Of all the half-assed attempts at hard-core metal these days, Shai Hulud—along with a handful of others—manages to create uplifting, melodic hardcore that connects with the heart and soul of the genre. That Within features the capable pipes of vocalist Geert van der Velde pitted against the grainy, distortion-soaked guitar delivery of Matt Fox. On “Scornful of the Motives and Virtue of Others” and album standout “Being Exemplary,” one can sense the urgency and immediacy of the band’s politically charged agendas. Drummer Tony Tintari and bassist Matt Fletcher make up the band’s rhythm section, which throws a healthy dose of aggression against a backdrop of melodic vocals. If tracks like “Unnerving” are any indication of what’s to come from Shai Hulud, we may want to keep this band on our radar. (SN&R)
Since 1992, John Darnielle’s Mountain Goats have undergone various lineup changes. Tallahassee continues Darnielle’s dark ride inside the psyche of a couple destined to break up. He’s aided here by Extra Glenns member and friend Franklin Bruno and multi-instrumentalist Peter Hughes. The result is a luscious, 14-song, folk-influenced affair laden with Darnielle’s dry humor and awkward, off-kilter delivery. On “Southwood Plantation Road” and “International Small,” you can smell the late nights and wine-soaked carpets from which they must have been created. Though Darnielle isn’t looking to inherit the throne of Dylan or Springsteen, for the moment he is another talented songsmith gracing the indie-rock club circuit. Check the Mountain Goats out before Darnielle loses interest and moves on.
You may remember Crooked Fingers’ Eric Bachmann from his former band, noise merchants Archers of Loaf, which enjoyed considerable college-radio and media attention in the 1990s. Unlike his former band, Crooked Fingers showcase Bachmann’s songwriting prowess and arrangements. Red Devil Dawn is actually the Fingers’ third release and the first of the band’s for Merge Records, also responsible for the latest Imperial Teen and Radar Brothers sides. On “Don’t Say a Word,” we’re treated to the violin work of Andrej Curty and the shuffling rhythms of drummer Brian Giblet. Although comparisons to Nick Drake and Tom Waits are inevitable, there also are subtle nods to early Neil Diamond and even Leonard Cohen. (SN&R)
If you’ve ever witnessed one of this singer-songwriter’s shows, chances are good that this more-than-75-minute live collection will bring you back to that hilarious night. Snider’s inherent ability to wield beautiful songs amid a flurry of jokes and stories works alarmingly well. As evidenced on the album’s opener, “Tension,” Snider has grown leaps and bounds since his early career on MCA. Now a few albums deep with John Prine’s boutique label, Oh Boy, the obligatory live album was bound to surface. Unlike most live efforts, this mobile recording displays Snider’s warmth and sensitivity as well as his humorous, nonsensical side. One listen to “Easy Money” or “Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues” should make fans of both John Gorka and Darryl Purpose gleam with delight. Funny stuff.
This compilation includes three entire albums—Slide It In, Whitesnake ’87 and Slip of the Tongue—plus B-side and album outtakes. The first two albums featured the songwriting and heavy-handed guitar work of the gifted John Sykes. Even “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again” and “Looking for Love,” tracks that didn’t make the cut for the band’s breakthrough album, are easily better than any current or classic-rock fare. Unfortunately, the latter album found singer David Coverdale struggling not only with his identity as a songwriter but also with his bandmates. His short-lived all-star studio and touring troupe—featuring Steve Vai, Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo and Adrian Vandenberg—lasted only a short time before album and ticket sales forced it to disband. This year’s touring configuration is even less impressive. It’s time for a real Whitesnake reunion, not a self-indulgent, money-grubbing affair.
Formerly local hip-hop duo Blackalicious returns to play the stage above an old basement haunt
Blackalicious’ Chief Xcel and the Gift of Gab, back in Davis to recapture that SoleSides vibe.
Live!
8 p.m. Wednesday, February 26; at Freeborn Hall on the UC Davis campus; $16 advance and $18 at the door. For more info, call (530) 752-2571. With the Lifesavas.
If you were hanging around downtown Davis during the early 1990s, you might have heard rumblings about some far-out shows happening on UC Davis’ radio station, KDVS. Those broadcasts, which featured future Blackalicious DJ Xavier Mosley, now known as Chief Xcel, were first-rate. It wasn’t uncommon to see DJ Shadow, the SoleSides crew and the Blackalicious members holding court in the studio, alongside a slew of talented local and regional MCs.
