Here are a couple of San Diego shows I'm looking forward to in the near future:
Ozomatli with Chali 2na
Three nights at the Belly Up
Why it's important: Reuniting with MC Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) represents a much-needed return to this seminal SoCal rock en espanol band's roots.
Show: Jan. 22-24
Devotchka
Totally rocked Street Scene last year
Belly Up
Why it's important: Great songwriting embedded in Eastern European and mariachi desert noir bittersweet music
Show: Feb. 4
The Bird and the Bee
Inara George (Lowell George's daughter) sings sweet indie pop with Greg Kurstin (Geggy Tah)
The Casbah
Why it's important: One of the freshest voices in indie pop
Show: Feb. 5
Andrew Bird
My favorite singer songwriter from the past few years
SOMA
Why it's important: Multi-faceted classical musician skilled with violin, guitar, voice and his world-class whistling skills
Show: Feb. 15
Hank Williams III
A REAL maverick
4th&B
Why it's important: Master of all styles country from traditional twang to hellbilly, 'III' is touring on a new album
Show: Feb. 24
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
M-A-C-E-O: Shake Everything You Got
Let's stay on the funk tip and hang with Mr. Maceo Parker for a while. This clip features "Shake Everything You Got," a Maceo staple recorded for a live DVD titled "My First Name is Maceo." This is a great clip with the original Horny Horns (James Brown's legendary horn section): Fred Wesley on trombone (giving an amazing solo that sounds like butter sliding off hot mashed potatoes), Pee Wee Ellis on tenor and Maceo on alto. I believe this was filmed in '94 (as proven by Maceo's abundance of hair and sideburns). Maceo's brand of funk is much more subtle than JB's, slowly evolving through long jams to create a feeling. I always crack a smile when I listen to live Maceo:
I was sniffing around the Interweb when I came across this bio of Maceo (which happens to quote yours truly):
http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003969/Maceo-Parker.html
Here's the quote:
Throughout the 1990s, Parker continued to tour, record, and collaborate. Parker told Chris Nixon of the San Diego Union-Tribune, "I still love the work, I love my job and I love the people. At the same time, it gets a few bills paid as well."
Here's the article I wrote:
http://chrisnix.blogspot.com/2004/01/father-of-funk-sax-and-ghostly-country.html
I'll try to post a few soundclips from the interview in the next day or two.
Lastly, a non-music related note. My wife and I are attempting our second half marathon next Sunday in Carlsbad. I think our training looked a little something like this:
I was sniffing around the Interweb when I came across this bio of Maceo (which happens to quote yours truly):
http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003969/Maceo-Parker.html
Here's the quote:
Throughout the 1990s, Parker continued to tour, record, and collaborate. Parker told Chris Nixon of the San Diego Union-Tribune, "I still love the work, I love my job and I love the people. At the same time, it gets a few bills paid as well."
Here's the article I wrote:
http://chrisnix.blogspot.com/2004/01/father-of-funk-sax-and-ghostly-country.html
I'll try to post a few soundclips from the interview in the next day or two.
Lastly, a non-music related note. My wife and I are attempting our second half marathon next Sunday in Carlsbad. I think our training looked a little something like this:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Video du jour: Godfather teaches you his moves
I love this kitschy little clip of James hamming it up for the camera.
Here's another JB clip I love:
That's JB at the Olympia in Paris circa 1971. Bootsy Collins on bass, Bobby Byrd on organ, and that's a ripping trombone solo by Fred Wesley. The only thing that could make this better is a hot Maceo solo (but he wasn't on this date). Awesome, awesome band at their peak.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Boom Boom's in town
Tony Hawk brings his Huckjam to the Q
By Chris Nixon
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
After six years of touring the states and spreading the gospel of skateboarding to all corners of the country, Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huckjam continues to showcase the lighthearted side of skating, BMX and FMX (motocross) in a noncompetitive environment.
But what is this Boom Boom Huckjam, and how did it get its unusual name?
Tour namesake Hawk explained while on the road somewhere in the Midwest, his 2-month-old baby girl, Kadence, sitting on his lap as he talked: “We use the term 'hucking' to refer to launching ourselves in the air. And it's a 'jam' as opposed to a competition. And I just threw the 'boom boom' in there for a little Japanese kitsch flavor.”
Basically, the Boom Boom Huckjam is a chance for Hawk to hang out and skate with a bunch of his professional skater friends, spreading the joys of hucking throughout the land. The tour is a culmination of Hawk's 26 years as a pro skater, giving credence to his status as the Tiger Woods of action sports.
Hawk started his journey as a skateboarding icon in the local community of Tierrasanta. His dad, Frank, was in the Navy, and the skinny kid found an outlet for his energy and high level of focus in skateboarding.
“It wasn't cliché California, because it wasn't like we got to go to the beach all the time,” recalled the 40-year-old Hawk. “But the fact that there was support for skateboarding back when it wasn't an acceptable activity for kids was pretty major. There were skate parks and my dad was supportive, if I had lived somewhere else, I wouldn't have that support.”
Since his days learning moves in the few local skate parks in the early '80s, Hawk has transformed himself into the face of action sports (skating, snowboarding, motocross and BMX). He has clothing lines and video games and all the accouterments of top-echelon sports celebrities.
But the accolades mean nothing without the cred, and Hawk has earned his street credibility through gold medals at the X-Games and achieving the previously unachievable in skating.
The legendary Dogtown team sponsored him at age 12. He was pro by age 14. He owned his first house at age 17. During his 17 years as a pro skateboarder, Hawk entered 103 pro contests. He won 73 of them, and placed second in 19. He landed the first 900 (2.5 revolutions) in competition during the 1999 X-Games, and has climbed over every hurdle offered by his sport.
Every athlete has to make decisions in their career about when to hang it up. In the afterglow of the 900 at the X-Games, Hawk decided to step away from competition.
But the drive and focus that propelled the skater to the top of his sport kept his creative juices flowing, and Hawk couldn't stay still for long. Hence, the Boom Boom Huckjam.
“Basically, I stopped competing after '99 and I really enjoyed performing still,” said Hawk. “It felt like the only time I got to perform at big venues was on the coattails of some other big events: a concert tour or a halftime show. It was never focused on what we did. I felt like we had come far enough and had the merit to headline our own tour. I just decided I wanted to make a tour exclusively designed around arenas, hire some of the best talent and make a show out of it as opposed to competing.”
Starting in '02 with a one-off show in Las Vegas, the tour has grown into a 30-date annual tour. This year, the Huckjam features skaters Hawk, Jesse Fritsch, Kevin Staab, Neal Hendrix and Sergie Ventura; BMX-ers John Parker, Dennis McCoy and Kevin Robinson; and FMX-ers Sean Nielsen, Greg Garrison and Drake McElroy. Jason Ellis will be your master of ceremonies. Also featured this year are the scratch skills of Mike Relm.
A self-professed DJ nerd who never really skated growing up, Relm has been impressed with Hawk and his work ethic.
“Skating isn't like the Ice Capades, where everything is razor sharp and if you fall it's a rarity,” said Relm. “People fall. It is what it is. They are constantly pushing themselves. And when you do that, you'll fall because you're trying things you've never done before. And he does that at the show.
“He can say: 'I'm Tony Hawk. I'm going to do a perfect run right now.' Bam-bam-bam, do a perfect run and all the kids love him. But he'll do his run and he'll nail most of the tricks. But every once in a while, he'll try stuff and he doesn't quite make it. But he'll keep doing it. He'll even do it while the credits are rolling, until he lands the trick. It's crazy. I think that's great for the kids to see.”
Tony Hawk's fond memories of Boom Boom
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
Cue the string quartet – Tony Hawk is going down memory lane. Actually, scratch that. Hawk isn't the melodramatic type. But he does have a few choice memories from the past six years of Huckjams.
“The tour keeps evolving, but definitely there are highlights for me,” said Hawk. “One highlight was our very first show, our sort of test show in Vegas in '02. We had Shawn White come out at the last minute as our special guest rookie. And you know how far he's come since then, so that was pretty cool.”
And here's another from the Hawk archive: “One of my favorite memories was from our first tour year in '03, we had Devo play at our San Diego show. Devo is one of my favorite bands of all time, and I'd never seen them live before. And they're playing our tour. It was like Spicoli throwing the birthday party for himself with Van Halen.”
– CHRIS NIXON
Mike Relm: Scratch DJing with eye candy
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
“I never skated,” admitted DJ Mike Relm, the resident audio and video technician for this year's Boom Boom Huckjam tour. “I was a hardcore DJ nerd. Once I got turntables, I've had blinders on since.”
Sporting his trademark horned-rimmed glasses along with the old school skinny tie and Men in Black/Reservoir Dogs black suit, the Bay Area DJ continues to redefine the boundaries of scratch DJing. With a playful party vibe, the mix master takes scratching to the next dimension: video.
Juggling pop culture clips from films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Office Space,” quirky obscurities like “Pee-wee's Playhouse” theme and old Lucha Libre videos, random kitsch from the likes of “Napoleon Dynamite” and forgotten '80s groups like The Outfield, Relm literally scratches video.
Here's how it goes down at a Mike Relm show: While the DJ scratches traditional turntables, DVD and CDs, a large screen shows synced images bouncing to and fro: everything from Bjork hopping about in her video “Human Behavior” and the “Peanuts” characters dancing to the sounds of Vince Guaraldi's classic soundtrack to mash-ups of Led Zeppelin's “Immigrant Song” and Jimi Hendrix's “Fire.”
His original style has led to gigs with Lyrics Born, Money Mark, Gift of Gab, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and most recently the Blue Man Group, and solo shows at high-profile music fests like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Bonnaroo.
For Relm, the technique is secondary to keeping the party vibe to his shows: “I did parties for so long that it was always in what I did. But I always scratched. That's for sure what I do. I've seen guys that can scratch better than most of the top-notch DJs. But if you don't have the instinct of playing a party or a show, then it really doesn't sound like much. It comes out sounding technical.
“You have to apply (technique) to entertainment, which is what this is,” continued Relm, speaking from a recent Huckjam tour stop in St. Louis last week. “It's like in skating: You can do all the technical tricks, but if you can't present it as a show, then you're just doing it for yourself.”
Relm adds a live element to the show lacking in year's past, according to tour founder Tony Hawk.
