It’s been quite a few days since my last blog entry. Today is the lucky day for my (few) readers, however, as I’m pleased to announce a new DAILY (or so I hope) entry series.

This is the first entry in the D.A.M.N. (Daily Awesome Music Nugget) series. The goal of “D.A.M.N.” is to share songs, performances, solos, and clips of music that I find to be epic, gnarly, boss, brutal, sick, or whatever synonym of “awesome” one can use.  I will continue to write my album reviews, as I love the album format and will defend and promote it until the end of the time. In this day and age, however, most people seem to respond to and embrace the “single” format more. This blog is for those people, the ones who don’t necessarily choose to listen to music by the album, be it by necessity or choice. Also, I will not necessarily be covering big hit songs, just ones that on the day I write, that I find to be especially awesome.

Without further ado, it’s time to move on with my entry. Today’s song is Audioslave’s “One and the Same.”

The band Audioslave.

This song, simply put, kicks twelve kinds of ass. From the funk-wah guitar intro/chorus of Tom Morello to the punchy groove of the rhythm section, from Chris Cornell’s passionate vocal to the tightness of the composition; there’s so much to like about this song. It’s not hard to get into at all, it’s very funky and poppy, and has a very positive vibe. I can’t say enough about Morello’s guitar work in this tune, it’s everything a Morello fan would want and more. The arpeggiating solo and his effective riffing are fist-pumpingly and toe-tappingly divine.

I can’t get enough of the breakdown immediately following the solo. With only Brad Wilk’s pseudo-tribal drums and Chris Cornell’s monster vocals pulsing through my ears, I find myself clapping and bobbing my head along. This song is a rock grenade with the pin pulled and is guaranteed to improve your mood. Highly recommended.

Hope you enjoyed my first Daily Awesome Music Nugget and will listen to this impeccable piece of rock.

LINKS:

YouTube

SongMeanings

Last.FM

with  Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tom Gabel, Shirly Manson, Butch Walker, Jarrod Gorbel, Charlotte Martin, plus very special guests.
Avalon Hollywood

I can’t really add anything to this.

PABLOVE

I dream of shows like this:

Do not miss this incredible line up performing for a great cause. Read about Pablove

Cuando no puedes dejar de interesarte por cualquier estilo musical, sintiendo una atracción inmediata, independientemente del campo que sea, y, encima, te apasionas como un niño puede sorprenderse por alguna novedad vital, es difícil decidir cual es tu grupo favorito. Si es difícil decidir entre muchos estilos artísticos, ¡cómo vas a poder elegir una sola banda! …
El tiempo pasa y, si analizas un poco tus hábitos, puedes llegar a intentar acercarte a lo que verdaderamente te gusta. Y esto es lo que me di cuenta hace unas semanas.
Siempre que a uno le apetece ambientar musicalmente un feliz estado de ánimo acaba recurriendo a las mismas grabaciones. Y, lo peor de todo esto, es que no sabes a ciencia cierta si es de verdad lo que más te llega, te apasiona … Pero en los actos habituales podemos hallar algo aproximado.
A lo que íbamos, está muy bien el nuevo disco de Pearl Jam. Nirvana, de quienes han reeditado su concierto en el Reading de 1992 y Dave Ghrol prueba nuevas cosas con John Paul Jones de Led Zeppelin, marcaron un antes y un después. Los primeros Red Hot Chili Peppers eran crudamente jugosos. Los primeros tres discos de Jamiroquai fueron dignos herederos del Stevie Wonder mas funky. No estuvo mal el intento de super grupo de Audioslave .. pero no se perdonará el disco R&B de Chris Cornell …

Por todo esto y mucho más, y después del recuento del escrutinio… decido que, actualmente, el grupo que más me apasiona son Rage Against The Machine! Miento!! Actualmente no, hace ya unos cuantos años. Cuando tuve la oportunidad de descubrirlos en la etapa rock/pop/primertelectro de La Bôite 135 con el gran Antonio Rodriguez Morales, mas conocido como Tony “Don Disco” Morales. Gracias a sus inconmensurables sesiones uno guarda algunos de sus mejores recuerdos acompañados de su banda sonora.

