I remember Halloween...

It's Halloween. Time for the Misfits. Here's a few of my favorites.

"Skulls"


"Last Caress"


"American Nightmare"
(dubbing it over this Elvis video was pretty funny)


(but this one might be even better)


"Astro Zombies"

Bruce Springsteen Halloween Treat

As a ghoulish Halloween treat to loyal fans, Bruce Springsteen is offering a free audio download and streaming peek at the video for the previously unheard track "A Night with the Jersey Devil" on his website, brucespringsteen.net. Both audio and video will be available on the site from 12:01am Friday, October 31 until 11:59pm Sunday, November 2. The creepy video for "A Night with the Jersey Devil" was directed by long-time Springsteen visual-collaborator Thom Zimny.

Springsteen posted the following note on brucespringsteen.net:

"Dear Friends and Fans,

If you grew up in Central or South Jersey you grew up with the ‘Jersey Devil’. Here’s a little musical Halloween treat. Have fun!

Bruce Springsteen"

Strike First Presents: Earth from Above

Strike First Records is pleased to announce the signing of Southern California's Earth From Above. These guys have been tearing up SoCal for a while now and will be recording their debut full length in January with engineer Chris Eck (Impending Doom, Mirrors of Dead Faces, Oblige) for a spring 09 release. You can hear The Antidote, a brand new pre-production song on their myspace now.

Earth from Above growl and sneer their way through their live sets, with two studied metal vocalists at the helm; and their shows are just a taste of what will come out of Chris Eck's recording studio.

TOUR DATES:
Oct 31 The Paradigm w/ Impending Doom, Yucaipa, CA
Nov 8 The Maac w/ Impending Doom, Chula Vista, CA
Nov 14 The Green Turtle Whitier, CA
Nov 22 PC Paramount w/ Impending Doom, Paramount, CA
Nov 29 Salon Fiesta w/ Impending Doom, Tijuana, Baja CA

Review: DOA - Northern Avenger

Label: Sudden Death

Released: October 7, 2008

DOA is DOA and will likely always be, God bless them, DOA. If you're expecting something other than aggressive politico-punk from these guys, guess again. They still wrap up left-wing politics into simple, heartfelt songs whose anger and outrage never overarch their equal doses of life and fun. DOA has always managed to find that place where politics aren't simply preachy and fun isn't synonymous with ignorance and that's as true as ever on Northern Avenger. Joe Keithley and company have been at this game for three decades now, yet they have the exuberance of teenagers who are first finding something they can call their own and that's why they can continue to resonate with kids in a world that's changed more than just a little since 1978.

What's different about Northern Avenger is the production. DOA calls in their old friend Bob Rock (yeah, that Bob Rock) and frankly, that worried me. I mean, this is the guy who gave us Dr Feelgood and Metallica, not Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables or Damaged. Could Bob Rock's mainstream rock approach take its toll on DOA's honesty and credibility? The answer is no. In fact, Rock's production makes this a standout record for DOA. He doesn't temper their passions, but actually puts more punch into them. It makes me realize that Bob Rock's most famous work has helped bands be what they wanted to be. He didn't make Mötley Crüe commercial. They were already commercial, he merely helped them better achieve that end. And here, he doesn't make DOA passionate, but his help behind the board helps them convey their passion in a way they really haven't been able to previously.

This is largely the same ol' DOA. Sure, a few tracks like the ska-tinged soul of "Poor Poor Boy" might step outside their comfort zone, but the essence is the same as it was 30 years ago. The difference now is just that you can hear it better.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 10/10
Overall: 8/10

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Review: Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam

Label: Ramseur Records

Released: July 22, 2008

The Avett Brothers' breakthrough album, last year's Emotionalism, was a work whose broad influences were felt throughout and whose quiet ambition made it both huge and intimate at the same time. The Second Gleam, while keeping to the Avett's signature sound, doesn't share its predecessor's breadth. Instead, it focuses on intimacy and gentle folkiness. Not a single track could be described as rousing, yet it manages to rouse the soul with its simple honesty. As ever, the Avetts prove to be deceptively fine musicians who aren't afraid to put themselves into their music in a way that reaches heights both technical and emotional. The album focuses on personal themes (the past, family, love), yet manages to express them in ways that they can be personal for each listener in his own way.

