MAIDEN!!! Rock in Rio 2013

The Maiden England stage.

Iron Maiden shows are not just rock concerts. They're not only impeccably executed musical performances with elaborate stage sets that draws the audience into another world and invoke the imagination. They are spiritually moving experiences for me.

 

Maiden headlined last night's Rock in Rio festival and performed their “Maiden England” show. For those not in the know, “Maiden England” was a 1989 concert video of Maiden playing two shows in support of their “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album. The record was a no. 1 hit in England, and the subsequent tour included an amazing stage set that invoked the album's ice and glacier artwork. “Seventh Son” is largely considered to be one of, if not Maiden's finest work, and ¾ of the album was performed alongside such Maiden staples as “The Trooper”, “Two Minutes to Midnight”, and “Run to the Hills”. Last year, to celebrate the DVD release of “Maiden England” (finally!), they reincarnated the tour. The elaborate stage set was not only brought back, but updated to include an enhanced light show and additional pyro. The set list remained largely the same as the '88 shows, but certain songs were switched out, and those that were brought in improve the show.

At the Maiden show last year. That stage is incredible.

Isn't it freakin' great to live in this technological age? The original “Maiden England” video was released in November of 1989. The concerts were recorded in November of 1988. It took a full year for the VHS to see the light of day. Last night, Maiden's headlining performance was streamed live for the world to see, and in HD. It was worth staying up past midnight to see it.

The original “Maiden England” VHS was my first exposure to them, and I've been a diehard since. I was fortunate enough to get box seats last summer when they brought the tour to Great Woods, and out of the dozens of shows I've been to this stood as the greatest of them all. You have to understand, that when I was 14 and finally found Maiden, their brand of rock music had fallen out of favor in the U.S. My guitar idol, Adrian Smith, had already left the band, as did lead singer and role model supreme Bruce Dickinson. Even if their ultimate lineup remained together, they likely wouldn't have seen much success in America. I did not believe I'd ever get a chance to see that lineup. However, 1999 came, the original lineup reunited, and there was hope. They toured America, trends be damned, and reestablished themselves as a world-wide phenomenon. Since reuniting they've released four albums that easily stand up to their 80's material and I've seen them whenever they came around (except once, which I'm still kicking myself in the arse for). The day that I heard that they'd be touring and performing “Maiden England”, my soul started dancing. This was like Luke Skywalker bringing back the Jedi Knights or watching Tom Brady turn into a legend every week on TV. It's special, and it stays with you.

I forgive you for being $9 a bottle.

And I got to re-watch it again last night, this time set before a crowd of about 300,000 screaming, deliriously joyous fans. They added “The Phantom of the Opera”, from their first album, to the set, and now we get to hear three guitarists perform a triple harmony during the song's breakdown. The eerie, spoken word section of “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” is brought to life, complete with a mask-wearing phantom playing the pipe organ while an enormous animatronic Eddie looms in the background. Bruce wears costumes for specific songs, and for this one he channels a gothic, trenchoat wearing with a Misfits-style hairdo persona that fits the song's mystic content. In contrast, he dons the English red military coat during “The Trooper” to set that particular song's visual.

The stage, the lights and the costumes are all important, but the reason why Maiden endures is because of the music. The music always takes priority. “The Evil that Men Do” features a double-solo from Adrian and Janick Gers, and tells the story of a doomed romance. Adrian's ode to life on the road, the hit “Wasted Years” is possibly the band's biggest sing-along song, and Adrian played the hell of the guitar solo last night! He and Dave Murray were in improv mode, changing phrases of their solos while keeping the core elements down. This is used to great effect in “Run to the Hills”... which makes me take back what I said about “Wasted Years”. “Run...” is THE sing-along song. 300,000 people attested to it last night. So many great songs were on display that I can't get to them all: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Can I Play With Madness”, “Fear of the Dark”, “Running Free”, “Aces High”...

Dream set-list.

The best compliment I can give them is that words cannot properly describe what their shows are like. Maiden have a special connection with us, the audience. Nothing is done half-ass, and everything is done with a combination of a working man's ethic and a musical genius' touch. The sights and the sound move us, and the chemistry that the six members of the band share create a unique vibe that cannot be duplicated. There will never be another Iron Maiden, and I am going to enjoy the remaining time they have to give us.

(P.S. The show is all over Youtube.)

 

Dating, Coda: The Best of the Worst Profiles

My online dating trilogy was a forum for me to discuss what I've learned from trying it, from the “Oh God I can't believe I'm really doing this” stage to “I'm just keeping a profile for comedy's sake”. By the way, you might or might not be surprised how many profiles actually begin with “Oh God I can't believe I'm really doing this”. I've yet to find the more straight-forward “so I've finally decided to degrade myself to the level of you otherwise undate-able, cultural plebeians” but I'm looking.

There are actually many good, decent people on these sites. They use the online dating service as an additional tool to look for someone cool to connect with. Some of my friends use these sites. I've met some great women that I still keep in contact with. In both instances, we get to trade horror stories of meeting people. “He sent you a picture of his junk!?” for instance. I'm not making that one up. Also, the transvestite that complemented me, I'm not making up. Not hating or anything, just saying. There are scenarios out there just waiting to happen.

The major difference in online dating from real-world dating is that takes away interaction. I've noted a story where a woman passed over a guy online that she would have drooled over in the real world. Online window shopping, in essence what it is, makes it easy for people to get passed over. It also makes it easy to send out a hundred generic fishing nets and see what you catch, making it very impersonal. I don't know anyone that has met their soul mate online, but I'm not saying it cannot happen any more or less than it does in reality. These stories are my experiences, and take what you will from them.

So, to conclude this particular blog subject, I'm including paraphrased summaries of my favorite profiles. See for yourself what waits out there. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. Enjoy!

Girl with several revealing, sexually oriented profile pics

“Ugh you men are pigs” / “Why can't I find a good man?” / “I'm not here for a hookup! Stop asking!”

The picture of her in her underwear and, better yet, the one of her nude silhouette didn't draw classy gentlemen looking for their soul mate. I was shocked too.

Woman with a pic of her and her fat, shirtless husband

“Looking for a partner for a threeway”

I hear the banjos from Deliverance sounding off. Also, I can never unsee that pic. This came from a friend of mine, and we're only now talking again, haha. This is horrifying. This picture come-to-life could be the final boss in a video game. This is real-life Jabba the Hutt with Princess Leia chained in her bikini, except that Leia was there willingly and wanted to ADD to the fun.

Angry Aging Beautiful chick

“You're fat and clinging to that last bit of hair. Shave it. You're going to send me a message thinking you're different. You're not...” / “I am a successful woman...”

Fucking yikes. This one is the Homecoming Queen type. She's still attractive but youth is fleeting, and she is BITTER. Father time beat her with the stick that turns skin to leather and it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Oh, and her “success” comes in the form of her being a waitress at a casino. Cue the bitterness!