RATM … que decir … buenos músicos?? … no se haría justicia … Muy buenos y entusiastas instrumentistas, teniendo como mayor virtud la creatividad y el riesgo a la hora de acompañar ritmos tan rockeros con efectos propios de la electrónica. La mejor base bajo-batería, los sonidos imposibles de Tom Morello y las rimas – sustituidas por los berrinches más escandalosos desde Cobain – de Zac De La Rocha- puede presentarse como una definición óptima. Luego súmales su discurso político y su denuncia mordaz -quizás excesiva en ocasiones- y, siempre desde mi opinión -no soy nadie para sentar cátedra, es sólo mi punto de vista- dan con una combinación inmejorable.

Como tampoco no soy muy experto en la escritura, mejor dejar un video para ver otro atractivo … la imagen … así arranca posiblemente mi disco favorito … y lo escribo “por puro placer” …

Chart Attack – Kate Harper
Hey, kids. Just for the record, a Harvard degree might not get you employed right away when you’re finished with school.

Tom Morello knows that much, since the Rage Against The Machine guitarist and former Audioslave member says he worked as a male stripper after he graduated from Harvard University with a bachelors of political science degree and moved to Los Angeles in 1986.

“When I graduated from Harvard and moved to Hollywood, I was unemployable,” Morello wrote in a new guest column for NME.com. “I was literally starving, so I had to work menial labour and, at one point, I even worked as an exotic dancer. ‘Brick House’ [by The Commodores] was my jam!

“I did bachelorette parties and I’d go down to my boxer shorts. Would I go further? All I can say is thank god it was in the time before YouTube! You could make decent money doing that job – people do what they have to do.”

Morello also explained how working as late California Democratic Senator Alan Cranston for two years in the 1980s politicized him… but made him never want to go into politics.

“I never had any real desire to work in politics but if there was any ember burning in me, it was extinguished working in that job because of two things: one of them was the fact that 80 per cent of the time I spent with the Senator, he was on the phone asking rich people for money. It just made me understand that the whole business was dirty. He had to compromise his entire being every day.

“The other was the time a woman phoned up to the office and wanted to complain that there were Mexicans moving into her neighborhood. I said to her, ‘Ma’am, you’re a damn racist,’ and she was indignant. I thought I was representing our cause well, but I got yelled at for a week by everyone for saying that! I thought to myself that if I’m in a job where I can’t call a damn racist a damn racist, then it’s not for me.”

You can see Morello perform as The Nightwatchman at a benefit for The Pablove Foundation, an organization that works to improve the lives of children with cancer, at Los Angeles’ Avalon Ballroom on Nov. 21.

That’s right boys and girls, Tom Morello used to be a stripper! Well, it doesn’t change anything, but it sure is hilarious. I wonder if he said “Fuck You, I won’t do what you tell me!” when ladies asked him to get naked haha.

Chris

Apparently Eddie Vedder and Trent Reznor have the same taste in cover songs.

I was lucky enough to see them both pay homage to MC5 with a little help from their friends Tom Morello  and Jerry Cantrell.

Pearl Jam w/ Jerry Cantrell

Trent Reznor w/ Street Sweeper Social Club

Who knew? Apparently the 2 great musical loves of my life both just loooove to “Kick Out the Jams’ . Watch Trent Reznor and Eddie Vedder pay homage to MC5 . Theyare not alone either. Tom Morello and Jerry Cantrell also join in to kick out the , motherf******  jams.

Acoustic/Semi-Acoustic Performances From All Performers, Including Already Announced Tom Morello,
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Shirley Manson, Butch Walker, Tom Gabel, Jarrod Gorbel, Charlotte Martin

The already impressive line-up scheduled for the Pablove Across America benefit concert has expanded: Band of Horses and Sea Wolf have been added to the event, taking place at Avalon on Saturday, November 21. The evening will be dedicated to celebrating the triumphant return of Jeff Castelaz, co-founder of Dangerbird Records, who is currently pedaling his way across the country on a bicycle in order to raise awareness and funds for the Pablove Foundation. This charity is dedicated to child life programs as well as children’s cancer research and treatment.

The evening will host a slew of already announced supporters who will perform acoustic and semi-acoustic sets including, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Shirley Manson, ButchWalker, Tom Gabel (Against Me!), Jarrod Gorbel (the Honorary Title), Charlotte Martin and Songs For Kids. Tickets are $35 (GA) and $65 (VIP) and on sale now. All proceeds will go to the Foundation.

Castelaz’s pilgrimage is deeply rooted: he’s riding in honor and remembrance of his 6-year old son, Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, whose individual fight with cancer ended June 27, 2009 after a 13-month battle. The Pablove Foundation was founded by Castelaz and his wife Jo Ann Thrailkill at the onset of their son’s diagnosis. Pablove Across America is Castelaz’s physical show of commitment to fighting cancer. His message is urgent: kids get cancer too. Families need help and hope – not only to find a cure, but also to increase joy and compassion during the day-to-day grind of treatment.

