122 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/05/02 5:00am)
"Aha, it was good living with you."\nThat's all it took, a man impersonating a guitar's wah pedal and a catchy phrase, to propel three guys from Louisiana from indie-rock status to No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts. Even now, Better Than Ezra"s "Good" stands as one of the most memorable tracks from the mid-'90s alternative rock-scene. Tonight, BTE will bring its sound to Axis for a Toys For Tots benefit show.\nBut the road to and from success hasn't been easy for BTE. Following the release of the group's third album, the band's label, Elektra, dropped BTE in a house-cleaning that also included the Marvelous3. Unlike the Marvelous3, which fell apart following the loss of major-label support, BTE went to work recording a new album, Closer, and found a new label, Beyond Music, on which to release it.\n"I think with Closer we really kind of figured out what people want from Better Than Ezra," says Kevin Griffin, the band's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter.\nThe album was a departure from BTE's previous effort, How Does Your Garden Grow?. Gone was the experimental atmosphere, replaced by heavy pop songs that were reminiscent of the band's first major-label album, Deluxe. \n"Part of the reason we've been able to stick around and still tour and do better year after year is because we just do what we want to do as opposed to what people think Better Than Ezra should be," Griffin says.\nAmong the collaborations on Closer were two tracks featuring DJ Swamp, who has worked with Beck and The Crystal Method. Griffin recalls when DJ Swamp showed up at the studio in a beat-up 1982 Grand Marquee, then proceeded to break out his turntables and bag of albums.\n"He totally looked like a goth rocker," Griffin says. "The guy is so intuitive. I've never seen somebody that good at doing what he does."\nWith the help of DJ Swamp, BTE created the single, "Extra Ordinary," and released it to radio, hoping for label support to propel the band back into the limelight. But soon after the song was released, Beyond Music folded, leaving BTE with no corporate money to release further singles or make music videos. The band didn't give in; it continued to tour and got some breaks in the form of television and movies. "Extra Ordinary" was featured on a McDonald's commercial, and CBS is using "One More Murder," off Garden, on its previews for the show "CSI."\n"Somehow we just managed to keep kicking," Griffin says.\nGriffin attributes the band's success throughout the years to the fans. Griffin says that has been the case ever since the release of its independent first album, Surprise.\n"People just kept coming to the shows and asking when we were playing, and the crowd kept getting bigger," Griffin says of the band's early days. "We were doing something right, and we just we said lets just ride this thing."\nBTE started 14 years ago at Louisiana State University. Griffin and bassist Tom Drummond are still around from the original trio, while drummer Travis McNabb joined the band before the release of Friction, Baby. Remaining close to its roots, the band records in its own Fudge Studios in New Orleans and routinely plays Mardi Gras, among other events in New Orleans.\nMaterial surfaced from the band's early days on an Internet-only released called Artifakt. The band released Surprise independently in 1990, but most fans haven't heard it yet. Griffin says this is due in part to legal troubles with the band's former drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, and hesitation to publish material recorded when the band was still putting together its style.\n"Some songs, as a band, you're like, 'I never want to hear that song again,'" Griffin says.\nGriffin says the band at some point will again release some of its rare material, along with some possible footage shot on 35mm at a New York City show, but BTE's next project will be a new album, which Griffin says should be out in March or April.\n"Hopefully it's going to be the best," Griffin says.\n"I think you'll see kind of along the same lines of Closer. Some of them are rougher around the edges, a little more rock."\nGriffin says he likes the feel created by Brendan O'Brien, who has produced albums by Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine. So, as much as this album may lean toward the band's heavier edge, there's a part of BTE that Griffin won't give up.\n"There's a big sappy side to our band, a big sappy, melancholy side to us, that I like as well, and that's our forte," he says.\nRecently, BTE has gone to playing live in the studio, recording on a hard-disk platform.\n"It's fun to kind of build a song piecemeal," he says. "It has a nice effect. That's what you're hearing mostly on the radio these days."\nGriffin says his ideas for songs come from all things.\n"It's hearing a song you like on the radio and (saying), 'Gosh, I wish the melody would have gone this way,'" he says.\nOther times, Griffin says just playing the guitar for a while can generate a song idea. He also keeps his cell phone handy and has voicemail that he can call at anytime to record a melody, guitar idea, word or phrase.\n"I heard somewhere a long time ago that you draw on a well of experience, and if you're not replenishing it, one day there's not going to be anything there," Griffin says.\nRecently, Griffin has been reading "Sailing Alone Around the Room," by U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins.\n"I'm always reading stuff, and I pick up a book of poetry every once in a while," he says. "I don't do that as often as I should. Every time I do I'm like, 'Wow, I need to do this more often.'"\nAlbum work aside, BTE is a consistently touring band. Before and after the release of Closer, BTE toured relentlessly, trying to build up fan support that the label wouldn't help generate. BTE's show at Axis will come in the middle of a week-long road trip through the Midwest.\nMaryann Garber, a junior who has seen the band live five times, describe BTE's live show as "bad ass."\n"They are awesome live," she says. "They are probably the best band I've ever seen live."\nBTE tries to get its fans involved in the show with out-of-the-ordinary stage antics. For about a year and a half now, BTE has invited a fan up on the stage to play on "This Time of Year." The only requirement is that the fan actually know how to play the song.\nGriffin says the band plans to give this opportunity to a fan at the Axis show, but the band is considering something new for later tours. One idea the band members have thrown around is having a battle between an onstage DJ and the group.\n"We're going to have this dueling banjos of sorts," Griffin says.\nKen Nickos, general manager of Axis, says he expects a capacity crowd for the show. The cost of admission is a toy that will go towards Toys for Tots.\nAlso on the agenda for BTE is finding a new label. Since escaping from the fledgling Beyond Music, Griffin says the music industry has once again turned its eyes towards the band.\n"People are kind of thinking of Better Than Ezra as a sleeping giant," he says.\nBoth major and indie labels have courted the trio, Griffin says. He says the industry still sees BTE as viable.\n"None of us ever wanted to be a bar band," he says. "We all have higher aspirations and goals and standards of living we like to maintain"
(12/04/02 4:47am)
