Final MP3 Randomization of the Year

WAYNE

The Fantomas-Melvins Big Band "Terpulative Guns & Drugs"
TV on the Radio "Wear You Out"
The Fantomas-Melvins Big Band "The Bit"
Guns N Roses "Paradise City"
Melvins "The Stupid Creep"
Ozzy "Crazy Train" (live Randy Rhoads Tribute version)

MARK

I couldn't blog this as I was affected by Z2K!!! My 30g Zune froze!!!

MYCHE

Luckily my Zune 80G is working fine, but I didn't get around to this until January 5th...

Thin Lizzy "Emerald"
Thin Lizzy "The Holy War"
Spirit Caravan "Courage"
Aretha Franklin "That's All I Want From You"
The Kinks "Holiday In Waikiki"
Y&T "Rescue Me"

Hook of the Day: Lemmy + Billy Gibbons + Dave Grohl "Run Rudolph Run"

by Wayne

I hope everyone enjoys the special day.....not Christmas, dummy, I mean Lemmy's Birthday, which is today, December 24th.

Here's Our Lord and Savior himself, along with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and my man Dave Grohl on drums.

Hook of the Day - KISS "I Love it Loud"

Judas Priest

Okay, folks, I just finally sat through the double album Nostradamus. Here follows my review...


Nope.

Good try though.

MP3 Randomization: 12-17-2008

WAYNE

Candlemass "Bewitched"
TV on the Radio "Ambulance"
Big Business "Shields"
Pink Floyd "Seamus"
Hermano "Murder One"
Clutch "Small Upsetters"

MYCHE

King Diamond "Piece Of Mind"
Merle Haggard "Workin' Man Blues"
Allman Brothers Band "It Ain't Over Yet"
Judas Priest "New Beginnings"
Mastodon "Where Strides The Behemoth"
Queensryche "Blinded"

MARK
James Ingram "Just Once"
Pelican "Spaceship broken- parts needed"
The Lemonheads "Bit Part"
Judas Priest "Breaking the Law"
Juliana Hatfield "Bad Day"
Imagika "In your Shadow"

MP3 Randomization: 12-10-08

MYCHE

Symphony X "On The Breath Of Poseidon"
Exodus "Culling The Herd"
Blue Oyster Cult "Sinful Love"
AC/DC "Love Hungry Man"
The Band "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
Merle Haggard "Better Off When I Was Hungry"

WAYNE

In Flames "Graveland"
Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O Mine" (Live 1988 version)
U.S. Christmas "Silent Tongue"
Deathspell Omega "Obombration"
Whitesnake "Love Ain't No Stranger"
Mastodon "Colony of Birchmen"

MARK
Eminem "The Way I am"
Iced Earth "Winter Nights"
Skid Row "Rattlesnake Shake"
Swervedriver "Son of Mustang Ford"
3 Inches of Blood "Trial of Champions"
Sonic Youth "I Love You Golden Blue"

Hook of the Day - Metallica "All Nightmare Long"

by Wayne

This is flat-out the best Metallica song in years. End of discussion.

Hook of the Day - St. Vitus "St. Vitus"

by Wayne

Here's IGN.com approved doom metal titans St. Vitus performing "St. Vitus"* at the Palm Springs Community Center on May 16th, 1986. (Do you know where YOU were when Vitus played at the PSCC?)

Some trivia:
1) This is Wino's very first gig with the band.
2) According to a commenter on YouTube, the gentleman sitting in the background next to the amps is bass God Scott Reeder, who would later join Vitus, Kyuss and tons of other bands, including yours.
3) The cameraman needs to cool out with the zoom ins-and-outs. Seriously. Thanks, but stop.
4) There's Cokes being sold over here.

* Mental note: We need to do a list of song titles which were also the name of the band. First two: Iron Maiden, St. Vitus

List For Us To All Get Our Panties in a Wad About of the Day - IGN.com's Top 10 Doom Metal Bands

by Wayne

Hooray for lists!

These are salad days for doom metal, so why not make a list of the best doom metal bands of all time. Here's the 10 according to IGN.com.

St. Vitus
Trouble
Candlemass
Witchfinder General
Type O Negative
Paradise Lost
Earth
Sleep
Pentagram
My Dying Bride

All things considered, not a bad list. If I were to get picky, I'd say that Earth is more of a drone metal group, and then there's the notable omission of Electric Wizard, but whatever, dude.....

What say you all?

Hook of the Day - Testament "More Than Meets the Eye"

by Wayne

This year was an embarrasment of riches for fans of thrash. The best of the bunch came from our old pals Testament, with the outstanding Formation of Damnation record. Here's the first video for that release, "More Than Meets the Eye."

WHOAAOOOOOO OOOOA OOA OOA OOOOOA!

Testament - New Music - More Music Videos

A Musical Ranking Of The United States

by Myche

I've thrown this question out to a few people, and it's time to get everyone on the record. Please list your Top 6 (in order) United States by their respective musical output.

In my analysis, some states shine based on sheer volume of output, others jump to the top due to being the home of some big names. Sometimes it's hard to determine where a band is from, generally assign them in your mind to the state they were formed in. For solo artists, I would use a similar rule. For instance, while Elvis was born in Mississippi, it's hard not to assign him to Tennessee.

You can use http://www.allmusic.com/ as a source if you don't know where bands are from.

Five states quickly came to mind for me, and I'm still wrestling with their ranking. The sixth spot is proving to be a little less obvious. I'll post mine as a comment a little later.

Hook of the Day - Enslaved "The Watcher"

ENSLAVED - The Watcher (album: VERTEBRAE)

Hook of the Day (and pretty much the whole damn year) - Torche "Healer"

by Wayne

Just in case we don't end up posting our Year End Favorites for some reason, I'll just say here that Torche's Meanderthal is the finest album I heard in 2008. Part of what made it great was guitarist Juan Montoya, who has apparently left the band for one reason or the next. I hate to see members leave bands that I deeply love, but it happens, life goes on, and so forth. So, Juan, if this rumour is true, hopefully you'll land somewhere nice and we can rave about any future records you're on. The other 3/4 of Torche....keep at it. You guys are fucking amazing.

So, Hook of the Day, and my personal choice for Hook of the Year..."Healer"

MP3 Randomization: 12-1-2008

WAYNE

Jesu "Wolves"
Bruce Springsteen "Lost in the Flood"
Kyuss "Fatso Forgotso Phase II (flip the phase)"
Gojira "A Sight to Behold"
Lair of the Minotaur "War Metal Battle Master"
Year of No Light "Librium"

MYCHE

Greg Brown "Pound It On Down"
Exodus "The Garden Of Bleeding"
Waylon Jennings "Jack-A-Diamonds"
Whitesnake "Is This Love"
Melvins "Skweetis"
Stephen Stills "Jet Set (Sigh)"

MARK

Prince "Good Man"
Prince "Chelsea Rodgers"
Bette Midler "Fever"
Baroness "O'Appalachia"
Funkadelic "Can you get to that"
Devin Townsend "Morwar"

Hook of the Day - Corrosion of Conformity "Clean My Wounds"

Happy Birthday Hook of the Day - Harvey Milk "Death Goes to the Winner"

A very Happy Birthday to our good pal Mark.