“Once we lost live bands in our show, we basically just had a soundtrack every year,” Hawk said. “That's fine, but I really like the element where he could mix stuff on the fly and change up the show right in the middle of it.
“In the past (when someone took a fall during a run), the music just stopped and we had to wait and figure out what we're going to do next, and now Mike really keeps the flow going.”
Relm is also scheduled for a local solo show Oct. 23 at The Casbah, ($12, casbahmusic.com).
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
After six years of touring the states and spreading the gospel of skateboarding to all corners of the country, Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huckjam continues to showcase the lighthearted side of skating, BMX and FMX (motocross) in a noncompetitive environment.
But what is this Boom Boom Huckjam, and how did it get its unusual name?
Tour namesake Hawk explained while on the road somewhere in the Midwest, his 2-month-old baby girl, Kadence, sitting on his lap as he talked: “We use the term 'hucking' to refer to launching ourselves in the air. And it's a 'jam' as opposed to a competition. And I just threw the 'boom boom' in there for a little Japanese kitsch flavor.”
Basically, the Boom Boom Huckjam is a chance for Hawk to hang out and skate with a bunch of his professional skater friends, spreading the joys of hucking throughout the land. The tour is a culmination of Hawk's 26 years as a pro skater, giving credence to his status as the Tiger Woods of action sports.
Hawk started his journey as a skateboarding icon in the local community of Tierrasanta. His dad, Frank, was in the Navy, and the skinny kid found an outlet for his energy and high level of focus in skateboarding.
“It wasn't cliché California, because it wasn't like we got to go to the beach all the time,” recalled the 40-year-old Hawk. “But the fact that there was support for skateboarding back when it wasn't an acceptable activity for kids was pretty major. There were skate parks and my dad was supportive, if I had lived somewhere else, I wouldn't have that support.”
Since his days learning moves in the few local skate parks in the early '80s, Hawk has transformed himself into the face of action sports (skating, snowboarding, motocross and BMX). He has clothing lines and video games and all the accouterments of top-echelon sports celebrities.
But the accolades mean nothing without the cred, and Hawk has earned his street credibility through gold medals at the X-Games and achieving the previously unachievable in skating.
DETAILS
Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huckjam
When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Where: AEG Live Concerts on the Green, Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley
Tickets: $24.75-$39
Phone: (619) 641-3100
Online: ticketmaster.com
The legendary Dogtown team sponsored him at age 12. He was pro by age 14. He owned his first house at age 17. During his 17 years as a pro skateboarder, Hawk entered 103 pro contests. He won 73 of them, and placed second in 19. He landed the first 900 (2.5 revolutions) in competition during the 1999 X-Games, and has climbed over every hurdle offered by his sport.
Every athlete has to make decisions in their career about when to hang it up. In the afterglow of the 900 at the X-Games, Hawk decided to step away from competition.
But the drive and focus that propelled the skater to the top of his sport kept his creative juices flowing, and Hawk couldn't stay still for long. Hence, the Boom Boom Huckjam.
“Basically, I stopped competing after '99 and I really enjoyed performing still,” said Hawk. “It felt like the only time I got to perform at big venues was on the coattails of some other big events: a concert tour or a halftime show. It was never focused on what we did. I felt like we had come far enough and had the merit to headline our own tour. I just decided I wanted to make a tour exclusively designed around arenas, hire some of the best talent and make a show out of it as opposed to competing.”
Starting in '02 with a one-off show in Las Vegas, the tour has grown into a 30-date annual tour. This year, the Huckjam features skaters Hawk, Jesse Fritsch, Kevin Staab, Neal Hendrix and Sergie Ventura; BMX-ers John Parker, Dennis McCoy and Kevin Robinson; and FMX-ers Sean Nielsen, Greg Garrison and Drake McElroy. Jason Ellis will be your master of ceremonies. Also featured this year are the scratch skills of Mike Relm.
A self-professed DJ nerd who never really skated growing up, Relm has been impressed with Hawk and his work ethic.
“Skating isn't like the Ice Capades, where everything is razor sharp and if you fall it's a rarity,” said Relm. “People fall. It is what it is. They are constantly pushing themselves. And when you do that, you'll fall because you're trying things you've never done before. And he does that at the show.
“He can say: 'I'm Tony Hawk. I'm going to do a perfect run right now.' Bam-bam-bam, do a perfect run and all the kids love him. But he'll do his run and he'll nail most of the tricks. But every once in a while, he'll try stuff and he doesn't quite make it. But he'll keep doing it. He'll even do it while the credits are rolling, until he lands the trick. It's crazy. I think that's great for the kids to see.”
Tony Hawk's fond memories of Boom Boom
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
Cue the string quartet – Tony Hawk is going down memory lane. Actually, scratch that. Hawk isn't the melodramatic type. But he does have a few choice memories from the past six years of Huckjams.
“The tour keeps evolving, but definitely there are highlights for me,” said Hawk. “One highlight was our very first show, our sort of test show in Vegas in '02. We had Shawn White come out at the last minute as our special guest rookie. And you know how far he's come since then, so that was pretty cool.”
And here's another from the Hawk archive: “One of my favorite memories was from our first tour year in '03, we had Devo play at our San Diego show. Devo is one of my favorite bands of all time, and I'd never seen them live before. And they're playing our tour. It was like Spicoli throwing the birthday party for himself with Van Halen.”
– CHRIS NIXON
Mike Relm: Scratch DJing with eye candy
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 21, 2008
“I never skated,” admitted DJ Mike Relm, the resident audio and video technician for this year's Boom Boom Huckjam tour. “I was a hardcore DJ nerd. Once I got turntables, I've had blinders on since.”
Sporting his trademark horned-rimmed glasses along with the old school skinny tie and Men in Black/Reservoir Dogs black suit, the Bay Area DJ continues to redefine the boundaries of scratch DJing. With a playful party vibe, the mix master takes scratching to the next dimension: video.
Juggling pop culture clips from films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Office Space,” quirky obscurities like “Pee-wee's Playhouse” theme and old Lucha Libre videos, random kitsch from the likes of “Napoleon Dynamite” and forgotten '80s groups like The Outfield, Relm literally scratches video.
Here's how it goes down at a Mike Relm show: While the DJ scratches traditional turntables, DVD and CDs, a large screen shows synced images bouncing to and fro: everything from Bjork hopping about in her video “Human Behavior” and the “Peanuts” characters dancing to the sounds of Vince Guaraldi's classic soundtrack to mash-ups of Led Zeppelin's “Immigrant Song” and Jimi Hendrix's “Fire.”
His original style has led to gigs with Lyrics Born, Money Mark, Gift of Gab, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and most recently the Blue Man Group, and solo shows at high-profile music fests like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Bonnaroo.
For Relm, the technique is secondary to keeping the party vibe to his shows: “I did parties for so long that it was always in what I did. But I always scratched. That's for sure what I do. I've seen guys that can scratch better than most of the top-notch DJs. But if you don't have the instinct of playing a party or a show, then it really doesn't sound like much. It comes out sounding technical.
“You have to apply (technique) to entertainment, which is what this is,” continued Relm, speaking from a recent Huckjam tour stop in St. Louis last week. “It's like in skating: You can do all the technical tricks, but if you can't present it as a show, then you're just doing it for yourself.”
Relm adds a live element to the show lacking in year's past, according to tour founder Tony Hawk.
“Once we lost live bands in our show, we basically just had a soundtrack every year,” Hawk said. “That's fine, but I really like the element where he could mix stuff on the fly and change up the show right in the middle of it.
“In the past (when someone took a fall during a run), the music just stopped and we had to wait and figure out what we're going to do next, and now Mike really keeps the flow going.”
Relm is also scheduled for a local solo show Oct. 23 at The Casbah, ($12, casbahmusic.com).
– CHRIS NIXON
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A pair of 'kindred spirits'
Twist of fate linked Marc Brueland, Tuomas Holopainen – and created a life-affirming friendship
By Chris Nixon
May 22, 2008
“Higher than hope my cure lies,” reads the gravestone of Marc Christopher Brueland, a San Diego DJ, artist and animator who passed away in 2003 after battling liver cancer for seven and a half years.
In a strange twist of fate, three disparate elements have combined to create a powerful story: a British cartoon from the 1980s, a Finnish metal band and Brueland's battle with cancer. The story has inspired a song, numerous YouTube video tributes and music fans around the world.
Brueland grew up in Tierrasanta, a kid fascinated with both music and art. He started his own comic book company, Invincible Studios, and later worked as an animator for The Lightspan Partnership, a local computer animation studio.
Brueland also DJed every Saturday night at Club Sabbatt, a goth/industrial club in Hillcrest. At age 22, he was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.
During his formative years, Brueland fell in love with a 26-minute, animated piece called “The Snowman.” First shown on the BBC, the cartoon includes the haunting song “Walking in the Air,” which reached No. 5 on the United Kingdom pop charts in 1985.
Halfway around the world from San Diego, the young Tuomas Holopainen watched the animated film at his home in Finland. In 1996, the musician formed Nightwish, a Finnish prog-metal band. On its 1998 album “Oceanborn,” the group covered “Walking in the Air” from “The Snowman.”
Brueland discovered the song on a compilation he found at Tower Records in San Diego. Marc's mother, Georgene, remembers the day Marc brought home the compilation: “The music brought us together as a family once again as it did in Marc's childhood, especially at this difficult time in Marc's life.”
Says Marc's sister Erin: “It was one of those moments that just changes you forever. It was just fate or chance that he found the song on a compilation.”
Over the next four years, Holopainen would get to know the Brueland family through correspondence and visiting San Diego. Each time the musician visited San Diego, Marc was too ill to meet him. Terminally ill with cancer, Marc decided he finally needed to meet Tuomas.
So the Brueland family traveled to Atlanta to see Nightwish perform “Walking in the Air” onstage at the ProgPower festival.
“When he flew to Atlanta, he had metastasis all over his abdomen and all over his lungs,” remembered Georgene. “He was in severe pain. But he wanted to do this for Tuomas and for the band. I'll never forget the flight there. It was terrifying for me as a mom to watch, because his body was wracked with this disease. But that's the kind of person Marc was.”
