"Earache My Eye" compilation DVD

This reissue of an old VHS tape from venerable UK metal label Earache Records includes some righteously heavy stuff, and plenty of forgettable late-80's/early 90's bits as well. Opening with the best is always a wise choice, and Godflesh's 'Crush My Soul' clip (which I'd somehow never seen before) is nicely disturbing, and includes a cameo from none other than Bob Flanagan (best known for his meat-grinding appearance in Nine Inch Nails 'Happiness In Slavery' video, and for the Re/Search book about his masochistic ways). Dub War (who always bored me) turn in a bleah Bad Brains-meets-nu-metal 'Strike It', and Entombed (who used to be good) present their sell-out clip for the tragically sucky 'Wolverine Blues'. Pretty stupid then, and embarrassing now. Cathedral's early doom metal ages reasonably well, and their 'Hopkins (Witchfinder General)' references the mighty Vincent Price film, and includes (likely unlicensed) an 'appearance' by Price himself. Vincent Price is a god, and thus this clip is quite cool (even if the dancing metal babe cheeses me out). The unjustly-ignored Misery Loves Co. are represented by 'My Mind Still Speaks', an industrial metal pounder that outdid a lot of similar stuff of the era. At The Gates (who I have never heard much of) are memorable, with their Carcass-like grinder 'Blinded By Fear', and Carcass themselves bring the catchy 'No Love Lost', which is still pretty ace, if you ask me. Pitchshifter's 'Underachiever' is a nice bit of cyber-industrial metal as they did best, Sleep's 'Dragonaut' is a Sabbath-a-rama, and Brutal Truth are fearsome with 'Godplayer'. Other clips by Fudge Tunnel (awesome band, lame clip) and Napalm Death side-project Meathook Seed are forgettable. A nice collection of heavy sounds, dated perhaps in spots, but solid nonetheless. (Earache/MVD Visual)

New Beer Tastings For June

BELL'S OBERON ALE
Comstock, MI, USA
Nicely-hopped for a wheat beer, but lacking any fruity resonance. Definitely a decent brew here, and a strong showing for Bell's, who I think are kinda hit-n-miss with their beers. Solid and drinkable.

LEINENKUGEL'S SUMMER SHANDY
Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Light and simple, and definitely a Summer-style beer. Very light and lemonade-like in appearance, too. No complexity in flavor, and this one tastes like someone poured some sugary lemonade into a light beer. No, thanks.

BLUE DAWG - WILD BLUE BLUEBERRY LAGER
Baldwinsville, NY, USA
Yummy deep-blue appearance, and an aroma of fresh, tasty blueberries. Looking forward to this one already! But the flavor is what's important, and this one comes across like an alcoholic grape soda. Weird and un-beerlike. And not very good at all.

NEGRA MODELO DARK
Mexico
A decent, if unremarkable beer, mild, malty, and really sort of bland. Dark caramel appearance. Ideal for spicier foods, though (like Mexican), though, so this one gets by.

Vic Chesnutt - "North Star Deserter" CD

I was never very familiar with Chesnutt's highly-regarded back catalogue, but this new release on Canadian label Constellation is a superb collection of darkly introspective and atmospheric folk tunes, with musical contributions from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra and associates. Everything here is moody and literate, highlighted by the epic 'Debriefing', which begins as a textural collection of radio transmissions and 'found' sounds that erupt into a powerful and driving noise-infested rock song that further frames Chesnutt's desperately poetic words. 'You Are Never Alone' is another memorable cut, detailing a world-weary but uplifting set of circumstances that one can ordeal, with a lovely chorus of 'keep on keepin' on'. I can't help but think that this is precisely what A Silver Mt. Zion needs, a vocalist/songwriter who can express with great feeling the sorrow and fragility of life in this world, but with a finely-tuned spiritual side that doesn't drag down, but inspires. Chesnutt is awesome here, gelling his rootsy and personal words with the group's sometimes minimalist, othertimes percussive and overloaded post-folk noise. Transcendent and beautiful work. (Constellation)

