It’s that time of year again when people forgo their usual sarcasms and recognize the good things in life. I know there is a lot to be sarcastic about these days and, if you watch entertainment news or The Soup, you know what I’m talking about. But there are many things to be thankful for such as good music. So, here are ten things that I’m thankful for (all music related of course): 

10. Drum Off 09: I’m thankful that there are corporations such as Guitar Center that still the value quality music, hosting events like this featuring the best drummers like Danny Carey from Tool and Brian Dailor from Mastodon.

9. Webcasts: I’m thankful for webcasts that bring festivals like Coachella and KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas to my computer every year when I can’t be there in person.

8. The Beastie Boys, Vandals, and The Aquabats: I’m thankful that there are really talented musicians who resist the urge to take themselves seriously.

7. Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes: I’m thankful this rising star thinks the Karate Kid and Stevie Nicks are important cultural icons.

6. Insanely unique musicians: I’m thankful for musicians such as Maynard James Keenan, Tori Amos, Bjork and Mike Patton, who all take music to places no one ever imagined or expected.

5. NIN farewell tour: I’m thankful that I finally got to see NIN live before Trent Reznor retired it.

4. Deftones’ resilliance: I’m thankful that Chi Cheng is still holding on and maybe someday we’ll get to see him play again.

3. The Cure still rocks: I’m thankful this band is still touring and making great music. Without The Cure, Deftones and Muse would never sound the way they do.

2. Rage Against the Machine reunion: I’m thankful that I got to see this band reunite at Coachella in 2007 with 80,000 other RATM fans.

1. Bad Religion continues to comment on American society: I’m thankful Greg Graffin is saying all the things that need to be said and is also a UCLA professor, who is actually doing his part to help mold American youth into critically thinking members of society. 

And now a Band of the Week I am very thankful for…Placebo!

I’ve been listening to this band for a while now and I am surprised that they are not as big in the states as they are everywhere else. Since the first time that I heard their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” I was hooked. I enthusiastically suggest anything from their 2006 album Meds, but you must hear “Lazarus” and “Drag.” They recently released a new album Battle for the Sun and I am loving “The Never-Ending Why.” I saw them live at Coachella and I highly recommend catching them live. However, this band will be on a World tour until March. Hopefully, these Brits will visit the states soon.

Until next time, protege moi. -K

Rather than pick a collection of my favourite albums of the past 10 years I decided to pick 20 of the albums that had the biggest influence on my life. Being in my early 20’s now, the past decade was a formative expanse of time in my musical tastes, and I want my choices to reflect that.

So I’m gonna ignore all musical trends and albums other bloggers may feel forced to include as to escape ridicule (Merriweather Post Pavillion, I’m looking at you) and just shoot from the hip. Not all choices will be ‘cool’, or whatever the kids are saying these days. But so what? Fuck those posers who rewrite their musical history for the sake of trends.

So lets start at the beginning. I’m gonna go in a chronological release order. And the first entry in this category is the best Deftones album, released on 20th June 2000:

In the late 90’s/early 00’s I had shed the britpop and indie I had previously adored and replaced them with hip hop, metal, punk and grunge bands. But I didn’t just jump into Faith No More or Converge’s back catalogues instantly. I admit for around a year I was into some nu metal-esque bands like Incubus and Korn. But don’t hate me: I was educating myself. I then progressed to Rage Against The Machine and Tool and around that time this beauty was released. Because of my financial situation I did not manage to acquire it until Christmas of that year. And I proceeded to gorge on it for the entire morning. Every Christmas I try to give this album a spin. As un-seasonal as it is, it really soundtracks good feelings for me.

I hesitate to call any album a masterpiece, but this is definitely the one where all the pieces fell into place for Deftones, and they matured into one of modern metal’s big boys. I thankfully got the version that DIDN’T include the dreadful alternative opener Back To School (Mini Maggit), which was a nu-metal bastardisation of the epic White Pony closer Pink Maggit, and instead opened with the ferocious, sexually arresting Feiticeria. From then on, Deftones incorporate moody, expansive atmospherics and keys (Digital Bath, RX Queen),huge hooks (Change (In The House Of Flies), inspired guest spots (Maynard from Tool on Passenger, Rodleen Getsic on Knife Prty) and some classic Deftones aggression (Elite, Korea).

The pony inspires devotion...

White Pony is easily the most critically acclaimed release from the Sacramento outfit and it was the album that provided the gateway for me to explore into more extreme musical territory. Without this album and Tool’s Lateralus I was able to get into Glassjaw and Thrice. If you want to explore further into metal and haven’t listened to White Pony, you really should do that. I just realised I posted about Deftones recently, so if you want mp3’s, hit those up and see what you think. Take a listen to my favourite WP track:

Deftones – Digital Bath – LP Version

Mathcore pioneers Dilinger Escape Plan have announced the release of their latest album Option Paralysis. The album is set to be released on March 23, 2010. They are releasing through their own label Party Smasher Inc./Season Of Mist. DEP have been a little quiet since 2007 when they released the highly praised Ire Works.

The alternative music scene is binding together in support of Deftones’ bassist Chi Cheng, who remains in a semi-conscious state after a traffic accident in November 2008. Many items are being auctioned to try to cover the medical expenses outside of his insurance. Acts including Metallica, System of a Down, Blink 182, HIM and Slayer have generously donated their time and equipment in aid of Cheng.

In similar news a crew member of Fear Before (previously known as Fear Before the March of Flames) has suffered some very serious injuries on tour in Australia. After falling through a weak point of a roof, Trent Jacobi toppled around eight metres, his fall broken by a bicycle. He suffered several fractures in his pelvis, a broken left arm, punctured lung, and three broken ribs. Unfortunately he didn’t have medical insurance, so Fear Before have launched a site on which fans can donate to Trent’s cause.