In front of thousands of fans at the ProgPower V festival, Nightwish performed with the Brueland family watching from the wings. Before launching into the song, Tuomas dedicated “Walking in the Air” to Marc. Even in his weakened condition, Brueland was able to get out of his wheelchair and walk to the stage to hug Tuomas.
A month later, as Marc Brueland lay on his deathbed at the San Diego Hospice, Erin and Georgene called Tuomas so he could say goodbye to Marc. Georgene thought to call the Finnish musician: “Tuomas was on the phone with Marc a few minutes before he died.”
Erin added; “We called Tuomas from the hospice just so he could say goodbye. Marc couldn't talk. He was wheezing from all the fluid in his lungs. But Tuomas got to hear him breathe.”
Touched by Marc's life, Holopainen wrote the song “Higher Than Hope” as a tribute. The song includes an excerpt of Marc's voice recorded in an interview with local television reporter Sandra Moss for News 8 KFMB. Brueland's gravestone inscription is the chorus in “Higher Than Hope.”
In the years following Marc's death, the Brueland and Holopainen families have become more intertwined. The friendship between the families has helped Erin and Georgene cope with the passing of Marc's father, Eric, also from cancer, in 2007. Tuomas' parents Kitia and Pentti were in San Diego when Eric passed away.
“To this day, Tuomas has joined our family,” Georgene said. “I lost my husband now. So there's nobody left but Erin and I. We have an adopted family now in another country. And the kinship of these metal fans is so loving.”
Nightwish will be playing its first show in San Diego tomorrow at the House of Blues downtown, and it's going to be a special night for the friends and family of Marc Brueland.
“They're two kindred spirits that met just the one time, but their story has really touched everybody who hears it,” said Erin Brueland. “The fans of Nightwish still remember him. They still talk about him on the forum of the Web site. When we go to gigs all over the country, people know who we are and they remember Marc.
“That's why it's a very special day when they finally play his hometown. We've been waiting for this forever. It's really a celebration of Marc and the band.”
Georgene Brueland said it best: “This is a beautiful thing that came out of a horrible tragedy.”
MARC WAS ALWAYS A HEAVY METAL FAN
Drawing inspiration from fantasy novels like “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the Dragonlance series, Holopainen creates fantastic imagery in his lyrics.
The band is currently touring behind its 2007 release, “Dark Passion Play.” Tomorrow's show at the House of Blues will be the band's first appearance in San Diego.
Erin Brueland on Nightwish's musical appeal to her family: “Marc (her brother) was always a heavy metal fan. And this European style of symphonic metal, with the orchestra and the female vocals, was somewhat new to us at the time. We got the best introduction to it with Nightwish.”
The Nightwish lineup includes Holopainen (keyboards, vocals), Anette Olzon (vocals), Erno “Emppu” Vuorinen (guitar), Marko “Marco” Hietala (bass, vocals) and Jukka “Julius” Nevalainen (drums).
Learn more about Marc Brueland at invinciblestudios.com and see more photos of Brueland and Nightwish at invinciblestudios.com/marcphotos.html.
By Chris Nixon
May 22, 2008
“Higher than hope my cure lies,” reads the gravestone of Marc Christopher Brueland, a San Diego DJ, artist and animator who passed away in 2003 after battling liver cancer for seven and a half years.
In a strange twist of fate, three disparate elements have combined to create a powerful story: a British cartoon from the 1980s, a Finnish metal band and Brueland's battle with cancer. The story has inspired a song, numerous YouTube video tributes and music fans around the world.
Brueland grew up in Tierrasanta, a kid fascinated with both music and art. He started his own comic book company, Invincible Studios, and later worked as an animator for The Lightspan Partnership, a local computer animation studio.
Brueland also DJed every Saturday night at Club Sabbatt, a goth/industrial club in Hillcrest. At age 22, he was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.
DETAILS
Nightwish
When: Tomorrow, 9 p.m.
Where: House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., downtown
Tickets: $25-$60
Phone: (619) 299-2583
Online: hob.com
During his formative years, Brueland fell in love with a 26-minute, animated piece called “The Snowman.” First shown on the BBC, the cartoon includes the haunting song “Walking in the Air,” which reached No. 5 on the United Kingdom pop charts in 1985.
Halfway around the world from San Diego, the young Tuomas Holopainen watched the animated film at his home in Finland. In 1996, the musician formed Nightwish, a Finnish prog-metal band. On its 1998 album “Oceanborn,” the group covered “Walking in the Air” from “The Snowman.”
Brueland discovered the song on a compilation he found at Tower Records in San Diego. Marc's mother, Georgene, remembers the day Marc brought home the compilation: “The music brought us together as a family once again as it did in Marc's childhood, especially at this difficult time in Marc's life.”
Says Marc's sister Erin: “It was one of those moments that just changes you forever. It was just fate or chance that he found the song on a compilation.”
Over the next four years, Holopainen would get to know the Brueland family through correspondence and visiting San Diego. Each time the musician visited San Diego, Marc was too ill to meet him. Terminally ill with cancer, Marc decided he finally needed to meet Tuomas.
So the Brueland family traveled to Atlanta to see Nightwish perform “Walking in the Air” onstage at the ProgPower festival.
“When he flew to Atlanta, he had metastasis all over his abdomen and all over his lungs,” remembered Georgene. “He was in severe pain. But he wanted to do this for Tuomas and for the band. I'll never forget the flight there. It was terrifying for me as a mom to watch, because his body was wracked with this disease. But that's the kind of person Marc was.”
In front of thousands of fans at the ProgPower V festival, Nightwish performed with the Brueland family watching from the wings. Before launching into the song, Tuomas dedicated “Walking in the Air” to Marc. Even in his weakened condition, Brueland was able to get out of his wheelchair and walk to the stage to hug Tuomas.
A month later, as Marc Brueland lay on his deathbed at the San Diego Hospice, Erin and Georgene called Tuomas so he could say goodbye to Marc. Georgene thought to call the Finnish musician: “Tuomas was on the phone with Marc a few minutes before he died.”
Erin added; “We called Tuomas from the hospice just so he could say goodbye. Marc couldn't talk. He was wheezing from all the fluid in his lungs. But Tuomas got to hear him breathe.”
Touched by Marc's life, Holopainen wrote the song “Higher Than Hope” as a tribute. The song includes an excerpt of Marc's voice recorded in an interview with local television reporter Sandra Moss for News 8 KFMB. Brueland's gravestone inscription is the chorus in “Higher Than Hope.”
In the years following Marc's death, the Brueland and Holopainen families have become more intertwined. The friendship between the families has helped Erin and Georgene cope with the passing of Marc's father, Eric, also from cancer, in 2007. Tuomas' parents Kitia and Pentti were in San Diego when Eric passed away.
“To this day, Tuomas has joined our family,” Georgene said. “I lost my husband now. So there's nobody left but Erin and I. We have an adopted family now in another country. And the kinship of these metal fans is so loving.”
Nightwish will be playing its first show in San Diego tomorrow at the House of Blues downtown, and it's going to be a special night for the friends and family of Marc Brueland.
“They're two kindred spirits that met just the one time, but their story has really touched everybody who hears it,” said Erin Brueland. “The fans of Nightwish still remember him. They still talk about him on the forum of the Web site. When we go to gigs all over the country, people know who we are and they remember Marc.
“That's why it's a very special day when they finally play his hometown. We've been waiting for this forever. It's really a celebration of Marc and the band.”
Georgene Brueland said it best: “This is a beautiful thing that came out of a horrible tragedy.”
MARC WAS ALWAYS A HEAVY METAL FAN
Drawing inspiration from fantasy novels like “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the Dragonlance series, Holopainen creates fantastic imagery in his lyrics.
The band is currently touring behind its 2007 release, “Dark Passion Play.” Tomorrow's show at the House of Blues will be the band's first appearance in San Diego.
Erin Brueland on Nightwish's musical appeal to her family: “Marc (her brother) was always a heavy metal fan. And this European style of symphonic metal, with the orchestra and the female vocals, was somewhat new to us at the time. We got the best introduction to it with Nightwish.”
The Nightwish lineup includes Holopainen (keyboards, vocals), Anette Olzon (vocals), Erno “Emppu” Vuorinen (guitar), Marko “Marco” Hietala (bass, vocals) and Jukka “Julius” Nevalainen (drums).
Learn more about Marc Brueland at invinciblestudios.com and see more photos of Brueland and Nightwish at invinciblestudios.com/marcphotos.html.
Globe-trotting journey
Ska gets around, and Warped Tour's Aggrolites have followed its path
By Chris Nixon
August 14, 2008
The story of ska is a journey spanning continents, beginning with a percussive extension of American rhythm and blues that developed into a uniquely Jamaican style of music under the Caribbean sun.
Mixing a punk ethos with reggae, The Aggrolites, a five-piece ska group, lands at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre as part of the Vans Warped Tour. And the story of ska – with its circuitous passage from one island in the Caribbean to another island in the North Atlantic and back to America – is also the story of The Aggrolites, a Los Angeles-based reggae and ska band whose sound encompasses the genre's history. The band is one of the headliners at this year's Warped Tour, which lands at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Chula Vista tomorrow.
People tend to divide ska's history into waves.
The first wave came out of Jamaica in the '50s (Prince Buster, The Skatalites), influencing later island sounds like reggae and rocksteady. The second wave hit the shores of the U.K. in the late '60s and '70s, with the advent of 2 Tone Records and bands like The Specials and Madness.
The third wave spilled onto the beaches of the U.S. in the '90s (Hepcat, Bim Skala Bim, Mighty Mighty Bosstones), giving birth to pop ska/reggae bands like Sublime and No Doubt.
Meanwhile, a young Jesse Wagner delved through his father's record collection while collecting chops from his musician uncle.
“My uncle was into soul music, and played in soul bands in Cleveland, Ohio,” said Wanger, the Aggrolites' singer and guitarist. “So I was raised on my dad's Motown and Tower of Power records.”
Immersing himself in the American soul music catalog, Wagner's love of brassy horn sections led him to ska, and that led to reggae. That musical heritage led him to Jamaica, which eventually steered him to the U.K.
“I was listening a lot to Madness and The Specials,” recalled Wagner, speaking via cell phone from a tour bus headed toward a Warped Tour stop in Canada. “There was also a local band called The Skeletones and another band called Hepcat, and I started getting into more old school ska from those bands. A lot of punk bands, too, turned me on to reggae.”
