NEW LINKS ADDED

Have added a couple links on the left:
Allegro Music Online
a link for the band Mindchaser
and a new section of "article links" - just some stuff other than the Flavors colums to read...
It has been a bit of a slow for posts... I think it's the cold-assed air seeping into my finger bones, slowing them to a crawl... well, hell... that can't be... I've been playing guitar at a pace that compares to my "high school hibernation" days, so... hmm... well, regardless, I'll try to pick up the pace a little in December.
In the meantime, thank you for stopping by. I hope you find it worth the visit...

Flavors Volume IV (Reprint - originally published September, 2002)

Firstoff, thanks to those of you for the positive email (AND the minor correction) since I started doing this... it seems you don't mind, and a few of you are apparently hungry for something else to listen to besides, well, whatever it is you're listening to. With that said, thanks for reading, and on with the show...

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Soilwork - "Natural Born Chaos" (2002, Nuclear Blast America, Inc.)
Okay, so the last Dream Theater CD thing really, really, really, really, really, really, really blew... donkeys... Instead of "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" (a 2CD, wish-they-were-Queensryche attempt at a concept album (which they CLAIM is heavily influenced by TooL, and fellas, I'm just not hearing it)), they could have called it "Six Degrees of Warm Ass" and it would have been a little more accurate. (NOTE: I'm really not meaning to be such a hardass to Dream Theater. I mean, I'm sure that one of their other CDs will make its way into my CD player, and into a future list like this, but honestly, without trying to sound like a critic or something, their recent CD has rendered me unable to listen to them at all for a while...) Anyhow, I've had go elsewhere for my progressive fix (if you could call it that). A former (and hopefully oneday again) co-worker lent me a CD from a band called Spiral Architect that turned out to be very cool, indeed (and yeah, I'm gonna have to return it, one of these days), but that was many moon ago, and I was needing something new... Enter Soilwork. Well, hmmm... if you only like Dream Theater for the singer (which I only know one person on the planet who does), you will probably hate this CD, but if you like Dream Theater for the (older, anyway) music, you stand to like this CD quite a bit... It has a bit of a "more edgy than Dream Theater" sound, and the singer sounds a whole heck of a lot like the former singer of the band Vai, Devin Townsend (who, speak of the devil, produced the album (and also appears as a guest on two songs)), nearly diametrically opposed to Dream Theater's more "girlieman," James LaBrie... I'm still trying to figure out if they're German or Swedish (like Spiral Architect), but apparently, this is thier fifth full-length CD since '98... zowie, and jinkees, even. A really cool album front to back, I think, and if you're looking for something in the Spiral Architect/In Flames/Arch Enemy Swedish-prog sound but with a little bit of a twist, then Soilwork just might be up your alley... a note to them, though (in case they're reading, of course - heh) - we can probably do without the little cutesy trying-to-sound-cooler-than-you job descriptions like "Verbal Terrorist," "Percussive Destruction," and "Groove Generator" in place of vocals, drums, and bass, respectively. That hasn't been all that tricky (or even cutesy) since Zappa listed Steve Vai under "Stunt Guitarist" or "Strat Abuse" (there's another funny one, too, but it eludes me). PICK TRACKS: 1.)"Follow the Hollow," 2.) "As We Speak" (can be seen on M2 and MMUSA), 3.) "The Flameout," and 7.) "Black Star Deceiver."

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36 Crazyfists - "Bitterness the Star" (2002, Roadrunner)
Yet another band I found with a little help from antipopvideos- very well put together music... The singer has this unique, "shaky voice" thing going on that I'm not sure if I like or just find novel... nonetheless, they're pretty cool. They ring a little reminiscent of deftones and Glassjaw (whose "Worship and Tribute" I talked about recently, and still can't seem to get out of my player for too long a stretch...) and with any luck, this Alaska-based quartet (yeah, I know... Alaska) should be due some spotlight in the future. PICK TRACKS: 1.)"Turns to Ashes," 3.)"An Agreement Called Forever," 5.)"Slit Wrist Theory," 7.)"Dislocate," and 9.)"Chalk White."

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Sex Pistols - "Nevermind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" (1977, Warner Bros.)
Whether you love or hate John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten), you can give these guys credit for helping to breed a culture that would go on to spawn bands like the Cult, Circle Jerks, the Police, Joy Division, Adam Ant, Husker Du, Odd Man Out, Bad Religion, the Cure and COUNTLESS other bands. Okay, the Sex Pistols weren't exactly a bunch of musical geniuses (or is that genii?) or anything, but Lydon's tongue was so sharp that, that... well, he continues to piss a lot of people off every day, if at all possible. (bring back RottenTV) PICK TRACKS: 1.)"Holidays in the Sun," 2.)"Bodies," 6.)"God Save the Queen," 8.)"Anarchy in the U.K.," 10.)"Pretty Vacant," and 11.)"New York."