“Pablove Across America “is about standing up, hammering the pedals, speaking out – and FIGHTING back,” proclaims Castelaz. “We want people to support and spread our message that kids get cancer too. It’s not somebody else’s problem. As the Pablove Foundation community grows, we can make a sizable difference in peoples’ lives.”

It’s hard to imagine a sexier album – or a smarter one - released this year. Over the course of fifteen first-class tracks – there’s not a single substandard song on this cd – Rupa & the April Fishes come off like a better-traveled Eleni Mandell backed by an acoustic Gogol Bordello. Alternating between wild gypsy dances, ska, noir cabaret, Mexican border ballads, Colombian folk, tango, klezmer and reggae, this is without question the most triumphantly multistylistic tour de force of 2009.

Frontwoman/guitarist/physician Rupa Marya is a Franco-American globetrotter of Indian ancestry. Whether singing in English, French or Spanish, her lyrics are as evocative as they are provocative (the album is a tribute to and defense of immigrants risking their lives around the world). Her breathy vocals are equally nuanced, as capable of conjuring a sultry late-night ambience as much as nonplussed outrage, backed by an acoustic rhythm section along with cello, trumpet, and accordion as well as horns and flute on several tracks. They stay in moody minor keys until the next-to-last track, a surprisingly breezy number combining a Mexican folk feel with reggae, a lament that could be told from an immigrant’s viewpoint…or just a woman missing a lover.

Before that, there’s a brief, haunting violin theme; a swinging noir tango with an incisive trumpet solo at the end; a playful, fun gypsy dance that goes out on a boomy bass solo; a dark, violin-driven reggae number; a gypsy-inflected, slinky ska tune; a defiant gypsy waltz with echoes of New York vintage latin revivalists las Rubias del Norte; a sad, mariachiesque trumpet tune; a dark Mexican shuffle; a scary, Middle-Eastern-inflected gypsy dance that builds from a stately hora-style intro; a jaunty, bluesy ragtime song with a big dixieland raveup at the end; and a bouncy cumbia featuring a characteristically intense rap interlude by the greatest English-language lyricist of our time, Boots Riley of Oakland hip-hop legends the Coup (who has an intriguing new collaboration with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club).

Part of this album is a great dance mix; what’s not danceable makes great makeout music. Socially aware, sometimes surreal and invariably inspired, this is one of the best albums of the year, yet another reason why we’re not going to finalize our Best Albums of 2009 list until the end of December. Rupa & the April Fishes play the Bell House along with another excellent, multistylistic, danceable band, Nation Beat on November 13 at 8 PM.

For many people, the Sesame Street theme song evokes images of a diverse group of joyous children playing with Big Bird and the other muppets. But for some Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan detainees, the song might be a reminder of long nights interrupted by screaming kids looking for the location of Sesame Street, as the show’s theme song is one of several songs allegedly used by the United States military as part of its interrogation techniques.

On Thursday, October 22, the National Security Archive, a private research institute and library situated at George Washington University, filed Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain the names of the songs and artists used in interrogations. (The following document provides a list of bands.) Popular musicians such as Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and bands like R.E.M. and Pearl Jam, as part of the Close Gitmo Now campaign, have endorsed the requests. The prevailing sentiment among these musicians is that their music is supposed to promote peace and justice, not cracking the minds of detainees.

CNN reported that some musicians may be contemplating legal action against the U.S. government. The most likely claim would involve copyright infringement, but the musicians are unlikely to prevail in a suit. Section 101 of the Copyright Act states that to perform publicly means:

(1) to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered;

Although detainees probably do not fall within a “normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances,” the military usually played the music for only a few detainees and thus the public part is unlikely to be met.

However, even if the musicians would successfully argue for a public performance, a victory may still be elusive. Section 114(d)(1)(c)(iii) exempts from copyright infringement “a transmission within a business establishment, confined to its premises or the immediately surrounding vicinity.” The military could persuade a judge that its business establishment is the detention center and that the sounds were confined to that area.

– Chris Rigsby

Image Source

Are you still imagining ?  Well good, because it is true.  After Morello came home from Harvard, he was looking for a way to make money.  Just like all of those young women out there, stripping is a great way for young men to make money, too.