Horns up!

Hook of the Day - Killswitch Engage "Rose of Sharyn"

Don't ask me how it happened, but this song has been lodged in my brain for weeks.

Hook of the Day - Melvins "Revolve"

Oh man...last night's Melvins/Big Business show at Reggie's in Chicago was a real barnburner! My favorite moment in a set full of them, King Buzzo and company played my favorite Melvins tune...."Revolve" from the excellent Stoner Witch album.

Hook of the Day 2: Electric Boogaloo - Slayer "Psychopathy Red"

We've been meaning to post this one for days now, so let's just call it Hook 2, and be done with it. New Slayer, bitches....


SLAYERRRRR!

Hook of the Day - Thin Lizzy "Emerald"

MP3 Randomization: 11-19-2008

WAYNE

Rush "Good News First"
Radiohead "Sit Down, Stand Up (Snakes & Ladders)"
One Day as a Lion "Wild International"
Nirvana "Drain You"
Kyuss "Shine!"
AC/DC "War Machine"

MYCHE

Mavericks "I Want To Know"
Dwight Yoakam "Sad, Sad Music"
Prince "Shockadelica"
Y&T "Fast Track"
MC5 "Borderline"
Rainbow "Still I'm Sad"

MARK
Queensryche "Neue Regel"
Mike Jackson "You rock my World"
Meshuggah "Abnegating Cecity"
Scorpions "Love will Keep Us Alive"
Juliana Hatfield "Such a beautiful Girl"
Original Broadway Cast: Sunday in the park with George "Putting it Together" Holy shit, I'm gay

Hook of the Day - Motorhead "Rock Out"

Hook of the Day - Intronaut "Australopithecus"

Lennon + Clapton + Richards + Mitch Mitchell = Best. Thing. Ever.

Per Wikipedia:

The Dirty Mac were an English supergroup consisting of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell that Lennon put together for The Rolling Stones' ill-fated TV special entitled The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.

Here's "Yer Blues."

Hook of the Day - Pelican "Lost in the Headlights"

Pelican - New Music - More Music Videos

Hook of the Day - Opeth "Burden"

Holy shitfire, I love this song.

R.I.P. Mitch Mitchell 1947-2008

That's 3 for 3 of the Experience crossing to the other side. Thank you, Mitch. You have been, are now, and ever shall be an endless source of inspriation for musicians and music fans everywhere.

MP3 Randomization: 11-12-08

MYCHE:

Manowar "Odin" (Immortal Version)
Scorpions "In Trance"
Marillion "Punch & Judy"
Funkadelic "Comin' Round The Mountain"
Motorhead "Sword Of Glory"
Manowar "Sting Of The Bumblebee"

B'WAYNO

Foo Fighters "This is a Call"
Daft Punk "Human After All"
Sleep "Jerusalem (Pt. 4)"
Dillinger Escape Plan "When Acting as a Particle"
Six Organs of Admittance "Assyrian Blood"
Dillinger Escape Plan "Horse Hunter"

MARK

Hall and Oates "Say it isn't so" (it isn't so-ooh-oh)
WEEN "Cover it with gas and set it on FIRE!!"
Cinderella "The Last Mile"
Flake Music "Mieke"
Tesla "Gettin' Better"
Built to Spill "You were Right"

This looks EXCELLENT

I want to see the full version of this doc quite badly. Here's an extended preview of "Such Hawks Such Hounds: Scenes From The American Hard Rock Underground."

Hook of the day!

This is a ONE TWO punch.

First of all... HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUEENSRYCHE MYCHE!!
Second of all...Voting can induce the Winds of Change!!



And this guy is a genius

Hook of the Day - AC/DC "Sink The Pink"

by Myche

I guess I could have gone with about 40 more popular AC/DC songs in honor of tonight's concert, but what's the fun in that? This song is from the album "Fly On The Wall", which in my opinion is AC/DC's most underrated album.

Warning: this video is completely ridiculous. The cartoon fly just didn't take off. I wonder why they thought they needed another mascot besides Angus?

MP3 Randomization: 10-29-2008

WAYNE

Dillinger Escape Plan "Dead as History"
Melvins "Kool Legged"
Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street Band "Out in the Street"
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "American Girl"
Deadbird "Into the Clearing"
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Down on the Corner"

MYCHE

Velvet Underground "The Black Angel's Death Song"
Nick Cave "Lay Me Low"
Waylon Jennings "Nashville Bum"
Manowar "Heart Of Steel"
Manowar "Each Dawn I Die"
Fish "Zoe 25"

MARK

ISIS "Hym"
Thom York "Analyse"
SlipKnot "Gematria (the Killing Name)" Nice.
Goo Goo Dolls "Slide"
Erykah Badu "Honey"
Pinback "Non Photo-Blue"

Hook of the Day - The Sword "How Heavy This Axe"

by Wayne

Get yir new Sword video here!

The Sword - New Music - More Music Videos

Cool stuff. Reminds me those old videos of yore, like

Paranoid



and
Highway Star

Hook of the Day - Down "N.O.D."

by Wayne

Hey look! A new Down video! Now, I'm sure Mark and Queensryce Myche are going to roll their eyes and go "Oh, look, Wayne is posting another Down video. GREAAAAT. " But I will not give up! I'm a NOLA missionary goddammit! These motherfuckers will eventually LOVE Down, come hook (of the day) or crook!

MP3 Randomization: 10-22-2008

WAYNE:

Black Cobra "Ascension"
Eyehategod "Dogs Holy Life"
Ozzy Osbourne "Dee"
Drive-By Truckers "Act 1: Days of Graduation"
Lair of the Minotaur "Assassins of the Cursed Mist"
Big Business "Just As the Day Was Dawning"

MYCHE:

Deadboy & The Elephantmen "Evil Friend"
Iced Earth "Enter The Realm"
Iron Maiden "Iron Maiden"
Evergrey "Touch Of Blessing"
Beres Hammond "Sugar You Want"
Gojira "Remembrance"

MARK
Original Broadway Cast, "Company," "The Little Things You Do Together"
Exodus "Sealed with a Fist"
WEEZER "Photograph"
Death Cab for Cutie "Pity and Fear"
Larry Graham and Graham Central Station "Now Do-u-wanta dance"
Justin Timberlake "FutureSex/LoveSound"

Hook of the Day - Mastodon "The Bit (live)"

by Wayne

Okay, I'm not going to lie to you....this is excellent. The mighty Mastodon playing "The Bit" by the mighty Melvins at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA on October 11th, 2008. If this doesn't make your bull run, there's nothing we can do for you.

Cheers!

Hook of the Day - Dead Confederate "The Rat"

by Wayne

I've been enjoying Wrecking Ball, the debut album from Dead Confederate. All you My Morning Jacket and Drive-By Truckers fans need to pick this one up!