"Aha, it was good living with you."\nThat's all it took, a man impersonating a guitar's wah pedal and a catchy phrase, to propel three guys from Louisiana from indie-rock status to No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts. Even now, Better Than Ezra"s "Good" stands as one of the most memorable tracks from the mid-'90s alternative rock-scene. Tonight, BTE will bring its sound to Axis for a Toys For Tots benefit show.\nBut the road to and from success hasn't been easy for BTE. Following the release of the group's third album, the band's label, Elektra, dropped BTE in a house-cleaning that also included the Marvelous3. Unlike the Marvelous3, which fell apart following the loss of major-label support, BTE went to work recording a new album, Closer, and found a new label, Beyond Music, on which to release it.\n"I think with Closer we really kind of figured out what people want from Better Than Ezra," says Kevin Griffin, the band's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter.\nThe album was a departure from BTE's previous effort, How Does Your Garden Grow?. Gone was the experimental atmosphere, replaced by heavy pop songs that were reminiscent of the band's first major-label album, Deluxe. \n"Part of the reason we've been able to stick around and still tour and do better year after year is because we just do what we want to do as opposed to what people think Better Than Ezra should be," Griffin says.\nAmong the collaborations on Closer were two tracks featuring DJ Swamp, who has worked with Beck and The Crystal Method. Griffin recalls when DJ Swamp showed up at the studio in a beat-up 1982 Grand Marquee, then proceeded to break out his turntables and bag of albums.\n"He totally looked like a goth rocker," Griffin says. "The guy is so intuitive. I've never seen somebody that good at doing what he does."\nWith the help of DJ Swamp, BTE created the single, "Extra Ordinary," and released it to radio, hoping for label support to propel the band back into the limelight. But soon after the song was released, Beyond Music folded, leaving BTE with no corporate money to release further singles or make music videos. The band didn't give in; it continued to tour and got some breaks in the form of television and movies. "Extra Ordinary" was featured on a McDonald's commercial, and CBS is using "One More Murder," off Garden, on its previews for the show "CSI."\n"Somehow we just managed to keep kicking," Griffin says.\nGriffin attributes the band's success throughout the years to the fans. Griffin says that has been the case ever since the release of its independent first album, Surprise.\n"People just kept coming to the shows and asking when we were playing, and the crowd kept getting bigger," Griffin says of the band's early days. "We were doing something right, and we just we said lets just ride this thing."\nBTE started 14 years ago at Louisiana State University. Griffin and bassist Tom Drummond are still around from the original trio, while drummer Travis McNabb joined the band before the release of Friction, Baby. Remaining close to its roots, the band records in its own Fudge Studios in New Orleans and routinely plays Mardi Gras, among other events in New Orleans.\nMaterial surfaced from the band's early days on an Internet-only released called Artifakt. The band released Surprise independently in 1990, but most fans haven't heard it yet. Griffin says this is due in part to legal troubles with the band's former drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, and hesitation to publish material recorded when the band was still putting together its style.\n"Some songs, as a band, you're like, 'I never want to hear that song again,'" Griffin says.\nGriffin says the band at some point will again release some of its rare material, along with some possible footage shot on 35mm at a New York City show, but BTE's next project will be a new album, which Griffin says should be out in March or April.\n"Hopefully it's going to be the best," Griffin says.\n"I think you'll see kind of along the same lines of Closer. Some of them are rougher around the edges, a little more rock."\nGriffin says he likes the feel created by Brendan O'Brien, who has produced albums by Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine. So, as much as this album may lean toward the band's heavier edge, there's a part of BTE that Griffin won't give up.\n"There's a big sappy side to our band, a big sappy, melancholy side to us, that I like as well, and that's our forte," he says.\nRecently, BTE has gone to playing live in the studio, recording on a hard-disk platform.\n"It's fun to kind of build a song piecemeal," he says. "It has a nice effect. That's what you're hearing mostly on the radio these days."\nGriffin says his ideas for songs come from all things.\n"It's hearing a song you like on the radio and (saying), 'Gosh, I wish the melody would have gone this way,'" he says.\nOther times, Griffin says just playing the guitar for a while can generate a song idea. He also keeps his cell phone handy and has voicemail that he can call at anytime to record a melody, guitar idea, word or phrase.\n"I heard somewhere a long time ago that you draw on a well of experience, and if you're not replenishing it, one day there's not going to be anything there," Griffin says.\nRecently, Griffin has been reading "Sailing Alone Around the Room," by U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins.\n"I'm always reading stuff, and I pick up a book of poetry every once in a while," he says. "I don't do that as often as I should. Every time I do I'm like, 'Wow, I need to do this more often.'"\nAlbum work aside, BTE is a consistently touring band. Before and after the release of Closer, BTE toured relentlessly, trying to build up fan support that the label wouldn't help generate. BTE's show at Axis will come in the middle of a week-long road trip through the Midwest.\nMaryann Garber, a junior who has seen the band live five times, describe BTE's live show as "bad ass."\n"They are awesome live," she says. "They are probably the best band I've ever seen live."\nBTE tries to get its fans involved in the show with out-of-the-ordinary stage antics. For about a year and a half now, BTE has invited a fan up on the stage to play on "This Time of Year." The only requirement is that the fan actually know how to play the song.\nGriffin says the band plans to give this opportunity to a fan at the Axis show, but the band is considering something new for later tours. One idea the band members have thrown around is having a battle between an onstage DJ and the group.\n"We're going to have this dueling banjos of sorts," Griffin says.\nKen Nickos, general manager of Axis, says he expects a capacity crowd for the show. The cost of admission is a toy that will go towards Toys for Tots.\nAlso on the agenda for BTE is finding a new label. Since escaping from the fledgling Beyond Music, Griffin says the music industry has once again turned its eyes towards the band.\n"People are kind of thinking of Better Than Ezra as a sleeping giant," he says.\nBoth major and indie labels have courted the trio, Griffin says. He says the industry still sees BTE as viable.\n"None of us ever wanted to be a bar band," he says. "We all have higher aspirations and goals and standards of living we like to maintain"
(10/17/02 4:26am)
SR-71 is riding high. With a gold record already in the books and a new one due out Tuesday, the power-pop foursome is working hard to avoid the sophomore slump and build its fan base. The band has made some changes since its last album, the band's first major-label record. The most notable difference is the recent addition of drummer John Allen.\nAllen wasn't always SR-71's drummer. When the band's previous drummer, Dan Garvin, got sick during recording, Allen filled in, and he did the same when Garvin got sick during the tour. But Allen is no stranger to the band.\n"I knew the guys forever," Allen says. He added that he was friends with all the band members. In addition, lead singer Mitch Allan used to be a recording engineer for Allen's previous band. \nSR-71, including Allen, hails from the Baltimore/Washington area, where SR-71 got its start. The band played locally until signing a deal with RCA records and releasing its first major-label CD, Now You See Inside.\nAllen was present for the whole of the Tomorrow production process. He brings a variety of influences to the band, including Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Miles Davis.\n"I was a huge Kiss fan as a kid," Allen says. More recently, Allen says he's been listening to the Hives, Star Sailor and the Verve.\nHe says each member brings a variety of influences to the table. His expertise is more in the area of hard rock. \n"Mitch blames me for bringing the heaviness," Allen says.\nWith Now You See Inside, SR-71 drew critical comparisons to such bands as Green Day, Cheap Trick, Matchbox 20 and even the Beatles. Allen says he can see those comparisons on the first album. He says Mitch Allan is a big fan of Cheap Trick, a band SR-71 covered during its previous tour.\nOn this new album, Butch Walker of the Marvelous 3 had a hand in the production process. Walker has been doing production work since the demise of the Marvelous 3, as well as putting together a solo project. Walker, a long-time friend of the band, produced four songs on Tomorrow but had to leave in order to tour for his new project. SR-71 and the Marvelous 3 toured together in 2000. Walker also collaborated with Mitch Allan to co-write SR-71's hit single, "Right Now."