Entre todas las torturas que han existido en el mundo, esta tortura musical me parece la más dulce. Pero, claro, que se lo digan a los presos que han debido acabar odiando canciones por culpa de tener que escucharlas a todo volumen durante semanas, días u horas (eso sino se han quedado medio sordos).

Un grupo de artistas, liderado por Pearl Jam y REM, han hecho alusión a la Ley de Libertad de Información (1966) para reclamar a la Administración de Estados Unidos que publique el nombre de las canciones que se usaron durante los interrogatorios de sospechosos de terrorismo en la cárcel de Guantánamo (o en alguna otra, ya que la CIA abrió prisiones secretas por todo el mundo como en Irak o Afganistán) durante el mandato del presidente Bush.

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Neil Diamond, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Jackson Browne, Billy Bragg o The Roots son algunos de los intérpretes que se han sumado a esta iniciativa creada con el apoyo de la ONG británica Reprieve.

No me extraña que se hayan sumado a esta petición ya que, como explica Tom Morello (guitarrista de Rage Against The Machine) no se siente nada bien pensando que la música que su grupo creó se haya usado en “crímenes contra la humanidad”. Encima sin permiso y sin hacérselo saber a ninguno de los grupos involucrados.

Entre la música que se sabe/se cree que utilizaban para estas prácticas encontramos temas tan dispares como canciones de Metallica, de AC/DC, de Britney Spears, los Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Sinatra o, incluso, canciones infantiles como las del Dinosaurio Barney y Barrio Sésamo (lástima que estos últimos no puedan echarse a la calle para reclamar el respeto que intentaban inculcarnos cuando éramos niños).

Solo un dato más. A pesar de que “fuentes” de la Casa Blanca aseguran que estas prácticas ya no se usan, lo cierto es que en el manual del ejército todavía no están prohibidas.

Voici la setlist du 1er concert du 25e anniversaire du Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, qui avait lieu le 29 octobre 2009 au Madison Square Center de New York.

Bruce Springsteen a chanté avec Sam Moore, Tom Morello, John Fogerty, Darlene Love et Billy Joel. Une setlist impressionnante !

Source : LOHAD
7:32 (Past Induction video clips)

7:47 Intro: Tom Hanks

Jerry Lee Lewis
1. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
*Video clip

Crosby, Stills, and Nash
2. Woodstock
3. Marrakesh Express
4. Almost Cut My Hair

Bonnie Raitt joins them:
5. Love Has No Pride
6. Midnight Rider

Jackson Browne joins them (Bonnie Leaves):
7. The Pretender

James Taylor joins them (Jackson leaves)
8. Mexico
9. Love The One You’re With
10. Follow?

Crosby Stills & Nash with James/Bonnie/Jackson
11. Teach Your Children
*Video Clips

Paul Simon
12. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
13. Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard
14. You Can Call Me Al

Dion joins Paul
15. The Wanderer

Crosby Stills & Nash join Paul (Dion leaves)
16. Here Comes The Sun (for George)
17. Late In The Evening Alone

Little Anthony & The Imperials
18. Two People In The World

Simon & Garfunkel
19. Sounds of Silence
20. Mrs. Robinson/Not Fade Away/Mrs. Robinson
21. The Boxer
22. Bridge Over Troubled Water
23. Cecelia
*Video Clips

Stevie Wonder
24. Blowin’ In The Wind
25. (Uptight) Everything’s Alright/I Was Made To Love Her/For Once In My Life
26. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
27. Boogie On A Reggae Woman

Smokey Robinson

28. Tracks of My Tears

John Legend
29. Mercy Mercy Me
30. The Way You Make Me Feel

BB King joins John Legend
31. The Thrill Is Gone

Stevie Wonder
32. Livin’ For The City

Sting joins Stevie
33. Higher Ground/Roxanne/Higher Ground

Jeff Beck joins Stevie (Sting leaves)
34. Superstitious
*Video Clips

……………………………………………………………………………………

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Setlist : 11:46
1) Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
2) Hold On I’m Comin’ (w/Sam Moore)
3) Soul Man

Tom Morello joins them (Sam leaves)
4) Ghost of Tom Joad

John Fogerty joins (Tom leaves)
5) Fortunate Son
6) Proud Mary
7) Pretty Woman (Fogerty Leaves)

Jungleland

Darlene Love joins them
9) Fine Fine Boy
10) Da Do Ron Ron

Tom Morello joins them (Darlene leaves)
11) London Calling
12) Badlands

Billy Joel joins them (Tom leaves)
13) You May Be Right
14) Only The Good Die Young
15) New York State of MInd
16) Born To Run
Everyone joins them
17) Higher And Higher
End : 1:30

Una coalición formada por populares bandas de rock, músicos, militares retirados y activistas por los derechos humanos se alzó para reclamar al gobierno de los Estados Unidos que cierre la cárcel de Guantánamo y deje de utilizar la música como medio de tortura.