Ratings:
Satriani - 8/10
Zappa - 7/10
Dylan - 9/10
Aretha - 10/10
Overall - 9/10

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Review: Jonas Reinhardt - s/t

Label: Kranky

Released: November 10, 2008

This CD took me back to a sunny spring afternoon in high school, when the promise of summer vacation filled the air with excitement. I was driving down a little side street in Albuquerque when my friend Dave put on Poland by Tangerine Dream. I immediately made fun of Dave and his pretentious music, but even as I laughed, I got sucked into the hypnotic sounds. The music was uneventful on the surface, but if I paid close attention, I could hear every facet of the sound continually evolve into something completely new yet completely the same.

That Tangerine Dream CD opened a musical door I've never closed. I fell out of love with electronic music as it evolved into the vapid new age of the late '80s, but as club culture blossomed from the ashes of disco and the roots of house, I discovered the same layers of subtle excitement in virtually every stripe of electronic dance music.

It's neat to hear Jonas Reinhardt and be taken back to some of the deepest parts of my musical roots. Reinhardt understands what made the electronic music of the '70s and early '80s special. His compositions are subtle enough to fade into the background, but interesting enough to hold your focus if you choose to pay attention. Best of all, he knows the value of letting sound constantly evolve.

Unfortunately, he's not doing anything new. After hearing his debut, I went back and listened to Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Klaus Schulze's Mirage; Reinhardt fits so seamlessly among them that it's difficult to tell where they end and he begins. Rather than using the past as a launching point for something new, Reinhardt merely imitates his musical forefathers.

There's nothing wrong with imitation, but unless it's combined with innovation, it's nothing more than nostalgia. When you consider how many great contributions have been made to electronic and/or experimental music over the past few decades by artists as diverse as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Paul Oakenfold, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Tim Hecker, it's hard to find time for someone who simply recreates the past. Even if he recreates it incredibly well.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 4/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium

Label: Epic

Released:October 7, 2008

What should we expect from a live recording of a band within a year of its own demise, a band who had recently dismissed its heroin addicted drummer and was already splitting apart at the seams in the wake of its own internal turmoil? Will it show the band burning out or fading away? With Live at Shea, we get neither. Instead it finds the Clash in their prime, a prime that lasted their entire career from its earliest rumblings out of the ashes of the 101ers to the near bitter end preserved here.

Many of the songs find new interpretations in the live setting, particularly those drawn from London Calling and later. “Guns of Brixton” is faster, finding a new groove, while “London Calling” is rawer and even more urgent. Perhaps none of the songs finds itself better live than “Rock the Casbah” where the band disposes of the song's novelty elements and instead rip it up with the ferocity it deserves. The transition from funk to reggae and back as they move from “Magnificent Seven” to “Armigideon Time” and then return is one of the most powerful messages of the unity of struggle throughout the world perhaps ever recorded. The fact that earlier material like “Tommy Gun” and “Career Opportunities” fall into place more easily doesn't diminish their impact though. The Clash find the heart of all their songs and bring their own class war to a crowd that was probably not even on the same side. Still, they resonated, because a band like the Clash is almost impossible to dismiss.

It seems hard to believe that a performance like this came so near the end of the road. It may seem like an early curtain call for one of rock's greatest bands, but Strummer and Simonen would prove it to be perfect timing when they formed their own farcical version of the Clash for 1985's Cut the Crap. But here, three years earlier, it was a different story. The Clash not only show that they were the only band that mattered, but more importantly that they mattered right up to the end.