\n"He's an incredibly creative person," Allen says. Neal Avron, who has worked with such bands as Everclear and New Found Glory, also contributed to the production work on Tomorrow.\nAllen says the overall sound of the album is what the band sounds like live. He added that the events of Sept. 11 affected the themes of several songs on the album.\n"It affected us on a level we may not understand," he says.\nWhile the last album sold well, SR-71 is trying to ward off a sophomore jinx with Tomorrow.\n"I think there's always an element of pressure when recording for a major label," Allen says.\nAt the moment, the band is out on the West Coast but will make a stop in Indianapolis before heading out to the band's native Baltimore for the Tomorrow CD-release party. From there, the band will continue to tour in support of the new album. \nSR-71 came to Bloomington last year while touring in support on its last album. The stop came during Allen's first month with the band.\n"That was awesome," Allen says.\nAllen says he's never played in Indianapolis before, though the band has made a stop in Fort Wayne. His favorite places to play have been near home at Washington, D.C. and in San Jose, Calif.\n"There's some great crowds there," he says.\nAllen says he enjoys touring and that it provides a change of scenery after working in the studio on a new album.\n"It's a creative process that we thoroughly enjoy," Allen says. He adds that it's great to be out in front of a crowd again and to get an immediate reaction to new songs. \nAllen isn't sure what he would be doing if he wasn't drumming for SR-71. Before getting the job, Allen worked for corporate America.\n"I was working a day gig doing Web development waiting to be fired," he says.\nSR-71 will play at 9 p.m. on Saturday at Birdy's in Indianapolis. Tickets are $7.
(10/17/02 4:00am)
SR-71 is riding high. With a gold record already in the books and a new one due out Tuesday, the power-pop foursome is working hard to avoid the sophomore slump and build its fan base. The band has made some changes since its last album, the band's first major-label record. The most notable difference is the recent addition of drummer John Allen.\nAllen wasn't always SR-71's drummer. When the band's previous drummer, Dan Garvin, got sick during recording, Allen filled in, and he did the same when Garvin got sick during the tour. But Allen is no stranger to the band.\n"I knew the guys forever," Allen says. He added that he was friends with all the band members. In addition, lead singer Mitch Allan used to be a recording engineer for Allen's previous band. \nSR-71, including Allen, hails from the Baltimore/Washington area, where SR-71 got its start. The band played locally until signing a deal with RCA records and releasing its first major-label CD, Now You See Inside.\nAllen was present for the whole of the Tomorrow production process. He brings a variety of influences to the band, including Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Miles Davis.\n"I was a huge Kiss fan as a kid," Allen says. More recently, Allen says he's been listening to the Hives, Star Sailor and the Verve.\nHe says each member brings a variety of influences to the table. His expertise is more in the area of hard rock. \n"Mitch blames me for bringing the heaviness," Allen says.\nWith Now You See Inside, SR-71 drew critical comparisons to such bands as Green Day, Cheap Trick, Matchbox 20 and even the Beatles. Allen says he can see those comparisons on the first album. He says Mitch Allan is a big fan of Cheap Trick, a band SR-71 covered during its previous tour.\nOn this new album, Butch Walker of the Marvelous 3 had a hand in the production process. Walker has been doing production work since the demise of the Marvelous 3, as well as putting together a solo project. Walker, a long-time friend of the band, produced four songs on Tomorrow but had to leave in order to tour for his new project. SR-71 and the Marvelous 3 toured together in 2000. Walker also collaborated with Mitch Allan to co-write SR-71's hit single, "Right Now."\n"He's an incredibly creative person," Allen says. Neal Avron, who has worked with such bands as Everclear and New Found Glory, also contributed to the production work on Tomorrow.\nAllen says the overall sound of the album is what the band sounds like live. He added that the events of Sept. 11 affected the themes of several songs on the album.\n"It affected us on a level we may not understand," he says.\nWhile the last album sold well, SR-71 is trying to ward off a sophomore jinx with Tomorrow.\n"I think there's always an element of pressure when recording for a major label," Allen says.\nAt the moment, the band is out on the West Coast but will make a stop in Indianapolis before heading out to the band's native Baltimore for the Tomorrow CD-release party. From there, the band will continue to tour in support of the new album. \nSR-71 came to Bloomington last year while touring in support on its last album. The stop came during Allen's first month with the band.\n"That was awesome," Allen says.\nAllen says he's never played in Indianapolis before, though the band has made a stop in Fort Wayne. His favorite places to play have been near home at Washington, D.C. and in San Jose, Calif.\n"There's some great crowds there," he says.\nAllen says he enjoys touring and that it provides a change of scenery after working in the studio on a new album.\n"It's a creative process that we thoroughly enjoy," Allen says. He adds that it's great to be out in front of a crowd again and to get an immediate reaction to new songs. \nAllen isn't sure what he would be doing if he wasn't drumming for SR-71. Before getting the job, Allen worked for corporate America.\n"I was working a day gig doing Web development waiting to be fired," he says.\nSR-71 will play at 9 p.m. on Saturday at Birdy's in Indianapolis. Tickets are $7.
(10/14/02 4:56pm)
Stephen King is in a slump. His latest novel, From A Buick 8, is just another book in a long line of mediocre works by the former master of horror in suspense. Former because King seems to have lost his knack for both horror and suspense. From A Buick 8 lacks all the elements that once made King's books fun and exciting to read.\nThere is no looming evil in King's latest novel. It is simply the story of a Pennsylvania police troop and a mysterious Buick in a shed. The members of the troop reveal the long and dull history of this Buick through a series of stories that for some strange reason all seem to have the same voice. King apparently did not have the time of day to interweave the characters' voices throughout their independent stories, so instead each one channels the spirit of King.\nBehind the basic plot is the story of Ned Wilcox, a soon-to-be college freshman whose father served on the troop but died when he was struck by a Buick. No, not the same one. Notice the not-so-subtle irony that King is so good at. It is to Ned that the troop reveal the Buick's story, along with a few odds and ends about Ned's dad who had an obsession with the car. \nNot that King has gone all literary. Character development is still King's weakest points; without even a decent plot, Buick struggles then drowns. He does little to define the psychological nature of his characters; so when they do something out of the ordinary, it feels gimmicky and unbelievable. There's no emotional aspect to the characters, King might as well have left them out completely and stuck to telling a story about the car.\nKing recently told Entertainment Weekly that this would be his last published novel before finishing the Dark Tower series. This series' presence has appeared in many of his recent works (most notably Hearts In Atlantis and Black House), and the idea persists throughout Buick. The idea of alternate dimensions and weird creatures appearing from nowhere is a bit overdone now for King, and just goes to show that a writer can only rehash material so many times. It's likely he'll revisit the characters (or at least the car) from Buick in the remaining Dark Tower books, what a shame.\nAfter that, King said he plans to retire from publishing (but not from writing). While this may disappoint some fans, it's probably for the best. King's work is uninspired and unexciting. While he had a brief stint in literature with a few of his short stories in Everything's Eventual, he never reached quite the literary level to reclassify himself from "genre fiction." King puts plot before characters, but now it seems he can't even create a decent plot.
