Some Jazz albums you might want to hear

A Love Supreme - John Coltrane

This album completely changed the jazz world in 1965 and even today its effects can be found in many musical styles. Coltrane evolves from the extremely complex and dense harmonic language he had mastered with Miles Davis and Monk and just plays with pure, raw passion. The four songs on this album are simultaneously filled emotions of anger, joy, sadness, ecstasy, tragedy and triumph. This album also marked the beginning of a revolution in Coltrane's playing as he ventured into a freer world less based on dense harmonic language.

 

Time Out - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

This was the first instrumental jazz album to sell over a million copies. 'Take Five' was even a number one hit on Billboard's charts which is a serious feat for any jazz song (and any song in 5/4!). Brubeck used the rhythmic influences from Eastern Europe to create a very fresh sound previously unfound in jazz. The complex rhythms he uses sound very natural and are easy to listen to, probably the reason for his success. This one is guaranteed to please and intrigue its listeners.

Bitches Brew - Miles Davis

Pretty much everything about this album was controversial. Before 1970, no major record label had ever used the word "Bitches" on a release by a major artist. The recording has some very long songs and consists mostly of free spontaneous electric improvisation. Also for the first time, the recording tape was sliced and diced a bit in studio post-production to make certain snippets repeat and to add effects which was unheard of on a jazz record. Yet even with all that... or maybe because of all that... it is Miles' second best selling album of all time behind Kind of Blue. Be warned... this album is pretty "out there" and could take a few listens to understand what Miles was able to achieve.

                                                       Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock

When I first heard this album I felt I had finally found that perfect "sound" I had been searching for my whole life. Herbie had come very well known in Miles Davis second quintet and now was doing his own thing applying those concepts to funk. His experimentation on a multitude of analog synths has tremendously influenced what I do on synthesizers in my band, Gentlemen Hall. As well as numerous other groups ever since. Some critics and pure acoustic jazz-heads said this album is not jazz, but I beg to differ cause it is full of jazz improvisation and concepts. This album was so popular that it quickly sold over a million copies after its release in 1973. It's simple, funky, extremely enjoyable, and AMAZING! Listen to it over and over for maximum satisfaction.

Blue Train (Remastered) - John Coltrane (Yes, again)

Recorded in 1957, this album was Coltrane's first album as a leader. It's very interesting to hear how Coltrane was playing before he started heading to the freer, passionate playing that he evolved to in the mid 60's. Did you know that ten years earlier, Coltrane was considered just a mediocre player? He studied with others and performed SO MUCH with Miles that he became an icon of discipline. He was known to constantly practice after gigs late into the night to become the player he was on this album... and he still continued to improved after this recording! I love this album because it has such a solid, quintessential jazz sound.

Gimme Five: Great thrash albums not by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer or Anthrax

As I’ve been blasting the new song from Testament for the last few days, I’ve been thinking about a few of the other thrash acts that never quite grabbed the glory of those guys that you know.

Pretty much everyone, metal fan or not, is familiar with the “Big Four” of 1980s thrash Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. They’ve all had a bit of a resurgence of late thanks in part to the few Big Four shows they’ve done at festivals around the world, and in the case of Metallica, they’ve gone from scaring parents to being classic rock staples.
But thrash was a wide genre, and there are great, pioneering bands like Overkill and Exodus that rarely get recognition in the wider music world.
You’ll note that I’m leaving Pantera out of this, too, though I consider Cowboys from Hell a thrash classic, because they were huge in their own right with the groove metal thing. And, sorry to my German brethren because their big thrash bands like Kreator and Sodom missed the cut, but my tastes have always run toward the American form. And, finally, for any fellow metalheads reading this and saying these are all familiar albums and I should have gone more obscure, the list isn’t for you. Sorry.
So, without further ado, here are five great thrash albums not by those guys …

No. 5–
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – DRIFT (1995)

No. 4–
SUICIDAL TENDENCES – LIGHTS … CAMERA … REVOLUTION! (1990)

No. 3–
OVERKILL – IRONBOUND (2010)

No. 2–
TESTAMENT – THE NEW ORDER (1988)

No. 1–
ANNIHILATOR – ALICE IN HELL (1989)
(SUPER DUBER AWESOME)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “Wreck On The Highway” (1980)

Mortality and the very, very thin line between life and death, those ideas quietly rumble just beneath the surface on most of The River‘s more serious tracks. “Wreck On The Highway” brings that all into focus, with a man realizing just how fragile life can be.

