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(04/05/01 4:00am)
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.
(04/02/01 4:47am)
After a much-publicized accident, Stephen King's future in writing was doubtful. As he chronicled in his memoirs, "On Writing," even the simple act of sitting at a computer was painful. His first novel since the accident, the first draft of "Dreamcatcher" was written using a Warterman cartridge fountain pen. \nBut while the novel can be seen as an accomplishment in that respect, the book itself fails to break from the formulaic rut in which King often finds himself.\nDreamcatcher is a story of aliens ("Tommyknockers"), a killer virus ("The Stand") and a special bond formed between children who are now adults ("It"). While not exactly the same as any of those books, "Dreamcatcher" does little to separate itself from any of King's previous works. \nLike "It," King tells the story of the four men as boys and as grown-ups trying to save the world. Based in the woods of New England (near Derry, Maine, also seen in such novels as "It" and "Insomnia"), half of the book is dedicated to an on-the-road chase between a virus-infected hero, a military commando and an alien intent on contaminating the world. While this lengthened scene provides plenty of time for story-telling, the present situation is boring, despite King's attempt to include some humor with the alien's craving for bacon.\nMost disappointing is King's use of characters, all of which seem obtrusively flat. This contrasts "The Stand," where King provides ample background information to give the reader a strong understanding of who these people are. In "Dreamcatcher," King starts killing off these uninteresting characters, leaving the reader apathetic and unsympathetic to the flat characters. The novel's only strong character is also its least seen, Duddits, a Down syndrome victim with a special gift. Granted, Duddits is at the heart of the story, but his physical presence, especially in the grown-up phase, is sorely missed.\nDuring his down time, King seems to have taken a course in Ayn Rand subtle style, otherwise known as being overtly blatant. King fills his book with literary and pop culture references, then proceeds to tell the reader exactly why they have relevance to the book. Come on, let the reader figure it out. Take the psycho-military commando Kurtz. The power he holds over his men, his utter disregard for human life and his name alone parallel the personality of Kurtz from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." Then there's Jonesy, who suffers a near-fatal car accident. It's cute, but hardly subtle. It's not hard to recognize that King is trying to explain that Jonesy's pain is his pain.\n"Dreamcatcher" is not necessarily a disappointment, but like he did with "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon," King needs to pay more attention to his characters and to detail. Once he gets his strength back, perhaps King will also dedicate himself to discovering more original plots.
(03/29/01 5:00am)
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.
(03/22/01 5:00am)
Concept albums are dangerous ground for fledgling rock groups. In creating one, the band must be sure to tie together all songs musically and lyrically with some introspective idea. Few have achieved this with reasonable success. Most fall flat on their faces, just as Marilyn Manson did with last year's flop, Holy Wood. Despite the risks of either creating a masterpiece or a catastrophe, Our Lady Peace set out to create Spiritual Machines, a venture into a futuristic world where machines have a conscience with which they incorporate themselves into human society. Specifically, it is a musical interpretation of Ray Kurzweil's book "The Age of Spiritual Machines."\n OLP doesn't falter in trying to create a concept album. It falters in trying too hard to make a concept album. Instead of simply using lyrical elements to unite songs, five spoken word interludes are scattered around the album to create a story. Take away these "R.K." interludes, and Spiritual Machines is suddenly 10 songs of strong, alternative rock, the dying genre of which OLP previously has managed to create three powerful and compelling albums. Machines is not much of a deviation from 1999's Happiness…Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch. Clever hooks, crunching guitars in even the softest of songs and some subtle computer-generated sounds prove OLP still has what it takes. The first musical track, "Right Behind You (Mafia)," is a much stronger opening than the seven-second "R.K. Intro."\n "Life," the album's first single, holds its own with its mellow sound and sentimentality mixed with Raine Maida's overwhelming lyrics. While the song has little of the commercial potential as the band's previous hits like "Superman's Dead" and "One Man Army," it stays true to OLP's style, a feat in itself considering last year's demise of its predecessor, the Smashing Pumpkins.\nAfter an accident sidelined drummer Jeremy Taggart, Pearl Jam beat man Matt Cameron joined in to help complete Machines. Among others, Cameron can be heard on the ballad "Are You Sad?," OLP's most powerful ballad since "Clumsy."\nOLP's genre hasn't had much success of late, but tracks like "Made To Heal" and "If You Believe" show there is still a candle on the alt-rock flame, small as it might be. But instead of venturing off into unknown and seemingly overbearing territory, OLP should stick with the music that got it where it is today.
(03/22/01 4:46am)
Concept albums are dangerous ground for fledgling rock groups. In creating one, the band must be sure to tie together all songs musically and lyrically with some introspective idea. Few have achieved this with reasonable success. Most fall flat on their faces, just as Marilyn Manson did with last year's flop, Holy Wood. Despite the risks of either creating a masterpiece or a catastrophe, Our Lady Peace set out to create Spiritual Machines, a venture into a futuristic world where machines have a conscience with which they incorporate themselves into human society. Specifically, it is a musical interpretation of Ray Kurzweil's book "The Age of Spiritual Machines."\n OLP doesn't falter in trying to create a concept album. It falters in trying too hard to make a concept album. Instead of simply using lyrical elements to unite songs, five spoken word interludes are scattered around the album to create a story. Take away these "R.K." interludes, and Spiritual Machines is suddenly 10 songs of strong, alternative rock, the dying genre of which OLP previously has managed to create three powerful and compelling albums. Machines is not much of a deviation from 1999's Happiness…Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch. Clever hooks, crunching guitars in even the softest of songs and some subtle computer-generated sounds prove OLP still has what it takes. The first musical track, "Right Behind You (Mafia)," is a much stronger opening than the seven-second "R.K. Intro."\n "Life," the album's first single, holds its own with its mellow sound and sentimentality mixed with Raine Maida's overwhelming lyrics. While the song has little of the commercial potential as the band's previous hits like "Superman's Dead" and "One Man Army," it stays true to OLP's style, a feat in itself considering last year's demise of its predecessor, the Smashing Pumpkins.\nAfter an accident sidelined drummer Jeremy Taggart, Pearl Jam beat man Matt Cameron joined in to help complete Machines. Among others, Cameron can be heard on the ballad "Are You Sad?," OLP's most powerful ballad since "Clumsy."\nOLP's genre hasn't had much success of late, but tracks like "Made To Heal" and "If You Believe" show there is still a candle on the alt-rock flame, small as it might be. But instead of venturing off into unknown and seemingly overbearing territory, OLP should stick with the music that got it where it is today.
