The Wombats Proudly Present...A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation CD Review

The Wombats first full length CD, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, was released by Roadrunner last summer. This disc contains a number of tracks from the band's Japanese-only debut, Girls, Boys And Marsupials, along with a handful of new tunes.

I caught The Wombats at The Annex in 2007 when they were touring on their self-titled debut EP and thought the show was one of the best of the year. The band's music has the pop-punk energy of the early Buzzcocks, filtered through gallons of self-depreciating wit and three-part harmonies. A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation was originally released in the UK in 2007 and the band had most of these songs in their set when they toured the States in '07.

Both the band's live set and the CD open with the a cappella do-wop of "Tales of Girls, Boys & Marsupials". From here, the band goes into twelve cuts of frantic, post-punk dance floor chant-alongs. The band's lyrics aren't deep but it is sheer fun to pogo along with Murph's wry tales of romance gone wrong.

The band captures the energy of their live shows on this disc so, rather than simply list the strongest cuts from this disc, I thought I would post live videos for each of the stand-out songs.

The Wombats - Kill the Director (Live)


The Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division (Live)


The Wombats - Moving to New York (Live)


The Wombats - Backfire at the Disco (Live)


Unlike some of The Wombats' contemporaries, this band has more than one great single and everything that you ever wanted to hear from the band is collected on this disc. Now that this release is almost two years old, I'm waiting anxiously for the follow-up.

Last month, Roadrunner issued a special digital-only edition of A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation (available on iTunes) which contains four bonus tracks:
- Metro Song,
- Derail and Crash,
- Bleeding Love and
- Is This Christmas?

Links:
The Wombats' MySpace Profile

The Walkmen Are Playing the Conan O'Brien Show Tomorrow Night

The Walkmen are out of the road touring behind their most recent disc, You and Me, and the band is playing the Conan O'Brien Show tomorrow night. I'm guessing that the band will play either "On the Water" or "In the New Year".

The publicity machine has been cranking for this current release and there are a lot of pro-shot videos of the band posted on the 'net.

The Walkmen - "In the New Year" (Live in Juan's Basement)


The Walkmen - "On the Water" (Live in NYC, 2007)



In addition to the flood of live videos, The Walkmen also have a live version of "In the New Year" coming out on the Free Yr Radio 2008 Benefit Compilation. This compilation is to generate money for independent radio and it will be exclusively available at Insound for .99 cent, starting on Tuesday.

Links:
The Walkmen's MySpace Profile

Middle Class Rut Announce Ltd. Edition 7" (Bright Antenna)

DOWNLOAD: Middle Class Rut - Busy Bein' Born (MP3)

Sacramento's Middle Class Rut has been generating a good bit of buzz in the UK after a series of shows in London at the end of last year. For those who haven't heard the band, UK’s XFM DJ Eddy Temple-Morris described them "as a cross between Janes Addiction and Deftones."

MC Rut is releasing a limited edition, hand numbered 7" on the UK Kids/Bright Antenna label on February 10th. Tracks are “Busy Bein’ Born” and “All Walk of Life”.

Frontman Zach Lopez said "Completely ignoring the current state of music has resulted in us creating the songs that we have. This is not something we intentionally set out to do, but have found that there's less and less to learn from new records, and an endless amount to learn from old undiscovered records. Our songs are an honest reflection of where our lives are at the moment. Combining that with our passion to be on stage is what make up MC RUT."

MC Rut is currently touring the UK and here are their upcoming tour dates:
Jan. 26, 2009, Soul Tree - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Cambridge
Jan. 27, 2009, Audio - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Brighton
Jan. 28, 2009, Barfly - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Cardiff, Wales
Jan. 30, 2009, Cavern - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Exeter
Jan. 31, 2009, Academy 2 - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Birmingham
Feb. 01, 2009, King Tuts - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Glasgow, Scotland
Feb. 02, 2009, The Cockpit - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Leeds
Feb. 03, 2009, Academy 2 - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Newcastle
Feb. 04, 2009, Academy 3 - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Manchester
Feb. 05, 2009, Islington Academy - with INNERPARTYSYSTEM, London

Links:
Middle Class Rut's MySpace Profile

Flipper - Sex Bomb Baby CD Review (Water Records)

After being out of print for years, Water Records recently reissued Flipper's first four CDs. Taking a look at these discs in chronological order, Sex Bomb Baby contains the band's earliest recorded material.

Sex Bomb Baby documents the band's singles and contributions to compilations over the period 1979-82. There are a handful of song that were rerecorded for Generic Flipper but the songs are in radically different versions between the two discs. With so many bands using Flipper's sound and style as a jumping off point, Sex Bomb Baby is just as essential as Generic Flipper.

Tracks are:
1) Sex Bomb: From the "Sex Bomb" 7" (10/81)
2) Love Canal: From the "Love Canal" 7" (2/81)
3) Ha Ha Ha: From the "Love Canal" 7" (2/81)
4) Sacrifice: From the "Maximum Rocknroll Presents: Not So Quiet on the Western Front" complilation LP (8/82)
5) Falling: From the "Live at Target" compilation LP (2/24/80)
6) Ever: From the Eastern Front compilation LP (1982)
7) Get Away: From the "Get Away" 7" (12/82)
8) Earthworm: From the "SF Underground" compilation EP (11/79)
9) The Game's Got a Price: From a flexidisc in "Take It" magazine (1982)
10) The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly: From the "Get Away" 7" (12/82)
11) Brainwash: From the "Sex Bomb" 7" (10/81)
12) Lowrider: From the "Live at Target" compilation LP (2/24/80)
13) End of the Game: From the "Live at Target" compilation LP (2/24/80)

Even though members of Flipper came out of the punk scene, it is fascinating to hear the band start off with the droning dirge of "Earthworm" on their earliest recording. In an interview with Steve DePace last year, he said "[Flipper] went against the grain. Once everything went hardcore thrash, we were grungy and slow." While there are still some punkish elements in the early recordings, you can hear the band starting to slow down (like an impending train wreck).

Try to forget the numerous times "Sex Bomb" has been covered over the last 25+ years and you can imagine the impact this single made in 1981 where the only lyrics over the entire five minute song is "She's a sex bomb, my baby yeah". When you add the 6+minute dirge "Brainwash" to the flip (where Bruce Lose repeats the lyrics are "Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway" over a punkish riff that repeats itself over and over), Flipper was standing out from the crowd.

As Sex Bomb Baby is a compilation, it doesn't come across as a coherent body of work but this disc contains all of the classic Flipper music, wit and sarcasm. There is the audience baiting and fighting, which seemed part of all the early Flipper shows that I saw, captured in the live performance of "Ever"; there is psychotic reading of "The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly" and live version of the anti-Reagan anthem "Sacrifice" smolders.