Ironic Hipster Girl with super-uncool-they're-cool Coke bottle glasses, fake mustache

“I'm here because my friends are holding my cat hostage until I make a profile” / “I'm not here to talk to people, so I'll use this as a running journal” / “Don't message me if you're a robot from the future sent back to kill me” / various other inane bullshit

Every hipster profile is a potential ad for Pabst Blue Ribbon. These girls are way too cool to even be here. I actually enjoy these profiles but I hate writing the girl in question, because I don't know if she actually wants to be contacted.

The Graduate student education snob looking for love

“Must be well-educated, this is mandatory!”

I've known college grads that are morons. Gates, Zuckerberg, and Jobs were college dropouts. Someone once said that the difference between an MBA and toilet paper is that toilet paper won't leave ink on your ass. Look, college degrees are great, and I get the importance of them, but they are not the absolute Be All End All for intelligent, driven people.

Busty Woman with several convenient downshirt camera shots

“.......”

Seriously. Her profile literally says nothing. The only hint of what she's about is that she wrote “Looking for someone to make me happy” in her subject header. Good luck with that. I'm sure someone will look at her six deep cleavage shots and think “Wow, I'd love to sit by the fire with her, sip some vino and discuss war time vs peace time economics.”

Profile with a cat for a picture

“I'm shy.”

...is the cat talking through her?

Woman with too much makeup and way too tanned, burned out look in eyes

“I'm a chemist...”

Cooking meth does technically make you a chemist.

Dating, part 3: Communication Breakdown

So far, in this little mini-series about online dating, I've conveyed the process of creating an account, getting mail bombed by creepazoids (f)/getting ignored (m), and the hazards of meeting up with real, live human beings. So what happens when the two parties hit it off? Where do they go from there? Maybe sex occurs on the first date and the two start seeing each other. Maybe there's no sex, but they start seeing each other. And maybe there is sex but the two people never see each other ever again. These scenarios happen to people who meet in the real world of course, but people who meet online might think they have the same goal in mind, and yet Surprise! they don't. So now, onto the third part of this blog: "Communication Breakdown".

On dating sites, you enter information into an automated profile field. What are we here for? “Relationships”? “Dating”? “Casual encounter”? While that last one is pretty obvious, the others are not quite so. For example, there is no “Well, I want a relationship, but I'm not going to jump into the first one I see” option. While you can elaborate the details of what you want in your profile, users search for people by those key words. Aaah, so this is where things start to get complicated. Right away, you may have two people who think they are looking for the same thing, but don't.

What makes this unique from meeting someone in reality is that the finer details can be missed. In real life you can get a feel for what they're after. Or, they can flat out tell you. From a dating site, if they use a broad phrase such as “looking for a relationship”, you may not even think to ask them what they're looking for, assuming that their definition is a carbon copy of your's. Oops. Misunderstandings, communication breakdown, etc. So, when one party thinks both have found what they've been looking for, and the other disagrees...yeah, things can get unpleasant.

The best way to go about things is to tell the other person right away what you want. This is idealistic, of course. Even in the real world, thoughts get lost in the translation to speech, and even that is the best case scenario. We're all adults, and we've all been on both sides of little white lies and bigger dupes. Not me, of course. Anyway... when I meet girls from the internet in real life, I try to be as upfront and honest as I can about what I'm looking for. Kidding briefly aside, I've made mistakes and feelings have gotten hurt. Vice versa, too. K, now that that admission has been made, back to snark mode: just fucking talk. Tell the person what you're after. If you don't know, tell them you don't know. Stop thinking that no one understands your predicament if you're in a shade of gray. I've acquired fantastic stories and have met some amazing people from a dating site. Nothing has worked out long term yet, but I'm having fun getting there.

It's 2013: the stigma of online dating, while not completely gone, has largely subsided. Ever since people began picking up tranny hookers from Craigslist, meeting someone on OKCupid doesn't sound so bad, does it? Happy hunting.

Next week: The Greatest Hits of Dating Profiles! I'm going to post the best/worst profile info I've seen.

Dating, part 2: The Desert of the Real

Last week, I wrote about online dating. I went over the general experiences men and women have when they create their profiles and seek out a partner. This week I want to go over what happens when people actually meet. I give you The Desert of the Real!

So. Online dating. The follow occurs:

1. If you're a guy: you send messages out to a few women, and one writes you back. You exchange a few, make plans to meet, send a few more to solidify the plans, and then: silence. Nothing. She disappears like she's in the God damn witness protection program. Maybe it was something you said. Maybe she didn't have that edgy sense of humor after all, and when you joked that waiting a week like she wanted would give you time to bury the bodies she concluded you were a sociopath and cut contact. Even though she practically made the same joke before you. Haha, people are the worst! Anyway, you send out a few more messages to a few more women and hit it off with a lady, and you decide to meet up.
2. If you're a girl: you pick a guy through whatever criteria women utilize (“you seem like one of the good ones” is a phrase lady friends told me they've used, so imagine how many bad ones are out there [see last week's blog]) and make plans to meet a guy in a well lighted, public place with several escape routes.

Eventually, you meet. Let's assume that the parties meet at an outdoor bar by the water. Whoever arrives first looks around and tries to pinpoint the other. They go into FBI stake-out mode, trying to lay out of lines of site while locating their target like a sniper in the hills, debating whether or not to go through with the mission or to abort and strategically retreat. Their date isn't there yet, so they wait. The second person shows up, and has the advantage of checking out person one without being seen. Therein lies the critical moment, and person two decides not to flee after all. Aw. For this we'll assume person 1's profile pic isn't from ten years ago/is actually them/wasn't photo shopped to eliminate 20 lbs. And the second person decides to go through with it. Nice.

First Contact.

They meet. An awkward handshake or half hug happens, and it's weird to hear the voice of someone you've only electronically mailed, but weird in a good way. Unless she's a super low bass, or he sounds like a eunuch or something. I digress.

The daters sit down to their table, and scramble to think of all the subjects they've exchanged through the online site. “So, you're into”, “So, you work at”, “So, your favorite movie is”. If there is a lot of chemistry, this is a relatively laid back process. The back-and-forth comes naturally. If there isn't, it feels forced and one party usually has their head down while fidgeting with whatever is available before them, like a glass of water or a butter knife that they are considering putting through their own eye instead of continuing this conversation for one minute more. Usually though, it's relatively laid back and the parties converse.

Several outcomes are possible, and here are a few.