(09/20/02 5:02am)
At first, it seemed like Meg Castaldo was trying to make a point in her first novel, The Foreigner. It almost appeared as if she wanted to illustrate in words the plight of the American working woman, lacking direction and purpose in the metropolis. Lonely and surrounded by lunatics, twenty-eight-year-old Alex Orlando is searching for something but she's so caught up in the meaninglessness of life that she can't figure out what that is. This novel has potential for about the first three pages.\nAfter that, Castaldo slips into a literary rut where each page sounds exactly the same as the last. Her style is equivelent to that of a fourth grader commanded to insert a metaphor into every other paragraph. As a result, the novel comes off as a borring and uninteresting read, dry as the Sahara but a whole lot smaller. \nHer characters are underdeveloped and at times, teetering on offensive with her stereotypes of foreign characters in her book. It's not hard to notice that all the foreign characters in the book are involved in some sort of shady dealings, while the Americans are clean and trustworthy, while granted a little eccentric. If Castaldo was trying to say "everyone is messed up," she failed and proclaimed, "everyone from a different country and with an accent is messed up."\nPerhaps if Alex had someone half-way decently developed to interact with the novel would come off as something more than a not-so-witty play on the classic detective story. As it stands, Alex's conversations are pointless and add little to the story, while her inner dialogue only rehashes everything the reader has already learned in previous chapters. There's nothing like a little mindless repetition to insult the reader. Good job Castaldo.\nThe story follows Alex as she house sits her uncle's New York City apartment. She finds a bad job and a lot of neurotic playmates, then gets involved with a bunch of people who later make cameo appearances with such utter predictability that it would make Dickens proud. There's all sorts of fun little adventures for Alex to bore the death out of the reader with, including an unbelievable plot shift from a light-hearted romp through the city to a not-so-mysterious mystery story with a dead guy who, after he dies, seems like a waste of character development.\nCastaldo struggles from the start of this novel, then starts searching for ways to make it worse. The happy, everyone-is-okay ending is trite and destroys any semblance of respectability Castaldo may have left at that point. This is her first book, and unless she improves her style or comes up with an original plot idea, it will probably be her last.
(09/05/02 4:00am)
Coming up on their fourth album, the three guys who make up the Australian rock outfit Silverchair still haven't figured out what kind of music they want to play. Diorama suffers from the same inexorable identity crisis that afflicted its predecessor, 1999's Neon Ballroom.\nLong gone are the alt-rock days, the comparisons to Nirvana, the pre-teen fans and the we're-just-a-bunch-of-kids excuse to cover up for any blatant mistakes that garnered so much success for the teenagers back in the mid-1990s. Now they have licenses to drink on their U.S. tour and a new label on which they can discharge all the worthless music that Daniel Johns writes.\nOK, so it's not all that bad. Occasionally, Johns finds a decent guitar riff, but then he drowns it out with orchestras and pianos. Either that or he doesn't even bother to write a bridge or guitar solo to break up the monotony. \nGranted, it's not so much that the trio has given up entirely. Johns really does sing his heart out on every track. Songs like "The Greatest View" and "Without You" show the same promise that the musicians did on their debut, Frogstomp. This album isn't nearly as scattered as their previous effort, in which the band seemed to try about every popular form of rock and failed miserably at each. \nWith Diorama, Silverchair mellows out almost entirely. There's a real dearth of hard, crunching guitars. The edge is gone; only "One Way Mule" gives fans something along the lines of rock. The rest is melancholy musings. Johns prefers to simply wallow in misery over nothing in particular, which is a problem with a lot of lyricists who, on achieving fame, realize they don't really have anything to get depressed over.\nSilverchair's latest album will not be a defining moment in the band's career. On the other hand, the threesome shows some obvious signs of maturity with conceptually complete songs and a virtually flawless recording. They're inching ever closer to some niche in the market -- maybe by the time they're 30 they'll have found it.
(09/05/02 3:43am)
Coming up on their fourth album, the three guys who make up the Australian rock outfit Silverchair still haven't figured out what kind of music they want to play. Diorama suffers from the same inexorable identity crisis that afflicted its predecessor, 1999's Neon Ballroom.\nLong gone are the alt-rock days, the comparisons to Nirvana, the pre-teen fans and the we're-just-a-bunch-of-kids excuse to cover up for any blatant mistakes that garnered so much success for the teenagers back in the mid-1990s. Now they have licenses to drink on their U.S. tour and a new label on which they can discharge all the worthless music that Daniel Johns writes.\nOK, so it's not all that bad. Occasionally, Johns finds a decent guitar riff, but then he drowns it out with orchestras and pianos. Either that or he doesn't even bother to write a bridge or guitar solo to break up the monotony. \nGranted, it's not so much that the trio has given up entirely. Johns really does sing his heart out on every track. Songs like "The Greatest View" and "Without You" show the same promise that the musicians did on their debut, Frogstomp. This album isn't nearly as scattered as their previous effort, in which the band seemed to try about every popular form of rock and failed miserably at each. \nWith Diorama, Silverchair mellows out almost entirely. There's a real dearth of hard, crunching guitars. The edge is gone; only "One Way Mule" gives fans something along the lines of rock. The rest is melancholy musings. Johns prefers to simply wallow in misery over nothing in particular, which is a problem with a lot of lyricists who, on achieving fame, realize they don't really have anything to get depressed over.\nSilverchair's latest album will not be a defining moment in the band's career. On the other hand, the threesome shows some obvious signs of maturity with conceptually complete songs and a virtually flawless recording. They're inching ever closer to some niche in the market -- maybe by the time they're 30 they'll have found it.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
They are everywhere. The big bikes, the long hair, the leather jackets. There is a certain air of distinction that follows motorcycles and the people who ride them. In "Wild Ride," Tom Reynolds explores the myths, fact and fiction of motorcycle outlaws.\nPart of the book covers the story of Trash, a Vietnam veteran turned political motorcycle activist. He campaigns in California for a Vietnam veterans' motorcycle license plate and a repeal of California's helmet law, which compels all motorcyclists to wear helmets, much to the dismay of the motorcyclists themselves.\nTrash aptly summarizes the modern-day motorcycle outlaw, someone who, by all physical means, expresses the stereotypical motorcycle outlaw of previous generations. He is scarred by an accident, brutalized by years of motorcycle riding and wears a typical outfit of a Harley Davidson T-shirt, jeans and boots. Of course, he also rides a Harley.\n"Wild Ride" follows outlaw motorcycle myth from start to finish, beginning with the Boozefighters in the 1940s. He explores how several of the modern-day cliches came to be through movies such as "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando, based loosely (if not inaccurately) on a weekend in Hollister, Calif. During the event, a group of Boozefighters supposedly took over the town, got drunk and generally caused havoc (in reality, the town was ecstatic over all the money it made during the weekend).