This is a great disc for fans and a guidepost for bands just starting out.

Links:
Flipper's MySpace Profile

Sinner - Crash and Burn CD Review (Candlelight Records)

Mat Sinner & crew are back with Sinner's sixteenth studio release, Crash and Burn, which was released in the US by Candlelight Records a few week back.

For anyone not familiar with Sinner, the band plays melodic, guitar-driven 70's hard-rock. The closest points of comparison would be pre-disco 70's Kiss and Thin Lizzy. Bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner has a throaty rasp similar to Gene Simmons and the dual-lead guitars of Henny Wolter and Christof Leim give the band's music a pre-NWOBHM sound. The Thin Lizzy comparisons are strengthened by the band covering Lizzy's "Baby Please Don't Go" on their 2007 studio album Mask of Sanity and contributing a cover of "The Sun Goes Down" to a Phil Lynott tribute album. The song "Connection" (which is streaming on the band's MySpace profile) perfectly captures the spirit and sound of Thin Lizzy and could easily be mistaken for a Thin Lizzy cover or outtake.

Take a look at the video for the song "Revolution" and this will give you a good sense for the grittier, hard-rock side of the band.



Some of the strongest cuts from this disc are "Crash and Burn", "Heart of Darkness" and "Connection". All three of these cuts are streaming on Mat Sinner's MySpace profile.

Sinner is likely to be temporarily inactive as bassist/vocalist Mat and guitarist Henny are also in Primal Fear and the band is in the process of mixing and mastering their forthcoming disc 16.6.

All-in-all, Crash & Burn is a strong hard-rock album that should catch the ear of fans of 70's/early 80's rock. It would be nice to see the band do a US tour sometime in the near future.

Links:
Sinner's MySpace Profile

Bonded By Blood Plays Liquid Lounge in Bayonne on March 28th (Earache Records)

Los Angeles thrash metalers Bonded by Blood are touring the East Coast in March as part of the "Masters of Disaster" tour.

On the strength of their self-released EP "Extinguish the Weak", Bonded by Blood signed with Earache Records and released their first full length CD, Feed The Beast, last summer. As posted on Metal-Archieves.com, one of the reviewers of this disc said that "Feed the Beast is an exercise in great old school thrash. From start to finish these young Californians harness the awesome energy of thrash metal into a solid 42 minutes of fun."

Bonded by Blood is playing with black-thrash act Witchaven and death metalers Exmortus.

Tickets for the show are $10.00.

Links:
Bonded By Blood's MySpace Profile

Senses Fail Announce "Saints & Sinners" Tour Dates w/ Hollywood Undead, Haste the Day, brokeNCYDE (Vagrant Records)

I knew Sense Fail was attracting bigger audiences with each release but I hadn't realized that their popularity was to the point where they have already gotten 36 million plays on their MySpace jukebox. As a reference point, Metallica has 41 million plays but they have been in the mainstream and playing coliseums for now over twenty years.

Senses Fail have announced a 42-date Feb - April tour. Many of these dates are part of the Saints & Sinners Tour which includes Haste The Day, Hollywood Undead and BroekNCYDE on the bill. The local tour stops are:

Mar 7 – Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey,
Mar 8 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater and
Mar 10 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza.

Sense Fail are touring behind Life Is Not A Waiting Room (Vagrant Records), which was released this past October and the disc debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200.

As the news media continues to bombard us with tales of a US recession and a global depression, Senses Fail vocalist Buddy Nielsen's offers the perspective that “[t]he economy sucks, the music industry sucks, business men are committing suicide, but I’m get much better at jiu-jitsu. I have been going off and on for a year and in the last 2 weeks I have progressed leaps and bounds compared to the other students in my class. I have diligently been working on my open guard and keeping my foe away from me with hip movements and foot control and in turn my closed guard has become much improved. I am finally feeling comfortable with delivering a string of attacks from that position. For all my new found strengths I still have many weaknesses such as, but not limited to, getting cross collared, inability to finish triangles, letting people take my back and many others. I would just like to say thank you to my school and I would really appreciate if everyone would come out and see Senses Fail on this tour.”

After the current series of tour dates, Senses Fail will be playing all dates on Warped Tour 2009 and will be touring Europe later this year.

Links:
Senses Fail's MySpace Profile

Cat Power - Dark End of the Street EP Review (Matador)

2008 was an interesting year for Cat Power as Chan Marshall bookended the year with albums of cover tunes. Jukebox was released in January of 2008 and it featured 10 covers songs, which were predominately made up of classic folk and country tunes. Some of the artists covered on Jukebox include Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and Joni Mitchell.

Dark End of the Street was recorded during the sessions for Jukebox but, this time, Chan covers some classic Muscle Shoals style soul. The six-song EP is bookended by a pair of tunes originally made popular by Aretha Franklin ("Dark End of the Street" and "It Ain't Fair") and the disc also includes an Otis Redding cover ("I've Been Loving You Too Long"). All of the songs are recorded with the Dirty Delta Blues band who give these songs a swirling soul sound. Chan's vocal delivery is very similar to that on Jukebox - while her vocals don't rise and fall with the build in the music, Chan's world-weary bluesy singing present a unique reinterpretation of many of these songs.

One of the more interesting reinterpretations is CCR's "Fortunate Son". While this version doesn't have John Fogerty's driving guitar lines, Chan's passionate vocals drive the song through what could be mistaken for a Velvet Underground backing track.

Here is a live performance of "It Ain't Fair":


On Matador Records blog, Gerald Cosloy posted: "Chan has not retired from writing or recording her own material. We’re pretty confident her next full length album wllll either be all originals or about 90% in that direction…"

Cat Power is playing two nights at the Apollo Theater next month. The shows are February 6th and 7th and tickets are $36.00.

Links:
Cat Power

Australia Plays Broadway: Pre-Show Photos from Carnegie Hall, Jan 20th

Australia Plays Broadway at Carnegie Hall last Tuesday was an impressive event. Prior to the show, I don't think that I fully appreciated the breadth and range of artists that were performing.



While all of the performers were stellar, some of the more impressive performances were:
- Twins cellists Pei-Jee & Pei-Sian Ng, performing together for the first time, played "In the Depths of the Temple"
- Robyn Nevin reading "Lincoln Portrait", which concluded with a tribute to President Obama
- David Campbell and Jimmy Barnes duetting on "You've Lost The Lovin' Feeling"
- Simon Burke, Amanade Harrison, David Campbell and Olivia Newton-John performing a series of Peter Allen tunes, which included a finale with the entire company.