1. It's just not happening. The date cannot end fast enough. Once, I went on a date with a woman I felt absolutely no vibe for on any level, and she played footsies with me while I dreamed of escape. Oh God, it was awful. I considered sawing that leg off and letting her play footsies with it if it distracted her from my hasty exit. I finished the date, though, and politely bid her adieu. Side note: $7 drafts of Sam Adams hurt more when you really really really don't want to be there. Fucking Boston.
2. It's an enjoyable time, there's laughing, you say good night and even kiss, and.....then the other person isn't interested in going out again. What happened? I've been on both sides of this. When it happened to me, for example, I apparently talked about my ex-girlfriend too much and seemed “still not over her.” Even though my date brought up her ex in detail. Hmm. When I wasn't interested, it's because there was a deal breaker. Obnoxious behavior and being stalker-level needy are prime examples of deal breakers.
3. Things go well, you go back to the apartment, and whatever happens, happens. “I usually never do this on a first date” is a popular line. Hey, I'm not judging. Sex on a first date does not a bad person make! We're all adults here, and we make our choices. If we hit it off with someone, and we want to go for it, why not? And I'm sure that it's true that the person usually never does that on the first date, but this date is an exception. But through friends I've heard that line is used a lot, and I've heard it myself. Sex on a first date is what it is, and there is nothing wrong with it. But it does not guarantee a relationship, nor does it speak to loose morals. Not at all.

So where do the people go from here? In scenario 1, the best thing to do is cut ties and move on. Usually both men and women will simply disappear and not be bothered because we all hate confrontation. Scenario 2 usually ends up with a week or so of the still-interested party trying to make plans with the no-longer-interested party evading with messages like “Oh I'm sick today on the day we planned to meet again, sorry” like they just caught friggin' SARS or something. It's a delay tactic: that person doesn't want to see the other, and since confrontation is hard, they're praying that they just go away, and if not, building the courage to let them down. But mostly praying for the first.

Scenario 3 is the most difficult, as there are many branching paths where the parties may go. I'll go into this in further detail in next week's digital diatribe. Oh, you thought the horrors were over? Haha, no....

Online Dating

Dating is awful and no one should do it. On an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry declared that 95% of the population is undateable, and no one has improved on Seinfeld. And in this modern age of technology we have online dating, which enables us to pull a phone out of our pocket and be reminded why without having to actually meet them. I've delved into it and have compiled some stories, so let's take a journey!

From behind a screen, people are secure. When the real-life social element of interacting with people is taken out of the equation, the filter often comes off. One woman I found decided to use her profile as a running blog on the concept of online dating. Meta. In her writings, she admitted that it is way too easy to eliminate potential mates. As an example, she wrote about a scenario in which she ran into a very attractive, well-to-do, slightly older man in an airport and was completely smitten. As in, she stopped walking and gave him a thousand-yard stare. When the same kind of man sent her a message on a dating site, she quickly found a dealbreaker in his profile and didn't even respond: he was divorced, which caused her to discard his message and move on. This same kind of person, with whom in real life she was transfixed into an eyelock, as if time had stopped and a choir of angels sang, was instantly delete-able online. Just being divorced was enough to eliminate him as a candidate. She didn't bother to learn the specifics of the situation. Maybe it was an amicable divorce, where both sides tried to work things out but simply couldn't resolve their issues and went their separate ways. It's possible that the split was the wife's fault, and that the man tried everything in his power to keep them together but it was for nothing. It doesn't matter; over the internet, she quickly moved on to the next message, and the possible man of her dreams was quickly forgotten.

She is straight-up with her assessment of the situation, making no bones about it. She admits it. One of the reasons why this happens is pure volume. It is not unusual for a woman to get flooded with messages. One woman I went on a date with told me that she created her profile by first uploading pictures, and in the ten minutes between posting pics and writing her profile, she received over 30 messages from guys. That's three men a minute trying to sweet talk this woman on her looks alone, with no knowledge of what makes her laugh, what her favorite food is, what her passions are, etc. Often times women simply cannot keep up with the massive influx of messages from dudes. The quality of the messages is an issue, too. One friend told me that every conversation devolved into the same, boring exchange. Over and over, it was mundane conversations about interests that never went anywhere. It's hard to be excited about replying to a hundred messages that are variants of "so what do you like to do?" Come on, guys, try harder. And those are the polite ones. It is hard not to be cynical when men introduce themselves with poetry such as "hi you have nice tits." Female friends have shown me those messages. That is someone's daughter, dude. Have some respect. Yeah. It is brutal to be a woman on these sites.

But ugh, these sites are brutal for us men, too. Guys can go for stretches of time without hearing anything back from the ladies we write. For those of us that try harder than what I mentioned above, sometimes it doesn't matter that we thoroughly read their profile, honed in a specific reason on why we're making contact, or spent 10 minutes trying to remember that quote from that movie we both like in order to craft the perfect message. Often times, our actions are performed in vain. It's hard to figure out what went wrong; we uploaded a nice pic of us, smiling wide to show we have all of our teeth, we mentioned that we have a good job, and our hobbies and interests show that we're fun. Even knowing that women get a lot of messages, at this point it's easy for the ole' self esteem to take a hit. Admittedly mine would sometimes, until a bi-sexual female friend experienced the same thing. Beautiful, intelligent, and funny, she decided that she was going to find a woman from OkCupid to spend the weekend with. She had been flooded with messages with guys, so she shouldn't have a problem finding a lady friend, right? She found a few profiles she liked, sent out a few messages, then checked back in a few days to discover she received absolutely nothing back. Nada. This beautiful, intelligent, funny woman was met with silence. She told me that her self-esteem was so shattered that she wanted to curl up for the weekend and hide, resulting in the ultimate quote: "I don't know how you guys deal with it." 

So, the moral is, dating sucks for everyone, and online dating makes it suck even faster. That being said, I've had some good experiences on there, as well as some people I know, but largely, I believe I've described the norm. So if you've ever wondered what you're missing out on, from either the man or woman's perspective, I hope this has been informative! And if you're willing to wade through what I've described to find someone, at least you know what you're getting into. Good luck!

Local Decibels - Comic Book Keith

Generally speaking, you don't need an extra reason to visit Newport, especially in the summer. The pubs are atmospheric, the food is top notch, the water front is beautiful and the people watching is pure comedy. Seriously, what is better than grabbing a drink with friends, taking a walk down Broadway, and feeling the caress of the breeze while you watch one drunk guy give his drunk friend a bromantic piggy back ride? Aw, making sweet memories. Anyway, the music scene is one of the big draws. There are several music fests every year, such as the Newport Jazz Festival, and there are always live bands performing at those atmospheric clubs, so you can usually count on good sounds.

Catchy f-bomb. Like NIN's "Closer"! Maybe NSFW, but just turn your speaker low and DO EET!

Standing out among the bands I've seen this summer was Comic Book Keith. I met a few friends at The Tavern on Broadway one Saturday night for the reasons listed above. They told me that the band was good, so I was perfectly content to try a new beer (I forget what it is was called, oops; however, not remembering it means it'll be new again, so, win? I digress...), crack wise and relax while the band set up. My friend Fede (shout out!) told me that the lead guitarist had recently been accepted to Berkley, so I set my expectations reasonably high and paid attention as they started their set.

Performing "Godzilla". From a different venue, because my cell's video recorder SUX.

