The Best Rock of 2002 (aka "Flavors, Volume VIII")

2002 was a pretty good year for music - rock music in particular. In a year where federal judges ruled that record companies were overcharging for CDs, and the prices actually still managed to go up, it was still a good year. Are these really the best rock CDs of 2002? Well, certainly not to everyone, and maybe not to anyone, but they made it into my list, and well, I'm writing the article, so there.

NOTE: If you compare this to the list featured in the Portsmouth Free Press, you will notice that numbers 5 & 6 are reversed... this was my fault... and by the time I noticed it, it was way too late...

10. Chevelle - �Wonder What's Next� - Brothers Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler's sophomore release (and major label debut) packs a lot of raw guitar chops and Tool-esque vocal stylings without all the �prog-metal� trappings of today's rock. It's hard to pin their sound down to any particular influence, which tells me that they're doing something right. Also, the video for the first single, �The Red� (also on the CD), is one of the better videos in the market. Chevelle, Inc.

9. The Donnas - �Stay the Night� - Mtv is trying to tout the Donnas as a �brand spankin' new band,� and as usual, they are completely retarded. In fact, the Donnas have been around releasing music for ten years (I discovered them after reading an article about them in a trade rag back in '96)... AND their oldest member is a whopping 23 years old. If you like cowbell-driven, '70s-sounding �chick rock,� the Donnas (who don't have a real �Donna� among them) is definitely for you. The Donnas Online

8. Sinch - �Sinch� - Catchy hooks, a great guitar sound, sneaky samples, and powerful lyrics... but some kind of Creed this band is definitely NOT (Creed can't carry these guys' jockstraps in a suitcase). You'll probably have to listen to this album a few times before really being able to make up your mind if you like them, or not... I do... They also have a totally unique live thing - a member of the band actually �plays� the light show, thanks to a device he invented call the Ocular Noise Machine which can be better explained at their website. Sinch Online

7. Foo Fighters - �One by One� - The latest offering from ex-Nirvana drummer-turned-guitarist Dave Grohl. Not quite as good as '97 release �Colour and the Shape,� but full of all kinds of sonic treats. Yeah, Grohl is a whole lot wealthier than he used to be and it might be a little more refined than past releases, but he still manages to pull off the �I'm emotionally tortured� vibe pretty well. Foo Fighters Online

6. Mudvayne - �The End of All Things to Come� - I really tried to play some of their stuff from �L.D. 50� (a reference to the lethal dosage of a drug it would take to kill 50 of 100 subjects) on the radio, but it was so garbled up, it wasn't worth hearing. This album will probably not receive that much airtime, either, but it's an incredibly dense journey into some very dark recesses that most bands dare not go, nowadays. Mudvayne Online

5. Queens of the Stone Age - �Songs for the Deaf� - After Kyuss lead singer John Garcia departed the band in '95 (to disappear into some type of oblivion), the remaining members later became Queens of the Stone Age (a title of a Kyuss album). This, their third �legit� release, actually features �The Most Powerful Drummer in the Universe,� Dave Grohl, doing what I think he does best... beating the hell out of the skins. Kyuss was way better, but in the time where Avril �Commando Britney� Lavigne garners FIVE Grammy nominations (gimme a break), it will do nicely, indeed. QotSA Online

4. Down - �II (...a Bustle in Your Hedgerow)� - One of what seems like about fifty side projects for Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo, the Down boys (ack, did I really just say that?) provide some sonic excess in its purest form. Written and recorded in less than a month in a converted barn, �II� picks up nicely where their debut �NOLA� left off some seven years ago. Down Online

3. Glassjaw - �Worship and Tribute� - One of the more versatile rock bands out there, right now. Willing to slow it down and be extremely melodic one second, and five seconds later ripping your speakers into shreds with vocal wails and massive guitar attacks. Fans of bands like deftones should give these fellas a listen. Glassjaw Online