Ratings:
Satriani - 7/10
Zappa - 8/10
Dylan - 10/10
Aretha - 10/10
Overall - 10/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Christina Carter - Original Darkness

Label: Kranky

Released: October 27, 2008

The first time I listened to Original Darkness, I wondered what in the world I'd write about it.

Now that I've listened to the CD a half-dozen times, I wonder how I can possibly say everything I want to say within the confines of a record review. My notes alone are nearly 600 words, and they don't possess any of the flowery adjectives and thrilling verbs with which I mask my mediocre writing.

So I'll try to keep it basic. This is tough music even for me, and I like tough music. Original Darkness is full of very simple musical passages -- folky guitar chords, angular melodies, troubled vocals -- that aren't very interesting on their own, but Carter layers them together in counter-intuitive and unnatural ways. Mildly pretty components meld to become an ominous and anxious whole.

The end result sounds how depression feels.

No, it doesn't sound like The Smiths, or Belle & Sebastian, or whatever stupid emo band is hip this week. Those groups sound like confusion or sadness or anger. Original Darkness sounds like clinical depression, a state where everything -- the good and the bad, the soothing and the stressful, the light and the dark -- is inseparably mixed together. You can listen to Carter's music and intellectually say, "Wow, the vocal melody and guitar chords are kind of simple and pretty," but you cannot pull the prettiness from the pain that surrounds it. It's like being able to see the beauty of a sunrise or feel the tenderness of a lover's kiss, but lacking the ability to separate it from the destructive thoughts that cycle through your mind.

The CD is far from perfect. By the end of the disc, it sounds as if Carter is running short of ideas. Although her voice is reminiscent of Beth Gibbons or Jesse Sykes, at times she sings with an in-your-face earnestness that conjures the most overwrought and downright awful folksingers from the late '60s and early '70s. The title track reminds me of the way Nina Simone tried to convey dramatic emotion at the end of "Four Women," but instead just sounded kind of silly. There are more than a few moments on Original Darkness where Carter's emotion just sounds kind of silly. To her credit, though, she never resorts to Yoko Ono-esque wailing, a cliché that would make the record unbearable.

Lots of musicians can do simple feelings: Carter's greatest artistic accomplishment might be that her music embodies a mental disorder. If you're not afraid of rough edges and dark corners, this is a CD that I'd highly recommend. It likely won't become a part of your daily listening, but it will hang around the dark places of your mind for a very long time.

Ratings
Satriani: 4/10
Zappa: 9/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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Beartrap PR helps Pastepunk.com celebrate 10th Anniversary!

Download Free Pastepunk / Beartrap MP3 Compilation with 25 new, unreleased and rare songs.

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* 25 new, unreleased and rare songs from De La Hoya, Jena Berlin, Look Mexico, Pomegranates, Scream Hello, Nakatomi Plaza, Broadway Calls, Jumpercable, La Dispute, more!
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In punk rock, stating that you've been around for a decade is essentially admitting that you're an ancient vessel amidst a sea of doe-eyed, baby-faced, sometimes-talented (but often not) newbies who have barely tested the chilly DIY waters before sailing for warmer shores. Not to say that crusty old people rule, but there are certainly a handful that possess a nugget or two of wisdom and should be looked upon with reverence and admiration.

Such is the case with well-respected, often-imitated-but-never-duplicated webzine Pastepunk.com.

Ten years ago to the day, Jordan Baker created the site as an outlet against boredom and vapidity of dorm room life. And while diligently sticking it out for so long is impressive, all this talk about who has the most notches on their studded punk rock belt or more indie cred means nothing unless you're contributing something relevant and interesting...and more importantly, doing it with passion and unshakable dedication. Jordan was one of the first people with whom I ever worked when I entered the fray almost nine years ago; I can state without hesitation that he and Pastepunk measure up to those qualifications.