Black metallers Mayhem have taken a distinctly rock ‘n’ roll approach to their current tour after trashing their hotel room in Tilburg in The Netherlands. The band and crew were arrested on Monday morning after an employee of the hotel found the mess. Plants were thrown in the street, mirrors, a sink, television and beds were destroyed in the rampage. The damage bill is estimated to reach 5000 Euros.

Rammstein’s latest album Liebe ist Fur Alle Da has been banned from public display in Germany due to its depiction of sadism and masochism on the controversial cover. Petra Meier, the deputy president of the Federal Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People, also cited some of the lyrics as objectionable, including: “Bites, kicks, heavy blows, nails, pincers, blunt saws – Tell me what you want.” Consequently the album can no longer be advertised or displayed in open exhibition where it may be accessed by people under 18.

in the last three months I have seen:
- Blink 182
- Taking Back Sunday
- Slipknot
- Deftones
- Atreyu

fuck yeah!

On Thursday, November 19th and Friday, November 20th at The Avalon in Hollywood, The Deftones performed two impassioned and unforgettable shows to benefit their friend and band mate, Chi Cheng. The band performed in a bid to raise money for the mounting medical costs incurred by Chi’s car accident. Chi remains in a coma. Among the special guests and friends that helped raise money by contributing their talents were members of Linkin Park, Motley Crue, Cypress Hill, Dillinger Escape Plan, Far and more. Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato stepped on stage to perform “Passenger” in place of Maynard James Keenan who is featured on the original song from 2000’s White Pony. Greg definitely made it his own and did more than justice to my personal favorite song. Here’s some video of “Passenger” with Greg and The Deftones:

You can click here for a few more fan made videos of the Deftones benefit shows.

Vi no fórum do ST esse video que é de fazer qualquer fã tremer na base. Em um evento organizado em benefício do baixista do Deftones, Chi Cheng (com dificuldades para pagar as despesas médicas após sofrer um grave acidente), nada menos que Mike Muir, Mike Clark, Rocky George e Robert Trujillo, juntos no palco, executando War Inside My Head!

Ou seja, faltou só o Ralph Herrera para completar a mais clássica formação do Suicidal. Emocionante ver o quarteto em ação novamente e reparar que, aparentemente, não há treta nenhuma entre eles. Assim, embora os atuais integrantes da banda estejam dando conta do recado, não custa sonhar com uma reunião desse time para um show absolutamente histórico.

A apresentação é recentíssima, rolou na última sexta-feira, e contou ainda com a participação de integrantes do System of a Down e Slayer (o mítico Dave Lombardo que, ao que parece, segurou as baquetas em War Inside My Head).

Much missed Sacramento band Deftones played a benefit show for injured bassist Chi Cheng at the Avalon in Hollywood on thursday night, and enlisted a kind of Avengers style team to battle the evils of rising medical bills for their poorly friend. Members of Metallica, System Of A Down, Cypress Hill, Children Of Bodom, Suicidal Tendencies, Incite, Incubus, Sugar Ray, the mighty Far and motherfunkin’ Tommy Lee all pitched in to play a range of covers and whatnot. There were many special moments:

Deftones + System perform Aerials (with Chino doing his best Serj impression):

Deftones + Far perform Savory (Jawbox Cover):

This happens to be may favourite. Deftones with Rodleen Getsick perform Knife Prty. I’m loving Getsick’s Katy Perry-goes-metal look and she really knocks her vocals out the park. She’s a better screamer than Chino these days:

Seeing a seemingly revitalised Deftones has reignited my love for the mercurial band. I’m gonna go stick Around The Fur on. You should too. Let me get you in the mood with some vintage ‘Tones.

Deftones – Knife Prty

Deftones – Around The Fur

I really wanted to get a blog out sooner, but I’ve been keeping very busy all week.  While my writing on Suite101 has been nonexistent for the past two weeks, my writing on GamerSyndrome has soared to new heights.  No longer publishing just the two required articles per week, I’ve been submitting upwards of four articles a day, reporting on the latest news in the games industry as well as throwing in a few original pieces.  It’s been fun, but more than anything it’s been tiring, time-consuming, and it’s given me a real feel for the whole writing career thing.  Surely when I finally land a paying job it will be more stressful, but by submitting so much content within a week, I’m getting at least a small taste of what it’s like to write on a professional scale.

Due to my excessive writing, I haven’t had much time to play video games (or do anything else, for that matter).  My copy of SvR 2010 has just sat near my Wii collecting dust.  It’s rather saddening, especially since I really enjoy Story Designer mode.  I haven’t had time to finalize my original WWE story.  Oh, well.  Maybe next week.

The few spare moments I have had I’ve spent playing numerous indie games.  I’d played independently developed games before, but I’m just now getting into indie games on a large scale.  I first played Time Fcuk about a week ago (or possibly two weeks ago).  I really liked it.  Its blend of puzzle and platform mechanics is great, and the twisted story behind it is eerie in a satisfying kind of way.  The graphics are great too.  Very simple, but very effective; and even though the designer stated that it’s not an artistic game, it’s hard not to argue against that statement given the game’s unique look.  Time Fcuk was reason enough for me to set up a Newgrounds account.  That’s how much I loved it.  Plus, I’m trying to collect the game’s achievement medals.  The fact that the game supports user-created content makes it even greater.  I may never create my own levels, but I’ll likely return to the game multiple times later on to try some original stages.

Another game I played and completed is RunMan: Race Around the World.  But much like Aether (which I’m still in the process of completing), I’ll talk about that game in my next post.  I just downloaded Cave Story.  Due to the fact that I had to work a Deftones concert last night (which wasn’t anything special considering I don’t care at all for the Deftones), I wasn’t able to play the game all that much.  Nope, I was pretty much only able to configure the controls and play part of the first stage.  I plan on playing the hell out of that game during Thanksgiving break.

That’s about it for now.  This post was much longer than I had planned.  I could probably write more, but I have to work another concert at Avalon tonight, and I’d like to watch the rest of last night’s SamckDown before going to work later.  I’m also working the night club apparently, so I should make some decent money tonight.  Here’s hoping.