2. Taproot - �Welcome� - Honestly, the only thing I can find NOT to like about these guys is that they're from Ann Arbor, Michigan (home of the (blecch) University of Michigan). I read a review that was talking about how they �abandoned rap-rock� (they've NEVER been rap-rock... EVER - what a shitty generic label) and �gave up the dropped guitar tunings� (hmmm... they use 7-string guitars and still play a LOT of stuff in the lowest of registers... HELLO??? nothing like a music critic that doesn't know what the hell he's talking about...). I had a lot of trouble deciding if this was my #2 or #1 pick. It actually turns out to be more of a tie. Taproot Online

1. nonpoint - �Development� - WAY more mature than their debut, �Statement,� nonpoint has earned themselves a much-deserved place out of the �indie� shadow and into the mainstream spotlight (and atop my list, as well). Full of passion, teeming with aggression, intelligent lyrics, addictive hook-o-rama... If they can keep it up, this Florida-based quartet is destined for great things in the future of the rock world. They like to play in this part of the country quite a bit, so if you have a chance to see them, do yourself a favor and do so. You won't be sorry. nonpoint Online

So, there you go... my top ten rock albums of 2002. Honorable mentions go out to bands like Dredg, StoneSour, and Ra (who I didn't get ahold of until it was too late in the year to put into the list)... Here's to hoping that 2003 will be as fruitful... See ya next time.

And 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 copy of this article, pick up a copy of the latest Portsmouth Free Press
All rights reserved 2003, Anthony Phillips/Xtatic Media. Reprinted with permission.

Listening to: Sevendust - "Animosity" (2001)

I'm about ready for all this "garage rock" stuff to just hurry up and go away... quick-like... I'm sorry, but the Strokes, the Hives, the White Stripes, the Exies, the Vines... all that stuff... flush it down the crapper and get on with the rest of it...

Listening to: Juliana Hatfield - "Only Everything" (1995)

I guess it was just announced today that Robert Trujillo will be Metallica's new road bassist. Fuck... and I actually have TONS of respect for the guy, too... Originally of Suicidal Tendencies, he went on to play with people like Infectious Grooves, Ozzy Osbourne, and most recently Jerry Cantrell (ex Alice in Chains)... crap crap crap... Well, the only upside I can think of is that maybe Metallica will find the funk?

Listening to: Rush - "A Show of Hands" (1988)

Metallicork

I had heard that Joey Vera (ex Armored Saint, current Fates Warning & Engine) was going to be Metallica's new bass player... turns out the bass player on the new album is gonna be... none other than their jizz-laden producer Bob Rock... yep, the same man responsible for ruining bands like Skid Row, Veruca Salt, M�tley Cr�e, the Cult (only to redeem himself on their 2001 reunion album) and Metallica (although they are probably more to blame for their own suckdom than Bob Rock, maybe - eh... 50/50, anyway) to name just a few...
I think I'm only telling the truth when I say that the last Metallica album worth listening to more than once was "...and Justice For All." Actually, the last real "Metallica" album was actually probably "Master of Puppets." Everything else only got popular because someone else told all the sheep, "Hey guys, this is popular, becuase we say so" (because some execs dished out a pile of payola to them to get them to say that it was popular), and the sheep bought it, just like they do with countless other bands, today (and we all know what corporate whores I'm referring to by "someone else" (hint: Starts with an "M" and ends with a "TV")... They are so full of themselves nowadays, I can't believe Lars and James can sit within 20 feet of each other without clunking swollen heads.
They couldn't make me listened to their new album even if they wrote a song called "Tony Phillips, You Rule" (and meant it), packed the CD in a box of 24k gold bricks and had it delivered in my brand new Ferrari by Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Connally... Well, okay... maybe then I would listen to it... once... and chuck it out the window as I'm going down the road in my new Ferarri paid for out of Lars Ulrich's skeevy pockets while the Jennifers had a catfight over who got to give me a massage first.

Listening to: King Crimson - "THRAK" (1995)

Great White, cont'd.