\nAt the heart of all motorcycle myth is the Harley. Reynolds explains the rise, fall and eventual rejuvenation of Harley-Davidson as it fought against foreign competition, especially from Japan, which made cheap, efficient motorcycles, far superior to the massive and problematic Harleys. Reynolds insists the true motorcycle outlaws were those who rode Harleys and were able to easily customize and repair the machine.\nA good portion of "Wild Ride" is devoted to the exploration of the Hell's Angels motorcycle group. Reynolds chronicles its humble beginnings in 1960 all the way to its modern-day facade as operators of a large, international drug ring, although members of Hell's Angels might argue with the latter point.\n"Wild Ride" details several key points in the Hell's Angels' history, including its interaction with the late 1960s counterculture. Reynolds explains how the Hell's Angels were both the friend and foe of the hippie movement. While the two groups shared a love of music and mind-altering drugs, many motorcycle outlaws were war veterans and took offense to the counterculture's bashing of the Vietnam War.\nIn the end, Reynolds puts a human aspect on the stereotypes of motorcycle outlaws, dispensing some myths and putting fact behind others. Overall, "Wild Ride" gives any motorcycle enthusiast, or even casual fan, the chance to experience the birth and growth of American motorcycle outlaws.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
There is only a certain level of crap that a reviewer can take before he or she decides to take an album outside with a sawed-off shotgun and blow it to oblivion. Because I don't have a shotgun, I will have to be contented by bashing Big Dumb Face's freshman release, Duke Lion Fights The Terror!!, with the written word.\nBig Dumb Face is Wes Borland, Wes Borland and Wes Borland. That's it. The Limp Bizkit guitarist does everything by himself. While that might be an impressive feat when creating quality music like Trent Reznor does with Nine Inch Nails, Duke Lion is nothing more than a collection of simple, immature and unimaginative recordings.\nEach song features a simple, repetitive guitar beat played over and over ad nauseam. Layered on top are Borland's computer-altered vocals. So while on "Burgalveist" he is Satan incarnate, he sounds like a high-pitched alien on "Mighty Penis Laser."\nDuke Lion supposedly follows the adventures of a superhero by the same name. The second track, "Duke Lion," is an obnoxious "Bonanaza" rip-off that introduces the hero as "the son of man and god and lion" who "keeps the good from dyin'." Each subsequent song either presents a new villain or a some dangerous situation that Duke Lion is supposed to triumph over. But because the songs never give an ending, are we supposed to assume the evil was defeated?\n"Kali Is The Sweethog" starts with a quirky, synthesized drum beat before going back to Borland's funky guitar stylings. Easily the catchiest song on the album, there is too much simplicity and utter stupidity, both musically and lyrically, for it to be a save-all for the album. \nThere is nothing worth listening to on this album, at all. Each song is either horribly produced, musically inadequate or horribly immature. I used to think that Fred Durst was the reason for Limp Bizkit's total inability to make intelligent, quality music. But judging by the complete lack of musical talent on Duke Lion, it's apparently a group effort.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Music censorship is nothing new to American culture. In fact, government officials and special interest groups have been trying to censor music since before the 1950s. From Elvis' appearances on the "Ed Sullivan Show" to Marilyn Manson concerts, popular music always seems to make someone mad.\nWith "Parental Advisory: Music Censorship In America," author Eric Nuzum, a pop-culture critic and program director of WKSU-FM at Kent State University, details and follows the evolution of music censorship in America.\nThe book is divided into two sections: themes and dates. With the first section, Nuzum confronts such controversial topics as sex, religion and drugs. With the second, Nuzum gives a year-by-year rundown of big events in the realm of music censorship.\nEasily the most powerful and compelling argument Nuzum makes is the relationship he finds between race and music censorship. Nuzum finds that far more black artists are stuck with the Recording Industry Association of America's "Parental Advisory" sticker than white artists. He also brings up many cases involving discrimination in music censorship and labeling. One example Nuzum brings up is that when Eric Clapton released his cover of "I Shot the Sheriff," few even raised an eyebrow, but 18 years later, Ice-T's "Cop Killer," which featured an almost identical theme (combating police brutality), raised cries from as high up as then-President George Bush for censorship of the song.\nIn "Parental Advisory," Nuzum manages to expose several conspiracies and shed light on murky topics related to music censorship. Nuzum explains the history behind the Parents Music Resource Center, founded in part by Tipper Gore. He points out that her husband, then-Senator Al Gore, took part in the Senate hearings of PMRC. That group is partially responsible for pressuring the RIAA's "Parental Advisory" sticker.\nNuzum also recognizes how musicians can become scapegoats for public tragedies. After the Columbine shootings, government officials and some media outlets were quick to put the blame on Marilyn Manson, despite the fact that the shooters disliked Manson's music.\nThe chronology section of "Parental Advisory" is strongest in its comparison of music censorship from 50 years ago to today. While the music has changed, the same arguments made by advocates of music censorship in 1950 are surprisingly similar to the ones being made today. Be it the Beatles or Eminem, the songs have changed but the critics have not.\nNuzum knows how to make his argument. "Parental Advisory" is a detailed and well-researched book that is a must-read for music censorship fighters and advocates alike.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Tupac Shakur is not dead! He is living on a island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with Elvis and Biggie Smalls where he continues to make albums. I would venture to say that is true, if not for the latest posthumous release from the prolific and successful M.C. Until the End of Time, two discs of "new" material, is lackluster at best.\nTime, which is the fourth album released since Tupac died Sept. 13, 1996, is hardly a collection of unreleased work. Instead, the producers took lyrical content that had yet to be released, put some new beats behind it and found several names to add their lyrical input to the album. Tracks such as "Breathin," "All Out" and "U Don't Have 2 Worry" feature The Outlawz, a group Tupac worked with before his death. Other guests include Left Eye (from TLC), KCi & JoJo and Richard Page. Considering that eight tracks feature The Outlawz and 17 of the 29 tracks feature one guest or another, calling this album a solo project would be incorrect.\n"Ballad of a Dead Soulja" kicks things off in classic Tupac fashion. One of the few true solo tracks, Tupac raps over a stripped-down beat. "Fuck Friends" follows, and while not as strong, stays true to Tupac as well as possible considering he wasn't involved in the final album making process.\nNot until "Let Em Have It," featuring SKG, does the album really start to slide. Not only is the beat obnoxious and repetitive, but SKG lacks in vocal talent. The reason that Tupac songs featuring Snoop Dogg tracks were so successful was the simple fact that Snoop can rap, SKG cannot.\nFor all the conspiracy theorists, there's plenty of new material on Time to feed the fire. Continuous references of death by shooting pervade the entire album. But then again, would Tupac really let an album of this poor quality hit the market?\nIt's like "Jurassic Park," where the engineers take DNA left over from extinct beings and then fill the holes with frog DNA. While Time isn't likely to start eating people, it did top the Billboard charts, so it is potentially dangerous.