And reggae brought Wagner to his current situation, leading the five-piece traditional reggae/ska group. Formed in 2002, the Los Angeles-based Aggrolites draws from the soul of ska and reggae mixed with the pure adrenaline of punk, a style they call “dirty reggae.”
Wagner and his band have released three albums, 2003's “Dirty Reggae,” the 2006 self-titled major label debut and 2007's “Reggae Hit L.A.,” while also serving as the backing bands for Jamaican performers like Phyllis Dillon and Prince Buster. The Aggrolites also collaborated with Rancid's Tim Armstrong on his 2007 solo debut “A Poet's Life.”
Ska icon Prince Buster once said after playing with The Aggrolites: “It reminded me of the old days. I can't believe that this young band from America could play my music just as good as the day it was recorded.”
Along with the link between punk, ska and reggae, The Aggrolites' inclusion in the Warped Tour this year represents founder Kevin Lyman's vision of diversity for the festival: Maybe some kid will check out The Aggrolites and get turned onto The Specials or Prince Buster, he reasoned.
“I think Kevin Lyman wanted us on there with a handful of other bands to keep the spirit of the Warped Tour alive,” said Wagner. “It's always been about diversity, about coming to a concert with dozens of bands and experiencing something you've never heard or opening your ears.
“You could go see a punk band, then move over and see a hardcore band and see a reggae band after that. It's about opening up your mind and exploring other genres of music.”
SKINHEAD SKA: ISLAND MUSIC BECOMES SOCIAL COMMENTARY
So how did a reggae/ska band playing traditional music from a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean find its way onto the Warped Tour bill?
The annual traveling festival may be known as summer camp for punk bands, but Warped founder/promoter Kevin Lyman is known to step outside the tightknit punk family for his bands and artists. From hardcore to hip-hop to even edgy pop, the Warped Tour sports a diverse amalgam of sounds every year.
The Aggrolites' appearance this year represents the long history of reggae, ska and punk living and how those musics have thrived off each other's energy.
Aggrolites lead singer Jesse Wagner pinpoints a time almost 40 years ago and many thousands of miles away as the moment when reggae and punk became intertwined.
“Reggae came to the U.K. in 1969,” he said. “It became their Motown, what we would now consider oldies. In England, reggae was everyday music.
“Reggae was pretty much working-class music. That's why you had skinheads listening to reggae music in the '60s. It had nothing to do with racism. It was a working-class thing. There were Jamaican skinheads working in factories, just as there were the young English kids working in factories.
“That's how reggae music became social commentary, rebel music. Punk rockers heard what these Jamaicans were saying, and got into it. And it became the working-class music of the U.K.”
– CHRIS NIXON
BOOKED FOR WARPED TOUR
Bands playing the 14th annual Warped Tour tomorrow at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista:
3oh!3, Against Me!, The Aggrolites, Alesana, All Time Low, Anberlin, Angels and Airwaves, Beat Union, Bring Me the Horizon, Broadway Calls, Charlotte Sometimes, Classic Crime, Cobra Starship, Confide, Danger Radio, Devil Wears Prada, Dr. Manhattan, Evergreen Terrace, Everytime I Die, Family Force 5, Forever the Sickest Kids, Four Year Strong, From First to Last, GBH, Greeley Estates, Gym Class Heroes, Horrorpops, Katy Perry, Ludo, Mayday Parade, MC Chris, Motion City Soundtrack, Norma Jean, Pierce the Veil, Protest the Hero, Reel Big Fish, Relient K, Rise Against, Say Anything, Set Your Goals, Shwayze, Sky Eats Airplane, Story of the Year, Street Dogs, The Academy Is..., The Audition, The Briggs, The Bronx, The Color Fred, The Fabulous Rudies, The Human Abstract, The Lordz, The Maine, The Saint Alvia Cartel, The Vandals, We the Kings
By Chris Nixon
August 14, 2008
The story of ska is a journey spanning continents, beginning with a percussive extension of American rhythm and blues that developed into a uniquely Jamaican style of music under the Caribbean sun.
Mixing a punk ethos with reggae, The Aggrolites, a five-piece ska group, lands at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre as part of the Vans Warped Tour. And the story of ska – with its circuitous passage from one island in the Caribbean to another island in the North Atlantic and back to America – is also the story of The Aggrolites, a Los Angeles-based reggae and ska band whose sound encompasses the genre's history. The band is one of the headliners at this year's Warped Tour, which lands at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Chula Vista tomorrow.
People tend to divide ska's history into waves.
The first wave came out of Jamaica in the '50s (Prince Buster, The Skatalites), influencing later island sounds like reggae and rocksteady. The second wave hit the shores of the U.K. in the late '60s and '70s, with the advent of 2 Tone Records and bands like The Specials and Madness.
The third wave spilled onto the beaches of the U.S. in the '90s (Hepcat, Bim Skala Bim, Mighty Mighty Bosstones), giving birth to pop ska/reggae bands like Sublime and No Doubt.
DETAILS
14th annual Vans Warped Tour, with The Aggrolites, Angels & Airwaves and Rise Against
When: Today, 11 a.m.
Where: Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista
Tickets: $24
Phone: (619) 671-3600
Online: warpedtour.com
Meanwhile, a young Jesse Wagner delved through his father's record collection while collecting chops from his musician uncle.
“My uncle was into soul music, and played in soul bands in Cleveland, Ohio,” said Wanger, the Aggrolites' singer and guitarist. “So I was raised on my dad's Motown and Tower of Power records.”
Immersing himself in the American soul music catalog, Wagner's love of brassy horn sections led him to ska, and that led to reggae. That musical heritage led him to Jamaica, which eventually steered him to the U.K.
“I was listening a lot to Madness and The Specials,” recalled Wagner, speaking via cell phone from a tour bus headed toward a Warped Tour stop in Canada. “There was also a local band called The Skeletones and another band called Hepcat, and I started getting into more old school ska from those bands. A lot of punk bands, too, turned me on to reggae.”
THE AGGROLITES
Jesse Wagner – vocals, lead guitar
Brian Dixon – rhythm guitar
Roger Rivas – organ
Korey Horn – drums
Jeff Roffredo – bass
And reggae brought Wagner to his current situation, leading the five-piece traditional reggae/ska group. Formed in 2002, the Los Angeles-based Aggrolites draws from the soul of ska and reggae mixed with the pure adrenaline of punk, a style they call “dirty reggae.”
Wagner and his band have released three albums, 2003's “Dirty Reggae,” the 2006 self-titled major label debut and 2007's “Reggae Hit L.A.,” while also serving as the backing bands for Jamaican performers like Phyllis Dillon and Prince Buster. The Aggrolites also collaborated with Rancid's Tim Armstrong on his 2007 solo debut “A Poet's Life.”
Ska icon Prince Buster once said after playing with The Aggrolites: “It reminded me of the old days. I can't believe that this young band from America could play my music just as good as the day it was recorded.”
Along with the link between punk, ska and reggae, The Aggrolites' inclusion in the Warped Tour this year represents founder Kevin Lyman's vision of diversity for the festival: Maybe some kid will check out The Aggrolites and get turned onto The Specials or Prince Buster, he reasoned.
“I think Kevin Lyman wanted us on there with a handful of other bands to keep the spirit of the Warped Tour alive,” said Wagner. “It's always been about diversity, about coming to a concert with dozens of bands and experiencing something you've never heard or opening your ears.
“You could go see a punk band, then move over and see a hardcore band and see a reggae band after that. It's about opening up your mind and exploring other genres of music.”
SKINHEAD SKA: ISLAND MUSIC BECOMES SOCIAL COMMENTARY
So how did a reggae/ska band playing traditional music from a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean find its way onto the Warped Tour bill?
The annual traveling festival may be known as summer camp for punk bands, but Warped founder/promoter Kevin Lyman is known to step outside the tightknit punk family for his bands and artists. From hardcore to hip-hop to even edgy pop, the Warped Tour sports a diverse amalgam of sounds every year.
The Aggrolites' appearance this year represents the long history of reggae, ska and punk living and how those musics have thrived off each other's energy.
Aggrolites lead singer Jesse Wagner pinpoints a time almost 40 years ago and many thousands of miles away as the moment when reggae and punk became intertwined.
“Reggae came to the U.K. in 1969,” he said. “It became their Motown, what we would now consider oldies. In England, reggae was everyday music.
“Reggae was pretty much working-class music. That's why you had skinheads listening to reggae music in the '60s. It had nothing to do with racism. It was a working-class thing. There were Jamaican skinheads working in factories, just as there were the young English kids working in factories.
“That's how reggae music became social commentary, rebel music. Punk rockers heard what these Jamaicans were saying, and got into it. And it became the working-class music of the U.K.”
– CHRIS NIXON
BOOKED FOR WARPED TOUR
Bands playing the 14th annual Warped Tour tomorrow at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista:
3oh!3, Against Me!, The Aggrolites, Alesana, All Time Low, Anberlin, Angels and Airwaves, Beat Union, Bring Me the Horizon, Broadway Calls, Charlotte Sometimes, Classic Crime, Cobra Starship, Confide, Danger Radio, Devil Wears Prada, Dr. Manhattan, Evergreen Terrace, Everytime I Die, Family Force 5, Forever the Sickest Kids, Four Year Strong, From First to Last, GBH, Greeley Estates, Gym Class Heroes, Horrorpops, Katy Perry, Ludo, Mayday Parade, MC Chris, Motion City Soundtrack, Norma Jean, Pierce the Veil, Protest the Hero, Reel Big Fish, Relient K, Rise Against, Say Anything, Set Your Goals, Shwayze, Sky Eats Airplane, Story of the Year, Street Dogs, The Academy Is..., The Audition, The Briggs, The Bronx, The Color Fred, The Fabulous Rudies, The Human Abstract, The Lordz, The Maine, The Saint Alvia Cartel, The Vandals, We the Kings
Only danger for Danger Mouse is overwork
By Chris Nixon
July 24, 2008
Danger Mouse, aka Brian Joseph Burton, is in the midst of a personal dilemma. After working his way into the top echelon of music producers, the 30-year-old artist now has the resources to take time off and relax, but chances to work with Beck, The Black Keys and Damon Albarn don't come around often.