#59: Lovage/Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (2001) — Dan ‘the Automator’ Nakamura’s contribution to trip-hop/hip-hop in the earlier part of the decade is unparalleled (see Gorillaz, Deltron 2000, Handsome Boy Modeling School). But when matched up with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk) and the sultry Jennifer Charles (an underrated, sexy voice if ever there was one), the results were exceptional. Combining trip-hop with campy humor, R&B, brilliant samples and a lustful sense of narrative the results are far greater than the sum of their parts. Check out: ‘Pit Stop (Take Me Home),’ ‘Book of the Month,’ and ‘Strangers on a Train.’

#58: Ben Harper & The Relentless7/White Lies for Dark Times (2009) –Quite simply, it’s been 10 years since Harper has rocked out so consistently through an entire album. If the Relentless7 are a leaner, meaner version of the Innocent Criminals, I’m down with what they’re cooking up. The whole album is all killer, no filler. Check out: ‘Why Must You Always Dress in Black,’ ‘Keep it Together (So I Can Fall Apart),’ and ‘Fly One Time.’

#57: Bloc Party/Intimacy (2007) –Bloc Party’s third proper studio album took a hot minute to get into. It was a louder, angrier album than the past two, yet had some amazing somber moments as well. The usage of electronics on this record added a new element that revitalized the band’s sound. Kele Okereke’s storytelling continues and it’s a wonderful thing. Check out: ‘Halo,’ ‘Signs’ and the U.S. version bonus track, ‘Flux.’

#56: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/Baby 81 (2007) –Perhaps one of the most underrated bands of the decade, BRMC really hit all the nails on the proverbial head with their fourth album. This is a brilliant dark band that incorporates blues, rock andfolk in a tight-woven pastiche of sound and mood. The best way to describe it is, imagine an American version of The Doves. Check out: ‘Weapon of Choice,’ ‘666 Conducer,’ and ‘Am I Only.’

#55: Alexisonfire/Watch Out! (2004) –Alexisonfire are one of, I think, three bands that prove good things can come from Canada (no, Nickelback isn’t one of the three, sorry…) While there have been shining moments on subsequent albums, Watch Out! is what really put the band on the map. There is a purity in the noise, the loud/soft dynamics. It also makes for a great snowboarding album and Dallas Green is one of the best vocalists/lyricist of the decade. Check out: ‘Control,’ ‘No Transitory,’ and ‘Happiness by the Kilowatt.’

#54: Blessthefall/His Last Walk (2006) –blessthefall were another act I had an opportunity to work with at the start of my stint with RS. Anger is a difficult emotion to deal with – you’re always looking for ways to master or control it or to deal w/ it constructively. His Last Walk does that. Perhaps because it’s a Christian metal-screamo band behind the visage. While they utilize the ever popular clean vs. growl vocal style, the guitar riffs are much better than their peers. They’re basically what A Dozen Furies could’ve been. Check out ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad,’ ‘Rise Up,’ and ‘Wait for Tomorrow.’

#53: Thrice/Beggars (2009) –some six years removed from ‘Artist,’ we find a different Thrice, all together. In between, the band would graduate to major label status, release a 4-EP double album, a live disc, and return to the independent world. During this timespan, the band would experime…nt with it’s sound and with their influences, remaining true to who they were as musicians from day one. Beggars is chock full of great tunes — from the ‘I got your back,’ vibe of ‘The Weight,’ to the vagabond heart of ‘In Exhile,’ to the angsty swallowed guitar squalor of ‘Beggars.’

#52: deftones/deftones (2003) –ah, the memories of summer 2003. I still couldn’t believe on Metallica’s Summer Sanitarium tour that the Deftones (four albums in at this point) got opener status below bands like Mudvayne, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. The opening chords of ‘Hexagram,’ harkened back to the D-tones breakthrough record ‘Around the Fur.’ Dark, dense, layered rhythms. This album, and its artwork, were so awe-inspiring that I utilized the roses as inspiration for one of my tattoos. Chino shouts to the heavens on this release and I will always hold fast to those gutteral monkeyshines. Here’s to Che. Check out: ‘Hexagram,’ ‘Battle-Axe,’ and ‘Bloody Cape.’

#51: City & Colour/Bring Me Your Love (2008) –if I were able to play guitar, these are the songs I’d want to write. No more is this more self-evident on all 12 tracks displayed on Dallas Green’s side project, City and Colour’s second disc. Achingly beautiful acoustic folk songs that ruminate upon man’s existence and the necessity of love along the road of years we travel. Check out: ‘Body in a Box,’ ‘What Makes a Man?’ and ‘The Girl.’

#50: William Fitzsimmons/The Sparrow and the Crow (2009) –some music is like a sea change in your life. I’ve found that a man and a guitar can say just as much as a fully plugged in five-piece with backing orchestra. Fitzsimmons hails from a cold, rural part of Pennsylvania and holed himself …up to write one of the darkest break-up albums known to man. This album came to me late last year (despite it’s 2009 physical release) as I was coping in my own life with such a thing and connected with me. My collection would be incomplete without this piece of art. Check out: ‘After Afterall,’ ‘They’ll Never Take the Good Years,’ and ‘You Hurt Me.’

Great Cover by the Deftones. I dig how they put there own twist on it.

Well, NME are near the Top of the BEST MUSIC WEBSITES for a reason and have once again given us a glimpse into their minds with their(DUH DUH DUH!!!!!)

LIST OF THE 50 GREATEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE~ I hate to say it, but I am going to make my first Proclamation as a Music Blogger = This is THE LIST THAT MISSED!!

