Buenas niños, siento no haber escrito mas, pero he estado (y sigo estando) enfermito, afortunadamente ya me encuentro algo mejor como para levantarme de la cama y hacer un poco el sordido.

A modo de aperitivo y mientras me documentaba un poco para un articulo que estoy preparando para mis primos del Rock Blog Azzurro (http://rockblogazzurro.wordpress.com), me he encontrado con esta joyita, divertidisima a la par que instructiva:

Jack Black y Kyle Gass, los muy grandes Tenacious D, haciendo el capullo en un telemaratón del programa “American Idol”, donde Jack interpreta para Kyle y el jurado “Kiss From a Rose”, una de mis favoritas.

Tambien aqui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He12HYnAvbk

No tiene nada que envidiarles a Northern Kings, el grupo finlandes que para mi, y para muchos otros, ha hecho la mejor versión hasta la fecha:

Tambien aqui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDLSlg78gFU

Traga mierda, Seal, esto si tiene fuerza y ganas.

Tenacious D – Friendship lyrics

Friendship is rare,
Do you know what I’m sayin’ to you?
Friendship is rare.
My derriere,
When you find out much later
That they don’t really care.
It’s rare to me, can’t you see?
It’s rare to me, can’t you see?

Oh shit there’s the fair,
Could you hand me that shotgun buddy,
Also that chair?
We’re fighting a bear
Now your life’s in grave danger
And you don’t even care.
It’s rare to me, can’t you see?
It’s rare to me, can’t you see?
It’s rare to me,
Say a prayer for me,
‘Cause it’s rare to be
In Tenacious D.

Friends will be friends
They’re running naked in the sand,
Friends holding hands
Will someday surely form a band,
Friends will be friends
They say that friends are friends
To the bitter end.
Long-as-there’s-a-record-deal-we’ll-always-be-friends!
Long-as-there’s-a-record-deal-we’ll-always-be-friends!

Friends will be friends
They’re running naked in the sand,
Friends holding hands
Will someday surely form a band,
Friends will be friends
They say that friends are friends
To the bitter end.
Long-as-there’s-a-record-deal-we’ll-always-be-friends!
Long as there’s a record deal we’ll always be friends, yeah

Friendship Quotes – Enjoy reading the best of friendship quotes in the world and share them with your friends.

Right off the bat, I want to admit that I find the word underrated to be overrated.  And overrated…well, that’s just…well…that’s overrated, too.  I mean, how can we, as consumers, public viewers, the opinionheads of the country, really know how to gauge the “ratedness” of a particular item/product/etc.  There’s the internet, but that’s only a fraction of the population.  A hefty fraction, but still, you’re leaving out other demographics.  There are box office rates and billboard and award shows and many other outlets that give us, the public, a peak into the majority opinion.  BUT…that still doesn’t determine what is “underrated” or “overrated”.  This opinion often includes those disinclined to go to the movie theater (like myself) and wait for DVD, or those people who don’t buy DVD’s in store – but rather from a street vendor, or get it themselves online.  It’s the same with music.  There are forums and message boards where people from around the world can talk/argue/bullshit about the media around us.  But still, how can you really know what should be considered underrated or overrated?  Some throw these words around, with the meaning behind it their own opinion, rather than everyone elses’.  For example, Johnny may have seen The Dark Knight and couldn’t find one redeeming factor in the duration of the runtime.  But what about the numbers?  It shattered box office records and made millions on top of millions, so Johnny here, would say, “The Dark Knight is overrated.”  It’s a blockbuster, though.  How many people go to the movies to see the blockbusters just because they’re the blockbusters?  I would bet a decent amount.  Then, there’s the hype.  Word of mouth.  People at work talk about Heath Ledger’s performance or Christian Bale’s death-metal-vocalist impersonation, and soon that word travels, and a good chunk of the populace are going to see it.  The movie earns a spot on the biggest moneymakers of all time.  Johnny must feel something here.  He must be thinking, “this movie is overrated”.  It makes sense.  It seems everyone and their mother has gone out to see this movie!  BUT, so has Johnny.  How many Johnny’s are out there?  For every person like me, who enjoyed the hell out of the movie, there’s someone who didn’t take away anything from the viewing.  Therefore, it wouldn’t be fair to call The Dark Knight overrated. 

Then, there’s music.  Like today’s pop music.  I can’t stand it, nor can I find any ounce of talent or heart or soul in the majority of what’s considered popular music today.  All that American Idol, Britney Spears stuff, or the Lil’ Wayne, modern rap stuff.  I see how popular it is, and just think, how overrated?  But once again, for every American Idol-loving person, there’s the opposite, the one like me, wondering what the hell happened to good music?  There’s usually an equal divide.  What’s underrated to one, may be overrated to another.  It’s all based on opinion – where there is no right or wrong.  It’s a touchy subject, therefore I tend to stray away, and worry only about the opinions of myself or the people close to me. 

While a talented band musically, LRB weren't the best-looking band.

So why name a blog Criminally Underrated when I’m against the word choice altogether?  I’ll tell you why – because I believe it.  Who listens to the Little River Band?  Seriously?  Who?  Aside from the few songs on the radio, who else, besides a tiny portion, could name a Little River Band song?  Maybe the word/phrase I’m searching for is under looked. 

Little River Band is an Australian rock band whose heyday took place in the late 1970’s.  Their biggest hits in the U.S., ranging from 1975 to 1981 included “It’s a Long Way There”, “Lonesome Loser”, “Lady”, and “Reminiscing”, which peaked at # 3, making it their biggest hit.  By 1983, they had lost many of their core band members, including lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock and harmony vocalist/guitarist  Beeb Birtles.  Founding member Graeham Goble stuck with the band throughout the 80’s, trying to keep it fresh and innovative, but this is around the time when the band’s excellence started to decline.  They went for a faster, more aggressive (with the times) sound that just didn’t work for LRB.

I’m not saying they’re the greatest band in the world.  We all know that title is reserved for Tenacious D.  But somewhere between Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Eagles is Little River Band – with their harmonic choruses and smooth arrangements.  They also have a few country-tinged tunes (mostly found on the rare After Hours album which apparently the U.S. record company found “too dark” and had them record a new album which would be Diamantina Cocktail).  However, besides the hits, there are a great number of songs to be heard in the discography of LRB.  The tragic part of the tale is that the Little River Band touring today features no founding members.  It’s basically a cover band.  They played at a festival in my city a year ago, and I opted not to go because of this little fact.  If Shorrock, Birtles or Goble aren’t there, well, I’m not either. 