Well, the more I read about the whole situation, the more I'm starting to think that the club owner probably deserves a rogering, as well... Seems a few bands have come forth and said that they have used pyrotechnics in the club that burnt last week, with the permission of the club... While those instances don't have a damned thing to do with this particular case, it may shed a little more light on the blame game that's going on... In my search, I also saw an interview with the owner of the club in Asbury Park, NJ where Great White played and used pyrotechnics without permission, and the owner even went so far as to produce the contract he signed with the band and nowhere in any rider does it ever mention anything about using pyrotechnics (however it does carry an extremely unoriginal "all-green M&M's" clause... yeah guys, you're cool...).
So while I still blame the band for being incredibly reckless and thoughtless (after seeing how little the club was, what the fuck were they thinking trying to use pyrotechnics? Oh, yeah. I forgot... they were thinking, "We suck, so watch our sparklers, instead."), I think maybe the full blame lies somewhere in between them and the owners of the club... we'll see how it all pans out...

Listening to: Ra - "From One" (2002)

Great White - Cock Rock at its Finest (and Lowest)

A few minutes ago, I received an email from someone in the Portsmouth Music Scene newsgroup regarding the fire that broke out at a Rhode Island nightclub the other night, killing 100 (or more) people and injuring scads more... I'll post it here, since it was already sent in a public manner, along with my response... Let it be known that I bear no personal ill will or anything like that to the writer of the letter, but maybe it was a bit over-cheesed and maybe devoted too much on the side of "taking crowd safety for granted" (which we do) and not enough on "idiotic, negligent incompetence and culpability" -

To All My Rock And Roll Friends:
We all saw the news yesterday. I personally woke up on my couch at 1 am to a report as it was happening live. I was terrified as I became groggily awake to the news "fire in nightclub kills many". I thought "terrorist attack?" until they explained the pyro accident. Then I heard "Great White". I thought, "I just tried to go see them a few months ago but it was cancelled...what's up?" Then I was fully awake and got the horrid details.
Something really terrible happened to the rock and roll community as a whole on Thursday night. This really hit home with me because of all the shows I attend. And I'm often in these type of crowd situations. Hell, I attended a sold-out packed to the gills Clutch show at The Newport last night after-the-fact and I must say I had to think about it a couple of times as I was squeezed and pushed in the pit. I know you all are fans of live shows as well and I think we all should take this moment to think about the
things we take for granted when we step out to play or attend a gig...that we will make it home. I cried my eyes out this morning as I read a fan's first-hand account of the tragedy. It is available at
http://www.metal-sludge.com/GWGeorgeEmail.htm
for reading. I warn you, it is graphic and heartbreaking but the fan should be commended for his bravery as he tried to help as many as he could before it became hopeless.
The last thing we should have to worry about when we go to enjoy some music is whether or not we will be hurt or killed. My heart and prayers go out to all those who lost their lives, their families, the still-missing guitarist from Great White and all involved. This should never have happened in a million years and we must now all be extra safety conscious in the future to make sure it never happens again.
[name omitted]

�*�*�
my first response:

Xxxxx (and everyone else for that matter),

Yes, I saw the news, saw the footage and was pretty disturbed by what I saw and heard from the people and the videotape... but even more than sad, I was extremely outraged by it all, and I'll tell you why.
Basically, it was absolutely senseless, unnecessary, and totally the fault of a self-serving bunch of cock rockers. Great White WAS TOLD to ABSOLUTELY NOT use pyrotechnics at the show that caused the fire... and what did they do? Well, they did the same thing that they did on AT LEAST THREE other occasions that were also documented on video - they ignored the laws and the club owners/proprietors and lit their little cheesy sparkler fan, anyway.
Then, the next morning I saw an interview with an obviously and right[ful]ly shaken Jack Russell. He kept going on and on (and on) about how he was "missing one of his guitarists" and how his "soundman was burnt to a crisp," but not ONE TIME in the interview did he EVER make mention of the hundred plus fans that were killed... not once... all he could talk about was his missing guitarist and his soundman. At one point, he actually had the gaul to utter the words, "It was a senseless tragedy..." No shit... wanna know why it was senseless there, pal? Have a look in the fucking mirror... Granted, that anyone is injured or missing (close friend or complete stranger) in something like this is sad, but what an asshole.
I had a chance to catch a portion of Great White open for someone (I can't even remember who, now, maybe Whitesnake?) in the later '80s and they totally sucked. The best thing they EVER did was an acoustic set of four or five Led Zeppelin covers, and if that's the highlight of your career, you suck.
They have opened a criminal investigation into the matter and I personally hope that they (and I believe after the evidence is gathered, they should) hold THE BAND responsible for every single death. It was a catastrophe, absolutely - but one that should never have had the opportunity to ever happen, had a group of marginally talented used-to-wasits whose "best" years were about 15 years ago not snubbed their nose at the laws and the requests of the people who were nice enough to let them play there in the first place, just looking for a 15-second pop from a group of people who were kind enough to come out and see them.
I'm sure you understand this is absolutely nothing personal, Xxxxx, but fuck Great White in the neck. I hope they never play another show, ever again and they pay for killing all those people "in the name of rock and roll..." Fuck Great White.