(03/08/01 5:02am)
Some artists might find 23 shows in a month difficult, but as Pearl Jam completed the first leg of its tour in Pittsburgh, it showed no sign of exhaustion. Opening with an extended version of "Evenflow" and rampaging on until the fan-favorite finale, "Baba 'o Riley," Pearl Jam gave Pittsburgh a high-energy show with a diverse and exciting set list.\n Pearl Jam followed up the opener with "Hail, Hail" off of No Code, an album virtually ignored on the tour save for the Aug. 25, Jones Beach, N.Y., show. Not until the seventh song, "Nothing As It Seems," does the band slow down the pace from a series of grinding rock tracks.\nAfter a lengthy version of "Daughter," Eddie Vedder introduces the next song as "This one's a b-side which even I don't have a copy of." The band then pounds into a brief but exciting rendition of "Leatherman" off the "Give To Fly" single. Afterward, the band lashed through an extended "Betterman."\nJudging by the set list scan on the inside of the case, Pearl Jam called a few audibles on stage, dropping such tracks as "Last Kiss" and "Do The Evolution" in favor of more obscure tracks like "Crazy Mary" and "Wash."\nWhile hardly on par with such jam bands as the Grateful Dead and Phish, Pearl Jam took the time to play out several of its songs with guitar solos and new bridges. On the second disc, the band takes "Black" to new heights with a solo courtesy of lead guitarist Mike McCready.\n"We have the list," guitarist Stone Gossard said after the encore break, an obvious reference to the fact that the set list was scrapped. Vedder spoke momentarily on the last nights of a tour.\nAfter several songs including old tracks like "Once" and "Go" and newer ones like "Insignificance" and "Breakerfall," the band took a short break. Soon after the band reappeared as Vedder introduced two members to opening act Sonic Youth who helped finish the show with "Baba 'o Riley."\nWhile the band still had an entire second leg of its tour to look forward to, Pittsburgh ended an already intense first half and gave a glimpse of even more exciting things to come.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
June 30, 2000, eight concertgoers were trampled to death during Pearl Jam's performance at Denmark's Roadskilde's Festival. Aug. 3, the band played its first show since the accident at the GTE Virginia Beach Ampitheater.\n"The last time we had to ask the crowd to do something it was under completely different circumstances than this," Eddie Vedder said during an extended bridge to "Daughter." Throughout the entire show, Vedder makes references to the tragedy, giving the show a somber but intense feel.\n"Sing loud 'cause it's outside. Sing loud 'cause you're still alive. Just sing loud, all right," he said before asking the audience to join him in singing "It's Okay," a mysterious track that seems to have come out of nowhere.\nThe show documents Pearl Jam throughout its career with tracks from five of the six studio albums. While the band completely ignored No Code, not even playing "Hail, Hail," the latest album, Binaural, received more than adequate coverage. "Grievance," "God's Dice," "Animal," "Nothing As It Seems" and "Thin Air" all made their way onto the album, and that's just the first disc.\nWhile straying away from its most popular material (i.e., "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Last Kiss"), Pearl Jam gives a healthy dose of its older material including "Corduroy," "Porch" and "Black."\nOften the live renditions closely resemble their studio counterparts, but occasionally Vedder & Co. take breaks for solos. "Nothing As It Seems" provides guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready with an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents.\nEddie Vedder, always in-tune with the political climate, took several opportunities to make his political views perfectly clear. In a strong performance of "Do The Evolution," Vedder changes the line here's my church I sing in the choir to I'm George Bush and my son is an asshole. Vedder would later make the claim if everyone in the audience voted for Ralph Nader, the world would be a better place.\nThe Virginia Beach show gave the audience everything it could want out of a Pearl Jam concert (except for "Jeremy"). It also gave Pearl Jam closure on what had surely been a rough month of dealing with the death of its fans.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
June 30, 2000, eight concertgoers were trampled to death during Pearl Jam's performance at Denmark's Roadskilde's Festival. Aug. 3, the band played its first show since the accident at the GTE Virginia Beach Ampitheater.\n"The last time we had to ask the crowd to do something it was under completely different circumstances than this," Eddie Vedder said during an extended bridge to "Daughter." Throughout the entire show, Vedder makes references to the tragedy, giving the show a somber but intense feel.\n"Sing loud 'cause it's outside. Sing loud 'cause you're still alive. Just sing loud, all right," he said before asking the audience to join him in singing "It's Okay," a mysterious track that seems to have come out of nowhere.\nThe show documents Pearl Jam throughout its career with tracks from five of the six studio albums. While the band completely ignored No Code, not even playing "Hail, Hail," the latest album, Binaural, received more than adequate coverage. "Grievance," "God's Dice," "Animal," "Nothing As It Seems" and "Thin Air" all made their way onto the album, and that's just the first disc.\nWhile straying away from its most popular material (i.e., "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Last Kiss"), Pearl Jam gives a healthy dose of its older material including "Corduroy," "Porch" and "Black."\nOften the live renditions closely resemble their studio counterparts, but occasionally Vedder & Co. take breaks for solos. "Nothing As It Seems" provides guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready with an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents.\nEddie Vedder, always in-tune with the political climate, took several opportunities to make his political views perfectly clear. In a strong performance of "Do The Evolution," Vedder changes the line here's my church I sing in the choir to I'm George Bush and my son is an asshole. Vedder would later make the claim if everyone in the audience voted for Ralph Nader, the world would be a better place.\nThe Virginia Beach show gave the audience everything it could want out of a Pearl Jam concert (except for "Jeremy"). It also gave Pearl Jam closure on what had surely been a rough month of dealing with the death of its fans.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
