Half of my heroes on one magazine cover+lily allen… awesome.

It’s time for the yearly roundup.

READ:

I’ve read more Children’s books than adult fiction, and more magazines than books this year. These books aren’t necessarily published in 2009.

1. Cory, an intimate portrait.
2. The Traveller.
3. Chung Hyo Ye.
4. Slumdog Millionaire (definitely better and more violent than the movie).
5. Indignation and Every Man (both by Philip Roth)
6. Christian Bok’s Eunoia.

I also read Shakespeare in Love – A Collection of Shakespeare’s Love Poems. I’m totally suggesting you read it over the holidays.

SEEN:

1. Drag Me To Hell is Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre and has set the bar high for all the other horror movies shown after it. Drag Me To Hell is gross, shocking, suspenseful, funny at times, and did I mention gross? Summed up in two words: Classic Horror. And yes, you’ll never look at dentures the same way again.

2. The Soloist is about real life. Realizing that yes, there really are gaps, unreachability, disconnection. It is in this acceptance lies the movie’s strength.In small scene, Robert Downey Jr sits down on the steps of the shelter and listens to a homeless woman’s random rant with the ears of a kindred spirit. He nails it. The movie is not about friendship, not about schizophrenia, not about big moments.

3. The Hurt Locker is a gripping tale of an American bomb squad in Iraq. It is a viscerally exciting, adrenaline-soaked tour de force of suspense and surprise, full of explosions and hectic scenes of combat, but it blows a hole in the condescending assumption that such effects are just empty spectacle or mindless noise. The thing about this movie is that it ISN’T about that war. Maybe it’s as gripping because it is from a woman’s point of view (directed by former Mrs James Cameron, Katheryn Bigelow). Or maybe because the opening quote in the movie is true. War is a Drug.

4. Watchmen. Comic geeks’ justice since The Dark Knight. Never mind that it is 3 hours long. It has Billy Crudup. Worth it all the way.

5. Public Enemies. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard. And Marion Cotillard. Did I mention Marion Cotillard? I totally forgot that it’s about John Dillinger, the human being, criminal extraordinaire. All I had in mind was Marion Cotillard.

*****Special props to one Filipino movie that sent me laughing for one and a half hour. Kimmydora gave a whole new twist to the phrases:  Get out,  Go to hell,  Go kill yourself.

HEARD:

It’s the year of the best in music. Well, mainly because 2009 is the year when artists are either too lazy to record, or they’re too cramped up with hits, they felt the need to compile their greatest hits

1. Madonna’s Celebration – or 34 Songs that changed the world (+2 new tracks) is the biggest 2-disc compilation released this year. It’s also the most meaningful, if you’re a fan, because the songs in this collection have been voted for by the fans themselves. Madonna releases a greatest hits every so often (Immaculate Collection in the 90s, Something to Remember in 96, GHV2 in 2001), that will make you, Of course, wonder where is What It Feels Like for a Girl, or where’s Drowned World, or Angel; but then again, this non-chronological reminder of Madonna’s reign as queen will make you forgive and forget that the new song Revolver tells that Madge’s sex is a killer and asks if you want to die happy.

2. Incubus’ Monuments and Melodies – or 13 hits, 2 new tracks, and 11 “it takes getting used to” is the first greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Incubus. Monuments chronicles 13 previously released singles from the albums Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder…, and Light Grenades, along with two new Brendan O’Brien-produced tracks, “Black Heart Inertia” and “Midnight Swim”. Melodies has a collection of rarities, including B-sides, soundtrack cuts, alternate versions, three previously unreleased songs, and a cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”.

3. Snow Patrol’s Up To Now – or I’m not complaining about Snow Patrol’s Kitchen Sink approach. While most listeners have the unanimous feel that Snow Patrol may have thrown everything in in this 30-track collection, I am so not complaining. While a lot have not been crazy over their cover of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love, or that they shouldn’t have included that live version of Chasing Cars, still I won”t complain. It’s good food served on a fancy plate. It’s 30 tracks of proof why Snow Patrol may be the super indie rock group of our time.

4. Foo Fighters’ Greatest Hits – or No fuss, no frills. The band didn’t think of a better title to suit the CD. Or maybe they didn’t have much control. Apparently, Dave Grohl is unhappy with the release, and has revealed that the band had no control over the decision. Grohl had been wanting to release a greatest hits when the band retires. Their label however, had been wanting to release one for the last four years, but the band had been countering it with saying that they hadn’t written their true hits yet. Grohl says that the clause was in their contract, or else the band would not have let it happen. He also feels that the track listing is weak and the band has had better songs that could have been included. I, personally, second the motion.

5. U2’s No Line on The Horizon. It happens. That after one good album comes a glitch. Remember Pop after Achtung Baby? This is what happened with No Line on The Horizon. You get what I mean, right?

TOUCHED:

1. Scribe Diary. And that coffeeshop planner. And that Powerbooks perpetual diary. As much as I really fell in love with the Scribe Diary, I am inclined to give it away (do I smell a contest coming?) . It’s so beautiful, I’d like to share my joy when I first saw it. That feeling of Love at First Sight (yeah, yeah, impulse purchase).

2. The Lava Cake. This should be under “tasted”, but since I didn’t put that category, I’d place it under “touched”. Which is still appropriate, because by touching it, I can say that it is indeed soft, and un-spongey. By tasting it, I can say that I’ve reached my chocolate quota this year. Got Momo and order a lava cake – - now!

3. Bass Front Getaway Wallet / Clip. I’m not a wallet kind of person. I still use my money clip as of today, but when a good friend gave me this to compile my cards and stuff, I got used to having it in my pocket. Plus it still has the clip which can hold my bills

4. The Astoboy stuffed toy.

5. The Bacardi Speakers. Because it’s foldable, super portable, and comes with a bottle of Bacardi.

Pues ayer sí pude ver el “Sotry Tellers” de Foo Fighters.

Resultó que al final el Inge tenía un compromiso y la reunión se aplazó; compré unas cheves y ví el Laberinto del Fauno en lo que empezaba. A las 11:30 le cambié al VH1 y ya estaba Dave Grohl abriendo la sesión. Me gustó mucho el programa, este wey es un gran músico y al menos en el programa se veía auténtico, disfrutando enormemente lo que hacía. Esa es mi idea de un buen músico, alguien que disfruta lo que hace y hace que los demás lo disfrutemos. Las anécdotas fueron buenas, las que más me gustaron fueron las de “Big Me” y la de “Everlong”. No podía dejar de sonreír, por que me gusta mucho su música y por que me acordé de dos grandes amigos.

Primero del Rafa. Es fan de los Foo Fighters y tenemos el pacto de que cuando vengan a México (ojalá sea pronto) iremos a verlos, todos en bola. Me imaginé a todos grite y grite hasta adelante, y al Rafa haciendo caras mientras canta Learn To Fly, o la misma Everlong. Pensé en que el debería estar viendo ese programa, pero quien sabe en donde andaría. Pensé en todos yendo al concierto y pasándola bien.