“I have more opportunities to do more stuff than I ever have,” said Burton on a recent tour stop in Forence, Italy, with his current project, Gnarls Barkley. “So, I've been taking advantage of those opportunities instead of taking time off. I just can't get myself to stop.”
Since he gained notoriety for his seminal 2004 mash-up disc “The Grey Album,” (instrumental tracks from The Beatles' “White Album” with rhymes and vocals from Jay-Z's “Black Album”), Burton produced 2005's “Demon Days” for Gorillaz (nominated for Grammy as best producer of the year), The Rapture's 2006 disc “Pieces of the People We Love” and Sparklehorse's “Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain” in 2006, not to mention a fruitful collaboration between Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom as DANGERDOOM.
In 2007, he produced with the supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen's self-titled album, working with Damon Albarn, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, The Verve's Simon Tong and Fela Kuti's drummer Tony Allen. Just in 2008 (so far), Danger Mouse turned the dials for The Black Keys' “Attack & Release,” The Shortwave Set's “Replica Sun Machine,” Martina Topley-Bird's “The Blue God” and Beck's latest opus, “Modern Guilt.”
So, what makes this guy so appealing to so many different kinds of musicians?
Black Keys vocalist-guitarist Dan Auerbach said of Danger Mouse: “Brian has a real ear for melody and arrangement.” Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse added in a 2007 interview with the Union-Tribune: “He was able to realize a lot of the stuff I heard in my head.”
Danger Mouse's main skills as a producer stem from his background in hip-hop and his love of film scores, particularly the music of Ennio Morricone. Hip-hop gives him knowledge of beats and rhythms, along with the ability to think of music in terms of a patchwork of samples. After studying how music can create moods in film, Danger Mouse is masterful in the art of creating lush landscapes to surround an artist's songs.
In his role as producer for Albarn and The Black Keys, Burton uses subtle methods to shift the sound and texture. But his collaboration in Gnarls Barkley with vocalist-MC Cee-Lo gives him the largest canvas to paint his image of the perfect song.
Cee-Lo hails from the Dirty South hip-hop school, adding rhymes to three albums by Atlanta's Goodie Mob before pursuing a solo career. With Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo adds his powerful vocals and outsider lyrics, giving the most sugary Barkley creations a bittersweet tinge.
Gnarls Barkley burst on the scene in 2006 with the debut disc “St. Elsewhere,” which gave birth to the soulful single “Crazy.” The album went platinum, selling 3.6 million copies worldwide. “Crazy” shot to No. 1 on the charts in the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Italy.
For the follow-up album, Burton drew upon his experience as producer to other artists to help hone Gnarls Barkley's sound.
“I had to work with a lot of people between (the first album) and now,” said Burton. “So, this time around I felt like I was a little better at trying to get the sound I wanted. We dug a little deeper into some of the genres from the first album. We wanted to keep it dark and keep it colorful too. Without revisiting things, we just wanted to keep going. We still have plenty of things to say.”
The culmination of Danger Mouse's experiences as a producer the past few years, “The Odd Couple” expands on the hand-clapping, sing-along infectiousness of “St. Elsewhere.” With its blend of 1960s pop sensibilities, hip-hop percussion and Cee-Lo's booming vocals, Gnarls Barkley's songs sound distinct, rising above the din of disposable hip-hop and pop on the charts.
It looks like Danger Mouse will be busy for a while: “Some days, I wake up and I say to myself, 'I need to take a break.' And then, later on that day, I come up with another idea I want to do. As long as I don't break down, I should be fine. But I'm pretty happy on the whole.”
July 24, 2008
Danger Mouse, aka Brian Joseph Burton, is in the midst of a personal dilemma. After working his way into the top echelon of music producers, the 30-year-old artist now has the resources to take time off and relax, but chances to work with Beck, The Black Keys and Damon Albarn don't come around often.
DETAILS
Gnarls Barkley
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: Free with admission to the racetrack
Phone: (858) 450-6510
Online: delmarscene.com
“I have more opportunities to do more stuff than I ever have,” said Burton on a recent tour stop in Forence, Italy, with his current project, Gnarls Barkley. “So, I've been taking advantage of those opportunities instead of taking time off. I just can't get myself to stop.”
Since he gained notoriety for his seminal 2004 mash-up disc “The Grey Album,” (instrumental tracks from The Beatles' “White Album” with rhymes and vocals from Jay-Z's “Black Album”), Burton produced 2005's “Demon Days” for Gorillaz (nominated for Grammy as best producer of the year), The Rapture's 2006 disc “Pieces of the People We Love” and Sparklehorse's “Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain” in 2006, not to mention a fruitful collaboration between Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom as DANGERDOOM.
In 2007, he produced with the supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen's self-titled album, working with Damon Albarn, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, The Verve's Simon Tong and Fela Kuti's drummer Tony Allen. Just in 2008 (so far), Danger Mouse turned the dials for The Black Keys' “Attack & Release,” The Shortwave Set's “Replica Sun Machine,” Martina Topley-Bird's “The Blue God” and Beck's latest opus, “Modern Guilt.”
So, what makes this guy so appealing to so many different kinds of musicians?
Black Keys vocalist-guitarist Dan Auerbach said of Danger Mouse: “Brian has a real ear for melody and arrangement.” Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse added in a 2007 interview with the Union-Tribune: “He was able to realize a lot of the stuff I heard in my head.”
Danger Mouse's main skills as a producer stem from his background in hip-hop and his love of film scores, particularly the music of Ennio Morricone. Hip-hop gives him knowledge of beats and rhythms, along with the ability to think of music in terms of a patchwork of samples. After studying how music can create moods in film, Danger Mouse is masterful in the art of creating lush landscapes to surround an artist's songs.
In his role as producer for Albarn and The Black Keys, Burton uses subtle methods to shift the sound and texture. But his collaboration in Gnarls Barkley with vocalist-MC Cee-Lo gives him the largest canvas to paint his image of the perfect song.
Cee-Lo hails from the Dirty South hip-hop school, adding rhymes to three albums by Atlanta's Goodie Mob before pursuing a solo career. With Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo adds his powerful vocals and outsider lyrics, giving the most sugary Barkley creations a bittersweet tinge.
Gnarls Barkley burst on the scene in 2006 with the debut disc “St. Elsewhere,” which gave birth to the soulful single “Crazy.” The album went platinum, selling 3.6 million copies worldwide. “Crazy” shot to No. 1 on the charts in the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Italy.
For the follow-up album, Burton drew upon his experience as producer to other artists to help hone Gnarls Barkley's sound.
“I had to work with a lot of people between (the first album) and now,” said Burton. “So, this time around I felt like I was a little better at trying to get the sound I wanted. We dug a little deeper into some of the genres from the first album. We wanted to keep it dark and keep it colorful too. Without revisiting things, we just wanted to keep going. We still have plenty of things to say.”
The culmination of Danger Mouse's experiences as a producer the past few years, “The Odd Couple” expands on the hand-clapping, sing-along infectiousness of “St. Elsewhere.” With its blend of 1960s pop sensibilities, hip-hop percussion and Cee-Lo's booming vocals, Gnarls Barkley's songs sound distinct, rising above the din of disposable hip-hop and pop on the charts.
It looks like Danger Mouse will be busy for a while: “Some days, I wake up and I say to myself, 'I need to take a break.' And then, later on that day, I come up with another idea I want to do. As long as I don't break down, I should be fine. But I'm pretty happy on the whole.”
Win, place and shows!
Good music's a sure bet at Del Mar's 4 O'Clock Fridays
By Chris Nixon
July 17, 2008
Once upon a time, not too long ago, the sport of kings carried heavy baggage in the minds of anyone under the age of 40 – crusty old men reeking of cigar smoke donning fedoras and spending their paychecks on the ponies.
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, one of America's classic racetracks, has managed to reshape the perception of horse racing through clever ad campaigns giving the sport a classic retro appeal. Along with the shift in marketing strategies came a series of live concerts, free with admission to the track
“In an effort to attract a younger demographic, we began concerts – known as 'Wild Fridays' at the time – with a show by the Rugburns in 1994,” said Josh Rubinstein, vice president of development with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for the past 10 years. “The concert series took off during the '01 season when a total crowd of 27,000 was on hand for the races to see a former professional surfer turned up-and-coming musician named Jack Johnson.”
So from a business perspective, has the series, now called 4 O'Clock Fridays, worked?
“From a marketing-promotions standpoint, it's the most successful thing we do. In addition to getting a younger audience to the races on concert days, our research shows these folks return for nonconcert race days as well. Also, handle (wagering) on concert days (Fridays and some Saturdays) continues to increase.”
By teaming with radio station 91X, Rubenstein identifies bands walking the line between drawing young crowds while still appealing to older audiences. A few classic examples include Johnson, along with the Cult, Cake and Pete Yorn, to name a few.
“We try to book bands that offer appeal to a wide age range,” said Rubinstein. “In a perfect world, bands we book can be heard in a college dorm room as well as a 50th birthday party. The Violent Femmes, who have played at Del Mar for a record five times, are a perfect example. We also try to book bands that fit our 'cool as ever' branding and are a good match with our media partner, 91X Radio.”
Here's a look at the 4 O'Clock Fridays schedule and the artists who will be performing:
Gavin Rossdale (Tomorrow, 7 p.m.): Same gravelly voice, same sweet pop hooks. But instead of songs wrapped in layers of fuzzy guitar riffs like back in the good ol' days of Bush, Gavin Rossdale lives in the lucid world of middle-aged rock. Same Rossdale, he's just more mature, softer, sweeter and less edgy. Lately, he's known better as Mr. Stefani (husband to Gwen, father to Kingston). But that doesn't really do justice to his songwriting skills. On his latest solo disc, “Wanderlust,” the 42-year-old musician incorporates the skills of guitarist Chris Traynor (Helmet, Bush) and drummer Josh Freese (the Vandals, Guns N' Roses, A Perfect Circle).