Looking back, this song feels like a bridge over to Nebraska. Of course, back in 1980, we had absolutely no idea of the turn Bruce’s music was about to take. I sure didn’t.

Next Up: Nebraska

Matt Garrison, “The Madness Within” (2012)

Saxophone sage Matt Garrison (not to be confused with bassist Matthew Garrison) recently made his second album, Blood Songs, and for truly talented musicians on an upward trajectory, that sophomore effort is often where the big growth occurs. Already accomplished at tenor, baritone and soprano saxes, we’re more likely to find any progression from Garrison as a composer and bandleader, and those are things where I can spot the maturation when I hear Blood Songs‘s kickoff track “The Madness Within.”

A fundamentally sound post-bop disciple to the core, Garrison nonetheless constructed a thoroughly modern tune with “The Madness Within.” He found a compelling, lilting sequence of chords worth repeating time and again, but his arrangement makes it ever better. Bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Ulysses Owen, Jr. craft a metropolitan, deceptively shifting groove. Augmenting Douglas, Owens, Garrison and pianist Roy Assaf are guitarist Dave Kain and trombonist/producer Michael Dease, and they play important roles, too. Dease and Garrison join for a sweet sax/trombone harmony that I always dug about the Crusaders and they glide right over that groove like an Olympic ice skater. Everyone in front of Douglas and Owens turns in succinct but sharp solos; the contrast between Dease’s cool elegance and Garrison’s soulful funk that quickly follows make up the high point.

Dethklok Performs Aboard USS Midway Battleship At San Diego Comic-Con (Video)

DETHKLOK, the animated band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", performed this past Friday night (July 13) on the USS Midway battleship in San Diego, California. The group made its first live appearance of 2012 as "Metalocalypse" came to life at the San Diego Comic-Con convention. Those attending the free concert enjoyed new animation and new songs from DETHKLOK's upcoming album.

A 15-minute fan-filmed video report on the concert can be seen below.

The current DETHKLOK touring lineup consists of Brendon Small, Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT, DEATH, DARK ANGEL), Mike Keneally (FRANK ZAPPA) and Bryan Beller (STEVE VAI).

Created by Brendon Small ("Home Movies") and Tommy Blacha ("Da Ali G Show"), the "Metalocalypse" TV series launched in 2006 and kicked off its fourth season at the end of April on Adult Swim. One of the most popular series on the cable network, "Metalocalypse" portrays DETHKLOK as a death metal band with enough popularity to be the world's seventh-largest economy. In reality, DETHKLOK is the highest-selling band in death metal, exploding onto The Billboard 200 with "The Dethalbum", debuting at No. 21 in 2007 and "Dethalbum II" at No. 15 in 2009. Both albums contain full-length versions of songs partially heard on the show.

Alfred Music Publishing last year partnered with Cartoon Network Enterprises, the licensing and merchandising arm of Adult Swim, to present the first authentic bass TAB transcriptions of songs by DETHKLOK.

 

Deep Beatles: “Anytime At All” (1964)

BOOM!: Ringo Starr’s forceful drumbeat provides an abrupt, attention-grabbing introduction for “Any Time at All,” a Hard Day’s Night track that was never released as a single, but stands as an extraordinary example of the Beatles’ gift for creating sophisticated yet catchy songs.