vicchesnutt.com

New Belgium Breweries

Once upon a time there was a boy. And this boy really loved going to concerts. One night, he found himself (and his brother) in Saint Louie, at one of these shows. The boys ordered a beer that they hadn't had before. It was Belgian-style. And lo, this beer was deemed Fat Tire. The beer was godlike. The show rocked hard, too. It was an emotional experience, with the hops and malts and intense flavors mixing with the emotional and intense music. And thus, a passion for Fat Tire was born. This 'Fat Tire' was not available locally, so the boys dreamed of once again having such a beer. Years passed, and future trips to St. Louis proved fruitful in drinking more of this lovely, sweet nectar of brews. Friends would, upon special request, import these beers via long, arduous roadtrips. And the beer was still good. The stuff of dreams, even.

Then, it was discovered that this beer was not Belgian at all, but it was produced in Colorado by New Belgium Breweries. And said brew wasn't alone. There were other beers in the family. Other friends (some well-entrenched in beer-lore and knowledge - talking about you John) mentioned other types of New Belgium beers that dwarfed the mighty Fat Tire. And that these beers may be distributed to the farther Midwest next year or so, but that wasn't soon enough. It was agreed that the Radiohead concert was a good excuse to seek out more beer, and hopefully not empty the bank account too deeply.

And so it was, this past week, that my beautiful Cori and I located a late-night grocer (Schnuck's is the best!) in St. Louis and loaded up a cartful of New Belgium products. And they were on sale! $7.49 a 6-pack! Actually, it was almost embarrassing - $80 on beer, with no other groceries or household supplies to mask the evident alcoholicism. But it had to be done. Wow. Such a variety of new beers to experience and enjoy, and yet others still never seen. Indeed, the future looks bright, from this angle.

I have now tried maybe 4 or 5 types of New Belgium beers, which are created at the first wind-powered brewery in the US, and by a company that is environmentally-conscious and renewable-resource-minded. But the bottom line is, the beers are damned good! Complex and refreshing, the Abbey Belgian-style ale is a solid choice, being a Belgian Trappist style, with actual Belgian yeast strains and a crisp, malty presence. Fat Tire is a good choice for the beginner, being relatively light but with a nice floral bouquet. Trippel is yummy and rich, while others I've yet to taste will be remarked upon here later. Suffice to say, New Belgium is a superb brewery making some waves with folks like us at Goatsden HQ. If you're located in one of the more Western-oriented US states, you are fortunate to have access to these fine beers. And if you travel that way, be sure to find some for yourself. Especially as I may not share mine! Hah!

New Belgium

Radiohead with Liars, V Wireless Amphitheater, St. Louis, MO 05.14.08

My first major concert since, oh, 1994 when I caught Nine Inch Nails in Evansville IN at Robert's Stadium. That show, with it's super-long lines, security checks, traffic snafus, and protesters (hah!) was an eye-opening experience after seeing so many shows in smaller, mid-size venues. NIN (and openers Pop Will Eat Itself and the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow) were excellent, or should I say, what I could see from the distant bleachers - was excellent.

I can say similar things for this one. In way Northwestern St. Louis, amongst expanses of farmland, fast-food eateries, and a massive gambling casino, sits this excessively-huge outdoor amphitheater, which is evidently another investment opportunity for a major cell-phone wireless provider (I refuse to further promote this, so we'll just called it the V Wireless Amphitheater, and leave it at that). Anyhow, after a decent drive (relatively trouble-free despite the detours due to a complete re-structuring of I64 inside St. Louis), we grabbed our cheap hotel room (which wasn't all that bad, now was it c?), and went out to meet our destiny, and see the show.