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Dead Kennedys - "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" - (1980, 2002, Cleopatra)
Speaking of sharp tongues, meet Jello Biafra and little bunch of merry men, lovingly referred to as Dead Kennedys... "Fresh Fruit..." is considered by many to be one of the (if not THE) first "hardcore" album, ever... The longest song checks in at a whopping 3:03, while there are a half a dozen songs that do NOT break the two-minute barrier. If you've never heard DK and you're a member of the Republican party, you might not wanna listen to it too closely (or maybe those to the right of center should listen even closer)... ;) PICK TRACKS: 3.)"When Ya Get Drafted," 4.)"Let's Lynch the Landlord," 7.)"Chemical Warfare," 8.)"California Uber Alles," 13.)"Holiday in Cambodia," and 14.)"Viva Las Vegas."

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Engine - "Engine" (1999, Metal Blade)
A friend of mine and I started a band back in the late '80s (that shared it's name with a big-deal action movie that's currently in the theaters) and we were all really into Fates Warning at the time (which, speaking of, is where Dream Theater singer James LaBrie got a big break, singing backing vocals on a couple of their albums (a la Don Dokken with the Scorpions)). Fates singer Ray Alder joined with (former Armored Saint, current Fates Warning, and repotedly soon-to-be Metallica bassist) Joey Vera and ex Agent Steel guitarist Bernie Versailles for a little side project called Engine. It's definitely NOT Fates Warning... it's a bit more straight-ahead than the godfathers of progressive metal... more tangible and accessible. I guess they have two other releases out, now, but this is their 1999 debut and it's pretty wicked. PICK TRACKS: 1.)"Monster," 3.)"Falling Star," 4.)"Taste," 6.)"Teach Me," and 7.)"Bear Your Cross."

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The Cult - "Ceremony" (1991, Beggars Banquet)
A lot of people didn't seem to take to this offering from the Cult, but I have always thought it was quite a good listen, actually. Sure, it's not "Sonic Temple," but it's full of some more of that full-on arena-rock guitar of Billy Duffy guitar and new Doors (his new "side project" - heheh) frontman Ian Astbury's one-of-a-kind vocal dominance... PICK TRACKS: 1.)"Ceremony," 2.)"Wild Hearted Son," 3.)"Earth Mofo," and 7.)"Heart of Soul."

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Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays - "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" (1980, ECM/PolyGram Recordings)
When I was quite young (well, 10 or 11, anyway), my brother came home with this on vinyl, and I would have to say it didn't leave the turntable for at least a month... This album had a whole lot to do with me ever wanting to play guitar in the first place (alongside Rush's "Exit Stage Left" and "Van Halen II" - well, I'm leaving other stuff out, but those three albums really and truly sold me). I seriously doubt that you'll be able to walk in ANY record store within about 100 miles of here and find this CD (Media Play on West Broad in Columbus had it last time I was there), but there's always Artist Direct - they usually have preview clips from all kinds of albums, and links to where you can go buy it online right this very second... so... jazz/fusion guitar buffs, what ARE you waiting for? PICK TRACKS: well, there's only five songs on the album... and they're all good... besides the title track (an all-time Metheny fave), another pick (all-time, as well) is "September Fifteenth," dedicated to the memory of jazz pianist extraordinaire Bill Evans (Sept. 15 was the date of his passing, which fell in the middle of the recording of this album).

Flavors Volume III (Reprint - originally published August, 2002)

Yo yo yo! Let me speak on this! Horale!!! Arriba la rasa!!! errr... forget it... Greetings, music lovers... Let's have a look at some of what's been in muh CD player, lately... (Basically, you know that this pretty much involves looking at the stack of CDs sitting right there [points to ] and then telling you about some of what's in it... well, no one said it was rocket science.)

***
Nickel Creek - "This Side" (August 13, 2002, Sugar Hill)
They've never really been "bluegrass" like Flatt & Scruggs or Bill Monroe, or not really even "newgrass" like their produer (and one of my mostest favoritest female vocalists) Alison Krauss' band, Union Station... Maybe just call it "what three kids from Southen California (the home of bluegrass, of course - heheheh) do when they get together..." Their first CD was a little more straightforward, while this one takes a lot of twists and turns along the way, exploring lots of pop and, dare I say, some cool multimeter jazzy sounds (the opening instrumental has this really cool thing going on, a la Zappa and the Mothers with violinist Jean Luc Ponty) here and there... No, they don't sound anything like the Mothers... or even the Dregs... just kinda neat. They've grown quite a bit. PICK TRACKS: 1.) "Smoothie Song," 5.) "I Should've Known Better," 8.) "Seven Wonders," 10.) the ultra-cool "Beauty and the Mess," and 11.) "Sabra Girl."
NOTE: ALL of these songs (save the opening instrumental track) mentioned feature violinist/hottie Sara Watkins singing lead vocals, as opposed to one of the other two goober A&F model wannabe guys in the band - okay, I'm just teasing, one of them is her big brother and he and the other guy are pretty wicked musicians that I would work with in a drop of a hat, but I'm totally sold on a Sara Watkins solo career whenever she's up for it (and if I can ever get rid of whatever the hell is plaguing my hands, taking away the ability to even HOLD a guitar without wanting to scream, much less play one, I'll sign up to be in that band)... her voice is awesome (like Natalie Wheeler of the Sundays awesome)...