(05/21/01 1:30am)
It has been five long years since Tool's last outing. Faced with legal troubles and various side projects, the band finally regrouped in order to create Lateralus, a 79-minute adventure in sound.\nAfter such a prolonged absence, Tool needed something amazing to bring the masses back. Treating this as a call to action, the band went all out in creating Lateralus, not only with stellar music, but also in presentation. Lateralus plays in High Definition (20-bit, as compared to the standard 16-bit) so listeners can experience the album in a more precise way. The album comes in a special sleeve, which reveals transparent liner notes featuring some cool artwork.\nFilled with obscure timing structures, tribal rhythms and metaphysical philosophy, Lateralus diverges from Ænima only in a sense of increasing musical maturity. Not to imply any immaturity on Tool's part, the band has always been groundbreaking in its work on the musical market, but Lateralus creates an entirely new experience on a completely new level.\nTracks like "The Grudge," "Parabola," and the album's first single, "Schism," with their heavy edge, hold the closest resemblance to classic Tool tracks such as "Stinkfist" and "Prison Sex." But the sheer musical ingenuity contained within Lateralus' tracks make Tool's previous creations sound like radio-friendly pop tracks at best.\nTool has always made a point of showcasing the music as well as the vocals, and Lateralus is filled with instrumental interludes as well as purely instrumental full-length tracks. "Ticks & Leeches" begins with a drum track and quickly turns into a hard rocker, then, for two and a half minutes, a mellow, dim guitar solo before letting loose with the grunge again. While the hard-to-soft model has pervaded grunge ever since its glory days, Lateralus weaves in and out of tempos, volumes and moods more gracefully than Nirvana or Soundgarden ever could.\nLateralus, with its common themes and interwoven tracks, feels more like a true album than a collection of singles. The album provides for a continuous listening experience, making track skipping unnecessary.\n"Is this what you wanted? Cuz this is what you're getting," screams frontman Maynard James Keenan in "Ticks & Leeches." \nWhile perhaps unexpected in pure scope, Tool fans wanted another album and Lateralus promises not to disappoint.
(04/27/01 3:41am)
House Bill 1618 is on its way to Gov. Frank O'Bannon to lower the legal blood alcohol content level from .10 to .08 percent. Trying to reduce the amount of drunken drivers on the highway is admirable, but that is far from its intended purpose.\nWhen someone steps out of a bar or party, does he or she think, "Gee, I bet my BAC level is .082, better not drive." Of course not, so how does this bill help in reducing the number of drunken drivers on the highways? It doesn't.\nInstead, legislators passed it with ease to receive up to $56 million in highway funding. While the federal government is not "technically" forcing states to lower their blood alcohol content level, it might as well. A bill passed by former President Bill Clinton requires states to lower the level or face losing state highway funding, something no state could afford to give up.\nThis bill is not a "get tough on drunken driving" bill, this is a "let's make the feds happy" bill. Had it not been for the federal mandate, this bill probably would have had a lot more trouble getting through.\nIf Indiana really wants to cut down on drunken driving and the problems associated with it, here are some ideas.\n• Stiffer penalties: Under House Bill 1618, those caught driving with a BAC between .08 and .10 might only need to attend a class for their first offenses. Classes do not prevent drunken driving. Jail time prevents drunken driving. Revoking a driver's license prevents drunken driving. There is no sure penalty that will deter all people from drunken driving, but there are some that are better than lowering legal BAC levels.\n• Checkpoints: Catching people on the road before something serious happens is a lot better than catching someone after he or she has caused a wreck. While checkpoints are often obnoxious and tedious, they do a lot better job of nabbing people who might be potentially dangerous than a federally mandated bill.\n• Designated driving programs: Face it, people are going to drink no matter what the legal BAC level is. For those who can't find rides, volunteer designated drivers are a godsend in keeping dangerously intoxicated people out of the drivers seat. Sure, not many want to cart drunk people around all night, and there's never going to be enough volunteers for everyone who needs a ride, but every little bit helps.\nWhile no surefire way exists to cut down on drunken driving, Indiana government needs to recognize that there are better ways than simply lowering the legal limit.