Now, the reason I call LBR underrated is that I’ve only met a handful of people who’ve actually heard of them.  One of them is my father.  This makes sense – he remembers them from when they were a successful rock band.  But what about now?  Why no resurgence?  You’ll hear younger people talk all day about CSN, The Eagles, Steely Dan, and other countless “classic rock” acts, but why no LRB?  Am I alone in this respect for the band?  Well, if I am alone, then that would certainly justify the title “underrated”.  There are not many forums or message boards where LRB is being discussed on the internet, and literally every record store I’ve been are missing any selection from this band.  Why is that?

Below are some videos from youtube.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Is this the first time you’ve heard of this band?  Are you a longtime fan?  Do you think I’m crazy for defending this one-time popular but now washed-up band?  Comment below and share your opinions, people of the internet!

Every time a 0 is involved with the turning year, people tend to go crazy over “the best _____ of the decade”. Lists come out about music and movies and tv shows and whatever. Well, I decided to do that. Because I’m a dork. What I ended up doing is a list of things for every year since the year 2000. I will talk about some of them and leave links to others that I think are fantastical and that I belive you (whoever you are) might enjoy. So. Here we go. Expect to see some bands that repeat, and some that you know I like, if you like me:

2000
Does anyone remember how fantastically catchy ‘Bohemian Like You’ was? The silly video with the karaoke-thing, etcetera? There was a lot of decent music coming out around this time, and I remember being consistently barraged by good albums. This wouldn’t continue through the rest of the decade. Californication would be the last time I would enjoy RHCP as a band.

Dandy Warhols (song – Bohemian Like You); Red Hot Chili Peppers (album – Californication); Smashing Pumpkins/Foo Fighters/A Perfect Circle(show – Summersault – Winnipeg Stadium); Nine Inch Nails (video – Into the Void)

2001
In 2001 I succumbed to sexy pop for a favorite song. Seriously. That song is awesome. Frusciante’s album was magical, and I think my video of the year is really the only choice.

Kylie Minogue (song – Can’t get you out of my head); John Frusciante (album – To Record only Water for Ten Days); Tragically Hip (show – Winnipeg Arena); Fatboy Slim (video – Weapon of Choice)

2002
Dave Grohl makes the list twice as a drummer in this year, and probably would have taken the album too, but from out of nowhere came what would change my mind about Canadian music in that I ended up following almost every project that Broken Social Scene had outside of it’s main band after hearing the album and seeing them live.

Queens Of The Stone Age (song – Go With the Flow); Broken Social Scene (album – You Forgot it in people); Broken Social Scene – (show – Pyramid Cabaret); Tenacious D (video – Tribute)

2003
I remember the moment I fell in love with Sit down Stand up. It was on the eve of the album coming out, and Radiohead played a live show that was broadcasted to Silver City theatres in Canada. When that song reached the crescendo into the fast ‘raindrops’ part, I was almost on the edge of my seat. Which I could also say about the Metric show. They were second on a bill of three that featured Hot Hot Heat as the main act, and were still relatively new, but downright sexy and exciting to watch. I’ve since seen them six more times.

Radiohead (song – Sit Down, Stand Up); Mars Volta (album – De-Loused in the Comatorium); Metric (show – Pyramid Cabaret); Buck 65 (video – Wicked and Weird)

2004
The second time a John Frusciante album makes my favorite albums. This album is widely regarded as his most ‘mainstream’ and is a fantastic, great-amazing thing, just like the Bowie concert, which was the last concert I ever saw at the ol’ Winnipeg arena.

Secret Machines (song – Nowhere Again); John Frusciante (album – Shadows Collide with People); David Bowie (show – Winnipeg Arena); DFA 1979 (video – Black History Month)

2005
I’ll never forget how many phone calls I got when Nine Inch Nails annouced that they’d be coming here. It was the first time I was going to see them, after being a fan since 1994. My phone rang off the hook, and for one song during that show, so did my emotions. I kinda quietly, completely lost it, and felt like a dummy. Ha! By the way, that Esthero video’s freakin’ hot, and I agree with every sentiment in it.

Sufjan Stevens (song – Come On! Feel the Illinoise!); Fantomas (album – Suspended Animation); Nine Inch Nails (show – MTS Centre) Esthero (video – We R in Need of a Musical Revolution)

2006
I saw Wintersleep by myself in front of about 30 people, and skipped work to get there. When I talked to the singer about this, he dedicated a song to me. How nice. As far as Nausea goes, I don’t know what it is about that song, but something in it drives me nuts. It’s way too good and it doesn’t even realize it.

Beck (song – Nausea); Regina Spektor (album – Begin To Hope); Wintersleep (show – The Collective); Eagles of Death Metal (video – Boy’s Bad News)

2007
National Anthem of Nowhere has become my most listened to track on last.fm, and I think the Wintersleep album has since become one of my most listened to albums. They will both continue to rise in numbers. If I did a song by song and album by album breakdown, these two would make somewhere within the top three. And it’s pretty cool that I got to see Mike Patton in any of his 34i83902439024 bands, but Peeping Tom blew me away.

Apostle of Hustle (song – National Anthem of nowhere); Wintersleep (album – Welcome to the Night Sky); Peeping Tom (show – Trocadero); Feist (video – 1234)

2008
God, In Rainbows is great. And Secret Machines live, that’s something so completely underrated, I don’t even know how to describe it to you. The power that they have to get an audience going, is a sight to behold and yet there were so few people there that I was kind of disappointed in the turnout. Oh, and yes, I realize that Feist gets the video 2 years running for the same album, but they’re both great videos.