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: My hands seem to be doing much better, now...]
***
Sinch - "Sinch" (2002, Roadrunner)
Sheesh... With as many Roadrunner bands as I've talked about recently, you'd think I worked for them... I think that Roadrunner has just been really lucky recently in the recruiting department, leaving Fred Durst to sign and create all these "supposed immediate megastar junkie" bands like Staind and Puddle of Mudd that just aren't all that great under the surface (like after you've heard the CD twice, yer done), while meanwhile, all the good stuff is gravitating to Roadrunner... ;) Sinch is one of these bands... Good stuff... A singer that can actually sing (and he's not afraid to lay it on the line apparently, either - in one song he tells whomever, "It's all your fault, so feel guilty...") and a really neat new "instrument" called the Ocular Noise Machine (designed by bandmember Jay Smith: links to it can be found at the band's website - http://sinch.net -), they explore everything from radio rock to full on TooL-esque hypno-prog, making for something good to listen to when you're looking for... well, something good to listen to... Diverse, dark, and original (is that "critic-speak?" 'cause I sure as HELL am not a music critic - unless it's mine, in which case, I'm a tremendous music critic)... PICK TRACKS: 1.) "To Die in Fall" (now, I SWEAR they rip-off the whole opening lick and echoey premise from some goofy movie I saw where this nobody LA band-guy stands on his balcony and plays this riff, and some rockstar-guy down in the valley below him answers with this metalled-out version of the lick - damn... maybe called "Sunset Strip" or something like that? Damn... anyhow) 2.) "433 (Hypothetical Situation)," 4.) "Something More" (cool video), 6.) "The Arctic Ocean," 7.) "Seven" (woah, nifty), and 9.) "The Silent Acquiensence of Millions."

***
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Coil" (1997, Columbia)
When I played with Spagetty in '95, I drew a lot of comparison and inspiration from the Toad, in an effort to work with a little more experimantal (in a non-jazz sense, anyway) side of me than I had been used to dealing with in the other bands I had been lucky enough to play with up to then. Looking back I think it was, if not altogether fair, at least an accurate comparison on a few different levels. The things we were trying to do, they were there, doing them... I think they have called it quits - at least on a hiatus, seeing as Toad frontman Glen Phillips just got off the road recently with (speak o' the devil) Nickel Creek. They didn't seem to get quite the credit due them when they were together other than from the college music scene, yet they were way beyond a simple "college music" band... but in any group of people (well, above the age of 25, anyway), there's bound to be a Toad the Wet Sprocket fan. PICK TRACKS: 1.) "Whatever I Fear," 2.) "Come Down," 4.) "Damn Would Break," 9.) "Amnesia," and 10.) "Little Buddha."

***
David Bowie - "Bowie at the Beeb (Limited Edition 3 CD Set)" (2000, Virgin)
Okay, the first two discs in this LE set cover the original BBC sessions from '68-'72, and it's pretty awesome... sounds great... but it's the 3rd disc in the set that is the treasure of the collection - a show for selected members of the fanclub at the London BBC Theatre, June 27, 2000 - and quite frankly, it might be the best you EVER hear David Bowie sound, live or otherwise... PICK TRACKS: Well, no fair... It's all good, but there are some GREAT versions of "Wild is the Wind," the rarely-performed "This is Not America" (from the really cool Sean Penn movie "The Falcon and the Snowman"), "Man Who Sold the World," and two really cool takes on "Fame," and "Let's Dance" (granted, no SRV on "Let's Dance," but there IS Bowie vet Earl Slick, so that's pretty cool...) and he does a couple Tin Machine songs, too... Again, a friggin' masterpiece of live music...

***
Blind Melon - "Soup" (1995, Capitol)
Those of you who judged Blind Melon for "No Rain..." well, you're missing it. Far and away the worst song they ever recorded... I played "I Wonder" from the CD that contained "the dreaded bee grrl song," and "Mouthful of Cavaties" (from "Soup")a lot during my radio shifts... was actually pretty surprised by how many requests would come in for "No Rain" (pretty much exclusively women), but I always managed to sneak a good one in here and there. If you would be asking me, I would say that "Soup" was their best CD... PICK TRACKS: 1.) "Galaxie," 4.) "Skinned" (a song about Chicagoland serial killer Ed Gein), 5.) "Toes Across the Floor," 11.) "St. Andrew's Fall," and 13.) "Mouthful of Cavaties" (everytime I listen to it, I get chills from the irony).
Shannon Hoon is gone, now, and we'll never hear a new Blind Melon song, again... A couple of the remaining members (Chris Thorn and Brad Smith) joned up with Edie Brickell/Pearl Jam/studio hepcat Dave Krusen and formed a band called Unified Theory (which also got played quite a bit on the old station). They opened for Live in 2000... I don't know if they are still together anymore, or not. The band's webpage - http://www.unifiedtheorymusic.com/ - has been down for a couple months, anyway. The music has a definite Melon twinge, but it's different and DEFINITELY worth checking out if you liked Blind Melon...

