool to see him taking a "however tiny" step away all his technological experiments and put the guitar back into the arsenal as a "main" instrument... and his playing is as smooth as it's ever been (check out the chunks of bluesy love on "Bardo").

For a guy that just hit 60, he can still rock his ass off... and make you take a step back... and look at yourself... and the world around you... and think... and maybe... maybe... take a chance, and do something about what you see around you.

Listening to: Todd Rundgren - Arena (2008)

RIP, Rick Wright



Listening to:

Dear AC/DC: You Suck

So Roger and I were talking at work the other night and he started telling me about the new AC/DC album... and how he wasn't going to buy it.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because you can only get it at Wal-Mart..."

"...???"

Yeah... I know. The Eagles have done it... Journey has done it... and Garth Brooks (who?) did it, too. And AC/DC arguably hasn't been as viable as either one in about 20 years. So why would they do it? Well... I think I already answered that question. Because they haven't been commercially viable in a long time... so they sell out to Wal-Mart. My guess is that they're getting some good $$$ up front... which is all that the record company would probably care about... I'm not sure who they're trying to market their album to, but apparently, it isn't kids (which is a bad move)... Kids go to malls, not Wal Mart. So, if they wanna be cool, and have the new AC/DC album to impress all their friends, they're going to do what most kids do to get their music... they're going to steal it off the Internet.

Regardless of why they're doing it and who they think they're doing it for... it stinks like shit. When Wal Mart opened up in my city, all the cool mom & pop record stores closed up, soon after... because Wal Mart is the Devil. And AC/DC selling their soul to the Devil is just bad... They're the last remaining act of a time when rock 'n' roll was about... rock 'n' roll. And to do something like this... to limit their audience in a time when, if they want to continue to make music that's worthwhile, they need an audience... bad. So bad.

Listening to:Unified Theory - "Cinematic"

I'm so Confused...

So... lemme get this straight... Daughtry... quadruple-platinum?
There is no God.

At least Journey's Greatest Hits is still churning up numbers... 15x-platinum. That's a lotta precious metal.

Listening to: the air conditioner...

Happy Birthday, Steve




Listening to:

Bad Cliches in Rock, Part II.

Again, from our friends Dragonforce...



It just seems like the same song rehashed with equally-as-lame lyrics and guitar wankage... At around the 3:35 mark, even the singer is like, "What the fuck?"

Listening to:

UNCLE CRACKER - BUSTED

Country-funk singer/songwriter Uncle Cracker (aka Matthew Shafer) was arrested Friday, August 17th in Raleigh, North Carolina according to Billboard.com. The reason for getting pinched? A woman accused the musician of performing a violating sexual act against her, without her consent. The official charge against the singer is a second degree sex offense.

The arrest warrant posted at TMZ says that Kracker is accused of "unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did engage in a sexual act other than vaginal intercourse" with the victim "by force and against the person's will".

The "Conditions of Release and Release Order" from the court, (also posted at TMZ) says that he had told the arresting officer that he planned to skip the state, back to his native Michigan, to avoid facing the charges and that his home address is unknown and because he was a "nationally known singer with major assets at his disposal," they determined that he was "an exceptionally high flight risk" and set his bail at $5 million dollars. However, the bond was reportedly later reduced to $75,000.

I've no idea if he actually did anything like this, but... D'oh!

Listening to:

PLANT/KRAUSS CD CONFIRMED

I told ya about this a while back... like, in November of '06, maybe? But:

More than a few people in town wondered what was up when Robert Plant was spotted in recent months at the Grand Ole Opry and at the popular bluegrass club The Station Inn.

The former Led Zeppelin frontman's album with bluegrass star Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand," will be released Oct. 23 on Rounder Records, the label has announced.

Recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and produced by T Bone Burnett, the album finds the two interpreting lesser-known material from blues, R&B, country and folk songwriters including Mel Tillis, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Waits, Gene Clark, Doc Watson, Little Milton Campbell and the Everly Brothers.

There's also "Please Read the Letter," a song written by Plant and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page from their 1998 album, "Walking Into Clarksdale."

"You've got two singers that can handle a wide range of material _ storytellers. So you look for the stories," Burnett said in the release.

Krauss and Plant first sang together a few years ago at a tribute concert for blues great Leadbelly at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Supporting musicians on "Raising Sand" include guitarists Marc Ribot and Norman Blake, multi-instrumentalist Mike Seeger, drummer Jay Bellerose and bassist Dennis Crouch.