Kaki King (song – Montreal); Radiohead (album – In Rainbows); Secret Machines (show – Pyramid); Feist (video – I feel it all)

2009
I know, it hasn’t been that long, but Them Crooked Vultures was exactly the album I wanted it to be. So there.  And as far as Spookey’s song goes, this is the second time I’ve talked about it in my blog. Previously appeared in my “songs you won’t see in Guitar Hero or Rock band“, and it’s just something to behold. Metric’s video was perfect, it was the video that I wanted them to have. Something sweet and cute instead of overtly dorky like all of their other videos. As far as Leonard Cohen’s concert goes, I hadn’t been a huge fan beforehand, but was introduced, and BECAME a large fan because of how amazing that concert was. Everything he did was perfect. The singing, the sounds, the engagement with the audience was fantastic. Top five concerts in my life, that one.

Spookey Ruben (song – Mechanical Royalty); Them Crooked Vultures (album – Them Crooked Vultures); Leonard Cohen (show – MTS Centre); Metric (video – Gimme Sympathy)

Here’s Ween performing “Stacey” in 1991.  Best Parts:  A young Gene Ween and Dean’s solo.

Flight of the Conchords - “Ladies of the World” in 1999 on Newtown Salad (public access?).  What an audience.  Anyway, another great early performance from a duo.

Here’s another duo, Tenacious D, performing “Explosivo” in 1998 on what looks like a Comedy Central show.  And did the creators of Hancock rip off his get-up from Jack Black’s accessories here?  Who’s to say?

Next up is Bauhaus performing “Stigmata Martyr”.  Not sure what year this was filmed or how long the band had been together at this point, but it looks like an early capture.  Quality is a bit choppy, but a gem nonetheless.

And here’s my favorite “early performance” on Youtube - Steely Dan performing “Reelin’ in the Years” sometime in the early 70’s.  The video reads it was in 1978, but apparently that’s when this performance aired and not when it was filmed.  By 1978, Steely Dan had become strictly a “studio band”  but this video showcases their live capabilities. 

And those are my selections for now.  One day, I’m sure I’ll stumble upon some early videos of Pixies or Wilco and will have to add them to the list.  Until then, enjoy these selections hand-picked for your viewing pleasure.

Soundtracks, we all have our favorites and some of us refuse to acknowledge their existence all together. I, on the other hand, have a good relationship with soundtracks, depending on the movie/television show/web series it comes from. These are pretty good choices that I just happen to own, interested? Read on.

#A – Girl Interrupted.My first glimpse into WILCO, a lovely little band that may see a bit on the pretentious side but really have some amazing songs. One of those bands that make you love every song, sound, word, vibe. They start off this semi-depressing group of misfit songs that work well with the movie of the same description. Title works fantastic with the motif of this album, “How to Fight Loneliness”, this first glimpse was not the end of my relationship with Wilco, they are still alive in my soul to this day. This album also has one of the greatest bands and one of my favorite songs from them, Jefferson Airplane with “Comin’ Back to Me”, such a beautiful song, really beautiful is the one perfect word to explain this song, and most of their music as a whole. Other artists include, Aretha Franklin, The Band, The Mamas & The Papas. Take a listen why don’t you?

#B – The Craft.

Witches who just so happen to be a bunch of bitches, makes for a great soundtrack, well its more of a sentimental one for me with a couple good songs that make me reminiscent of the first viewing of the movie. Great pop song with Letters to Cleo’s “Dangerous Type” and some heavy grungy hate music with Sponge’s “All This and Nothing” and a surprisingly good song by Our Lady Peace with “Tomorrow Never Knows”, (you can tell I’m obviously not their #1 fan). A not so good cover of a Harry Nilsson song, Tripping Daisy’s “Jump into the Fire”, I’d rather” they have put the original but they never asked my opinion on the subject. Some other good jams, like Spacehog’s ”Horror” & Love Spit Love’s “How Soon Is Now”, but the gem is Matthew Sweet’s “Dark Secrets” which made me want to own it to begin with, it pleases the ear gods for sure.

#C – Jawbreaker

Yes, pranks that turn deadly mixed with pretty girls who look nothing like the regular high school student, proves great for a rockin’ soundtrack. (Plus, Julie Benz, a young vampire on BTVS, classic). Songs to get you pumped and sent back into the 90’s like a whirlwind. I’ll start of with the favorites, The Friggs ”Bad Word for a Good Thing”, those Frigg girls can belt and rock, plus rock while never becoming famous, some hardcore girl power going on with that song. The icing on the cake? Imperial Teen’s “Yoo Hoo”, again the reason I even wanted the album in the first place, an amazing jam with the most intoxicating sound, voice is prime on this one. Ending it out with one of the most depressing songs I’ve ever heard in my life, The Transisters “Flow”, its beautiful and sad and painful, if I ever needed to be heartbroken with a theme song, this is it. Having a bad breakup? Lost a person close to you? Listen UP.

#D – The Wedding Singer

Get ready for some 80’s! This soundtrack has the “good shit” from the 1980’s, and its a double disc-er! Unfortunately I only have one half the album but that’s alright by me.  The half I have has bands like, Billy Idol, David Bowie, New Order, Musical Youth, Elvis Costello, The Thompson Twins, The Police, Culture Club, The Psychedelic Furs, and so on. If your in an 80’s mood, then stick the sucker in and enjoy your weird flashback that ensues.

yeah, tricked you. I know its not a song, but Buscemi rocks.

#E – Garden State.

We’ve got some good ones on here folks. Of course their is the “what lead me to own it” song, which we’ll begin with. Frou Frou’s ”Let Go”, a very graceful sound and is a basic recap of the movie itself. Jump in, what are you waiting for? Date Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, just DO IT! But any who, next up is another great jam, that I didn’t come in contact until long after I had the Cd, but when a friend of mine did it in a talent show, another song full of beauty, Bonnie Somerville’s “Winding Road”, pretty voice meets pretty sound, good good. The entire beginning of this Cd gets me in a crazy odd mood, I used to listen to it on my Ipod walking through the halls of high school, very surreal. First, Cold Play’s “Don’t Panic”, and No, I am not a cold play fan or freak, its the only song I dig, so get over it. Following it, is The Shins with “Caring is Creepy”, great sound, goes right through to the bone. And after that? Zero 7’s “In the Waiting Line”, one of the other songs I am in love with on this soundtrack, a main reason you might as well just go out and get it right now.

