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somervillesongwriters · 2 years

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Interview with upcoming artist (November): Tim Foley

You're an impressive fingerstyle guitarist: how did you learn?

Thank you for the compliment. It's difficult to answer this without bringing in some history which tells part of the story, but I'll try to be brief. I didn't start out as an instrumentalist, but I did start on the acoustic guitar. I started to play guitar when I was 15yrs old. My sister actually started before me, and she had an acoustic guitar that she used for lessons. She lost interest and my older brother, and I took over the guitar and we both took lessons at the same time, learning folk songs from this lady at her house. After a while my brother dropped out and it was just me.

I then bought an electric guitar with paper route money and when I showed up for my lesson with the electric, the lady said she couldn't teach me anymore. I then took a few lessons from a guy at a music store downtown Framingham, but as I remember, he had really bad breath and sort of a stale attitude, so I quit.

It wasn't until I broke my leg playing hockey in high school when I advanced to another level. Since I would be out of school healing, my mom suggested that I take guitar lessons to occupy my time. She hooked me up with Rick Dzurick, a great teacher who really brought me to another level. I was interested in jazz fusion at the time and loved Steely Dan and when Rick showed me the chords to Josie it was homework for the next 10 years.

I was sort of lost as a musician for a long time after that. I was in a number of bands playing electric guitar with no direction and didn't play much acoustic until the early 90's when I purchased a half descent acoustic. When I lived in New Hampshire I got emersed in the blues and spent my money buying all the blues cassettes at a local music shop. Another 8 yrs went by when I decided to move to New Orleans where I worked weekends, and I had Monday through Friday off. I would go out to see great music every night, stay out late, get up around 11am, drink a pot of coffee on my porch on Dublin St, play acoustic guitar all day long, then do the same thing the next night and so on. I think the hours on that porch on Dublin St. solidified a direction in my playing.

That lifestyle was hard to keep going with what I was earning, so I ended up working several jobs. I just primarily played acoustic on gigs when I was in New Orleans with exception of playing electric at the Mark Bancroft Blues Jam on Wednesday nights at the Maple Leaf Bar. I met Taka Moro at the Maple Leaf Jam and we started a duo called TIMTAKA, playing out at some local places like the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen St, performing a number of our original tunes. Taka is now a fine luthier and making amazing jazz guitars in Houston, Texas.

When I returned to the northeast from New Orleans, I was disenchanted with music. I threw my mic stand out in the snow and let it rust and put my guitars under the bed and didn't play for six months. One day I decided to pull my guitar out and for some reason I tuned it to a B tuning and wrote my instrumental, 'Here I Am' in about 10 minutes. Why I tuned to the B tuning I haven't a clue and the song just flowed out of me like it was just waiting for me to have a guitar in my hand for it to be played. I thought it was way too easy for me to write that song and thought that maybe it was a sign for me to keep going on the guitar, so I started up again. I then started experimenting with different types of capos and alternate tunings.

Who are your guitar inspirations?

I have many: The Assad Bros, Badi Assad, Sonny Landreth, Walter Becker, Robben Ford, Bonnie Raitt, Larry Carlton, David Lindley, Ry Cooder, John Scofield, Joni Mitchell, Fernando Sor, Chris Whitley, Ricki Lee Jones, Al Di Meola, Freddy King, BB King, Pat Metheny, Leo Kottke, Joe Pass, Phil Manzanera, David Hildago and on and on... I've always been open to many types of music, but I definitely have a handful of categories that I gravitate towards.

There have also been phases I've gone through, and I moved on because I easily became bored with just remaining in one idiom of music. I always felt there was more to listen to around the corner and places from away. I think that's why I started listening to jazz because it's such a high art form with surprising improvisation that isn't boxed in. I like sax players because they know how to use space and play outside. In my mind the best blues is played with a sax soloist.

So, then I need to mention the non-guitar influences like John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Brian Blade, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, Terence Blanchard, Cassandra Wilson and all those jazz musicians. Then there's those Cuban musicians and it just keeps going.

A lot of your music is instrumental. How do you conceptualize and title an instrumental song?

A lot of what I do with the guitar instrumentals starts out as noodling around using alternate tunings and various capos like the 3rd hand capo, regular and partial capos. I might come up with a phrase that I like and need to figure out where it will fit by putting other phrases with it. Depending on what I come up with for the other phrases will dictate where things will be placed. What might start out as a chorus sometimes ends up as a verse or bridge. It's sort of like putting a puzzle together.

The trick is, in the end it has to make musical sense to me. It doesn't work if it just sounds like noodling with no structure to it. There needs to be a melody and resolve. The guitar instrumentals also need to be played as solo and not need support from other instruments. Many times, the music just comes to me, and I've learned to recognize when that happens. The only way I can describe it is I'll get a feeling of creative energy which is sort of like a caffeine buzz from too much coffee. I never know when it will happen. It's a very brief window that opens for about a minute and I need to pay attention to it and grab a guitar to see where it will lead me.

Piecing the instrumentals together sometimes takes months. I keep moving things around and adding parts to them. It's difficult to title these instrumentals because of the extended period it took to complete them, and they may begin in one environment and end up in another. For one of those instrumentals, 'Hello There's Hope' I couldn't come up with a name for it, so I asked me niece to listen to me play it and tell me the first thing that came to her mind when I stopped. Then there's 'Caribbean Moon for Pat', which I ended up naming for my brother who's no long with us. For that song, I actually tried to create music to a mini movie that was in my head. The scene is a black and white tv showing a full moon scene of a view from a beach with palm trees flowing in the breeze and a small sailboat going by. I haven't figured out how to perform that song solo because the chords need to be consistent while the slide guitar plays the melody.

Your music spans a number of styles -- is there a thru-line to how you would describe the music you make? What are your primary musical inspirations?

I guess I'm the amalgamation of everything I've listened to, all the places I've lived and the experiences I've had. I've tried to make music that is honest to me and tried not to sound like someone else. That was one of my original rules. If I started writing a song and it sounded like another song, I would scrap it. When I started to write songs, I'd put constrictions on myself. I wanted to write music that sounded a certain way. I would say to myself: "that's not Steely Dan enough" or "that's not jazz fusion enough" it's not this enough or that enough etc...and obviously, I wasn't coming up with any material and I was going nowhere.

I came to the realization that if I was going to write original songs, I needed to be honest with myself and accept whatever I came up with. I remember saying to myself: "Hey, if it sounds like a &*%#@ing nursery rhyme, that's what it is and you're going to have to deal with it". It was a stepping off the dock onto a skiff to the unknown for me to look at who I really was musically at that time. When I did that, I let myself out of the box I put myself in and I started to write original songs. From that point I never wanted to be stuck in a particular style of music and find it interesting to see where things go.

Tim will be playing on Saturday, November 5th, 7:30 p.m., in the Somerville Songwriter Sessions, along with Doug Kwartler and host Sam Bayer, at the Somerville Armory Cafe, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville MA. (Great music, great food, free parking.) $15 suggested donation. Questions? [email protected]

#somervillesongwritersessions #somerville #songwriters #livemusic #somervillesongwriters #music #somervillearmory #artsatthearmory

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kybee1497 · 3 years

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#9 from this prompt list “are they dead?”: Ray finds out about the boys.

“Are they dead?” The words came from behind her and Julie froze with the cup half way to her mouth. Taking a deep breath she turned to face her dad.

“What?” She asked, hoping she had misheard him.

“Your band. They aren’t holograms. Carrie got you the projector you use for your ninth birthday when you went through your I want to be a director when I grow up phase. It stopped working years ago.” Ray watched her with a frown.

Julie stood there blinking for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happend. What was she supposed to do? Okay so she was busted on the projector but maybe she could salvage the whole ghost thing. “Pshh dad don’t be silly! They can’t be dead, There’s no such thing as ghosts. Besides” she laughed, “They live in Canada” Julie's voice came out higher than normal, a sure fire way to tell she was lying. Judging by his raised eyebrow, her dad knew it too.

Julie chuckled awkwardly. “Would you believe me if I said that the old projector was a diversion and it was actually hooked up to Flynn’s phone?”

Her dad just crossed his arms, looking unimpressed, and she sighed. “Okay so hypothetically they might, maybe be dead.”

He nodded. “Hypothetically?”

“Yeah.” Julie blew out a breath. “Hypothetically they might be three members of a rock band that died from bad street dogs in the 90’s. That band might have also included Carrie's dad who used to go by Bobby but he changed his name when he got famous with the songs Luke wrote.”

“Luke?”

Julie nodded, blushing slightly, “our guitarist and other lead singer?”

Ray sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “Alright Mija sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Let’s go sit down.” She nodded again, following him to the living room. While she hadn’t intended to spill the beans today, she was relieved that she didn’t have to lie to her dad anymore. It would certainly make things a lot less complicated. Reggie would be excited that Ray knew he was there now, even if he wasn’t able to see him.

#I guess I like to write now??#who am I?#I am hella rusty tho #I’m so sorry #jatp #julie molina #julie and the phantoms #ray molina #jatp fic #jatp fanfic #sunset curve #bobby wilson #my fic #kyleigh writes stuff #jatp text #mine #luke patterson

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gale-gentlepenguin · 5 years

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ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 1

(Link to the idea) that made me want to write it instead of working on my OTHER FICS.

(Master post)

_______________________________________________________________________

“Soulmate Searcher?” Marinette questioned with intrigue and confusion.

“Its an app that just got a global release!” Alya answered. “At first it was only released in America, but it became a huge hit and now it has international servers.”

The designer looked at her friend with even more confusion.

“So why is it so popular? And why did you want me to install it on my phone?” Marinette inquired.

“Its an app that lets you find the special someone who is your significant other. Alya explained. “Its a tried and true compatibility tester.”