“Any Time at All” originates from June 2, 1964, when principal writer John Lennon brought the rough draft into Abbey Road Studios. That afternoon, The Beatles first recorded seven takes of the rhythm track, then Lennon’s lead vocal. After breaking to record two more songs, they returned to the song in the evening. They recorded four more takes, overdubbing piano, guitar, and vocals. According to the Beatles Bible website, the track was mixed for mono on June 4; this mix was discarded, and new stereo and mono mixes were completed on June 22.

As is typical of many Lennon/McCartney compositions, Lennon and Paul McCartney did not sit side by side, writing the music and lyrics. Instead, Lennon wrote the song on his own. In his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon explained that the tune was “an effort at writing ‘It Won’t Be Long’ — same ilk: C to A minor, C to A minor with me shouting.” By this time, Beatlemania was in full swing, which meant that their manager Brian Epstein, and their label wanted to fully exploit their (erroneously) presumed fleeting fame. Therefore, in between shooting A Hard Day’s Night scenes, the foursome would quickly pen songs and record in the studio late into the evening. This tight time limitation led to “Any Time at All” being released in a relatively unfinished state. When Lennon presented the song to the group, he lacked lyrics for the middle eight. McCartney suggested a series of piano chords, with the intention of writing additional lyrics over them. As the deadline loomed, however, the band and producer George Martin abandoned this plan and left in just the piano-infused middle eight.

New Freddie Mercury documentary to include rare footage, unreleased demo tracks

A new documentary focusing on the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury will include a snippet of the unreleased Michael Jackson collaboration “There Must be More to Life Than This” and a demo with Rod Stewart singing the previously unreleased “Take Another Piece of My Heart,” along with a never-before-seen appearance with the Royal Ballet in 1979.

The Great Pretender, due September 25, 2012, also features rare footage from the band’s initial TV appearance, Mercury’s earliest filmed interview, and newly filmed talks from fellow Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The documentary was produced and directed by Rhys Thomas, who worked again with the group that created the recent BBC documentary Queen: Days of Our Lives.
Thomas found film of Queen’s initial television appearance among the belongings of the late comedian Dick Emery, and unearthed the 1976 interview with Mercury in Australia. He also found a rare talk with NBC, also filmed in 1976, as well as film from Mercury’s 39th Black and White birthday party in Munich in 1985 — footage made for the video for “Living On My Own,” and promptly banned by his record company because of its cross-dressing theme. There are also interesting video outtakes from “I Want To Break Free,” “One Vision,” “Days of Our Lives,” “I Want It All,” “A Kind Of Magic,” “Princes of the Universe,” “Living on My Own,” Born To Love You,” “Great Pretender,” “Made In Heaven,” and “Who Wants to Live Forever.”
Among the others interviewed for the documentary: soprano Montserrat Caballé, composers David Arnold and Mike Moran, lyricist Tim Rice, and comedian and lifelong fan Matt Lucas, among others. The Great Pretender, presented in high definition, will be available in DVD and Blu-ray.

Geezer Butler Remembers Ronnie James Dio On What Would Have Been Singer's 70th Birthday

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, would have celebrated his 70th birthday today (Tuesday, July 10) had he not passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

In a posting on his official web site, legendary bassist Geezer Butler — who played with Ronnie in both BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL — wrote, "Today, July 10th, Ronnie should have been celebrating his 70th birthday, and probably would have been if he'd had his health checked regularly. I once asked him if he'd ever thought about retiring. He said he would make that decision on his 70th birthday. That is why today is so poignant.I think I know what his decision would have been."

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

A free public memorial service was held on May 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, attended by more than 1,500 fans, friends and fellow musicians.

In March 2011, it was announced that the surviving members of the final lineup of DIO would embark on a project with former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens under the name DIO DISCIPLES.

His wife and manager, Wendy Dio, still oversees all projects and releases related to the career and music of her late husband.

Ronnie James Dio, real name Ronald James Padavona, was born in New Hampshire on July 10, 1942.