Se sabe que el ejército de los Estados Unidos suele utilizar canciones ruidosas y a un volumen inaguantable para obtener confesiones de los detenidos sospechosos de participar en actividades terroristas.

Según investigaciones periodísticas y testimonios de aquellos que pudieron ser liberados, se conoció la utilización temas de diversos géneros, como AC/DC, Britney Spears, los Bee Gees, Eminem y Marilyn Manson, entre otros.

A raíz de esto, las bandas Pearl Jam, R.E.M. y el líder de Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor presentaron junto a otras agrupaciones un fuerte documento al presidente Barack Obama.

“Guantánamo es la idea que Dick Cheney tenía de lo que debía de ser Estados Unidos, pero desde luego no es la mía. Guantánamo debe cerrarse ya”, expresó Tom Morello, guitarrista Rage Against The Machine.

En este mismo sentido, varios artistas alzaron su voz y esperan que la flamante administración de la Casa Blanca cambie la política instaurada por George W. Bush.

“Pasamos los últimos 30 años apoyando causas relacionadas con la paz y la justicia. Saber que la música de algunos de nuestros amigos fue utilizada como parte de tácticas de tortura sin su consentimiento o conocimiento es horrorífico. Es anti-estadounidense y punto“, le dijo a la BBC Michael Stipe de R.E.M.. (Reporter)

Folk tror mig inte, men det är faktiskt på riktigt.

När jag hörde det första gången fnissade jag lite för mig själv och tänkte att det är väl fiffigt att använda Tom Morellos musik som tortyrmedel. Inte för att jag tycker att tortyr någonsin är berättigat, men kom igen, det går ju inte ens att lyssna på hans musik på låg volym, tänk då hur det låter vid 130db…

När jag läste vidare och såg att även Nine Inch Nails använts för att tortera fångar på Guantanamo-fängelset fastnade skrattet i halsen och det var inte roligt alls längre. Ens ironiskt. Jag ser det inte ens framför mig. When I think I can overcome, it grows even deeper.

Måste lätta upp det här på nåt sätt.

Just when I think I’ve heard it all. Various artists are filing a lawsuit against the US Government for using their music as a means of torture at Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay. It was almost a year ago when it was report how military personnel were using music to humiliate and demoralize detainees. Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, is participating in the suit, and stated that reports have shown the music was played just low enough to prevent detainees from suffering shattered eardrums. “Guantanamo is known around the world as one of the places where human beings have been tortured,” Morello explained. “From waterboarding to stripping, hooding and forcing detainees into humiliating sexual acts, playing music for 72 hours in a row at volumes just below that to shatter the eardrums. Guantanamo may be d**k Cheney’s idea of America, but it’s not mine. The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me.”

The goal of the musicians’ lawsuit, dubbed the “National Campaign to Close Guantanamo,” is to have all government documents declassified on music torture and have the base shut down. In addition to artists such as the Roots, REM, Pearl Jam, and Nine Inch Nails, several former U.S. generals and lawmakers have joined the suit. Previously, President Barack Obama had promised to close the facility by January 22, 2009. However, the economic crisis and resistance from Congress have delayed that goal. At press time, a court date has not been announced.

-”The BklynBandette”. Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

New Security action, organización de músicos contra la cárcel de Guantánamo en Cuba

“…Y acerca de su pregunta sobre sobre la tortura, nosotros no torturamos. Nunca lo hemos hecho. No es algo con lo que esté comprometida esta administración.” 