They're essentially a five piece, alternative rock meets trippy jazz style band that performs originals. A few of their songs, like "Saturday Night", have a jazzier Cage the Elephant vibe ("It's Saturday night, so go fuck whoever you like" is the catchiest would-be-censored-on-the-radio line). "Lonely in the Mansion" mixes in a little White Stripes. Basically, the sounds are those of danceable, trippy jazz rock, which is now a thing. The crowd certainly dug it, clogging the dance floor and happily swaying to the beats. The vibe was so good that no one even minded "That Guy": the creepy middle aged dude who tried to dance with every girl young enough to be his (grand?)daughter.

...yeah.

Moving on. Comic Book Keith performed for 45 minutes or so (I'm guessing here, as it didn't feel like 45 minutes); drummer Steve Silvia, bassist Andoni Arambarri, and rhythm guitarist Stocks Paradox were a solid foundation, lead guitarist Charlie Shea impressed with his note choices and technique, and lead vocalist JP's mid-range vocal style compliments the music well. When they proclaimed that their last song of the night was "Godzilla", I thought maybe they would play the Blue Oyster Cult song. It wasn't meant to be, and instead they played what became my favorite of their originals. You know that "Wow, I liked them more than I thought I would" feeling that comes after "Wow, they don't suck" feeling? Yeah, that happened. It was a good time, and when I hear they're playing somewhere again, I'll have the "Oh, those guys are good, let's go" reaction. And I hate everything, so take that into consideration.

They have Facebook, Reverb Nation, and Soundcloud pages that I'll link below, so go blow up their message boards and listen to demos and watch live performances and give some love to good, local music.

https://www.facebook.com/comicbookkeith?ref=profile

http://www.reverbnation.com/comicbookkeith

https://soundcloud.com/comic-book-keith

Jose Saramago - the only Portuguese-language winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Jose Saramago

Jose Saramago was a Portuguese author, and the only Portuguese-language recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born on November 22^nd, 1922 in Azinhaga, a village in the province of Ribatejo, located about a hundred kilometers northeast of Lisbon. Born to Jose de Sousa and Maria de Piedade, his surname would have been de Sousa if it was not for the Registrar, who added “Saramago” to his name. Saramago, a wild plant whose leaves were served as nourishment to the poor, was his family’s nickname.

Saramago was a self-described good student, who managed to complete his third and fourth years classes in one year. He was moved to grammar school early, but due to his family’s lack of resources, his parents decided to place him at a technical school. It was there that he studied for five years to become a mechanic. To his surprise, though, the technical school required that he take a literature course. He credits that course with opening him to “literacy fruition”, and even in 1999, he could recite the poems he learned there. Upon graduating, he worked as a mechanic for two years, but not at the cost of his love for literature. He often frequented a public library in Lisbon, and says it was there that his taste for reading developed and was refined.

He married Ilda Reis, a typist with the Railway Company, in 1944. The couple had a daughter named Violante, in 1947, and it was during the year of his daughter’s birth that he published his first book, “The Land of Sin“. He wrote a second book, entitled “The Skylight”, and began work on a third, but published neither. In his own words, he felt that he had nothing to say. He took a 19 sabbatical from writing, in which time he switched jobs before ultimately taking a position at the publishing company Estudios Cor as a production manager. Though not writing, he befriended several authors during this period, and began translating works in his free time.

In 1966, he resumed writing and published a book of poetry entitled Possible Poems. During the next five years, he worked at the publishing company, became a literary critic, and published three more books: another collection of poetry called “Probably Joy”, and two collections of newspaper articles called “From This World And The Other” and “The Traveler’s Baggage.”

Saramago and his wife divorced in 1970, and he began dating Portuguese writer Isabel da Nobrega. From 1971 to 1973 Saramago worked at the evening newspaper Diario de Lisboa, as manager of cultural supplement and editor. In 1974 he published “The Opinions the DL Had”, which Saramago described “represent a very precise ‘reading’ of the last time of the dictatorship, which was to be toppled that April. ” In 1975 he became deputy director of the morning newspaper Diario de Noticias, and published three of his own books. He worked at the newspaper between April and November of that year; however, he lost his job due to the aftermath of political and military coup on November 25^th.

From that point, Saramago dedicated himself to writing full-time. From 1976 to 1989 he published several of his best known books, such as “Baltazar and Blimunda”, “The Stone Raft”, and “The History of the Siege of Lisbon.” His relationship with Isabel da Nobrega ended in 1988, and he married Spanish journalist Pilar del Rio the same year.

In 1991 Saramago published his controversial work, “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.” The novel, which depicted Jesus as living with Mary Magdalene without marrying her, as working as an apprentice to the devil, and even as attempting to thwart the divine plan, was vetoed by the Portuguese government in it’s consideration for the European Literary Prize. The conservative Portuguese government claimed that the book was offensive to Catholics. As a result, Saramago and his wife moved to the island of Lanzarote in the Spanish Canaries, where he spent the rest of his life. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998, and he published 12 more works before his death on June 18^th, 2010.

Saramago was a member of the Portuguese Communist Party, and a self-described pessimist. Though novels such as “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ” generated controversy, he was very well respected in the literature community. Harold Bloom, American literary critic and Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University, heralded Saramago as “the greatest living novelist.” James Wood, Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard, also praised Saramago’s writing technique, stating that he wrote with a distinctive tone and that he narrated as if he was someone “both wise and ignorant”. Saramago’s funeral was held on June 20^th, 2010, in Lisbon, and attended by over 20,000 people. Portugal declared two days of mourning for his passing.

An unpublished book from 1953, “The Clairvoyant”, was released as Saramago’s “lost book” in 2011. An English translation has not been made available as of 2013.

Bibliography

Jose Saramago - Biographical, last accessed July 16, 2013, http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1998/saramago-bio.html


Jose Saramago, last accessed July 16, 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Saramago

Joy Formidable: a live review.

Aw, and they're beautiful on the inside, too, probably. Nothing like seeing a chick rock out in a sun dress and a Stratocaster.
That was my sentiment, marking out at the Joy Formidable concert last week. I first heard about this band on the radio; you know, that antiquated form of broadcasting that consists of car commercials occasionally broken up by music. A snippet of the verse melody to “A Heavy Abacus”, played in a montage of songs promoting some multi-band concert, caught my ear. I heard it again about four more times without ever hearing what the hell song it was (which is never not infuriating) Eventually I Googled it out.

Turns out this three piece from North Wales had written a few of those “oh, so this is who did that song!” songs. “This Ladder is Ours” was all over the radio, and “Whirring” had received some airplay, too. I YouTube’d their videos and listened to their albums, ad thoroughly dug them enough to go see them at the House of Blues in Boston on Thursday, June 20th (postponed from April 19th, the week of Boston Marathon bombing).