He moved to Cortland, New York at a young age, where he began playing with local acts. A street in Cortland, Dio Way, was named after him in 1988.

He released his first single, with a band called RONNIE AND THE REDCAPS, in 1959.

His first heavy rock act, ELF, released three albums and opened for DEEP PURPLE, where Dio's voice caught the ear of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore recruited Dio for his own band, RAINBOW, after leaving PURPLE in 1975.

Dio recorded three studio albums and one live set with RAINBOW before exiting in 1978, including "Rising" and "Long Live Rock And Roll".

He replaced Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner in 2006. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

He has also recorded 10 studio albums with his own band, DIO, including a classic 1983 debut, "Holy Diver", and an equally renowned follow-up, 1984's "The Last In Line".

Dio was also behind the HEAR N' AID project, a collection of metal artists who recorded the track "Stars" in 1985 to raise funds for African famine relief.

Rock and metal musicians around the world paid tribute to Dio in the weeks and months following his death. STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor shared his feelings with The Pulse Of Radio about the fallen metal icon. "When I got that news that he had passed away, man, it seriously — it broke my heart. It broke it in two. Because honestly, I just feel like there will never be another Ronnie James Dio. He had such a pure voice — and still singing his ass off. I just know he'll be missed, and I will miss him as well."

Ex-VAN HALEN and current CHICKENFOOT bassist Michael Anthony also shared his memories of Dio with The Pulse Of Radio. "I don't know anybody that didn't grow up listening to his stuff," he said. "You know, VAN HALEN, we used to do from the first RAINBOW album, we did 'Man On The Silver Mountain'. I remember one time, the second VAN HALEN tour we were doing some festivals in Europe, and we actually played on the same show as Ronnie's band. Real powerful voice, you know, and definitely a driving force in hard rock music, that guy was."

Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that he felt the loss of Dio very keenly. "He's just somebody I was influenced by," he said. " I played all the RAINBOW stuff, I played the DIO stuff, the SABBATH stuff when I was in, you know, high school. I don't think that it's really set in what a, you know, huge figure in rock 'n' roll we lost, you know. Really major. Probably one of the most influential heavy metal singers of all time."

Charlie Sheen Bashes Axl Rose At Slash's Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony (Video)

Grammy-winning iconic guitarist and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Slash marked a career milestone today, Tuesday, July 10, as he was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Slash's star is located directly in front of the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Blvd (6801 Hollywood Blvd, #105 Los Angeles, CA 90028). Slash's friends — celebrated film producer Robert Evans, actor Charlie Sheen and beloved radio host Jim Ladd — were guest speakers at the fan-packed ceremony. Afterwards, Slash and bandmate Myles Kennedy treated fans to a private acoustic performance and exclusive question-and-answer session at the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Blvd.

Charlie Sheen, a neighbor and personal friend of Slash's who called himself a "Rock Star From Mars" when he underwent a public meltdown amid his firing from the CBS show "Two and a Half Men", spoke at Slash's induction ceremony. He said, "It's quite fitting that Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl Rose will one day be sleeping on."

He added, "This star is going to be stepped on more than the coke we did in the '80s."

Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremonies, said, "Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. We are proud to place his name among the stars on our fabled Hollywood Walk Of Fame."

Nile: 'At The Gate Of Sethu' First-Week Sales Revealed

"At The Gate Of Sethu", the seventh full-length album from South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE, sold 3,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 131 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

NILE's previous album, "Those Whom The Gods Detest", opened with 3,500 units back in 2009 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 160.

"At The Gate Of Sethu" was released in Europe on June 29 and in the U.S. on July 3 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Those Whom The Gods Detest" was once again produced and mixed by Neil Kernon, who has previously worked with NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE and DEICIDE, among many others. The CD artwork was handled by a true genius of darkened visuals, Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST, SEPTICFLESH).

Yes in Mexico 2012

Through their Twitter account Ocesa announced that Yes the influential prog rock band will be coming to Mexico in August 21. The event will take place in the new Pepsi center in Mexico City.