With an archive of more than 10,000 news posts, 3000 album reviews and 300 interviews from bands such as Bad Religion, Rise Against, Thrice, Dropkick Murphys, H20, Less Than Jake, Bane, Set Your Goals, Strike Anywhere, Modern Life Is War, Against Me!, Crime In Stereo, Paint It Black, Thursday and AFI, Pastepunk's quality of content ranks up there with the best. What's more is that Jordan and his staff not only entertain on a daily basis, they do so with thought-provoking commentary and discerning tastes. In the words of the site's creator:

"As a teen, I spent countless hours reading MRR, Punk Planet and Flipside, obsessing over music reviews and searching for a consistent voice of recommendation. I have tried to be that source with Pastepunk, relishing the role of being a filter in a world where the number of bands is simply overwhelming. It hasn't always been easy, but the relentless, addictive search to discover the next great hardcore, punk, metal or indie band is a desire that runs through my bones. I've always said that I'll keep doing Pastepunk until it isn't fun anymore and it means the world to me that we're still here."

To mark the occasion, Jordan and I have gathered 25 songs from Beartrap PR bands, creating the Pastepunk 10th Anniversary MP3 Compilation. It includes a number of previously unreleased songs, rare and live material, demo recordings for upcoming releases and several exclusive tracks recorded specifically for the comp. All 25 MP3s are completely free, but only available for the next month -until November 16th. For more information, go here: http://www.pastepunk.com/features.php?v=273

Or directly download a zip file (including cover art and detailed information about every song) here: http://www.jordanbaker.com/mp3/PP10Anniversary/PP10Anniversary.zip

And by all means, feel free to pass around the link or post it on your website!

TRACK LISTING
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ANNABEL - "Four Corners"(From rare tour EP)
ASTPAI - "Of Imposition and Instinct" (From new split EP with Attack! Vipers!)
BROADWAY CALLS - "Get At Me" (From 7" split with Teenage Bottlerocket)
CHEAP GIRLS - "That's The Reason" (Previously released as vinyl only bonus track)
DE LA HOYA - "Union Square" (New song for upcoming Discography release)
DRIVINGONCITYSIDEWALKS - "That the Sound I Make Would Be Worth Hearing" (New song from upcoming documentary)
HISTORY - "Sterves of Neel" (New Song - Pastepunk exclusive!)
INTO IT. OVER IT. - "Holding Hands With Me" (Pastepunk exclusive - Up Up Down Down cover)
JENA BERLIN - "Sing Yourself To Sleep" (Unreleased song from rare demo)
JUMPERCABLE - "Scrape 'Em Off" (From an upcoming 7" split with Hoodratz)
LA DISPUTE - "Only Everything Below" (From limited edition S/T 7")
LIGHTEN UP! - "Buttspeak"(New song from upcoming full-length)
LIPONA - "Hawks" (New song from upcoming EP)
LOOK MEXICO - "You're Not Afraid of the Dark Are You?" (New song from upcoming 7")
MEMORIAL - "The Great Lakes" (New song from upcoming 7")
NAKATOMI PLAZA - "4017" (New Song - Pastepunk exclusive!)
ONE SMALL STEP FOR LANDMINES - "Creaking Like The Cradle" (New song from upcoming full-length)
ONE WIN CHOICE - "Under Quarantine" (New song from upcoming 7")
PAPER THE OPERATOR - "You're Fired" (Rare demo)
POMEGRANATES - "Corriander"(New song from upcoming full-length)
SCREAM HELLO - "Gary" (New song from upcoming 7")
SHARKS AND SAILORS - "Topple The Pillar" (From out of print EP)
STAY SHARP - "PCS Panthers" (Demo from upcoming 7")
THE NEW DRESS - "Mabel Had Her First Serious Suspicion" (New song - recorded live)
THE OUT_CIRCUIT - "Dark Horizons" (Rare - Frantic Mantis cover)

Review: Carrie Rodriguez - She Ain't Me

Label: Manhattan Records

Released: August 5, 2008

Carrie Rodriguez's voice is beautiful. It's dynamic and full and she can be sultry, powerful and breathy at will. It is, as it should be, the centerpiece and strength of this album. She has the kind of voice that could lead her down any musical road she might choose and it seems more often than not, the technically talented stick to refined, methodical styles. Rodriguez doesn't though. She Ain't Me is a rootsy, country-tinged affair that allows her to exercise her voice in a very natural way. Rodriguez shares vocals with Lucinda Williams on "Mask of Moses" and they sound great together. Likewise, her songs aren't the silly fluff that runs through so much popular music. She's written songs that deal with humanity and faith and discontent and yearning.