Segundo, del Real. Y es curioso, por que hace dos noches soñé con el, soñé con todos juntos, en la caja de una camioneta pizcando ropa de la que venden en el tianguis por 10 pesos. Estando en la camioneta decidimos ir por cheves y tomárnoslas en la cochera y todos reíamos, Miguel estaba doblado de risa, Tonchi con su risita característica mientras cierra los ojos, el Bebé con sus carcajadas sonoras, Rafa tratando de decir algo entre la risa para hacernos reír más y Real con la cerveza el la mano y tratando de no aventar el trago que acababa de darle. Ese día desperté contento. Word Forward, según cuenta Dave Grohl, la escribió para su mejor amigo, quien acababa de morir el año pasado. Y se me hizo curioso, que justo después de haber soñado con eso, llegara esa canción. Justa. Precisa.

De verdad me encantaría ir a un concierto de los Foo Fighters.

Esse é o bom e velho ROCK mas é fresquinho e barulhento!

John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) no baixo, Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) na voz e guita e Dave Grohl (Nirvana e Foo Fighters) na batera!

Só ouvi o CD hoje mais to pirando!!! É pegada! Escuta essa prévia aí e baixa o CD:

Them Crooked Vultures at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on November 21, 2009.

Edit this setlist | More Them Crooked Vultures setlists

No One Loves Me & Neither Do I:

Elephants:

Montage:

Links:

• Photos: The Stranger
• Photos: Seattle Weekly
• Photos: STG Presents at Flickr
• Review & Photos: Seattle pi
• Review: The Seattle Times
• Review: Examiner.com
• Review: Crosscut.com

Um comandou as baquetas no disco mais importante dos anos 90. Outro é líder de uma das grandes bandas deste início de século. Ambos estão entre os artistas mais talentosos, versáteis e prestigiados da atualidade. Junta-se a eles o ex-baixista da maior banda de rock dos anos 70. E os três juntos resolvem fazer música. Assumindo ou não o rótulo de “supergrupo”, a verdade é que este encontro entre Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) e John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) é um dos pontos altos desta década musical e vem dar uma esquentada num ano pra lá de morno no mundo rock. Restava saber, então, se este primeiro disco do Them Crooked Vultures (algo como “urubus desonestos”) conseguiria corresponder a todas as expectativas criadas em torno de seu lançamento.

Na primeira faixa, “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I”, já é possível sentir todo o clima que acompanha praticamente todo o disco, até os últimos acordes. Muito peso e distorção nas guitarras, muitos riffs conduzindo as melodias, letras carregadas de testosterona e sarcasmo. Em poucos trechos, a fórmula se alterna, como na nebulosa “Interlude With Ludes”, que mais parece saída de um disco do Tom Waits. Os melhores momentos vêm com a seqüência “New Fang” e “Dead End Friends”, onde encontramos a perfeita combinação entre a crueza do hard rock clássico e a pegada mais melódica do rock alternativo atual. Em outras faixas, como em “Spinning in Daffodils”, esse equilíbrio é deixado de lado em favorecimento de um som mais agressivo, mas que acaba tornando a “barulheira” um tanto despropositada e desvaloriza os vocais de Josh Homme.

No entanto, mesmo quando não é sua voz que mais aparece nas músicas, é a guitarra de Homme que faz o papel principal em 80% do disco. Mais ou menos assim: Dave Grohl e John Paul Jones comandam a cozinha e o líder do QOTSA serve o prato. Um prato com aquele gostinho de deserto californiano, muito mais do que de pub londrino. Portanto, aos fãs de Led Zeppelin, é válido o aviso de que, neste disco do Them Crooked Vultures, não reconhecemos a ex-banda de Jones em muito momentos, que não na levada de “Scumbag Blues” ou nos dez segundos iniciais de “Elephants” (onde, em compensação, é quase possível imaginar Jimmy Page entoando o riff da guitarra). À falta dessa influência mais óbvia do gênio criativo de Grohl e Jones pode ser creditada uma das poucas falhas incômodas dessa estréia do grupo. Sorte deles que o gênio de Homme também não é pequeno.

Além do mais, o simples fato deste encontro ter se concretizado já é um baita presente para o público. Afinal, grupos de rock haviam virado lenda há uns 30 anos – pelo menos, segundo a noção eternizada por Led Zeppelin e The Who, nos anos 60 e 70, onde um grande grupo era formado, antes de mais nada, por magníficos instrumentistas. O Them Crooked Vultures traz de volta, se não em seu som, ao menos em sua formação gabaritada, um pouco desse espírito saudosista, que valoriza mais um palco cheio de boas performances, do que um cheio de roupas bonitas e efeitos especiais.

Se Grohl, Homme e Jones ainda não mostraram todo o estrago que são capazes de fazer como um trio, este primeiro disco apresenta o Them Crooked Vultures, ao menos, como uma cartada promissora, de onde ainda podemos esperar algumas boas doses de decência musical. Pois se o rock, de fato, está morto, esses três “urubus” dão aqui um bom exemplo de como tirar proveito de sua carne podre.

artista: Them Crooked Vultures
álbum: Them Crooked Vultures
lançamento: novembro de 2009

Nota: 7,5

Every now and then there’s a Radio One Live Lounge cover that totally blows me away.  This time, it’s The Script’s turn with Foo Fighter’s Times Like These.

Ok, so I’m a huge Foo Fighters fan but this track sheds new light on The Script for me as it showcases lead singer Danny O’Donaghue’s amazing vocals, plus the rest of the bands talent which i’d previously underrated.

It’s not their first time in the Live Lounge either.  In July, they performed their single at the time The Man Who Can’t Be Moved (recently covered by the mildly irritating N’ Dubz) and also a brilliant version of Eminem’s Lose Yourself.  Proof that there is indeed more to The Script than radio perfect pop music, and once again confirming my never ending love for The Live Lounge.

Enjoy.

On November 26, 1968, English supergroup, Cream, played their last concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.  As they exited the stage, the fans chanted  “God Save the Cream!”

Here they are doing “White Room” live with an intro from John Peel.

Hugely influential on modern rock, Cream helped develop a harder form of rock and influenced future groups in subgenres such as prog rock, jam bands, and metal.

Foo Fighters doing “I Feel Free”

“Sunshine of Your Love” by former member of Kyuss and stoner rocker Brant Bjork.

John Mayer doing “Crossroads.”

The Bee Gees doing “Strange Brew.”

and finally, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” by doom metal band, Trouble.

Има няколко доста добри причини поради които НЕ играя ритъм игри. Ето ви две от тях

Това е първият ми опит (евър) да свиря на барабани в игра. Песента естествено е “Nothing Else Matters” на Металика а трудноста като за първи път “easy”:

След като видях, че съм изключително добър на “easy” реших направо да се пробвам на “expert” с песента “Foo Fighters” на ”Stacked Actors”.

FAIL мастърд!

Както може би забелязвате от видеото, свиря с Logitech Wireless Drum Controller, а цялото уникално изпълнение е записано посредством Logitech Webcam Pro 9000.