This famous rock band has been in stages since 1968 and nowadays they're touring with their new album "Fly From Here", and of course people want to hear the classics like Roundabout.

JD Allen Trio – The Matador and the Bull (2012)

Every so often, we are lucky enough to come across a record that flips previous musical conventions on its head — a record that is fresh, original and that forces us to think differently about our conception of music.
 Allen’s latest release, The Matador and the Bull, featuring Gregg August (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), is such an album. On many records, particularly in the jazz medium, we encounter roughly 6-10 songs each ranging from 5-10 minutes long — songs that are often individually unique unto themselves and that are seemingly unrelated to one another. But here, with the JD Allen trio, we get the complete opposite. The trio presents us with 12 short tracks (most which are under 4 minutes long) that largely center on a single theme — a story of bullfight, which musically unfolds before our ears from track to track, or more appropriately, from chapter to chapter. Here, we are encountering a unique musical experience as listeners, as we are challenged to combine our visual imagination with the aural presentation, in order to piece together the story.
On most occasions during this record, the music reflects the title of the respective track. For example, on “Paseillo,” JD’s running eight notes are swinging joyously in a galloping fashion that springs to mind a clear visual of a bullfighter riding around the ring on horseback. “Ring Shout!,” which has a less direct connection to bullfighting, is a religious ritual that originated amongst slaves in Africa who performed the dance by shuffling counter clockwise while singing, clapping and sometimes shouting. After a minute into this emotionally charged tune, we begin to hear shouts of “woah” from August or Royston. This continues throughout the remainder of JD’s playing, where he explores multiphonics, the altissimo register and at times screams at the top of his lungs on the saxophone.

The Matador and the Bull is a musical novel that presents the listener’s imagination with a blank canvas, leaving us free to interpret the album in their own way. For me personally, I’m dying to hear a live performance of this same concept — a few sets surrounding the same musical story.

Cancer returns for celebrated soul singer Curtis Salgado; lung surgery planned

Award-winning soul blues singer/harmonica master Curtis Salgado will undergo surgery on July 18 in Portland, Oregon, to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, according to his manager Shane Tappendorf.
A partial lobectomy will be performed to remove a segment of Salgado’s left lung, where a metastasized mass was found. It is suspected to be the same type of cancerous mass that was removed from his lung in 2008. Salgado will be hospitalized for a period of four to six days and will require a recovery time of up to four weeks. Salgado and his doctors anticipate a complete recovery.
“I am extremely grateful for the overwhelming support of my family, friends and fans and the courageous people that have faced this fight before me,” the 58-year-old Salgado wrote from his home this week. “I also want to thank the promoters and venues for their understanding regarding my medical situation. We will do our best to reschedule all of our performances affected by my surgery.”
Salgado, who was diagnosed with liver cancer on March 23, 2006, underwent successful liver transplant surgery on September 30, 2006 at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. He was recently named winner of the 2012 Blues Music Award for Soul/Blues Artist of the Year.
Donations to help with Curtis’s expenses can be made online at: http://curtissalgado.chipin.com/curtis- salgado-medical- fund. Donations can also be made to the Curtis Salgado Fund c/o Odaglas LLC Donation Account at all US Banks or by mail to US Bancorp, 2550 NW 188th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124. For additional information please visit www.curtissalgado.com and www.facebook.com/CurtisSalgado.

John Frusciante – Letur-Lefr (2012)

Posted by Nick DeRiso

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If you think the name of erstwhile guitar god John Frusciante’s forthcoming EP is weird, check this out: It precedes a full-length project called PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.

So, we’ll stick with the music … because it’s plenty weird too — a millennial amalgam of aerated, early 1980s-inspired electronics, soaring R&B vocals and gritty hip hop realism. You were expecting, like, guitar? Not so much on the former Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman’s Letur-Lefr, a progressive synth-pop surprise which arrives July 17, 2012, through Record Collection Music in advance of the subsequent album on September 25.