#F – Once More With Feeling – BTVS

A musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs on this list, if not dominating it. Joss Whedon, the entity himself, wrote the songs, music, all of it. Which would be good reason for me to love it so, and I do. Its addictive to the highest extent. These actors, just people, who yes, famous, but normal; not singers, (well not all of them, James Marsters, Amber Benson, & Tony Head), just people, made beautiful music together. I probably listen to it at lease a couple times a week. I don’t think I would have the power to actually say out loud, or type, my favorite song from this album. I’ll just go through most of them for you to decide.

So, we start with Buffy complaining shes lost her mojo for her job, we can all sing a long as the demons agree with her and she diss’s the gentleman in distress.

Then you’ve got a group jam with the gang, which turns ugly with Anya, the demon, yelling about bunnies, and ending with a who-even-gives-a-crap attitude brought along by sad-sap Buffy.

A song about Mustard being removed from clothing.

A lesbian love song between the 2 most believable, non-skanked-out-for-the-sake-of-MALES-everywhere lesbians on television ever, and probably will always be. You just gotta love Willow & Tara, for ever, and ever, and so on.

Then we have the couple, demon and construction worker, Anya & Xander, talking about the things they can’t stand about each other that they could never say out loud, without song of course, which leads towards the end with Anya “dancing crazy!”. You have to love a song  that has a line about penis diseases, classy.

One of great writers of the show finds herself singing about a ticket she’s getting for parking in front of a hydrant, which has become one of my favorites to sing in the car.

Then the addictive song of Spike, the whiny love ridden fool song, he even admits he’d be Buffy’s slave, talk about being whipped. Just let him rest in peace, Buffy. Just let him be buried and go get Angel to sooth the pain. Sorry…

Next, a snippet of dawn’s voice before she gets kidnapped, pretty voice while its lasts.

Pretty Ballet instrumental leads to the dancing demon, Sweet, singing out with his great deep man singing voice trying to hit on 15 year old Dawn, Hawt.

A big hit in my car sing-a-long, the Giles song, sad but upbeat and lovely, he doesn’t want to leave Buffy, but needs to, sweet slow-mo scene with some kick-ass dodging of sharp things while pulling off some gymnastic moves, go SMG.

Here we have 2 songs emerge which is a high on the list for me, putting together the two amazing voices of Tony Head and Amber Benson, wonderful actors and brilliant singers. Such a beautiful addition to the already amazing track listing.

Up next, everyone joins in while wanting to walk through the fire, another great song, with some awesome lines, “things are turning out so dark”, “No, I’ll save her then I’ll kill her!” &  “I think this line mostly filer”. The best part is when the scooby gang chimes in and does their little part, is the slayer too far gone to care?

Then us listeners get something to sing about, a glittering world, and a dancing almost-to-her-death Buffy ending with dropping the heaven bombshell.

And to help finish it off, sweet rubs it in all our faces that things didn’t quite go our way with the whole dancing thing, that lead to the death thing, and the “aw we all have so many secrets!” thing.

Ending with the cast leaving confused, not knowing where to go from there. And a big sloppy wet one from Buffy & Spike, which I wish i could scrub from my brain.

If you’ve never see the episode, watch it. If you’ve never heard the soundtrack, listen to it. You’ll have to track it down like I did, since the boyfriend and I bought the only 2 copies in our area. Plus, if your REALLY lucky, like me, you’ll get to take a trip to Indianapolis and watch actors act out the episode, sing the songs, and dance the dances, an amazing experience, especially on the night before Halloween.

#G – Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog

How shocking, right? Another Joss choice, you get my love yet? Do you? Do You? Well you’ll figure it out eventually. Now, this sound track is Uh-Maze-Ing, seriously. NPH (For the less hip folks, Neil Patrick Harris) really shows us the talent that Doogie never really did, he sings, and he sings well. Fantastically well to be exact. He’s a villain looking for his big villainy break, to belong to the big-bad’s club, that’s of course ran by a horse, derr. Then we have the love interest, with a killer voice, no other than the beautiful Felicia Day, (who if you don’t watch the guild, START, I’ll explain more later), the helpless-helping-homeless-home-giving goddess that the villain is head-over-heels in love with. But in walks the bad guy, wait no, the GOOD guy. He just happens to be a prick, with a picture of a hammer on his chest. But he is played by no other than the mystical, magical, stud-man-guy Nathan Fillion. The guy crushes of the world surround this guy, which makes it easy for your Felicia, “Penny”, to fall for instead. (sad). So with this comes amazingly catchy songs that, yet AGAIN, Whedon is responsible for, also making it a family affair adding brothers and a sister-in-law. This is another Cd that is found being played in my car multiple times within a week. You’ve GOT to get this soundtrack, like now, LEAVE, GO!

#H – Pick of Destiny

Okay, Tenacious D is the best band EVER. Maybe this statement is not something you would agree with, and if it isn’t, stop lying. Seriously you know the truth, they probably ARE the greatest band EVER, why you ask? Because they have it ALL. What other band can use curse words like poetry, I mean really, “Mother Fucker” never sounded so good. If you haven’t had the chance to gander at the power that is the D, its time my friends. My passion for the D is forever deep, I was hooked the first time I heard them, saw them, and inevitably fell for them. “The Pick Of Destiny” is a movie and an album, and both are glorious. Watching Jack Black and Kyle Gas for 93 minutes straight has to be an experience, and sir, it was. But, the soundtrack that came along? GODLIKE, truly amazing music, which is not surprising from this duo. Another album i could not possibly begin the misery of deciding the best song on it, so you will have to venture out on your own and taste the taste that is TENACIOUS D.

be blown away by Rage Cage & Jables, KG & JB.

#I – Nashville

Great movie, wonderful soundtrack. Robert Altman is an amazing director and he did an amazing job on all the movies I’ve seen of his. They always have crazy relationships, and madness masked in innocence and he didn’t shy away from that with this one. Country singers, singing and crawling in drama filled situations; if you get a chance make sure to check this one out, i have a feeling you’ll be pleased if your in anyway cool, or hip, or happenin’ in the way I am. So rent it, steal it, borrow it, either way watch it, and make sure you listen to the songs you hear, it won’t be hard. I’ve leave you with a video of my favorite song from the movie that happens to be a great part of the film. Watch and aw.