En este capitulo repasamos temas en directo de los siguientes grupos:

Kiss, Black Sabbath, Halford, Them Crooked Vultures, Motorhead, Sacred Reich, Machinehead, God Forbid, Life of Agony, Street Sweeper Social Club, Helloween, The Cult

Tambien sa habla sobre lo siguiente:

Eric Carr, Freddy Mercury, Azkena, Kobetasonik, Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Heaven & Hell, Rudolf Schencker, Metal Mike, Winter Songs, Talking Metal, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zepplin, Angel City and other Cities Live 1991, Dave McClain, Doc Coyle, Joey Z, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Michael Kiske, Ozzfest

El podcast se puede descargar en formato que prefiere desde aquí:

O escucha online aquí:

Do ponto de vista jornalístico, o rock deveria produzir mais caras legais como Sergie Loobkoff — o mesmo vale pela visão de um fã de “boa música”. Entrevistar o guitarrista do Samiam pela segunda vez – sete anos após a primeira conversa — confirma a afirmação!

De malas prontas para o segundo giro pelo Brasil, os californianos a princípio fariam apenas um show em São Paulo (no dia 06/12, no Hangar 110), mas Mr. Loobkoff revela que José dos Campos e Rio de Janeiro também terão a oportunidade de vê-los ao vivo — por enquanto no MySpace deles só consta a do Rio, dia 10/12!

Confira a conversa exclusiva que tivemos com Sergie, nela ele conta das lembranças da tour brasileira de 2002, de seu trabalho como designer gráfico, literatura, Obama, as maiores farsas da música atual, e, claro, as expectativas para os shows por aqui!

Entrevista: Sergie Loobkoff (Samiam)
Por Ricardo Tibiu
Tradução: Marina Melchers

Queria começar falando da turnê que vocês fizeram por aqui em 2002, mas é impossível não lembrar de uma coisa em particular. Eu te entrevistei por e-mail antes de virem pra cá e na época eu escrevia para um jornal grande daqui… Enfim, quando vi o texto publicado tomei um susto, o editor não pensou duas vezes e o título da matéria foi: “Californianos trazem emocore ao Brasil”…
[Risos] Isso provavelmente foi na época em que a palavra “emocore” era bastante popular e quem sabe seu editor achou que as pessoas teriam mais interesse em ler a matéria. É, a gente não grita e não faz peripécias com as guitarras jogando elas para o alto ou usa maquiagem… então espero que não tenhamos decepcionado ninguém.

Então, como você definiria o som do Samiam para uma pessoa que nunca o ouviu antes?
Essa pergunta é bastante comum quando dou entrevistas. Na verdade, eu nunca falo para as pessoas que conheço ou com quem trabalho que já tive uma banda. E se eles descobrem e perguntam, geralmente respondo “rock… mais ou menos como Foo Fighters ou Green Day”. Eu imagino que se elas nunca ouviram falar do Samiam, então elas não têm interesse ou não sabem muito sobre punk rock. Foo Fighters e Green Day são os pontos de referência mais próximos para elas. Se eu dissesse “nossa banda é mais ou menos como Lemonheads com Bad Brains ou Descendents”, elas diriam “nunca ouvi falar dessas bandas” [risos].
Na verdade eu detesto quando amigos me apresentam para as pessoas dizendo que eu fazia parte de uma banda… para mim é embaraçoso. Geralmente a pessoa pergunta “qual é o nome da sua banda? Ah, nunca ouvi falar…” [risos].

Voltando à tour de 2002, quais são suas lembranças dela?
Nos divertimos tanto… aquela turnê nos levou a vários lugares do Brasil e vimos muitas coisas e conhecemos tanta gente. No meio da turnê eu fiquei muito doente, não comi ou dormi por três dias. Foi horrível. Quando melhorei eu senti como se o peso do mundo tivesse sido tirado das minhas costas, porque ficar assim tão doente em turnê é difícil demais. Eu dormia no chão do ônibus, nos pés de todo mundo, suando como um louco e ao mesmo tempo congelando. E aí eu precisava tocar quando mal conseguia parar em pé. Mas a melhor coisa foi conhecer muitas pessoas legais. Estamos muito ansiosos para ver muitas delas novamente. Bem, com sorte, se elas ainda se interessam e vêm aos shows. Quando você faz parte de uma banda há tanto tempo, é engraçado como as pessoas param de vir aos shows… Elas podem vir aos shows ano após ano, mas em determinado momento elas se casam ou arranjam um bom emprego, e aí perdem o interesse nessa bobagem de punk rock [risos].

Da outra vez vocês vieram para cerca de 10 shows e desta vez teremos uma única apresentação. Por que isso? As pessoas de fora de São Paulo tão achando que o Samiam não gostou delas… Ok, tô brincando!
Originalmente seria apenas São Paulo, mas agora vamos tocar em São José dos Campos e no Rio também. Eu não sei qual a explicação para menos shows, talvez porque vamos tocar no Chile e Argentina dessa vez, então foi uma questão de tempo e também dos compromissos dos membros da banda. Eu adoraria voltar a todas cidades… a decisão não foi da banda. Em São José dos Campos vamos tocar com o Dead Fish, estou muito ansioso para vê-los, vai ser muito legal! Eu gostaria que pudéssemos tocar em Santos com o Garage Fuzz de novo, é uma pena!

O Samiam e o Jawbreaker foram citados no romance Eeeee Eee Eeee (2007), de Tao Lin. Em tempos de crise fonográfica e artistas/músicas tão ruins, acha que foi uma forma de valorização do trabalho de vocês?
Eu nunca conheci Tao Lin pessoalmente, mas trocamos e-mails porque ele queria permissão para publicar algumas de nossas letras. Parece ser um cara legal. É um bom escritor também. Acho que ele é simplesmente uma pessoa que gosta de nossas bandas, então é sempre legal saber de alguém que aprecia o que fazemos. Eu não sei quanto a “valorizar nosso trabalho”, isso soa como se nós nos levássemos muito a sério. O Samiam não é um “trabalho” e nós definitivamente sabemos que há um milhão de bandas por aí, não somos nada de muito especial. Mas é legal. O Jawbreaker é mencionado em um livro de um escritor famoso chamado Dennis Cooper, da década de 90… Eu fiquei extremamente impressionado com aquilo quando o li. Na verdade fiquei chocado e surpreso. O livro era muito estranho, mais ou menos como uma história de amor através dos olhos de um pedófilo… Um homem mais velho e um garoto adolescente… [risos] definitivamente algo que a maioria das pessoas não conseguiria suportar. Era muito estranho… Pensando nisso agora, não faço ideia de por que comecei a lê-lo. Deve ter sido porque alguém me recomendou!

Aproveitando, o Samiam tem cerca de duas décadas e “somente” sete discos, sendo o mais recente de 2006. É impressão minha ou vocês gravam pouco? Já existem planos para um novo álbum?
Pra dizer a verdade, lançamos seis discos em 11 anos, de 1989 a 2000. Não é nada mau. E aí, basicamente, a banda acabou… ou parou de fazer turnês ou gravar seriamente. Nos últimos nove anos fizemos uma turnê ou outra por ano, mas não trabalhamos a banda como nos anos 90. Em 2006, tentamos fazer um sétimo disco, mas foi um fiasco total, alguns de nós brigávamos muito e acabamos fazendo um disco abaixo dos padrões, que me decepcionou muito. As músicas são muito boas, mas o som é horrível. Basicamente há uma divisão na banda, onde uma pessoa quer que o Samiam se torne algo totalmente diferente, mais thrash e com o som fodido, e eu quero que o Samiam soe como Samiam. Para mim, nossas gravações devem ser bastante nítidas, claras e poderosas. Isso era basicamente o motivo das brigas.
Recentemente falamos sobre fazer um disco novo… e eu escrevi e gravei (de forma caseira) nove faixas que acho que seriam ótimas canções do Samiam… mas realmente precisamos dar um jeito na tensão dentro da banda com relação às nossas intenções antes de nos comprometermos a fazer um disco novo. Fazer outro álbum de que eu não tivesse orgulho é algo que partiria meu coração. Ainda assim acho que poderíamos realmente nos redimir com um disco novo “quebrando tudo” em 2010. Vamos ter que esperar para ver!