Instead, Frusciante delves deeper into sounds he’s claimed as influences for years like Depeche Mode, New Order and the Human League, but with new wrinkles courtesy of soulful wailer Nicole Turley (aka Frusciante’s wife) and RZA — the Grammy-winning producer/MC from Wu-Tang Clan.

Letur-Lefr opens with “In Your Eyes,” a track that quivers with a weird emotional fragility behind a series of thudding electronic beats. “909 Day,” with its icy synth and mechanized rhythms, then advances early experiments in new wave that go back at least to solo efforts like 2001′s To Record Only Water for Ten Days. It’s only with “Glowe” that we hear Frusciante (if only for a moment) mix in some guitar sounds, but — just like that — they vanish.

NILE's SANDERS: 'I'm Not Gonna F**kin' Experiment And F**k Around And Change Our Sound'

Joshua Bottomley of Hails & Horns recently conducted an interview with Karl Sanders of South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hails & Horns: Karl, how long did it take to write the new NILE album ["At The Gate Of Sethu"]?

Sanders: I started in May [2011]. We finished our two-year touring cycle for "For Those Whom The Gods Detest" in April of last year. I took the rest of April and got over a case of severe bronchitis that I caught on tour in Europe that winter, then got to work in May and wrote all the way to November. Just an insane amount of hours put in. I really wanted to up the bar this time. In six months I wrote nine songs, seven of which we used on the record. Three more I co-wrote with Dallas [Toler-Wade, guitars, vocals].

Hails & Horns: NILE is a very technical, guitar-oriented band. Is recording the guitar parts the most frustrating aspect of the recording process?

Sanders: Absolutely. You said it. This album we quadruple-tracked the guitars and we took like a month to friggin' do it. We were insane. We wanted to have the sharpest and cleanest and tightest guitar stacks that could be possibly imaginable. Because you know what? Goshdarnit, we want the fans to hear the fuckin' riff. As long as it took to get those fuckin' things razor sharp, that's what the fuck we did. Because, man, it really makes a difference, when you take the time and the headache and go through the agony to get that shit clean and tight, it just makes the riff that much meaner and focused.

Hails & Horns: Have you ever thought of slowing it down? Making a "Black Album?"

Sanders: Oh, fuck no. But it's an interesting tale along those lines. During the early part of envisioning this record, and wondering what sort of songs I was gonna write, we had some encouragement from folks within the label and management to experiment a little bit and bring in other elements and whatnot. I was in an experimental mood, so I had all these ideas about acoustic guitars and OPETH-like sections. But then as I started writing, and actually doing it, I didn't write anything like that. It was all fuckin' twice as heavy. I was scratching my head, wondering, "How am I supposed to explain this to the label and management?" They wanted us to experiment and hear I am doubling it up twice as brutal. Then the funniest thing happened. There was a video on YouTube that went around called, "Adolf Hitler Reacts to the New Morbid Angel Album." It clicked in my head. I don't have to explain myself to anybody. I'm not gonna fuckin' experiment and fuck around and change our sound, except to go more extreme, more shredding, and more brutal. We're into doing new things, but they're in our own fuckin' vein. We're not jumping ship. Fuck no.

Read the entire interview from Hails & Horns.

 

More Than 100 Lamb Of God Fans Turn Out For 'Free Randy Blythe' Vigil

According to Richmond Times-Dispatch, more than 100 LAMB OF GOD fans gathered on Brown's Island in Richmond, Virginia earlier today (Sunday, July 8) in support of the band's jailed singer Randy Blythe, who is being held on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

"This really brings it home," said LAMB OF GOD guitar player Willie Adler, who made an appearance at the event. "It's nice to see all different walks of life here. It's not just long-haired metal fans."

Adler said the band wasn't ready to publicly discuss anything just yet but that its day would come soon.

"We're not quite sure what's happening now, so we don't want to do anything to jeopardize it," he said. "But we hope to know something, maybe in a week."