Listening to:

VAN HALEN AND DAVID LEE ROTH ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR


HISTORIC CONCERT TOUR MARKS FIRST OF ITS KIND FOR VAN HALEN IN 22 YEARS

LOS ANGELES, CA -- August 13, 2007 Beginning this September, in what promises to be the most exciting live tour this year, Van Halen will embark on a national concert tour throughout the U.S. and Canada with its original lead singer David Lee Roth for the first time in 22 years.

Considered by fans and media alike as one of the most highly anticipated tours in rock and roll history, Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen will perform with Eddie's son, Wolfgang who joins the line-up as the band's bass player. Van Halen and Roth have not performed or recorded together since 1984's classic multi-platinum album "1984" and subsequent tour, making this tour truly a historic event.

25 dates in all were announced today for the tour which is slated for a September 27th kick-off in Charlotte , North Carolina. Tickets for select dates on the tour go on sale beginning on Saturday, August 18th and are available on http://www.LiveNation.com. A complete list of confirmed dates is attached. The Van Halen tour is being produced by Live Nation. Individuals who have the Citi® / AAdvantage® card, the official credit card of the tour, will be offered access to purchase preferred seats to all U.S. shows.

Fans can enjoy the ultimate Van Halen experience including concert pre-show parties, backstage access, premium seating and more. For additional details go to http://www.iloveallaccess.com.

Fans are encouraged to also check in at http://www.van-halen.com/ or http://www.davidleeroth.com/ for additional information.

Van Halen remains one of the most important and influential bands of all time. Formed in Los Angeles in 1974, the band quickly won a loyal hometown fan base with their electrifying live shows. From the moment they released their self-titled 1978 debut album, Van Halen shook the foundations of rock, thanks largely to Roth's peerless showmanship, Eddie Van Halen's revolutionary guitar virtuosity and their songwriting abilities. It changed rock music forever.

The band's first album proved one of the biggest selling rock debuts, with key tracks like "Eruption," "Running with the Devil," "Jamie's Cryin'," "You Really Got Me" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" leading the way. The next year, the band followed up with "Van Halen II," which included the hit "Dance the Night Away."

Subsequent albums like "Women and Children First" (1980), "Fair Warning" (1981) and "Diver Down" (1982), along with worldwide touring, solidified the band's reputation for innovative and unparalleled live performances. Classic Van Halen tracks from the early 80's include "Everybody Wants Some," "Unchained", "And The Cradle Will Rock", "Beautiful Girls", "Mean Street" and "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" just to name a few.

With their sixth album, released in, and titled "1984", Van Halen rose to stratospheric heights. Recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Studios, the multi-platinum smash yielded one of Van Halen's signature hits, "Jump," which remained #1 on the Billboard charts for an astounding five weeks straight. Other hits from the album include " Panama," "Hot For Teacher" and "I'll Wait."

The band's record of achievement is hard to top. Presented with two Diamond Award RIAA Certified Status' for their albums "Van Halen" and "1984", Van Halen joins an elite short list of two time Diamond Award honorees in the history of the music industry. The Diamond Award is presented to an artist for album sales of 10 million or more units. They are also in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most #1 hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart than any other band in history.

Inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in March of this year, Van Halen has produced a treasured body of work that fans will admire for decades to come.


VAN HALEN TOUR

North American Dates

Sep. 27 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena

Sep. 29 Greensboro , NC Greensboro Coliseum

Oct. 01 Philadelphia , PA Wachovia Center

Oct. 07 Toronto , ON Air Canada Centre

Oct. 10 Cleveland , OH Quicken Loans Arena

Oct. 14 Indianapolis , IN Conseco Field House

Oct. 16 Chicago , IL Allstate Arena

Oct. 18 Chicago , IL United Center

Oct. 22 Auburn Hills , MI Palace of Auburn Hills

Oct. 24 Minneapolis , MN Target Center

Oct. 26 Kansas City , MO Sprint Center

Oct. 28 St. Louis , MO Scottrade Center

Oct. 30 Boston , MA TD Banknorth Garden

Nov. 03 E. Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena

Nov. 13 New York , NY Madison Square Garden

Nov. 20 Los Angeles , CA Staples Center

Nov. 23 Glendale , AZ Jobing.Com Arena

Nov. 25 San Diego , CA Cox Arena

Nov. 27 Sacramento , CA Arco Arena

Nov. 29 San Jose , CA HP Pavilion at San Jose

Dec. 01 Portland , OR Rose Garden

Dec. 03 Seattle , WA Key Arena

Dec. 05 Vancouver , BC General Motors Place

Dec. 09 Edmonton , AB Rexall Place

Dec. 11 Calgary , AB Pengrowth Saddledome


Listening to:

R. Kelly - As Big a Douche as Kanye West?

The 'I Believe I Can Fly' warbler said: "My greatest competition is, well, me . . . I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today.