(04/26/01 5:36am)
Back in the day, actually 1994, alternative rock ruled the radio. Combining the grunge metal of the '80s with new day catchy riffs, bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam soared to insurmountable success. Bands such as Green Day, Gin Blossoms and Tonic took this formula and created their own lighter version of alt-rock.\nBut the success would not last. Alternative rock would soon be eclipsed by the marketing power of pop, rap and R&B. Many alt-rock bands chose to venture into new, more commercial ground. Case in point, the Goo Goo Dolls and its album Dizzy Up The Girl.\nThe music market is stronger than ever. Even with the advent of Napster, Eminem, Britney Spears and 'NSync all broke sales records in 2000. While pop, rap and R&B appear to stay strong for years to come, alt-rock is poised to make a comeback with a bombardment of new albums on May 15 from some of the genre's leading artists.\nWhile they might have seemed quirky and contrived with their hit "Buddy Holly," the members of Weezer are anything but. After some problems within the band and an attempt to recover from the cursed "sophomore slump" it suffered with Pinkerton, Weezer will return with its second self-titled album. The first single, "Hash Pipe," appears to be doing well initially and could indicate that Weezer is back in full force. Weezer embodies all that is pure in alt-rock. While some songs like "Undone (the sweater song)" and "Say It Ain't So" are catchy and fun on the outside, lyrically the band tackles issues such as popularity and abused children in a subtle and meaningful way. If Weezer does well, it will show that music should be more than just catchy beats and rhyming lyrics. It has to stand for something.\nNo one captures the heavy side of alternative rock better than the dark powerhouse of Tool. After years of legal disputes and side projects, Tool will release its first album in more than four years, titled Lateralus. With heavy riffs, mysterious and often obscure lyrics, Tool flexed its muscle back in 1996 with Aenima, featuring such tracks as "Stinkfist" (or the MTV version, "Track #1"), "H" and "Aenima." Even as bands like Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock lead a "rap-rock revolution," Tool flaunts something few of the rap-rock musicians can boast: talent. Musically superior, lyrically superior and, as evidenced by the success of frontman Maynard James Kennan's side project, A Perfect Circle, vocally superior. The success, or lack thereof, of Tool's new album should be a pivotal moment for alt-rock, deciding whether rap-rock will rule the new millennium or whether true inventive music will take precedence.\nLong before anyone had heard of Kurt Cobain, Michael Stipe was walking the fine line between new wave and rock 'n' roll. This combination would soon become the core of alternative rock, and R.E.M. found itself right in the thick of things. But in the new millennium, as R.E.M. struggles to redefine itself, the band should remain the forerunners in modern-day alternative rock. Not to say that where they go musically others will go, but R.E.M. might set the standard for what is considered quality in today's market. R.E.M. seems to have found its groove with Automatic For The People but then faltered with the grungy Monster and its last release, Up. During its extensive career, R.E.M. has shown it can be inventive, adventurous and creative all while making commercially successful music. If R.E.M. can show it still has staying power, it might open the doors for a horde of new and established alt-rock bands to flex their muscles.\nMay 15 is a definitive day for alt-rock. Not only will Weezer, Tool and R.E.M. put out their latest offerings, but the likes of Depeche Mode, Megadeth and The Go-Gos will also try to reach out to today's music audience. While this summer will also bring releases from big alt-rock groups such as Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots and Better Than Ezra and might bring the flocks back to the alt-rock stage, May 15 should indicate whether alt-rock still has a place in modern music culture.
(04/26/01 4:00am)
Tupac Shakur is not dead! He is living on a island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with Elvis and Biggie Smalls where he continues to make albums. I would venture to say that is true, if not for the latest posthumous release from the prolific and successful M.C. Until the End of Time, two discs of "new" material, is lackluster at best.\nTime, which is the fourth album released since Tupac died Sept. 13, 1996, is hardly a collection of unreleased work. Instead, the producers took lyrical content that had yet to be released, put some new beats behind it and found several names to add their lyrical input to the album. Tracks such as "Breathin," "All Out" and "U Don't Have 2 Worry" feature The Outlawz, a group Tupac worked with before his death. Other guests include Left Eye (from TLC), KCi & JoJo and Richard Page. Considering that eight tracks feature The Outlawz and 17 of the 29 tracks feature one guest or another, calling this album a solo project would be incorrect.\n"Ballad of a Dead Soulja" kicks things off in classic Tupac fashion. One of the few true solo tracks, Tupac raps over a stripped-down beat. "Fuck Friends" follows, and while not as strong, stays true to Tupac as well as possible considering he wasn't involved in the final album making process.\nNot until "Let Em Have It," featuring SKG, does the album really start to slide. Not only is the beat obnoxious and repetitive, but SKG lacks in vocal talent. The reason that Tupac songs featuring Snoop Dogg tracks were so successful was the simple fact that Snoop can rap, SKG cannot.\nFor all the conspiracy theorists, there's plenty of new material on Time to feed the fire. Continuous references of death by shooting pervade the entire album. But then again, would Tupac really let an album of this poor quality hit the market?\nIt's like "Jurassic Park," where the engineers take DNA left over from extinct beings and then fill the holes with frog DNA. While Time isn't likely to start eating people, it did top the Billboard charts, so it is potentially dangerous.
(04/26/01 4:00am)
Back in the day, actually 1994, alternative rock ruled the radio. Combining the grunge metal of the '80s with new day catchy riffs, bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam soared to insurmountable success. Bands such as Green Day, Gin Blossoms and Tonic took this formula and created their own lighter version of alt-rock.\nBut the success would not last. Alternative rock would soon be eclipsed by the marketing power of pop, rap and R&B. Many alt-rock bands chose to venture into new, more commercial ground. Case in point, the Goo Goo Dolls and its album Dizzy Up The Girl.\nThe music market is stronger than ever. Even with the advent of Napster, Eminem, Britney Spears and 'NSync all broke sales records in 2000. While pop, rap and R&B appear to stay strong for years to come, alt-rock is poised to make a comeback with a bombardment of new albums on May 15 from some of the genre's leading artists.\nWhile they might have seemed quirky and contrived with their hit "Buddy Holly," the members of Weezer are anything but. After some problems within the band and an attempt to recover from the cursed "sophomore slump" it suffered with Pinkerton, Weezer will return with its second self-titled album. The first single, "Hash Pipe," appears to be doing well initially and could indicate that Weezer is back in full force. Weezer embodies all that is pure in alt-rock. While some songs like "Undone (the sweater song)" and "Say It Ain't So" are catchy and fun on the outside, lyrically the band tackles issues such as popularity and abused children in a subtle and meaningful way. If Weezer does well, it will show that music should be more than just catchy beats and rhyming lyrics. It has to stand for something.\nNo one captures the heavy side of alternative rock better than the dark powerhouse of Tool. After years of legal disputes and side projects, Tool will release its first album in more than four years, titled Lateralus. With heavy riffs, mysterious and often obscure lyrics, Tool flexed its muscle back in 1996 with Aenima, featuring such tracks as "Stinkfist" (or the MTV version, "Track #1"), "H" and "Aenima." Even as bands like Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock lead a "rap-rock revolution," Tool flaunts something few of the rap-rock musicians can boast: talent. Musically superior, lyrically superior and, as evidenced by the success of frontman Maynard James Kennan's side project, A Perfect Circle, vocally superior. The success, or lack thereof, of Tool's new album should be a pivotal moment for alt-rock, deciding whether rap-rock will rule the new millennium or whether true inventive music will take precedence.\nLong before anyone had heard of Kurt Cobain, Michael Stipe was walking the fine line between new wave and rock 'n' roll. This combination would soon become the core of alternative rock, and R.E.M. found itself right in the thick of things. But in the new millennium, as R.E.M. struggles to redefine itself, the band should remain the forerunners in modern-day alternative rock. Not to say that where they go musically others will go, but R.E.M. might set the standard for what is considered quality in today's market. R.E.M. seems to have found its groove with Automatic For The People but then faltered with the grungy Monster and its last release, Up. During its extensive career, R.E.M. has shown it can be inventive, adventurous and creative all while making commercially successful music. If R.E.M. can show it still has staying power, it might open the doors for a horde of new and established alt-rock bands to flex their muscles.\nMay 15 is a definitive day for alt-rock. Not only will Weezer, Tool and R.E.M. put out their latest offerings, but the likes of Depeche Mode, Megadeth and The Go-Gos will also try to reach out to today's music audience. While this summer will also bring releases from big alt-rock groups such as Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots and Better Than Ezra and might bring the flocks back to the alt-rock stage, May 15 should indicate whether alt-rock still has a place in modern music culture.