I Don’t Know If I Agree With The TOP 10 & I am going to check out the #1 Pick again to make sure that I completely disagree~

This Is About YOU THOUGH, SO GO AHEAD & CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT —–>  Stereogum’s 50 Greatest Albums Of The ’00s

If Nothing Else, There Should Have Been AT LEAST ONE ALBUM BY A CERTAIN BAND WHO I BELIEVE IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN ROCK BAND OF THE LAST 13 YEARS

(Funny Number I Know, But That Is How Long They Have Been Putting Out Albums)  – I mean, even if you are part of the crowd that believes they “Sold Out,” Their 3rd Album & The First Of The Thousands SHOULD BE IN THERE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I will write more soon enough, I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet and I know how pi$$ed I can get if there is a Massive Spoiler in something I am reading about something that I am about to Hear, Watch, See or Read  (Does that make sense?! Just think about it 

Woo Hoo!!  My 2nd PoST~!!

Respect~

Cheers~

xo

KNiFA

Benefit Concert in support of The Chi Cheng Special Needs Trust
Avalon Hollywood

So, here we go. The start of the new Millennium, and with the huge technological and musical advances of the 100 years prior, music had the opportunity to completely change faces. The growth of the internet, especially in file sharing sites, was at a peak in the early 2000s, with dial up gradually being replaced by broadband, meaning users could download files at a faster rate, and of course share their musical experiences, recommendations and creations online too. Within the studio, more digital effects were being made and experimented with, especially Antare’s Auto-Tune, a feature so over-used this decade that it has spawned dozens of spoof songs and videos, especially on YouTube.

Interestingly, I didn’t really discover or hear of any of these albums that I am about to talk about the year they came out. However, I feel these are the best albums in my opinion that came out in 2000. And they are in no particular order.

1) Deftones – White Pony

I have talked about this album in previous blog entries; stating that it is an album that changed my life. I still hold this opinion today. I first heard this album in 2001, a friend of mine gave it to me on CD, and I recorded it to tape, seeing as I only had a portable tape player at the time to bring to school with me. That tape eventually got played out. Listening to White Pony was unlike anything I had ever heard before. My still rather untrained musical ears did not fully appreciate it at the time, but the production of this album was unlike anything I heard in Rock at the time. Songs like “Digital Bath” and “Elite” instantly struck a chord with me, whereas the epic “Change (In the House of Flies)” and “Passenger” got a deeper appreciation as I got older. To me, this album has everything I ever want in music. Dreamy, almost ambient landscapes, heavy passages, fantastic drumming and great vocals, both clean and screaming. White Pony is a timeless album that really shows Deftones’ maturity, coming from their heavy 1997 classic Around the Fur (another personal favourite of mine.) The whole album really has a very dark, haunting aura, and the album greatly needs to be played at a loud volume in order to be fully appreciated. I still get chills when I listen to “Teenager” and the amazing bridge in “Knife Prty”. This is one album I am never, ever going to get tired of. One of my favourite albums ever. Oh, and I eventually bought the CD

2) At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command

The album that introduced me to the world of post-hardcore music, and of course the ever interesting worlds of Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez. The very first thing that grabbed my attention in this album was the lyrical content, again, it was unlike anything I had heard before; almost like Cedric was just randomly putting words he found in a dictionary, but somehow they at times made sense in context to the message of the song. I first heard this album in 2004, when I was discovering some bands like AFI for example. They complemented both my love for Progressive music, and for Alternative and Punk music that I had at the time. “Arcarsenal” is still to me one of the greatest album openers, so heavy and gets you ready for what is ahead. Unfortuately, I haven’t gave this album a good spin in recent months, but it’s still up there with one of my favourite albums of the decade.

3) Pain of Salvation – The Perfect Element, Part I

Out of this whole list, this was the album that I discovered the most recently (2007). While I did give it somewhat of a listen a few years prior (and really dug “Rope Ends”), I never fully got into it until I met one Daniel Acheson, who introduced me to the world of Pain of Salvation. I was looking for music similar to Dream Theater, and Daniel recommended PoS to me. Good recommendation! The Perfect Element Part I really is an amazing concept album, up there with the all time greats like Dark Side of the Moon and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Again, this album has everything – unbelievable singing by Daniel Gildenlow, both in clean, falsetto and unholy high screams; heavy riffs that are also complemented by beautiful acoustic passages, whether it be on piano or guitar; and almost tribal like drum passages at times. For anyone who likes a good album with a story behind it, I recommend this highly.

4) Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

And here is another album that introduced me to the world of post-rock. Grand, majestic and uplifting are the 3 perfect words for this album. Many have called this a masterpiece, and I would agree with them. 2 disc masterpiece at that. This is just one of those albums that you can turn on, and just sit back and enjoy what unfolds infront of you. Musical texturing at it’s best, a quality many bands have tried to emulate, but many fail at. A truly great work.

So, there you have it. My picks of 2000. Next up, you guessed it. 2001. Keep checking back for 2001!

Benefit Concert in support of The Chi Cheng Special Needs Trust
Avalon Hollywood

Se avete familiarità con il disco “Life Is Peachy” dei Korn (1996) saprete che, dopo quella breve e schizofrenica intro di nome Twist, parte un pezzo alquanto devastante intitolato Chi. Il brano prende il nome da Chi Cheng, grande amico della band di Bakersfield, oltre che poeta e soprattutto bassista storico dei Deftones, altrettanto nota formazione californiana che insieme ai Korn è stata tra i pionieri del fortunatissimo genere nu metal. Tredici anni dopo, Fieldy dei Korn si è reso promotore e produttore, insieme a Q-Unique degli StillWell, di un secondo brano legato all’amico bassista: A Song for Chi. Si tratta di un brano strumentale composto e inciso progressivamente con il contributo di membri di Korn, Slipknot, Metallica, Machine Head, Disturbed, P.O.D., Sevendust, Hatebreed e Killswitch Engage, scaricabile gratuitamente sull’apposito sito internet, dove è anche possibile guardare il videoclip girato per l’occasione ed effettuare donazioni a favore della famiglia di Chi.