Marinette’s intrigue dissipated, in her mind it was just like those cheesy magazine quizzes they put in magazines to see which celebrity you would marry. Marinette had long outgrown that phase, especially when last time she took one it did not say she would be paired with Adrien but XY! Gross.

“Oh. Well count me out. Those quizzes are just a load of...”

“No way lady dude.” Nino chimed in. “This thing is legit. It has the highest matchmaking app back in the States and it is like down to a science and stuff.”

Marinette looked at the DJ skeptically.

Alya placed her hand on her shoulder.

“ It is more then just a personality quiz. You put in your name, your age, dating age range, preference, and so on, and then you answer a bunch of questions that allows the app to gage your personality, mentality and emotional impulse. Then after thats done, it will match you with the top 10 people who have the highest compatibility with you in a 50 mile radius. You can see percentage rates and everything. Then you can decide if you want to message any of the people on the list or block them. They can only see your name, photo and the percentage.” Alya detailed.

“So then all a person needs to do is know what your answers are and copy them.”

“An interesting Hypothesis but sadly incorrect.” Max answered from behind the group.

“Sorry to intrude, but I too had my doubts about the app until I learned about how the app’s algorithm worked. All questions given are randomized and answering the questions the exact same way even if someone did get the same questions does not guarantee 100% compatibility. I made several dummy accounts and rigged them in order to make them both have identical questions and answers, but they did not achieve 100% compatibility.” The class egghead began to explain.

“Having run the test numerous times with numerous accounts, the algorithm matches people with similar beliefs but not identical, as having too much in common does not mean soul mate, it can be seen as suffocating. I have not yet cracked the theorem of how to get 100%. The highest I have been able to get is 93%. It is as if it is a perfect formula for compatibility.” Max concluded.

Marinette had to admit her interest was peeked.

“So its a one time questionnaire and then done?” Marinette pressed with more interest.

“Well the first questionnaire takes an hour or two so it has enough data for a base compatibility profile. Then you answer 10 questions every day for 2 weeks to reaffirm any errors it might have made. Thats how the App is so successful. After about 2 weeks, your profile will be established. It was able to cut the margin of error down to 1.9%” Max exclaimed. “Its the pinnacle of mathematical perfection.”

“Thanks dude, couldn't have explained it better... really.” Nino thanked the robot enthusiast.

“Anytime, now I must head off. Markov and I have more tests to run.” Max head out and left the three teens to their own devices.

Marinette thought about it, she really didn't have much to lose trying it out.

“I even got Adrien to install it. He said he will fill it out after fencing.” Alya Whispered.

Marinette realized she had to do it. What if Adrien was on the app and some other girl had a high compatibility with him before she had a chance to try it. What if he fell in love with that mystery girl, got married and then bought a hamster!?

“Okay, I will take the quiz.” Marinette exclaimed with Confidence.

“Atta girl!”

______________________________________________________________________

Marinette had gone with Alya back to the Dupain Bakery in order to answer the questions in peace.

In Marinette’s room, Alya was relaxing as she watched the Designer answer the questions as honestly as possible.

“Now Girl, odds are the percentage maybe around the 70% mark, But Knowing you and Adrien, I bet you two will make it into the 80′s.” Alya answered.

Marinette nodded, half listening as she focused on answering.

“Nino and I got an 85%, which was pretty high. Ivan and Myléne only got a 79%. So no worries even if its in the 70′s”

“DONE!” Marinette exclaimed as she fell back. She was mentally exhausted. The questions were surprisingly more in depth then she expected.

She pressed submit and waited. Staring at her phone as it ‘processed her answers’

Alya stood up walking over to the bluish-black haired designer.

“Well.”

The list popped up.

Marinette scrolled through from 10 to 1. No Adrien. She felt herself sigh deeply.

“He isn't on it...” Marinette spoke defeated.

Alya took a look.

“Sorry girl, It might be he hasn't uploaded his profile yet.” Alya tried to encourage her friend who was burying her head in her pillow.

“You think?”

“He is a busy guy, but also, you need to see who is number one on the list. A certain guitarist you happen to be fond off.” Alya said with a smile.

Marinette pulled her head up and took her phone. Sure enough, it was Luka who was number one on the list. He had an 80% compatibility rating with her, which was at least 20% higher then the guy in second place. Maybe this was a sign that she should move on from Adrien and ask Luka out.

“Maybe I should message Luka, If he believes in this sort of thing.” Marinette spoke with a blush on her face.

Alya nodded.

“Do what you think is right girl, Adrien or not, you deserve a guy that will make you happy.”

“Thanks Alya, you are the best.” Marinette smiled sweetly at her best friend.

She clicked on the profile. The pop up asked if she would like to message the user Luka Couffaine.

Marinette paused, she was nervous about doing this. It was as if this was her crossroads. Would she go for it?

_____________________________________________________________________

“DONE!” Adrien exclaimed as he fell back on his bed. He was mentally exhausted as well as physically. He told Alya he would try out the app as soon as he was free from fencing.

“I don't get why you even bothered with those dumb questions.” A grouchy floating cat creature commented.

“Its an in depth Compatibility test Plagg. This could be the best way of finding My lady.”

Plagg looked at the model with skepticism.

“What makes you think that you would be matched up with Ladybug? You don't even know who she is.”

“We are soulmates, so obviously we will have the highest compatibility.” Adrien answered with confidence as he sat up.

Plagg rolled his eyes.

“You do know just because you were picked to be the cat miraculous wielder doesn't mean your soulmate is ladybug. There have been Ladybug’s and Chat noir’s that haven't gotten together.”

“It isn't because we were chosen together. I can just feel it Plagg. I know we are meant to be. And if for some reason the girl with the highest compatibility with me isn't Ladybug, I will still likely find someone that I can find myself liking. But knowing my Lady, she and I will have a compatibility of 85 maybe even 90%” Adrien answered with a loving sigh. “Oh, its ready.”

Adrien smiles at his phone before looking at the list.

“Oh Kagami is on here. 79% Thats pretty good. But she is only number two? Huh, so then who is number one?” Adrien spoke aloud as he scrolled. As he saw the name that was number one his face turned beet red and and he fell back on the bed.

“Adrien!?” Plagg exclaimed as he flew to the frozen blond. “What happen.... oh no Fucking way.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Marinette was about to press the button when another pop up appeared.

“List updated?”

Marinette clicked out of Luka’s profile and noticed he was now at second place.

“Luka got moved to second.” Marinette spoke with surprise.

“What? Then whose first?”

Marinette scrolled up. Her eyes went Wide.

“ADRIEN!?!?” Marinette shouted.

Alya smiled.

“I knew it! I told you he would be on your list! And Number one to boot. So what is the percentage. 82? 85% Like Nino and I?”

“100...” Marinette spoke hardly audible.

Alya couldn't hear.

“How much?”

Marinette turned her phone to Alya.

Alya’s jaw dropped.

“1.... 100%!!!!!!!!!!”

_______________________________________________________________________

Plagg could not contain his laugher. The blond was still frozen staring at his screen. Adrien had no idea how right he was. His Lady and him were perfect for each other. Plagg was absolutely loving every second of this.

“P-Plagg.”

The black cat managed to calm down.

“Ye Ha HA! Yea Adrien?” Plagg responded between laughing fits.

“Marinette is Ladybug.”

Plagg sobered up quick.

“What... What makes you say that?” Plagg spoke, trying his best and failing at hiding the fact that Adrien was right. Thankfully Adrien was too out of it to notice.

Plagg pauses.

“Ladybug is my soulmate, Marinette scored perfect compatibility with me on the soulmate app. Even with error included, the chances of that happening are…”

“It’s a silly quiz.” Plagg shouted. Tikki would kill him if Adrien found out at the wrong time. He had to play dumb.

Adrien thought about it, maybe he was overthinking it, plus Alya and Nino scored around 85%. Maybe the system was glitching out? 100% was unheard off according to what he found about the app, even with people who tried it and have been married for decades.

“I guess you are right… Besides, you answer questions each day, the percentages will shift. Maybe the system will correct itself, though I should ask Marinette what her thoughts are about the match up tomorrow. Though... even if it isn't Ladybug... Marinette is a pretty nice person to have good compatibility with.”

Adrien felt himself entertaining the thought of him and Marinette together. It seemed really, really nice. He found himself blushing at the thought. He quickly shook the thought off. He was getting ahead of himself. What if Marinette didn't feel the same way he did? What if Luka saw the compatibility score that Marinette got with him and decided not to date Marinette because of it. Marinette does really like that musician, what if Marinette hates him for ruining her chance at happiness!?

Adrien took a calming breath. He won't say anything, the app still needs to fine tune his profile. he is sure it will correct itself if it needs to within the two weeks, after that, he will look into it.

“I am sure that things will fix themselves.” Adrien said as he turned away from the cat Kwami, though part of him really hoped that the 100% would stay.

_______________________________________________________________________

THERE I FINISHED part 1

If you want part two, please let me know. I love hearing feedback and it feeds my impulsive need to write.

#ml #ml fic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfiction #soulmate survey #soul mate survey #adrienette #lovesquare #ladynoir #djwifi #alyanino #alynino #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #drama #If this gets 1000 notes I will write part two #or if this get fanart #I am a sucker for fanart #I cave to pressure very easily

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4uksleepingpills · 3 years

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Understanding Michael Jackson's Death - Are Sleeping Tablets Safe For Anyone?

The day Michael Jackson passed away, he was infused with two anxiousness medications, Lorazepam and Midazolam adhered to by the anesthetic Proprofol. However some reports additionally specified that the effective medicines, Demerol, Dilaudid and Vicodin were in his system, in addition to the muscle mass depressant Soma, the antidepressants Zoloft and Paxil, the anxiety drug Xanax, as well as the heartburn tablet Prilosec. Yet the official cause of death was ruled acute Proprofol intoxication. Most are under the mistaken belief that Michael was addicted to anesthesia, but for any individual has actually become depending on sleeping pills or stress and anxiety medicines, we already understand just how hopeless we come to be for invigorating rest.