Here's "The Rat"

MP3 Randomization: 10-15-2008

WAYNE

Down "Nothing in Return"
Motorhead "Runaround Man"
Ozzy Osbourne "Bark at the Moon"
Morbid Angel "Chapel of Ghouls (Re-Mix)"
Skeletonwitch "Remains of the Defeated"
TV on the Radio "You Could Be Love"

MYCHE

King Diamond "One Down Two To Go"
Gregg Allman "Cryin' Shame"
Funkadelic "If You Got Funk, You Got Style"
Richard Thompson "Never Again"
George Clinton "Martial Law"
Manowar "The Crown And The Ring"

MARK

Slayer "Jesus Saves"
Yes "Roundabout"
Krokus "Ballroom Blitz"
Mike Jackson "It's the falling in love"
Iron Maiden " "The Evil that men do"
Kelly Clarkson "I hate my self for losing you"

I admit it

I'm a douche. I ha vent written anything on this blog for a while. I am truly sorry to my metal brethren for not being there. I have no excuse. But I tell ya, I have been listening to some great shit. I pretty much agree with everything that has been said thus far on this site I only surround myself with fantastic guys. B'Wayne-o, Myche. You are the jam.

Okay, a few things on my mind.

Album of the year. it's a tight fucking race. MANY big releases have come out that I have enjoyed. I"m going to have to start formulating a list. I don't want to exclude anyone just because I'm an idiot.

To be on the list so far...SlipKnot, Opeth, Torche, The Sword, Gojira, AMON AMARTH, Harvey Milk (recently acquired and LOVING) and many non metal...Ben Folds. Death Cab grew back their nuts and put guitars on the new album, Erykah Badu, Weezer. Plus albums that I haven't gotten the pleasure for that may be released by year's end/....Mastodon, Kanye.

The past few year's end toppers are included in that list. Who can forget how many times I fucking listened to the last SlipKnot album? Well, me really, Myche, maybe..Anyway, theres been some fucking good music this year.

I am currently listening to the Harvey Milk album that B'Wayne-o laid on me. (layed? Lied?) Its good. these guys are hungry, and I hope who ever is holding the raw meat out in front of them as they play, I applaud that man. Well done boys. I wanna hang out with you.

The new Ben Folds CD is really good. I cant even tell you how much I love the song Cologne. I gotta find the video. It's pure talent. This man is the best.

Um, SlipKnot's album is really good, too. Yet I seem to be going back to the first part of the album. Those songs are pretty memorable. That song "Gematria" is perfect. Anyone who doesn't think that is a masterpiece, shouldn't. Its what I WANT from metal. Chaos, melody, drums, time signature changes, that thing near the end that makes me want to convulse my entire body to it's awesomeness. Psychosocial is gonna be one of my favorite tracks of the year. hands down.

I'm also digging the new Madonna cd. Not to be a fag, but I am not bothered by this album one bit. It's consistent and that rap that Kanye does in "The Beat Goes On" is damn TIGHT. it puts that song in the next stratosphere. Well, done, Madge. I'm with ya. You're husband is hot, too, so quit fucking that up. I'm sure he's delightful.

Um, what else. Oh yeah, I 've also been listening to John Williams stuff. For some reason, I can't stop listening to the Superman soundtrack. Why the fuck not? It's great music to fly with. I just flew this past weekend, and I listened to John Williams mostly. As you're up in the sky, why WOULDN'T you listen to the Flying sequence from Superman? And the song from Always called "Among the Clouds" It majestic and beautiful. I've also been loving the Amistad soundtrack and Those horns in Saving Private Ryan make me cry. I'll be sad when he dies. He's like what, 90? That man is. He has added so much beauty to the world.


Oh, and by the way Amon Amarth. WELL DONE on the new album, It has jam all OVER IT. You need an ENTIRE loaf of bread for all that jam.

Meshuggah. Janet Jackson. What's wrong with her? What kind of sickness? Idina Menzel. (my gay theatre side coming out.) The Sword. eh.

This one track on Harvey Milk suddenly turns into a queen song.

Oh, and we get to see Y & T in about a month! No big deal.

Out.

MP3 Randomization: 10-7-2008

WAYNE

Booker T. and the MGs "Slim Jenkins Place (Slim Jenkins' Joint)"
Soundgarden "Head Injury"
Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Queens of the Stone Age "The Sky is Fallin'"
John Lennon "Jealous Guy"
Disfear "Get it Off"

MARK

Larry Graham and Graham Central Station "One in a Million You"
Liz Phair "Perfect World"
RUSH "Closer to the Heart"
Dillinger Escape Plan "Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants"
Idina Menzel "I Stand"
Strapping Young Lad "Rape Song"

MYCHE

Merle Haggard "The Hobo"
Parliament "Children of Production"
Willie Nelson "I Gotta Get Drunk"
Captain Beefheart "On Tomorrow"
Iron Maiden "Children of the Damned"
Rockpile "If Sugar Was As Sweet As You"

Hook of the Day - The Gates of Slumber "Trapped in the Web"

by Wayne




DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hook of the Day - Gojira "Vacuity"

by Wayne

A short list of items to consider on a Monday:

1) This is the new Gojira video, "Vacuity" from their new album The Way of All Flesh.

2) The Way of All Flesh will drop next week, Tuesday, October 14th.

3) The Way of All Flesh is a killer, killer album.

Vacuity

Hook of the Day : Amon Amarth "Twilight of the Thunder God"

by Wayne

Honestly, what's not to like, here?

Twilight of the Thunder God

MP3 Randomization: 9-25-2008

WAYNE

Jesu "Blind and Faithless"
Hall and Oates "Private Eyes"
Swans "In My Garden"
Sleep "The Druid"
A Perfect Circle "Brena"
Alice Cooper "The Black Widow"

MYCHE

Captain Beefheart "Ice Rose"
Motorhead "Motorhead"
Scorpions "Blackout"
Manowar "Each Dawn I Die"
Parliament "Theme From The Black Hole"
Bootsy Collins "Bootzilla"

MARK

Barry Manilow "I go Crazy"
Torche "Fire"
INXS "Disappear"
Iron and Wine "Naked as we came"
The National "Squalor Victoria"
Smithereens "Blood and Roses"

Hook of the Day: Opeth "The Grand Conjuration"

Hellllll yeah.

Tonight...Opeth and High on Fire at the House of Blues. Be there or kindly be square.

Hook of the Day: Dark Meat at Hideout Block Party 09-21-08

by Myche

This one's going out to my partner in crime on Sunday afternoon (you know who you are, Nancy!). We were both pretty blown away by this band, Dark Meat from Athens, Georgia. Two drummers, multiple instruments, war paint - it was quite a spectacle. And beyond the spectacle, they brought the rock to Chicago. Great set, and they made our decision to get there early prove out to be the right choice.

I read somewhere that they played earlier this year at the Empty Bottle and had three drummers. Now that would have been something to see...

Heavy Question of the Day: Has the best music been made?

by Myche

I want to get everyone's opinion on this as I have asked a few people and it seems to really get a healthy debate going.

Has the best music been made?