Chi Cheng, 39 anni, è entrato in coma il 4 novembre 2008 a seguito di un grave incidente automobilistico. Ancora oggi, a oltre un anno di distanza, si trova in stato minimamente cosciente e, dopo essere stato ricoverato a lungo in una clinica specializzata nel nord della California, da un paio di mesi è ritornato a casa, dove pare stia facendo qualche piccolo ma significativo progresso. Il sistema sanitario americano, come sappiamo, non è particolarmente efficiente, e dalla metà di gennaio l’assicurazione di Chi ha smesso di pagare per le sue spese mediche. Una persona vicina alla famiglia del musicista ha deciso di aprire un apposito sito internet, chiamato “One Love for Chi”, allo scopo di raccogliere fondi per contribuire alle ingenti spese: finora si sono raggiunti risultati sorprendenti, con delle offerte che hanno superato i 77mila dollari.

Questa sera e domani i Deftones suoneranno due concerti di beneficenza a favore di Chi all’Avalon di Hollywood, accompagnati dal bassista Sergio Vega (già nelle file dei Quicksand). Quale migliore occasione per rivolgere al bassista californiano un augurio di pronta guarigione, e proporvi il suggestivo videoclip di uno dei brani più splendidi della band di Sacramento. A presto, Chi.

IL VIDEO: Deftones, Minerva (da “Deftones”, 2003)

Chi Ling Cheng, bass player for the
Deftones, is still in a coma one year after a car accident on November 2, 2008.

To help with his medical expenses, the Deftones will play two benefit concerts at The Avalon in Vine St, Los Angeles on this Thursday and Friday, November 19 and 20.

The Chi Ling Cheng Special Needs Trust has been set up to take in funds and pay for Cheng’s expenses.

As well as the Deftones benefit shows, Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus is also contributing by offering his services for one day in the studio.

Hoppus is up for auction. The highest bidder will get to spend a day in the studio with the Blink 182 frontman and he will produce a song for you.

Other bands doing their bit for Chi Ling Cheng include Rage Against The Machine, Avenged Sevenfold, System of a Down and Ozzy Osbourne.

Today I read that Deftones, one of my fav bands from the new era of alternative metal, is gonna perform 2 gigs in benefit of their bassist Chi Cheng, who was involved in a serious car accident on November 2nd 2008 as you may already know, he remains in a semi concious state produced by the long time he was in a coma.

This week, they are performing at Avalon Hollywood as a fundraiser for the Chi Ling Cheng’s Special Needs Trust, which was created to pay for the big medical costs of the recovery of  Chi. If you wanna help Chi, you may by going to www.deftones.com.

On my behalf, the best of the luck for Chi and his family, hope you get well soon cause we can’t wait to see you back with Deftones and keep the awesome tunes coming! It sometimes seems that the worst things happen only to the good people, the prepared, and the worthy… it’s really sad.

Special! The songs that got me really into Deftones, inf category:

Strenght man!

Over the past month or so I went to some real neato deato smeato concerts. (Are we still calling them concerts? What are the hipster losers calling them these days? Rawk shows? Gigs? Smegma?)
First up was Thursday and Far at Bowery Ballroom. Oh yeah and the terrible opening band, Midnight Masses. Some of the most boring music I’ve heard in a long time and their performance was even more boring. This is exactly the kind of crap that Pitchfork is going to tell you is so hip right now. It was kind of sad actually because all six members sang but they did the most boring harmonies and background lines possible. It’s really a waste to have that many people in a band that can sing and just have them doing “ahhhhhhhh” on one note for a whole song. So I’m sure this time next year this band will be huge and having Carrie Underwood open for them.
Far was amazing as expected. I’ve been listening to them for over ten years and it was great to finally see them live. They didn’t play any new material from their upcoming which was good idea I believe. I was surprised that at least half of the audience seemed to know the songs and that some mini pits broke out. It’s too bad that the only shirts they had were youth small since I clock in at over 500 pounds.
Thursday played their “breakthrough” album, Full Collapse, from front to back. Personally, I would have preferred to hear War All The Time instead but Full Collapse translates better live than the recording. Geoff, the singer from Thursday, had also joined Midnight Masses and Far each for a song so that was something that happened. After playing Full Collapse Thursday played about six more songs including Jet Black New Year, which is scientifically their best song for sure. I’ll be seeing them again in December and hopefully they’ll play some of the better songs off of Common Existence. Also playing that show will be Dillinger Escape Plan(!), Glassjaw(!!!!!!) and United Nations(?!). When we got flyers for this while waiting in line we thought it was a joke because the lineup is almost too good to be true.

Sorry ladies, take your tampon napkin somewhere else!

Cockaoke.

Japanese princess?

Inspireret af dagbladspressen og in part mit job har jeg besluttet, at lave en lille hurtig liste over de bedste plader fra de 00′er som vi snart forlader. Listen er ikke i præfereret rækkefølge; det er bestemt ikke en kanon og listen er ikke udvalgt ud fra andre kvalitetskriterier end, at pladerne har betydet noget for mig på hver sin måde.

In Rainbows – Radiohead 2007

Skelsættende på så mange niveauer. Min samvittighed bød mig kun, at give de 420 kroner for at få the special edition på udgivelsesdagen; LP med Cd udgave + B sider. Når jeg hører pladen er jeg tilbage til dengang, jeg boede på  et lille værelse med megen motorstøj fra Ndr. Ringgade på Trøjborg i Århus. Egentlig burde jeg også nævne Kid A og Hail to the Thief, men man skal jo vælge.

The Singer – Teitur 2008

Soundtracket til mit livs bedste Roskilde. Alt gik op i en højere enhed. Vejret, Lejren, menneskene, festerne, musikken men størst af alt var det det år, hvor jeg foran indgangen ved Pavillion Junior fik at vide, at jeg skulle være onkel. Rørstrømsk som jeg er, stod jeg en times tid senere alene og græd foran Orange imens Teitur sang titelnummeret “The Singer”. Ubetinget lykke!