6-1/2 years ago I stopped a cocktail of resting tablets and also anxiousness medicines and also felt my world implode. I have actually had 34 surgical procedures on my back as well as legs and also assumed I was solid. However I was not planned for the horrific withdrawals from these pills. For numerous months I doubted my sanity with no idea that I might reclaim my cognitive function or normal sleep patterns. I am an author and also I shed that enchanting link to the composed word. It was the blackest of times, filled with the inmost despair. As well as this is where I think Michael Jackson discovered himself. In 1984 Michael was hurt while recording a Pepsi commercial as well as positioned on painkillers, which led him right into therapy. Yet in 1992 he was taking several sedatives, consisting of Valium, Ativan and Xanax, as well as addiction to these medications (benzodiazepines) can rebound right into dreadful sleeping disorders. They additionally boost discomfort, so when Jackson was wounded throughout the Dangerous Scenic tour, it wasn't shocking that by the mid-90s, he reportedly had an anesthesiologist taking a trip with him. I got on these classifications of tablets for 10 years, and also had I been admitted to an anesthetic, I would have taken it for a couple of hrs of remainder. All I was seeking was a good night's rest and instead I became trapped by medications I originally believed were my salvation. I firmly think Michael located himself in the same chemical straightjacket.

In 1993, Michael admitted he was addicted to benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Ativan) and went into medicine therapy for a couple of months. Yet giving up benzodiazepines cold turkey can destroy rest better and also take lots of months to start the recovery process. Many will reinstate the pills because the withdrawals are as well debilitating. By 2004 it was reported that Jackson was taking 20-40 Xanax a day.

My mixed drink of medications were similar to Michael Jackson and Health Journal, as well as it distresses me substantially that they lost their lives to prescription medicines. How I endured my ordeal is a mystery, yet it had such a profound effect that I began a charitable company to help others run away the clutch of this epidemic. Paradoxically, mercury poisoning was the root cause of my sleeplessness, but I would certainly not find this for years. Instead, I came to be a ready participant to a chemical experiment that tore with my globe. However the exact same is taking place to millions of other individuals and frequently starts with sleeping disorders. The sleeping prescription pill market is a huge market and we are essentially supporting products that are slowly destroying us. I didn't recognize that compeling my mind into submission was not true sleep, but that natural sleep is an intricate mechanism triggered by a group of hormones that develop a state of remainder for the body and mind. As we rest, consciousness is suspended while the mind goes through a cycle of brainwave task that includes fantasizing. The heart and also lungs slow and also our usually active brainwave patterns lessen significantly, till we fantasize. Our capillary expand and also the blood that is typically saved in our organs moves right into our muscle mass for cells repair. The development hormone in kids is produced during sleep, as are crucial chemicals that secure the immune system. So it is no surprise that children positioned on stimulant drug have stunted development as well as weakened body immune systems. I had reoccurring respiratory disease and also pneumonia and also acquired a staph infection in withdrawal. All-natural rest does not simply support physical wellness, however has an extensive impact on our mind as it arranges as well as archives memories. It is also vital to the creative procedure. Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards claims the riff in "I Can Not Get No Satisfaction" came to him in his sleep, while Dmitri Mendeleev, the 19th century chemist, claimed he essentially fantasized the periodic table of components. During the evening, we move from the primary NREM (non-rapid eye motion) dreamless rest to short sections of Rapid Eye Movement (rapid eye movement sleep) state where desires occur. Both NREM and Rapid Eye Movement cycles are required to have corrective effects. But rest drugs substantially minimize the length of time we invest in the dream phase and instead keep us in a light dreamless sleep. To make matters worse, sleeping tablets (Ambien, Lunesta) as well as benzodiazepines (Valium, Klonopin, Restoril, Xanax, Ativan) do not in fact improve sleep, however rather develop an amnesiac effect that make us forget we are waking up. Regrettably, a lot of us misinterpret this state as deeper sleep. The longer we take the pills; also the dreamless rest shortens in duration and brings about much deeper fatigue and also anxiety. To intensify matters, resting pills just cause rest approximately 12 mins quicker and thirty minutes much longer than without them. Yet chemical dependency can happen within 3 successive evenings of use, causing unpleasant rebound insomnia, raving anxiety, and memory problems. Lots of people include herbs as well as non-prescription medications in an attempt to obtain a couple of hours of required remainder. It is not that natural herbs are dangerous-that is a mistaken belief. However most individuals do not recognize there is threat of a major communication when rest medications are combined with items like passionflower, valerian, or antihistamines. Resting pills and also benzodiazepines highlight the GABA natural chemical, which maintains the nerve cells in the lung tissue from shooting. That is why resting pills incorporated with non-prescription medications or herbs that accentuate GABA or intensify the effect of the pills will excessively subdue respiration, creating asphyxiation. This is what eliminated Health Journal.

And also incorporating sleeping pills with various other medications can quit the breathing; trigger a coma or create cardiac arrest. This is what eliminated Michael Jackson. However GABA does not just affect the lungs. It is an amino acid that normally happens in our nerves. There are approximately 45 million GABA receptors in the body, as well as 75 percent are influenced by sleeping pills and also benzodiazepines. GABA regulates our sleep cycles, body temperature, muscles, and all hormone functions of the body. It's no wonder the withdrawals from these drugs are deemed the most challenging-even more than heroin or cocaine. I remember clearly wishing I had been an illegal drug addict, as the cold-turkey withdrawals would have passed quickly. The only safe way to withdraw from these medications is through a gradual taper, one that allows the brain and body a chance to adjust at each level of reduction.

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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Listed: Horse Lords

Baltimore-based Horse Lords have been forging their own take on experimental rock music since 2012. The quartet, Andrew Bernstein (saxophone/percussion), Max Eilbacher (bass/electronics), Owen Gardner (guitar) and Sam Haberman (drums) weave together pieces drawing on divergent sources that include everything from 20th and 21st century classical music to just intonation tuning to African and Appalachian musical traditions to intricate polyrhythms and studio experiments. In a recent interview, Gardner talked about their approach to putting pieces together. “We generally write right up to the edge of our abilities. And sometimes slightly beyond. We’d had to scrap quite a few songs because they proved to be basically impossible to play... It keeps it interesting.” Ian Forsythe covered their newest release, The Common Task, noting that “Their nearly ten-year core pivots rhythmic and tonal ideas athletically, and their ability to pull elements from anywhere and everywhere is seemingly more fluid with each record.”

For this Listed, the four members runs down a list of live shows, recordings, blogs, movies, and books that have been on their minds.

Gleb Kanasevich plays Horațiu Rădulescu’s “Inner Time II for seven clarinets (Op.42b),” Baltimore. 2018 (Owen Gardner)

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A near-hourlong ear workout, combining impressive sonic and structural brutality. The interaction of what these close dissonances do inside your ears with what the clarinets do in space (Gleb played live with 6 recordings of himself, meticulously arranged around the audience) is a haunting experience, celestial but with no concession to human music.

Maryanne Amacher — Perceptual Geographies, Philadelphia 2019 (Owen Gardner)

https://issuu.com/bowerbirdphilly/docs/amacherprogramonline

So much revelatory material has come out of the Maryanne Amacher archive so far, and particularly these loving reconstructions of her instrumental music. A lot more attention seems to have been given to “Petra,” which is certainly gorgeous and shows fascinating symmetries with the spatial/timbral concerns of her electronic music, but “Adjacencies” struck me as the Major Work of 20th Century Music. She wrote the damn thing in 1965 and it sounds fresh half a century later, which we can say of no previous piece of percussion music and not much written subsequently. I am slowly losing my mind waiting for Amy Cimini’s book on Amacher to come out, craving a deeper dive into her theory and methods.

Sarah Hennies, Bonnie Jones, Lê Quan Ninh, and Biliana Voutchkova at the High Zerofestival, Baltimore 2019 (Owen Gardner)

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One of at least three great things Sarah Hennies did last year (Reservoir 1 on Black Truffle and the 90 minute cello/percussion duo “The Reinvention of Romance” being the others) was to take part in Baltimore’s High Zero festival, four mind-frying days devoted to free improvisation. This set was one of the highlights of 2019’s festival; each of the four performers having at least one foot in composed music (Ninh is a long-time Cage interpreter and Biliana has collaborated with Peter Ablinger) seemed to lend it a certain sureness and serenity, but ultimately their combined strength as improvisors (fastidiously captured by High Zero’s crack recording team) is what makes it such an engaging listen.

El Chombo — Cuentos de la Cripta (Owen Gardner)

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A relentless tetralogy that nicely balances the rawness of ‘90s proto-reggaetón productions (the first volume self-identifies as “Spanish Reggae”) and the slicker, synth-oriented sound and settled genre conventions we’ve come to enjoy (or not) in the 21st century. This was helpful when working on “People’s Park,” not least for its insistent connection to Jamaican music. I can understand very little Spanish but I'm guessing the lyrics are not unproblematic; signifying language always disappoints.

Wallahi Le Zein! (Owen Gardner)

http://thewealthofthewise.blogspot.com/

An invaluable resource for anyone interested in African music, much more consistent and informative than the often yucky reissue market, which seems to prioritize awkward (and marginal) attempts at Western musical fads—as if what was available was not an impossibly rich and heterogeneous network of self-sufficient musical cultures but merely a broken mirror facing America. The archive of Mauritanian music alone makes this the most worthwhile stop on the information superhighway. There’s plenty of goofy drum programming and appalling sound quality if that’s your bag, but the rich variety of traditional musics is what keeps me coming back.