Adler's father-in-law, Harry Hopkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the entire band was met at the Prague airport by armed forces on June 27 and was taken into custody. After some discussion, U.S. embassy personnel were able to get four of them free. They were told to leave the country immediately.

"They're very upset about that," Hopkins said. "They would've wanted to stay with him."

The vigil organizer Tommy Streat, a friend of Blythe, told WWBT, the NBC-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia, "I know in my heart of hearts that Randy should not be in jail and the way he helps other people beyond the means most would go. I think it's ridiculous that he's in jail and I think we need to get him back on this ground in Richmond. And until he's here, we're gonna be his voice. We're gonna talk. We're gonna get loud. . . Randy's voice has been lost and we're getting it back. If it was Justin Bieber, everybody would be talking about it."

LAMB OF GOD set up a fund to help pay Blythe's legal expenses. A statement on the band's Facebook page reads, in part, "As many of you know, Randy is being held in Czech jail for a crime we believe he did not commit. We are still learning about the legal system there and the situation is fluid. We have retained local legal counsel, have support from the U.S. embassy and we are flying over additional lawyers to try and assure that Randy has the best representation possible. As many of you have pointed out, the simple fact is that the legal fees are adding up very quickly."

 

Joe Morris/ William Parker/ Gerald Cleaver – Altitude (2012)

Not long after Joe Morris and William Parker signed up with the then-fledging AUM Fidelity record label specializing in improvised music, AUM founder Steven Joerg and Morris talked about making a trio record involving both Morris and Parker, along with drummer Gerald Cleaver. Like many good ideas, this one fell by the wayside to make room for other projects. However, last year’s two week space set aside by John Zorn for AUM Fidelity to organize an event at The Stone celebrating its 15th anniversary gave Joerg the opening he was looking for. He booked Morris, Parker and Cleaver for one of those evenings and the music just happened. It was also documented, and that document is coming forth on CD next week. It’s called Altitude.

When I first learned of this upcoming release I was ready to swear up and down that this get-together was just the latest by these three. Nope. These exceptional musicians, all at the top of the heap for their respective instruments within the downtown New York scene have never worked together as three. Perhaps I was thinking of Farmers By Nature, which has Parker and Cleaver collaborating with Craig Taborn, or perhaps Ivo Perelman’s album from early this year, Family Ties where the saxophonist is backed up by Morris and Cleaver.

Mastodon: New Video Interview With Brann Dailor- July 3, 2012

Rita Buzzrock of Austria's Mulatschag TV recently conducted an interview with drummer Brann Dailor of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON. You can now watch the chat below.

MASTODON is touring in support of its latest album "The Hunter", which was released by Reprise Records in September. The band's latest trek kicked off on April 4 in Portland, Maine, and visited more than 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up with a hometown show at Atlanta's Masquerade Music Park on May 12. These shows featured Swedish metal band OPETH as co-headliners, with special guest GHOST providing support on all dates.

MASTODON was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination was for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from MASTODON's new album, "The Hunter".

Lamb Of God Manager: Randy Blythe Is Innocent

Czech web site Blesk.cz conducted an exclusive interview with LAMB OF GOD manager Larry Mazer about the ordeal of the band's lead vocalist, Randy Blythe, who has been jailed in Prague, the Czech Republic, where he is accused of causing the death of a fan at one of the group's shows in 2010. Blythe was arrested at the Prague airport on June 27 and is facing possible manslaughter charges in connection with a 2010 Prague concert at which he allegedly shoved a local fan off the stage. The man, who had stormed the stage three times during the show, reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage that resulted in his death 14 days later.

Blesk.cz: What is the latest on Randy Blythe's release?

Larry Mazer: "I have no idea. The bail [in the amount of $200,000] was posted Tuesday morning [July 3]. We tried to make bail on Monday, but everything took a bit longer to be processed. Randy should be released immediately. His lawyer told us so on Saturday [during a court hearing]. In the U.S., he would have been. You post the bail and you're free."