Zitilites – Kashmir 2003

Deres bedste plade hvis du spørger mig. Stemningsfuld af helvede til og sangskrivning af uhørt høj kvalitet. Udgivet imens jeg gik i gymnasiet blev den både en fest og lejrbålsklassiker. Samtidig den plade der påviste at min ven og gamle guitarelev  havde overhalet mig rent teknisk.

Action Paiting – Speaker Bite me 2007

Igen en plade der blev købt efter en stor koncert oplevelse – muligvis min bedste nogensinde. SPOT festival 2007 i Musikhus Århus. Jeg kan huske koncerten utroligt detaljeret. Måske var det fordi, at man sad ned og var lidt smadret. Jeg mindes hvordan der var så stille i salen, at man kunne høre Jomi Massages høje hæle, da hun spadserede fra den ene ende af scenen til den anden. Efter koncerten sad jeg som paralyseret i et par minutter, hvorefter jeg udbrød: “Det var jo sindsygt!” – en sætning der iøvrigt endte i Dagbladet Information.

White Pony – Deftones 2000

Pladen der både fik mig til at lytte til NU-metal og til at fjerne mig fra den. Jeg synes stadig, at den er genial i sit lydbillede og sin brug af få og sære virkemidler. Numre som “Passenger” og “Digital bath” er små mesterværker der på mange måder definerer min måde at tænke trommegroves og guitarfigurer. Teksten til ” Change (in the house of flies)” sendte jeg iøvrigt til en Eks-kæreste som et billede på den udvikling vores forhold havde taget.  Hun misforstod totalt gestussen og teksten med. Hun takkede mig og synes at det var en sød tanke…..

Absolution – MUSE 2004

Se nedenstående :

Unaturligt valg

Vapen och Amunition – Kent 2002

Købt ved et tilfælde fordi jeg stod i Expert i Nykøbing Mors og så det flotte cover. Som jeg stod der kom jeg i tanke om, at jeg vist havde set noget med dem-her Kent på det-der MTV (som vi ikke havde derhjemme), hvor de vist nok spillede en god sang. Sangen var “Musik non stop” fra Hagnesta Hill – en plade jeg først købte år senere. Guitarrollerne på denne plade kan ses som grundstenen til min egen måde at spille guitar i band sammenhænge på.

Lifted – Bright Eyes 2002

Denne plade fik jeg anbefalet af en ven som gled ud af mit liv fordi vi begge forandrede os. Hans anbefaling var simpel: “Det er ordene der er guldet!”. Jeg fandt dog også stor inspiration i Conor Oberst’s måde at skrive sange på – og måske endnu mere hans DIY-agtige måde at indspille dem. Intimt og rocket, folket og indiepoppet.

Mesmerze/Hypnotize – System of a Down 2004-2006

I know ! – ikke det mest übercoole, men en overgang kunne jeg ikke gå til en fest og slet ikke køre i bus/tog uden at have denne dobbelt plade indkodet på det relativt nye fænomen: Mp3-afspilleren. Jeg var facineret af vokalharmonier og hardrock og så er de her plader ret spot on. Sjovt nok havde jeg sideløbende et Queen-flip – som stadig hænger lidt ved. Queen har også lavet en plade i 00′erne men den er der BESTEMT ingen grund til at nævne.

Once more with Feeling (Compilation) – Placebo 2004

Min værelseskammerat på efterskolen købte i 2000 Placebos Black market music. Dengang fattede jeg ikke rigtig Brian Molkos androgyne røst, men den gang var min musik smag VIRKELIG også håbløs (bortset fra White pony forstås), men det er en anden historie. Det er først da jeg flytter til Århus og dermed tættere på en TP, at jeg opdager Placebos kolosale værdi. Jeg købte Once more with feeling for en 50′er og nu tror jeg, at jeg har hørt et nummer fra den en gang i ugen siden.

Enjoy!

Eran las 17:46.Lo se exactamente porque he revisado una conversación a través de internet con una amiga,y en ese momento exacto le comentaba:

- Voy a poner el trípode a ver si cazo algún rayo.

Rayos no cace,ahora,algo iba a pasar.¿¡Poner el trípode en la ventana con la cámara mirando hacia la calle debió ser un gesto de provocación involuntario hacia la fuerza de la naturaleza!?
Sobre las 14:00 horas,el tiempo dio un cambio repentino.Había amanecido con sol,ni una nube.Nada hacía presagiar que unas horas más tarde,exactamente sobre las 18:00 horas,me vería bajando las escaleras de mi edificio de dos en dos sin cinturón y con la cámara en mano.Lo primero que hice,cogerla,lo segundo,acojonarme un poco.El ruido era ensordecedor,como si unos tanques estuvieran desfilando ahí al lado o estuvieran pasando un avión militar.
Por primera vez desde el año 68 (y evidentemente,en mi vida) se podía volver a ver el agua correr por el barranco que tengo frente a mi casa.Y de que manera lo hizo,por todo lo grande.
Un espectáculo que se llevó por delante coches,contenedores,ramas de árboles,escombros y todo lo que pilló por el camino que se cruzase en su devastadora y veloz trayectoria.
He de reconocer que me quede impactado,y como yo,todos los vecinos que no dudaron en invadir la calle.Los que tenéis un rio cerca estaréis acostumbrados tal vez,pero aquí os puedo asegurar que no.Ni estamos acostumbrados a esto ni tenemos rio.Vamos,un hecho histórico para muchos.
La fuerza del agua es increíble y por mucho que lo hayas visto en TV,estar cerca y notar como tiembla el suelo que pisas,razón por la que la policía nos insto a irnos de allí,es otra cosa muy diferente.El resultado;escombros,un par de coches y otro par de contenedores casi en la arena de la playa,ya que conecta con el barranco a través de un jardín,carreteras cortadas,casas con barro en lugar de agua en sus grifos,centros comerciales desalojados.Un caos del que no será fácil recuperarse,sobre todo las familias mas afectadas por el fenómeno.
Las condiciones no eran las mejores,ya que diluviaba mientras,pero algunas tomas pude hacer,como esas 3 que veis,que han sido publicadas en el periódico EL DÍA,de lo cual estoy tremendamente contento.No todos los días se consigue además una en portada.