Miles Davis — On the Corner (Max Eilbacher)

youtube

Some might say Stockhausen serves imperialism but he did his little part to help cook up some of the most twisted American Jazz/funk jams ever. Davis only kept one cassette in his convertible sports car during the On the Corner sessions, a tape of “Hymnen.” He would take each member of the band on highspeed joy rides with the car’s stereo system on full blast. That same energy was channeled in the arrangement and editing. The convergence of a lot of different elements keeps this record on my top 10 list ‘til the end of time. The little detail of Americans taking concepts from European Neu Musik and making something incredibly funky and pleasurable is the cherry on top.

Olivia Block & Marcus Schmickler at Diffusion Festival, Baltimore 2018 (Andrew Bernstein)

This was an amazing pairing, with both artists playing in 8-channel “surround sound.” Marcus’ set was incredibly intense. Pure synthesis with a lot of psychoacoustic inner ear tones and unending overlapping melodies. It felt like the sonic equivalent of watching a strobe light at close distance. Olivia’s set was a slow creep, laying samples to create lush textures that were truly immersive. This was the kind of concert that reminds you of the awesome power of music.

Blacks’ Myths at the Red Room, Baltimore 2019 (Andrew Bernstein)

Blacks' Myths II by Blacks' Myths

I’m there for anything bassist Luke Stewart touches (see Irreversible Entanglements, his solo upright + feedback work, frequent collaborations with too many people to name). Blacks' Myths, his bass and drumset duo with Warren Crudup, is loud, noisy, and intense, and this set at the Red Room last year was particularly transcendent.

“Blue” Gene Tyranny — Out of the Blue (Andrew Bernstein)

Out of the Blue by "Blue" Gene Tyranny

I have probably listened to this record more than any other the last few years. Perfectly crafted pop songs segue into proggy funk jams and then into stream of consciousness drone pieces based around the doppler effect. I’ll put it on over and over again, an experience with an album I haven’t really had since I was in high school.

Bill Orcutt — An Account of the Crimes of Peter Thiel and His Subsequent Arrest, Trial, and Execution 2017 (Max Eilbacher)

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CRIMES OF PETER THIEL AND HIS SUBSEQUENT ARREST, TRIAL AND EXECUTION. by BILL ORCUTT

Legendary underground American guitarists from the most important American rock band also makes top notch conceptual digital audio art. Years ago I thought computer music lacked a certain sub cultural attitude. While this was/is not true, this 2017 release feels like it exists in its own world. High and low brow are in perfect harmony for this patterned enjoyable hellride of a listen. What if Hanne Darboven had to make art while working a full time job and dealing with mild substance abuse?

Lina Wertmüller — Seven Beauties 1975 (Max Eilbacher)

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42000553

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Beauties

During this pandemic I have been talking film shop over emails nonstop. I went through a big Wertmüller phase in 2018-2019 and as people are trading recommendations I usually try to recommend something by her. This film is the one that I keep reaching for. The email recommending this film usually starts as a draft with “this is really intense” and then I try to hearken back to my film school days and write about the male gaze, patriarchy, communism or something of that nature. I end up writing a bit, feeling like it’s way over the top for a casual email and then I end up deleting everything except “this is a really intense and beautiful film.”

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill (Sam Haberman)

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/tom-oneill/chaos/9780316477574/

The last book I managed to check out of the library before it closed. Though it in some ways resembles works of conspiracy theory, Tom O’Neill is always straightforward in telling the reader that, though the official story of the Manson case is almost certainly not true, the actual details don’t cohere into any kind of Meaning. Every new discovery is its own digression that points to a new unknowable truth or unverifiable claim. This really inverts the normal thrill of conspiracy theory, which invites you to either buy into the story being presented or reject it all together, either path offering its own sort of comfort. Chaos offers no such comfort.

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doomedandstoned · 4 years

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Wasteland Coven Summon Doom From the Rust Belt

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

You're about to meet a true blue, dyed in the wool doom band from Ohio, which I discovered just a few weeks ago. This is WASTELAND COVEN, aptly named considering the industrial devastation that has visited the midwest, accentuated now even more in a time of pandemic. 'Ruined' (2020) is their debut EP and it features a singer, Susan Mitchel, that I would rank with Susie MacMullen of Brume and Dorthia Cottrell of Windhand. Sometimes vocalists try to pull off that coveted, full-bodied range, but end up sounding thin and wobbly. Not here.

Performing double duty on bass, Susan is joined in this Toledo crew by guitarists Bill Anderson and Brandon Collins, along with drummer Jason Wilcox. This is meat and potatoes doom, too, each of the three tracks on Ruined bearing the formative influences of Candlemass and Saint Vitus (the vocal cadence and guitar solos of "The Great Colossus"), Trouble and My Dying Bride (the mysterious and dramatic "Endless Night"), and the aforementioned Windhand (the riff laden intro to "Midsummer Days").

This mix of beauty and beast works well for Wasteland Coven. Susan's vocals take wings with sad urgency, rising above the dense, darkly downtuned procession of smoke and fire. Bittersweet leads break through the haze here and again, too, if for no other reason than to accent the gravity of the moment.

I've listened to the EP multiple times in a row and it is substantial enough to keep my appetite for doom satiated, without overstaying its welcome with an overly-familiar taste. Look for its release on Friday, April 17th (pre-order CD here), and listen to the record whole right here, right now via Doomed & Stoned!

Give ear...

Ruined by Wasteland Coven

A Chat with Wasteland Coven Guitarist Brandon Collins

Take us back to the band's origins. How did it all begin for you guys?

Things got started in late 2018, when our drummer Jason posted on Facebook asking if anybody wanted to play something dark and heavy. He was already playing in a punk band (The Old Breed) and a noise rock band (Sog City) so he was really looking to start more of a Manilla Road inspired band - he's a big Manilla Road fan. Sue (bass and vocals) and I (guitar) were both interested in Jason's pitch but style shifted a little bit as we all got together. By the first time we met up, he said to aim for Candlemass meets My Dying Bride (which I declared sorcery) and from there we drifted into the doom menagerie that we're at now.

Jason quickly roped in another guitar player, but after a month or two he lost interest, so we spent some time looking for another. During that search period we sketched out our first songs and booked some studio time for later in the year - we were going to record what we had regardless of who we had. Eventually Sue reached out to Bill who solidified the lineup midway through 2019 and we were officially a band. We practiced, finished up the songs as a four piece, and went to Lakebottom Recording House in September 2019.

How about a walk-through of the songs on 'Ruined' (2020)?

Midsummer Days

I think we all agree that this is the best song on here. It was going to be a shorter and simpler song originally, but it really kind of blossomed with all of us adding new bits to it. Lyrics mainly involve the imagery and feelings of a dying world. Really it's a sad, poetic veil over the changing of seasons, summer to fall to winter - seeing everything in nature fade and decay as seasonal depression kicks in. Admittedly, "Midsummer Days" isn't really a doomy title, but when you realize that they're dead. That'll teach you to judge too quickly! Kinda had to push Sue a bit to do the "trailing off into the void" vocals right at the end. She was reluctant, but I'm really glad she did them. It really adds some resonating loneliness.

Great Colossus

So originally, I came up with the riffs for this, played them for Jason, and when he added drums, his style immediately put Sue in mind of robots -- giant robots. And that drove us to make this our weirdest song lyrically, about falling in love with a giant robot with sexual overtones. Sue and I went back and forth on the lyrics for this one a lot, tweaking it to put just the right sultry spin on something cold and mechanical. This song sort of prompted the cover art. Around the time we were recording songs Sue was at an art show and saw the piece. Made her think of the song and said we needed it on our EP!

Endless Night

This was our first song, so I like to say it has first song syndrome -- not quite as strong as the others and maybe sticks out a little more 'cause you're trying to find your direction. But the main riff and the solos are still fun, so why not? Since it was going to be the first song for our doom band, the lyrics hit on a pretty typical doom metal topic: death. But I suppose the twist is that it's more about setting aside your fears and finding peace in your demise -- even as the music kind of betrays that peace and hints at the dread and dark thoughts behind it all. Solos here were fun to do. I take the first half of the solo section and Bill takes the second half, so we each get a chance to go our own direction just meeting for a moment to hand it off in the middle.

What was the recording process like for the band?

The bulk of it was done over the course of two weekends, September 27-29 and October 4-6 in 2019 (with a bit of touch up and review a few times afterwards). We went to Lakebottom Recording House in Toledo owned and operated by J.C. Griffin. Jason had recorded with J.C. many times before and refused to go anywhere else. But for the rest of us, it was our first time there and it was fantastic.

It's hard to imagine how it would have worked out with anyone else. J.C. is super encouraging and immediately invested in making sure you're getting a great sound - he's gives great direction for process, equipment, and performance. Really great weekends overall hanging out and playing music the whole time. The hardest part might have actually been the work week in between those two weekends -- coming down from all the joys and excitement with days full of music made "regular" life such a dull slog where we were just desperate to go back and do it again. Easily the most fun and best experience I've had recording.

In retrospect, maybe it was a bit weird that we were all so happy and having such a great time producing this melancholy music, but I don't think we put any thought into it at the time. Susan was extremely nervous and self-conscious when it came time to do her vocals, but with enough liquid courage she nailed it.

It looks like you had the album cover commissioned?

Artwork was done by Jackie McKown who lives here in Toledo. Sue saw the piece at an art show where Jackie was showing her stuff. These giant robot creatures wrecking shit was pretty in line with the initial themes of Great Colossus - it was lacking the sex/love angle, but it still fit just fine with the kind of destructive war-machines that could inspire love. Sue was very taken with it right away, so we went with it.

There's also presumably death and longing for better times involved in that kind of city-wide rampage, so you can tie into the other tracks as well. We sort of let that guide us, having the artwork inspire the title "Ruined." We had a city being ruined on the cover and we could find some form of ruination in each song. Then when it came time to lay everything out, we decided to ruin things a little more, adding wrinkles and dirt marks and imperfections.