Fine restaurants were in short supply, so we were forced to utilize the horrendously overpriced snack and drink valley within the amphitheater. Hmm. Let's see. $8.00 per plastic bottle of Budweiser. No, thanks. Bottles of water for $5.00. Ugh. Personal-size Papa John's pizzas for $8.00. Yipes. Little cup of french fries for $5.00. Shudder. So we had to dole out some cash for a few small bits (fries and a pizza, we luckily brought our own water). Not long after we ate, we made our way to the lawn. Yes, the grass. To it's credit, it was nice and fairly soft grass. Nice and soft on our asses, cuz that was where we had paid $50 apiece to be! Better still, it had rained the previous day or night, so it was wet grass. Prepare for discomfort.

Anyway, the openers were Liars, and they kicked ass. Like a mixture of Bauhaus (the vocalist had some of Peter Murphy's patented moves down perfectly) and Joy Division, these guys exhibited more than a trace of great 80's-era dark rock, but edged up with a pulsing 90's noise-rock aesthetic (think Sonic Youth or some proto-industrial acts). The sound was superb, even on the lawn. I will certainly be revisiting their latest CD, 'Liars', soon. The audience was fairly supportive, at least from what I could detect.

Nicely enough, as the throngs became mobs, and the entire amphitheater became a mass-collection of band t-shirts, tattoos, funky clothes, funkier aromas (patchouli, cloves, cigarettes, and mary j, to be specific), we were approached by some upstanding young lasses with a tarp and blanket. The deal? We share our spot of prime real estate in exchange for use of their wet-grass-combatting articles. We affably agreed and thus began our mutually-beneficial symbiosis. The girls had fun taking digital pix of 'wet asses'. We dare not stand up, as we would likely have ended up part of their gallery collection! Hah!

Anyhow, after a prolonged break, the crowd roared as, it would seem, Thom Yorke and company were onstage. I could detect them as slight, featureless figures onstage...but yes, it was Radiohead. The monitors were switched off (at the band's request), but luckily they had their own light show and backing screens that showed the group in a much more artful and obscure way. Dig. Well, the show was sold out, and some estimates I've read said 18,000 people. It seemed that way when Radiohead was onstage. The place was full, and reportedly sold out!
The band opened with 'All I Need', and it went from there. Rapturous applause and screams at every turn. Rather than detail it here, here's the necessity..the setlist:

01. All I Need
02. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
03. Airbag
04. 15 Step
05. Nude
06. Kid A
07. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08. The Gloaming
09. You And Whose Army?a
10. Idioteque
11. Faust Arp
12. Videotape
13. Everything In Its Right Place
14. Reckoner
15. Optimistic
16. Bangers and Mash
17. Bodysnatchers
Encore One:
18. Exit Music (For A Film)
19. Myxomatosis
20. My Iron Lung
21. There There
22. Fake Plastic Trees
Encore Two:
23. Pyramid Song
24. House of Cards
25. Paranoid Android
Pretty impressive. TONS of great music, well-performed and with solid sound. Yes, Radiohead can perform their studio magic live just as well as on their numerous spellbinding and influential CDs. A very cool light show with video effects, and modern but oh-so moving and intimate live presence, despite the nipply cool weather (mid-50's) and oversize venue. I did manage to see the band in better detail, thanks to my 10X zoom camera, and I must concur with Cori that the show was superb, and the band still at the top of their game. I do abhor such venues, and profess to never having a need to see a show so huge ever again in my life. I am, nonetheless, very glad to have been able to see Radiohead live at last (one less thing to do before I die). Now I still need to see Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and perhaps Einsturzende Neubauten. Ah, someday.
Radiohead