I will refrain from my views on this until others have weighed in. I've come up with follow-up questions to break this down even further:

1. If you had to decide today whether you could only listen to music created prior to today or music created after today, what would you pick?

2. Once all the facts are in (as far as you are concerned) and you are lying on your deathbed, do you think that you will say that the best music you heard was made before or after 9/22/08?

Are these equivalent questions?

Go.

Hook of the Day: Toxic Holocaust "Wild Dogs"

MP3 Randomization: 9-19-2008

WAYNE

Neurosis - "At the End of the Road"
Devin Townsend - "Night"
Johnny Cash - "Greystone Chapel"
Gojira - "Ocean Planet"
Electric Wizard - "Barbarian"
Zozobra - "Heartless Enemy"

MYCHE

Alice Cooper "Levity Ball"
Motorhead "Shine"
Tesla "Signs"
Crimson Glory "Burning Bridges"
Helloween "Murderer"
Randy Newman "I Think It's Going To Rain Today"

Mark

Juliana Hatfield "Get off your knees"
OPETH "Blackwater Park"
Y & T "Dirty Girl" (hot to the touch)
Protest the Hero "Limb from Limb"
Cee-Lo "What don't you do?" (Fuck around)
ABBA "Money, Money, Money"

Hook of the Day: High on Fire "Hung, Drawn, and Quartered"

Hook of the Day - The Gap Band "You Dropped A Bomb On Me"

by Myche

I shouldn't even have to explain myself, because in my humble opinion this is one of the greatest jams in history.

But I'm currently reading a really good book on the history of funk called Funk: The Music, The People, and the Rhythm of The One by Rickey Vincent. I'm halfway through and it's been great thus far. Puts things into context nicely.

As I was looking for videos for this JAM of a song, I came across so many good clips that I had to include them all. Start with the first, and keep going until you can't stand it anymore. Good stuff on so many levels.

Unfortunately, I can't find the video that you can embed on You Tube. Here's the link, but come back here once you've been properly funked. I love his move at 1:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cT9OVDrnf0

Check out this lady's moves:



Which she thought were good enough to warrant an encore, with more makeup and better lighting (same apartment):



Note: If you time it right, it's fun to watch the first two at the same time to see how her moves compare.

For you pedophiles out there (it's a wonder they didn't get splinters on their feet):



Turtles love it:



In case by now you are afraid that these videos have made you lose your ability to dance (and dress), check out how it's done:

MP3 Randomization: 9-5-2008

WAYNE

Metallica "The Judas Kiss"
Mahavishnu Orchestra "You Know, You Know"
Nine Inch Nails "The Four of Us are Dying"
Audioslave "Getaway Car"
Pantera "Death Rattle"
Mayhem "Dark Night of the Soul"

MYCHE

CCR "Ooby Dooby"
Queensryche "Della Brown"
Captain Beefheart "Ant Man Bee"
Prince "The Dance"
Motorhead "City Kids"
Lou Reed "Ecstacy"

MARK

Sonic Youth "Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream"
Matthew Sweet "Ready"
Shadows Fall "Those Who Cannot Speak"
Chuck Coleman "I Feel Ya Harris-san"
Queensryche "All I Want"
Arlo "Culture"

Hook of the Day: Heart "Barracuda"

by Wayne

Well, we've heard this before. Republican uses bad ass rock song during their campaign without permission. Performers of bad ass rock song want nothing to do with said candidate.

Quoth Heart's Nancy Wilson (after Sarah Palin used the Hook of the Day during her speech at the RCN):

Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image. The song ‘Barracuda’ was written in the late ’70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The ‘barracuda’ represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there’s irony in Republican strategists’ choice to make use of it there.

Well put. Hopefully, Nancy won't mind that WE use the song here.

Oooooooooooooooooohh, Barracuda!

Hook of the Day: Rage Against the Machine "Bulls on Parade" (a cappella at the RNC)

Yesterday, at a free concert on the lawn of the Minnesota state capitol, word spread like wildfire that Rage Against the Machine would pop up to do a set, which they in fact had every intention of doing until the cops (of course) put the kibosh on the whole idea. (Even though there was a legal permit that gave them time to play)

The crowd got pissed, of course, but Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morello grabbed a megaphone and did an A cappella version of "Bulls on Parade." Then they led the crowd on a march to the Republican National Convention. Awesome.

I love these guys.

I'm beginning to hate Slash a little bit

by Wayne

According to an item on Blabbermouth this morning, Slash has commented on the young man who was arrested for leaking tracks from Guns N'Roses' Chinese Democracy. One quote I found particularly interesting....

I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record, and it's not fair. The Internet is what it is, and you have to deal with it accordingly, but I think if someone goes and steals something, it's theft.

Fuck you, Slash.

A) Sales of the record? Are you serious? You mean the record that Axl has been working on for 14 years? If he ever takes his meds and wraps this shit up, trust me, it'll sell just fine....unless it sucks, and that won't be the fault of bloggers. But out of the gate, it'll sell. (Especially since it's going to be, what, 9 records long, and we've only heard the same 5 fucking songs over and over again)

B) If you're so protective of Axl and his precious precious money, why don't you just end this stupid Velvet Revolver horseshit and give us the reunion we want? We don't care about you and Duff and dumbass Matt Sorum trying to put a tired-ass 90's alt rock singer on life support, and we don't care about Axl, his Trent Reznor worship, and whatever dumbass KFC bucket wearing motherfucker he's got on board this year to try and replace you. While you're feeling charitable towards your former bandmates, why don't you show some love to poor Steven Adler, who has hit some really hard times. He needs your help way more than Rose does.

C) Rot in jail? Over The Axl Rose Funtime Band's wanna-be Nine Inch Nails meets Queen album with drum loops and other up-to-date (if the date is 1994) breakthroughs? A guy has to get buttfucked for enternity by White Power Pete for the rest of his life because a blogger helped further publicize an album that will probably never see the light of day? I bet a couple of folks over at Geffen would love for Axl to rot in jail for wasting millions upon millions of their dollars making an album that so far sounds like the most irritating parts of Use Your Illusion II took a shit and died.

Do you wanna know who I think should rot in jail? Sell-outs. But I know you disagree, don't you........




PS. I'll download Chinese Democracy when it comes out just to spite you. Oh, and I illegally downloaded Libertad and deleted it immediately, because it bored me to tears. Call us when you're cool again. Now go cash your Volkswagen royalties, prick.

Hook of the Day - AC/DC "Rock N' Roll Train"

Here it is, the new AC/DC song "Rock N' Roll Train." Don't worry, there are no surprises here, just a straight-forward kick-ass AC/DC tune. Sounds like a great lead-off single to me. I'm ready to jump on the train...

No video here, just rock.

Hook of the Day: Carcass "No Love Lost"

by Wayne



Dear Carcass,

What the fuck, dude? Are you trying to tell me that you've gotten back together for a tour, and you're SKIPPING CHICAGO???? Sort of reeks of "huge mistake" doesn't it? I can't find a date on this tour that I could possibly drive or commute to, either! Not to play legends against one another, but At the Gates came by, and they enjoyed a sold-out crowd who ate it all up like candy.