La polémica está servida:
“La Isla no está preparada para algo así”,”No se debería dejar aparcar en un barranco”,”Las infraestructuras deben mejorarse”.
En fin,como dijo mi padre:”Lo que es del barranco,es del barranco”.
Así de simple.

Omar García.

Banda Sonora: Deftones – Beware the Water (Pincha para escuchar)

Assim que anunciaram dois grandes festivais de rock que aconteceriam EXATAMENTE no mesmo dia em Sampa, veio a dúvida cruel: em qual dos dois ir? Afinal, a distância e impossibilidade de teletransporte não possibilitariam a presença no Planeta Terra E no Maquinária Festival.

Que me desculpe Mr. Iggy Pop, mas eu cresci alimentada por “Epic”, “Falling To Pieces”, “Digging the Grave”, “From Out of Nowhere” e “Easy”, portanto, não poderia deixar de ir ao show do FNM.

Chegamos no meio do show do Sepultura e já notamos que a infraestrutura do festival era algo que não se via há muito tempo: tudo muito organizado, telões com imagens extremamente nítidas espalhados pelo local, bares com boas opções de alimentação e vários atendentes. Coisa rara de se ver mesmo, ainda mais em um festival que ainda está em sua segunda edição e que no ano passado teve ares mais “independentes” no Espaço das Américas com a presença de bandas como Misfits e Tristania.

Voltando aos shows, ainda não tinha visto o Sepultura sem o Igor na bateria, mas confesso que me surpreendi com o Jean Dolabella. O cara manda muito bem nas baquetas e não faz feio ao tocar as músicas antigas, entretanto, acho que minha cota de Sepultura já está mais do que saturada. Os respeito muito como banda, mas confesso que não tenho mais “pique” para assistir a um show deles ou ouvi-los em casa.

Derrick Green e Andreas Kisser - Sepultura (Foto: Silvio Tanaka - Abril.com)

 Após o Sepultura, veio a primeira atração internacional: Deftones.

Não conhecia a banda, mas sabia que eles faziam um som mais HC/New Metal. O show deles foi cheio de energia e fiquei surpresa com a presença de palco do Chico Moreno, pois o cara canta todas as músicas totalmente em transe, fechando os olhos, realmente sentindo tudo aquilo que expressa e interagindo muito com o público. Muito melhor do que muitos caras por aí que sobem ao palco, cantam e vão embora como se estivessem fazendo nada mais do que sua obrigação.

Chico Moreno - Deftones (Foto: Silvio Tanaka - Abril.com)

Porém, presença de palco e carisma foi algo que não faltou nessa noite de 7 de novembro.

Durante o show do Deftones, meus amigos e eu conseguimos nos infiltrar e ficamos, literalmente, grudados na grade que separava a pista normal da pista VIP. Ou seja, dali não saímos de jeito nenhum até o fim do show do FNM.

Depois de Deftones, chegaram os alucinados do Jane’s Addiction.

Pergunta 1: O que é Perry Farrell no palco? Como li em algumas resenhas por aí, o cara é uma mistura de Ney Matogrosso com Morrissey e, até mesmo, um pouco de androgenia “David-Bowieana-setentista”.

Em nenhum momento escondeu a satisfação de tocar no Brasil pela primeira vez e fez jus a isso: rodou, pulou, gritou, conversou com a galera todo o tempo, tomou vinho na garrafa, caiu e se levantou como se nada tivesse acontecido, simulou várias posições sexuais, enfim, tomou conta do palco. Ah, e ainda nos convidou para conhecer L.A. (se eu tiver estadia em sua casa, certamente vou – rs).

Pergunta 2: O que é Dave Navarro no palco? Sem dúvida, um dos sex symbols do Rock’n Roll arrancou muitos suspiros das meninotas no local. Entretanto, diferente de Farrell, ele estava lá totalmente técnico, com cara de “me tirem logo daqui” e ainda deu chilique com os fotógrafos (o que fez com que o show fosse simplesmente parado do nada, e, depois que retornaram, Navarro não foi mais filmado ou fotografado). Um puta guitarrista, mas mostrou uma antipatia sacal, muito diferente dos outros artistas que se apresentaram naquele dia.

Pergunta 3: Onde estava Eric Avery no palco? Definitivamente, o cara é um puta baixista e foi deixado lá, no cantinho do palco, como se nem existisse. Farrell, deixa o Navarro um pouco de lado e dê atenção ao Eric também. O cara é realmente bom!

Resumindo: show muito bom, com direito a japonesas seminuas e bateria da Nenê de Vila Matilde no final.

Pontos altos do show em “Been Caught Stealing” e “Stop!”, que levantaram o povo.

Perry Farrell - Jane's Addiction (Foto: Silvio Tanaka - Abril.com)

Pontualmente às 21h20, quando todo o povo estava realmente pegando fogo, chega uma chuva pra lavar a alma da galera. Chuva “épica”, como alguns trocadilhos disseram, para anunciar a chegada da tão aguardada banda da noite.

Com uns 20 minutinhos totalmente toleráveis de atraso, sobe ao palco o FNM.

OBS.: Outro detalhe para a organização do Festival: todos os shows começaram sem atraso (exceto o do FNM devido a essa chuva).

Mr. Patton entra todo vestido de vermelho, em um terno clássico com direito a flor branca na lapela, portando guarda-chuva e bengala. Com isso, a banda começa com a canção “ReUnited”, cover de Peaches & Herb, que tem sido a música de abertura dos shows desta turnê (The Second Coming Tour). Confesso que neste momento fiquei com um sorriso idiota nos lábios me sentindo aquela menininha de 11 anos que via os clipes do FNM na MTV. E já com essa música dá pra “ver” e ouvir o potencial vocal de Patton (ainda todo arrumadinho antes de baixar o espírito maligno dos cantores de Rock – rs).