Quais seriam seus três discos prediletos atualmente?
Isso muda sempre, mas nesse momento eu diria que amo o Where You Been, do Dinosaur Jr., How It Works, do Bodyjar e o álbum branco dos Beatles.

E as três maiores farsas da música mundial de hoje?
Eu não presto muita atenção no cenário musical, mas sempre há os grandes pop stars que são bobos e fazem algo que atraia as massas para ganharem dinheiro sem nenhuma consideração pela arte ou talento. É simplesmente assim que funciona. Uma coisa que tento nunca fazer é escolher determinadas bandas ou artistas e dizer que são horríveis. Claro, eu não gosto de Jonas Brothers ou do Kanye West, mas eles são importantes para muitas pessoas… Então quem sou eu para dizer qualquer coisa negativa sobre eles?! Eu só penso [risos]. Claro, eu acabo de escolher os Jonas Brothers e o Kanye West, então estou sendo um hipócrita… que se foda: eu os odeio! [risos].

Você é designer gráfico, ainda tem feito trabalhos para bandas?
Sim, mas há 10 anos eu fazia umas duas capas de disco por mês, e agora, com a indústria fonográfica na merda, faço uma a cada dois meses. É bastante triste, mas não há dinheiro na música, então não há trabalho. A maioria das bandas tem um amigo que cuida disso para eles de graça. Recentemente fiz a arte do último Strung Out [Agents of the Underground, Fat Wreck Chords, 2009] e estou trabalhando com algo para o Piebald… E fiz uma caixa para o aniversário de 15 anos da Hopeless Records, mas é isso, agora a maior parte da minha clientela não faz parte da indústria fonográfica.

Aliás, ainda sobre esse assunto, fiquei sabendo que recentemente rolaram uns “art shows” e, inclusive, com a participação de nomes como H.R. (Bad Brains), Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools), Jonah Matranga (Far, Gratitude), Steve Soto (Agent Orange, Adolescents) e Jeff Pezzati (Naked Raygun, Big Black). Como eram esses eventos e como foi reunir esse time de peso?
Isso foi no final de semana passado e foi muito divertido. Mas eu era apenas um dos artistas, não organizei nada… um cara chamado Joe Nelson [The Killing Flame, ex-Ignite] organizou tudo, trouxe os artistas até Los Angeles. Foi um evento beneficente para duas organizações de caridade, então foi muito legal. O H.R. foi muito interessante, ele é um velho estranho hoje. Parece ser legal e tranquilo, mas meio louco. O Walter foi incrível, ele tem tanta personalidade no palco… Eu não sou gay… mas aquele cara é muito charmoso! É melhor você não levar sua namorada ao show dele [risos]. Pezzati e Soto foram muito legais também. Foi muito legal… e eu vendi três peças também!

Como designer gráfico, como você vê a expansão que essa área teve? Concorda que, por exemplo, anos atrás ninguém diria que a street art e o graffiti se tornariam tão populares. Nem mesmo que a imagem mais forte usada por um candidato à presidência nos EUA seria assinada por um “artista que veio das ruas” – no caso, Shepard Fairey.
Eu não sou mesmo o tipo de artista que Shepard Fairey, então eu não quero parecer um cara metido. Mas falando como um fã de arte, eu acho legal que essa cena exista, que você possa ir a uma exposição onde Barry McGee ou Shepard estão expondo e há centenas de pessoas e muito entusiasmo. E é muito legal que caras como o Farofa, do Garage Fuzz, possam ser convidados para mostrarem sua arte em outros países. É maravilhoso. Mesmo se ele tenha vindo à Los Angeles no ano passado e não tenha entrado em contato comigo… eu só fiquei sabendo depois. Filho da puta! [risos]. E quanto à arte do Obama, Shepard é um grande artista. Antes disso ele fez capas para o Led Zeppelin e para o Smashing Pumpkins e outras coisas enormes, não é como se ele tivesse sido “descoberto” com o lance do Obama… Bem, eu acho que então para o público mainstream, talvez, então eu não fiquei exatamente surpreso. Eu acho que ele arranjou alguns problemas por ter usado uma foto sem autorização para aquele poster… que merda.

Pra finalizar, obrigado pela entrevista, quais são as expectativas para o show no Brasil. Algum recado aos brasileiros?
Minha única expectativa é me divertir. Não há rios de dinheiro e não estamos divulgando um disco ou coisa do tipo. Eu espero poder compartilhar algumas músicas com um público entusiasmado! Encontrar alguns velhos amigos e fazer novos. É sempre divertido estar em uma cidade legal tão longe de casa… São Paulo ou Rio ou São José, é legal. Estou sempre em Los Angeles, pode se tornar algo repetitivo [risos]. Espero que alguns de seus leitores brasileiros que leiam essa entrevista decidam ir até o show, vai saber quando ou se vamos voltar um dia! Obrigado!

Links relacionados:
www.myspace.com/highlightsounds
www.myspace.com/samiam
Sergie Loobkoff [arte]
www.ticketbrasil.com.br [venda online de ingressos]
www.hangar110.com.br

Hoje a partir das 19h, o canal VH1 vai exibir o especial “Vh1 Storytellers: Foo Fighters”.
O programa será apresentado simultaneamente em 162 países, apesar do programa ter sido gravado no final de outubro, e marca os 15 anos da banda que aproveita para lançar o primeiro single do mais recente trabalho “Greatest Hits”.

Após a estréia, o programa inteiro estará disponível no site storytellers.vh1.com e com mais sete músicas e entrevistas exclusivas.

Vh1 StoryTellers: Foo Fighters
27/11, VH1 Brasil – às 19h e às 22h.
Reprises: 28/11, às 19h; 3/12, às 23h; 6/12, às 16h; 12/12, às 22h

Já está disponível no youtube: http://pastramia.tumblr.com/post/261342681/e-ja-caiu-na-rede-o-especial-que-foi-transmitido

Acho que nunca falei de música aqui no boteco, só de música de comercial, mas tava na hora, afinal boteco sem música não é boteco,porra!

Sabe quando você pensa que chocolate+sorvete+biscoito+nutella daria uma coisa ótima e disso se tem absoluta certeza!?Pois é, os músicos às vezes pensam assim… Ainda bem!

Porque ai acontecem àquelas bandas muito fodas, nem que durem só um verão!

Pensando em me fazer feliz mais uma vez é o John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) e Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) resolveram fundar o Them Crooked Vultures.