I hate to tattle, but that loud bitching and moaning sound that you guys heard when you released Heartwork was almost all coming out of Sayreville, New Jersey, who you will be gracing with your presence on September 9th. 97% of the "fuck yeah, great record" comments were coming right here out of Chicago, I assure you.

Oh well. Sorry to be harsh. Just wish you'd come 'round is all.

No Love Lost,
The Gentlemen of Hooks So Big

Hook of the Day: My Morning Jacket with Erykah Badu "Tyrone"

Thanks to Stereogum for posting.

Hook of the Day: Gojira "Vacuity"

by Wayne

Yes, we're all excited to check out the new Metallica single and form an opinion. (Speaking for myself after only a few listens....I think it's solid, but not great.)

But have you heard the new Gojira song yet? If not, do so immediately by clicking here.

These guys are so good.

Question of the Day: Should I attend the Metal Masters tour when it comes to my town?

Are you fucking crazy? OF COURSE you should!

Here's a brief rundown.

Judas Priest

Good news. Nostradamus tracks are kept to a minimum. They played a great mix of hits and some deep tracks. Each member of the band was in peak metal condition. Special notice to drummer Scott Travis for tearing "Painkiller" the fuck up. Obviously, Priest ruled the night.

Heaven & Hell

If you can believe it, they were even better this time around than on last year's tour. Dio was amazing, as usual. Geezer is still a badass, and Tony Iommi still appears to be God. I wish Bill Ward were involved with H&H, but Vinnie Appice was quite good on the drums. "Heaven & Hell" was extended and quite amazing. Not everyone on this tour appears to be getting "Neon Knights", but we did, and it was outfuckingstanding.

Motorhead

Do I really need to say anything more than Motorhead? I didn't think so.

Testament

As much attention as this so-called Thrash Revival is getting with bands like Warbringer and Municipal Waste, I feel the strongest thrash records of the past year or so have been from the OGs....Dark Angel, Exodus, and the almighty Testament. Do NOT make the mistake of showing up any later than 5:30 so you can catch their terrific set.

My Last.fm Top Bands of the Week

by Wayne

Here are my top bands from Last.fm, over the past week.

MP3 Randomization: 8-20-2008

WAYNE:
Ozzy "No Bone Movies"
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "Into the Great Wide Open"
Killing Joke "Bloodsport"
A Perfect Circle "3 Libras"
Melvins "Cranky Messiah"
Kylesa "Fractured"

MYCHE:
Alice Cooper "No Time For Tears"
Captain Beefheart "Bellerin' Plain"
Willie Nelson "Amazing Grace"
Allman Brothers "Don't Want You No More"
Whitesnake "Lonely Days Lonely Nights"
Al Green "Summertime"

MARK:
The Ocean "Eoarchaen- The Great Void"
Built to Spill "Twin Falls"
Thom York "Atoms for Peace"
Cattle Decapitation "CLoacula: The Anthropophagic Corpomantik"
Van Halen "Eruption"
Jody Watley "Friends"

The Metal Masters Are Here!

Big day for the Chicago metal scene today. The Metal Masters Tour descends on our city (well, Tinley Park technically). I mean, Lemmy, Dio AND Halford (with a tasty Testament appetizer to boot)...in one day? Too much? We'll see. Let's start getting ready to be mastered (in order of appearance):

Testament



Motorhead



Heaven & Hell



Judas Priest



Bonus:

Hook of the Day - Devin Townsend "Storm"

Dev is so damn good I can hardly stand it. This one goes out to Mark who mentioned that he loves this song a couple days ago. I concur, bro...

This is a video from the bonus DVD that came with Synchestra. I would have to say it is one of the best throw-ins I've ever gotten with a CD. Just fantastic. I need to watch it in its entirety very soon. Like, probably tonight.

My Top Artists of the Week on Last.fm

So Last.fm has been renovating a bit, and, for some reason, they seem to have done away with the ability to post your top artists on your blog. So, since I'm sure you care about how I've been spending my time, here's a screen capture instead.

My Really Brief Look Back at Lollapalooza 2008

by Wayne

So, I don't have pics, I'm sure we're all sick to death of hearing about Lollapalooza for one year, and, more importantly, I'm lazy, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

Day One

Black Keys - Only saw the last two songs. Both were excellent. Big sound out of two guys.

Grizzly Bear - Very good. Great drummer. Lovely vocals.

Bloc Party - Only saw a handful of songs. Not bad. Not great, either. Some good hooks.

Radiohead - Spec-fuckin-tacular. Jonny Greenwood is my hero. Excellent lighting set-up.

Day Two

Explosions in the Sky - Wonderful. Perfect band to listen to on a lovely Saturday afternoon. Terrific interplay between the 4 musicians. Magnificent guitar work.

Battles - Easily my favorite non-headliners of the whole fest. The fact that the crowd was singing along to such a seemingly non-singalongable song as "Atlas" says everything about how great this band is live.

Lupe Fiasco - Only caught his last song, but it was very entertaining.

Rage Against the Machine - Yes, it was crazy. Yes, I feared for my life for a bit. Yes, it was exhilarating. Props to Zach de la Rocha for doing his best to keep shit from getting TOO out of hand, and for the unintentional hilarious line of the weekend ("Everyone here needs to take care of each other! Now, this next song is called 'A Bullet in the Head'!")

Day Three

Love & Rockets - Borrrr - ing.

The National - I was only able to listen to them, as I was already set for Nine Inch Nails, but I enjoy these guys alot. Great vocalist.

Nine Inch Nails - Maybe my favorite set of the weekend. Trent was amazing, the band was on fire (especially drummer Josh Freese), the stage production was pretty astounding, and the setlist touched on a little of everything. Great, great, great.

So, that's the gist of it. A great experience, good weather, fantastic times. One of the best concert going experiences of the year.

MP3 Randomization: 08-06-08

MYCHE

Captain Beefheart "Sheriff Of Hong Kong"
Motorhead "Dead Man's Hand"
Allman Brothers "Get On With Your Life"
Motorhead "Over The Top"
Ian Gillan "Sleeping On The Job"
The Mavericks "Pretend"

WAYNE

Guns n' Roses "One in a Million"
Dub Trio "Screaming at the Sea"
Meshuggah "The Mouth Licking What You've Bled"
Nine Inch Nails "God Given"
Iron Maiden "The Trooper"
Feist "The Park"

MARK

Bang Camaro "Swallow the Razor"
Erykah Badu "Back in the City"
Dixie Chicks "Top of the World"
Pig Destroyer "4th Degree Burns"
Integrity "Release the Fiend"
Janet Jackson "Show Me"

AC/DC To Kick Off World Tour in Chicago? On Halloween?

by Myche

I hope this is true. Tickets are probably going to be tough to get - I know so many people that have been waiting for this.

Until then...

Tomorrow Night We're Going To Party Like It's 1979...

by Myche

Tomorrow night, the Mothership descends on Wrigleyville. If you're not doing anything, I suggest you fire up a spliff and head down to the Cubby Bear at 10pm. George Clinton/Parliament/Funkadelic will do the rest.