As this was the second successful year of Australia Plays Broadway, I'm sure that next year will be something to look forward to.

"Australia Plays Broadway" on Jan. 20th @ Carnegie Hall (Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Amanda Harrison + More)

Australia Week 2009 and G'Day USA present a special one night only concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, January 20th. This show features the biggest names in Australian music accompanied by the 70-member Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

This show is part of the 6th Annual G'Day USA Festival and there are events happening in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

The host of the show on Tuesday is actor/stage performer Simon Burke and the musical performers include Olivia Newton-John, Amanda Harrison (from the Melbourne cast of Wicked), Lior, singer/songwriter Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, rocker Jimmy Barnes, vocalist Ursula Yovich, crooner David Campbell, twin cellists Pei-Jee and Pei-Sian Ng, Simon Tedeschi and many more.

Tickets range from $35 - $120 and are available online through Carnegie Hall's Box Office. The show starts at 8PM.

Links:
G'Day USA/Australia Week 2009

French Kicks Announce Two Area Shows in February (Vagrant)

French Kicks are back home and have announced shows in Hoboken and Brooklyn next month. The band is playing Maxwell's on Feb. 13th (Tickets are $10 in advance) and The Bell House in Brooklyn on Feb. 21st (Also on the bill are Pomegranates and tickets are $12).

French Kicks were busy in 2008 as they released their fourth full-length, Swimming, which took the band in a new direction. This was followed by "Covers - EP", where the band covered Lindsey Buckingham, The Ramones and others. Three of the four songs on Covers were recorded live in the studio and this gives the songs a loose and relaxed feel.

For anyone who hasn't listened to Swimmers, there are a couple live performances from French Kicks that are available as free (and legal) downloads. The band recorded a session for WOXY that features three tracks from Swimmers and a Daytrotter Session the features four tracks from the disc.

Links:
French Kicks' Website

Amplify is Playing The Charleston on January 24th (Indie Metal)

Melodic hard-rockers Amplify announce their first run of shows for 2009.

Jan. 24, 2009, 9:00PM, The Charleston, Brooklyn, New York
Feb. 14, 2009, 9:00PM, the_underscore, New York
Mar. 21, 2009, 8:30PM, Red Star, Brooklyn

Amplify released their debut CD, "Beneath the Beauty Lies...Heaven To Burn", in 2007. The band doesn't play that many live dates due to its members' numerous side projects so catch 'em now on their first run of new shows.

Amplify puts on a solid (sweaty) high-energy rock show and you can check out a number of live video of the band on the web.

Amplify: "House", Live on WoozyFly.com, Jan 2008


Amplify: Rehearsal Studio, Jan. 2008


Links:
Amplify's Website

Tombs (Relapse Records) are Playing the Charleston on Jan. 28th

Ambient/psychedelic metalers, Tombs are playing a couple shows in the area over the next couple weeks. The first is a show at The Charleston on January 28th. On the bill with Tombs are Kylesa, Black Anvil and Tournament. Tickets are $10.

The next area show is at Union Pool on February 4th. Tombs is playing with Dysrythmia and 1200 Trees. Admission is $10.

Tombs recently signed to Relapse Records and their label debut, Winter Hours, is coming out on February 17th. There are a couple tracks, "Gossamer" and "Beneath the Toxic Jungle", currently streaming on the Tombs' MySpace profile.

Here is a live video of Tombs performing "Golden Eyes" (from Winter Hours) that was filmed at the Relapse Records showcase at CMJ:

Ross The Boss - New Metal Leader CD Review (Candlelight Records)

After exiting Manowar over twenty years ago, Ross the Boss' first solo CD, New Metal Leader, is a return to the epic power-metal sounds of his past work.

Ross' solo band came about when he played "A Night of Early Manowar" at the Keep It True IV Festival in Germany backed by Manowar cover band Men Of War. Ross ended up taking Men Of War under his wing as the Ross the Boss band.

Ross the Boss - Keep It True Festival

In an interview with Stalker, Ross said "I realized they were special the first time we rehearsed. They´re schooled musicians with deep respect for me and the music. Before playing the Keep It True Festival for the second time, we stepped into Tarek´s studio and laid down tracks for "I Got The Right" and "We Will Kill." The next step was to see if Patrick could write lyrics for the songs. When the songs were finished, I knew I had a band and I never wanted to play another Manowar song again. I never wanted to be an "oldies guy" who paid tribute to himself. Playing Manowar songs with a tribute band was cheesy, but fun. We got great offers and made a lot of new contacts and friends; however, we knew we weren´t going to do it for long."

New Metal Leader isn't quite Manowar's Kings of Metal but it is pretty darn close. The disc's 11 tracks are pretty much all melodic anthems that are sure to get fists pumping in the air. Vocalist Patrick Fuchs doesn't have the road-worn sound of Manowar vocalist Eric Adams but, if you look at Ross' quote above, he wasn't trying to form a Manowar cover band. Patrick has a great voice for this genre of music.

"Blood of Knives" is the first full track on the disc (after the epic metal guitar-driven opener) and is pretty indicative of what the rest of the disc sounds like.


Find more videos like this on Ross The Boss Network

The band stays in this power metal groove for most of the disc but there are a few diversions into the metal ballad territory ("God of Dying") that I associate with The Scorpions and "May the Gods Be With You" is the sort of radio-friendly rock song that Kiss was writing in the early 90's.

Both fans of power metal and early Manowar should enjoy this disc.

Links:
Ross the Boss' MySpace Profile
Ross the Boss' Website

Sworn Enemy is Playing All-Ages Metal Matinee at Southpaw on February 8th

DOWNLOAD: The Judas Syndrome - Death of the Soul (MP3)

Somehow I never thought Southpaw would become the "torch-bearer" for the all-ages metal shows...but this is pretty cool. After all the b*tching that I've done about metal bands skipping over NYC on their tours, it is great to see Southpaw stepping up. (Props to Mikey and Matt)

Sworn Enemy has been playing around the scene for the last seven years, they have played on major festivals like OzzFest and have recorded discs for Stillborn Records, Elektra Records and Century Media. The band is heading off on a major tour of Europe and are playing one local show - this one at Southpaw.

On the bill with Sworn Enemy is Vehement Serenade, if in the chamber, and The Judas Syndrome.

Tickets are $10 and doors are at 3PM.

Links:
Sworn Enemy's MySpace Profile

Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium CD Review (Southern Lord)

After spending the past 25 years playing music, it seems hard to believe that Scott "Wino" Weinrich is just now releasing his first solo CD.