Some artists might find 23 shows in a month difficult, but as Pearl Jam completed the first leg of its tour in Pittsburgh, it showed no sign of exhaustion. Opening with an extended version of "Evenflow" and rampaging on until the fan-favorite finale, "Baba 'o Riley," Pearl Jam gave Pittsburgh a high-energy show with a diverse and exciting set list.\n Pearl Jam followed up the opener with "Hail, Hail" off of No Code, an album virtually ignored on the tour save for the Aug. 25, Jones Beach, N.Y., show. Not until the seventh song, "Nothing As It Seems," does the band slow down the pace from a series of grinding rock tracks.\nAfter a lengthy version of "Daughter," Eddie Vedder introduces the next song as "This one's a b-side which even I don't have a copy of." The band then pounds into a brief but exciting rendition of "Leatherman" off the "Give To Fly" single. Afterward, the band lashed through an extended "Betterman."\nJudging by the set list scan on the inside of the case, Pearl Jam called a few audibles on stage, dropping such tracks as "Last Kiss" and "Do The Evolution" in favor of more obscure tracks like "Crazy Mary" and "Wash."\nWhile hardly on par with such jam bands as the Grateful Dead and Phish, Pearl Jam took the time to play out several of its songs with guitar solos and new bridges. On the second disc, the band takes "Black" to new heights with a solo courtesy of lead guitarist Mike McCready.\n"We have the list," guitarist Stone Gossard said after the encore break, an obvious reference to the fact that the set list was scrapped. Vedder spoke momentarily on the last nights of a tour.\nAfter several songs including old tracks like "Once" and "Go" and newer ones like "Insignificance" and "Breakerfall," the band took a short break. Soon after the band reappeared as Vedder introduced two members to opening act Sonic Youth who helped finish the show with "Baba 'o Riley."\nWhile the band still had an entire second leg of its tour to look forward to, Pittsburgh ended an already intense first half and gave a glimpse of even more exciting things to come.
(03/08/01 4:02am)
With a bill like Tuesday's Matchbox Twenty, Everclear and Lifehouse concert, two things are obvious. One: Lifehouse lucked out in scoring the opening act. Two: Everclear got shafted getting stuck as an opening act.\nPerhaps a double bill would have worked for this show, but as it stood, Everclear only got about 45 minutes to perform, while Matchbox Twenty played for more than twice that.\nOpening for two giant rock acts such as Matchbox Twenty and Everclear is no easy task, but Lifehouse pulled it off gracefully, playing a 25-minute set to a huge crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse. Lifehouse, which has seen a reasonable amount of success from its debut album, No Name Face, played a strong set that included its hit single, "Hanging by a Moment." \nEverclear started with the mellow "Song From An American Movie," which featured all three Everclear members on the guitar as drummer Greg Eklund played the mandolin. Two percussionists and an extra guitarist joined the band as it rumbled into "Everything to Everyone" from So Much For the Afterglow. The percussion section put on an impressive performance.\nWith five albums to its name, Everclear had a large repertoire of songs to choose from, but with only 45 minutes on stage, the band had to be selective. Everclear played several of its hits, such as "I Will Buy You a New Life," "AM Radio" and "Wonderful." These were played well and got the crowd energized, but more variety with lesser-known songs would have helped the set tremendously.\nDespite the fact that lead man Art Alexakis called the audience "dorks," he came off as grateful, saying playing in Indianapolis was better than playing in Detroit. Alexakis made a reference to the frigid weather and joked that people in Santa Monica would get angry when the temperature dropped below 65 degrees. In their honor, the band finished the set with a rocking performance of "Santa Monica."\nMatchbox Twenty hit the stage with, if nothing else, an impressive display of lights. While the opening acts were content with signs that featured their bands' insignias, Matchbox Twenty had a full video screen for half its songs, which typically showed random, sometimes pointless photos. The stage was enhanced with mobile light contraptions used to illuminate band members and blind the audience.\n"Crutch" kicked things off and "Bent" followed soon after. The band launched into several songs from its debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, including "Long Day," "Girl Like That" and "3 a.m." The band would go on to play "Real World" and "Back 2 Good." With only two albums to its name, Matchbox Twenty gave a fairly predictable set that included all its hits and songs from both albums. \nThe show was a bit of a homecoming for lead guitarist and Hoosier Kyle Cook. Cook took a few moments to thank the crowd and revel in hometown glory. He compared it to being Reggie Miller. \nWhile relatively mellow, Matchbox Twenty had a good deal of energy. But with a grand piano and a horn section on various songs, there was no doubt about Matchbox Twenty's adult contemporary status.\nSongs from the band's latest album, Mad Seasons By Matchbox Twenty, included "Mad Season" and the latest single, "If You're Gone." There was a disappointing and poorly played cover of "Lonely Weekends." \nBut while Matchbox Twenty played every song to studio perfection, the band seemed distant and uninspired, band members preferring to revel in their own glory rather than contribute to the enjoyment of the crowd.