If this isn't the greatest stage prop ever, then I don't know what is...

Manowar Video Challenge

by Myche

Let me preface by saying that I like Manowar. Yes, they are over-the-top and completely ridiculous. But I can't help having fun with it. Plus, I will defend any day the merits of Eric Adams' chops - he can kick it out...

So here's the challenge: See how long you can keep a straight face while watching this video.

1. Before starting the video below get serious - totally deadpan.
2. Play video (you must have the audio up as well).
3. Try not to smile.
4. Note the elapsed time of the video if/once you smile and post it in the comments section.

I would think that if the video doesn't get you, the audio will.

I can't get past 0:40.

I want my 4:26 back

Jesus, this interviewer is BAD.

MP3 Randomization: 07-22-08

My trusty old Creative Zen Xtra mp3 player bit the dust last week after five years of trusty service. It was my first mp3 player, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. What kind of sucks is that the only thing wrong with it is that the headphone jack doesn't work. I had been having problems with it for a while, but would just have to jostle the input to make it work. But finally it just gave out (after I dropped it, I think). Anyway, I got a new Zune, so I wanted to break it in on the randomization thing. Plus, I've been spending hours getting this thing loaded up how I want it - might as well do something with it. The fact that I've doubled the amount of memory I have now should make for some good randoms when I get it fully loaded. I think this is a day earlier than usual, but what the heck.

MYCHE

Scorpions "321"
Cheap Trick "Writing On The Wall"
Cheap Trick "Carnival Game"
Clutch "Worm Drink"
Fish "Family Business"
Deep Purple "Why Didn't Rosemary?"

WAYNE (using my same old iPod)

Clouds "New Amnesia"
At the Gate "Cold"
Thin Lizzy "The Boys Are Back in Town"
Foo Fighters "Watershed"
Bill Hicks "Wizards Have Landed"
White Stripes "Hello Operator"

MARK
Prince "17 Days"
Tom Waits "More than Rain"
Sly & the Family Stone "M'Lady"
Bob Mould "Sinners and their Repentances"
Imagika "Evil's Rising
Wu-Tang Clan "It's Yourz"

Ah, Random

Today was an excellent random day that must be posted. Even though the penchant of my ZUNE to love Mercenary and play "11 Dreams" ALOT, it still does a pretty good job of making the random truly random.

Today I had the one two punch of

Two Minutes to Midnight By Maiden off Powerslave into...
Two Minutes to Midnight off of Live After Death.

I cracked up out loud....

Well done.

Damn right I listened to them both....

Hook of the Day - Radiohead "House of Cards"

This video rules. Made not with cameras, but lasers.

Nice.

Are You A Psycho Fan?

by Myche

I think I am officially a psycho Queensryche fan. Yes, I have all of their CDs. All their DVDs. I go see them whenever they come to Chicago, but have also driven to Milwaukee, Merrillville, and Fort Wayne to see them. But I just did something that takes the cake.

I just bought wine futures of Geoff Tate's Insania Wine.

"Created by Geoff Tate of Queensryche and Three Rivers Winemaker Holly Turner, Insania is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 15% Merlot and 5% Malbec. This wine will not be bottled and shipped until February 2009 so Insania is only available by advance purchase at this time. Production is around 200 cases." (Further reading at http://neufutur.com/?p=3216)

I read this and don't think twice. I gotta get me some. I like wine a lot (and really dig a lot that come from the Pacific Northwest) and I like Queensryche and Geoff Tate a lot. This is a perfect marriage of two awesome things, bottled for me to savor.

So four bottles will be coming my way next year. I'll report back. I wonder what Geoff Tate wine will taste like? I'll open one to drink for sure, but will likely end up with one that I never uncork.

Yes, I'm a psycho fan.

Confession Booth: Have you listened to the new Judas Priest yet?

Fess up, Hooks So Biguns, have you taken the time to listen to Judas Priest's new album, Nostradamus, in it's entirety?


WAYNE
Does 6 songs count as "in it's entirety"? (pause) Then no, no I haven't.

MYCHE
I think I've heard two songs. And didn't listen that closely. I really should. My expectations are now so low that I just might be surprised. But sadly, just last night I saw "Angel Of Retribution" sitting on my CD rack, untouched for many, many months. Can't say I've been blown away from new Priest material as of lately...

Mark

Nope

MP3 Randomization: 7-11-2008

WAYNE

Dillinger Escape Plan "Black Bubblegum"
Daft Punk "Robot Rock"
Metallica "The Struggle Within"
Pig Destroyer "4th Degree Burns"
Foo Fighters "Generator"
Nine Inch Nails "Meet Your Master"

MYCHE

Zimmers Hole "The Hole Is The Law"
The Ocean "Rhyacian"
W.A.S.P. "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)"
High On Fire "Waste Of Tiamat"
Greg Brown "Steady Love"
The Band "This Wheel's On Fire"

MARK
The Ocean "Calymmian"
The Myracle Brah "Going Crazy"
Boston "Foreplay / Long Time"
Blackstreet "No Diggity"
Built to Spill "Out of Site"
In Flames "Episode 666"

Bad News for Myche + Mark, Great News for Wayne

Nice. Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe will make a guest appearance on the next Gojira record on a track called "Adoration for None."

Hook of the Day - Amon Amarth "The Pursuit of Vikings"

by Myche

Amon Amarth have announced the following concert dates with Ensiferum, Belphegor and The Absence, so get your ass ready:

October
1 - House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA
2 - The Avalon - Los Angeles, CA
3 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
4 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
5 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
6 - Croatian Culture Centre - Vancouver, BC
8 - The Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB
9 - The Warehouse - Calgary, AB
10 - Ridell Centre - Regina, SK
11 - The Garrick Centre - Winnipeg, MB
12 - Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
13 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
15 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON
16 - Le Medley - Montreal, QC, Canada
17 - Theatre Imperial - Quebec City, QC
18 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
19 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
20 - The Fillmore at Irving Plaza - New York, NY
21 - Jaxx, W - Springfield, VA

Hook of the Day - At The Gates "Terminal Spirit Disease"

by Myche

Let's start getting ready...

Coming Soon On DVD(s): Complete Concert + Bonus Footage

by Myche

Wow. I have nothing to add to this article - it lays it all out there. Courtesy of Maria Vassileva from Sofiaecho.com.


Review: MANOWAR Goes For Guinness Record With Five-Hour Concert
Posted on Monday, July 07, 2008 at 11:04:53 EST

The concert of the legendary kings of metal, MANOWAR, on the opening night of Kaliakra Rock Festival 2008 in the Bulgarian “rock capital” of Kavarna on July 5 lasted for five hours and one minute. The performance was the metal band's attempt to break the world record for the longest heavy metal concert, which they themselves set in 2007 at last year's edition of the festival.

Joey DeMaio, Eric Adams, Karl Logan and Scott Columbus pleased a crowd of 20,000 people with a playlist of more than 40 songs, a selection reflecting the band's history and all its studio albums.