The two members of the conscious hip-hop duo Blackalicious, Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab (né Tim Parker), remember their local roots, beginning in the late 1980s at Kennedy High here in Sacramento. And, unlike a majority of major-label hip-hop collectives, the two have remained true to their fans and their music. Unhampered by their recording agreement with MCA, they were allowed complete autonomy to record and write their MCA debut full-length, Blazing Arrow, which featured a number of guest cameos and sold well more than 300,000 copies. Blazing Arrow was a slab of street-smart hip-hop that continued on the momentum of Blackalicious’ early independent releases on Quannum Projects, the Bay Area label that evolved out of the Davis indie label SoleSides, and even on the group’s first EP, Melodica (SoleSides, 1997).
Blackalicious is about to enter pre-production for its next release; before that, the duo is staging a quick blast of West Coast shows. “I’m really thankful for everything we have, really,” Blackalicious’ MC the Gift of Gab said over a cell phone from Seattle, while nursing a bad cough. “I’m thankful, I’m humble, and we’re still working hard. It’s not like we make a record, and that’s the end of it. I mean we all do work, we put it out, and then we do more work.”
Right now, Gab said, the duo’s energy is focused on getting a new album together. “We like to make sure our work is done before we put it out,” he said. “The album’s in the embryo stage at this point, and we plan to record most of it at the Compound”—Blackalicious’ Bay Area studio—“and maybe the East Coast ’cause it’s good to get out there and mix it up. We’re more comfortable recording at home, and we keep the work ethic up.”
Last year, Blackalicious traveled overseas, headlining venues and landing the coveted support slot on last year’s Public Enemy U.S. tour. “I believe we were requested,” Gab said. “It was almost a blessing in disguise. It’s like playing with our heroes. The last date of the tour in San Francisco was easily the best show of the tour, playing alongside P.E. for our people.”
Blackalicious’ live crew is Gab and Chief Xcel along with Lateef, Omega, Bear and soundman Will Prince. But in the studio, it’s another story. “Because of the nature of what we do, it’ll always be myself and Chief Xcel,” Gab pointed out. “Blackalicious will always remain a duo.”
Among Gab’s ambitions for this year is landing a new tour. “I’d most like to tour with George Clinton and Parliament,” he said. “I’m a big P-Funk head. I’d also like to go out with the Roots because they have a really intense show. If we went on the road with ’em, we’d be forced to take it to the next level.”
Other projects include a Gift of Gab solo album, to be released on Quannum later this year. As for turntablist Chief Xcel, he will collaborate with touring Blackalicious member Lateef on a new project called Maroons. An EP is due later this year.
Wednesday’s show at Freeborn Hall will be a homecoming of sorts for the duo, now based in Oakland, as it plays the venue that still sits above the hallowed KDVS basement studios. Odds are you will be able to find the guys hanging out downstairs before and after the show, mining the record vaults.
“Every now and then, I like to go back to KDVS and hit the listening booth,” Gab said. “It’s just a part of our history, you know?”
Strapping Young Lad’s Devin Townsend not only can write an ultra-heavy album’s worth of over-the-top metal, but he also produces. SYL lets Townsend show off his musical aptitude along with his recording prowess. Aided by the monstrous rhythm section of bassist Byron Stroud and everybody’s favorite drummer, Gene Hoglan, guitarist Jed Simon adds to the already mammoth-sized sound. Even though songs like “Dire” and “Relentless” deal with 9/11, Townsend’s passion and vocal strength remain intact and sincere. Although Townsend had been absent from the scene—producing and recording takes up the bulk of his time—one listen to the emotionally charged “Rape Song” or “Dirt Pride” will lay waste to any predictions that he has lost his edge. As luck would have it, this new release is timed perfectly with the band’s first massive national tour with Egyptian metal god Nile and England’s Napalm Death.
The Young Gods were the impetus for the recent revolution of mass electronica—Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. Second Nature, one of this Swiss trio’s most fluid albums, was released overseas through the scarcely known Intoxygene label. Nearly two years later, audiophile Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings has released it here. Although the Young Gods thrive on psychedelia, their most promising moments are found in up-tempo, knee-jerk-inducing numbers. From the mind-altering “Supersonic” to the single, “Lucidogen,” the Young Gods continue the magic found on their early Interscope releases, such as Only Heaven. What separates this group from the amalgam of wannabe industrial crybabies is its configuration of drums, keyboards and vocals. Live, the band is devastating; in the studio, it weaves intricacies and subtleties that, upon repeated listen, become more and more addicting.