(03/01/01 5:51am)
Michael Jackson has been defiled. The self-proclaimed King of Pop has apparently fallen into such disrepute that he's licensing his songs to second-rate rock bands. "Smooth Criminal" was never, is not and never will be a quality rock song, but that's not going to stop newcomers Alien Ant Farm from trying.\nLimp Bizkit did it with "Faith." Orgy did it with "Blue Monday." It's a fairly simple formula that has become the trend for new modern rock bands. Take a song that is good, play it with hard, grinding guitars and suddenly the band is flying high on the modern rock charts. \nIf Alien Ant Farm's spot on Papa Roach's label, New Noize, is any indication of its musical style, try Alien Ant Farm's just-finished tour with Linkin Park and just-started tour with Orgy.\nAlien Ant Farm comes across as just another flash-in-the-pan rock group. While its music walks a fine line between modern rock and the new neo-metal wave, in either case there is nothing original about Alien Ant Farm's music. \nIts current single, "Movies," imitates Incubus to the extreme (minus the DJ), right down to lead singer Dryden Mitchell's voice, which could fill in for Incubus' Brandon Boyd any day. On "Flesh and Bone," the band slips into a rhythmic beat with its guitars before going back to pounding on its guitars. Variety is good, but when the variation contrasts so heavily to everything else on the album, the band loses the one thing it had going for it: consistency.\nIt could be worse. Alien Ant Farm could have chosen to imitate worse bands than Incubus: 3 Doors Down, Oleander or a host of others who are all actually just imitations themselves. Alien Ant Farm has aligned itself with Papa Roach, and right there is asking for trouble. Images of Mitchell trying to rap over this album's music are disturbing.\nTo give credit where credit's due, "Smooth Criminal" seemed to fit in with this album. But that's not saying much, only that this album is so spread out and unimaginative that putting a cover of an '80s pop masterpiece probably seemed logical to producer Jay Baumgardner. Until the modern rock world starts moving on and experimenting, bands like Alien Ant Farm will continue popping up everywhere.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
Sometimes absurd, sometimes outrageous, always off-the-wall, "Strip Mall" is the latest brainchild of that hilarious redhead, Julie Brown.\nNo, not "Downtown" Julie Brown, though both of them worked at MTV for a time. This is the Julie Brown who hosted "Just Say Julie" from 1989 to 1992 and starred in both "Clueless" and "Earth Girls Are Easy." But even her father has mistakenly referred to her as 'Downtown.'\n"I've kind of let it go," Brown says.\nNow, alongside Charlie Coffey, Brown has created a new comedy based in the San Fernando Valley. The story of ex-child star Tammi Tyler, "Strip Mall" scores its laughs through Tyler's misadventures as she tries to claw her way back to the top. Brown describes the show as a comic soap opera with a bunch of Hollywood wannabes. The show is shot outside a real strip mall.\nShe bases the show on the classic, outrageous soap opera "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." This dark soap opera idea and her own experiences have contributed to making "Strip Mall" the show it is.\nWhile most networks and movies might consider "Strip Mall" a little too edgy, Brown feels at home on Comedy Central. The people there have supported Brown's work. On one episode, the crew attempts to find the humor in cannibalism.\n"The fact that it's Comedy Central, we have the license to go far," Brown says. "Sometimes we go too far."\nThe costuming is just one example of the show's wild nature. Brown finds the idea of women dressing too young really fun, and her character Tammi is always trying to get noticed. Brown claims she doesn't dress like that normally.\nBrown says it was during the editing process of the first season when she realized the outlandishness of the show. She says she just sat there shocked.\n"Oh, you're shocked now," her co-workers told her. Brown likes how the show has turned out but doesn't plan on getting more outrageous. \nBrown has a lot more responsibility now that she is in charge of "Strip Mall." The experience has been fun for Brown, and she enjoys the freedom and power that go along with being in the creator's corner.\n"There's always someone in charge that really annoys the shit out of you," Brown says. But now, that person isn't there, and Brown is at the top.\nBrown is juggling a lot with "Strip Mall." Along with being the co-creator, she is also the co-writer and star. Among them all, she likes acting the most. She feels like more of a child when acting.\n"You have to use less of your brain," Brown says. \nBrown didn't have to do any research for "Strip Mall." Having a dad that worked at NBC, Brown has always been connected with the Hollywood aura. \n"I've lived around this environment," she says. \nThe schedule for "Strip Mall" can become hectic. The crew is producing 10 episodes between September and March. They move fast, and different episodes are shot at the same time. Brown says the middle is the hardest and most chaotic part.\n"We'll all kind of have breakdowns," she says.\nWith all the work "Strip Mall" requires, Brown has had little time for anything else. \n"It's been totally 'Strip Mall' for a while," Brown says. On top of that, she's juggling being a mom.\nBrown still has fond memories of her MTV days. While she never considers herself a VJ like "Downtown," she had fun hosting "Just Say Julie" But, she says, she only ended up on MTV because she had an album.\nLike Comedy Central, MTV let Brown be outrageous, but budgeting was always a problem. Even when she had the No. 1-rated show on MTV, she says the network wouldn't rent her a police uniform for an episode.\nOne of her most repulsive moments included an appearance by Gene Simmons from the band Kiss, whom she called lecherous and disgusting.\nBrown says she knows a lot of comedians and comic actors that seem pissed off and angry. She says that pain can lead someone to want to be funny. Her humor came out of a childhood in Catholic school. \n"It was so obsessive and hideous that I felt I had to be funny to make it not be so awful," she says.\nBut Brown tries not to cling to the pain like other actors.\n"I try to let it go or channel it into my work," Brown says.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