This year, the self-anointed "kings of metal" had promised Bulgarian fans to beat last year’s performance of three hours on stage, and had specially invited representatives of Guinness book of records to witness the unprecedented event.

Hundreds of fans of the legendary band have been waiting for their arrival at Kaliakra Stadium ever since 10am to pour inside in a frantic hurry to the stage after the gates were opened.

As was the case last year, the audience was warmed up by HOLYHELL, the power metal band produced by Joey DeMaio, performing tracks from their upcoming debut album and cover versions of classic hits by AEROSMITH and DIO.

At 9.49pm, Manowar came out. The band began with classic hits from their earliest albums such as 'Heavy Metal Daze', 'Fast Taker', 'Death Tone', 'Dark Avenger', 'Carry On', 'Kings Of Metal' and many others.

“Bulgaria, we devote this concert to you,” the informal leader and main songwriter of the legendary band, Joey DeMaio, said during the pauses between back-to-back hits. “Where it is written in Guinness’ book of records about the longest heavy metal concert, it will be written that this was the concert of Manowar in Bulgaria,” he said. The bassist added that Bulgaria was the place where people knew how to enjoy true heavy metal music.

At the peak of the concert, a classical string orchestra and a choir of the Sofia Philharmonics joined the musicians in performing some of their greatest hits, among which Warriors of the World, Hail and Kill, and Defender. In front of the Bulgarian audience, Manowar presented for the first time their new single, Die with Horror.

With the concert approaching its end, Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev, known as “the metal mayor”, congratulated the group and thanked them for performing in his town. Manowar promised to return to Kavarna whenever they were invited.

As a sign of gratitude towards Bulgarian fans, the legendary band once again performed the Bulgarian anthem, continuing afterwards with a classical symphonic ballad, The Crown and the Ring, under the sparks of fireworks.

When the last sounds of the song subsided, after four and a half hours of non-stop performance, Manowar announced that a new record had been set. Fans began to leave as lights illuminated Kaliakra stadium. However, the kings of metal returned for another thirty minutes to the surprise and delight of their admirers.

The Baddest Motherfucker in the World

Eat shit, Dark Knight....when can I get my advanced tickets for THIS?

Hook of the Day - Dire Straits "Down to the Waterline"

I just read RollingStone.com's Honorable Mentions addition to their recent 100 Greatest Guitar Songs list, and what should I find on there but Dire Straits' "Down to the Waterline." I'm here to tell you I support said inclusion, and to say that if you haven't heard this gorgeous piece of guitarwork, then do it right here and now.

I'm in love with Mark Knopfler's guitar tone.

That's right, I said it. I'm in love with a guitar tone.

--WG

Hook of the day! Happy fourth of July, yo

This song would have been TOTALLY going through my head when the Revolutionary War started.

Shit Yeah! of the Day II: Electric Boogaloo

I'll be honest. This week started off generally sucking serious rhino balls. But then, TP and Heartbreakers went and ruled at United Center last night, and now today is just all of a sudden music heaven.

I was taking a break from trying to sweet talk my beard into giving a really hard effort into ZZ Rubin territory, and scanned RollingStone.com for a spell, and discovered that we're soon to be treated to a.....

BB King album....produced by T-Bone Burnett...with a focus on playing the way he did in the '50s.

We're getting a little spoiled here. I'm going to start feeling like we should get a Mars Volta album the way they played before they went up their own asses.

Zing.

Myche's Stoned Ramblings From Last Night's Trouble Concert

by Myche

So I went to the Trouble concert last night at Nite Cap completely baked. This was the first Chicago appearance with new singer Korey Clarke. I went into the night thinking that I would go to a show of a Trouble tribute band, so this was kind of the same except it had 4/5 of the actual band. The band sounded great as usual, but definitely looked to be compensating for the absence of ex-lead singer, Eric Wagner. Clarke did a pretty good job on vocals, and for the most part I was pleased. Definitely a warm-up show as Clarke had to reference lyrics written out by his feet for a lot of the songs. Kind of weird, but I guess what do you expect? It was kind of interesting to watch. But as I said before, I was high.

Below are the mostly unedited notes I took during the show. All comments pertain to the band that came out before Trouble (Stoneface Nation, which I read this morning that it was the first show with their new lead singer. I thought they rocked well, by the way. A picture of the band is below, the singer/lead guitarist is the guy on the right.).



I may need to get high again to understand a few of these points, and I apoligize to everyone else ahead of time for this nonsense. If you were there with me (and hopefully stoned as well) these are the things I would have said into your ear during the set - they would have made much more sense in that context. But what the hell, I thought I would share! Here goes:

I'm pretty sure this guy thinks he's rocking your ass off (they are pretty good)

Only 60 people are at this show on a Wednesday night, seems small - but then again, there are 60 people in your area that are there just like you

A song unknown to me that the band probably unanimously selected as THE SONG to open with

Walk up and cut distance to stage in half (update: then do it a second time)

The guy who pulls out a Doro tour shirt tonight (was it selected special for this show or is today just another day?) (update: a fresh 2008 tour shirt, no less)

Is it even possible to count on a good conversation coming out of an inquiry "so you like Doro, huh?"

The band is kind of rocking my ass right now so I should stop typing

Stoneface Nation, by the way

The singer could don viking gear and quickly transform into something very appropriate (update: first guy I see the next morning at the elevator at work looks like he could be the singer's dad. Seriously.)

They play UFO's "Shoot Shoot" like they mean business

At first I thought the singer/lead guitarist was wearing blue cotton sweatpants - would that be wrong?

The (bigger) smirk on the singer's face as he watches the one guy going nuts in front is either that he likes what he knows (knows the guy and likes him) or that he knows what he likes

End with a doom version of "Sgt. Pepper", then go into a doom version of "I Am The Walrus". Bold.

First song at break is Motorhead's "Motorhead" (live, I think). Nice.

Shit Yeah! of the Day

Billboard.com reports that ZZ Top has signed a new record deal with Rick Rubin's American Recordings imprint on Columbia Records. The band will do a new album with Rubin at the helm with the goal of (you got your diapers on?) cutting an album "more in keeping with "La Grange"-era ZZ Top than its pop-friendly '80s sound."

You know what I like about this?

EVERYTHING (especially the thought of three of the greatest beards of all time in one room)

A haw, haw, haw, haw.

--Wayne

MP3 Randomization: 7-3-2008

WAYNE

Queensryche "Gonna Get Close to You"
Melvins "The Bloated Pope (live)"
Willie Nelson "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys"
John Lennon "I'm Losing You"
Nachtmystium "Code Negative"
KISS "Sweet Pain"

MYCHE

George Jones "The One I Loved Then"
Ian Gillan "Bad News"
Bob Dylan "Pledging My Time"
Thin Lizzy "Do Anything You Want To"
Marillion "Punch & Judy"
Dwight Yoakam "Gone (That'll Be Me)"

Hook of the Day - Blind Faith "Can't Find My Way Home"

Last night's Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers show at United Center in Chicago was beyond excellent, thanks for asking. I'll try and get some thoughts fleshed out soon, but I'll report for now that opener Steve Winwood did indeed come out and play a couple of numbers with Tom and Company, one of which was the so-beautiful-it-fucking-hurts Blind Faith classic "Can't Find My Way Home." Once YouTube provides a decent clip from the show, we'll drop it by.