***
Day 9 - "Madman" (2001)
Okay, so they're broken up... so are most bands in Portsmouth, now... was still a pretty good little thing they had going... I did an interview with Brandon and Avery the day they announced its availability about a year ago exactly, and I've always popped the CD in here and there and given it a listen... Seemed they took a little exception to my referencing of the Bush and Nickleback in their singer's sound during a commercial break, as if it implied something bad (which of course, it didn't), and it would figure that my two favorite songs on the CD actually featured the guitarist (Brandon) on lead vocals... totally unrelated to anything, I just liked those songs the best, but I figured that always made for more people thinking I didn't like the singer's voice or something... which was totally untrue... sons of silly people you are... but I hope whoever's left in the now defunct band put something else together and get back at it, soon... Also worth noting is that it was recorded by a really good guy, Jason McGoron, with whom I spent many a late night sitting about five feet away from where I am right now trying to figure out all the great delvings of mystical craziness that is the guitar... I think we eventually made some headway at one point, but gave it back - heheh...

***
Well, anyhow, that's a sample of what's been in my player the past few... not quite as heavy as in weeks past, but you'll have that every now and then...

Can you dig it, suckaaaaaaaaaa?!?!?
-tony-

"Flavors" Volume II (Reprint - originally published August, 2002)

...

***Glassjaw - "Worship and Tribute" (2002 Warner Bros.)
I found some demos from them on the net back about a year ago while searching for info on deftones... Not quite as heavy as deftones, although it has its moments, but it is very listenable and, b'gosh, even enjoyable... The CD has THREE videos on it (yes I said THREE) and they have a pretty incredible website, too - have Flash before you go there or you're S.O.L. - glassjaw.com PICK TRACKS - 1.) "Tip Your Bartender," 3.) "Cosmopolitan Bloodloss," 4.) "Ape Dos Mil" (KILLER track), and 5.) "Pink Roses"

***TRUSTcompany - "The Lonely Position of Neutral" (July 2002, Geffen)
That same search for deftones info also gave me a name of another band... They were called "41 Down." A little further digging led to the revelation that they were friends of Chino (deftones) and Maynard (TooL). Turns out they helped this band do some demo work (possibly when Maynard was helping deftones with their White Pony CD?). Well, lo and behold, a few months later the band changes their name to TRUSTcompany and get a HUGE break by having their single "Downfall" featured as the "theme song" for WWE's "Vengeance" pay-per-view - BEFORE the CD was even released... must be nice to get that kind of a push, huh? Also worthy of note is a bonus MP3 remix of "Hover" featuring Paz Lechantin (A Perfect Circle) and Ana Lechantin, mixed at A Perfect Circle Studios... 41down.com PICK TRACKS - 1.) "Downfall," 2.) "Falling Apart," 3.) "Hover" (the retooling of the demo that Maynard and Chino did with them)...

***The Apex Theory - "Topsy Turvy" (2002, Dreamworks)
If you like Incubus, well, then you stand to like The Apex Theory better... period... (I think this is one of those Dreamworks CDs that WON'T play in a Macintosh computer, in some whacked-out effort to try to stop piracy...) PICK TRACKS: 2.) "Mucus Shifters," 4.) "Shhh... (Hope Diggy)," and 6.) "Bullshed." theapextheory.com

***The Police - "Message in a Box" Boxed Set (1993, A&M Records)
Okay. I've owned all the Police studio stuff on vinyl, cassette, and CD over the years... still have my "Roxanne" 45 in my closet, even... A friend gave me the boxed set over the weekend, which was... umm... hella cool of them (heheh)... The 4CDs cover everything the Police ever released, albums, b-sides, leftovers, movie pieces, and otherwise... A great piece of nostalgia from three crazy-good musicians and friends that liked each other so much, the wanted to pound the crud out of each other daily (oddly enough, I'm being totally serious). Sting hasn't done anything that's touched the Police stuff, since (yeah yeah yeah... "Ten Summoner's Tales" was a pretty good CD, but c'mon... the guy needs to have doorways widened nowadays so he can fit his swollen head through)... PICK TRACKS: well, there's about... seventy-eight of them...I really like the old stuff for totally different reasons than I like the later stuff.

***Todd Rundgren - "Initiation" (1975, Bearsville/Warner)
At least at one point in time, it held the Guiness Book... record as the longest single-vinyl album (67:38), including a second side that is considered all one 36 minute song... really cool stuff from a really cool guy from Philly... PICK TRACKS: 4.) "Eastern Intrigue," 5.) "Initiation," 6.) "Fair Warning," and 7.) "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" (the aforementioned 36 minute bit).

***Pete Townshend
"coolwalkingsmoothtalkingstraightsmokingfirestoking (the very best of...)" (1996, Atlantic)
Pete's had a pretty lucrative solo career outside his journey with the Who... This CD pretty much covers the creme de la creme... PICK TRACKS - 1.) Rough Boys," 4.) "Give Blood" (featuring David Gilmour (guitar), Pino Palladino (bass) and Simon Phillips (drums)), 10.) "Slit Skirts," and 13,) "Face the Face."