Sometimes absurd, sometimes outrageous, always off-the-wall, "Strip Mall" is the latest brainchild of that hilarious redhead, Julie Brown.\nNo, not "Downtown" Julie Brown, though both of them worked at MTV for a time. This is the Julie Brown who hosted "Just Say Julie" from 1989 to 1992 and starred in both "Clueless" and "Earth Girls Are Easy." But even her father has mistakenly referred to her as 'Downtown.'\n"I've kind of let it go," Brown says.\nNow, alongside Charlie Coffey, Brown has created a new comedy based in the San Fernando Valley. The story of ex-child star Tammi Tyler, "Strip Mall" scores its laughs through Tyler's misadventures as she tries to claw her way back to the top. Brown describes the show as a comic soap opera with a bunch of Hollywood wannabes. The show is shot outside a real strip mall.\nShe bases the show on the classic, outrageous soap opera "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." This dark soap opera idea and her own experiences have contributed to making "Strip Mall" the show it is.\nWhile most networks and movies might consider "Strip Mall" a little too edgy, Brown feels at home on Comedy Central. The people there have supported Brown's work. On one episode, the crew attempts to find the humor in cannibalism.\n"The fact that it's Comedy Central, we have the license to go far," Brown says. "Sometimes we go too far."\nThe costuming is just one example of the show's wild nature. Brown finds the idea of women dressing too young really fun, and her character Tammi is always trying to get noticed. Brown claims she doesn't dress like that normally.\nBrown says it was during the editing process of the first season when she realized the outlandishness of the show. She says she just sat there shocked.\n"Oh, you're shocked now," her co-workers told her. Brown likes how the show has turned out but doesn't plan on getting more outrageous. \nBrown has a lot more responsibility now that she is in charge of "Strip Mall." The experience has been fun for Brown, and she enjoys the freedom and power that go along with being in the creator's corner.\n"There's always someone in charge that really annoys the shit out of you," Brown says. But now, that person isn't there, and Brown is at the top.\nBrown is juggling a lot with "Strip Mall." Along with being the co-creator, she is also the co-writer and star. Among them all, she likes acting the most. She feels like more of a child when acting.\n"You have to use less of your brain," Brown says. \nBrown didn't have to do any research for "Strip Mall." Having a dad that worked at NBC, Brown has always been connected with the Hollywood aura. \n"I've lived around this environment," she says. \nThe schedule for "Strip Mall" can become hectic. The crew is producing 10 episodes between September and March. They move fast, and different episodes are shot at the same time. Brown says the middle is the hardest and most chaotic part.\n"We'll all kind of have breakdowns," she says.\nWith all the work "Strip Mall" requires, Brown has had little time for anything else. \n"It's been totally 'Strip Mall' for a while," Brown says. On top of that, she's juggling being a mom.\nBrown still has fond memories of her MTV days. While she never considers herself a VJ like "Downtown," she had fun hosting "Just Say Julie" But, she says, she only ended up on MTV because she had an album.\nLike Comedy Central, MTV let Brown be outrageous, but budgeting was always a problem. Even when she had the No. 1-rated show on MTV, she says the network wouldn't rent her a police uniform for an episode.\nOne of her most repulsive moments included an appearance by Gene Simmons from the band Kiss, whom she called lecherous and disgusting.\nBrown says she knows a lot of comedians and comic actors that seem pissed off and angry. She says that pain can lead someone to want to be funny. Her humor came out of a childhood in Catholic school. \n"It was so obsessive and hideous that I felt I had to be funny to make it not be so awful," she says.\nBut Brown tries not to cling to the pain like other actors.\n"I try to let it go or channel it into my work," Brown says.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
Michael Jackson has been defiled. The self-proclaimed King of Pop has apparently fallen into such disrepute that he's licensing his songs to second-rate rock bands. "Smooth Criminal" was never, is not and never will be a quality rock song, but that's not going to stop newcomers Alien Ant Farm from trying.\nLimp Bizkit did it with "Faith." Orgy did it with "Blue Monday." It's a fairly simple formula that has become the trend for new modern rock bands. Take a song that is good, play it with hard, grinding guitars and suddenly the band is flying high on the modern rock charts. \nIf Alien Ant Farm's spot on Papa Roach's label, New Noize, is any indication of its musical style, try Alien Ant Farm's just-finished tour with Linkin Park and just-started tour with Orgy.\nAlien Ant Farm comes across as just another flash-in-the-pan rock group. While its music walks a fine line between modern rock and the new neo-metal wave, in either case there is nothing original about Alien Ant Farm's music. \nIts current single, "Movies," imitates Incubus to the extreme (minus the DJ), right down to lead singer Dryden Mitchell's voice, which could fill in for Incubus' Brandon Boyd any day. On "Flesh and Bone," the band slips into a rhythmic beat with its guitars before going back to pounding on its guitars. Variety is good, but when the variation contrasts so heavily to everything else on the album, the band loses the one thing it had going for it: consistency.\nIt could be worse. Alien Ant Farm could have chosen to imitate worse bands than Incubus: 3 Doors Down, Oleander or a host of others who are all actually just imitations themselves. Alien Ant Farm has aligned itself with Papa Roach, and right there is asking for trouble. Images of Mitchell trying to rap over this album's music are disturbing.\nTo give credit where credit's due, "Smooth Criminal" seemed to fit in with this album. But that's not saying much, only that this album is so spread out and unimaginative that putting a cover of an '80s pop masterpiece probably seemed logical to producer Jay Baumgardner. Until the modern rock world starts moving on and experimenting, bands like Alien Ant Farm will continue popping up everywhere.