"I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now," reports Hip-Hop Soul Magazine.

R Kelly is due in court this summer over child porn allegations.

If ego was gold, Kanye and R. Kelly would own the world (along with Rickey Henderson).

Listening to:

Clarkson Guitar Steals Show at Dimebag Tribute

Pop star Kelly Clarkson's artistic skills paid off at an auction in Hollywood on Thursday night (May 17th) when a guitar she painted to raise cash for a children's charity raised $3,000. The "Breakaway" singer decorated an axe and turned the instrument into the auction's highlight - beating out bids for guitars designed by rockers Dave Navarro and Rob Zombie. But there was a very special reason behind Clarkson's offer to help raise cash for the Little Kids Rock charity - the auction was held as part of a House of Blues tribute to late rocker `Dimebag' Darrell Abbott. The pop star is a longtime fan of Abbott's bands Pantera and Damageplan, and once waited on the tragic guitarist when she worked in a restaurant he frequented. Clarkson wasn't able to make it to the tribute concert, which featured stars like Navarro, Anthrax's Scott Ian and Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Abbott was shot dead by a crazed fan during a show in Ohio in December, 2004. Thursday was a very special day for Abbott's family - before the concert, the guitarist was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk on Sunset Boulevard.

Listening to:

Roth/Van Halen Tour on Hold

I was wondering why the recent David Lee Roth reunion with Van Halen and the accompanying tour was postponed a couple weeks ago... Another hip surgery? Maybe fed up with Dave, again (already)? Rehab, maybe? Sure enough...

I would like Van Halen fans to know how much I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Without you there is no Van Halen.
I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best. That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110% that I feel I owe you and want to give you.
Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not. As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better. I want you to know that is exactly what I'm doing, so that I may continue to give you the very best I am capable of.
I look forward to seeing you in the future better than ever and I thank you with all my heart.

Love,
Ed

Word has it that Roth and Alex Van Halen will skip the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony out of respect for Eddie... Velvet Revolver will be performing songs at the ceremony... which will leave Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar (neither of whom are in Van Halen) to represent Van Halen...


Listening to:

I was flipping through the channels... something I do... and I came across this Stone Sour video ("Through Glass," I believe)... these guys are all, like, getting down... to a song... that does so not get down... You'd have thought they were jamming to "Master of Puppets," or something... I muted the tv... watched for a few seconds... "Damn... they're rockin' out..." unmute... "Hey, this song is pretty fuckin' wimpy for them to be bangin' like that... who do they think they are, Nickelback?" I'm not sure who told them that they looked cool throttling to a lame-ass cheeseball song like that... but my advice is for the next video, either pick a song that actually rocks, or tone down the theatrics a wee tad.

The next video was actually rather good, though... Alison Krauss and Jon Waite doing a remake of "Missing You." Not as good as the original... but better than that Stone Sour shit, anyway. Corey Taylor needs to go back to Slipknot and pretend to rock there, instead... at least people won't have to look at his ugly mug, anyway.

Listening to:

So... I hear this rumor that one of my all-time favorite bands ever, the Police,are going to open up the Grammys this year... the rumor also is that they're gearing up for a 30th anniversary reunion tour thing... All I can say is that I hope it's more than a rumor... 'cause there's been enough rumors about a Police reunion over the years, already.

On a related note, I recently got a really cool Police DVD - Everyone Stares. Stewart Copeland bought a super 8mm camera early on with the Police and basically proceeded to film all kinds of crazy shit... What resulted was this DVD - which actually paints the Police in a very positive light... considering how they used to fight like cats and dogs (which, seriously, they did out of a deep admiration and respect for one another), I was expecting at least a little smack talk... but there was none... just a really cool piece on the rise of one of the coolest post-punk bands, ever.

Listening to:

I hate the way the the audio doesn't always sync right on YouTube shit...

Dude! WTF happened to your hair?!? Can't hardly recognize ya with the short and dark stuff!

Y' still sound good after all these years, though.

(note: a Les Paul shouldn't sound like an Ibanez...)

Thank God

At 12:01am, tonight, the Christmas music ceased... I was so relieved...

Listening to: Chris Whitley - "Dust Radio"