This last question is just for the gearheads! Tell us what you're sporting these days?

Brandon: Epiphone Les Paul Studio guitar with an Orange Crush CR120C amp (frequently used to accidentally drown out everyone else), and for pedals: Big Muff Pi (with Tone Wicker), MXR EVH Phase 90, Cry Baby Wah.

Sue: Ibanez BTB 5 String Quilt Top bass, DR Dragon Skin strings (allergic to nickel), with a Fender Rumble 500 Combo amp and Big Muff Pi pedal.

Bill: ESP LTD Viper-256 w/Gibson 498T bridge guitar, ESP LTD EC-100 w/EMG 81/85. Amps include Peavey Valveking 2x12, Carvin X100-B 100 watt head*, and Carvin 4x12 Cab (used as needed). Pedal of choice: Digitech GNX4 Multi-Effects.

Jason: Tama Rockstar Drums.

Follow The Band

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#D&S Debuts #Wasteland Coven #Toledo #Ohio #Doom #Metal #D&S Reviews #HeavyBest2020 #Doomed & Stoned

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usgunn · 5 years

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September 1, 2019

CLICK HERE for the September 1, 2019 playlist

1. Furniture - “Transatlantic Cable” (1983)

I stumbled across this band for the first time this week. Led by Jim Irvin, who went on to be a British music journalist and also has a co-write credit on a Lana Del Rey song? Only one EP is on Spotify, but I was so smitten with it I had to lead off with something from it this week. I’m getting a David Sylvian-vibe.

2. The Late Bronze Age - “King Greed” (1980)

Spotify credits this song to Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age, but when this record, Outside Looking Out, first came out, they were just the Late Bronze Age. No offense to my hippie pals out there, but due to his frequent visits to the Georgia Theater back when it was a jam-band haunt I always assumed I would never want to have anything to do with Col. Bruce. But nobody told me he was in a jazzy new wave band in the early 80′s that sounded like what I always wished Pere Ubu sounded like.

3. Tesco Bombers - “Break The Ice at Parties” (1982)

London band with but one release, the 7″ from which this song comes, on Y Records, which also put out killer music from Maximum Joy and Shriekback. I only know this from a compilation, Cease & Desist: DIY!, put together by JD Twitch of Optimo, the legendary Glaswegian DJ team.

4. Social Climbers - “Palm Springs” (1981)

NYC-band (by way of Bloomington, IN) who made one self-titled record and disappeared as far as I know, later reissued through the combined power of Drag City and Yoga Records. Now you know as much as I do. A lot of the album is more vocal-driven, but this track felt right to kick off a run of instrumental tracks coming up.

5. Fernando Falcão - “Ladeira dos Inocentes” (1981)

Back to Optimo - they also run a label, Optimo Music, which has picked up a sub-label, Selva Discos, that is putting out some fantastic and forgotten Brazilian music--and that label has just reissued two private-press Fernando Falcão albums. I first heard Fernando Falcão on the great Outro Tempo compilation a couple of years ago of avant-garde Brazilian music from the 80′s (the Os Mulheres Negras track from a few weeks back came from that compilation). I don’t know what you call this music. I like it when you don’t know what to call it.

6. Ennio Morricone - “Seguita” (1971)

I’m not gonna pretend to know much about Morricone beyond what everyone knows (Italian film composer, did several Sergio Leone movies). But I always love hearing his music, and I’ve always really liked the Crime and Dissonance compilation (from which this song is taken) of some of his lesser-known work put together by Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and released on Mike Patton of Faith No More’s Ipecac Records. This menacing jazz tune is from the movie Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura, if knowing that sort of thing is important to you.

7. Sons of Kemet - “My Queen is Harriet Tubman” (2018)

One of several projects of Shabaka Hutchings, a British saxophonist and restless collaborator. Seems to exist somewhere between jazz and afrobeat, with two drummers pounding out frenetic rhythms. The album this comes from, Your Queen is a Reptile, was The Wire magazine’s #1 album of 2018.

8. 75 Dollar Bill - “Tetuzi Akiyama” (2019)

75 Dollar Bill started as a guitar and drums duo but have expanded to something much different, playing music that seems steeped in the traditions of some mythical country. This song is like the blues on acid.

9. 5ive Style - “Pledge Drive” (1999)

5ive Style was a Chicago supergroup (if a supergroup can consist of people no-one has ever heard of): John Herndon (Tortoise, Poster Children) on drums, Leroy Bach (Chicago man-about-town, later in Wilco) on bass, Jeremy Jacobson (one-man-band The Lonesome Organist) on keys, and the inestimable Billy Dolan (later of Heroic Doses) on guitar. Dolan is one of THE great unsung guitar players of the last, I don’t know, 40 years, and you get a taste of that here.

10. Orange Juice - “Two Hearts Together (10″ Version)” (1982)

Whether you like this song will determine whether we can be friends. Not really, but I will die on the Orange Juice hill. Orange Juice was a Glasgow indie-pop band that most people only care about for their early singles and first-draft of their first album, when they were a scrappy, lo-fi band on Glasgow indie-lable Postcard Records. But I prefer Orange Juice after they signed to Polydor and became an over-produced also-ran. This Caribbean-inflected non-album single came between their first and second albums on Polydor, when the band had shed its original guitarist and drummer and added Malcolm Ross on guitar (from Edinburgh’s Josef K) and Zeke Manyika on drums, a Zimbabwe-born multi-talented musician who later recorded with The The and The Style Council, and who in my opinion was a catalyst for the best phase of Orange Juice’s career (but who otherwise seems to be a footnote in most people’s Orange Juice histories--to the extent other people have Orange Juice histories).

11. Archer Prewitt - “Gifts of Love” (2002)

Archer Prewitt is best known as the lead guitar player for The Sea and Cake, but made several solo albums of his own in the late 90′s/early 2000′s. No one would ever accuse The Sea and Cake’s bossa-nova inflected, jazzy post-rock of being “hard,” but Archer’s albums really veered into 70′s soft rock territory, in the best way possible. There’s a lot to like about this song, but the string-laden outro may be the best part, so good that I’m always disappointed when it fades out so soon.

12. The Clientele - “Bookshop Casanova” (2007)

The Clientele are a long-time Merge Records band that’s never really caught fire like some others, likely due to their spurts of inactivity and seeming reluctance to tour the U.S. in any meaningful way. Their catalog is deep at this point, full of poignant moments of beauty and deceptively complex arrangements that invite repeat listens. This song, though, is probably the closest they ever got at translating what they do into something that might catch a casual listener’s ear at first blush.

13. Howard Ivans - “Red Face Boy” (2013)

Howard Ivans is the alter-ego of Ivan Howard, co-leader of another Merge Records band, The Rosebuds. While The Rosebuds always rooted their genre-experiments in the world of indie-rock, the Howard Ivans persona allows Howard to go full R&B, with wonderful results. This was one of the first singles put out by Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb Records, and they went all out, with horns arranged by White and strings arranged by Trey Pollard, all cut to tape in Richmond, VA.

14. BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah (ft. MF Doom) - “Ray Gun” (2015)

BADBADNOTGOOD is, as far as I can tell, a bunch of nerds from Canada who play really inventine funk, soul and jazz music, and they made a whole record, Sour Soul, backing Ghostface Killa from Wu-Tang Clan. I haven’t dived in too deep yet, but really like this song featuring the legendary MF Doom. Doom and Ghostface have been teasing a collaborative album for years under the name DOOMSTARKS, but so far, nothing.

15. Baby Huey - “Hard Times” (1971)

Larger than life at 400 lbs. and dead at 26 due to heroin, Baby Huey was not around long enough to make much of a mark. But he did manage to record one full-length, produced by Curtis Mayfield, from which this song comes (the song was also penned by Mayfield). There’s an amazing, nearly 10-minute performance of “A Change is Going to Come” on there too, but there wasn’t room this week (I reserve the right to put 10-minute long songs on this playlist, though).

16. Craig Finn - “Something to Hope For” (2019)

I was never much of a Hold Steady fan -- I appreciated them more than I liked them. But I feel like frontman Craig Finn is really coming into his own on the solo side of things, and the album he put out this year, I Need a New War, has some great moments, including this earnest, soul-inflected tune.

#playlist #spotify #weekly #music discovery

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grimelords · 6 years

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I’m all caught up and presenting my August playlist just in time for September to end! Disco! Italo-pop! 90s gangsta rap! 3 hours worth of music for everyone!

Good To Me - THP: The most surefire way I’ve found to track down a great song you’ve never heard before is to look up every single sample on the Duck Sauce album. It has quite literally not failed me yet. This song is great, and being so used to the sped up sample in Goody Two Shoes this song sounds like the expanded chopped and screwed version to me which is even better.

Who Do You Love - THP: The other thing about THP is they’re extremely hard to search on Spotify because it thinks you’re trying to type ‘The’ and suggests 'The Beatles’ which is helpful.

Beleriand - The Middle East: I started rereading The Lord Of The Rings this month, and even got so deep in it that I started reading the Silmarillion for the first time and I suddenly remembered the time The Middle East wrote a song about Melkor and Angband and all that. Maybe the best Lord Of The Rings song I’ve heard almost exclusively for the drum work in the intro before it really settles into its Tolkein vibe.

Dead - San Fermin: I love this song but god I wish it were louder and more out of control. The sax sounds great but every other part isn’t nearly as turned up to 11 as it should be. The problem is that everyone in this band is such a professional they don’t know how to play like the maniacs this song deserves!

Tuesday Fresh Cuts - Bree Tranter: I’ve been looking up what all the members of The Middle East have done since they broke up and the best thing I’ve found is Rohin Jones writing music for a Dulux Paint commercial after the verse in Ninth Avenue Reverie about the guy who sniffs paint every night and dreams about being dead. Anyway as far as I can tell Bree Tranter is the one that’s had the most consistent and normal output since they broke up. This song is very much an ultimate night driving type song, except the lyrics are really not great but you can ignore that for how great it sounds, especially near the end when it really gets into a meditative state.