(02/28/01 5:13am)
With the big bearded guy playing air guitar, the girl in the annoying pink sweater who danced like Charlie Brown, the flasher and the girl who couldn't have weighed more than 75 pounds and crowd surfed several times only to be thrown around like a rag doll, Monday night was full of moments at the Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis. Oh yeah, a few bands played, too, but quite frankly, they weren't as interesting.\nAlien Ant Farm took the stage after an unscheduled opener by Tinfed and played to a crowd of about 200 people. The set included its first single, "Movies," and a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." This proved two things. First, second-rate rock bands should never cover Michael Jackson. Second, Alien Ant Farm's guitarist has an annoyingly high-pitched voice.\nTo give the band credit, it didn't have much of a crowd to play to, and its music was mostly uninspired, but Alien Ant Farm sounded good and played as well as any opener could, given the conditions.\nSpineshank hit next. The Los Angeles-based band's set can be summed up by loud guitars and a screaming lead singer. While the crowd had grown slightly before Spineshank performed, it was still somewhat small. Sadly, it wouldn't get that much bigger by night's end.\nSpineshank's set included tracks from both its albums: Strictly Diesel and last year's The Height Of Callousness. The band exploded through 45 minutes of new wave metal, featuring tracks such as "New Disease," "Play God" and "Strictly Diesel."\nWhile the band obviously caters to the rage and aggression in everyone, as could be seen by the moderately large mosh pit that formed early on in the set, the band's music was hardly entertaining.\nOrgy finally came on well after 10 p.m. to a crowd that still didn't pack the house. In fact, the Egyptian Room wasn't even half-full. Granted that's tough for a band, especially a headliner, to play to, but after an hour, it was obvious why the crowd was so small.\nOrgy's act, while a feast for the eyes with a mildly impressive light show, lacked any semblance of energy, perhaps because each instrument was played so loudly that it canceled the others out. The most exciting moments were easily the short drum interludes.\nBobby Hewitt, the drummer, came onstage first and launched into a several-minute drum solo before the three Orgy guitarists showed up and promptly swallowed him whole. Lead singer Jay Gordon arrived last to little fanfare as the band plowed through "Suckerface."\nAll the members of Orgy, save the barely visible drummer, were clad in classic '80s glam rock garb (come to think of it, so were a good majority of the crowd). But the music hardly resembled '80s glam rock style. Instead, it combined seven-string guitars and anthemic beats to create loud, distorted, rage-filled tracks.\nTracks from both of Orgy's albums appeared during the night. "Stitches," "Opticon" and "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" all got the crowd rowdy, but nowhere near the energy evoked during Spineshank's sets. There was no mosh pit and fewer crowd surfers. There was little crowd excitement until Gordon threw his towel into the audience, causing a fight between two teenage boys. Kudos to the two for finally deciding to tear the towel in half, hug and make up.
(02/22/01 6:01am)
It has been an exciting but long road for the Memphis-based rockers of Fuel. The band that did more than 425 shows in support of its 1998 release, Sunburn, is back on the road in support of last year's Something Like Human, an album that has spawned the hits "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and "Innocent."\nFuel is in the middle of a tour with Kid Rock and Buckcherry. Saturday, the band played Memphis. Family members for the band came out and were greeted at a dinner put on by Kid Rock.\n"At least for my family, they think it is all happening to them," says lead singer Brett Scallions of his rock star experience. Scallions says his family never encouraged him to get a real job.\nGuitarist Carl Bell was a little embarrassed when his sister approached him and complained about allowing his 5-year-old nephew to be exposed to Kid Rock's act, which included strippers. David Allen Coe, the show's opener, approached him and said he was nervous about playing his verbally explicit show when Bell's grandparents were in the crowd.\nThe band, while in the middle of a world tour, isn't planning on touring as much for Something Like Human.\n"On the last album we had to lay the foundation," Bell says. It's this foundation that has allowed Fuel to generate the enthusiasm it has. Bell says the hard work has paid off.\nBut the Sunburn tour wasn't easy for all band members. Bell says he and Scallions visited every radio station in the world while promoting Sunburn. Bell was surprised when he visited a San Francisco radio station recently and didn't know where the bathroom was.\n"I think on the last record we burned our candle at both ends," Scallions says.\nThe constant moving around gives Bell the sense of life in a bubble. \n"You wake up behind the Dumpster of some club every morning," Bell says. He says weeks dissolve with the monotonous routine.\nScallions says the band is not catered to or sitting in the lap of luxury because of its success, but it's management is loaded. Bell says he can't discuss his favorite part of being on the road.\n"The instability is the best part (of being on the road) ... and the worst," Scallions says. He also says he likes the pace.\nFuel has ventured out of the United States to promote its album. During the European tour, Bell remembers going to Italy, where the band wasn't allowed to have girls in the hotel room. He says Italy takes radio much more seriously. Armed guards were posted outside of the station; Bell says it felt like a prison.\nBell says his diverse background gives the band motivation to do what it does now. Bell grew up without television and had an older brother who introduced him to a variety of music like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. \n"To alleviate boredom I turned to music," Bell says.\nHe says Scallions is a Barbra Streisand fan.\n"Hey man, Barbra rocks," Scallions says. \nScallions says he would pay to see a show that involves Streisand throwing up and then canceling.\nLately, Bell has been listening to Twilight by the Twighlight Singers featuring the former Afghan Wigs singer.\nFuel's show is full of high energy rock, but the band feels it tries to put more into the music than other hard rock acts.\n"A lot of bands base their music off of testosterone," Scallions says. "It's a waste to me." Scallions says Fuel tries to give its music as much energy and passion but also meaning.\nWhile Something Like Human is a standard rock 'n' roll record, the band tries to vary the hard rock with the occasional ballad.\n"A little diversity goes a long way for me," Bell says.\nWhile Fuel always has a game plan before going out, Bell says he has the most fun "just hanging out onstage."\nBell and Scallions rarely listen to their own material. Scallions says he listened to it once when it was home.\n"People come up to me, and they'll be like, 'I liked that song, track number six,'" Scallions says. "What's even on that record?" is his response.\nBell and Scallion say, sarcastically, they haven't been jaded by the business. While they aren't as dedicated to their label as some groups and artists, it has worked out well so far.\n"It almost becomes cliche that you have to hate the label," Bell says.\nApart from the money, Bell has other motivations.\n"McDonald's is the alternative. That's a pretty good motivator," he says.