Blesk.cz: How long will Randy stay in jail?

Larry Mazer: "I was told that it may take up to 20 days — that the investigator may require more time to investigate the case."

Blesk.cz: How have the other bandmembers reacted to this whole ordeal?

Larry Mazer: "Everybody is shocked. It's absurd. It seems like a bad joke that Randy is sitting in your jail. He did nothing wrong. He is innocent."

20 Things You Didn't Know About Rock N' Roll

01. When "Stairway To Heaven" is played backwards, you can hear the phrase "oh here's to my sweet satan..the one who's little path would make me sad, whose power is satan..he'll give you give you 666 there was a little toolshed where he would make us suffer, sad in the part of "if there's a bustle...".

02. The mighty final chord of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" was played by ten hands in three pianos simultaneously: Lennon's, Mc Cartney's, Starr's, Martin's (their manager?) and Evan's (their roadie).

03. The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" is called like this because of an insult between bandmates. When Brian Wilson showed Mike Love (the band's singer) the new material, he said "Who the hell is going to listen to this?...the ears of a dog?".

04. Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" is named after the route that goes through Bob's home state, Minesota, and enters the Mississippi delta.

05. "London Calling" was part of a catch phrase ("Good morning America, this is the London Calling!") of a BBC show during World War II, of which the The Clash's guitarists Joe Strummer was a fan.

06. The night of Jimi's first gig, Jeff Beck was coming out of the club and outside he ran into Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend. With a frightened expression he told them "I think we're in trouble here!".

07. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) has Bonzo's (Led Zeppelin's drummer) symbol, three intersecting symbols tattooed on his forearm.

08. "Layla" was written by Eric Clapton to steal George Harrison's wife, Patty Boid. Layla was the nickname Eric had given her inspired by a turkish legend (not so sure about that) in which Layla was the main character.

09. Zepp's "Black Dog" is called like this because when they were recording the song, a huge black dog entered the studio, that was located in a rather ...rural setting.

10. The Young brothers's sister was the one who recommended the school uniform to Angus for their first gig (Angus's age was publicized as being 15 to go with the school boy outfit) (thanx Evil Kid 93).

11. Steve Morse's (Deep Purple) guitar has 11 different pickup positions.

12. In 1968 Jimi Hendrix bought a studio located in the 52 West Eight Street, Greewnwich Village, New York, with the idea of transforming it into a nightclub. His sound tecnician convinced him of turning it into a studio and in August 27th 1970 "Electric Lady" officialy opened it's doors. Both recording rooms haven't changed a bit since Jimi jammed there (one still has the same paints hanging on the walls and sofas, and the other -Purple Haze- still has the purple console). When The Clash recorded "Sandinista!" there, they swear Jimi's spirit added an extra guitar line in the album. That may sound weird (and stoned) but the truth is that doors close on their own, floors creak and a magic can be sensed in the air (or so they say).

13. The three...symbols? in the cover of The Police's "Ghost In The Machine" are supposed to represent the band's three integrants...though no one knows why or which is which.

14. The Yardbirds were the ones who gave Clapton the nickname "Slowhand".

15. According to the South Park kids, The Cure's "Disintegration" is the best album of all
 times.

16. Def Leppard's drummer, Rick Allen, lost an arm in a car crash in the mid-eighties. However, Rick decided to keep on playing, and learned to do it with his feet and some programmed drum lines. The band continued as normal, and their next album with their "new" drummer was "Pyromania".

17. Mitch Mitchell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's drummer took his first drum lessons with Jim Marshall (that's right, the guy who made amps!)

18. Van Halen's "5150" is named after Eddie's Peavey 5150 amp, which is built exclusively for him.

19. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the name (or slogan..not so sure) of a deodorant brand.

20. Jimi got the inspiration for "Purple Haze" after having a dream where he could walk underwater.