Ted, Just Admit It - Jane’s Addiction: Continuing my Jane’s Addiction phase, I really love this song. This is such a great brooding piece of music before it finally explodes into the declaration that sex is violent. Kind of a shame that it’s a serial killer song because he’s right about everything. Sex IS violent, the tv DO got them images, etc.

Fire Back About Your New Baby’s Sex - Don Caballero: I think this is probably Don Caballero’s most popular song, and with good reason. It’s among the most straightforward of their backward-ass songs and gives you a good grounding in how to understand the total chaos that is everything else they’ve done.

Ballad Of Circling Vultures - Pageninetynine: The entire last half of this song, when it slows down, is one of the best things I’ve ever heard. It feels like the entire mix begins to close in around you as it gets darker and darker before a door slams and you wake up somewhere else entirely.

You’ve Never Been Alone - Andrea Balency: I was watching this live video of Mount Kimbie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6co64HYurg and they’ve got like a full band now! They’ve been slowly expanding from a duo and I suppose it makes sense because their last album really sounded like a band playing in a room rather than two guys on computers. Anyway it turns out the woman in their band is Andrea Balency and this song of hers is very beautiful and you can see exactly why they asked her to join.

The Conspiracy Of Seeds - 65daysofstatic: I was going through Circle Takes The Square’s performance credits on discogs (very cool hobby) and found out they’re credited on this 65dos song and was shocked that I didn’t know that already. It feels like they pretty much split the song down the middle and did half each, which is great!

Spanish Sahara (Deadboy remix) - Foals: This song isn’t on Australian spotify as far as I can tell, so if you’re in the UK I think you can listen to this. Otherwise it’s on youtube for everyone here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk24ujPN4Lo This is probably one of my favourite pieces of music ever, it’s such a beautiful remix even though it’s not particularly far from the original. It just does the work of focusing the vibe down to a laser point. I love how mechanical every part of it is contrasting against the dreamy vocals and organ, until it almost feels overloaded with hats and clicks in the highest points before it focuses down again and introduces the bassline alone. Then the last section! The stabbing insistence of the synth driving the whole thing to a fever pitch.

T69 Collapse - Aphex Twin: I’ve never been huge on Aphex Twin because all his songs sound like you pressed the demo button on a keyboard and then turned the tempo way up but I really like this one, almost exclusively for the bassline the comes in in the second half after the big space-out breakdown. It’s groovy! It’s the most I’ve ever liked the evil man!

Kansas City Star - Kasey Musgraves: The Kasey Musgraves album everyone was going wild for didn’t really do much for me but this cover is so fantastic, the slight melody change she’s done to the chorus is such an improvement and really makes it soar. Also google is good because right now the 25th image result for 'kacey musgraves’ is a deviantart pic where someone’s photoshopped her to be extremely obese called Kollosal Katy. Not really related to the song but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Pyramids - Frank Ocean: A big group of friends and I went to karaoke a couple of weeks ago and the version of Pyramids they had didn’t even have the second half! If I can’t subject everyone to ten full minutes of me doing it badly then what’s the DAMN point?

Aqua - Eurythmics: I heard this song on NTS and was instantly in love with the lyrics. Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, throw me in the water, watch me drown! It’s that simple!

gonk steady one - Autechre: I went and saw Autechre when they were here a few months ago and I’m still thinking about it because it was like a multiplayer dream. They insisted on total darkness and everyone just kind of stood still or sat down for the whole show in the dark while an endless wave of sound from another dimension washed over us all. Then eventually the music stopped and the lights came on and I never actually saw Autechre the whole time I was there. I’m still working my way through their fucking 8 hour long new album but this is an early highlight. I don’t know how to explain this but it sounds good. It sounds like music by and for aliens that we can listen to and understand a small part of.

Poor Kakarookee - Venetian Snares: I was listening to this song and thinking the other day there’s a certain subset of Venetian Snares songs that sound like that bit from Parks and Rec where Adam Scott is like 'could a depressed person do THIS?’ and is holding up his deformed little stop motion figure from the deformed little stop motion movie he’s making. This is absolutely one of those songs. It’s a great song but it’s one of those songs.

Future People - Alabama Shakes: For a long time the only Alabama Shakes song I’d heard was Don’t Wanna Fight because it was just so good I figured there was no need to go further, which it turns out was extremely wrong because this whole album is completely killer. I just can’t believe her voice. The album version is great but the live version really shows it off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbR999N5MiALa

Mia Mania - Giani Morandi: I rewatched all of Harvey Birdman a couple of weeks ago and finally looked up what the song is in this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xkhqce43mA because it gets stuck in my head all the time, and the only version I could find is this one with vocals which sounds even better!

Capriccio - Gianni Morandi: Then I dug deeper and started looking up the rest of this guy’s songs and totally loved it. There’s nothing better than digging around and finding what you think is some obscure artists before looking them up and finding out they’re incredibly famous and like the Italian Neil Diamond.

Parli Sempre Tu - Gianni Morandi: This is my favourite of his just for the insane pitch shifted vocal at the start, what an insane piece of sound for 1964! I’m desperate to know how they made it.

Forgotten Children - Mouse On The Keys: I suddenly remembered Mouse On The Keys the other day and thank god. They’re an instrumental band that’s two pianists and a drummer that looks like its jazz because of the instrumentation but is really more like post-hardcore in execution.

Can’t Get Right - Ghost-Note: I normally don’t go in much for this sort of drum clinic type music for musicians only but the central groove in this is just so good. It feels like two completely different songs playing at the same time, except if that sounded good. I found it because the bass genius Mono Neon played on it, watch the video and see if you can tell which one is named Mono Neon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVw1b4gVYrU Also one of the guys seems to be playing a vibraphone that is a midi controller which I have never seen before in my life.

Shoot Myself - Venetian Snares: Venetian Snares has such a great melodic sense and it feels kind of underappreciated just because of how much his percussion is at the forefront of every critical appraisal. In songs like this where the drums are more restrained you can really feel the melody and harmony shine through, the layers of cascading synth lines piling up louder and louder before returning to the jazzy organ near the end is just such a beautiful moment.

Bad Boy - Den Harrow: This song sounds like an 11 year old wrote the lyrics and I absolutely love it. The best and most sexy lyrics: “Some dress Valentino, others wear t-shirts to show what a shapely bust they’ve got.”

Summertime - Barney Kessel: Barney Kessel the jazz guitarist that I only found out about this month did a bossa nova album when bossa nova was the biggest thing in the world and it’s so so good. He also does some very interesting playing on it that’s a lot closer to surf rock and rock n roll than anything else I’ve heard of his. This is also a good example of that thing when Stereo sound was brand new where every single instrument is panned hard left or right which is a treat in headphones.

Slice Of Heaven - Dave Dobbyn: It’s kind of a shame that this song never really gets better than the intro but when the intro is this good it’s fine. I remember this song from when I was a kid because it’s on the soundtrack to New Zealand’s first ever feature length animated film, Footrot Flats which I watched a lot.

Sailin Da South - ESG + DJ Screw: The hardest part about putting any one song from 3 N Tha Morning Part Two on a playlist is they’re not designed for that and it sounds awful and cruel to cut them off like that. So really instead of listening to this song listen to the whole album and turn purple.

Right Action - Franz Ferdinand: I think Franz Ferdinand deserve better than the sort of one hit wonder status they’ve got, because they’ve got a lot of great songs and this is one of them, and probably the danciest summary of the Noble Eightfold Path I’ve ever heard.

The Thing That Should Not Be - Metallica: I have done zero research but to me the 80s feels like the decade when HP Lovecraft and the Cthulu mythos really hit the mainstream. Dungeons and Dragons and all that. Anyway apparently Cliff Burton was a huge Lovecraft fan and they would all read his stories in the tour van which is a funny thing to imagine. Metallica have five or six Lovecraftian songs and the bulk of them were written after Cliff Burton died which is sort of touching in a way. Paying tribute to your friend by invoking the nameless horror that sleeps in R'lyeh.

Waters Of Nazareth x We Are Your Friends x Phantom - Justice: Justice’s new album is so good because it’s sort of halfway between a remix album, a live album and a Best Of. It’s essentially a studio live album, or maybe just a live recording straight from the soundboard with no crowd noise. Either way it’s great and leads to incredible three way mashups of their best songs like this one.

Mr Ice Cream Man (feat. Silkk The Shocker) - Master P: I was thinking about how you don’t really hear about Master P these days, but according to the first result when you google 'richest rappers’ he’s doing fine with a net worth of $227 million, which is more than Eminem. So good for him. Even if his music hasn’t really lasted I’m sure his many, many business dealings will leave him in good stead for the rest of his life. I’m just going to copy and paste some phrases from his wiki article here because it’s truly ridiculous: “He has since parlayed his $10,000 initial seed capital investment into a $250 million business empire spanning a wide variety of industries” “As a businessman, Miller was known for his frugality and keeping business expenses down and profit margins high” “He has since invested the millions of dollars he made from his No Limit record company into a travel agency, a Foot Locker retail outlet, real estate, stocks, film, music, and television production, toy making, a phone sex company, clothing, telecommunications, a jewellery line, auto accessories, book and magazine publishing, car rims, fast food franchises, and gas stations.” “Miller also has his own line of beverages, called "Make ‘Em Say Ughh!” energy drinks" “first rapper to establish a cable television network.”

The Party Don’t Stop - Mia X: Anyway via Master P I found Mia X, who sings the hook on Mr Ice Cream Man, and her album is actually good as fuck for an 80 minute No Limit album, mostly because it’s so packed with guests (it feels like everyone else on No Limit is on here, including guys with great names like Mo B. Dick and Kane & Abel, but also Mystikal and Salt N Pepa are here!) that you never get tired of the flow, and the production is nicely varied too.