"Flavors" Volume I (Reprint - originally published in July, 2002)

...
***THIS WEEK'S FLAVORS***

OTEP - "Sevas Tra" (Capitol, June, 2002)
Okay, Otep Shamaya makes Lita Ford or Doro Pesch sound like Debbie Gibson (notice I didn't say "look" - because frankly, Doro and Lita were pretty hot for metal grrls)... She's whiny like Chino Moreno (deftones), and then can growl better than Phil Anselmo... well, okay, almost... Current fave tracks - 1.)"Tortured" and 5.)"Sacrilege"

Five Pointe O - "Untitled" (2002, Roadrunner)
Yes, the title of the album is really "Untitled." More heavy goodness for your soul. A couple cool points... 1.) A grrl guitar player (and she effin' gets down in the video I saw)... 2.) a keyboard player... which kinda reminds me of Faith No More in small parts (but nothing closely resembling Mushroomhead or the like)... but not a lot of "singing," a lot of wailing and growling that has seemed to become more and more popular... the only guy that used to come close to the intensity of Phil Anselmo's shredding of vocal chords for a long time was FNM frontman Mike Patton (whose new band, Tomahawk, will be opening for TooL at the Huntington Civic Center on August 12)... PICK TRACK: 1.) "Double X minus" (whose opening scream sounds like he's telling you what he had for lunch - I swear he says, "Sub Gum Kung Pao!!!" ) sets the tone for the rest of the album rather nicely...

Killswitch Engage - "Alive or Just Breathing" (2002, Roadrunner)
Again, more morsels of metal (I hate that word) to help soothe you after a long day of courteous politeness... Again, more frantic shrieks of agony and disenchantment... but this guy actually has a pretty wicked singing voice, as well... bonus... PICK TRACKS: 4.) "My Last Serenade" and 5.) "Life to Lifeless"

"Music from the Motion Picture 'MAGNOLIA'" - Songs by Aimee Mann (1999, Warner/Reprise)
Yep, that's right, the girl with the spiky white hair and the rat tail thingie that was getting smacked around and raped by her mafia-capo-lookin' boyfriend in Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" video back in the early days of that M Channel - she married Sean Penn's brother (musician Michael, not "possible clone" Chris) and went on and did other stuff... Like, write songs for this movie... (how adept of you, Tony)... Call it folky, call it poppy, call it good... PICK TRACKS: 1.) "One," (a remake of the Three Dog Night Song) 3.) "Build That Wall," 8.) "Wise Up," and 9.) "Save Me" (best song on the album)... Also featured on it are two songs from Supertramp, "Goodbye Stranger," and "Logical Song" (both of which are begging for a punk/heavy/ska update - are you listening
Matt Edwards? heheh)

John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme" (1964, reissued 2001)
Okay, if you'eve ever liked jazz music in your life, you should have heard this album by now... John Coltrane was one of the best jazz musicians, let alone saxomophone players that ever walked this planet... Joined by legendary pianist McCoy Tyner and equally as virtuous drummer Elvin Jones, this album is, simply put, a four song jazz masterpiece...

(from Jack LV Isles, All Music Guide - found online here )
"...'Acknowledgement' is the awakening of sorts... which yields to the second act, 'Resolution,' an amazingly beautiful piece about the fury of dedication to a new path of understanding. 'Pursuance' is a search for that understanding, and 'Psalm' is the enlightenment..."

Milkface - "Dirt in the Drinks" (1997)
Okay... This is my first bit of "local" flavor... and it's only technically even really local... it's one of my bestest friends in the whole friggin world's old band... "He" is Duncan Chaboudy and though while he's from here originally, the band was from Asheville, N.C. They were wicked beyond belief... Instrumental rock three piece, not like Karma to Burn or anything... definitely it's own thing... This was their first EP from the early days... They are since defunct, but it was good when it was there... I think you may be able to find some stuff still listed on MP3.com... but if not, I can always come off with a copy of it for ya along with some unreleased stuff of theirs...

HONORABLE MENTION: I wanted to talk about the Who's latest, the 2cd (+limited edition bonus CD) "Ultimate Collection" (I have been a pretty regular listener of the Who and Pete Townshend for what seems like several thousands of years), but I'm still in a bit of a funk over the untimely passing of bassist John Entwhistle... I respect Roger and Pete for wanting to continue the tour and stuff, and they even got one of THE MOST WICKED bass players EVER to join, Pino Palladino (most noteably of post-Waters Pink Floyd and David Gilmour solo project fame, among numerous others), alongside Zach "Don't Call Me Ringo's Son" Starkey omn drums, but still... I dunno... is it really still the Who? Was it even after Keith Moon died? hrmph...

Finally, in the "who else is gonna cash in on a reunion tour" department... It seems that the remaining living Doors could wait no longer to make some money off their legacy, and recruited none other than Cult head honcho Ian Astbury to join... An awesome choice, if I do say so, myself... and I just did... At least they didn't try to get Val Kilmer or something... heheh

Welp, until next time this is me saying, "Have a take... and don't suck..."
-tonus-

Flavors, Volume VII

Greetings. It's time to take another look into the CD vault and see what I've been listening to, lately. Maybe you've heard all of it of it, or maybe only some of it. Those of you that have heard none of it should do yourselves a favor and go find whatever grabs your attention:

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Sevendust - �Animosity� (2001, TVT)
1999's �Home� was SO good front to back, I couldn't wait for this CD to be released, and I was rewarded greatly for my patience. Sevendust has a great guitar crunch, and singer LaJon Witherspoon, is capable of some really great melody, know's when to throw it in overdrive (a very distinct �signature wail�), and can hold back when the time is right for some great dynamics... Worthy of note also is executive producer Jay Jay French... yeah, from Twisted Sister... crazy, huh? PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Tits on a Boar,� 3.) �Trust,� 4.) �Crucified,� 5.) �Xmas Day,� 7.) �Shine,� 8.) �Follow,� and 10.) �Live Again.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Coal Chamber, Godsmack, Faith No More, Nothingface. sevendust.com