The trouble that She Ain't Me runs into is that it never quite seems to break out. The overall feel is just too much like the studio and the band is very good, but, with few exceptions, uneventful. Without the innate sense that comes from a band really being together, the performance becomes a cage that prevents anyone, most notably Rodriguez, from really breaking free and taking flight. Throughout, I waited to hear her let go and it just never quite happened.

All in all, Rodriguez is way too good to be dismissed. Her voice, even restrained, has so much to offer and that strength makes the restraint even more pronounced. She Ain't Me is a rewarding listen that nonetheless leaves you feeling a little bit short of full, but hungry for the next album.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

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(International) Noise Conspiracy album and tour

THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY ANNOUNCE U.S. DATES

 

The Cross Of My Calling out November 25 on Vagrant/American

(October 9, 2008) – Sweden’s The (International) Noise Conspiracy today announce select performances in the U.S. in mid-November. The band will be opening for Taking Back Sunday in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco just a few days before their latest disc, The Cross Of My Calling, is released on November 25, 2008 on Vagrant/American.

The quartet recorded the fourteen-track set at Sunset Sound in Hollywood with legendary producer Rick Rubin at the helm. The (International) Noise Conspiracy formed in northern Sweden in 1998 and quickly became known around the world for their self-aware political stance buoyed by their 70’s-inflected rock ‘n’ roll swagger. The group has released four full-lengths, countless singles and toured around the world multiple times.

T(I)NC is: Dennis Lyxzén (vocals), Lars Strömberg (guitar/vocals), Inge Johansson (bass, vocals), and Ludwig Dahlberg (drums).

The (International) Noise Conspiracy US dates:
Nov 11 – New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall
Nov 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
Nov 16 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
- all dates w/ Taking Back Sunday -

http://www.internationalnoise.com/
http://www.myspace.com/internationalnoiseconspiracy
www.americanrecordings.com
www.vagrant.com

Santana to release Multi Dimensional Warrior on October 14th

ALL TRACKS PERSONALLY SELECTED BY CARLOS SANTANA

Title arrives in stores October 14th of Columbia/Legacy

A decade after their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame (in January 1998), the hypnotic power of Santana – to mesmerize crowds of tens of thousands in the world’s biggest stadiums, or to cast the same spell on a single listener in their solitude – continues to be one of the enduring and mysterious pleasures of the band’s music. That meditative power has coursed through Santana’s recordings for four decades, but has never been the exclusive focus of any one collection – until now.

Multi Dimensional Warrior is a unique project, with every track personally selected and sequenced by Carlos Santana to create an engaging journey through a soundscape of moods and feelings. In an unprecedented concept, disc one comprises 14 vocal performances chosen from albums spanning the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, while disc two comprises 14 instrumental performances from albums covering the same years. Multi Dimensional Warrior is the first anthology to include tracks from the band’s three major label associations: Columbia, Polydor/ PolyGram, and Arista/BMG. With just three exceptions, all of the albums represented on disc one are different than the albums represented on disc two. Carlos Santana supervised new overdubs to five tracks on the set. He personally added guitar to “Spirit” and “Right Now,” Santana band member Chester Thompson contributed piano to “Let There Be Light,” and Barbara Higbie added harp to “Praise” and “Let There Be Light.”

Multi Dimensional Warrior will arrive in stores October 14th on Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAIN­MENT.