(02/22/01 5:44am)
There's a perfectly good reason Anthony Kiedis is the vocalist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Frusciante is the guitarist: Kiedis can sing, Frusciante can play the guitar, not the other way around!\nThus the guitar work on his solo album, To Record Only Water For Ten Days, is impeccable, but the singing just doesn't work. Frusciante constantly goes out of his range and just does not hit the right notes. Even when he's on scale, his voice doesn't go well with the music: It is too overbearing, and it is bad. The most pleasing parts of most of the songs are the beginnings, before Frusciante starts singing.\nThat said, Frusciante manages to put forward a decent effort of material musically. Straightforward, mellow rock sums up this album in a nutshell. His guitar work, while somewhat repetitive, creates a sonically exciting yet low-key sound.\nBut it's not the same feel as a hard-hitting RHCP album like BloodSugarSexMagik or Californication. Without Flea's wild bass or Kiedis' intimate lyrics, this album suffers from lack of substance. Frusciante obviously stayed far away from the funk-rock sound of RHCP, but even that aside, it's still possible to put some power into what he was trying to do.\nThe biggest problem, apart from the vocals, comes with the background effects. Often it is either a cheap synthesizer or low-budget drum machine. They sound like they were added at the last second to give the songs a stronger feel. They failed. \nAbout the only standout track on the album is "Murders." Completely instrumental, the song starts out as a techno track, led by a drum machine that sounds like it's about to die, until Frusciante's guitar comes in and takes over. Not great, but good for this album. Of course, then Frusciante's lyrics kick in on the next track, and I wanted to drive a stake into the heart of my CD player. \nIf anything, Water proves why the RHCP brought Frusciante back as its guitarist after Dave Navarro's departure, but also why he's not likely to take Kiedis' place. As the title implies, it's quite plausible that Frusciante actually recorded this album in only 10 days. But maybe if he had stuck with recording only water, it would have been a tad better.
(02/22/01 5:00am)
There's a perfectly good reason Anthony Kiedis is the vocalist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Frusciante is the guitarist: Kiedis can sing, Frusciante can play the guitar, not the other way around!\nThus the guitar work on his solo album, To Record Only Water For Ten Days, is impeccable, but the singing just doesn't work. Frusciante constantly goes out of his range and just does not hit the right notes. Even when he's on scale, his voice doesn't go well with the music: It is too overbearing, and it is bad. The most pleasing parts of most of the songs are the beginnings, before Frusciante starts singing.\nThat said, Frusciante manages to put forward a decent effort of material musically. Straightforward, mellow rock sums up this album in a nutshell. His guitar work, while somewhat repetitive, creates a sonically exciting yet low-key sound.\nBut it's not the same feel as a hard-hitting RHCP album like BloodSugarSexMagik or Californication. Without Flea's wild bass or Kiedis' intimate lyrics, this album suffers from lack of substance. Frusciante obviously stayed far away from the funk-rock sound of RHCP, but even that aside, it's still possible to put some power into what he was trying to do.\nThe biggest problem, apart from the vocals, comes with the background effects. Often it is either a cheap synthesizer or low-budget drum machine. They sound like they were added at the last second to give the songs a stronger feel. They failed. \nAbout the only standout track on the album is "Murders." Completely instrumental, the song starts out as a techno track, led by a drum machine that sounds like it's about to die, until Frusciante's guitar comes in and takes over. Not great, but good for this album. Of course, then Frusciante's lyrics kick in on the next track, and I wanted to drive a stake into the heart of my CD player. \nIf anything, Water proves why the RHCP brought Frusciante back as its guitarist after Dave Navarro's departure, but also why he's not likely to take Kiedis' place. As the title implies, it's quite plausible that Frusciante actually recorded this album in only 10 days. But maybe if he had stuck with recording only water, it would have been a tad better.