Is that Ktulu? Hmm. Anyway, this is "The Big Roar". There are good songs on this. The openers were a local duo called You Won’t. Originally I thought that I was in for some Black Keys-esque, two-piece rock, but what I got was half an hour taste of what Andy Kaufman in a band would have been like. That’s not to say I wasn’t entertained. The singer played an electric-acoustic guitar plugged into an amp dialed in with a ton of distortion. The other guy played drums with one hand, keyboards with the other. Hearing songs about being 16 and too lazy to do stuff while the guitarist busted out a mellotron and the drummer played what was either a theremin or a band saw provided much entertainment. It was surf rock/alt rock with a Napoleon Dynamite vibe. And now that genre a thing.
Onto the main act! For an alternative rock band, the Joy Formidable got surprisingly heavy at times. Some of their riffs were very Black Sabbath. Front woman Ritzy Bryan headbanged and raged out in her previously mentioned sun dress and Stratocaster. Her sweet voice and polite demeanor juxtaposed nicely with her casual cursing; very sugar and spice. Her boyfriend, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, is one lucky dude. The two shared banter-with-the-audience duty, and were natural and funny, such as when drummer Matt Thomas randomly flung ping-pong balls at Rhydian. That turned into “he’s throwing his balls at me!”, and further turned into drummer jokes. Who doesn’t love that? “Just shaddup and count to four!” Thomas was a madman behind the kit. I didn’t expect it, but from first note to last, he played intensely, arms flailing everywhere, and because he set his kit sideway, he looked like a mad octopus.

Live from Wikipedia. They opened with “Cholla” and lead on into their first-ever single, “Austere”. Rityz led boys through a set that included “This Ladder is Ours”, the lullaby-like “Silent Treatment” (got a little moist-eyed), the super catchy “I Don’t Want to See You Like This”, the 8 minute “The Ever-Changing Spectrum of a Lie”, and closing with “Whirring”. A few of the songs had nice, long, insane finishes that lasted minutes, complete with smashed guitars and multiple bangs of a gong (a GONG!). While their music consists mostly of layered, atmospheric and melodic rock, they weren’t afraid to turn the aggression. It was never abrasive, though; rather, it was passionate and emotion driven, just as a rock band should be. If you missed this show, do yourselves a favor and go next time they come around. Next time is precisely Tuesday, July 8th, when they’ll be opening for the Black Keys in Hartford.

This is the newest album. Go illegally download it





buy it and support the band!

American Gods - the next HBO series

The next HBO show

            

            For whatever reason, I have a knack for reading books that later become HBO television series. Granted, I don’t know if reading two books actually constitutes me having a “knack” for it, but just follow me. Four of five years ago, my brother told me I had to read a book called “A Game of Thrones”. He had read it years before and kept telling me that I should. So, I did. I believe I had already started reading it when he told me that it was being made into a show. In actuality, he may have said so beforehand, but it makes this story sound better if I believe I was already reading it when I heard, so we’ll go with that version of the tale.

 You may have heard of this show. It's apparently doing okay.

            Being a fan of “The Sandman” comic series, I decided to check out some of author Neil Gaiman’s other works. In addition to comics, he has written a few novels, such as “Neverwhere”, “Anansi Boys”, and “Stardust” (“Stardust” was even made into a movie, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro), but the one that jumped out at me from the book store shelf was “American Gods”. I flipped open the cover and checked out the first few pages, and I found it interesting. So, onto the Christmas list it went, and on Christmas morn I had a spiffy literary gift, courtesy of my little sister.

            I read the book, off and on, during the first part of this year. I would put it down, pick something else up, come back to it later, etc. About a week ago I got into the 400 pages-area and decided to finish it off. It’s not really a book meant to be sparsely read, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it. Essentially it is a modern day fantasy novel about mythical gods, set in modern America. As the story begins, the main protagonist, Shadow, is nearing the end of his prison sentence. He acknowledges that he made bad choices that led to his incarceration, and now that he has almost finished doing his time, he wants only to keep his head down and return to his wife’s side.

It isn’t far into book that he is set free, and a chain of events set him on a different course. I’m an advocate of not ruining plot points for potential readers, but these events include various states of death and un-death, visionary dreams, and a meeting with an eccentric character named Mr. Wednesday. Throughout the story, interesting ideas on gods and myths are explored, as well as the power that people have over them, and that they have over people. In the epilogue, Gaiman acknowledges that this idea has been explored before, but I found his take to be entertaining and original. Mr. Wednesday’s shenanigans are reason enough to keep turning the pages. Through him, you’ll learn what the most important quality a man has is to women, the relationship between mythical gods and America, and how to sell someone a $20 violin for $10,000.

As entertaining as Mr. Wednesday is, it’s Shadow that holds the story together. Gaiman imagined Dwayne Johnson (The Rock!) when creating Shadow, and indeed, initially describes him as big enough not to –bleep!- with. In contrast to his size, Shadow’s demeanor is relatively laid back and even thoughtful at times. His ability to remain calm and reasonable sees him through several of the plot’s turns. Also notable is that he is a man of his word, often seeing through promises that are detrimental to his well-being. Gaiman created a layered, flawed character here, and how Shadow handles the events are as much a focal point as the events themselves. And speaking of who was envisioned for the character.

 Gaiman's description of the protagonist at the novel's start: "Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-(bleep)-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time." He envisioned the Rock as he created him.

Halfway through reading the book, I was informed by a friend that the book is being made into an HBO show. I had to laugh, relaying to her the same factoid I spewed in the opening paragraph about “Game of Thrones”. I have the knack! Out of all the novels Gaiman has, I randomly picked “American Gods”, and I’m glad I did. The series is slated to premiere in either late 2013 or 2014, presumably providing us with relief in the long drought between “Thrones” seasons. I haven’t heard anything of The Rock being cast as Shadow, and my gut tells me he won’t. It’s unfortunate, because he would be perfect in the role. HBO’s track record of casting hasn’t let me down yet, though, and I have faith that the show will retain the feel of the novel and be of the same high caliber the network has been producing.

Go read the book! If you don't want to, though, HBO has you covered. The show is set to premiere late 2013 or in 2014.

Oh. I get it. Queensryche's new album is "Frequency Unknown", the initials of which are F.U. Ooooohhh....

            

          I had to write this, based on Queensryche's "Frequency Unknown" cover art alone.

          For those not in the know, Queensryche was a band who hit the peak of their success in the late 80’s and early 90’s. “Silent Lucidity” was their big song, and they even performed it at the 1992 Grammy Awards Show. It’s a good song but it’s one of those that you may or may not remember, and if you don’t, you might remember if you heard it. 1992 was also the year that produced “Love Is On The Way” and “How Do You Talk To An Angel?”, so if you had decided to plug your ears with flannel by that point, no one would have blamed you. 

 Killed 80's rock.

 

            Now, when I said that the late 80’s/early 90’s was when they peaked, I mean that in terms of both commercial and artistic success. As part of their old school faithful, I’ll speak on behalf of us and say that 1994’s “Promised Land” was their last good album. The one after that saw them trying to adopt some the alternative rock vibe that was prevalent in the 90’s, but it just didn’t work for them at all. After that album, guitarist Chris DeGarmo, their main songwriter, quit. The band then continued releasing albums and touring, until recently.