The new disc, Punctuated Equilibrium, will be released next Tuesday on the Southern Lord label. Like most Southern Lord releases, there will be a limited edition vinyl pressing. The vinyl pressing comes with a bonus 10" that contains four exclusive tracks:

- Chest Fever
- Der Gift (The Poison)
- On The (Sacrificial) Lam
- The Comet And The Moon

Wino has been busy since disbanding The Hidden Hand in 2007. He recorded both a solo CD and joined a new project, Shrinebuilder, with members of The Melvins, Neurosis, and Om. On Punctured Equilibrium, Wino is joined by Jon Black (of Rezin) and Jean-Paul Gaster (of Clutch). The disc was produced by J. Robbins (x-Jawbox, Government Issue) and comes with original artwork from David D'Andrea. There are also extensive liner notes from Wino that describe the origin of each track.

Here is how Wino sums up the disc: "This is the culmination of a very old dream, one that has come true in many different ways. One of the main things I have learned is how I understand "success". To me, it's not all riches and glory so much as the impact on others lives. My main philosophy that guides me is that I was given a gift, a Musical gift which I use to bring happiness to others. It is also important not to overlook your own needs, but putting yourself in the other person's shoes is to me most important! Punctuated Equilibrium is how my personality has been described, as told in the lyrics."

Wino keeps the sound varied on on Punctured Equilibrium as the tracks range from a mix of stoner psychedelia (check out "Punctuated Equilibrium" or "Wild Blue Yonder", which has some Hendrix style riffs) to Clutch-style blues-based grooves ("Smilin Road", which is streaming on Wino's MySpace page and "Release Me"). There are also a couple tracks with a solid middle-eastern feel along with the (obligatory) Sabbath style downtuned "doom" tracks.

For any fans of Wino's past work, along with fans of the doom/stoner rock genre, Punctuated Equilibrium is a great addition to your music library.

Wino is currently in Los Angeles recording with Shrinebuilder and that disc will come out sometime this year on Neurot Recordings.

Links:
Wino's MySpace Profile

Short Sharp Shock (SSS) - The Dividing Line CD Review (Earache)

Liverpool skate thrashers Short Sharp Shock are back with their second disc, The Dividing Line.

The Dividing Line mixes classic skate thrash with West Coast punk and, on the new disc, the band blasts through 20 new tunes. This disc is more diverse and heavier than its predecessor and the band seems even more p*ssed off. Musically, the band throws in a few instrumentals, which range from the cinematic opener "The Dividing Line" to the shredding guitar riffs of "The Waiting Game". Song themes ranges from skating ("Ride the Best, F*ck the Rest" pays homage to Independent Trucks and "SK8+Destroy", which features guest appearances from skaters Geoff Rowley and Howard Cooke) to being generally p*ssed off with the world around them ("Street Leech" and "Unrest in the Northwest").

SSS perfectly capture the energy of the 80's thrash bands and they also have a similar sense of black humor (i.e. S.O.D.). Crossfire recently posted an interview with lead singer Foxy and here is one of the questions:
If you had to do one of the following things which one would you choose and why?

a) Caught in a mosh with Anthrax.

b) Caught in a bong with Municipal Waste.

c) Surfing Nicaragua with Sacred Reich.

We don't do drugs, surfing is for fags so caught in a mosh it is! Why? - You can scoop your brains out with a rusty spoon, beat your chest like kong or bark at the moon and no-one cares what you look like.

The Dividing Line is available in a number of different formats and pressings. The US version of the new CD comes with free bonus DVD containing behind the scenes footage of the recording and aggro-touring action. There is a UK vinyl edition available through Earache's European Store which contains the LP-exclusive track "A Means to An End". There is also a "limited to 100 copies" splatter vinyl version of the disc which is also available from Earache's store.

Here is an extract from the bonus DVD:


SSS is playing some sporadic shows in the UK and their next show is March 1 @ Korova in Liverpool.

Links:
Short Sharp Shock's MySpace Profile

Oceano - "Depths" Listening Party at Lit Lounge on Jan. 19th (Earache)

Earache Records is hosting a world premier listening party for Oceano's debut disc, Depths, next Monday night at Lit Lounge. The listening party starts at 9PM and admission is free. There will be drinks and giveaways all night.

Earache describes Oceano as "Chicago's angriest deathcore crew". The new CD will be released this Spring and there are a couple tracks from Depths streaming on the band's MySpace profile. The first pressing of the disc will come with a limited edition bonus DVD.

Oceano is out of the road but it looks like the closest the band is coming to NYC is a show at The Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ on February 15th.

Links:
Earache Records

Nerissa Campbell: Interview About New Disc and CD Release Shows (Jazz)

A few days ago, I had posted about Nerissa Campbell's CD release show at 55 Bar (W. Village) tomorrow night. Nerissa is a jazz artist who leans toward the Billie Holliday or Peggy Lee style of jazz and her new CD is entitled Musings of a Telescopic Tree.

Nerissa and I had a chance to catch up tonight and talk about the new CD, the show tomorrow night and her upcoming CD release shows in Australia. Here is a direct link to the interview and here is a link to the .

Links:
Nerissa Campbell's MySpace Profile

Bugs In The Dark Play Public Assembly Tomorrow Night, Jan. 15th

Bugs in the Dark recently placed #5 in The Deli Magazine's Best of 2008 Reader's Poll and the band puts on a phenomenal live show. The band is playing a show tomorrow night at Public Assembly in Williamsburg with Djinn Toys, My Other Friend and Neon God.

Here is what The Deli Magazine had to say about the band: "Bugs in the Dark is a 2 girl / 1 guy dual-vocal art rock trio out of Brooklyn, NYC, inspired by bands like Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Sleater Kinney and Blonde Redhead. The placed 5th in our Best of 2008 Readers' Poll, missing the nomination boat for just a handful of votes. They gathered praise from sources as varied as Impose, L Magazine, Indie Sounds NY and (of course) The Deli. Check out their out of control live show at Public Assembly on 01.15."

Tickets for tomorrow's show are $8.00 and Bugs in the Dark goes on at 10:30PM.

Links:
Bugs in the Dark's MySpace Profile

Heather & the Barbarians Are Playing a Residency at Pete's Candy Store

DOWNLOAD: Heather & the Barbarians - Red Letters (MP3)

Brooklyn's Heather & the Barbarians (Americana/Country) are playing a residency at Pete's Candy Store this month. Upcoming shows are January 15, 22, 29. The shows start at 9PM and admission is free.