(02/22/01 5:00am)
It has been an exciting but long road for the Memphis-based rockers of Fuel. The band that did more than 425 shows in support of its 1998 release, Sunburn, is back on the road in support of last year's Something Like Human, an album that has spawned the hits "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and "Innocent."\nFuel is in the middle of a tour with Kid Rock and Buckcherry. Saturday, the band played Memphis. Family members for the band came out and were greeted at a dinner put on by Kid Rock.\n"At least for my family, they think it is all happening to them," says lead singer Brett Scallions of his rock star experience. Scallions says his family never encouraged him to get a real job.\nGuitarist Carl Bell was a little embarrassed when his sister approached him and complained about allowing his 5-year-old nephew to be exposed to Kid Rock's act, which included strippers. David Allen Coe, the show's opener, approached him and said he was nervous about playing his verbally explicit show when Bell's grandparents were in the crowd.\nThe band, while in the middle of a world tour, isn't planning on touring as much for Something Like Human.\n"On the last album we had to lay the foundation," Bell says. It's this foundation that has allowed Fuel to generate the enthusiasm it has. Bell says the hard work has paid off.\nBut the Sunburn tour wasn't easy for all band members. Bell says he and Scallions visited every radio station in the world while promoting Sunburn. Bell was surprised when he visited a San Francisco radio station recently and didn't know where the bathroom was.\n"I think on the last record we burned our candle at both ends," Scallions says.\nThe constant moving around gives Bell the sense of life in a bubble. \n"You wake up behind the Dumpster of some club every morning," Bell says. He says weeks dissolve with the monotonous routine.\nScallions says the band is not catered to or sitting in the lap of luxury because of its success, but it's management is loaded. Bell says he can't discuss his favorite part of being on the road.\n"The instability is the best part (of being on the road) ... and the worst," Scallions says. He also says he likes the pace.\nFuel has ventured out of the United States to promote its album. During the European tour, Bell remembers going to Italy, where the band wasn't allowed to have girls in the hotel room. He says Italy takes radio much more seriously. Armed guards were posted outside of the station; Bell says it felt like a prison.\nBell says his diverse background gives the band motivation to do what it does now. Bell grew up without television and had an older brother who introduced him to a variety of music like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. \n"To alleviate boredom I turned to music," Bell says.\nHe says Scallions is a Barbra Streisand fan.\n"Hey man, Barbra rocks," Scallions says. \nScallions says he would pay to see a show that involves Streisand throwing up and then canceling.\nLately, Bell has been listening to Twilight by the Twighlight Singers featuring the former Afghan Wigs singer.\nFuel's show is full of high energy rock, but the band feels it tries to put more into the music than other hard rock acts.\n"A lot of bands base their music off of testosterone," Scallions says. "It's a waste to me." Scallions says Fuel tries to give its music as much energy and passion but also meaning.\nWhile Something Like Human is a standard rock 'n' roll record, the band tries to vary the hard rock with the occasional ballad.\n"A little diversity goes a long way for me," Bell says.\nWhile Fuel always has a game plan before going out, Bell says he has the most fun "just hanging out onstage."\nBell and Scallions rarely listen to their own material. Scallions says he listened to it once when it was home.\n"People come up to me, and they'll be like, 'I liked that song, track number six,'" Scallions says. "What's even on that record?" is his response.\nBell and Scallion say, sarcastically, they haven't been jaded by the business. While they aren't as dedicated to their label as some groups and artists, it has worked out well so far.\n"It almost becomes cliche that you have to hate the label," Bell says.\nApart from the money, Bell has other motivations.\n"McDonald's is the alternative. That's a pretty good motivator," he says.
(02/21/01 4:56am)
\"Now this is an official rock and roll show," said Fuel lead singer Brett Scallions as he held up a bra. But to say that the show began there, during the three-song encore, would be incorrect. Fuel powered through an hour and a half, start to finish, with pure rock and roll Sunday at the Egyptian Room of the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis.\nThe evening kicked off with a performance from Buckcherry, a band that eerily resembles a young AC/DC. Case in point: the lead singer's vocals are too overbearing for the music and the guitarist dances around shirtless, wearing a tie. And the stripping didn't stop there, when lead singer Josh Todd revealed that, while his abs might be stacked, he's the skinniest lead man in modern rock.\nBuckcherry's short set included a few hits from its debut album, such as "For The Movies" and "Dead Again," plus a few new tracks, including "Whiskey in the Morning," from its upcoming release, Time Bomb. To close the show, Todd lectured the crowd about how all things that come from the earth get people high, before blasting into the band's smash single, "Lit Up." \nWhile the band obviously tried, its music was often too intense. The guitars were erratic and Todd could not stop screaming. The studio did wonders for these guys. \nBut not all was lost. Fuel appeared about minutes later and rocked the house. Kicking off with "Mary Pretends," the band played a clean, crisp set which just as much power and intensity as Buckcherry. But in Fuel's case, it came naturally. The instruments and vocals combined seamlessly to give fans a powerful performance.\nThe crowd got going when the band played the heavy "Bittersweet" from its 1998 release, Sunburn. Bodies were thrown around, a small mosh pit tempted the aggressive and relentless, and hordes of fans were hoisted to be crowd surfed to the stage. It was rock and roll at its finest.\nNot to be outdone by Buckcherry's "Let them smoke crack" speech, Scallions spoke about the connection between youth violence and music, or the lack thereof, before the band played "Jesus or a Gun."\nBut heavy-hitting rock and roll wasn't the only thing on the menu for Fuel; the band took a break to play a few of its ballads. "Bad Day" was a fan favorite and guitarist Bell took a short interlude afterward for a rendition of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."\nFuel did not ignore its latest release, 2000's Something Like Human. But songs such as "Innocent" and "Last Time" didn't generate the same power as Sunburn's hit, "Shimmer." The band closed its set with its biggest single, "Hemorrhage (in my hands)," which spent eight weeks atop the modern rock charts.\nCheck out Thursday's IDS Weekend for an interview with Fuel.