-tony-

�*�*�
After I read through it and thought about it for a minute, I wrote a second reply:

Well, okay... after thinking about it for a couple minutes, I think I want to restate what I think a little bit...
Yes, I think Great White sucks... but that really doesn't make a difference in their culpability in this fire. It would have been shitty had it been any other band on that stage, whether it was my favorite band or my least favorite band...
I think I was more enraged at the callousness of Jack Russell's comments in the interview I saw than anything else... He's a cocky, self-centered prick (and one of his former girlfriends is a friend that lives here in town and will corroborate that fact, shameless interview or no) that doesn't deserve a tenth of the "fame" he's had over the years, but maybe his head was not on all that straight when he overlooked the 100 or so people his band's crappy attempt at pumping up a crowd killed...
I ABSOLUTELY still believe the band is responsible for the accident (and it certainly was an accident) after seeing the videotaped evidence of them setting that stuff off on all the other occasions in which they were told not to in places with super-low ceilings and such (not unlike the place in Rhode Island and Columbus' Alrosa Villa), but they aren't alone in the blame, I realize. Should it turn out that whoever is responsible for informing the band and the techs of the building codes and laws of the area regarding pyrotechnics (usually a road manager, promoter, or tech of some type) DID NOT do their duty, they are equally to blame, then... When I played some shows in some of the bigger venues in Chicagoland (like the Thirsty Whale, Cabaret Metro, two different Out West clubs, etc.), I really wasn't too incredibly concerned (or responsible, for that matter) with fire codes and such, mainly because we didn't use any cheesy pyrotechnics in the first place... although I can distinctly remember looking for sprinklers in every bar we played in after I sat about 20 feet from one of Dave Mustaine's amps onstage and watched it literally explode into flames one night...
So, while I'm still standing by my statement that the band should be held accountable, the term "band" SHOULD have also included everyone involved in seeing that they DON'T use pyrotechnics when it is, in fact, illegal.

-tony-

Listening to: Finger Eleven - "The Greyest of Blue Skies" (2000)

Courtney Love - Fucking Mental Case

Yeah, I know... most of you read that little blurb and think, "No shit, Tony." First, she gets arrested after throwing a tizzy on a Virgin Airlines flight (basically, she became uptight after the flight crew wouldn't allow her psychiatric nurse who was travelling with her to sit in first class with her - you can read more about it here - but problem number one - she's travelling with a psychiatric nurse - HELLO? If she needs a psychiatric nurse, should she even be travelling in the first place? HELLO?!?!?)... So then, she makes the smart move and kisses and "makes nice" with Virgin owner Richard Branson (a bit of a loon in his own right) a day later... then she proceeds to basically throw that all in the shitter when she announces she's gonna sue the flight attendant that made her lose touch with her composure on the plane (err, yeah)... Good move, dingbat...

So what's coming up for Ms. Love? How about a really nasty, heroin-chic, borderline-porn nude photo spread in the new issue of Q Magazine?
Wanna see? (you really dont) Are you sure? (run away quick) Are you really sure? (hurry while there's still time) Well, you have been warned. (your retinas will burn)

NOTE: If you are not at least 18 years of age (21 in some locations), US Federal law prohibits you from clicking the following links! (no, I wouldn't call this "porn" but I will cover my ass, in case someone else does) I am also NOT responsible for the petichii in your eyeballs exploding upon exposure to this crud...