"The Barbarians are a Brooklyn based American rock band that blends jazz, country-blues, folk, soul, and rock and roll. They formed at the New England Conservatory in 2003 and recorded their debut LP, Tell Me Tonight, in 2006. Lead vocalist Heather Masse is also a member of the Canadian folk group The Wailin' Jennys, where she has performed across North America, the UK and as a frequent guest on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion. The Barbarians feature Josh Sinton and Adam Schneit on saxophones, Peter Bitenc on Bass and Joel Arnow on drums. Members of Heather & the Barbarians have performed with artists such as King Wilkie, Casey Dienel, Carrie Rodriguez, Crescent and Frost, Adrienne Young, Julian Velard, Michael Buble, holus Bolus, and Cat Show Snapshots.The January residency will include guest guitarists Hans Holzen and Daniel Marcus."

Links:
Heather & the Barbarians MySpace profile

David Rogue Played Spike Hill on January 8, 2009

I listened to the music streaming on David Rogue's MySpace profile a few weeks ago and posted a show preview. After seeing David perform live at Spike Hill, I don't think his studio material does him justice.

I had "pigeonholed" David as alt-country but his music is closer to that of Chris Isaak. When playing live, David and his band have more of that Sun Studios rockabilly/country sound.

From David Rogue - Spike Hill, Brooklyn 1/8/09

I saw Chris Isaak early in his career opening for Suzanne Vega and David's set reminded me of this performance (g*d, I'm getting old - this show was over 20 years ago). It is kind of funny is that David's band includes long-time Suzanne Vega guitarist Mark Schulman (who tossed some very tasty solos into David's set).

Here is a picture of David and Mark:

From David Rogue - Spike Hill, Brooklyn 1/8/09

David's upcoming shows are:
Jan 23, 2009 8:00PM, The Annex, New York
Feb 26, 2009 7:00PM, Rockwood Music Hall, New York

Scouts: Columbia, MO Indie Rockers Are Beginning Work on New CD, "Kids & Ghosts"

DOWNLOAD: Scouts - 8AM, Cafe Berlin (MP3)

Scouts is a fairly new indie-rock band from Columbia, MO whose music blends the influences of shoe-gazer bands like My Bloody Valentine with the indie-rock sounds of bands like Miracle Legion and Let's Active.

Scouts released their debut EP "I'm Sick, I'm Well" last Summer which earned a strong review from PopMatters. The band spent a good portion of 2008 touring around the Mid-West with acts like Taking Back Sunday and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and are now going back into the studio to record their follow-up disc, which is entitled "Kids & Ghosts".

There are a number of tracks from "I'm Sick, I'm Well" streaming on Scout's MySpace Page along with a couple of demos.

Here are Scouts' upcoming tour dates:
Jan 13, 2009: Mojo’s w/ One For The Team, Columbia, MO
Jan 24, 2009: EP Theater w/MotherElectric, Chicago, IL
Jan 28, 2009: Mojo’s w/ Someone Stills Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Columbia, MO
Feb 04, 2009 : The Record Bar w/ We Are Voices & Lifeinjersey, Kansas City, MO
Feb 17, 2009 : The 400 w/ We Are Voices & Now And Forever, Warrensburg, MO

Rock Band Continues to Add More Artists to the Music Store (Roy Orbison, Dead Kennedys, At The Gates, etc.)

While Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, I walked through a number of electronics and entertainment stores (BestBuy, Circuit City, etc.). It seems pretty obvious that Rock Band is the current winner of the "battle" of the music video games.

Every store that I went into had Guitar Hero: Aerosmith on sale for 50%+ off of its regular price. On the other hand, I'm receiving what seems like weekly emails from Rock Band as they add new artists to the Rock Band store. These artists range from Roy Orbison to Dead Kennedys, Motorhead, Testament, At The Gates, Mission of Burma and many other eclectic, non-mainstream artists. There is something to be said for having this much flexibility in customizing your music game...and I'm particularly enjoying being able to play Burma's "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" and At the Gates' "Blinded By Fear" back-to-back.

The Rock Band store is now has more than 500 tracks and has had over 30 million paid downloads to-date. Here is the link to the list of all of the songs available for Rock Band.

Harmonix Music Systems' big release for next year is going to be a new standalone game based on the Rock Band premise that features the music of The Beatles. The unnamed game will feature "a visual and musical history of the Beatles, and will include the United Kingdom-released versions of songs from their albums Please Please Me through Abbey Road." While this game will not be part of the Rock Band series, all Rock Band accessories are supposed to work with this title.

Links:
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. (Creators of Rock Band)

Nerissa Campbell is Playing 55 Bar (W. Village) on Thursday, Jan. 15th

DOWNLOAD: Nerissa Campbell - Glasgow (MP3)

Jazz artist (and Australian transplant) Nerissa Campbell is releasing her second disc, Musings of a Telescopic Tree, next week at a show at 55 Bar in the W. Village.

Musings of a Telescopic Tree has a feel like an old Billie Holliday or Peggy Lee album but all of the material on this disc is new and fresh. The disc's ten tracks are somewhat melancholy, with tales of love, loss and depression but this is balanced by an underlying openness to the record. The overall sound of the disc has a warmth that allows Nerissa voice to fill the open spaces. The band plays very tight jazz and R&B fills, providing strong support to both the vocals and each other, and they too have enough space across the disc to improvise, solo and shine.

Thursday night's show starts at 7PM and admission is free.

Links:
55 Bar
Nerissa Campbell's MySpace Profile

Antimatter - iPhone/iPod Touch Game Review (Pangea Software)

Antimatter is the latest game from Pangea Software, the creators of Enigmo. It is extremely simple to get started with this game but it is (thus far) difficult to master, which keeps the game play fairly addictive.

The game's premise is that "you control a stream of antimatter particles and use it to affect the Cosmic Strings while collecting powerups and bonus points." How this works is that you control direction of the antimatter particle with your finger and you have to bounce the particle into each of the blue Cosmic Strings, which then turns the Strings red. Once all the Strings are turned red, you clear the level. Antimatter's graphics are stunning.

The game has a number of challenging aspects. The first is that you have a limited amount of energy and you have to clear each level before your energy runs out. You can collect more energy by hitting the Strings or "power-ups" that appear on the screen. As time progresses, the Strings break into smaller pieces (which makes then infinitely harder to hit) and you can accidently turn a String back to blue by hitting it a second time. The first few levels are fairly simple to clear but it gets complex quickly as more strings are added at each level.

Antimatter is only $1.99 from the iTunes App Store.