            You may have noticed that I refer to Queensryche in the past tense. Does that mean they aren’t together anymore? Well, that is the crux of this write-up. About a year ago, there was an on stage altercation between frontman Geoff Tate, guitarist Michael Wilton, and drummer Scott Rockenfield. The details differ, depending on who is telling the story, but it came down to Tate allegedly punching both Wilton and Rockenfield in the face. Leading up to this was a myriad of issues, including band politics, financial problems, and personal issues, and it apparently boiled over at the soundcheck to a show in Brazil. There are stories that involved the rest of the band trying to fire Tate's wife as manager, of her using band money to fund one of the other bands she managed, and of Tate selling the rights to their "Operation: Mindcrime" concept album to a movie studio without the rest of the band's knowledge. Before the soundcheck, Tate called a band meeting that addressed these issues, and reportedly it didn't end well. Things escalated on stage when Tate attacked Rockenfield (Tate says that the drummer insulted his wife), then Wilson. So, after some grills were knocked around, the band divided into two camps.

 Cabaret singer, saxophone, and a guitar with skulls. Totally on the same page.

            Tate decided to form his own version of Queensryche with all new members. He recently released a new album called “Frequency Unknown”. Yes, the initials for this album are F.U. Somehow, I didn’t catch that at first! I really only realized it until I saw the album cover. Man, oh man. So, here it is…

 Subtle!

            That is the album cover. A fist with the Queensryche logo, on the middle finger no less, flanked by the letters F and U. Wouldn’t it be great if Wilson and Rockenfield photoshopped that as an impression left on their faces from the punching? Seriously, short of using a picture of him punching Wilson and Rockenfield, this is about as not-subtle as Tate could get. Radio personality Eddie Trunk asked Tate about the cover, to which Tate replied that people read into things as they will. That was seriously his answer. We're all a bunch of jerks who can't see an obvious, thinly-veiled insult. Alright then. He also has re-recorded some of the band's biggest hits, one of them being "Silent Lucidity".

          Meanwhile, right before the situation escalated to the punching incident, the rest of the band had been performing with vocalist Todd Le Torre under the name of Rising West. They had been performing older, seldom-played Queensryche songs, playing two shows in their hometown of Seattle. After the blowup, they continued playing, but now under the Queensryche moniker. However, so is Tate, having gathered together a new band to back him. Both sides are currently in court, fighting over who can claim the right to the Queensryche name and brand; in the meantime, both are using it. The Le Torre-fronted version of the band is working on their own album, simply titled "Queensryche". Where Tate has gone for the spiteful approach and uses his album to address the situation, the others seem to have gone for a minimalist approach, and would seem to be interested in having the music do the talking.

The other Queensryche's album.

 

          As I'm not in the know and only have to go on what both sides talk about in the media, I cannot say who is right and who is wrong here. It's great to think of bands as brotherhoods, but in the real world it doesn't always work out that way. The music business is just that: a business. Sometimes bandmates are merely business partners. Tate has a well-documented distaste for the edgier material; he went so far as to have 'Ryche perform cabaret shows a few years ago. This would explain why the rest of the band formed what was essentially a cover band to play their own hard rock music. Having not heard Tate's new album, I cannot say how heavy or soft his album is. So, in the end, we're left with two versions of the same band. Both have songs that are available for listening, and it'll be up to the fans to decide who to support.

          Somewhere, Chris DeGarmo, now a charter pilot, is shaking his head, glad to be out of this situation.

Jeff Hanneman

           On Thursday, May 2^nd, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away. He had spent the last two years recuperating from a flesh eating disease called necrotizing fasciitis, which he most likely contracted from a spider bite. Slayer tapped Exodus guitarist Gary Holt to fill in for Hanneman on tour, but the assignment was meant to be temporary, until Hanneman recovered. He passed away at his home in southern California when his liver failed. He was 49 years old, and is survived by his wife and two brothers.

            Hanneman was a chief songwriter in Slayer, a band whose style of speedy metal influenced several bands that came after. Hanneman himself was influenced by punk, and would fuse it with metal to craft some of Slayer’s best known songs, such as “Angel of Death” and “Raining Blood”. Seriously, listen to these songs. The guitar riffs are faster and more aggressive than anything that came before them. These guys pushed the tempos of everything, and Hanneman was the chief architect of their crowning material. The music is very dark and the imagery is violent, but that is no reason to shy away from them. Hanneman chose to document the unpleasant side of reality in his music, and the quality of those songs stand even as they approach their 30^th anniversary. 

            He formed Slayer with co-guitarist Kerry King in 1981, when the two were auditioning for other bands. Discovering how much they had in common, Hanneman asked King “Why don’t we form our own band?” Along with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer extraordinaire Dave Lombardo, the band was born. They were signed to Metal Blade Records shortly after label head Brian Slagel saw them perform Iron Maiden’s “Phantom of the Opera”. They released three albums on Slagel’s label before being signed to Def Jam Records, which had been primarily a hip hop label. “Reign in Blood”, their first major label album and fourth overall, was a success, as it peaked at number 92 on the Billboard top 200 and was certified gold (for 500,000 copies sold) in 1992. Subsequent releases and tours saw their popularity increase and hold steady; they would win Grammy Awards for “Eyes of the Insane” and “Final Six” from 2006’s “Christ Illusion”. Hanneman co-wrote both songs.

Slayer frontman Tom Araya accepting the Grammy on the band's behalf.

            Slayer essentially has one gear: fast. While they have eased on the throttle at times, such as the clean tone sections of the title track to 1994’s “Divine Intervention”, they are the ultimate example of “speed metal”. If you’re about to listen to Slayer, you pretty much know what you’re going to get, and while other bands would lose the interest of their fans for sticking to one style, each member of Slayer has such a distinctive style that result in the foursome creating one unique voice. Not that least of these were Hanneman’s writing style, as he was responsible for crafting their most popular tunes. What also can’t be overlooked are the exotic/chaotic scales and note choices he and King would use for their solo passages. He excelled at making his guitar wail and scream, furthering lending to the atmosphere of music that delve into the subjects of Satanism, murder, and dementia. It is more important to be unique than talented; Hanneman was both.

 Jeff on stage during the Indio show. It would be his final performance. RIP.

            Hanneman was bitten by a spider in 2011, and had to undergo emergency surgery. He would later say that at the time he was “an hour away from death”. He would be unable to tour afterwards, but he was able to join Slayer on stage for two songs during their “Big Four” (a tour featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax) set in Indio, California. After the show he said “I’m the happiest man in the world”. There is a small consolation in knowing that his final performance left him not jaded or tired, as many professional musicians become, but as blissfully content.  

           He was a major fan of sports team in the Los Angeles area. He often wore an Oakland Raiders jersey on stage, and he loved hockey. I'll end this with the Twitter pic that the Los Angeles Kings franchise posted, following his death. RIP, Jeff Hanneman.

