White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights

/ / Concerts, Opinion, review

So I guess DirecTV still has us on the 3 free months of Showtime and Starz. That’s swell. Time to scan the channels and see what’s coming on.

Oh, look. The White Stripes. They’re always fun. Let’s record that.

Also, let’s forget that we ever recorded it and skip ahead a few weeks.

Next, let’s decide to see if a new episode of Bones came on Thursday. No? Oh well … wonder what other mystery surprises the DVR holds.

Oh look–that White Stripes vid I forgot that I recorded. Wonder how that is.

Pure awesomeness?

Energetic?

Personal?

And we’re back to pure awesomeness.

So I guess the premise behind the video is that they had never played in Canada. They’ve been to tons of other countries, but they had never set foot in Canada. Odd, considering they grew up with Canada practically being their backyard. So at some point, Jack and Meg decided that they would tour all of Canada. Not just the major cities, either. We’re talking Inuit villages, Yukon territory, frozen solid towns … they played a LOT of shows. In every one of them, they had little pre-concert warm-up shows. My favorite was the the first thing shown on the video: One-Note Concert. A crowd of several hundred greet them as they exit their car, get out, and walk to the stage. Jack dons his guitar, Meg grasps her drumsticks with full intent, and they promptly launch into  … one note. Then they leave the stage. The crowd immediately starts chanting for more, which is absolutely hilarious.

What amazed me most about the video is just how personable Jack is with everyone. He and Meg played a warm-up gig at what looked like a convalescent home located just a bit south of the north pole. So at a lot of these pre-gig warm-up shows, they’d play a regular, White Stripe-style show, just scaled, way, way down and back. This particular show, however, featured Jack with an acoustic, Meg with a hand-held percussiony thing (can’t remember if it was a tambourine or some maracas), and they played this folksy little ditty. The tenants loved it so much that they decided to reciprocate with a song of their own. Very cool. They also played “The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round and ‘Round” while riding a bus all through the town. What?!  Yes–all through the town. And the fellow bus-riders were LOVING it … singing along, laughing … awesomeness.

How a two-person band can have that much energy and intensity is beyond me, but they bring it to each and every one of their shows. They live in the moment, for the moment.

So yah. If you have a chance to pick up this incredible documentary concert footage DVD, I would highly recommend it. It’s worthy of your time, your TV, and your disc player. Or if you have cable or satellite, see if it’s on and record it. If you’re a fan of raw and intense energy, pick this up.

In This Moment …

/ / Opinion, review

At work, I tend to throw my music on shuffle and let play whatever comes up. Yesterday, I was buzzing along with all my lovely table formatting, In This Moment came on, and it struck me pretty hard. So I thought I’d take it off of shuffle and listen to their library.

You know how sometimes you have that rare, un-listened to gem in your music collection that makes you wonder how this particular band has escaped your attention for so long? Yah. That’s where I am right now with ITM.

So to start off with, the genre: Some want to classify them as metal. I can see that, but really … there’s more there than just thrash this and speed that. Chord progression, depth of layering, technical skill … I’d have to throw them solidly in the progressive rock/metal category … if even that can come close to defining their sound. Most of their stuff is high energy, some notable exceptions being discussed later.

The band consists of Jeff Fabb on drums, Chris Howorth and Blake Bunzel on guitars, Josh Newell on bass (though Kyle Konkiel takes over for the new CD), and Maria Brink on vocals (I … well, just read the rest of the post).

Jeff has some serious double bass kick talent. I’ve been a fan of good drumming since I discovered Rush, so the bar is set pretty high. He thrashes away on his kit with excellent precision and explosive bomasticism (yes, I just made “bombastic” into a noun. Suck it–I’m an English major). Check out “Circles” on Beautiful Tragedy for a hint at his ability to shift from 1st gear to 5th in a matter of one bar.

I love how Chris and Blake trade licks back and forth across the stereo spectrum. There’s kind of  a Dream Theater concept of round-robin instruments between them, and it works really well. They can play an amazing acoustic track like “When the Storm Subsides,” then turn around and kick you in the ear drums with tracks like “Next Life.” Awesomesauce!

Josh. I know this is supposd to be a “speed metal” band, but he’s one of the reasons I’m a tad reticent to immediately lump ITM in such a category. There times that you catch him pulling some very Chris Wolstenhume-like licks. That’s not very speed metal, now is it? It’s rare that a bassist gets to shine. Of course there are notable exceptions, but mostly, bassists are background. And yes–most of Josh’s brilliance is low-key and takes a back seat to Chris and Blake. But he does have his moments where he utterly dominates. Again, check out “Circles” towards the end. I love that bass line he pulls. Subtle, but a perfect compliment to round out the track.

And then there’s Maria Brink, for whom I can only think of 3 words to describe her: What. The. Hell.

I will be the first to admit that I dig chick singers. Most of the time when I’m music shopping, I will base a purchase upon whether a band has a female vocalist. Regardless of whether it’s lo-fi, alternative, metal, indie … what have you.

And so it is that I have a new found infatuation with ITM.