So that’s it for now, I might come back and surprise you with more amazing songs that go with amazing movies/tv shows/web series, or I wont, don’t hold your breath. I leave you with a thought… Come back and see me, I mean read me, sometime.

sas

These funny bastards rock! Very talented, and they make me want to pee my pants sometimes.

I’m going to try to make this a quick review tonight. It’s not because I don’t care enough about the D: on the contrary, I happen to think they’re one of the funniest musical acts in history and one of the best satirists when it comes to the pomposity of rock music. Jack Black’s atrociously charismatic lyricism combined with Kyle Gass’s virtuoso guitar playing makes for comedy that happens to be musically accomplished to boot. I’m just going to make this short because this is the kind of movie where you already know if you’re going to like it. It’s a musical comedy that is rock-oriented and Jack Black oriented. If you like the things they did on the HBO show or their first album, you get more of the same, and if you didn’t, then you’re probably very much in the dark as to why any of this is terribly funny.

We learn here the origins of the D, a rock duo that came together when rock prodigy Jack meets older, more experience guitar player Kyle busking one day and admires his handiwork. Kyle at first is annoyed by this nobody who has seriously latched onto him, but he grows a fondness for the plucky kid, and eventually they learn to rock wonderfully together. They form a bond and a friendship that will carry on through the coming years, and their music perfectly represents this new-found camaraderie. But they need something special to break into the big time, something that will set them apart from the millions of other bands who play open mics nights as their regular gigs. An opportunity appears from a mysterious store owner, who lets them in on The Pick of Destiny, a magical pick made from the horn of the Devil that will allow for any guitarist to play on an entirely different level. The pick is being held at a rock and roll museum, nobody at the museum knowing its true power, and the two hatch a plan to take it from under everyone’s noses. Along the way, their mental alacrity, their physical prowess, and even their friendship will be tested, because the road to the Pick of Destiny is littered with obstacles. But with the assistance of their only fan, Lee, can they avoid death or a break-up and become rock heroes?

It’s a pretty funny flick that really got dropped by fans and casual moviegoers alike when it came out, probably due to all the other Holiday blockbusters edging it out at the time, not to mention the fact that their last album was five years prior, and they were striking while the iron was freezing cold. But still, all things considered, it’s a good comedy. The jokes are pretty strong, most of them involving how pompous they are in the face of their total obscurity and the fact that rock music is so full of shit sometimes. They love to use the idea that you can rock SO HARD that you can change the physical properties of objects, like “I’m gonna ROCK your face off!” or “I’m gonna kill him with ROCK!” like it’s fucking kryptonite. Rock is just as bogus and self-important here as in the real world, and the gags do a good job of representing that. And while there are a few slow scenes that don’t pan out comically, the overall feel is still very positive, especially in the songs that move this musical along. They’re all for the most part, really good songs, well-made and catchy with all the tasty riffage that we expect from Tenacious D. The songs are a little too attached to the movie, sometimes, and can’t really live very long on their own, but as long as you’ve seen the movie once, you can at least cope with it and enjoy without living in total confusion. My favorite song? A little track called Master Exploder where Jack Black actually blows a guy’s head off with his ROCK!

Kyle and Jack have a good rapport together that translates well onto the screen. A big draw to this is their seemingly ad-libbed humor is that they actually like each other, which seems to be mostly a fleeting thing in comedic pair-ups these days. They play well off of one another, especially in the latter half of the movie where they interact more with one another. Like real friends, they just feel right together, and there’s no amount of coaching you can do to get as close and as natural with someone else as you can see with these two. It’s a real buddy duo for a really good buddy adventure movie. There’s action, suspense, lots of ganja, cameos that range from the expected (Dave Grohl) to the surprising (Ben Stiller) to the completely unexpected (Tim Robbins???) that are all pretty good. Don’t be surprised if you’re not a fan of the D to find this movie a little lacking, but even for the uninitiated, I think you can easily find something to laugh at here. Check it out, but don’t expect anything as epic as what you find on the cover and the artwork. It’s just a good-natured comedy with a great sense of humor that will be remembered for its financial failure but should be remembered for its charismatic leads and for fun that really delivers. I give Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny 7 1/2 ROCKED TO DEATH CORPSES out of 10.

Tomorrow we get magical and mystical with the black-and-white version of Beauty and the Beast! Until then!

Why? are a band I just got into fairly recently. I listened to Alopecia for a little while then put it down. When I picked it up again I listened to it nonstop until Why? actually came here. They are touring behind their newest album Eskimo Snow which I don’t think is quite as good, but is still a decent album. Local band Tammar also opened the show, but I missed them because I guess they only played for about 20 minutes.

Katie wrote the review of the show, and I got pictures and video.

Originally published on The Live Buzz on November 16, 2009

If I had to choose one album that defined my freshman year of college, I would hands down pick Alopecia by Why?.

I can’t even come close to being able to count the number of times I listened to that album. Whether I was walking to class or staying up late working on homework, Alopecia was by my side and in my stereo. When I heard that they were going to be town that year, I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, they played at Bear’s, a venue that is 21+, so I wasn’t able to get into the show.

Needless to say, finally getting to see Why? last Friday at Rhino’s was a wonderful and satisfying experience.

Local band Tammar was the first band to play that night, but I unfortunately missed their set. Luckily, I’ve gotten to see them a few times already, as they play quite frequently in Bloomington. They are definitely one of the best local bands I’ve seen perform.

Acoustic duo, The Moore Brothers played next and uncannily resembled Tenacious D. They were a lot quirkier than expected; in one song they beat boxed and in another they rapped a segment from Eric B. and Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend”.

I didn’t particularly like their music and it wasn’t something I would have expected to see before Why? but I must say that I did enjoy their cover of “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.

When they were done with their set, the crowd waited patiently for Why? to take the stage. As a smaller band without an excessive amount of instruments, I figured that they wouldn’t take long to set up. However, after a half hour had passed, I began to grow impatient. Rhino’s was extremely hot and there was an abundance of excited young girls who didn’t have any qualms about stepping on people’s toes.

45 minutes later, after decidedly taking off my tights to help quell the heat, the band announced that they were finally ready. They apologized for missing their sound check earlier that evening and explained that they had missed it because of the eight hour drive from Iowa to Indiana.