For now, here's the original.

---Wayne

Hook of the Day - Alice Cooper "The Ballad of Dwight Fry"

by Myche

I've been listening to a lot of Alice lately. Don't know why I have shelved him for so long. I'm also seeing how much influence he's had on King Diamond, W.A.S.P. and others. This is a great song, and, of course, a theatrical performance.

Hook of the Day - Blacklisted "I Am Weighing Me Down"

I've been listening to Blacklisted's Kurt Ballou-produced Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God ALOT lately. You should do the same. I have no problem naming it one of my favorite releases of the past 6 months.





Blacklisted - I Am Weighing Me Down from Deathwish Inc. on Vimeo.

Hook of the Day - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with Eddie Vedder "The Waiting"

by Wayne

A little somethin' for Leslie.....

Nine Inch Nails Rehearsal Footage

by Wayne Graham

Ooooh, boy. Trent's got the touring band in fightin' shape!!!! Bring on Lolla!

NIN > Kanye (BTW, Ye, I typed that so fucking hard I may have broken my ThinkPad laptop!!!!!!)


1,000,000



Letting You



Echoplex

Hook of the Day - Grinderman "Grinderman"

Nick Cave rules.

In Rotation

WAYNE

Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner
Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonlier Than God
Clouds - We Are Above You
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Clutch - Whatever I can get my hands on

MARK

Rihanna-- Good Girl Gone Bad
Genesis -- Ababcab
Death Cab for Cutie -- Narrow Stairs
SlipKnot -- Various
Prince -- Various
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell -- The Complete Duets

MP3 Randomization: 6-25-2008

WAYNE

Motorhead - "Jailbait"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Black Sabbath - Under the Sun/Every Day Comes & Goes"
Booker T. & The MG's - "Booker-Loo"
Pantera - "Death Rattle"
Metallica - "Seek & Destroy"

MARK

Queensryche -- "Before the Storm" (Original Demo Version)
Prince -- "We March"
Neurosis -- "Enclosure in Flame"
Death Cab For Cutie -- "Line of Best Fit"
Pedro the Lion -- "Slow and Steady Wins the Race"
Iron Maiden -- "Two Minutes to Midnight" (live)

Hook of the Day - Clutch "The Dragonfly"

by Wayne

Helllll yeah. Blabbermouth sez that "Full Fathom Five", the new Clutch live CD/DVD will be out on August 12. Book it, I'm there.

The artwork rules. As does this clip of "The Dragonfly." Different strokes for different folks is all well and good, but if you don't like Clutch, you're a damned fool.

Hook of the Day - Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"

Hook of the Day - George Carlin "Seven Dirty Words"

by Wayne Graham

A bit of a deviation from the norm, but the passing of one of comedy's greatest giants warrants it.

RIP George.

Hook of the day -- SlipKnot "All Hope is Gone"

So this leaked out and got released by someone this week. In order for us, the true slipKnot fans to have a decent copy, They nice guys of the 9, allowed a good digital copy of this to be released instead of the shitty one that was floating around. This isn't the first single off the (personally) highly anticipated album due out Aug 26th, but a taste of what they boys have been up to. I think it sounds great, and can't wait to hear it a few hundred more times!

This is only available as a free download until Midnight tonight!

Get your copy here!!

MP3 Randomization: 6-19-2008

WAYNE

At the Gates "Under a Serpent Sun"
Strapping Young Lad "Spirituality"
Iron Maiden "The Duellists"
Grinderman "Electric Alice"
Neurosis "Shadow"
Metallica "Nothing Else Matters"

MARK

YOB "Grasping Air"
Sloan "Ready for You"
Madonna "Impressive Instant"
Barry Manilow "The Old Songs"
Hedwig and the Angry Inch "Midnight Radio"
Styx "Come Sail Away"

Hook of the day -- GOJIRA "the Heaviest Matter in the Universe

To be honest, I chose this also because the running time was 4:20.

These guys are in the studio right now. THANK GOD!!!

Hook of the Day SWERVEDRIVER "Son Of Mustang Ford"

http://www.youtube.com/v/DMQA2JbIA2Y&hl=en">

I saw these guys on Saturday at a show I thought would never happen. Well, because they broke up. If you look back at the posts, they were number two on my list of bands I wanna see live before I die. And I've now seen three of the five. Guess I"m just that one step closer to death then!!!!


Enjoy the guitars....

Hook of the Day - 3 New Mastodon songs!

by Wayne

Okay, I do believe that we're all well rested after Maiden now. (we'll try and have some thoughts up very soon. Needless to say, they blew our minds)

To make up for lack of Hooks of the Day over the past little bit, we're throwing THREE (3) your way today.

HSB faves Mastodon played Bonnaroo over the weekend, and debuted three new songs from their upcoming, Brendan O'Brien-produced, Rasputin themed, Tool-Yes-Frank Zappa-King Crimson-influenced follow up to 2006's masterpiece Blood Mountain.

The names of these songs are "Divinations", "Ghost of Karillah", and "Oblivion", although I'm not entirely sure which title goes with which song.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Blarg! The clips have been yanked. YouTube giveth, YouTube taketh away

Hook of the Day - Myche's Pilgramage to see Fish in Milwaukee

by Myche

So I'm back from the Fish show at Shank Hall in Milwaukee. What can I say, it was an unbelievable experience. I met Fish, took a picture with him, and the show was a top 10 of all time for me. I'm still reeling. He really seems to appreciate his fans. I was about 2nd - 3rd row, which of course added to the evening.

One of my favorite concert moments of all time was when he came out and did "Sugar Mice" after the crowd was chanting for it (the song makes reference to Milwaukee). It's one of my favorite Fish/Marillion songs, and I've always hoped to see it live. To see it in Milwaukee made it extra special. A truly moving experience. This is why I go to concerts...

Here's a clip that I shot before getting in trouble by security. It shows Fish's great stage presence as he gets the crowd pumped up. I was very happy with what I got. None of the song, but I loved when he steps right in front of me a yells "in the fucking air!"

Gone Fishin'

Hi all,

Iron Maiden kicked our asses up one side and down the other last night, so we've got a pretty bad case of the stupids today. No updates from us today.

See ya tomorrow!

Bad Ass Cover Art of the Day - Iced Earth "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)"

by Wayne

Ummmmm...yeah, this is a kick-ass album cover.

Good News, Bad News

by Wayne

Okay, let's go with bad news first. As expected, Disturbed's new album, Indestructable, topped the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. Ugh. It's not as if these guys are bad, per se, it's just that they're really, REALLY boring, which is worse. At least there's some sort of distinction in being godawful.

But, here's the good, no, GREAT news.

The mighty Opeth came in at #23 with their spectacular Watershed album. It's nice to see that all the positive notices and the killer live set on the Progressive Nation Tour paid off for them.