She can sing as soft as an island breeze on an August morning. She can also scream the evil out of you. And she has no compunction against utilizing her range on any given track. One great example of her control is the track “Her Kiss.” She reigns in her uber power with such restraint that you just *want* her to unleash … but no. Then you take a track like “Ashes” off of Beautiful Tragedy. And she just untethers herself with a vocal attack of nuclear proportions.

On “When the Storm Subsides” from Beautiful Tragedy, she seems to pull off a very Ani Difranco sound with her vocals. Intentional or not, it was kind of surprising.

Easily the most haunting track on their entire discography (which, really, at this point is only 3 CDs, one of which I don’t even have yet …) is “Into the Light” on The Dream. Depressingly lovely, it is anything but a break from the intensity of the rest of the CD. The theme of loss and death is evident, but … wow. Amy Lee has nothing on Maria. And I like Evanescence. I don’t know if it’s about someone who was ripped from her too early and with no warning, or if it’s about someone who committed suicide (and, in retrospect, the two theories are definitely not mutually exclusive), or what it’s about. What I do know is that it can make a person weep.

Their newest CD, A Star-Crossed Wasteland, was released in July of this year. Like I said, I haven’t picked it up yet. However, tomorrow is pay day. 🙂 iTunes, look out.

In summary, do yourself a favor. Pick up Beautiful Tragedy and The Dream (I would recommend the ultraviolet edition, if you can find it).

Barenaked Lady Coming to SLC

/ / review

Well, okay … he’s not officially a Barenaked Lady, but … you know … once a Lady, always a Lady.

Steven Page is performing at Hotel Elevate on December 8th as part of 104.7’s Ugly Sweater and Eggnog Concert promotion. This is a free show … sort of.

To get in, you have to RSVP on 104.7’s Facebook page and declare how many people you’re bringing with you. So far, I have 6 including me that I’m pretty sure want to go.

Also, you have to wear an ugly sweater. I’m fine with that, other than the blazing heat that will probably be generated by hundreds of sweating bodies in what I’m sure will be a relatively small area. Thankfully, it’s an acoustic set, so I don’t think it’ll be a really high-energy show. ANYway, wear an ugly sweater.

Lastly and certainly most importantly, you have to bring a toy for the Toys for Tots drive. Not only am I okay with this, but I also applaud Steven Page, 104.7, and Hotel Elevate for promoting the concert in this fashion. It’s the perfect time of year to generate a ton of presents for kids who would otherwise go without. My philosophy is that NO child should go without on Christmas. Ever. At all. So this is a great way to help at least a small portion of the needy kids in Salt Lake.

I’m curious to hear his new material live. Barenaked Ladies have done such a phenomenal job as a four-some with their live shows. I hope Steve can step it up as well as his compadres have. We’ll see next Wednesday!

OH!! Yah, so … I know that 104’s website states this, but to be perfectly clear, ALL THE EGGNOG YOU CAN DRINK. Like the Toys for Tots wasn’t enough incentive …

Oops …

/ / review

Yah … so I bought a ton of stuff on iTunes with my new phone that I havn’t synched with my desktop yet. I better not lose this stuff when I connect this to my machine at home.

Guess we’ll find out tomorrow, right?

Location:Las Vegas Blvd S,Las Vegas,United States

New Stuff!!

/ / New Music, review

I *LOVE* having a paycheck again. HOLY crap. Seriously.

As per the norm, I stuck in one of the new discs in the car player heading back to work. I am DIGGING the Centipede-Eest’s “Confluence” CD. It’s … whoa. “Bombastic” comes close … but it’s just so much more than that. Evocative lyrics, EXCELLENT music … and DIVERSE! The first song, the title track, wastes absolutely no time in hitting you square in the face with voracious guitar, bass and drums in a very in-your-face style. Speedy. Wow. But the transition to “Evidence of Heaven” is indicative of just how good a CD this can be. Truthfully, that’s all the further I’ve made it in so far, but if those two tracks are any indication, yah–gonna be getting some heavy rotation over the next few weeks.

Here’s the rest of the “new” stuff.

  • Kimya Dawson – Remember That I Love You
  • Orenda Fink – Invisible Ones
  • Clare Burson – Silver and Ash
  • The Early November – The Mother, The Mechanic, and the Path (VERY excited to spin this one!)
  • Scout Niblett – I Am
  • Scout Niblett – This Fool Can Die Now
  • Holly Golightly and the Brakeoffs – Medicine County

I could have sworn that I had at least one of those Scout Niblett CDs, but apparently not. I’m okay with that. 🙂

So I think I’ll be reviewing these over the next several days. Or maybe I’ll bust out some of the older stuff from previous purchases. At this point, I’ll just be happy to get back into the steady writing mode.

Review: The Dears – Gang of Losers

/ / review

What I love about buying music I’ve never heard of is the thrill of wondering what I’ve just ppurchased. Will it rock? Will I be lulled into a wonderful trance of haunting chants? If ears  were eyes, would they be as taken aback as if they were seeing Yellowstone for the first time?