Super Diamond (July 25, 7 p.m.): Who says you can't make a living in a cover band? Sorry make that a “tribute band.” After 15 years of spreading the gospel of Neil, this campy six-piece group makes a good living delivering kitsched-up versions of the Diamond songbook – “Kentucky Woman,” “Song Sung Blue” and “Sweet Caroline,” to name a few. Led by Randy Cordero, aka Surreal Neil, Super Diamond packs the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach every time it makes the journey down from the band's hometown of San Francisco. Everybody sing along: “Girl, you'll be a woman soon ”
Pinback (Aug. 1, 4 p.m.): If you love music from the sun-kissed streets of San Diego, then just the mention of Pinback will probably bring a sly smile to your face. It's hard not to feel possessive about the beautifully crafted transcendent indie rock songs Pinback creates. But it's time to share one of our best bands with the world: Zach Smith and Rob Crow are no longer just a San Diego phenomenon. “Summer in Abaddon” produced an infectious single, “Fortress,” that found a foothold on alternative radio station nationwide. The latest record, 2007's “Autumn of the Seraphs,” reached no. 69 on the U.S. charts.
The Bravery (Aug. 8, 4 p.m.): From the New Order-esque synth-driven melodies of “Honest Mistake” to the chiming U2-flavored guitars of “Believe,” The Bravery covers a lot of musical terrain. Guitarist Michael Zakarin obviously learned from many hours listening to U2's the Edge while growing up, and the singer spent time perfecting Bono's croon along with Robert Smith's high-pitched sing-song vocals. The quintet is currently riding high on the strength of “Believe,” the latest single from 2007's “The Sun and the Moon.”
The Wailers Band (Aug. 15, 4 p.m.): Rocksteady. Reggae. Ska. Jamaica has made major contributions to popular American music. Like the Motown and doo-wop groups from nearly 50 years ago, ska artists Prince Buster, the Skatalites and the Wailers (which included Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh) served as the backbone for Jamaica's storied musical history. Since Bob Marley's death in 1981, the Wailers Band continues to spread the legend's distinct brand of roots reggae.
Black Francis (Aug. 22, 7 p.m.): “CRACK! CRACK! CRACKITY JONES! CRACK! CRACK!” screams a pained Black Francis on the iconic 1990 Pixies album “Doolittle.” Despite the band's rather short recording career (1987-1991), Black and his Pixies cohorts churned out five of alternative rock's best albums. The Boston band's gigantic sound set the stage for the grunge revolution, which blew crappy pop music off the charts for a few years in the early '90s. Since the Pixies heyday, Black Francis (or Frank Black) has been building an impressive catalog of solo albums, including 2006's “Fast Man Raider Man” and 2007's “Bluefinger.”
Steel Pulse (Aug. 29, 4 p.m.): Straight out of Birmingham, England, Steel Pulse has been carrying the banner for roots rock reggae since the mid '70s. Anchored by David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals) and Ronald McQueen (bass), the lineup has changed over the years, but the devotion to the traditions of reggae and the Rastafarian religion remained through the 30-plus years of playing professionally. The band's Web site claims that Steel Pulse is “still the greatest reggae band on the planet.” While there are a lot of young reggae groups out there, not too many can claim the résumé of Steel Pulse.
Also, the racetrack is producing three Saturday shows and one Wednesday performance during its non-Friday concert series. On July 26, Gnarls Barkley will play after the races, followed by Ziggy Marley Reggae Festival on Aug. 9 and Devo on Aug. 30. On the last day of the thoroughbred season, Sept. 3, the English Beat will perform.
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
July 17, 2008
Once upon a time, not too long ago, the sport of kings carried heavy baggage in the minds of anyone under the age of 40 – crusty old men reeking of cigar smoke donning fedoras and spending their paychecks on the ponies.
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, one of America's classic racetracks, has managed to reshape the perception of horse racing through clever ad campaigns giving the sport a classic retro appeal. Along with the shift in marketing strategies came a series of live concerts, free with admission to the track
“In an effort to attract a younger demographic, we began concerts – known as 'Wild Fridays' at the time – with a show by the Rugburns in 1994,” said Josh Rubinstein, vice president of development with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for the past 10 years. “The concert series took off during the '01 season when a total crowd of 27,000 was on hand for the races to see a former professional surfer turned up-and-coming musician named Jack Johnson.”
DETAILS
4 O'Clock Fridays with Gavin Rossdale, Pinback, Steel Pulse, Black Francis
When: July 18-Aug. 29
Where: Del Mar racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: Free with track admission
Phone: (858) 450-6510
Online: delmarscene.com
So from a business perspective, has the series, now called 4 O'Clock Fridays, worked?
“From a marketing-promotions standpoint, it's the most successful thing we do. In addition to getting a younger audience to the races on concert days, our research shows these folks return for nonconcert race days as well. Also, handle (wagering) on concert days (Fridays and some Saturdays) continues to increase.”
By teaming with radio station 91X, Rubenstein identifies bands walking the line between drawing young crowds while still appealing to older audiences. A few classic examples include Johnson, along with the Cult, Cake and Pete Yorn, to name a few.
“We try to book bands that offer appeal to a wide age range,” said Rubinstein. “In a perfect world, bands we book can be heard in a college dorm room as well as a 50th birthday party. The Violent Femmes, who have played at Del Mar for a record five times, are a perfect example. We also try to book bands that fit our 'cool as ever' branding and are a good match with our media partner, 91X Radio.”
Here's a look at the 4 O'Clock Fridays schedule and the artists who will be performing:
Gavin Rossdale (Tomorrow, 7 p.m.): Same gravelly voice, same sweet pop hooks. But instead of songs wrapped in layers of fuzzy guitar riffs like back in the good ol' days of Bush, Gavin Rossdale lives in the lucid world of middle-aged rock. Same Rossdale, he's just more mature, softer, sweeter and less edgy. Lately, he's known better as Mr. Stefani (husband to Gwen, father to Kingston). But that doesn't really do justice to his songwriting skills. On his latest solo disc, “Wanderlust,” the 42-year-old musician incorporates the skills of guitarist Chris Traynor (Helmet, Bush) and drummer Josh Freese (the Vandals, Guns N' Roses, A Perfect Circle).
Super Diamond (July 25, 7 p.m.): Who says you can't make a living in a cover band? Sorry make that a “tribute band.” After 15 years of spreading the gospel of Neil, this campy six-piece group makes a good living delivering kitsched-up versions of the Diamond songbook – “Kentucky Woman,” “Song Sung Blue” and “Sweet Caroline,” to name a few. Led by Randy Cordero, aka Surreal Neil, Super Diamond packs the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach every time it makes the journey down from the band's hometown of San Francisco. Everybody sing along: “Girl, you'll be a woman soon ”
Pinback (Aug. 1, 4 p.m.): If you love music from the sun-kissed streets of San Diego, then just the mention of Pinback will probably bring a sly smile to your face. It's hard not to feel possessive about the beautifully crafted transcendent indie rock songs Pinback creates. But it's time to share one of our best bands with the world: Zach Smith and Rob Crow are no longer just a San Diego phenomenon. “Summer in Abaddon” produced an infectious single, “Fortress,” that found a foothold on alternative radio station nationwide. The latest record, 2007's “Autumn of the Seraphs,” reached no. 69 on the U.S. charts.
The Bravery (Aug. 8, 4 p.m.): From the New Order-esque synth-driven melodies of “Honest Mistake” to the chiming U2-flavored guitars of “Believe,” The Bravery covers a lot of musical terrain. Guitarist Michael Zakarin obviously learned from many hours listening to U2's the Edge while growing up, and the singer spent time perfecting Bono's croon along with Robert Smith's high-pitched sing-song vocals. The quintet is currently riding high on the strength of “Believe,” the latest single from 2007's “The Sun and the Moon.”
The Wailers Band (Aug. 15, 4 p.m.): Rocksteady. Reggae. Ska. Jamaica has made major contributions to popular American music. Like the Motown and doo-wop groups from nearly 50 years ago, ska artists Prince Buster, the Skatalites and the Wailers (which included Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh) served as the backbone for Jamaica's storied musical history. Since Bob Marley's death in 1981, the Wailers Band continues to spread the legend's distinct brand of roots reggae.
Black Francis (Aug. 22, 7 p.m.): “CRACK! CRACK! CRACKITY JONES! CRACK! CRACK!” screams a pained Black Francis on the iconic 1990 Pixies album “Doolittle.” Despite the band's rather short recording career (1987-1991), Black and his Pixies cohorts churned out five of alternative rock's best albums. The Boston band's gigantic sound set the stage for the grunge revolution, which blew crappy pop music off the charts for a few years in the early '90s. Since the Pixies heyday, Black Francis (or Frank Black) has been building an impressive catalog of solo albums, including 2006's “Fast Man Raider Man” and 2007's “Bluefinger.”
Steel Pulse (Aug. 29, 4 p.m.): Straight out of Birmingham, England, Steel Pulse has been carrying the banner for roots rock reggae since the mid '70s. Anchored by David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals) and Ronald McQueen (bass), the lineup has changed over the years, but the devotion to the traditions of reggae and the Rastafarian religion remained through the 30-plus years of playing professionally. The band's Web site claims that Steel Pulse is “still the greatest reggae band on the planet.” While there are a lot of young reggae groups out there, not too many can claim the résumé of Steel Pulse.
Also, the racetrack is producing three Saturday shows and one Wednesday performance during its non-Friday concert series. On July 26, Gnarls Barkley will play after the races, followed by Ziggy Marley Reggae Festival on Aug. 9 and Devo on Aug. 30. On the last day of the thoroughbred season, Sept. 3, the English Beat will perform.
– CHRIS NIXON
A Pride weekend to remember
Marriage rights celebration, 'D-List' celeb among celebration's highlights
By Chris Nixon
July 17, 2008
Marriage rights celebration, 'D-List' celeb among celebration's highlights
After 34 years of celebrating diversity and rights for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in San Diego, the local organization Pride San Diego is reaping the rewards of activism and education.
Same-sex couples now have the right to marry in California, which should make this weekend's 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Celebration one to remember for members of the community.
On May 15, the Supreme Court of California overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage with a 4-to-3 decision. As of June 16, the state started issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
“Pride 2008 will be a Pride many people will remember because it will be a celebration of equal rights and a celebration of the ability for millions of individuals to marry the person they love,” said Pride San Diego executive director Ron deHarte. “This is a significant step forward in our LGBT civil rights movement and will be one of those 'point-in-time moments' people will remember forever.”
This year's festival combines the usual frolicking sense of fun with a sense of urgency and activism.