G.G. Elvis and the TCP Band - "Back From The Dead" CD/DVD

What do you get when you get a bunch of veteran California punk rock stars together to pay irreverent tributes to both Elvis AND pigfuck punk slimester G.G. Allin? Your answer is right here. These 'nardcore' buffoons, eh, liven up these old Elvis songs and do 'em up in grand three-chord punk rock style. 'Blue Suede Shoes' is punk-a-billy to the nth degree, and really pretty fun. I can imagine the old days slamdancing at local punk shows with some rowdy and shady characters. Ah, the good old days! 'Viva Las Vegas' was already done years back by Jello and his Dead Kennedys, but here it's even harder and heavier. 'My Way' is in the drunken sloppy spirit of Sid's infamous rendition, whereas 'Devil In Disguise' is mean and peppy, with Bad Samaritans' Eric Lara (aka GG Elvis) performing gruffy vox. The rest of the band, consisting of members of Ill Repute, Stalag 13, NOFX, and Jughead's Revenge, takes it up a notch with some great classic-style 3-chord punk, with little inner-song tribs to the Ramones, Black Flag, and Sex Pistols, which is nice. Overall, a fun if inessential album, though their live shows would own, I'd bet. The accompanying bonus DVD is full of some indulgent clips and assorted silliness, really pretty insubstantial. (Mental Records)

The Swell Season with Rachel Grimes - Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY 05.12.08

First, getting TO the venue proved to be a bit problematic, as many of downtown Louisville's streets were closed due to a Barack Obama rally/visit, which attracted mobs of supporters (and a tiny handful of anti-abortion protesters, oddly). Nonetheless, we made it successfully to the parking garage and arrived with time to spare. Upon entering the charming and historic Brown Theatre (where we had recently seen Andrew Bird), we were greeted to throngs of fans, but a well-organized seating arrangement made it an easy and comfortable entrance.

Opening the show was local Louisville indie favorite Rachel Grimes, who used to play in the influential chamber-indie group Rachel's, and her reception was more than warm. She played maybe a half-hour, unaccompanied on piano. Her music, from her upcoming album 'Book Of Leaves', was classy, instrumental, and lovely, if unassuming. She was genuinely grateful to have the opportunity to open for her friends (she was asked to contribute to an older Frames album years ago, so her connection is valid).

After a fairly brief intermission, the crowd swelled with applause as Glen Hansard appeared to sing, with only an acoustic guitar (and bypassing the microphones). He belted out 'Say It To Me Now', and the audience was enraptured by the Irishman's intensity and charisma. Quite an opening. Shortly thereafter, the full band walked out, including fan favorite Marketa Irglova, who co-starred with Hansard in the critically-acclaimed film 'Once'. She was overtaken with screams and cheer, and her shy smile was characteristic of her quiet and low-key demeanor. Combined, the chemistry and intimacy of the band and audience made for an amazing and beautiful show.

The band touched upon several new songs, all of which seemed quite comparable to their work on the 'Once' soundtrack and their 'Swell Season' CD, and their forthcoming album is sure to be as wonderfully emotional and classy. Irglova, who I think has been a little wobbly and restrained in the past, seemed much more comfortable onstage, and her new songs were definitely stronger than her contributions to past works. The unexpected success of the film and music has undoubtably been a challenge for her, whereas Hansard has been performing for over 20 years, so he knows how to work with and capture an audience's attention. He was quite the character, telling scores of stories and generally hamming it up onstage, and engaging in some nicely-done feedback discussions with the crowd. Hansard is a natural entertainer and a really likeable guy, maintaining humility and self-deprecating humor, despite his fans being borderline worshipful.

The onstage interaction between the band (including some members of Hansard's longtime mates, The Frames), Irglova, and Hansard was comfortable and loose, and they seemed to really enjoy performing together. A nice touch was a solo song by the bassist (Joe Doyle?), as well as a solo piece by master fiddler Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Marketa performed solo, acoustically, as well, and she provided a lovely voice that's still maturing and developing into a gentle, wispy, ethereal counterpoint to Hansard's soulful and gritty but smooth voice and more outgoing personality. Combined the two are a glorious and ideal collision of sound and texture (and heartbreaking emotion). The duo performed a solo Pixies cover, and Glen handled Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks' adeptly and with unbridled intensity, even gaining a standing ovation when his guitarwork became frenzied and his soul-searing shouts were hair-standing-on-end powerful. Wow. The diverse audience (teens to silverheads, with everything in-between) was enthralled, as were we. A gorgeous show, gorgeous music, and a wonderful venue. Perhaps one of the better shows I've ever seen, and that's in 20 years of concert-going!
The Swell Season site