Today, my ears are thanking me profusely for the new stuff. Specifically, the ears and I are groovin’ on some Dear music.

The first thing that struck me was the intro. Wasn’t quite ready for that. “Sinthro” is exactly what it sounds like–synth-based intro to a song that is nothing like what I expected based on the first track. “Ticket to Immortality starts off with a nifty little guitar riff with some orhcestral strings faintly accenting the background. It has a strangely familiar sound, though I can’t quite put my finger on it. I want to say that they sound like The Tragically Hip, but that’s not it … not sure what it is.

Oh. Ha. That explains it. They’re a Canadian band. That automatically adds a couple more stars on the 10-scale.

Yah … 3 tracks in, and every song sounds different. You know how there are those bands where everything sounds exactly the same (*AHEM*Nickelback*COUGH*Paramore*SNEEZE*)? Not these guys. Murray Lightburn goes to great lengths to mix it up. There’s some good keyboard use, and I’m DIGGING the guitars. My buddy Josh is a guitar player, and I’m betting he hasn’t heard of these guys. He could spend weeks de-constructing this CD. Probably won’t, but he would if he could. That’s my point.

Some songs are moody. Some are mellow. Some are rocking. All are well crafted and amazing. I’m starting to understand why Kylee at Graywhale said it was a good purchase. Stand-out tracks are:

  • Ticket to Immortality
  • Death or Life We Want You
  • Bandwagoners
  • Whites Only Party (no, that’s not a subliminal message from me to you … it really is a good track!!)
  • Ballad of Humankindness
  • Find Our Way to Freedom

Truthfully, the whole CD is great. I just really like their sound. There’s a LOT of different stuff going on here.

OH! I figured it out! There’s a kind of 70s throw-back sound to some of this! I definitely wouldn’t label this as classic rock, but you can tell there are some influences there.

If you like The Tragically Hip, Interpol , Band of Horses, Bright Eyes, or Cursive, you’ll really dig these guys.

Blogpress Test

/ / review

testing a new blogging app.

Location:W 5075 S,Roy,United States

new test

/ / review

hope this works …

Big Job Ahead

/ / iPhone Apps, Opinion, rantings, review

Nifty iPhone app: mylibrary. Not the lite version … the full-blown, non-ad-supported version.

Since it incorporates the Occipital bar code scanner SDK, it allows the user to scan a CD (or book or DVD/Blu-ray) to get the data for the disc. The only thing it doesn’t automatically populate is the genre and the price, which are relatively trivial if you’re using the app to have a one-stop shop for your music collection.

So the big job comes in that I need want to scan my collection. This will be time consuming. Remember how long it took Boston to release 3rd Stage after Don’t Look Back? Ya. Think in those terms. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but not by much. We have two shelves full of CDs. I’m guessing there are at least 500-600, but I could be wrong. The good news is that I already have about 160 scanned, but those are just the ones that don’t fit on the shelves.

The problem I keep running into is that I go to Graywhale and find some CD, but I think I already have it, but I’m not sure, so I buy it anyway, only to get home and find out that, indeed, I already own it. Lucky me–I now have two copies. Thankfully, they’re pretty good about returning something relatively quickly. Also thankfully, this app will prevent any kind of duplicate purchases in the future. Nice, eh? And at only 99 cents, I can catalog my book and movie library as well. THAT’s a pretty sweet bargain.

Throw in the fact that you can back up your data to their server, and voila–you’re set.

My only issue with the app right now is that it doesn’t download much cover art. I would much prefer that I don’t have to go out to Google, search for the image, save it to my photos library, open the app, select the image as the cover art, then re-save the file. Not a HUGE pain, but a pain all the same.

Other than that, if you have a large library of ANY kind–books, movies, CDs … you’re gonna need want this app.

iPhone for Concert Video and Audio Recording

/ / Opinion, rantings, review

I’m going to give you one very solid reason to pick up an iPhone 4.

HD recording. Insane sound quality RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE FRICKIN’ STACK. impeccable video and audio recording capaiblity alone should push you towards an iPhone 4 IF you are a fan of concert video footage of your own making. You can hear everything–from the background keyboards to the syncopated high hat. That’s impressive. You don’t just get the extreme high and low end sounds … you’re getting a fantastic full range. I can only imagine that the next iteration of the iPhone will have full 1080p HD capability, but for now 720 is fantastic (get it? FANtastic? music fan? recor … blergh. Never mind.)

Not to mention the 5MP camera. Granted, it will do better the closer you are to the stage, but it works well, even in the low-light conditions of a concert. Of course a steady hand is mandatory, but that’s true of taking pictures with ANY camera. The iPhone is no exception.

So there you have it. It does HD video, audio, and pictures, all on one convenient device.

I can find other reasons to justify picking up this awesome little device that are non-music related, but really … this one is the deal-sealer in my book. If you attend concerts regularly and want to record some video for posterity (read: flood YouTube with amazingness and such), this is the phone for you. Sure you could buy a Flip or something else, maybe even something that does 1080p, but A) you might run into issues with getting into a concert with such a device, B) a phone is much less likely to be turned away at the door.

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