Soul Trapper - Episode 1: Ollie Ollie Oxen Free (iPhone/iPod Touch Game)

Soul Trapper is an interesting new App Store game from Realtime Audio Adventures. What makes this application stand out from the pack is that it is more of a "chose your own adventure" audio book than a pure game.

Soul Trapper's story line is pure pulp noir as it follows the exploits of Kane Pryce, a 27 year old drifter who hunts down and dispatches ghosts to the after-life with the aid of his Soul Trapper. The story line has all the main plot vehicles of a 40's/50's detective novel; a one-man army "hero", a beautiful love interest and seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome. While the story starts slow, it builds fairly quickly and I was hooked in from about Chapter 3 onward.

The gaming portion of the application is somewhat limited. While you can direct Kane to do certain actions (using arrows on the touch screen), the story doesn't move on until you pick the correct option. As such, there aren't alternate story lines and you really can't "die" (as you could in the early computer adventure games). As Soul Trapper is truly an "audio adventure", there really isn't much in the line of visuals, outside of a different image for each of the 23 chapters. The audio though is quite rich and it ranges from vocals narratives from the different characters (almost like a radio drama) to providing clues for many of the game vignettes.

As a book, I really enjoyed this application and it took me about four hours to finish the story. Looking strictly at the game functionality, this is probably not an application for hard-core gamers. The game play is pretty limited and it seems unlikely that you would come back to the application for the games once you have completed the story line.

As a fan of the pulp noir style of writing, I'm looking forward to hearing Episode 2.

Links:
Soul Trapper (Apple App Store)

Dead Leaf Echo Play Free Show @ Bell House Tomorrow Night (with Free Beer)

Dead Leaf Echo put out a strong EP, Pale Fire, last year and just finished recording new material with John Fryer (Cocteau Twins,Lush,Pale Saints) of 4AD fame. The forthcoming album is entitled "Truth" and it will be released in the early part of this year.

Dead Leaf Echo are playing a free show tomorrow night at The Bell House with The Depreciation Guild and there will be free Brooklyn Lager from 8PM - 9PM.

Here is the video for "Tears", which is from the Pale Fire EP.



Links:
Deaf Leaf Echo's MySpace Profile

Vancougar - Canadian Tuxedo CD Review (Mint Records)

STREAM Vancougar - "Obvious"
STREAM Vancougar - "Distance"

I never got around to doing a "Best of 2008" list but Vancougar's Canadian Tuxedo would have made my list.

In my mind, Canadian Tuxedo ranks up there with Blondie's first disc. Vancougar's style of music combines 60's style girl group harmonies, AM Radio pop, and garage-rock. This is the sort of record that Blondie should have made in place of the deplorable The Curse of Blondie disc a few years back.

Producer Dave Carswell (The New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, etc.) gives this disc the perfect balance between singer/guitarist Eden Fineday's soaring vocals and the driving beat of the band. Drummer C.C. Rose gives the band a punk back-beat which is then complemented by Becca Stewart's fuzzed-out bass lines and the wonderful garage keys of Megan Johnson. Eight of the disc's ten songs are bouncy power-pop tunes and the last two are "Brill Building" torch songs. Lyrically, the themes are about love, broken romance, and the challenges of adulthood.

"Philadelphia" is one of my favorite songs on the disc and you can check out a live video of the song below.



Canadian Tuxedo is great stuff -- it is the sort of CD that you can play over and over again as there isn't a bad song on the disc.

Links:
Vancougar's MySpace Profile

Brown Shoe - Jackalope CD Review

Brown Shoe's third release, Jackalope, is tough to pigeon-hole into one particular style or genre. The band's music is moody and atmospheric which easily leads to comparisons to post-rock bands like Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai but there are also elements in Brown Shoe's musics of British post-punk and American "jam" bands. The band's overall sound is an interesting amalgamation.

If you check out the video for "Aquarium" (which is one of the standout tracks on Jackalope), you will get a sense for the band's musical style.


Aquarium -- Music Video from Brown Shoe.

Lyrically, singer Ryan Baggaley paints some strong emotional pictures as he sings of love, loss and heartbreak which has led to further comparison to bands like Red House Painters.

On Jackalope, the band sounds at their best on the up-tempo anthemic songs. These songs have a tight, pulsing bass line, big swirling guitars and very crisp, driving drums. In addition to "Aquarium", other standout tracks on the disc are "Take This Paper And Burn It" and "Hey". Brown Shoe has a strong reputation for their live shows and I would bet that these songs are big crowd favorites.

Links:
Brown Shoe's MySpace Profile

Doug Keith (Up The Empire) - CD Release Show @ Piano's on Jan. 9th

DOWNLOAD: Doug Keith - The Companion of An Angel (MP3)

Up The Empire's Doug Keith is unveiling his first recordings under his own name at a show at Piano's on Friday. Doug's new disc, Here's To Outliving Me comes out on January 13th on The Cougar Label.

The track posted above, "The Companion of An Angel", is pretty representative of the sound of Doug's new disk. Musically, this release would likely fall into the category of alt-country. Doug delivers his lyrics and creates imagery like the classic country/folk storytellers and there is a lot of delicate interplay between Doug's vocals, his guitar work and the work of his band mates. All of this is complemented by rich backing vocal harmonies on a number of the songs. There are three additional advance tracks from this release that you can download for free from Doug's page on The Cougar Label's site.

Sharing the bill with Doug at the show at Piano's are Voxhaul Broadcast, The Union Line and Cat Jaw. It looks like a good mix of bands and tickets are $10.

Links:
Doug Keith's MySpace Profile

Rob Nicholas - Interview with BrooklynRocks (Chicago Jazz/Pop Fusion)

DOWNLOAD: Rob Nicholas & A Moment's Notice - Sittin' Away (MP3)

Right before the holidays, I caught up with Chicago-based musician Rob Nicholas. Rob is a classically trained musician who has been playing around the Chicago area for the last ten years. Rob is about to release his first solo disc sometime in the next few weeks and his music is a fusion of world music, pop and jazz. Points of comparison are artists like Jason Mraz and James Blunt.

Rob and I had the chance to talk about his forthcoming solo EP, the breakup of his previous band (Rob Nicholas and A Moment's Notice), jazz purists, the state of the world and more. Here is a direct link to the MP3 of the interview and here is a link to the feed .

Rob's next show is February 7th at House of Blues in Chicago and he will be playing with Kirsten Price. Advance tickets are $10.

Links:
Rob Nicholas' MySpace Profile

Beau Jennings Covers Dwight Yoakam's "Streets of Bakersfield" (free download)

BuffetLibre DJ's have their 80's cover-song project, "Rewind Part 2", going full force and there are some pretty cool songs from a wide range of bands available as free downloads.