Shut Up - Stormzy: This is like Stormzy’s biggest song and I’m dumb as fuck because I haven’t heard it until now when I was listening to Functions On The Low and found out he used it as the beat for this song. What an absolute thrill to see this perfect beat back in the limelight thanks to the man bringing grime back to the limelight!

All N’s - Mia X: I wanna talk about the beat on this Mia X song because it’s incredible front to back. (Lyrically this song is fucking great, especially the chorus) but the vocal synth bass sound is just amazing, and the hook melody is the damn 'there’s a place in France where the naked ladies dance’ melody. Every part of it’s insane.

Milk - Kings Of Leon: I got into a real groove this month and learned how to play this whole Kings Of Leon album on guitar for some reason. So now I’ve got that knowledge. But I forgot just how incredible this song is. It’s a testament to how if the music is good enough and the performance is good enough the lyrics can be absolutely anything. By the time he says “she’ll loan you her toothbrush, she’ll bartend your party” I’m already crying.

listen here

#playlists

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sciencespies · 4 years

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COVID-19 Claims the Lives of Three Jazz Greats

https://sciencespies.com/news/covid-19-claims-the-lives-of-three-jazz-greats/

COVID-19 Claims the Lives of Three Jazz Greats

The jazz world lost three of its most legendary musicians to COVID-19 this week.

Trumpeter Wallace Roney died Tuesday in New Jersey, pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis Jr. died Wednesday in New Orleans, and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli died on Wednesday in New Jersey. They were 59, 85 and 94, respectively.

Ellis Marsalis Jr.: A Father and Mentor to Jazz Players

American jazz musician Ellis Marsalis Jr (left) and his son, fellow musician Wynton Marsalis (right), backstage after a rare performance as a duo at the Blue Note nightclub, New York, New York, June 4, 1990.

(Photo by Jack Vartoogian / Getty Images)

Marsalis was a towering figure of modern jazz. Through his teaching, he became the patriarch of a musical family that extended well beyond the four sons who followed in his footsteps, report Janet McConnaughey and Rebecca Santan for the Associated Press.

“Ellis Marsalis was a legend,” wrote Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans, where the musician spent most of his life, on Twitter Wednesday night. “He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz.”

The Marsalis family patriarch held teaching positions at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of New Orleans. He had retired just this year from a three-decade stint playing weekly gigs at a small New Orleans club called the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro.

“With the passing of Marsalis, we have lost not only a gifted pianist, but also a person committed to the importance of music education and jazz history,” says Theo Gonzalves, curator of cultural and community life at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

Marsalis was known for his talents on the piano—he played alongside such greats as Cannonball Adderley and recorded more than 15 albums—but he was proudest of his legacy as a mentor and educator who carefully shepherded the next generation of musicians, including four of his six sons, reports Andrew Limbong for NPR.

“He was like the coach of jazz. He put on the sweatshirt, blew the whistle and made these guys work,” Nick Spitzer, host of public radio’s “American Routes” and a Tulane University anthropology professor, tells the AP.

Marsalis’ son Wynton is a trumpeter, as well as the artistic director of jazz at New York’s Lincoln Center. Branford took up the saxophone, leading “The Tonight Show” band and touring with Sting. Delfeayo, a trombonist, is a prominent producer and performer. Jason is a drummer of note with his band and as an accompanist. Marsalis’ two other sons—Ellis III, a poet-photographer, and Mboya—did not pursue music.

“My dad was a giant of a musician and teacher, but an even greater father. He poured everything he had into making us the best of what we could be,” says Branford in a statement.

Despite hailing from New Orleans, with its eponymous style of jazz, Marsalis’ musical heroes were virtuosic purveyors of bebop, including Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. His devotion to “straight-ahead jazz” trickled down to his sons, as well as other musicians he taught, including Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison Jr., Harry Connick Jr. and Nicholas Payton, report Giovanni Russonello and Michael Levenson for the New York Times.

Marsalis’ children and students became the vanguard of “a burgeoning traditionalist movement, loosely referred to as the Young Lions,” write Russonello and Levenson in the Times. Roney, the trumpet player who died Tuesday, was one of these students.

In 2010, musician Anthony Brown and Ken Kimery, program director of Smithsonian Jazz, interviewed Marsalis for the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program. Recounting the conversation now, Kimery says the pianist “afforded us great insight into his family history, life in New Orleans,” favorite musicians and education, among other topics. The full transcript of the interview is available here.

Wallace Roney: Young Lion and Miles Davis Protégé

Wallace Roney performs at the Second Fandango Jazz Festival at La Palma in Rome, Italy.

(Photo by Ernesto Ruscio / FilmMagic)

Horn player and composer Wallace Roney was one of the “Young Lions” influenced by the Marsalises, but his chief association is with his idol and mentor, Miles Davis.

A pivotal moment in the pair’s relationship took place at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival, reports Nate Chinen for NPR. Davis, recruited by producer Quincy Jones to perform two of his albums, insisted that Roney, who stood in for him during rehearsals, join him onstage.

The younger musician “instinctively jumped in to handle some of the more technically demanding parts, and implicitly joined a chain of succession,” writes Chinen.

This public endorsement from arguably the most famous trumpet player of all time immediately launched Roney to a new height of jazz celebrity—but it also dogged him as he sought to differentiate himself.

“[A]s his career went on, Mr. Roney managed to neutralize most of those criticisms,” writes Giovanni Russonello for the New York Times. “His nuanced understanding of Davis’s playing—its harmonic and rhythmic wirings as well as its smoldering tone—was only part of a vast musical ken. His own style bespoke an investment in the entire lineage of jazz trumpet playing.”

Roney released just under 20 albums as a bandleader. Fittingly, he won a 1994 Grammy for the album A Tribute to Miles.

A 1987 profile of Roney by James McBride of the Washington Post gave the musician a simple and unqualified introduction: “His name is Wallace Roney III. He is 27 years old. He is from Washington, and he is one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world.”

Critic Stanley Crouch, meanwhile, recalled a performance delivered by a teenage Roney in a 2000 profile for the New York Times.

“As soon as Mr. Roney commenced to swing, the noise level in the club immediately dropped off, and those in the middle of conversations or laughing and joking turned their attention to the bandstand,” wrote Crouch. “At the end of the tune, the room took on a crazily jubilant mood, and the clapping wouldn’t stop.”

Bucky Pizzarelli: A Supporting Player Who Moved to Center Stage

Bucky Pizzarelli performs onstage at Living Legends of Jazz during Miami Beach Jazz Fest on January 10, 2015.

(Photo by Johnny Louis / Getty Images)

The eldest of the three jazz men who passed away this week was Bucky Pizzarelli, “a tasteful sage of jazz guitar who spent the first phase of his career as a prolific session player and the last phase as a celebrated patriarch,” according to Nate Chinen of NPR.

Pizzarelli’s tremendous command of his instrument allowed him to draw “attention to the song he was playing, rather than the playing itself,” adds Chinen. “His rock-solid rhythmic footing and broad harmonic understanding were hallmarks of a warmly understated style.”

Describing Pizzarelli as “a master of the subtle art of rhythm guitar as well as a gifted soloist,” Peter Keepnews of the New York Times notes that the musician appeared on hundreds of records across genres. More often than not, he went uncredited.

Pizzarelli toured with Benny Goodman and was a stalwart in Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” orchestra before the talk show moved taping from New York City to Los Angeles in 1972. When the production’s cast and crew packed up, Pizzarelli stayed behind and began making a name for himself in New York nightclubs.

The musician is survived by his son John, also a renowned jazz guitarist. The father-son duo performed and recorded together many times.

Pizzarelli’s signature seven-stringed guitar is on display at the National Museum of American History. The guitar’s extra string was tuned to a low A, allowing him to provide a bass line even when playing alone or in concert with another guitar player. The jazz legend—who performed into his 90s despite multiple hospitalizations caused by stroke and pneumonia—played the guitar up until the day he donated it to the museum in 2005.

In a 2016 interview with Inside Jersey’s Jay Lustig, guitarist Ed Laub, a student and collaborator of Pizzarelli’s, aptly summed up his mentor’s approach: “It’s about making beautiful music. It’s not about grandstanding. And that’s what his whole personality is about.”

LeRoy Neiman, Big Band, 2005

(LeRoy Neiman / Photo by Richard Strauss, NMAH)

Reflecting on the trio of jazz giants’ legacy, curator Theo Gonzalves looks to a LeRoy Nieman painting on view at the National Museum of American History.

Called Big Band, it “features 18 of the greatest performers and composers of American music,” says Gonzalves. “When musicians like Wallace Roney, Bucky Pizarelli, and Ellis Marsalis pass away, we are lucky that we can take some solace by listening to their recordings. But isn’t it a comforting thought as well to imagine them, in a way that Nieman does, performing in concert for eternity?”

#News

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spoon579 · 6 years

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Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album (1971)

"I could play Stairway to Heaven when I was twelve. Jimmy Page didn't write it until he was 22. I think that says something." - Vim Fuego.

There are a few key "phases" in my musical journey through life. Led Zeppelin strongly represent the second phase, where I went from the radio based pop of 3BO into a more "old school rock" area.

Unlike a few other albums of this personal era (some of which will also feature in this little adventure) I don't have a specific memory of being given or lent this one. I know it must have happened, though. And I know that it was my friend Budge that got me into them. I think he gave me a tape that had Led Zeppelin III on one side and this one on the other.

But it's this one (generally known as IV) that really grabbed me. It has hard rocking riff tracks like Rock and Roll alongside gentle acoustic tracks like Going to California. It has songs with weird-arse timings, like Black Dog and Four Sticks, and, of course, it has fantasy and Tolkien references in Misty Mountain Hop and Battle of Evermore. It’s all there waiting for a nerdy wannabe-muso to lap it all up.