Abertura do show do FNM (Foto: Silvio Tanaka - Abril.com)

Quando o espírito baixou, veio “From Out of Nowhere” e acabou com todo o “glamour”.  Neste exato momento percebemos que, mesmo quarentões, os caras do FNM deixam muita banda novata no chinelo. A bateria de Mike Bordin, o teclado de Roddy Bottum, a guitarra de Jon Hudson e o baixo de Bill Gould são os ingredientes que finalizam essa mistura e loucura musical.

Como disse o Paulo Fioratti em seu review no blog LineUp Brasil, “Aí os caras já tinham o público nas mãos. Se eles sentassem e ficassem dando tchauzinho durante duas horas, todo mundo sairia feliz.”  Tenho que concordar plenamente com essa afirmação.

E assim continuou com:

• Be Agressive (do álbum “Angel Dust”)
• Caffeine (também do “Angel Dust”)
• Evidence (do álbum “King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime” que foi cantada em português e dedicada ao Zé do Caixão)
• Surprise! You’re Dead! (do álbum debut de Mike Patton na banda, o aclamado “The Real Thing”)
• Last Cup of Sorrow (uma das minhas preferidas, – do álbum “Abum of the Year” - mas que, aparentemente, não foi tão ovacionada pelo povo)
• Ricochet (um dos clipes que eu mais gosto dos caras, do álbum “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime”)
• Easy (a famosa balada-cover do Commodores, que fez todo mundo querer dançar)
• Midlife Crisis (do “Angel Dust”, com direito a “crise” de tosse de Patton ao final da música)
• Caralho Voador (nesta, Patton fez uma brincadeira com a música “Ela é Carioca”, de Tom Jobim e Vinícius de Moraes, e cantou “Ela é Pauli’xs’ta” – rs)
• The Gentle Art of Making Enemies (outra que adoro, do álbum “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime”)
• King For a Day (que também não teve a merecida euforia)
• Ashes to Ashes (quando a autora deste humilde blog surtou consideravelmente)
• Just a Man (com direito a loucuras de Patton: comeu o microfone, desceu no vão entre a galera e o palco, bateu nos seguranças e ainda deu um selinho em um dos fãs mais empolgados)

Neste momento, Patton se despede dizendo que aquela TALVEZ seria a última apresentação deles no Brasil. TALVEZ!

Eles voltam para o primeiro Encore com um “Olê, olê, olê, Palmeiras, Palmeiras” (lógico que a Palmeirense aqui ficou mais encantada ainda) e começam a tocar “Stripsearch” e “We Care a Lot”.

Para o segundo Encore, já nos momentos finais, eles apresentam mais um cover, agora de Burt Bacharach, chamada “This Guy’s in Love With You” e finalizam, como uma pancada no estômago, com “Digging The Grave” (o que, pra mim, foi uma troca justa ao invés de tocar a tão pedida “Falling To Pieces”).

Enfim, as palavras trocadas em português, o carisma, a loucura, a técnica vocal e mais uma porção de atributos que só Mike Patton pode mostrar, o tornam um dos melhores frontmans de todos os tempos.

Show que ficará no Top 5 com toda certeza.

Vejam abaixo 3 videozinhos do show em Sampa:

• Este é da abertura do show, com Reunited, gravada em HQ:

• Ashes to Ashes – Este foi gravado por mim (som razoavelmente bom, mas a imagem péssima - devido a distância do palco – e com direito a expressão eufórica de baixo calão no começo do vídeo – rs):

• Final matador com Digging the Grave:

See ya!

Începând de astăzi, până la Crăciun, aniversăm 10 ani de muzică.

Peste şase săptămâni începem un nou deceniu.

Am ales să prezentăm anumite formaţii şi momente aleator (româneşti, şi străine) din 2000 – 2009. Unele cântă în continuare, altele au cedat presiunii şi s-au destrămat prematur.

Următoarele patru zile aparţin anului 2000. Cel puţin o dată pe zi, unde vedeţi simbolul Olimpiadei de la Sydney, este vorba de un artist sau o întâmplare din anul 2000.

Astăzi, începem cu un clasament de piese americane.

1. Sting. Desert Rose

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Otherside

3. Deftones. Change (In the House of Flies)

4. Sonique. It Feels so Good

5. Macy Gray. I Try

6. Madonna. Music

7. Smash Mouth. Then The Morning Comes

8. Papa Roach. Last Resort

9. Aaliyah. Try Again

10. Santana (f. Rob Thomas). Smooth

…

Byte. Piese care nu au mai avut loc în acest clasament CZB Top10. 2000.

• Britney Spears. Oops I Did It Again
• Missy Elliott. Hot Boyz

Here’s a sneak peek of 3 Pill Morning’s new album artwork that we just wrapped up for them. Their new ep ‘Singles,’ is going to be available on December 1st.

The new tracks were produced by Corey Lowery and Brian Virtue (Chevelle, Sevendust, Deftones) Click below to check out the band on Myspace.

Impressiona aquela figura no palco. O sol ajudou. O som também. Perfeitamente audível em qualquer lugar do festival. Como ainda é surpreendente ver o Chino enrolar o microfone na mão e simplesmente explodir! Cada berro e sussurro. Desesperados, intensos.
Abe descer o braço.
Stef soltar sua parede de riffs.
Não importa quão vermelho fosse o terno ou quantas toneladas tivessem o maracatu.
Não há nada igual como ver Deftones ao vivo.
Um soco na cara. Uma facada no coração.
Um sonho realizado pela segunda vez.
 
 
Porque a multidão sempre vai ao delírio…

“And the crowd goes wild

and the camera makes you seasick

God it’s so sweet of you and I know you’re proud

And the car bomb tick ticks with the same sound

it’ the same sound”