Beau Jennings (solo artist and Cheyenne frontman) has contributed a cover of Dwight Yoakam's "Streets of Bakersfield". Beau says "I love "Streets Of Bakersfield", its one of those songs where the listener knows something that the narrator doesn't. But then again you don't realize that till you've listened to the song a few times, so its fun a lot of levels. Plus it sounds good coming out of a roadhouse jukebox."

Links:
Cheyenne's MySpace Profile

Pavement - Brighten The Corners (Nicene Credence Edition) CD Review (Matador)

Matador's reissue of Pavement's fourth CD, Brighten The Corners, allows you to really get a different perspective on the original CD.

The original twelve track CD seemed pretty focused and mellow after its sprawling predecessor, Wowee Zowee. The deluxe edition of Brighten the Corners adds thirty-two bonus tracks that includes outtakes, b-sides, live material and radio sessions. There are reinterpretations of material from Brighten the Corners and early versions of songs that would ultimately make it onto Terror Twilight and the Major Leagues EP. These bonus tracks give this disc the open and loose sound of its predecessors and add a bit of extra life and context to the original twelve tracks.

Brighten The Corners has aged well and the original singles from this release, “Stereo” and “Shady Lane”, still sound fresh. Giving a fresh listen to this CD, Spiral Stairs' songs, "Date w/ IKEA" and "Passat Dream", should have also been hits and both seemed to miss their time. "Date w/IKEA" has that California pysch-pop feel that Matthew Sweet has been mining over his last few releases and "Passat Dream" sounds like something that could have come from The Strokes or one of the other current day indie-rock bands.

I can't think of any word to describe the thirty-two bonus tracks other than "eclectic". The bonus tracks include two extra versions of "Type Slowly" - a countrified up-tempo version renamed "Slowly Type" and a live version from the Tibet Freedom Festival. There are two versions of an early version of "The Hexx" (then named "And Then") - an extended studio version and a live Peel Session. There are covers of The Fall's "The Classical" and Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" (both songs were later re-recorded for the band's final EP - Major Leagues) along with a cover of the Clean. Pavement fans will likely wonder why "Harness Your Hopes" (which is included as both a b-side and a Peel Session recording) got regulated to b-side status as the music and Stephen Malkmus' lyrical wordplay seems to hold up well against the disc's original twelve tracks. Fittingly, this set ends on a shambolic note with two takes on the Space Ghost Theme, both of which were recorded in Boston's WFNX Studios on February 12, 1997.

Going back to 1997, here is the Spike Jonze directed video for "Shady Lane":

The Who - At Kilburn: 1977 DVD Review

The Who's Kilburn show has been the subject of debate for decades. This show was filmed for inclusion in The Kids Are Alright but scrapped due to 'poor performance' and the only artifact from this show that had surfaced, prior to the DVD release, was the inclusion of "My Wife" on The Kids Are Alright soundtrack. (Note: The live footage included in the movie was from a show in May of 1978.) I've known Who collectors who have been after this show for years as it is both Keith's second to last performance and it is also the first performance of material from the (then) forthcoming Who's Next LP.

I think the first question that most people will ask is "was the band's performance that bad that this film had to be shelved for 30 years?" The quick answer is "no" - The Who aren't playing at the highly polished, "professional" rock band level that they were when they filmed the Toronto show on their first farewell tour. The late 1977 version of The Who hadn't played live in 14 months and seemed to want to prove themselves still relevant as punk was coming onto the music scene. There are a number of mistakes throughout the performance but it adds to the concert's charm and raw power of The Who shines through.

One of the things that was always said about this era of The Who was that Keith had slowed down. While this is true, Keith hadn't lost his drumming chops. Keith gets off to a bit of a slow start but picks up speed (and confidence?) as the show progresses. Pete Townsend is amazing when he is angry and he is explosive in this show. Physically, he is all over the stage with kicks, splits and duck walks. He also knocks over a monitor cabinet, hits himself in the head with his guitar, and winds-up the audience with comments like "There's a guitar up here if any bigmouth little git wants to take it off me!". This certainly isn't the 'elder statesman of rock' side of Pete. John is his usual calm self and the cameras clearly captures his fantastic fret work on songs like "Dreaming from the Waist". Roger is simply Roger - aside for flubbing a verse to one song, Roger looks on top of his game.

Some of the highlights of the show are Keith's pushing in on Roger to sing "Tommy’s Holiday Camp", Pete and John's extended jam during "My Wife" and explosive versions of "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". Both the audio and video/picture quality are outstanding. The show was filmed in 35mm by 6 cameras and professional recorded on 16-track audio.

The second disc in this set is fascinating look at The Who filmed live the "Tommy" tour. This show was filmed at the London Coliseum on December 14, 1969 and the date falls directly between The Who's Woodstock performance and the Live At Leeds recording. Like the extended Live At Leeds CDs, the set list includes the full performance of Tommy interspersed with some lesser known numbers and R&B classics.

Track on the DVD are:
• "Heaven and Hell"
• "Fortune Teller"
• "Tattoo"
• "Young Man Blues"
• "A Quick One While He's Away"
• "Happy Jack"
• "I'm a Boy"
• "I'm Free"
• "Tommy's Holiday Camp"
• "See Me, Feel Me"
• "Summertime Blues"
• "Shakin' All Over"
• "My Generation"

According the book included with the DVD, this film was discovered in a garbage dump outside the offices of Track Records. The DVD lead-in gives the caveat that "the show was lit for the theatre, not for filming". All-in-all, the film is a bit dark and somewhat (good) bootleg-ish quality. The close-up shots are brilliant but, when the camera pans out, the the full band shots are a bit distant and grainy. The audio portion of this show though is great.

The band's performance is a night-and-day difference from the 1977 performance. Pete seems happy and talks more with the audience than I have seen him do in many years. Keith's performance is explosive - he is young, fit and rages all over his drum kit (when not making cracks at Pete). It is also nice to see John sing a few more songs than he did in the later years.

Long-time Who fans are going to want both of these shows. The casual fan may not appreciate the video quality of the 1969 show but the audio portion is still great.

Links:
The Who's Website

Fake Shark - Real Zombie! Release "Angel Lust" EP on Jan. 9th

DOWNLOAD: Fake Shark - Real Zombie - Angel Lust (MP3)

Fake Shark - Real Zombie! are back with a new EP, Angel Lust. This is a digital release that will be available on iTunes on Jan. 9th.

Angel Lust is a 'teaser' for the band's second full-length Meeting People Is Terrible, which is due out sometime in the Spring.