The Apes know how to make the Moog keyboard work to their advantage. Under the direction of vocalist Paul Weil, this Washington, D.C., quartet plays a gritty, retro-influenced bastardization of rock ’n’ roll, like the Liars and Brainiac reduced to their most primitive forms. The Fugue in the Fog should dispel any notion that the Apes’ hometown hasn’t produced more than one good band. Jeff Schmid’s drums, coupled with Amanda Kleinman’s colorful organ work, make for one hell of a sonic experience. As evidenced in “Mountain of Steel” or “Land Of Ruin,” the Apes know how to create soundscapes without the addition of the electric guitar. Even fans of stoner metal, à la Sleep or early Kyuss, will enjoy what the Apes bring to the table. A bunch of lower primates cashing in on rock music’s new subculture? I think not.
Media-savvy Luxt aims for the title of hardest-working band in local show business
Luxt, with Anna Christine (obviously not Anna Nicole) on the left and Frost, Erie Loch, David H. and Crash on the right, from top to bottom.
CD-release party 7 p.m. Saturday, January 25; at the Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd.; all ages, $10. With Beat Officers, Simplistic and Lowboy.
A few short years ago, bands were nipping at the heels of major-label A&R weasels, hoping to land that all-important, self-indulgent record deal.
Today, bands are taking back from the now-moribund record industry what is rightfully theirs, realizing that most of the resources to make a good, nationally distributed album are just a mouse click away. Though the Internet may have given away too much—take Napster or Kazaa, for instance—some of the info transferred over the wires managed to enlighten and teach the masses.
Luxt, Sacramento’s largest consistently drawing hard-rock act since the Deftones, just released its newest album through Blackliner Records, a label run by Lynn and Sonny Mayugba, best known for their local bands the Skirts and Daycare, respectively. Luxt’s new record, American Beast, is distributed nationally though indie-label distributor IDN.
The current lineup of Luxt—Anna Christine on vocals, Erie Loch on guitar and keyboards, David H on guitars, Crash on bass and Frost on drums—is easily the band’s strongest. As evidenced on American Beast’s standout tracks—“Cease”; “Infinite”; and “Death,” which closes the album—the band’s influences are far and reaching. Imagine a juncture where early Garbage, Lacuna Coil, the Gathering, KMFDM and White Zombie meet, and you’re ready for the Luxt experience.
As far as Luxt’s members’ ages go, let’s just say that they’re experienced. “You’re gonna have to fistfight Anna for that info,” Loch joked. “We’re all about 19, spiritually.”
Touring is integral to a band’s success. Without a live show to promote and sell music, most record labels won’t touch an act. Fortunately, Luxt is a self-contained touring machine. Besides having a fully functional van-trailer combination, the band has a very impressive merchandise booth, one that puts even major-label-funded ones to shame.
“We want to tour 366 days a year,” Loch said, “but we’ll do as much as we possibly can. There’s nothing better than having the ability to promote your own CD instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you. Between recording, re-recording, releasing an album—we started the process back in October—and politics, we were only able to play 60 shows in 2002. The two previous years, we had done about 100 a year, so we’re really champing at the bit to be playing a lot more.”
And, though most bands don’t understand what goes into making a successful record, Luxt’s members have the inside scoop. Because the band was signed to indie labels early on, it’s attained quite a savvy and has learned from its mistakes. As Loch puts it, “Metropolis Records only functioned as a distributor for us, so I can’t speak for them. But, as for [former labels] 21st Circuitry and Knight Records, yes, we’ve learned that good intentions don’t usually materialize into actions.”
However, Luxt has a game plan now, and the band’s singer and businesswoman is leading the charge. “Anna is our shark,” an enthusiastic Loch said. “She takes care of business and is the reason this band is not only still afloat, but prospering.” Although signed to an indie, Luxt is positioning itself alongside major-label bands by taking part in the radio and marketing game. Once a costly proposition that was out of reach for indie labels, costs for national advertising and marketing have changed with the economy.
“As for promotion, we’ve secured radio through the Syndicate in New Jersey, who work with acts like Tori Amos and Mudvayne down to small metal and indie bands. We’re part of the Music Monitor Network [a coalition of indie retail stores] for retail support, which means we’re included in a lot of listening stations and end caps [typically, paid-for placement in record-store end racks],” Loch said. “That, coupled with advertising, touring, a good publicist and just an assload of really hard work by the whole band, the label and other people in our camp should give us the push we need to move forward in a big way.”
Time for this American Beast to leave its mark, no?
Eddie