 

(Re)Maiden England '88

     Everyone has a special place in their heart for the album that introduced them to a band. For example, while Led Zeppelin’s fourth album is widely considered their best, someone that first heard, say, “Houses of the Holy” may have a preference for that album. From Iron Maiden’s catalog, the general consensus is that “The Number of the Beast” is their masterpiece, while “Powerslave” and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” (my personal favorite) are typically in that conversation.  However, my introduction to Maiden came in VHS form.
    The “Maiden England” concert video was shot over two nights, on November 27th and 28th, 1988, during their “Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour” (try to guess what album this tour supported). When I was 12 years old, I had a friend whose older brothers were diehard into Maiden. There were posters of a cybernetic Eddie the ‘Ead (Maiden’s mascot) hanging on his bedroom walls. These images were mind-blowing to me, and I thought they bordered between really cool and really dark. Around the time I started getting into music, I found a copy of “Maiden England” at Blockbuster and decided to rent it, based on my friend’s admiration for them. By the way, I realize how much I’m dating myself by writing that I rented a VHS video from Blockbuster! Old school. It gives me street cred, showing how far Maiden and I go back. Street cred! So, I got home with the video and threw it into the VCR. Over the next few days, I got most of the way through it, before my 12 year old attention span decided to concentrate on the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past instead (I’m not hating: Zelda rules). What I did recall from the video was that one of the guitarists smiled a lot (Dave Murray, about whom my friend claimed “That guy is crazy!”, apparently based on that smile), one of the songs had a cowbell, and the stage and lights were really cool.

"That guy is crazy!" "Dude, he's a rock star." Banter between 12-year olds.

   
     My teen years were when I established my absolute love of rock music, and I began my collection of cassette tapes through Columbia House’s 12-for-a-penny deal. Doesn’t just reading that take you back to those ads, scattered throughout music magazines and whatever else? Kids today won’t appreciate, because they can just download everything. Remembering “Maiden England”, one of the tapes I ordered was “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”. I figured: why not? Once I started listening to the tape I was completely hooked. I became a Maiden fanatic at this time, and started acquiring everything by them that I could. I rented the video again, and felt as if I had seen it before without having actually seen it before. Knowing the music as well as I now did, I loved the live interpretations, the energy, and the amount of detail they put into making their stage look like their album cover. Eventually, I found a copy for sale and bought it (which sounds easy now, but finding Maiden videos for sale was hard around the advent of grunge music).

 12 cassettes for a penny? What a deal! What could go wrong?

    Speaking of buying it, I recently bought it again. Earlier this April, the video was released onto DVD for the first time. Packaged under the name “Maiden England ‘88”, it includes the original concert, plus three previously unreleased songs from the show, a 40 minute documentary called “The History of Iron Maiden Part 3”, chronicling the band from 1986 through 1988, the 1987 home video “12 Wasted Years”, and five music videos from that era. Just to own a copy of the show itself in DVD quality was enough for me, but I was blown away by the sheer amount of extras Maiden included in this release. They are a band that does everything right, both music and business-wise. They give us, the fans, a lot of bang for our buck, and go the extra mile to ensure top-notch quality. Between the quality and the quantity, this is a must-buy.

    Opening track “Moonchild” is a darker, harder edged Maiden song that lyrically borrows from the Aleister Crowley book of the same name. Crowley’s ideas and influence have been apparent in rock before, notably in Zeppelin (Jimmy Page once lived in Crowley’s former house), but the song’s narrative loosely follows the book’s, and instead sets up the concept of the “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album. “The Evil That Men Do”, also from that album, follows up nicely; it’s one of my favorite Maiden songs, is very melodic, and features an excellent solo from my guitar hero, Adrian Smith. The dates Maiden recorded for the concert were from of an extended part of the tour, billed as a “thank you” to fans. With that in mind, several songs not regularly part of their setlists are played here, such as “The Prisoner”, “Still Life”, “Die With Your Boots On”, and “Killers”, alongside classics “The Number of the Beast”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Wasted Years”, and “Iron Maiden”. Being part of the tour for “Seventh Son…”, most of the album is performed, including the title track, “Infinite Dreams”, “The Clairvoyant”, and “Can I Play With Madness?” (which boasts a great vocal harmony intro). Included for the first time are performances of the classic “Run to the Hills”, “Running Free”, and “Sanctuary” from the show. I refrain from going into a track-by-track review only because I could easily spend a page on each song.

My guitar hero, in full 80's mullet glory.

    On this video, Maiden displayed all the traits that made me a fan. Bruce Dickinson has a powerful voice and range, and is matched only by James Hetfield in how to interact with fans during songs. Steve Harris, the band’s founder and bassist, is very high in the mix, which is refreshing in a genre that usually buries the bass in the mix. He drives the songs, which is appropriate, as he is the band’s chief songwriter. Drummer Nicko McBrain pushes the tempos of the music, resulting in some songs being performed much faster than their studio-recorded counterparts. The energy is great, and he never once loses the beat. The guitar duo of Murray and Smith stands as, in my opinion, the greatest guitar duo of all time. Murray is a smooth, fluidly legato player, the kind of guy who can brilliantly improvise, while Smith is a songwriter-type of guitarist, whose guitar solos are meticulously planned and veer into unexpected directions. One of Maiden’s trademarks is to have them harmonize, and it’s the mix of rock, melody, and intelligent songwriting that make Maiden so unique and special. There is also, and maybe most importantly, an intangible element to Maiden that this show captures, and I suggest checking it out. Whether it’s a catchy rock song about missing home while tour (“Wasted Years”), an epic about mysticism that involves several sections and dueling guitar solos (“Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”), or a burst of punk-tinged rock (“Running Free”), Maiden do it all well, with a sense of originality and class - but not too much class. It’s still rock n roll.
    The “12 Wasted Years” video was a documentary filmed a year before the show, and “The History of Iron Maiden Part 3” was created especially for this release. Both show a lot of behind-the-scenes moments with the band, and give insight into the creation of the albums and tours of this area. The promo videos are a nice addition, even for folks like me who have them in multiple formats. Fanboy supreme, I am here.
    “Maiden England ‘88” was released to coincide with the “Maiden England” tour that Maiden is undertaking. The shows on this tour reproduce a large part of the video’s setlist, but they manage to throw in several surprises. If you have the chance, I advise you go see it. If not, the “Maiden England ‘88” DVD is waiting for you.

House of Blues, Gold, and Bones

           When was the last time the anticipation for a show had you counting down the days on your desk calendar at work? Every now and then, we’ll hear of a band that we’d enjoy seeing playing at a club or a bar, and think to ourselves that it would be good to finally catch them live. Other times, a friend or a significant other will really want to see a band, so we’ll go along for the ride, purchase a (usually overpriced) beer and chalk the experience to having spent an evening well. Every now and than, however, we hear about a band we really want to see coming around, and the news makes our day. We’ve always wanted to see them, but they haven’t been around lately, or we were too busy last time they were (how dare real life get in the way!), but now that we have the chance, we’re going! 