Vicepresidente (USA) Dick Cheney, 2008

En la Cárcel de Guantánamo, hay más de 800 detenidos. De todos, sólo  3 tienen juicio sumarial, con “pruebas” por atentados contra el estamento militar norteamericano. Las repetidas vejaciones a musulmanes con el uso de música han salido a la luz, y ahora los músicos contraatacan. Trent Reznor y Tom Morello lideran el proyecto Cierren Guantánamo ahora (Close Gitmo now). Paradójicamente, U2 y su líder Bono han rehusado elegantemente participar en esta iniciativa. Por cierto, John Yoo es el oficial de Departamento de Justicia norteamericano que guió a la administración Bush en la práctica de interrogatorios. Ha declarado que admira a U2 por su “verdadera lucha democrática”. Por sus actos los conocereís…

La tortura musical ha sido detallada ampliamente en este blog. Pero con el pasar de los días siguen desclasificando documentos del gobierno norteamericano y asoman al público nuevas revelaciones que estremecen al público por la criminalidad y la indolencia de los torturadores.  La opinión pública norteamericana, de carácter eminentemente conservador comienza a tomar conciencia sobre los desmanes provocados por Bush y compañía. Sin embargo, en el país norteño se libra una verdadera batalla entre el Partido Republicano y el Demócrata por llevar a cabo esta tarea que parece cuesta arriba para la administración de Obama.

Esta iniciativa ha provocado una polvareda en el panorama político. Ayer, Liz Cheney y Bill Kristol, representantes de la organización de derecha “neo-con” Keep America Safe declaraban que quieren Guantánamo abierta para “hacer negocios” y que la iniciativa de los músicos no era más que patética. En sus propias palabras, Guantánamo es un recinto humano, seguro y confiable. De inmediato, la organización de veteranos más importante de Estados Unidos, VoteVets.org replicó con unas duras palabras de Matthew Alexander (interrogador militar en jefe, el cual participó en la operación donde cayó Al Zarquawi), el cual dijo: “Guantánamo es una herramienta de reclutamiento muy efectiva para Al Quaida. Mientras más tiempo esté abierta, más fallamos en protegernos contra ataques terroristas. Guantánamo es el epíteto de todo lo que estamos haciendo mal en la lucha contra el extremismo islámico –detenciones ilegales sin cargos, torturas y abusos–. Saldremos derrotados en esta batalla. Y Guantánamo es un gran paso hacia esta dirección”. Seguiremos informando…

Algunos artistas que participan:

PEARL JAM ♦ BONNIE RAITT ♦ TRENT REZNOR (Nine Inch Nails) ♦ BILLY BRAGG ♦ MICHELLE BRANCH ♦ JACKSON BROWN ♦ T-BONE BURNETT ♦ DAVID BYRNE ♦ MARC COHN ♦ STEVE EARLE ♦ THE ENTRANCE BAND ♦ JOE HENRY♦ TOM MORELLO (Rage Against the Machine)♦ ROSANNE CASH ♦ THE ROOTS ♦ TIM MCILRATH (RISE AGAINST) ♦ R.E.M

Forcing people to listen to Rage Against the Machine is indeed torture.

-Mister Person

The stars have aligned, and I think pigs are about to sprout wings. What’s the event that causing all this commotion? The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack debuted at no. 2 on the charts behind….Michael Buble. This comes just weeks after tween royalty Paramore saw  their latest album debut behind Barbara Streisand. Is the music market changing? Can it really be true? I think it’s safe to say that since the demise of grunge music, teens and tweens have been dictating the music market with their allowances. This unfortunate circumstance gave us Britney and Miley. Thus, adults have been neglected by the music industry, which is obviously out there just to make a buck. But if adults are the big spenders now, does that mean adults are back in the driver seat? This shift could be a fluke, but it definitely opens up the possibility for an unknown future where sexed up teeny poppers are thing of the past, a bad dream. Why is this happening? Could it be that MTV really fucked up? The channel stopped focusing on the music eons ago and, now, presents their audiences with distorted garbage in the form of fabulously decadent lifestyles filled with expensive cars, mansions, and overpriced handbags. Have the children switched their priorities from Miley to Prada? That’s what happens when the merchandising becomes more important than the music. Whatever the reason, I accept this change with open arms. I want to see where this goes. It was just a few months ago that I thought the Jo Bros would never go away and, now, the charts have been taken over by Streisand and that guy who covers standards. I never thought it would be those two who would restore order to the musical universe. I thought it would be Tom Morello and Sleater-Kinney, but I guess Streisand and Buble are as good as anyone else. They’re about the music. Again, I don’t know where this is going, but it’s nice to imagine. Isn’t it?

Now, a new Band of the Week….Tegan and Sara!

These twins from Canada rock. They are adept at songwriting and melodies. They have a new album, Hell, coming out next week and I am digging “Hell” and “Alligator.” I highly recommend “Walking with a Ghost” and “Back in your Head.” I saw them at Sasquatch and I was really impressed with them live. Lucky for you, they are touring the US this winter. See if they’re coming to your town.

Until next time, “can’t you see what I see?,” B. Spears - K