“We expect many parade contingents to celebrate this historical achievement of equal rights in their parade signage and themes. We will have a community celebration of marriage equality on Sunday afternoon and the Festival Opening Rally will have a number of speakers who have provided leadership in the effort to secure marriage equality.
“Pride is an opportunity for us to stand together and celebrate our shared vision of freedom and equality.”
Here's a look at the schedule of events for this weekend's 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Festival and Parade:
Human Rights Rally & Vigil (tomorrow, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.): The vigil will call on the San Diego community to bear witness to human rights abuses of LGBT people locally and globally, to educate and inspire them to action in Balboa Park.
27th Annual Run and Stride With Pride (Saturday, 10 a.m.): Fast, flat and USAT&F sanctioned and certified 5k run and walk along parade route. There will be awards to top three in each age category. For entry fees and more info visit www.frsdweb.org. Annual Pride Parade (Saturday, 11 a.m.): With more than 150 floats and contingents, the Parade is the largest civic event in San Diego and the largest Pride parade in Southern California.
Right to Marriage Celebration (Sunday, 1 p.m.): As part of the Pride Festival in Balboa Park. Complimentary photographs will be taken by members of the Hewlett-Packard Leadership Council. Wedding cake provided by Babycakes.
Art of Pride (Saturday and Sunday): The juried exhibit showcases works by local LGBT artists skilled in oil painting, pottery, sculpturing and jewelry making will take place during the two-day Pride festival in Balboa Park.
Hillcrest Community Clean Up (Monday, 6 a.m.): Help the Hillcrest Town Council clean the neighborhood of Hillcrest after the Pride celebration. Volunteers help clean our city and raise funds for the Hillcrest Town Council.
For a complete list of events and the bands playing this year's festival, go to sandiegopride.org.
– CHRIS NIXON
THREE GRAND MARSHALS WILL OVERSEE THE FESTIVITIES
From drag queens to muscle-bound shirtless men, the Pride Parade gives the LGBT community a chance to celebrate and strut its stuff. With more than 200 floats and organizations marching, the parade is a fun-loving spectacle to behold. But it's also a chance to recognize people making a difference in the community here in San Diego and all over the world.
This year's parade features three grand marshals: Gilbert Baker, Peter Tatchell and Ruth Henricks.
Pride's celebrity grand marshal is Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag and longtime gay activist and accomplished vexillographer (flag maker), who in 1978 put forth the colorful symbol that is embraced by millions within the gay community as a visible call for equal rights.
Hailing from London is Australian-born Peter Tatchell, a prominent spokesman for Britain's Green Party and a parliamentary candidate for Oxford East. In the U.K., he continues battling the government on issues of same-sex marriage and hate crimes while supporting other activists in more than 70 countries where LGBT people suffer considerable oppression.
San Diego Pride's community grand marshal is Ruth Henricks, recognized for her longtime volunteerism in the San Diego LGBT community. Henricks is the founder of Special Delivery and co-founder and chairman of the Board of Townspeople, which provides affordable and safe housing to people living with AIDS. She is also co-founder and board member of Something Special Food Pantry and active with ACCESS San Diego, an organization that brings clinical trials to San Diego.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Pride Parade is free. With a course starting at University Avenue and Normal Street, the parade travels west to Sixth Avenue, then south to Balboa Drive. The total distance is approximately a mile.
– CHRIS NIXON
AS A D-LISTER, KATHY GRIFFIN CONNECTS WITH BITING WIT
Believe it or not, there is someone out there actually giving letter grades to actors based on their draw and bankability. His name is James Ulmer, and his main accomplishment as an entertainment journalist is creating the so-called “Ulmer Scale”: the A-list refers to the most bankable movie stars; the C-list refers to the least. D-list refers to a celebrity too obscure to even make the list.
Watching an episode of Kathy Griffin's reality show “My Life on the D-List” is like getting a glimpse into the catty world of celebrity: the dirty looks, backstage fistfights and the snide comments muttered between gleaming white smiles. And it's all filtered through Griffin's brutally honest and hilariously funny perspective.
Griffin is the Jon Stewart of celebrity news. Self-described as a fake celebrity, her self-effacing wit lets her off the hook, but her biting commentary gives her act real substance and edge. She won a well-deserved Emmy Award for “Outstanding Reality Program, Non-Competition” in 2007, and she'll be performing at this year's Pride Festival.
Said Pride executive director Ron deHarte of Griffin: “Through her performance, she connects with people and she certainly has a connection with the gay community. She's popular because she's funny. She expresses thoughts that many people have but keep to themselves.”
Kathy Griffin will perform at the San Diego Pride Festival at Marston Point in Balboa Park from 6 p.m. on Sunday. One-day tickets are $15, a two-day pass is $25. Festival hours are noon to 10 p.m., Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday.
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
July 17, 2008
Marriage rights celebration, 'D-List' celeb among celebration's highlights
After 34 years of celebrating diversity and rights for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in San Diego, the local organization Pride San Diego is reaping the rewards of activism and education.
Same-sex couples now have the right to marry in California, which should make this weekend's 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Celebration one to remember for members of the community.
On May 15, the Supreme Court of California overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage with a 4-to-3 decision. As of June 16, the state started issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
“Pride 2008 will be a Pride many people will remember because it will be a celebration of equal rights and a celebration of the ability for millions of individuals to marry the person they love,” said Pride San Diego executive director Ron deHarte. “This is a significant step forward in our LGBT civil rights movement and will be one of those 'point-in-time moments' people will remember forever.”
This year's festival combines the usual frolicking sense of fun with a sense of urgency and activism.
“We expect many parade contingents to celebrate this historical achievement of equal rights in their parade signage and themes. We will have a community celebration of marriage equality on Sunday afternoon and the Festival Opening Rally will have a number of speakers who have provided leadership in the effort to secure marriage equality.
“Pride is an opportunity for us to stand together and celebrate our shared vision of freedom and equality.”
DETAILS
34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Festival and Parade
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: Balboa Park, Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street (main entrance)
Tickets: The parade is free / festival: $15 ($25 for two-day pass)
Phone: (619) 297-7683
Online: sandiegopride.org
Here's a look at the schedule of events for this weekend's 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Festival and Parade:
Human Rights Rally & Vigil (tomorrow, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.): The vigil will call on the San Diego community to bear witness to human rights abuses of LGBT people locally and globally, to educate and inspire them to action in Balboa Park.
27th Annual Run and Stride With Pride (Saturday, 10 a.m.): Fast, flat and USAT&F sanctioned and certified 5k run and walk along parade route. There will be awards to top three in each age category. For entry fees and more info visit www.frsdweb.org. Annual Pride Parade (Saturday, 11 a.m.): With more than 150 floats and contingents, the Parade is the largest civic event in San Diego and the largest Pride parade in Southern California.
Right to Marriage Celebration (Sunday, 1 p.m.): As part of the Pride Festival in Balboa Park. Complimentary photographs will be taken by members of the Hewlett-Packard Leadership Council. Wedding cake provided by Babycakes.
Art of Pride (Saturday and Sunday): The juried exhibit showcases works by local LGBT artists skilled in oil painting, pottery, sculpturing and jewelry making will take place during the two-day Pride festival in Balboa Park.
Hillcrest Community Clean Up (Monday, 6 a.m.): Help the Hillcrest Town Council clean the neighborhood of Hillcrest after the Pride celebration. Volunteers help clean our city and raise funds for the Hillcrest Town Council.
For a complete list of events and the bands playing this year's festival, go to sandiegopride.org.
– CHRIS NIXON
THREE GRAND MARSHALS WILL OVERSEE THE FESTIVITIES
From drag queens to muscle-bound shirtless men, the Pride Parade gives the LGBT community a chance to celebrate and strut its stuff. With more than 200 floats and organizations marching, the parade is a fun-loving spectacle to behold. But it's also a chance to recognize people making a difference in the community here in San Diego and all over the world.
This year's parade features three grand marshals: Gilbert Baker, Peter Tatchell and Ruth Henricks.
Pride's celebrity grand marshal is Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag and longtime gay activist and accomplished vexillographer (flag maker), who in 1978 put forth the colorful symbol that is embraced by millions within the gay community as a visible call for equal rights.
Hailing from London is Australian-born Peter Tatchell, a prominent spokesman for Britain's Green Party and a parliamentary candidate for Oxford East. In the U.K., he continues battling the government on issues of same-sex marriage and hate crimes while supporting other activists in more than 70 countries where LGBT people suffer considerable oppression.
San Diego Pride's community grand marshal is Ruth Henricks, recognized for her longtime volunteerism in the San Diego LGBT community. Henricks is the founder of Special Delivery and co-founder and chairman of the Board of Townspeople, which provides affordable and safe housing to people living with AIDS. She is also co-founder and board member of Something Special Food Pantry and active with ACCESS San Diego, an organization that brings clinical trials to San Diego.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Pride Parade is free. With a course starting at University Avenue and Normal Street, the parade travels west to Sixth Avenue, then south to Balboa Drive. The total distance is approximately a mile.
– CHRIS NIXON
AS A D-LISTER, KATHY GRIFFIN CONNECTS WITH BITING WIT
Believe it or not, there is someone out there actually giving letter grades to actors based on their draw and bankability. His name is James Ulmer, and his main accomplishment as an entertainment journalist is creating the so-called “Ulmer Scale”: the A-list refers to the most bankable movie stars; the C-list refers to the least. D-list refers to a celebrity too obscure to even make the list.
Watching an episode of Kathy Griffin's reality show “My Life on the D-List” is like getting a glimpse into the catty world of celebrity: the dirty looks, backstage fistfights and the snide comments muttered between gleaming white smiles. And it's all filtered through Griffin's brutally honest and hilariously funny perspective.
Griffin is the Jon Stewart of celebrity news. Self-described as a fake celebrity, her self-effacing wit lets her off the hook, but her biting commentary gives her act real substance and edge. She won a well-deserved Emmy Award for “Outstanding Reality Program, Non-Competition” in 2007, and she'll be performing at this year's Pride Festival.
Said Pride executive director Ron deHarte of Griffin: “Through her performance, she connects with people and she certainly has a connection with the gay community. She's popular because she's funny. She expresses thoughts that many people have but keep to themselves.”