Let me set the scene. It was the very late 80s, leading into the very early 90s. I had just started teaching myself guitar, and I had short, polite hair. My biggest act of rebellion was (and probably still is to this day) wearing grey fake leather shoes with zips, despite the school rules regarding black leather footwear. What I’m saying is that I was, in no way, a “long haired rock'n’roll rebel”. But I was just getting into the idea of "the guitarist" as something worthy of attention. And os because of this album, Jimmy Page very rapidly became my favourite guitarist (out of a very small pool of ones I had heard of). He played with a such a casual style, he made it seem so effortless - never fighting the guitar, but working with it. When he played a solo he was clearly making it up as he went along, and he looked cool doing it.

But of course this album also contains Stairway to Heaven, which, in a single track, contains all of the elements of the album that I mentioned above. However it was important to me, in this specific era of time, for another reason.

At around the same time I was getting into this band, Andrew Denton's show The Money or the Gun was airing. One of its gimmicks was that every single episode would end with a cover of Stairway. Sometimes these would be performed by “cover” bands (so a band called The Beatnix did a Beatles-style version and a band called “The Rock Lobsters” did a B-52s version) and sometime original artists would do their own take. Two memorable ones for me were Doug Anthony All Stars (with guest Barry Crocker) and, of course, Rolf Harris. I think Denton’s idea was that this song was “untouchable”, but he would challenge that weekly and with as much humour as possible. I lapped it up bigtime.

But honestly, by appealing to that silliness in me, I think it helped me get deeper into Zeppelin than I would have otherwise.

#led zeppelin #stairway to heaven

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doomedandstoned · 7 years

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Season In Hell:

King Zog

Debut LP Stokes Ungodly Flames

By Billy Goate

Everything's too fucking LOUD!

Australia has always felt like a second home for me, even though I've not gotten over there too often in recent years. My grandparents, after homesteading with a family of seven in Anchorage, decided to uproot and hammer down fresh tent pegs in Western Australia. Well, more like a houseboat, to be precise. One of my earliest memories is watching Tom Baker's Dr. Who (I'll forever identify him with the role) on a black and white television below deck, docked in the harbors of Perth. The whole experience was like being on Earth 2 for me. When I came back as a young adult, I remarked that Australia is what the U.S. would look like if the British had won the War of 1776.

As you can imagine, then, I'm quite fascinated with the heavy music scene Down Under and follow it keenly. People, it is absolutely exploding there. Just pick your city: Melbourne, Tasmania, Brisbane, and the aforementioned Perth on any given night you can get your ear drums blown by some incredibly talented axe wielders and amp worshippers. One band that recently caught my interest was KING ZOG:

Daniel Durack (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)

Vince Radice (lead guitar, vocals)

Rory Keys (drums)

Martin Gonzalez (bass)

"Guitarist Vinnie Radice started this band with me in 2013 after I'd moved back from London, having lived and worked there for eight years," front man Dan Durack tells me. "We'd both been in rock 'n' roll, garage, and punk bands over the years and it was Vinnie's idea to put together a band to play heavy music, with both of us being obsessive fans since we were kids growing up in rural Western Australia."

You're curious about their name, I'm sure. I was. The first hit you get for your armchair sleuthing is Zog I, King of the Albanians. This enterprising fellow went from Prime Minister to President to King (yes, all three). "Bizarre King Zog" he was called. Despite all of his tyrannical proclivities, perhaps his one redeeming quality is he was one crazy chain-smoker, said go through 200 cigs a day. Could there be a connection to the band? It didn't hurt to ask. "A friend of mine's family is of Albanian descent and told me about Zog," Dan recalls. "A pretty interesting character. I thought the name sounded great, perfect for a metal band."

Even though King Zog is pushing five, they've only been gigging for the last two years. "It took us ages to find the right rhythm section. It was pretty comical, really. One bassist we believe took all the ecstasy in the '90s. After being in the band for a few months, he went away for a fortnight then came back and forgot everything. Another guy brought a practice amp to rehearsal and starting slapping the bass to Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" while we were setting up."

The bad luck didn't end there. "Unfortunately, we had to fire our drummer, Merrick, after we finished recording. Lovely man, but sadly just not the right guy for us anymore. He likes playing fast, with double kick, whereas we just want to get slower and dirgier, if that's a word. We found a killer young drummer, Rory, who's fit in really well, so already looking forward to recording with him. Since it took fucking ages to settle on a recording line-up, Vinnie and I already have a bunch of songs that the band is currently learning. Feels great to be finally progressing after years of being bogged down with people who weren't quite up to it."

King Zog by King Zog

This summer, King Zog's eponymous debut stole my attention. Enticed by Dominic Sohor's arresting album art, I stopped what I was doing and gave it a spin. It's a slow burner with a steady doom groove from end to end. Sometimes a band just does the basics really, really well. So well, in fact, you feel like you're hearing the sound fresh, almost for the first time. That's King Zog for you.

"We finally began recording last year with a rock 'n' roll producer named Ken Watt," the band says, "an amazing guitarist/front man and was in a couple of great Perth rock bands, Valvolux and The M-16s. He's not really a metal guy, but he's obsessed with guitar sounds and tone and knew exactly what we wanted. He set up a studio in his house right in front of Scarborough Beach, one of Perth's most popular beaches. It was winter when we began laying down tracks and it was pretty inspiring seeing the wild coastal weather while recording."

That would explain the churning feeling I'm picking up on here. Songs like the opening "Lost At Sea" present a slow, doom jam with strong, clean vocals that remind me a lot of Plush-era Scott Weiland, emotive guitar solos, and a stormy undercurrent that's pays homage to Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana, presumably the music. In other instances, the influence of Black Sabbath is both undeniable and welcome (check out "Fuck Island," a real headbanger). While 'King Zog' (2017) is a metal album through-and-through, it is appropriately tempered by these influences, which makes the record, well, interesting to listen to.

"Recording it felt easy since we'd been playing those songs for about three fucking years," Dan remarks. King Zog lucked out in having their debut mastered by famed English sound engineer Noel Summerville, whose resume includes decades of greats, including records by Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, and Electric Wizard's Witchcult Today, "a record I've been pretty fanatical about since it came out."

The songs on the new record go back to when King Zog was still in is awkward growth phase, just Dan and Vinnie. "We write well together. We're good at completing the other's songs," Dan says. "I'll put in a bridge here; Vinnie will add a chorus there. Once I get a theme for a song in my head the lyrics come quickly, which might sound obvious to anyone who reads them! I try to keep it simple. I like a good vocal melody having grown up listening to Ozzy, Dio, Gillan, Paul Di'anno, Rob Halford, and Blackie Lawless."

These vocal anchors make sense for this record. While much of doom today adopts death-style vox, Dan prefers singing over the growling. "Cookie Monster style," he calls it. "Just a personal preference. I do like eating cookies -- we call them 'biscuits' in Australia." I almost forgot that. Please pass the biscuits.

And that grungy sound I described earlier? Turns out I was on to something. Dan and I grew up in the same era. "I was a teenager until 1994 and dug some of the grunge bands," he tells me, "particularly Nirvana, L7 and Mudhoney. Some of Soundgarden's stuff. I'd been pretty metal-obsessed as a teenager, but as I got into my twenties I did what a lot of people do and started looking backwards and getting into the pre-history of the stuff I loved, which led to a lot of '60s psychedelia, garage rock, and proto-punk."

This included bands from the groundbreaking Nuggets compilation, The Stooges, MC5, and Aussie acts Radio Birdman and The Saints. "All rites of passage bands for young Australian men," he explains “Australia had a band called The Missing Links in the '60s which I loved -- trashy and loud. While I never stopped listening to metal, I did embrace '70s and '80s punk and a lot of '60s music."

From there, Dan spend time in London soaking in the scene. "Living in England and its close proximity to Europe was perfect for metal shows and festivals, and I saw a lot of bands. I'd go out of my way to see Electric Wizard. I took a bus to Bristol and a plane to Berlin to see 'em. That band makes me feel like what it must have been like for a Sabbath-loving teenager in the '70s. They are easily the band I most look up to in terms of sheer mind-numbing, crushing, hypnotic riffs." At this point, I was curious what else was on rotation in the King Zog playlist. "Lately been listening to Windhand, Monolord, Yuri Gagarin and we listen to Sleep a lot."

Before I let front man Dan get back to riff-slinging, I had to ask about Perth. It had been years since I'd been there and I was curious what it was like living and gigging in the City of Light. "Perth's an isolated city. Whether that's reflected in the music, I don't know. There's a small but vibrant metal scene here that's also quite supportive. We've played with grind bands, punk bands, thrash bands, southern metal bands. We supported Acid King last year which was cool. We play loud and there's a lot of young sound engineers in Perth who are okay with that, thankfully.

There was that one time, however. "We played one venue down the road from where I live, an RSL hall (Returned and Services League, a support organization for men and women of the Defence Force) which we played at a couple of months ago. They'd been hosting bands for about a year but shut it down after we played. We'd only played a few songs when the guy who ran the bar yelled at me, saying 'You might be the best fucking guitarist and singer in the world but we'll never know because everything's too fucking LOUD! You've even alienated your own fucking fans, they're sitting outside!' We think the venue is probably better suited to bingo nights."

I don't anticipate King Zog turning the volume down anytime soon. 'King Zog' (2017) is an enjoyable ripper from end-to-end. "We're getting vinyl pressed in the next couple of months so looking forward to getting hold of it. We're focused on the next album already. Only the most lumbering, killingest riffs will make the cut."

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music.

#D&S Reviews #King Zog #Perth #Australia #Stoner Rock #Doom #Metal #Grunge #Doomed & Stoned

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