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Tori Amos - �Scarlet's Walk� (2002, Epic)
There have been a few credible imitations pop up, recently (such as Vanessa Carlton), and a few less-than-good imitations, as well (such as Fiona �where did she go� Apple - she must have turned sideways and disappeared), but there's no one quite like Tori. Whether you just put her in front of a piano and turn her loose, or back her with an electric band, she fits in well, either way... My favorite stuff of hers is probably the earliest stuff, but she always proves with each release that she still very much belongs... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Amber Waves,� 2.) �A Sorta Fairytale,� 5.) �Carbon,� 6.) �Crazy,� 9.) �Sweet Sangria,� 11.) �Pancake,� 14.) �Taxi Ride,� 17.) �Virginia,� and 18.) �Gold Dust� (yup, that's right, eighteen tracks). toriamos.com

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Nirvana - �In Utero� (1993, Geffen)
Maybe I'm not the biggest Nirvana fan, although I did a rather twisted cover of �Smells Like Teen Spirit� a couple months before it broke crazy on Mtv (incidentally, the following track on that group of 30+ demos I did was the equally demented �Ode to Marky Mark (featuring Vinny Barbarino)�), but there is no denying the impact they had, along with a half dozen other bands, on helping to rebuild the rock and roll world as we know it. One has to wonder what music would be like now, had Kurt Cobain not killed himself in 1994 (well, if that's what you believe happened, anyway). PICK TRACKS: 2.) �Scentless Apprentice,� 3.) �Heart-Shaped Box,� 4.) �Rape Me,� 9.) �Pennyroyal Tea,� and 12.) �All Apologies.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: The Jesus Lizard, Firehose, the Descendants, Superchunk, Tad.

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Taproot - �Welcome� (2002, Atlantic)
If I hear another person call Taproot a �rap-rock� band, or even a �former rap-rock� band, I'm gonna hurl. They had two songs, WAY back on an old independent release, that almost had some rap-rock trappings... almost... but anyhow, Taproot will flat out absolutely rock various portions of your anatomy off, and some of the coolest use of vocal harmony since Alice in Chains... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Mine,� 2.) �Poem,� 4.) �Art,� 5.) �Myself,� 10.) �Like,� 11.) �Dreams,� and 12.) �Time.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Alice in Chains, maybe a little Incubus, too, but for the most part, they are VERY original. taprootmusic.com

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A Perfect Circle - �Mer de Noms� (2000, Virgin America)
A different look at Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, and a legitimate masterpiece of modern rock. Here's something you might not have known about this album: there have only been four western rock bands' albums ever officially approved for release (by the government) in China... EVER... In 1997, they approved Guns 'n' Roses' �Use Your Illusion I & II� (1991) and Nirvana's �MTV Unplugged� (1994). In 2000, �Mer de Noms� (French for �Sea of Names�) joined that very elite list. PICK TRACKS: 1.) �The Hollow,� 2.) �Magdelena,� 4.) �Judith,� 5.) �Orestes,� 6.) �3 Libras,� and 8.) �Thomas.� aperfectcircle.com

NOTE: New CDs in China sell for about $9.00 US...

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Chris Robinson - �New Earth Mud� (Redline, 2002)
The semi-official word is that the Black Crowes have gone on an �extended hiatus� for the next few, maybe five, years... in the meantime, Robinson brother Chris has written a CD loaded with earthy goodness. Robinson has said that this doesn't sound like a Crowes album - that is, no crunchy guitars, not much on the �upbeat� side, but who does he think he's kidding? Just because he's writing his own music and not just words to his brother's stuff - I mean, he's Chris Robinson for crying out loud. I'll put it like this: if you like when the Crowes slow it down, like in �She Talks to Angels,� �Bad Luck Blue Eyes, Goodbye,� and such - well, �New Earth Mud� is a whole lotta that (with the lone exception being track 10, a very Sly Stone influenced �Ride�). In other words, it's mellow, moody, and excellent... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Safe in the Arms of Love,� 2.) �Silver Car,� 5.) �Untangle My Mind,� 8.) �Barefoot by the Cherry Tree,� 10.) �Ride,� and 12.) �She's on Her Way.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Pink Floyd. newearthmud.com

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Mr. Bungle - �Mr. Bungle� (1991, Warner Brothers)
A common misconception is that Mr. Bungle was/is a side project of Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, but he was actually in Mr. Bungle long before he joined FNM. Incorporating super-super crunchy guitars, complex arrangements, and, of course, Mike Patton (not to mention the freaky undertones and select tidbits of dialogue from David Lynch's �Blue Velvet�) - Mr. Bungle might share a few similarities with FNM, but it is definitely its own entity - heavy metal meets the Ringling Brothers' circus. Super-dark, super-twisted, super - just plain super... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Travolta� (changed to �Quote Unquote�), 3.) �Squeeze Me Macaroni,� 4.) �Carousel,� 5.) �Egg,� 7.) �My Ass is On Fire,� 8.) �The Girls of Porn,� and 9.) �Love is a Fist.� mrbungle.com (in development)