History swirls around Santana, signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis in late-1968. They began recording in January 1969 – although the follow-up sessions of May 1969 were the ones eventually used for their debut album. That self-titled release came out on August 19, 1969, the day after the end of the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, where they performed on Saturday afternoon. WARRIOR includes one of their oldest signatures, “Samba Pa Ti,” the B-side of their fourth single, “Oye Como Va,” from the second Santana album, Abraxas (1970).

At the far end of the Columbia timeline are the final three albums to bear the Santana name – and the only three albums on WARRIOR to be represented by one track each on disc one and disc two. Early 1987’s Freedom – which reunited original band members Gregg Rolie on lead vocals and keyboards (after his 1975-85 founding stint in Journey), drummer Mike Shrieve, and percussionist José ‘Chepito’ Areas – is the source for “Praise” and two instrumentals, “Bella” and “Love Is You.”

At the end of 1987, Carlos Santana delivered Blues For Salvador, his final Columbia solo album, which won his first GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. WARRIOR includes the closing title instrumental, as well as the opening vocal medley of “Bailando/Aquatic Park.” A long hiatus ensued before Santana released its final Columbia studio album in 1990, Spirits Dancing In The Flesh. That album’s opening track, “Let There Be Light,” featuring lead singer Alex Ligertwood (Santana’s longest-running vocalist, from 1979 to 1995), is the appropriate opening track of WARRIOR. An instrumental track from Spirits, “Full Moon” appears on disc two.

Santana’s two decades at Columbia Records encompassed some 25 studio and live album releases, comprising band albums and solo projects by Carlos Santana. On the vocal side, WARRIOR also revisits Festival (1976, with “The River”); Moonflower (1977, with “I’ll Be Waiting”); and Beyond Appearances (1985, with “Brotherhood,” “Spirit,” “Right Now”). On the instrumental side, WARRIOR includes tracks from Marathon (1979, “Aqua Marine”) and Zebop! (1981, “I Love You Much Too Much”).

Santana had a brief but productive three-year stay at PolyGram, starting with the May 1992 release of Milagro (which means “miracle”). The album was dedicated to two close friends, Miles Davis and long-time Santana manager and booking agent Bill Graham (who died respectively in September and October, 1991) and contained tributes to four of Santana’s inspirations, John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Marvin Gaye, and Bob Marley. From that album, WARRIOR offers four vocals on disc one: “Life Is For Living,” “Saja/Right On,” and two Santana originals, “Somewhere In Heaven” and “Your Touch.”

Milagro was also the name given to an important charitable foundation created by Deborah and Carlos Santana, who believe that children are divine miracles of light and hope for the world. With funds generated by concert tickets, donations and generous individual and corporate donors, the Milagro Foundation makes grants to tax-exempt organizations that work with children and youth in the San Francisco Bay Area, the United States and countries around the world touched by the music of Santana. The Milagro Foundation can be reached at PO Box 9125, San Rafael, CA 94912-9125.

Attention focused on the Milagro album as Santana toured through 1992 and mourned the April ’93 death of César Chavez. Later that year, Sacred Fire, a live album was released. Santana returned in 1994 with a final PolyGram album, Brothers, essentially a trio collaboration by Carlos, his brother Jorge, and nephew Carlos Hernandez. Three of its instrumentals are included on WARRIOR: “Blues Latino,” “En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor,” and “Luz, Amor y Vida.”

A five-year hiatus from recording followed, ending in 1999 with the release of Supernatural. It was Santana’s first album for Arista Records, and a welcome reunion with Clive Davis, who produced the album with Carlos. Supernatural was an industry phenomenon – 15-times RIAA platinum in the U.S. alone, the #6 best-selling album in Soundscan history, with nearly double that number of sales worldwide. The album spent 102 weeks on the Billboard chart including 12 weeks at #1.