(04/18/01 5:02am)
There's something horribly wrong with the idea of novelizing a formulaic teenie-bop television show. But with the teen genre fiction market so hot, publishers will take anything that sells, and since Sarah Michelle Gellar sells, so does the line of novelized books.\n"Vol. 1 The Faith Trials" manages to cram four shows into a mere 200 pages. Filled with formulaic plots that could fit into any teen action show, the stories chronicle the adventures of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and her new slayer companion, Faith.\n"The Faith Trials" assumes that its readership already knows the backbone for the Buffy series, which isn't much of a set-up to begin with. Buffy hunts and kills vampires -- that's about it. But she's not alone, there's a whole cast of supporting characters with outrageous names such as Xander, Oz and Willow who help Buffy whenever she's in a bind, then proceed to make references to oral sex. Really, how flat can they get?\nEach plot introduces a new villain that Buffy and Faith courageously conquer, such as Kakistos, Blathazar and The Mayor. Then there's the emotional twist thrown in for kicks. Be it Buffy's jealousy for Faith or her love of Angel, the show's writers (sorry, I refuse give author James Laurence any credit for this book) just keep the action and intensity high throughout. Note sarcasm.\nFaith, a character created for this series, is a watcher-less slayer (apparently each slayer has to have somebody to watch them -- absurd really) who has been wandering for some time now only to wander upon Buffy's slaying grounds. Throughout these interwoven stories, Buffy and Faith bond, then break apart, then bond, then break apart again. The repetition is annoying to no end. When together, the two fight to save Sunnydale from the hoard of vampires that seem to pop up every evening.\nBut what about the vampires? Except for a few of the primary villains, there is no description of them or their life. Are they truly just evil creatures that wander soulless through the night, striving to feed upon any mortal they can find? Where's the humanity that Anne Rice so eloquently portrays with her vampires? Instead they are the generic "Dracula"-style vampires, with all the myths fully intact but minus any semblance of the romance.\nWhere this book falters is in its attempt to novelize a show that is intended primarily as eye candy. There's no denying the fact that Gellar herself is a prime draw for the television show, but this book fails to capture Gellar's looks in print. It should come as no surprise that the pictorial insert is the book's one saving grace. Perhaps Buffy's marketing team should resort to simply selling picture books.
(04/06/01 4:02am)
One of today's biggest names in metal will rock Louisville Gardens Saturday.\nTouring in support of its latest album, Awake, Godsmack brings two platinum-plus albums to a show that promises plenty of angst-ridden rock.\nGodsmack first appeared on the scene with "Whatever" off its self-titled debut. The band then fueled that fire with "Voodoo." After going multi-platinum, Godsmack released Awake to much fan-fare. The album was propelled to platinum status by the title track and "Sick of Life," the two radio and MTV singles.\nFreshman James Stabler grew up on 1980s hair bands and said he isn't much of a modern rock fan, but Godsmack is among a list of modern rock groups he appreciates. Stabler said Godsmack's music is the heavy metal of the 1990s.\n"It's just raw," he said.\nSenior John Henne said he likes Awake but enjoyed Godsmack's self-titled album more. \n"We've gotten some critique about the record sounding too much like the first one, but that's what we are, we're a rock band," said Sully Erna, lead singer of Godsmack, in a SFX interview.\nHenne has seen the band three times. He described Godsmack as a hardcore band that encourages the crowd to get rowdy.\n"It's fun if you want to go and mosh," Henne said. "(Erna) tries his hardest to get the crowd emotionally involved."\nGodsmack toured last year as part of Limp Bizkit and Eminem's "Anger Management Tour." Since then, Godsmack has evolved to headline its own "Wake The F*** Up Tour."\nGodsmack also spent some time on the "Ozzfest" tour in 1999 and 2000. Henne saw the band there both years.\n"They're really crazy," he said.\nHenne said there are people who follow the band. He also said Godsmack defies the trend of many modern music groups.\n"They don't want to be a boy band," Henne said.\nOpening for Godsmack will be a host of other new metal acts. Systematic is scheduled to start followed by Cold and Staind, respectively.\nStain hit it big with its debut, Dysfunctional, which sparked such hits as "Mudshuvel" and "Bleed." The band is preparing to release its sophomore effort, Break The Cycle. Systematic, a band that resides on Lars Ulrich's label, is trying to garner support for its debut scheduled for release in May. Cold is also a newcomer, its first release, 13 Ways to Bleed On Stage, his stores in 2000.\nThe "Wake The F*** Up Tour" stop in Kentucky at 7 p.m. Saturday in Louisville Gardens. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com.
(04/05/01 4:11am)
In 1986, Run-DMC and Aerosmith created "Walk This Way," a masterpiece in rock and rap. Fifteen years later, Run-DMC still boasts the name recognition that can score top names in both rap and rock. Its first album in six years, Crown Royal features the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Method Man, Kid Rock and the man who seems to show up in all my reviews no matter how much I hate him, Fred Durst.\nBut instead of showing off their collective talents, the members Run-DMC get help on all but the title track. That's disappointing because that track is one of the album's best. Laced with a smooth beat and background dramatics, the track is both catchy and powerful.\nThis dramatic feel flows throughout the album and represents the comeback status after the group's eight-year hiatus. The lead-off track, "It's Over," featuring Jermaine Dupri, documents Run-DMC's history as the first rap group on MTV to its crossover with Aerosmith to the present.\nWhile Crown Royal is for all intents and purposes a rap album, the group by no means limits itself to the typical rap sounds. Church organs and acoustic guitars make their presence known on various tracks. Far from being a true rock-rap combination (not that the airwaves need any more anyway), "The School of Old" featuring Kid Rock uses guitar-laced beats to create an electronic background that adds flavor to the album.\nNot that the album lacks flavor. Run-DMC proves with Crown Royal that it still deserves the same respect it had in the 1980s. Unlike the slew of new rap artists that seem to be a dime a dozen and offer little to the genre, Run-DMC is dedicated to innovation. Be it through creative uses of sampling (the opposite being Puff Daddy-style sampling) or various stylings, Run-DMC is never bland.\nThe only disappointments on the album are through some of Run-DMC's choices for guest artists. "The Girls" featuring Fred Durst is not necessarily a bad track, but Durst is not a rapper, and his presence is simply obnoxious. "Rock Show" featuring Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is brought down by Jenkins' presence only. Jenkins, like Durst, doesn't fit on a rap album.\nThis album has been a long time coming. Though overburdened by too many featured artists, Crown Royal stays true to Run-DMC's roots and excels through innovation and creativity.