(brace yourselves... no, seriously... I'm not fucking around...)
Page One
Page Two
Page Three

Okay... Now that you have seen that wonderful stuff, you should probably visit your local religious place of worship and be exorcised of the demons that now posess your optic nerves... I am seriously afraid to close my eyes now, because the first thing I see is the pic of her getting a "Hollywood." Fucking ack...

So, what in the world is she doing letting people photograph here getting her butt'ole waxed and shit for? I mean, is it art? Uhm... Hell no, it's not... Well, many of you will remember that whole Madonna SEX book thing that she did (what, about ten years ago, right?). Well, two things that Madonna had at the time that Courtney Love does not have, currently - a.) a very nice (non-38 year-old) body, not funktified by alcohol and heroin/drug abuse (if you bothered to (or even could) read the little "article," they make mention to her pouring a "vintage bottle of champagne over her head" for shits & giggles - now that is alcohol abuse), and b.) a recording contract... (okay, I will concede that her body is not that incredibly bad for a 38 year-old woman - I'm sure there are some 38 year-old women that would trade bodies with her and all that, but there are a couple pics in there where she honestly looks about 50 years old)... I think she thinks she's trying to be all controversial and stuff, but frankly, I find it all rather pathetic and embarassing for her.

Will this absofuckinglutely ridiculous publicity stunt get her a record deal? I seriously think the only thing that she's gonna get from it (besides the continued hatred of Kurt Cobain fans who say she murdered him) is a recommended return-trip to Betty Ford... Since Universal nixed her and her band a few years ago, no record company has been willing to touch her with a ten-foot pole for some reason, which I really can't say that I understand from a musical perspective, because Hole did have a bit of commercial viability, even compared to some bands that are getting rather huge today that don't have a "commercial" bone in their bodies... But when she pulls stupid crybaby crap on an airplane, followed up with this cheap-assed, pseudo-porn publicity gimmick, I realize why record companies are in no hurry to distribute her new music... because she's a lunatic.

I seriously feel for young Francis Bean.

���
On a bit of a related note, I was rummaging through the aisles of the bookstore the other day and I saw the Kurt Cobain: Journals (a.k.a. "PRIVATE Stuff He Never Wanted ANYONE to Read and Then His Skank Widow Decided She Could Make a Buck From Them") on the shelves and the first thing that came to my head - "Damn, Courtney you are a complete whore for the dollar... What's next? Cobain Cologne: made from his sweat that you used to wipe off his brow (and store in jars in the basement, waiting for a chance to make it payoff for you)..." Trash...

I reiterate, I seriously feel for young Francis Bean.

Listening to: Taproot - "Welcome" (2002)

(Everybody! All together, now!)

"Is my cock big enough?
Is my brain small enough
for you to make me a star?"
�-J. Biafra-�

Listening to: The Clash - "The Story of the Clash, Volume I" (disc one) (2000)

Incubus Sues Sony, epilogue

In response to a comment received from Brenda regarding Incubus invoking the "Seven Year Statute" in an attempt to get out of their deal with Sony (since most people not only don't comment posts they read (tsk, tsk), they don't read others' comments, either) - if you're interested in knowing what the "Seven Year Statute" is all about and why Incubus is using it, check out this link to find out. They won't be the last, by far...

Listening to: David Bowie - "Heathen" (2002)

How, in fact, do they decide which song from whatever movie gets nominated for an Academy Award? Are the same people that pick Best Actor, Actress and all that garbage picking the songs, too? I mean, I'm not really concerned (I could actually not give a shit less about it), I just wonder if they let, like, a panel of people that actually might know what they're talking about select the Best Song category... Oh, well... fuck it... They'll probably give it to U2, anyway, because of all the incredibly sucky nominees, they suck the least (?)...

Listening to: Queens of the Stone Age - "Songs For the Deaf" (2002)

Grateful Dead Remnants Become "The Dead"

Probably a smart move - "The Other Ones" was a pretty hokey name...
Read all about it HERE

Listening to: Taproot - "(Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a) Gift" (2000)

Even cuter than her sister... I hope she doesn't get mad (lol)


Dear, sweet Ana-Vale
(bigger (not as good) image here)

Listening to: Bj�rk - "Homogenic" (1997)

�"I didn't produce any songs for Britney Spears, she's just got a great ass." - Fred Durst�
Oh, boy... I hate to see what comes out of his mouth, next...