Most signifi­cantly, Supernatural generated an all-time record-breaking nine GRAMMY awards including Album Of the Year and Best Rock Album. Among the instrumentals on Supernatural (and included on WARRIOR) is “El Farol,” which won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Instrumental. (“El Farol” was also the B-side of the worldwide smash hit single and triple-GRAMMY Award winner “Smooth,” co-written by and feat­ur­ing Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty).

Supernatural was a hard act to follow – but 2002’s Shaman gave Santana a second consecutive #1 multi-platinum album. The album’s title alluded to traditional and primitive religious figures who are in touch with the spirit world, an atmosphere that is conjured up with “Victory Is Won,” the closing track on disc two of Multi Dimensional Warrior.

More Videos

Buffalo Killers on tour with Black Crowes

Here's a match made in heaven. Unlike so many 70s rock throwbacks, Buffalo Killers mix it up with soul like no one since...the Black Crowes!

Cincinnati psychedelic blues trio, Buffalo Killers, will hit the road this
fall once again supporting the Black Crowes on a 14-date tour of the U.S.
The Buffalo Killers new album "Let it Ride" (produced by The Black Keys'
Dan Auebach) was released earlier this summer on Alive Records and
supported by tours opening for The Black Keys as well as a cross country
solo trek. Recently, the band and Ragged Productions completed a new video
for the title track "Let it Ride."

Drawing comparisons in sound to T Rex, Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad,
Crazy Horse and Band of Gypsies, the trio released their sophomore effort
to critical raves describing their sound as "crossing 1970s Laurel Canyon
rock with a slow James Gang groove…" (Montreal Mirror) and remains deeply
rooted in their signature 60s psychedelic and 70s blues rock inspired
sound. The 10-track album features songs "Get Together Now Today," On the
Prowl," "It's a Shame" and the title track "Let It Ride."

Buffalo Killers confirmed 2008 U.S. tour dates, opening for The Black
Crowes:

October 10 @ The Borgata - Atlantic City, NJ w/The Black Crowes
October 27 @ Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY w/The Black Crowes
November 6 @ The Pearl - Dayton, OH
November 8 @ Lincoln Theater - Raleigh, NC w/The Black Crowes
November 10 @ Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater, FL w/The Black Crowes
November 11 @ House of Blues - Orlando, FL w/The Black Crowes
November 12 @ The Fillmore - Miami Beach, FL w/The Black Crowes
November 14 @ Amphitheater - St. Augustine, FL w/The Black Crowes
November 15 @ Alabama Theatre - Birmingham, AL w/The Black Crowes
November 16 @ Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN w/The Black Crowes
November 18 @ House of Blues - New Orleans, LA w/The Black Crowes
November 20 @ House of Blues - Houston, TX w/The Black Crowes
November 21 @ The Palladium - Dallas, TX w/The Black Crowes
November 22 @ Austin Music Hall - Austin, TX w/The Black Crowes
December 11 @ The Ravari Room - Columbus, OH
December 12 @ Northside Tavern - Cincinnati, OH

MP3's, and videos at www.alivenergy.com

Review: Polysics - We Ate the Machine

Label: Myspace Records

Released: September 30, 2008

Polysics make no secret of their love for Devo. The jumpsuits, the scientist-rock image, it all points to one thing. Their music however, goes further. Devo is clearly in the mix on this collection of synth-heavy, agitated new wave tunes and the result is fun, energetic...and entirely contrived. But they mix that 80s electronic pop with punk energy and more than just a small dose of old Japanese noisecore and that healthy dose of crazy keeps them from being trapped by their own hipness (a dangerous snare that many rehashers of the 80s have failed to avoid).

The vinyl comes as a double album that includes Polysics' previous album, Karate House, which was unavailable in the US. While things have been polished up a bit on their US debut, Polysics seems more in their element on Karate House. Their love of Devo was evident then too, but the album achieves a greater sense of craziness by being more fully under the spell of noisecore. The album is less accessible by far and still struggles a bit with its own identity, but the fun factor increases proportionately with their wonderful sense of nuttiness.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Website

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If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.