Taken from the band's MySpace page, here is a description of the tracks on the forthcoming EP:

Angel Lust - Disco dance rock should die. This track is rhythm heavy funkyness that can get heads bobbing and fists pumping the way disco beats wished they could in 2005.

Horses in Heaven - IDM glitchyness takes over where 'wolf is the new the' left off. Also named after a joke about quadriplegics!

Running for the Razors - The loudest track on the EP. The relentless riff may be akin to your neighbors/parents/girlfriend pounding the walls in the next room while you listen to this song at full volume!

Sestri Levante - Referencing a stucco village on the Italian Riviera, the song wisks you off to paradise and isolation, before slamming into NWOBHM-inspired riffage and closes the ep with on an epic scale.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Jan 3, 2009, 7:00PM, Wise Hall w/ Gang Violence, Adjective
Vancouver, British Columbia (all-ages show)

Links:
Fake Shark - Real Zombie's MySpace Profile

Toy Bot Diaries 3 - iPhone Game Review (IUGO)

Toy Bot Diaries 3 is an impressive entry into the iPhone gaming space as it is has both great game play and an impressive amount of detail and design in the screens.

This action/puzzle game falls into the "hero on a mission" genre and you need to guide the game's hero, Toy Bot, through six levels of difficulty. Toy Bot moves via his grappling hook and magnetic boots but one of the early-on challenges is the effect that the zero-gravity of space has on Toy Bot's movements. There is a lot of action and puzzles in the game and each level requires both skill and practice to complete. What is nice though is that the game has an "auto-save" feature so you don't have to restart a level when you die.

In addition to the challenge of navigating each level, there are also memory chips hidden throughout which unlock Toy Bot's memories. I haven't yet finished all the levels as the core game is challenging enough but I did get all of the chips on one level. While this feat certainly appears repeatable in other levels, you have to time your jumps and tilts just right.

This game is very engaging and has enough action that it is well worth the $3.99 cost. As this is supposed to be the final installment of the Toy Bot series, it will be interesting to see where IUGO goes next.

Koi Pond: iPhone Application Review (iTunes App Store)

This game is perfect...if your idea of fun is watching paint dry or the Home Shoppers Network.

I'm a fairly new iPhone user so I've ben trying to check out some of the top apps in the iTunes App Store. Koi Pond is the electronic equivalent of the mini Zen Gardens for the office. Here is another piece of junk that is probably going to be marketed as a "stress reliever".

My complaint with Koi Pond is that it really doesn't do anything. The main functionality of the app is that you can feed the fish by shaking the phone and you can also stick your finger in the water and, if you hold it real still, the fish will nibble your finger. As the main functionality didn't hold my attention - I certainly don't care that you can move the lilly pads around on the screen and manipulate the multi-layered ambient background noise.

I've shown this game to a few co-workers and almost everyone of them has lost interest in the app after a minute or two. In fact, most of them stir up the water and "scare" away all of the fish before handing my iPhone back.

Just to give a balanced perspective, here are a couple reviews that loved the app:
Mactropolis.com
iPhone Savior (whose only complaint was that the fish didn't make farting noises when swimming away -- I really hope he is kidding)

Links:
The Blimp Pilots (authors of Koi Pond)

Viking Skull - Doom, Gloom, Heartache and Whiskey (Candlelight Records)

It doesn't often happen where the title of a CD tells you everything that you need to know about the band. In the case of Viking Skull, Doom, Gloom, Heartace and Whiskey is a very accurate description of this disc.

This is a solid slab of stoner metal where the band combines downtuned guitars with a chugging bass line. Vocalist Roddy Stone has a Lemmy-style gargling with razor blades voice but the overall sound of the disc is closer to Southern metal than Motorhead. Easy points of comparison are bands like C.O.C. and Clutch.

Like all great stoner-rock bands, this disc cops some solid Sabbath-like riffs which are most evident on songs like "In Hell". Viking Skull mixes up the sound across the disc so it isn't one big pot of sludge: there is an acoustic country music intro to "Shot Down" and "19 Swords" includes some Dave Murray/Adrian Smith style guitar work. The last cut, "Drink", is the perfect closer for a disc of songs about drinking, gambling, women and more drinking. "Drink" is a piano-driven bar stomper about the joys of drink with the chorus "We have to drink, drink 'til we sh*t our pants". This isn't a deep and meaningful record (let Bono or Bob Geldof save the world) but a lot of fun.

Viking Skull have had yet another lineup change with this disc and Doom, Gloom, Heartache and Whiskey is the first album to feature the band's two new guitarists: Dom Wallace of the band Deadeye and Rich Vose of the band Gnarlkill.

The band is currently touring with Clutch and then are playing a couple of headlining shows in Cleveland, Maryland and Pennsylvania. (It still perplexes me why all these metal bands skip NYC). Viking Skull are doing a video shoot at their Jan. 4th show and have posted "we will be performing an all ages show at the Note in West Chester, Pennsylvania and also be filming a video for 'Hair Of The Dog' with Joe Frantz and Bam Margera. It's going to be kick-fucking-ass. If you want to partake in that debauchery buy a ticket at www.thenotewc.com."

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Dec 28 2008 7:00PM, Webster Theater w/Clutch, Hartford, Connecticut
Dec 29 2008 7:00PM, 930 Club w/Clutch, Washington DC
Dec 30 2008 7:00PM, Newport Music Hall w/Clutch, Columbus, Ohio
Dec 31 2008 7:00PM, Orbit Room w/Clutch, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jan 2 2009 7:00PM, Spitfire Saloon w/Backwards Payback, Cleveland, Ohio
Jan 3 2009 8:00PM Krug’s w/Backwards Payback, Frederick, Maryland
Jan 4 2009 6:00PM, The Note (video shoot/gig) with Backwards Payback, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Links:
Viking Skull's MySpace Profile

Theo and The Skyscrapers Are Touring the East Coast with The Damned (Dec '08/Jan '09)

Theo and the Skyscrapers (T.A.T.S.) are supporting The Damned on the band's current East Coast run.

T.A.T.S. is the current project from former Lunachicks vocalist Theo Kogan and the band is finishing work on their third CD which is scheduled for release in Spring '09.

T.A.T.S. tour dates with The Damned are:

Dec 29, 2008 8:30PM - The Black Cat Washington, Washington DC
Dec 31, 2008 9:30PM - The Blender Theater @ Gramercy NY, New York
Jan 02, 2009 8:00PM - Wonder Bar Asbury Park, New Jersey
Jan 03, 2009 9:00PM - Theater Of Living Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 04, 2009 8:00PM - Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts

Links:
Theo and the Skyscrapers' MySpace Profile