Josh nos vocais, Dave na bateria e Sr.Paul Jones no baixo e afins…

A bando virou meu hot sex, mas disso eu já sabia, afinal eu gosto dos moços e das bandas… Mas o seguinte,quem não for afim de QOTSA não vai gostar do TCV,afinal a voz do Josh Homme é super característica,fazendo com que a banda lembre mais com o QOTSA,mas tem uma pegada muito Led,meio psicodélica em algumas músicas e logicamente a pegada destrutiva do Grohl na bateria é phyna e baphônica.

O primeiro cd do TCV já saiu na Gringa,não sei se está em prateleiras tupiniquins e já está pelo mundo virtual há tempos!

Fikadika!

Mixing the musical mastery of Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl was never going to be a recipe for disaster.  Between them the trio span many of the most popular rock and metal acts of the last 60 years, and new project, dubbed a “supergroup” by most of the world’s musical press, I’m happy to report, has taken my ears by storm.

Them Crooked Vulture's self-titled debut album

Opening track “No-one Loves Me and Neither Do I” is a fantastic piece of mildly melancholy metal, beginning with a simple drumming intro, which leads the way into a sliding opening guitar riff from Homme, backed up smoothly by the sensual slink of Jones’s bass.  From here, the song goes through several phases, leading into a sleek, up-tempo bridge which then thuds and thunks its way into the closing “plodding” riff, which gradually increases in pace to a climactic whirlwind of drumming and noise.

“Mind Eraser, No Chaser” is an excellent hard rock tune, which owes much to Homme and Grohls previous collaborations on some of QOTSAs songs.  The use of synths in the background on the bridge is a welcome addition to the sound of the song and the tricky guitar/bass riff which opens and closes the song demonstrates that this is no half-arsed side project.  This is a tight band which seriously means business.

First single “New Fang” is another smooth, well executed hard rock song, with a charging guitar/bass riff and Homme’s vocals slotting over the top with a coolness that only he seems capable of.  This is a song which needs to be played loud.

Various tracks on the album have bits which sound as though they were created in an extended jamming session, the end of “New Fang” for instance, or the start of “Elephants” could have been improvised the day they recorded it.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t, but this is by no means a bad thing.  It demonstrates the undeniable chemistry between the trio.

“Elephants” returns to the “plodding” riffing seen in “No-one Loves Me and Neither Do I”, sandwiched between soaring choruses and the roaring intro and end mentioned above.

“Scumbag Blues” is a foot-tapping state of intention from the band, adorned with chilling vocals from Homme whilst his guitar screams alongside keyboards and the thud of Jones’s bass.  Grohl shows his mastery of the drums which has secured him as one of the finest drummers of our generation, fixing this track as one of the highlights of the album.

Calm and collected, “Bandoliers” effectively sums up the band’s very smooth sound, again with the keyboards of Jones complimenting the song and moving the band into experimental directions.

“Reptiles” is another very cool song, akin to “New Fang” in it’s charging riffs.  This song is very heavily influenced by Queens of the Stone Age’s sound, along with the verses of ”Warsaw, or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up”, which rely on heavy throb of Jones’s bass and Grohls drumming.  This song ends on the most improvised-sounding segment of the whole album, with the three playing off each other for an impressive 4 full minutes, before ending the song with a choreographed instrumental flourish.

Them Crooked Vultures

The first true departure for the band comes in “Interlude with Ludes”.  This sounds like the trio played a riff underwater, and takes the listener on a trip to a faraway place.  Heavy with drug references and with Homme’s voice twisted and distorted over the top, this song is a queasy, euphoric interlude in amidst the shouty, storming tunes which make up the rest of the album.

“Caligulove” is very sexually driven, a trademark of Homme’s, with the unusual addition of what sounds like a xylophone and some mandolin work by Jones.

Penultimate track “Gunman” opens to a latin-sounding acoustic riff, akin to “Songs for the Deaf” era QOTSA.  With a reverberating organ on the choruses and Grohls drums as a backbone, this is a catchy track which is only truly appreciated when listened to on headphones.

The Album closer, “Spinning in the Daffodils” begins with a chilling piano riff which is gradually approached upon by a rough, distorted guitar riff.  Two heady beats of a distant bass drum signal the beginning of yet another head banging riff topped with haunting vocals from Homme and Jones.  This leads into yet another “improvised” riff which in turn fades to an electric guitar played over an acoustic mandolin/bass/tambourine blurb from the band which slowly fades away.

Lyrically, the release is teeming with the smooth one-liners we’ve come to expect from Homme.  Quips like “Ignorance is bliss/Until they take your bliss away” (“Mind Eraser, No Chaser”) and “I know together we’ll make the possible/Totally impossible” (“Interlude with Ludes”) show that his seemingly never-ending bank of witty remarks still has plenty to offer the world.

With sky-high expectations, i feared this would be a project doomed to disappoint.  However, Them Crooked Vultures have produced a masterpiece of modern rock whilst demonstrating that they have the longevity needed to sustain them as a long-term partnership rather than a one-off special collaboration.  With rumours of the trio already working on material for a second album, the anticipation is building already.  9.8/10

¿Recuerdan los níveles “bonus” de Street Fighter 2, en donde en un minuto uno debía reventar un automóvil para ganar puntos? Nunca olvidaré la sensación de esos dedos pulgares enrojecidos por la caimanera con que uno despedazaba sin piedad los vidrios y carrocería del auto. Bueno pues mientras escuchaba este disco quise estar en una situación parecida, reventando a mansalva algún objeto inanimado. Así de bueno es.

Partiendo de lo obvio, una reunión entre el bajista de Led Zeppelin, el guitarrista de Queens of The Stone Age/ Kyuss, y el baterista de Nirvana/frontman de Foo Fighters, no tendría porqué salir mal. Ahora, pasado el hype del asunto y luego de darle play al disco es clarísimo que la banda no viene con pretensiones de reescribir la historia de la música. Sencillamente son 3 tipos sumamente talentosos que se pusieron a jammear, se sintieron bien y decidieron echar a andar el proyecto. Como era de esperar, los riffs de Josh Homme son pegajozos y con una energía brutal, la línea de bajo y los arreglos con teclado de John Paul Jones son precisos y dotan al disco de texturas interesantes, mientras que la batería de Dave Grohl nunca había sonado tan inspirada y fuerte.

No one loves me and neither do I, comienza el disco de una manera calmada y hasta podríamos decir medio panzoneada, pero a mitad de canción la cosa se pone buena y no se detiene durante 70 minutos. Sobresalen algunos temas ridículamente buenos como Bandoliers, Gunman o Scumbag blues, pero el disco en general es bastante sólido a pesar de que se siente un pelo más largo de lo que debería.

Me parece que escucharlo puede generar dos reacciones: o te sientes lleno de energía y necesitas expulsarla de una manera violenta, o te sientes como un niño con camisa blanca en medio de un bar plagado de strippers, mientras un hombre de bigote te desviste con la mirada. En mi caso, estoy buscando un bate para luego ir al estacionamiento más cercano para reventar algunos vidrios y faros.

Rapidshare

torrent

The race is over and I survived!