Watch their performance of “One Rose” off Eskimo Snow:

As soon as I heard the opening beats of “The Vowels Pt. 2” however, all was forgiven. With bone-crushing beats and an added echoing effect on Yoni Wolf’s vocals, this beast of a song was absolutely incredible live. It was the first song I had ever heard by Why? so the experience was truly special.

Going into the concert I thought Why? would mostly play songs off Eskimo Snow since that is the album they are currently supporting on their tour. Practically all the songs they played were off Alopecia however, which was quite a nice surprise for me. It’s not that I don’t like Eskimo Snow, but as I said earlier, Alopecia is very sentimental to me.

Yet another great surprise of the night was their performance of the epic and raw “Simeone’s Dilemma”, which I believe is one of their most underrated songs. The drummer completely let loose, exposing his talent and the deliverance of Yoni’s rhymes gave me the chills.

Although I could have been completely satisfied after hearing that song, when they performed “The Hollows” as their last song of the night, I was even happier.

This is their performance at the show:

They didn’t give the crowd the satisfaction of an encore, but in all honesty it wasn’t needed. The concert was the perfect length and they played every song that I wanted to hear. If you ever get the chance to see Why? live, please don’t pass up the opportunity, they are truly incredible.

Set List

• These Hands
• The Vowels Pt. 2
• Good Friday
• January Twenty Something
• Gnashville
• Brook & Waxing
• Gemini (birthday song)
• One Rose
• A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under
• Simeone’s Dilemma
• The Hollows

XOXO,

Words by Katie McKenna
Photos and Video by David Ray

You can check out more videos on my YouTube channel and more pictures on my Flickr.

- Be you angels?

-Ney!! We´re but men!!!!

Ayer hablé de la mejor canción del mundo: “Bohemian Rhpsody” de Queen (por cierto, ¿sabeis que lo que cuenta la canción es un polvo?), y como tributo colgué el video respectivo con los debidos comentarios de admiración (nunca los suficientes).

Nada mas hacerlo me vino a la mente otro genial video de un no menos genial grupo de gamberrazos llamados “Tenacious D”, compuesto por los musicos y actores Jack Black y Kyle Gass.

El video se llama “Tribute” y cuenta como Jack y Kyle, andando cierta noche por una carretera en la que se les aparece el demonio en forma de Dave Grohl (Foo fighters) que les reta a cantarle la mejor canción del mundo a cambio de no tragarse sus almas, entonces ellos…………….

Mejor lo veis:

Tambien aqui:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcJwz7wu8_s

Ya cuentan en la letra que la que cantan no es la mejor canción del mundo, solo es el tributo, la historia de aquella noche, puesto que no recuerdan cual fue.

Pero estoy seguro que era de Queen.

Para saber mas de Tenacious D, consultar a nuestro primo, Rock blog Azzurro: http://rockblogazzurro.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/tenacious-d-la-mejor-banda-del-mundo/

I wonder why that could be. Hmmm… Oh yes – neither of those games are exactly anything special. But I think I know the real reason; 3 words – Modern Warfare 2.

Okay, so that’s two words and a number. But still. Brütal Legend has sold 216,000 copies on both PS3 and Xbox 360 (combined) and DJ Hero has sold roughly 123,000 (across 4 different platforms = fail), compared to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which has sold 537,000 copies & went Platinum within the first month of its release and of course Modern Warfare 2 that sold 4.7 million copies within 24 hours. And because of those 4.7 million sales, several games have had to be delayed so they wouldn’t have to compete:

Alright, that was a joke. But seriously now, why is this all so? Sure, it’s probably a fun game to play. But underneath all the hype, it’s just a sequel to yet another war game. I’ve seen games with 10-times the amount of imagination and work put into them that barely saw the light of day. And with gaming sites giving it your basic 9/10 scores, it just goes to show that even “the biggest launch in the history of all forms of entertainment” isn’t perfect.

I’m literally kicking myself and dreading the thought of what might happen when the inevitable Modern Warfare 3 comes out…

yep, i miss you. and you. and you, even if i don’t totally agree with it. and you. and you. and you. and you. you all know, who “you ” are )

Opa!! Depois de um tempo sem postar nada de novo (nem de interessante da minha parte u.u’- Aproveitando o momento pra pedir desculpas pra quem queria mais música por aqui.. foram vários motivos técnicos,mas em breve, tudo voltará ao normal ;D) vou falar hoje da dupla formada por Jack Black e Kyle Gass: The Tenacious D.

Ok, por incrível que pareça, a dupla existe desde 1994, quando Jack tinha uns 27 e Kyle 34 (sim, Jack nasceu em 1969 e Kyle em 1960 – diferença de 9 anos.) Tá, na real, também não foi assim que tuuudo começou. Você deve estar se perguntando “Então, como essa coisa começou? Pára de enrolar!!” –Tá, tudo bem..  Em 1984, com 17, Black foi um dos novos contratados na Actor’s Gang, e foi por isso que os dois se encontraram. Segundo Kyle, ele disse que realmente não gostou Jack à primeira vista. Com o passar do tempo, se tornaram grandes amigos e Kyle ensinou Jack a tocar a guitarra, em troca ele ensinou Kyle a atuar. Assim, nasceu Tenacious D (Tcharááá! XD).

Com as letras engraçadas da dupla, a popularidade da banda cresceu, principalmente depois do filme “Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny”, que é baseada na história da banda.(Por exemplo, na música “Kikcapoo”, a letra mistura a história real de Jack Black com ficção. O filme em si é baseado na história real da banda, mas, assim como a música acima, também possui vários elementos fictícios, como a própria “Palheta do Destino”, que dá o nome ao filme. Outro bom exemplo de elemento fictício no filme é o surgimento do nome da banda – cada um dos integrantes tinha uma marca de nascença no traseiro, e juntando as duas dava o nome Tenacious D.)  Além de o tempo todo ficarem falando que são a melhor banda do mundo (nada egocêntricos, não?), o estilo musical do grupo é descrito como descompromissado. Como exemplo, na música Tribute (que é um dos maiores sucessos da banda) há um “solo vocal”, mais ou menos parecido com isso: “Rrrigga-gyu-gyu Rrrigga-gyu-gyu” (Vamos lá, agora tente cantar isso em casa!! XD), muito caracterísco deles, e claro, muito imitado entre os fãs que se arriscam a cantarolar junto com a música.