 Not today, bub.

            Hearing that Stone Sour was performing at the House of Blues on April 3^rd encapsulated that latter feeling for me. Having been a fan of the band since their 2006 release, “Come What(ever) May”, I had missed the last few chances to see them (how dare real life get in the way!). Seeing as their last two albums, 2010’s “Audio Secrecy” and 2012’s “House of Gold and Bones - Part 1” have been in heavy rotation on my iPod, there was no way I was going to pass the opportunity up again. Not hurting the decision to go is the fact they were playing at the House of Blues. The club is large, the décor looks great (I dig the “Unity in Diversity” theme, with different religious symbols displayed above the stage), and the sound system is excellent. Just for those reasons the venue is worth checking out, but I have to mention that it is right across the street from Fenway Park. How great is that?

 "Unity in Diversity."

            Thus I went. I enjoyed opening acts Hell or Highwater and In This Moment well enough. Hell or Highwater’s style reminded me of upbeat stoner rock, with low-tuned guitars sludging against the lead singer’s hooky vocal lines. With my beer in hand, I was happy enough to sing along. The cabaret-meets-metal of In This Moment was uniquely entertaining, as the music was heavy and yet melodic, and the show even featured costume changes by lead singer Maria Brink between songs. Yes, I did write “cabaret-meets-metal”, and if you’re anything like me, you’re making a mental note to check YouTube in order to see what that sounds like. Note: the contraption Brink stands on during the show could give the illusion of her racing down a snowy slope on skis skewered with skulls, but the aesthetic works. If this doesn’t pique your interest, then it cannot be piqued. 

 "Cabaret metal." "Skiing."

            Right up until 10pm, the anticipation for Stone Sour was building. Roadies were removing the equipment of the opening acts and setting up for the headliners. A large banner was unfurled behind the drums, displaying the artwork for “House of Gold and Bones”. An extra lighting rig was set into place, and a separate sound board for the band was being prepped. This was going to be a show! Then, almost right on the hour, the house lights dimmed, and the cheers went up from the crowd. The pre-recorded guitar riff from “Gone Sovereign”, the first track from the new album, swelled to a crescendo through the speakers. It was met by the melodically gritty (or gritty melodic?) vocals of Corey Taylor, who initiated us to his lyrical plot (“House of Gold and Bones” is a concept album) by proclaiming “No one’s laughing now”. The drums and bass jumped in a few bars later, and the song’s intro built, as those familiar with the track know, to a climatic pause. Shadows on the stage settled into place as a lone heart beat through the speakers for a few sustained seconds. Then, the pre-recorded gave way to the live as drummer Ray Mayorga kicked off a drum fill, joined by his band mates as Taylor proclaimed, in his pitch-perfect growl, “This is mine!”

 Pictured: guitarist Josh Rand's head apparently exploding.

            Corey Taylor is also lead vocalist for nu-metal band Slipknot. For that band’s decidedly darker music, he has said that he recorded music naked, while cutting himself with broken glass, in order to get him to that dark place. Taylor is nothing if not the musician’s equivalent of a method actor. The sincerity and the passion are undeniable, and for seventy-plus minutes, the transference between him and the crowd was palpable. For the first two-thirds of the set he led the band through some of their hardest songs, such as “Absolute Zero”, “Mission Statement”, and “Hell & Consequences”. Stone Sour’s music has been described as “post grunge”, and being a fan of both grunge and metal I love the way they combine the two. If you imagine Alice in Chains crossed with Metallica, you’ll have an idea of what they sound like; the songs are heavy without losing groove and melodic without losing grit. The band does a great job of reproducing their material in a live environment, and with Taylor’s stage presence, they were putting on a killer show. The crowd was lively and energetic, and Taylor apparently has an affinity for our little ole’ Beantown, too, declaring “That’s why I love … coming here. Every time we’re here, you … make us feel like we’re from here.” A feel-good cheer rose from us, cheap pop or not (yeah, me too), but street cred was attained when he acknowledged the old Avalon by name. Street cred! It’s cool that he loves Boston so much, but really, who doesn’t? But I digress.

 

            Nine songs worth of hard/heavy rock and great frontman banter passed quickly. Taylor next dedicated the excellent “Say You’ll Haunt Me” to those who have been with the band since their inception, and the entire venue sung in unison. The lights dimmed as the song ended, and if the show was over, it would have been a great cap to the night. Shortly after, though, Taylor reappeared with a Les Paul in his hands, strumming the chords to the legendary Alice in Chains track “Nutshell”, which led into Stone Sour’s quieter catalog, with the hits “Bother” and “Through Glass” (I imagined several people there said “Oh, THESE guys do THIS song?” in unison). A particularly stand-out part of the night came during “Bother”, when the crowd sang a lyric back to Taylor, which apparently moved him to the point where he stopped the song and holy expletive’d into the mic, applauding thereafter. Again, how can anyone not love Boston? These laid back tracks led into a few heavier ones and culminated with the Grammy-nominated “30/30-150.” There were no encores, but who cares? The setlist was quality.

 During "Through Glass".

            It’d be a shame if I didn’t mention the rest of the band, as they are all outstanding players. Jim Root and Josh Rand are a complimentary guitar duo and they balance each other well. Root also performs in Slipknot in Taylor, and it is in that band where he deposits much of his heavier material, leaving Stone Sour as the outlet for his more acoustic, laid back music. By contrast, Rand grew up a big fan of metal bands such as Slayer and brings that element to the sound. Where Root is more of a play-it-by-ear guy, improvising solos and changing things on the spot, Rand is the guy that works out each note before hitting the recording studio or stage. The dichotomy works well, as both have a unique voice within the mix. Drums are what drive a band, and Roy Mayorga runs a tight ship behind the kit. Often times throughout the show, I was impressed with how intense he played while never sacrificing accuracy. He knew when to push the beat, and he knew when to pull it back. “Feel” is something that cannot be taught, and he has it. Lastly, touring bassist Johny Chow tied the instruments together well. The curse of the bass is that it is more often felt than heard, but during the spots where the four-string stood out, Chow was on point. The five members clicked in unison, that much was for sure.

            I left the House of Blues telling my bud that this was a Top 5 show, as in that it was among the five best I’ve been to. I’ve been to a lot of shows, and I’ve seen good bands, great bands, and awful bands. Stone Sour set a high expectation, delivered a great performance, provided a strong set list, and thoroughly entertained all of us gathered there. As an unexpected bonus, the entire show was recorded in HD, and is out there on the internet to be seen. Check it out; it’s the next best thing to having actually being there. Now I turn to my calendar, and wait for the next band I’ll count the days down to see.

            Stone Sour is touring in support of their House of Gold and Bones double album. Part 1 was released on October 22^nd, and Part 2 dropped on April 9^th.