Today I reached an unbelievable personal goal, completing a half-marathon after about two months of training. I started on this project as both a personal challenge, and as a way to inspire people through the American College of Endocrinology Power of Prevention program. Along the way, I have heard from so many of you who are following my progress, have been inspired yourselves, or who are just rooting me on to success. On this Thanksgiving Day, I have to tell you all how grateful I am for all of your support.  What started out as a project to inspire others has certainly changed my life, and a significant part of that comes from all of you.

Now, on to race day.

First, a brief note.  I did not run with my iPhone, so I did not take any pictures.  Sarah took some, and I will work to add them later in the day.

So, I guess the story begins with dinner last night. My good friend Britt has been following my progress in this training regimen, and was sorry to tell me that he would not be able to come out to the run and see me finish, due to the fact he is out of town today. But he did offer to help me carbo load the night before. So last night our two families went out and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner. In fact, I had to stop loading because I was too full. (I had an awesome shrimp alfredo Sicilian style pizza. Pictures forthcoming as well. I promise you will be jealous).

I got home and had a good night’s sleep.  This morning when I woke up, my number one priority was my pre-race preparations. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go here to get up to speed, but suffice it to say, I was very nervous about making sure this was not a problem today.

Not joking, I resorted to jumping jacks in the living room, but it all came out fine in the end (did I really just type that?)

Sarah and I headed out to the run at about 6:45.  Race time was 8:00, but we wanted to get a decent parking spot and I also wanted to do a mile pre-run before the race to get loosened up.

People up north can complain about this next sentence, but it was cold this morning.  It was probably only 50 degrees when we got to the race site. I was not concerned about the race, because I know how much I heat up when I am running, but I was definitely freezing waiting for the race to start.

Sarah and our friend Melissa were running the 6k at the same time.  The starting line and starting time were the same, so we got “in the blocks” together and waited for the run to begin. After a pre-recorded National Anthem from Lee Ann Rhimes, the race was set to begin.

We had positioned ourselves towards the middle of the group.  We knew we were not fast enough to be in the front, but did not want to get stuck behind the walkers in the back, either. The gun sounded and we were off.  It took about a minute or so to cross the starting line. I’m glad this was a chip race, because I’m interested to see how off my chip time is from the race time. The first mile was the typical jockeying for position that you see at any race. I tried to keep my pace slow and steady, but it is definitely hard with the adrenaline of all the other runners around you.

Around mile one, the course split for the 1/2 marathoners and the 6k, so the crowds thinned considerably at that point. It was about this time that I realized I had forgotten to start the timer on my watch. This is a dual problem, because I had no way to track my time, and because it was not recording my heart rate (long time readers know that I have a history of overheating when not monitoring my heart rate closely). So I started the timer and hoped that at some point there would be a timer on the course that would allow me to get some idea of how I was doing.

The first course clock did not come until mile two.  The race time at that point was 19 minutes. That meant that even if I had been at the front of the pack, I was pacing at sub-ten minute miles. This was both exciting and troubling. Exciting, because I did not feel like I was moving at that pace and felt fairly good. Troubling because I was not sure I could maintain this pace for eleven more miles.

The next few miles were relatively uneventful. I was able to maintain that 9:30ish pace and was not feeling tired. One thing I did not do was take water at the water stations. I have learned from experience that I get bad cramping if I drink anything while running. I had tried to hydrate myself well before the race, and was banking on that being good enough.

The race was actually quite uneventful in general until about mile eight. Right about that time my feet began to really hurt, especially on the instep. I know that I am due for new shoes, but did not want to get them so close to race time. Many runners have told me that’s a recipe for disaster with blisters and real problems on race day. But what was a mild nuisance at mile eight had become a real pain by mile nine.

The mile nine refreshment center had something I can only refer to as runner’s goo. It came in a foil packet, and had the consistency of Vaseline.  But it tasted good, was packed with sugars and caffeine, and really gave me a bit of a boost when I really needed it.

By mile ten, I was in uncharted waters. Ten miles is the previous longest run I had ever done, and I still had a full 5k to go to finish. I resorted to counting miles, not in distance, but in songs. At my pace (I had slowed to about an even ten minute mile pace, by now) I knew it was about two and a half songs between miles. So I just focused on the music and plowed ahead.

At mile eleven, the pain in my feet moved to my calves. This was a new experience for me. Whenever I run, the only true obstacle is breathing. I never have physical pain in my legs that prohibits me from going forward. So this really caught me off-guard. I knew that I only had two miles to go, however, and was determined to power through it, no matter what.

At mile twelve, I could smell the finish line, and so could the rest of the group running at my pace. Everyone kicked it up a notch at that point. I did the same, despite what my legs were screaming to me (R-rated, can’t repeat here). That lasted maybe a quarter of a mile. That’s when I thought I was going to collapse. Despite the fact that I had made it more than twelve miles without stopping once, I had to stop and stretch out my legs, then walk for about 30 seconds. I regret this terribly, but really don’t think there was anything else I could do at that point.

Once I started back up again, I decided to keep the pace slower and just get to the finish line. Two songs later, I was crossing the thirteen mile marker. At this point I knew that I had a 1/10 mile sprint in me, so I kicked it in and raced to the finish line, passing up a couple of guys down the stretch!

Final time: 2:07:18! Official results here: http://www.1stplacesports.com/obdc09halfres.htm

I looked around for Sarah, who had finished the 6k about and hour and 20 minutes earlier, but could not see her anywhere. So I got some water and tried to work out my legs a little bit. About 7-8 minutes later Sarah spotted me in the crowd and came over. I had anticipated finishing between 2:15 and 2:30, so she had gone home and got the turkey and stuffing in the oven, then was going to come back and watch me finish and take some pictures. Since I beat my goal time by about eight minutes, she missed the finish.

She’s more upset about that than I am. I’m glad she came back at all, and I appreciated the support in any case.

So we met up with some friends and compared times, then headed over to get a banana… AND THEY WERE OUT! So I settled for some orange slices and a couple of Michelob Ultras. Sarah also grabbed an Ultra, that she was actually getting for me.

As we walked to the van, I saw a sign for a “Brazilian Honey Bakery”. Having no idea what in the world that is, we headed inside and asked the question “What in the world is a Brazilian Honey Bakery?” The proprietor proceeded to give me a sample of a cheese bread pastry, which was so good, I immediately ordered a dozen.

And with that, we packed into the van, and headed for home. I received all of your well wishes on email, Facebook, and Twitter. You really have no idea how much that means to me. I am thankful today for all of you who have supported me through this training, and I look forward to sharing with you my next plan…

Until then, you know the drill…

Vital Statistics:

Workout: 13.1 Miles

Time: 2:07:18

Pace: 9:43

Playlist:

Neither Can I – Slash’s Snakepit

Estranged – Guns N Roses

Believe – Disturbed

Always On The Run – Lenny Kravitz

Sure Shot – The Beastie Boys

The Battle of Evermore – Led Zeppelin

I.R.S. – Guns N Roses

Brain Stew – Green Day

Miss Independent – Ne-Yo

Rusty Cage – Johnny Cash

The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson

Best I Can – Queensryche

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Get It Together – The Beastie Boys

Strength Beyond Strength – Pantera

Hella Good – No Doubt

Hanger 18 – Megadeth

Used To Love Her – Guns N Roses

One – Creed

Razor – Foo Fighters

After The World – Disciple

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani

Elvis Is Dead – Living Colour

Jane Says – Jane’s Addiction

Territorial Pissings – Nirvana

Madagascar – Guns N Roses

No Rain – Blind Melon

Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz

There Is No God – Extreme

"You can't really imagine Dave would ever drop an F-bomb from this photo"

So, what’s a good way to get people to buy your greatest hits collection? Sure, it’s a good place for new fans to start, but how do you get people who already own all the music your band has put out to rebuy songs they already own? The answer recently has been to put a few new singles on a ‘greatest hits’ CD, more as an attempt to get more buyers than pre-emptive wishful thinking (though they do often end up being hits in their own right in the marketing push of the greatest hits collection). Now, Foo Fighters have done the same, writing 2 brand new songs, Wheels and Word Forward, for their 2009 Greatest Hits collection.