�"...The song 'Crack Addict,' it's definitely a vulgar display of power. It's about me being a crack addict, about being addicted to cracking skulls when punks start static. Yeah!"� (ask and ye shall receive)
Umm... Okay... I guess we're supposed to be scared now, eh? What a Chelvis... "...vulgar display of power?" haha... how... original, guy...

Listening to: Lovage - "Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By" (2001)

Incubus Sues Sony
Seems Incubus is trying to pull the whole "seven-year limit" California statute thing... which means most likely they'll get to negotiate a better deal with another label, and will probably (sadly) end up putting out weak material from here on out which has been a trend with many of the other artists that worm their way out of contracts signed in good faith because all the sudden they think they're worth more...
To the band's defense, though, Sony has a pretty shitty practice of charging the band for packaging and making videos and stuff like that, too, so... scroogees all around...
Read the full article HERE.

Listening to: King Crimson - "Discipline" (1981)

A Dork is a Dork
Okay. Time to pick on Fred, yet again... Every few days, he likes to post random thoughts and stuff in the band's "webpage" and likes to call it "news." A couple weeks ago, he had posted a couple bits of "news" regarding his personal relationship with Britney Spears, at one point saying he had "never felt this way [about anyone] before..."
...well, at least that day, maybe... I go there today just to see if there's any more dirt about it all (because frankly, I find the whole thing kind of interesting in an indigestion-causing kind of way)... NOT ONLY are ALL the posts regarding the aforementioned "relationship" between himself and Britney now mysteriously GONE, but... there's a post (dated 1/27) in which he talks about a dream he has about (new free-agent) Angelina Jolie... apparently a song ("Building a Bridge") from the new album is about her, and when he tells her it is (in the dream), "...she kissed me like no other." What a cheeseball... He then goes on to say, "that is truly and literally the woman of my dreams. whoa!! i think about her way too much..." Who's it gonna be next week, Freddie? [insert famous hottie or not-so-hottie here]???

Listening to: The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)

I'm really trying to find the right words to express how I feel about my favorite mook, Fred "Sug" Durst, doing some production of some sort on the newest Britney Spears project... here's what comes to the top of my biscuit:

embarassed for him...
more embarassed for her...
the ultimate snow-job meets the ultimate hand-job...
he's doing it all for the nookie...
she'd have to be really stupid to give it up to him... (c'mon, baby... Carson Daly... Screech from Saved By the Bell... anybody besides Kid Durst)
is she just looking to commit career-suicide, or something?
a match made somewhere in the depths of deepest hell...
will he have her screaming "Fuck!" over and over in the song(s)? It would be kinda funny, anyway...
it would be cool if Justin Timberlake beat his ass for kicks and then dates his mom...
and I thought it couldn't get much worse than the Kid Rock/Cheryl Crow team-up...
Christina Aguilera joining Kittie is next (because she can't have Britney outdo her)...
(Kittie kinda sucks now without my buddy Talena there, anymore (no offense to Lady J)...)

Listening to: Glassjaw - "Worship and Tribute" (2002)

Okay. Just caught a commercial for the Who Killed Biggie & Tupac? DVD, claiming to "...shed light on the biggest mystery of our time..." ummm... huh? It is? Damn, the fact that it is the "biggest mystery of our time" was, indeed, a mystery to me... until just now...
In other news, VH-1's "The Rock Show" is unusually choad-like, tonight... Scorpions' "No One Like You," Metallica's "Enter Sandman," super-freakin'-ultra-lame-assed Creed, and of all the killer music from The Song Remains The Same, they decided to play "Black Dog?" Zoinks... Jinkees, even... One bright spot, that tripped out "Pretty Woman" video from Van Halen that got banned from Mtv for depicting cross-dressing and bondage or something really goofy like that... Haven't seen it in a couple years. Samurai Michael Anthony always gets a chuckle from me...
UPDATE: "Everlong" video on The Rock Show... slowly pulling itself out of the cellar... I love the big hand... :)

Listening to: deftones - "White Pony" (2000)