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Chevelle - �Wonder What's Next� (2002, Sony)
Three brothers (Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler) from Chicago that can get down... They got hooked up with producer Steve Albini (Nirvana) in 1999 and released �Point #1� comeplete with really cool �backwards packaging.� This most recent release celebrates a jump to a major label as well as establishes new relationships with engineer Andy Wallace (Faith No More, Blind Melon, Helmet, Disturbed, Korn, etc.) and producer GG Garth (Kittie, Puya). PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Family System,� 2.) �Comfortable Liar,� 3.) �Send the Pain Below,� 5.) �The Red,� and 6.) �Wonder What's Next.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Helmet, Tool, Nirvana. chevelleinc.com

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Duncan Sheik - �Daylight� (2002, Atlantic)
Singer/songwriter/ivy-leaguer Duncan Sheik got his start playing with Lisa Loeb while attending Brown University, but had a desire for a solo career. Enter '80s super-producer Rupert Hine (The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Howard Jones, Rush, etc.) and the result was a critically acclaimed eponymous debut CD in 1996. He has delved into orchestration and has a musical set to debut in 2003 as well, but in between all that other musical stuff, he's finding time to release rock records (well, pop-rock records, anyway), too... Sheik has also recently appeared on several songs on �Fast� from the enigma known as Custom (aka Duane Lavold). PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Genius,� 2.) �Half-life,� 6.) �On a High,� and 7.) �Memories.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Jeff Buckley, Van Morrison, the better sides of John Mayer. duncansheik.com

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As always, thanks to all the great people at Sam Goody of New Boston, Allegro Music of Portsmouth, and The Record Shop of Portsmouth for all the good tunes...
--
For a condensed copy of this article, pick up a copy of the latest Portsmouth Free Press
All rights reserved 2002, Anthony Phillips/Xtatic Media. Reprinted with permission.

Mother of All Creatures Great and Small

Okay, so I'm flipping around the channels here a little while ago... I pass good ol' Mtv - I see someone rapping (wow imagine that, eh?)... as I'm flipping the channel, I catch the title bar saying something about "...Rock and Roll..." So, I go back to Mtv, get info on the program - it's "Live From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guest - 'Xhibit'" ummmm... HUH??? So, lemme get this straight... They've got a TV show from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... today's guest performer is... a rapper... Okay... What about this seems NOT kosher? hmm... could it be the words "Rock and Roll" in the term "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," maybe? It's not the Rock and Roll and Rap Hall of Fame, is it? I mean, did they change it, or something? Oh.... wait... this is Mtv I'm talking about, isn't it? I forgot that they don't have a genuine bone in their body and they'll take advantage of ANYTHING if they can squeeze a buck out of it... but in the meantime, SHAME ON YOU, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... you're a sucky Hall of Fame...

[NOTE: The following was also posted at the PMS newsgroup as a response to a dialogue from posts regarding Nirvana and their impact on the music scene in the early '90s]

Okay, this was going to be a much smaller part of my next "flavors" column, but I'll go ahead and [tell you what I'm thinking], now, since it seems to be the "flavor of the week" (hmm) to talk aboot, here...
First things first. I am a Nirvana fan... I am not the planet's biggest Nirvana fan, nor am I a critic of them (somewhere nicely in between, actually)... Secondly, this is NOT an attempt in ANY way to discredit their impact, or to slam anyone who thinks Nivana were "it," or anything like that... Yes, Nirvana did a lot of things to help change the face of music in the early '90s... but they had a LOT of help along the way...
For the record:
*>>>Alice in Chains' "Facelift" was out and the singles "We Die Young" and "Man in the Box" were receiving HEAVY airtime on radio and Mtv more than a year before Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released...
*>>>Pearl Jam's "Ten" came out a month before "Nevermind" and the single "Alive" charted and made Pearl Jam a household name a couple months before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was starting to be heard (actually, "Smells Like..." didn't receive a lot of airplay until it was released a second time as a single, three months after "Nevermind" was released (while "Alive" and "Evenflow" videos were both already hitting pretty hard in the Mtv late-night rotation) - the first time it was released b/w "Even in His Youth" and charted #7 in the UK... two months later, it was released b/w "Drain You" and charted #6 in the US, the video took hold on Mtv within about a month of that, as well).
*>>>Soundgarden had two EPs ("Screaming Life," "Fopp") and two full-length albums ("Ultramega OK" and "Louder Than Love") released and were very alive in music before Nirvana was even a band. "Badmotorfinger" was released the same week as Pearl Jam's "Ten" and the single "Rusty Cage" actually was out and receiving radio/video acclaim two months before the album was released...