‘Wheels’ was the first new single to see the light of day, and is actually has a slightly different feel than you would normally get from an electric Foo Fighters track. It has a little bit of a southern rock swagger to it, and it dominated by a jangly lead guitar, rather than the distorted rhythm you would usually expect. While it is a little reminiscent of the work of Tom Petty, to reduce it to that wouldn’t do ‘Wheels’ justice. It’s Foo Fighters putting something a little bit new in with all their hits, and it’s a welcome addition to their catalogue. Lyrically, it feels like a bit of a homecoming for Foo Fighters, which suits the greatest hits idea well. It’s almost saying, “Ok, here’s our greatest hits, we know it’s not a new album, but we’ll be getting on to new stuff soon. For now, lets just chill out and look back on everything that’s gone well so far.”

Both these songs seem to hark back to the work of earlier artists, but not in a lazy way. They almost seem like a tribute, be it intentional, or just a coincidental sign of those bands influences. What I mean by this is, if ‘Wheels’ takes cues from Tom Petty, then ‘Word Forward’ is a love letter to The Beatles and their song A Day In The Life, at least in the opening verse. This song feels much more like you would expect from Foo Fighters. The soft verse, loud chorus format, the build to an ecstatic climax, the song along chorus, it’s all here. Again, this seems to scream, “we’re not done yet” and rightly so. If this is an indication of what’s to come, then Dave and the boys can’t stop now.

Wheels: 7.5/10

Word Forward: 8/10

By: Dukemich

With the evolution in technology people don’t go out and buy CDs as much. I imagine many people download songs off of iTunes or Limewire. Both allow you to buy one song at a time instead of buying an entire album. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy the album on iTunes but there’s an option. I imagine this has led to fewer people buying albums and more people buying songs one at a time. I’m not sure if this is a good thing. There’s something that I enjoy about listening to an entire album and finding songs that I may end up loving.

Anyway there aren’t many albums that I can listen to every song and enjoy every song. I’m just going to list a few but I’m sure there’s more. Some will be greatest hits albums so I don’t know if some would consider that a real album because they usually consist of the band’s most popular songs. Also, I like the weirdest variety of music so the list probably won’t make sense. Agree, disagree, laugh, make fun of, and ultimately enjoy.

I could pretty much put every Beatles album up in this post. I love the Beatles and could listen to them all day. However, The Beatles One album is comprised of the Beatles’ greatest hits, obviously. My favorite Beatles’ songs are on this album such as “Hey Jude,” “Yesterday,” “Let it Be,” “Hard Days Night,” and “Help” among others. I grew up listening to the Beatles because my entire family listens to them. I think pretty much everybody listens to them. I don’t know how you can’t like the Beatles. C’mon they’re the Beatles. Also, Beatles Rock Band is an amazing game. If you haven’t played it yet you should buy it or go to a friends house and play.

Well, I might as well get it out of the way early. This is Limp Bizkit’s Greatest Hitz album. Limp Bizkit is probably one of the worst bands of all-time. The lyrics are horrible and usually don’t make sense. However, there was a time when Limp Bizkit was huge. People loved them all over the world. I don’t know where they went. I think they’re hiding. Despite how bad they are (and I say are because they’re making a come back) I still love them and respect what they were able to accomplish. There’s just something about them. They do remind me of a period of my life when I used to go to the Boys and Girls Club so maybe that’s it. This album has their best songs including “Rollin,’” “My Generation,” Take a Look Around,” “The Nookie,” and they’re only well written song, “Re-Arranged.” “Re-Arranged” is also my favorite music video of all-time.

Rush of Blood to the Head is my favorite Coldplay album. Coldplay is one of my favorite bands of all-time. I do like the new direction that Coldplay has taken with their newest album, Viva la Vida, but I like the old Coldplay better and hope they decide to return to that style of music. My favorite song of all-time, “Clocks,” is on this album. The other songs on this 11 track album include God put a smile upon my face,” “In My Place,” “The Scientist,” and “Warning Sign.” I love Coldplay and I don’t think they’re gay as some people do(40-Year-Old Virgin). I think incorporating a piano into a band is brilliant. I imagine you guessed what music video I would post.

I started to like Paramore after I played two of their songs on Rock Band and Guitar Hero. For some reason this band grew on me since I played “Misery Business” on Guitar Hero: World Tour. I suppose I have ssjrem to thank for this because we played Rock Band at a friend’s house and this friend asked him if there was a song that he wanted to play. He said “That’s what you get.” I love the music and Hayley Williams has an awesome voice. Besides “Misery Business” and “That’s what you get” Riot! includes “We are Broken,” “Born for This,” “Crushcrushcrush,” “Let the Flames Begin” (The Final Riot! performance is so much better) and “For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimisitc” (phew what a mouthful).

The Foo Fighters are my favorite band of all-time. Their album, One by One, has some of their best songs such as “All My Life” and “Times like These” but it also has a hidden gem in “Come Back.” This is probably my favorite Foo Fighters album as a whole but it doesn’t have a lot of my favorite Foo Fighters’ songs. However, it is one of two Foo Fighters albums that I can listen to from top to bottom. Of course if you take a CD like In Your Honor that has 20 songs on it, it’s very different to like almost every song. Other songs on the album include “Low,” “Halo,” Have it All,” and “Overdrive.”

The recently released Foo Fighters Greatest Hits album is probably my favorite of all-time. But that’s pretty obvious considering they’re my favorite band of all-time. The album has all of their best songs on it including “The Pretender,” “Best of You,” “My Hero,” “Monkey Wrench,” “Everlong,” and “Learn to Fly.” “All My Life” and “Times Like These” from the One by One album are also included on the CD. The Foo Fighters also decided to add their new song, “Wheels,” to the album. I don’t know how anyone can hate the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters just have such a variety of music that it’s impossible not to like at least one of their songs.

Then there are those albums that almost or may some day make the list.

Paramore’s Brand New Eyes is a pretty good CD but it’s not as good as Riot!. Albums usually take some time to grow on me and this CD just came out a couple months ago. The CD includes songs such as “Ignorance,” “Brick By Boring Brick,” “The Only Exception,” “Careful,” “Looking Up,” and “Misguided Ghosts.” I’m waiting for some of these songs to come out on Rock Band. I think they’d be fun to play. Even though Riot! and Brand New Eyes are Paramore’s two best albums, their best song, “Decode,” is on the Twilight soundtrack.