Ah! Só pra constar: a banda tem 2 cds gravado, um dvd, além de terem as músicas The Metal no Guitar Hero 5 e Master Exploder no Rock Band 2.

Seguem aqui alguns vídeos do dvd da dupla:

The Metal

Tribute

Master Exploder

é isso pessoal! Breve mais posts ;D

Beijo! C.

There is only one artist in the history of music with such a great achievement that probably will never be broken.  And this artist is one of the most influential artists to rock music of our time. This artist started with a a guitar in Ohio who quit professional lessons to start his first band in 1985.  And a trip to Evanston, IL,  to visit a cousin allowed this artist to hear his first punk rock album. From there he starting performing concerts at guitar and singing vocals then taught himself the drums until he joined his first band, Scream. He dropped out of high school to tour the United States and see the world. Who knew when he walked out of a Nirvana concert that his life would change. This legendary artist is David Grohl.

The story is true while hanging out with the band,The Melvins, he was introduced to Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic at a concert. Krist and Kurt were the co-founders of the most infamous grunge band ever, Nirvana. A few months later, Grohl’s band, Scream, disbanded suddenly and left Grohl without a band. Without anything going for him, he called his friend, Buzz Osborne of The Melvins for support and advice. Buzz did the right thing and knew that Kurt and Krist from Nirvana loved Grohl’s drumming so he placed a phone call. The next day Krist invited Grohl up to Seattle for the now infamous show at the Motor Sports Garage. Grohl later admitted in a Rolling Stone article that he spent most of the show outside of the venue, but David was soon allowed to audition for the band and the rest became history. They soon recorded an album, Bleach. Instead of signing to mid-major record label they shopped around until DGC Records signed them. Kurt, Krist and David made the best grunge record ever put together, Nevermind, in the Spring of 1991. By the end of 1994, Nirvana was about to head out on an European tour but decided to head into the studio before its first date. Novoselic and Grohl recorded the first Foo Fighter songs, including “Big Me”. On the third day, Kurt came in and recorded, “You Know You’re Right” It was their last studio recording ever.

After the passing of Kurt Cobain, Grohl was left at another dead end so he went to the recording studio to record as a one man band. Then he got a chance to perform with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on SNL. Petty was so pleased with Grohl’s playing that he was offered the full time gig, but he turned it down to go onto other paths musically. After sending out his demo record he was lured to sign with Capitol Records and instead of going solo he recruited old friends and his former touring guitarist  from Nirvana. In 1995-1996, the Foo Fighters starting recording and released their first album but creative difference happened with Grohl and another bandmate. So Grohl went back home to Virginia and reworked their second album and wrote new songs. The second album, The Colour and Shape,  which included hits “Everlong”, “My Hero” and “Monkeywrench”. This album solidified them in rock radio and found many fans.

Now with a laundry list of hits with the Foo Fighters including their newest “Wheels”, David Grohl still finds time for many other projects. He help record and advise the Queens of the Stone Age and Tenacious D. He has performed and recorded with rock legends David Bowie, Neil Young, Paul McCartney and Nine Inch Nails.  This Summer he was recording a new project called Them Crooked Vultures.  The band consists of Grohl, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. Their debut album comes out Nov. 17th and it F*!$ing rocks. The first single is entitled “New Fang”.

In the most recent rock n’ roll history we have seen many phases: hair metal, heavy metal, grunge, the second coming of punk rock, pop-punk, indie and now back to rock n’ roll. As for Daiv Grohl, he set the mark of recent rock history. He, himself,  held the #1 spot on the Billboard Charts in 2002 for 17 of 18 weeks with three different bands. First was “All My Life” with the Foo Fighters, then “You Know You’re Right” with Nirvana and finally “No One Knows” with Queens of the Stone Age. Now at the age of 40, Grohl is still hitting the road and just released a greatest hits album with the Foo Fighters. Maybe this legend in the making could become one of the best of time. Let’s stay tuned

The set for the moe.show in Albany on Halloween can be found here:

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=20293

Então é certo que eu não vou para o céu. Concordamos também que não sou o único. Sabemos que o inferno é embalado pelo som do Rock’n Roll e que a maioria das celebridades mais interessantes, se ainda não estão lá, estão no caminho. Bom, como falando no diabo aparece o rabo, uma das coisas que não sabemos (ainda), é quem é o verdadeiro capeta. Mas existem especulações.

O diabo pode ser nosso amigo mano Demo Loc…

Ou então pode ser o Dave Grohl, vocalista do Foo Fighters…

Mas eu sinceramente prefiro que o diabo seja a Elizabeth Hurley. Aí sim eu me esforçarei pra ser um garoto mal e vou para o inferno com gosto.

Ps’s:

Ps1: O filme em que o Dave Grohl interpreta o diabo é o Tenacious D: Uma Dupla Infernal (Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, 2006), e também no clipe de “Tribute” do Tenacious D, no qual ele interpreta o mesmo papel.

Ps2: Elizabeth Hurley interpreta o diabo no filme Endiabrado (Bedazzled, 2000).

Image via Wikipedia

I must seem like a fanboy, and maybe I am, but Google is at it again, fresh off their Google Voicemail announcement. This time, they’re making your search for music a little more, well, musical. The announcement of their new music search explains how they understand that, when we search for music, we want to hear about it, not read about it.

They also understand that we may want to purchase it, or listen to similar music. That’s why they have pulled all of those options together in one convenient, Google-ized spot. Click through for the sweetly-sounding details.

Google Music OneBox essentially aggregates results from multiple online music streaming and purchasing services. The update causes OneBox results to appear at the top for music queries and allows you to click on one of the services and stream the music you were looking for right away. See the screenshot below, from a Google search for Tenacious D:

As you can see, they list some songs by the artist, presumably the most commonly-search-for songs. Clicking a song title opens a new window with an embedded Lala player that streams that song. You can buy the song or listen to more from that artist. If you click those links at the bottom (see screenshot above), you can stream a radio station based on that artist’s music.

It’s funny how intuitive these ideas seem in retrospect, and it’s a little surprising that none of the big-name players have done anything more robust with music searches until Google came along with this. As usual, though, I’ll ask for more right away: let’s include some tour information, secure a lyrics-results partner, and consider photos of the artist instead of random album covers.