Kathy Griffin will perform at the San Diego Pride Festival at Marston Point in Balboa Park from 6 p.m. on Sunday. One-day tickets are $15, a two-day pass is $25. Festival hours are noon to 10 p.m., Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday.
– CHRIS NIXON
Mayhem Festival: Proving their metal
Bands from all over the country rev it up for Mayhem Fest
By Chris Nixon
July 10, 2008
Listen up America: Your youth is talking to you. From the rolling cornfields of our rural small towns to the hard concrete streets of our cities, kids are sick of the pervading complacency, and that's reflected in the pop culture barometer known as music.
Bubbling underneath the thin veneer of Midwestern family values (Iowa), urban elitism (Chicago), quiet retirement communities (Tampa) and the racially divided South (Atlanta) are metal kids from all walks of life feeling pinned down by adults.
That's not a new story. But add in the lingering economic divide in the U.S., the war in Iraq, a lagging economy and the laundry list of social ills facing the nation, and there you have it: the perfect recipe for youthful rebellion through metal.
In its first year, the Mayhem Fest gives credence to the growing popularity of metal bands. Case in point: More than 8 million people logged onto AOL to check out the new masks Slipknot is donning these days.
Kevin Lyman, the longtime architect of the Vans Warped Tour, is putting on the Mayhem Fest, and he expects it to be an annual touring festival. From locales all over the metal map, both musically and physically, the festival sports 14 bands on three stages.
Iowa's Slipknot, Chicago's Disturbed, Tampa's Underoath and Atlanta's Mastodon anchor the first-ever festival, which lands at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista Wednesday.
Here's a look at the primary bands causing Mayhem:
Under the mask: Slipknot
Full of farmland and desolate plains, Iowa was the unlikely breeding ground for one of modern music's most fierce combos. From its hometown of Des Moines, Slipknot rose in 1996 like a nine-man revolution against insular God-fearing, family friendly life.
Like a Halloween party gone awry, this collective dons menacing masks and matching jumpsuits. The band members – using monikers numbered from zero to eight – burst out of the late 1990s' rap-metal explosion.
Rougher than Limp Bizkit and more musically deft than Korn, Slipknot rose above the metal glut with haunting turntable samples, dense percussion, brash guitar licks and lead singer Corey Taylor's angst-ridden lyrics. The band's music struck a chord with America's disaffected youth.
Slipknot recently donned new masks, adding buzz to the band's upcoming release, “All Hope Is Gone.” Due out Aug. 26 via Roadrunner Records, Slipknot's latest was recorded with producer Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne) at a studio near the band's hometown.
Said Taylor in a recent release: “Every album we have made is a statement about that space in time. I think this era is the most mature, most beautiful and the most powerful. We have made an album that will show the road behind, the road ahead, and where we are as men. I think it's the best thing I've ever made.”
Prehistoric monster: Mastodon
Gut-splitting. Severe. Massive. Fearsome. All these adjectives describe Mastodon's huge metal riffs and the harder edge of the Atlanta quartet's musical spectrum. But the band's ability to slide in and out of odd signatures and the soaring melodic flights set Mastodon apart from the metal herd and the remainder of the Mayhem lineup.
Twisty, intricate compositions sprawl all over Mastodon's instant classic disc, 2006's “Blood Mountain.” Think a new millennium version of Iron Maiden meets Metallica with a twist of prog-rock pioneers like King Crimson, Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Or think Tool on steroids and buckets of caffeine.
Any way you slice it, these guys rips on their instruments. Drummer Brann Dailor ranks with Tool's Danny Carey as two of the best drummers in rock these days.
Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Brad, Minus the Bear) produced all three of Mastodon's epic full-length discs: 2002's “Remission,” 2004's “Leviathan” and “Blood Mountain.” Mastodon went with producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen) on the upcoming release, which the band is currently finishing up.
Throwback hard rock: Disturbed
This Chicago-based quartet channels old school metal, circa late '80s and early '90s: the pre-growl pre-turntable pre-crunching guitar riff stuff. Everyone from the old guy in the Iron Maiden shirt to rocker chicks can dig on Disturbed's brand of accessible metal.
Disturbed's first couple of albums, particularly 2000's “The Sickness,” sported a tougher, edgier metal sound, but the band's music has shifted more to mainstream in recent discs. Its latest record, 2008's “Indestructible,” is packed with pop hooks wrapped in infectious guitar riffage and lead singer David Draiman's percussive vocal style.
Draiman told UltimateGuitar.com in 2006: “We probably have too much melody going on or we're not quite as turbulent or caustic (to be considered heavy metal). While I really love that type of music, it's not what we try to do. If we have to place things in context, we're more hard rock than heavy metal these days.”
Clean and screamed: Underoath
If Disturbed lives near the mainstream end of the metal spectrum, the music of Tampa's Underoath is slightly more hardcore. Like a lot of screamo metalcore bands, Underoath uses two vocalists: Spencer Chamberlain for the screamed vocals-growls and drummer Aaron Gillespie for the clean vocals (adding harmony and choruses). Formed in 1998, the band is openly Christian, but not in a real preachy way.
Chamberlain told Europunk.net that Christianity is “backbone of our lives, especially in the way that we handle certain things, but it's not so much the backbone of our lyrics. It's not like every song is a lesson from the Bible or something. It's just normal life struggles.”
By Chris Nixon
July 10, 2008
Listen up America: Your youth is talking to you. From the rolling cornfields of our rural small towns to the hard concrete streets of our cities, kids are sick of the pervading complacency, and that's reflected in the pop culture barometer known as music.
Bubbling underneath the thin veneer of Midwestern family values (Iowa), urban elitism (Chicago), quiet retirement communities (Tampa) and the racially divided South (Atlanta) are metal kids from all walks of life feeling pinned down by adults.
That's not a new story. But add in the lingering economic divide in the U.S., the war in Iraq, a lagging economy and the laundry list of social ills facing the nation, and there you have it: the perfect recipe for youthful rebellion through metal.
In its first year, the Mayhem Fest gives credence to the growing popularity of metal bands. Case in point: More than 8 million people logged onto AOL to check out the new masks Slipknot is donning these days.
Kevin Lyman, the longtime architect of the Vans Warped Tour, is putting on the Mayhem Fest, and he expects it to be an annual touring festival. From locales all over the metal map, both musically and physically, the festival sports 14 bands on three stages.
Iowa's Slipknot, Chicago's Disturbed, Tampa's Underoath and Atlanta's Mastodon anchor the first-ever festival, which lands at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista Wednesday.
Here's a look at the primary bands causing Mayhem:
Under the mask: Slipknot
Full of farmland and desolate plains, Iowa was the unlikely breeding ground for one of modern music's most fierce combos. From its hometown of Des Moines, Slipknot rose in 1996 like a nine-man revolution against insular God-fearing, family friendly life.
DETAILS
Mayhem Fest
with Mastodon, Disturbed and Slipknot
When: 2 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista
Tickets: $10.53-$49.75
Phone: (858) 450-6510
Online: mayhemfest.com, ticketmaster.com
Like a Halloween party gone awry, this collective dons menacing masks and matching jumpsuits. The band members – using monikers numbered from zero to eight – burst out of the late 1990s' rap-metal explosion.
Rougher than Limp Bizkit and more musically deft than Korn, Slipknot rose above the metal glut with haunting turntable samples, dense percussion, brash guitar licks and lead singer Corey Taylor's angst-ridden lyrics. The band's music struck a chord with America's disaffected youth.
Slipknot recently donned new masks, adding buzz to the band's upcoming release, “All Hope Is Gone.” Due out Aug. 26 via Roadrunner Records, Slipknot's latest was recorded with producer Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne) at a studio near the band's hometown.
Said Taylor in a recent release: “Every album we have made is a statement about that space in time. I think this era is the most mature, most beautiful and the most powerful. We have made an album that will show the road behind, the road ahead, and where we are as men. I think it's the best thing I've ever made.”
Prehistoric monster: Mastodon
Gut-splitting. Severe. Massive. Fearsome. All these adjectives describe Mastodon's huge metal riffs and the harder edge of the Atlanta quartet's musical spectrum. But the band's ability to slide in and out of odd signatures and the soaring melodic flights set Mastodon apart from the metal herd and the remainder of the Mayhem lineup.
Twisty, intricate compositions sprawl all over Mastodon's instant classic disc, 2006's “Blood Mountain.” Think a new millennium version of Iron Maiden meets Metallica with a twist of prog-rock pioneers like King Crimson, Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Or think Tool on steroids and buckets of caffeine.
Any way you slice it, these guys rips on their instruments. Drummer Brann Dailor ranks with Tool's Danny Carey as two of the best drummers in rock these days.
Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Brad, Minus the Bear) produced all three of Mastodon's epic full-length discs: 2002's “Remission,” 2004's “Leviathan” and “Blood Mountain.” Mastodon went with producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen) on the upcoming release, which the band is currently finishing up.
Throwback hard rock: Disturbed
This Chicago-based quartet channels old school metal, circa late '80s and early '90s: the pre-growl pre-turntable pre-crunching guitar riff stuff. Everyone from the old guy in the Iron Maiden shirt to rocker chicks can dig on Disturbed's brand of accessible metal.
Disturbed's first couple of albums, particularly 2000's “The Sickness,” sported a tougher, edgier metal sound, but the band's music has shifted more to mainstream in recent discs. Its latest record, 2008's “Indestructible,” is packed with pop hooks wrapped in infectious guitar riffage and lead singer David Draiman's percussive vocal style.
Draiman told UltimateGuitar.com in 2006: “We probably have too much melody going on or we're not quite as turbulent or caustic (to be considered heavy metal). While I really love that type of music, it's not what we try to do. If we have to place things in context, we're more hard rock than heavy metal these days.”
Clean and screamed: Underoath
If Disturbed lives near the mainstream end of the metal spectrum, the music of Tampa's Underoath is slightly more hardcore. Like a lot of screamo metalcore bands, Underoath uses two vocalists: Spencer Chamberlain for the screamed vocals-growls and drummer Aaron Gillespie for the clean vocals (adding harmony and choruses). Formed in 1998, the band is openly Christian, but not in a real preachy way.
Chamberlain told Europunk.net that Christianity is “backbone of our lives, especially in the way that we handle certain things, but it's not so much the backbone of our lyrics. It's not like every song is a lesson from the Bible or something. It's just normal life struggles.”
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