Here we are again with another Foo Fighters album. In Your Honor is a great album that has two discs and 20 songs on it. The best song on the album is “Best of You” and that could be the greatest Foo Fighters’ song of all-time. The album also includes “DOA,” “No Way Back,” “The Last Song,” “Free Me,” and “End Over End.” If the Foo Fighters hadn’t done it yet they definitely showed that they are a great band with this album that was released in 2005.

 Well what do you know another Foo Fighters album. The Foo Fighters always seem to get that one big hit on every album that’s just so awesome. Off The Colour and the Shape album it’s “Monkey Wrench.” Off There’s Nothing Left to Lose it’s “Learn to Fly.” Off One by One it’s “All My Life.” Off In Your Honor it’s “Best of You.” Finally off this album, Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace, it’s “The Pretender.” Besides “The Pretender” the album also includes “Let It Die,” “Long Road to Ruin,” “Erase/Replace,” “Stranger Things have Happened,” and Summer’s End.”

Braveheart is a really good movie. It’s so good that Brian Hollenbaugh named a play after it for freshman basketball at Bishop Hannan.

Well there’s some of my favorite albums of all-time. Keep buying CDs because you never know what songs you can stumble upon and love.

See ya.

The Foo Fighters will finally be on VH1 Storytellers this Friday, November 27th at 11/10c on VH1. Earlier this week on KROQ.com we mentioned how Dave explains the song “Word Forward”. here’s some video:

Happy Thanksgiving !

I’ve always been a huge preacher of, “If something’s bringin ya down, ya do somethin’ about it.”  And quite frankly, it’s been a long, long, looooong time since I have felt this down, and this perpetually sad.  It’s not like I haven’t been trying to make things better…  I spend every waking moment trying to improve my situation.  But the current thought is: what are you supposed to do when the pain is out of your control?  What happens when anything you do really just can’t change what’s goin on?

I’m trying to figure it out.  I’ll let you know when I’ve come to a conclusion.

 I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Foo Fighters’ ‘Greatest Hits’ will be seen as a major milestone for Dave Grohl’s band, maybe even the end. Them Crooked Vultures could become more than a pleasurable side-project.

Last year, when the Foo Fighters were in London Led Zeppelin fan Grohl had Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones step on stage to perform two Zeppelin classics with Dave back behind the kit. Then earlier this year the ever-active Dave Grohl gave himself a special 40^th birthday present. He invited John Paul Jones and Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Josh Homme to meet him for a “blind date” at a medieval banquet, for some old fashioned jousting, bonding and a jam. The Zeppelin fuelled Them Crooked Vultures album is the result. Already they’ve said they’re keen to record a second album.

Them Crooked Vultures’ self-titled first album is what it had to be, quick and easy, Dave taking a back seat at the kit, letting Josh Homme take the lead. Otherwise it would be second-hand Foo Fighters. John Paul Jones, like Dave is a happy collaborator. For his part, Jones has said that after making the Them Crooked Vultures album he’s not interested in the much-muted Led Zeppelin reunion. For a moment back there he and Jimmy Page were auditioning replacements (?) for Robert Plant who’s having too much fun recording and touring his Grammy-winning union with Allison Krauss to think about Led Zeppelin.

Obviously there’s unfinished business here. More Them Crooked Vultures. What more can Dave do that he hasn’t already done with the Foo Fighters? Maybe the next Vultures album will change the line-up. Dave and John Paul are guaranteed to be there. Josh is also keen. Imagine if that other “busiest man in rock” and Led Zeppelin disciple Jack White got involved! THAT would be too much to hope for!

You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I love a good hard rock song as much as the next tat-covered metal-head.  I have always struggled to control my foul temper and there is something about the pure expression of raw anger in many hard rock songs that I love.  I’m pissed off – and so are they!

As you’ll see, many of the songs on this list are by “the usual suspects,” but I have tried to pick songs from these bands that are a little less obvious.  “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a brilliant hard rock song, but you already knew that, so what’s the point of putting it on my list?  OK, then, dear reader, please turn your amplifier up to 11 and let’s kick it…

• Nirvana, “Lithium” – These guys changed it all, didn’t they?  The hilarious thing is that “Nevermind” knocked off Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” to become the #1 album in America.  With all due respect to the King of Pop, Kurt Cobain was dangerous.  “Lithium” is classic Nirvana…Slow, then crunchingly fast, then slow, then fast.  Toward the end, Cobain screams, “I like it, I’m not gonna crack/I miss you, I’m not gonna crack/I love you, I’m not gonna crack/I kill you, I’m not gonna crack.”  Is it any wonder he eventually cracked?   
• Cracker, “Low” – Whatever happened to these guys?  Who cares, they left us with this amazing single, which includes this lyric: “I’ll be with you, girl/Like being low/Hey, hey, hey/It’s like being stoned.”  I’ve never been stoned, but I’ve been low, baby. 
• Smasing Pumpkins, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” – Is there a better voice in rock than Billy Corrigan’s?  Not when he sings this lyric: “Despite all my rage/I am still just a rat in a cage.”  Yes, Billy.  Me, too.
• Rage Against the Machine, “Guerilla Radio“ – Yes, yes, I know.  I AM the machine. But I can bite the hand that feeds me, can’t I?  Actually, this song takes the hand, rips it from the arm, chews it up, and spits it into a gutter.  The menacingly whispered, “It has to start somewhere/It has to start sometime/What better place than here/What better time than now,” leads to the repeatedly screamed, “All hell can’t stop us now.”  Oh, baby, turn that shit up.
• Metallica, “Enter Sandman” – This is the quintessential hard rock song, so I was tempted to pick another Metallica tune until I had the opportunity to attend Game Six of the World Series a few weeks ago.  They play this song when Yankee closer Mariano Rivera jogs out from the bullpen to the mound and it was EPIC.  52,000 people banging their heads.  Say your prayers, Phillies, you won’t be with us much longer. 
• Silverchair, “Tomorrow” – I can’t name another Silverchair song, but this one kicks ass, Fatboy.  Here’s a lyric that always makes me think of my ex-wife: “You say that money isn’t everything/But I’d like to see you live without it/You think you can keep on going, living like a king,/Ooh babe, but I strongly doubt it.”  She actually HAS kept on living like a king, but, oh, well.  Maybe tomorrow…
• Foo Fighters, “Monkeywrench” – How do you go from being the drummer of Nirvana to the front man of another kick-ass hard rock band?  I don’t know, ask Dave Grohl.  This song is about being gay (I think), but it really hits on all of the classic hard rock themes – not fitting in, persecution, and just being absolutely ripshit about the whole thing.  Take a deep breath and sing along with this lyric: “One last thing before I quit I never wanted any more than I could fit into my head I still remember every single word you said and all the shit that somehow came along with it still there’s one thing that comforts me since I was always caged and now I’m free.”  Remember, you need to save up enough air so that you can scream the word “free” for about 20 minutes.

I realize that I am missing several worthy artists: Guns-n-Roses, Pearl Jam, Van Halen, and Def Leppard, to name just a few. But I am out of time, and so are you.  Please add your ear-bleeding suggestions to the list.