Just some ideas.

I go through phases where I don’t listen to music for awhile.  It usually happens when I need something new to entertain me.  That’s not what this post is about though.

Yesterday was a Friday, and it was one of the longest Fridays I have had in awhile.  Not only was it my first Friday since my vacation to L.A., but it was rainy and I was cold all day!  It was a crummy Friday, and Fridays should never be crummy!  They should fly by and we should all have goofy smiles plastered all over our faces!

To cheer me up I started listening to the  best friend I have…my iPod!  Usually when I am grumpy music always helps and I decided that this time I would shuffle all songs instead of going straight to my playlists.  Oh and I have terrible ADD when I have my iPod on shuffle.  I try REALLY hard to keep myself from skipping.

Here is a list of songs (w/minimal song skipping) that helped me get through the last hour and a half of work:

• Tenacious D – Wonder Boy
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Torture Me
• Pennywise – Bo Hymn Tribute
• Fabolous feat. Lil Wayne – Salute Me
• 50 Cent – Wanksta
• Beastie Boys – Girls
• Modest Mouse – Lives
• Usher – Nice & Slow

3 of these songs bring back good memories, 3 of these songs can always make me sing no matter how bad I sound, 2 of these songs make my head bob like a muhfucka, and ALL of these songs helped make the ending of my day great!

Eine kleine Perle der Film- und Musikgeschichte erfährt hoffentlich eine Fortsetzung. Die Gerüchte um ein neues, animiertes Meisterwerk der ‘Heavy Metal’ Reihe, lässt Fanherzen höher schlagen. Mit James Cameron und Davind Fincher als Co-Executive Producer, soll der Film von Blur Studios animiert werden. Die Story soll wieder in einzelne Szenen gesplittet sein und von verschiedenen Regisseuren betreut werden. Darunter Fincher, Cameron, Zack Snyder und Gore Verbinski. Ein Auftritt von Mark Osborne und Jack Black von Tenacious D sorgt für die Comedy. Die Musik wird natürlich eins sein: Metal

Im Netz ist auch noch ein inoffizielles Filmposter aufgetaucht, aber die Verbindung zu dieser Produktion ist eher begrenzt. Trotzdem ein nettes Teil:

A while back, I read on Billboard that St. Vincent (singer/songwriter Annie Clark) composed her sophomore album, Actor, in Apple’s GarageBand. It seemed a strange reversal of the stereotypical songwriting process, the image of a band/artist sitting in an isolated room (“Dude, we gotta…write something new”), strumming out chords (“…better, closer, warmer”) until they find (“That’s it! Okay”*) the right notes. Instead, we get Clark, Nouveau Artiste, carefully hammering out all the fussy vagaries first, only then cycling back and spit-polishing it with words and melodies. The end result, though not as puckishly fun as her debut, boasts a more unified tone, the exact sort of stylistic continuity that Marry Me so cheerfully spurned. This is neither a ‘yay’ nor a ‘boo’, really, merely a differentiation – Actor works very nearly as well as its predecessor, but fastidiously avoids being a retread.

It isn’t by any means a reinvention: Clark’s voice remains as beatific and enthralling as ever, and her impishly deft lyrics still stand (pleasantly) at odds with her soothing delivery. The music itself still revolves very much around the clash of opposing elements, and although oftentimes the fireworks here are less dramatic, the production itself remains clean and layered. One mustn’t forget, of course, that Clark herself handles a half-dozen or so instruments on the album, a sort of multitracked She-Hulk, and it’s a testament to her ability that it all holds together so beautifully.

St. Vincent’s “Marrow.” from Actor.

Musically, the album sheds much of the playful, Kate Bush-esque mischievousness (who likes singing babies? St. Vincent likes singing babies!) of its predecessor, instead building around a harder-driving, percussion-centric dynamic, most obvious on “Actor Out of Work” or the jackhammer-like denouement of “Black Rainbow”. That’s not to say that the entirety of the experience is a drum loop, but there’s a certain level of cohesion here, a level of sameness, some might argue, that is more obvious than on Marry Me.

This new instrumentation is sometimes to the music’s advantage (“The Neighbors”) and sometimes to its detriment (“Actor Out of Work”, which threatens to drown both Clark’s voice and her wit in banal orchestration), but either way proves to be the album’s defining characteristic. The album’s biggest weakness, in fact, may be the mild sense of deja vu that some of these songs elicit on first listen – “The Strangers”, “Save Me From What I Want”, and “Laughing With a Mouth of Blood” are each built around drum machine and a sort of call-and-response structure that feels slightly samey by the third time it pops up. Some might see this as thematic songwriting, but it teeters on the brink of homogeny.

Still, the fundamentals are strong. The album’s best tracks (such as cacophonous pseudodance anthem “Marrow” and deep blue, dreamlike “The Bed”) play up Clark’s love of juxtaposition, whether it be enormously distorted guitars vs. catchy dance-pop on “Marrow” or the delicate interplay between her angelic vocals and playfully dark lyrics on “The Bed” (“Don’t move / Don’t scream / Or we will have to shoot / Stop right where you stand / we need a chalk outline if you can / put your hands where we can see them”). At her peak, St. Vincent surprises us with the deftness of her compositions and the stark contrasts that form them.

One might miss the slightly more guitar-and-keyboard driven sound of her debut, and let’s be honest, the girl can rock, but St. Vincent can hardly be criticized for daring to step outside her comfort zone. This is not a bold, Kid A or Pinkerton-type move that leaves the artist trailing clouds of glory or crawling back to square one, humbled, but an organic, understandable step into the wild. And as such, it can’t honestly be considered anything less than a success.

- DF

* apologies to Tenacious D.

Ich bin nun wirklich nicht der “Gamer”.. aber das hier rockt! Jack Black hat ürbigens nie in Shool of Rock mitgespielt (NEIN es gibt keinen Link zu Wikipdia oder so!), das war ein Alien-Klon aus Schweingenom. Glaub ich. Wie auch immer, das hier hat er gut gemacht.

Filmtip: Tenacious D – The Greatest Rock Band in the World
(Richtig David Grohl spielt den Satan)

Tenacious D Website