Not to mention bands like Sonic Youth (who might actually deserve the credit for "grunge" going back about 8 years before the Seattle grunge), Motherlovebone (who, after the untimely passing of Andrew Wood, spawned the likes of Temple of the Dog and Pearl Jam), Mudhoney (also a by-product of Motherlovebone), (Cincinnati's own) Afghan Whigs, Tad, L7, the Melvins, Screaming Trees...
But, yeah... Nirvana did tons to help a really sketchy music scene and thankfully helped bands like Trixter, Pretty Boy Floyd, and really nasty, SCARY stuff like that fade away into oblivion... but they were part of a primordial ooze (that consited of a whole mess of bands) that evolved into something that changed the way a lot of people looked at and felt about music. A lot of people will say that Nirvana paved the way for a lot of bands in the future (and in many aspects, they sure did), but I tend to think that it was the other bands around them at the time that helped really "pave the way" for them to shine in the way that they did. Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and all the other bands on the cutting edge of the day made it "okay" for Nirvana to be who they were (not that they needed permission or something, those other bands were pretty massive in the "underground alternative college" scene all over the country - I mean, I had two different friends here, in this tiny midwest town, that had "Bleach" on vinyl long before anyone knew who the heck they were, and when I turned around and they were huge all the sudden, I was like, "incredible...").
Something REALLY worth NOT overlooking, here, as well... Who controlled music back then (and still try to, to this day, although I feel with much less success)? Who REALLY made Nirvana so huge? Yeah... Your favorite corporate whores and mine, Mtv. Big at the time was INCREDIBLE amounts of self-serving overindulgence on the behalf of rock stars (just recall Axel Rose running around in a white tux and swimming with dolphins in his outrageously over-produced spectacles/videos and goofy stuff like that). Do you remember Kurt Cobain showing up on "Headbanger's Ball" in the big yellow dress-device? ...and Riki Rachtman's jaw just kinda flapping in the breeze? And do you also remember what happened shortly thereafter? Riki had transformed from complete hair band goofball (fringy leather jacket, tight ripped bluejeans, steel-toed cowboy boots), to comeplete plaid-clad grunge goofball (wrinkled flannel shirt, baggy ripped blue jeans, steel-toed combat boots) and would later chop off all his hair and try to distance himself from "his roots" even further, aligning himself with grunge and super-heavy bands almost in an attempt to act like hair-band goofball Riki never existed. But my point is, Mtv latched onto the grunge thing and rode it all the way to a really, really big bank. Half of the VJs became "grungy" people and... well... y'know, they managed to screw it all up for us (again) in the long run, and secure their place in the "who cares what you think?" aspect of today's music...

NIRVANA NOTE: People have been talking about a Nirvana boxed-set tentatively scheduled to be out sometime in 2004 (which, I think there's still some legal wrangling going on with you-know-who, maybe?)... BUT DID YOU KNOW that there IS a SIX CD Nirvana boxed-set that was released in November of 1995? Okay, it's just a CD single boxed-set, but still... :)
Track list can be found here.

...and finally, while I'm thinking about it, I haven't owned a Pearl Jam CD since "Vitalogy," but their new CD is out next Tuesday (the 12th), so... make your plans to rip it off the web now, I guess... D'oh!

[NOTE: The following was also posted at the PMS newsgroup as a response to a dialogue from posts regarding one Mr. Fred Durst (which can be seen here) and Ms. Courtney (daughter of Satan) Love]

When I posted a recent rant on Fred 'Sug' Durst (which I also posted at http://xtaticmusic.blogspot.com - which, in turn, made for a nasty piece of hatemail to come my way - my guess is Fred can't read, so it probably wasn't him, (although there WERE hits on the page from a Jacksonville, Florida pipeline)), I think what I really wanted to say (BESIDES that he's just a mook) was more to the situation between him and Taproot.

I read a review recently that claims that Taproot "got famous by stabbing Fred Durst in the back," but, in my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth... Taproot is an incredibly talented group of fellas from Ann Arbor (boo) that I played on the radio quite a bit in the afternoons (see my upcoming "flavors" article for some words on their new CD)... A couple years back, Fred Durst was on a recruiting clip for Interscope when he started talking to people from Velvet Hammer Entertainment, home of Taproot and System of a Down... Fred was stringing Taproot along, not really making any major type of commitment to sign them (musta been out doin' it all for the nookie), so they got sick of waiting and decided to do showcases in front of other labels (later signing with Atlantic), and I sincerely HOPE that no one would blame them for that... Enter said "nasty answering machine message" (which can be found on KaZaA or other p2p networks in about 6/10 of a second and you should really hear it to get a glimpse inside his tiny brain). Like I stated before, he proceded to basically threaten them and tell them they were done and all that... THEN, becuase of their relationship with Velvet Hammer, he proceeded to drop System of a Down from the Family Values Tour, went on tv and called the bands' manager (David Beveniste) "a piece of shit" and at that point had pretty much showed the world how big of a retard he was. Obviously, both bands have since found themselves an ever-growing audience despite people's efforts to sabotage their careers... Yeah yeah, Fred got people interested in them in the first place, but they would have garnered interest if they would have had a stinky sock doing their promotion... they're just that good, and incredible live.

My whole point, I guess, is that Fred Durst doesn't speak for me or any of the musicians that I know when it comes to music and the music business - as best as I can tell, he is only speaking for himself, and not that he would ever ask or care about what "just another nobody like me" has to say but I would offer him a simple piece of advice - learn how to behave as a representative of his record company and the industry (let alone any bigger voice he has fooled himself into believing he has), or better yet, maybe stop acting as a representative...