Concert Excitement

Here's the list of concerts I will be attending this year (so far...) :D

July 2nd - The Offspring
July 11th - Stone Temple Pilots w/ Our Lady Peace
September 16th - U2

Not a bad list eh? Woohoo!

Metallica reuniting with Newsted

For all you Metallica fans, the band will reunite with former bassist Jason Newsted for a performance at their Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Don't worry though, current bassist Robert Trujillo will still be there! The ceremony will happen April 4th.

"Jason Newsted will be there, and he will be playing with us at one point," guitarist Kirk Hammett said. "We went as a band when Black Sabbath was being inducted, and at that time Blondie was also being inducted that night. And there was so many politics and so much drama that, you know, we collectively said to each other, 'We don't want any of that,' because it kind of, it puts a really bad, sour note on the whole celebration itself."

Little Too Late

Remember the band Default? They had hit songs across Canada such as "Wasting My Time", "Deny", "Taking My Life Away", and "Count On Me." Well, to bring you up to speed, Default's record label, TVT Records, went bankrupt in early 2008 causing the release of the bands new record, Still Standing, to be severely delayed. According to lead singer Dallas Smith, the new record was finished in December 2007!! Wow, I'd be extremely annoyed if I had to wait that long. Anyways, here is the live version of a new song called "Little Too Late."

Tour Announcement!

Interstate Love Song

What's your all time favourite song? It's hard to think about it isn't it? To be honest, I don't even have a favourite song, it's too hard to decide. Think about it; throughout your lifetime, you will be exposed to thousands of songs that will always flood your "top ten" list.

I currently do not have a favourite tune, however, there has been one song that will forever capture my attention. The song is "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots. More specifically, it was written by bassist Robert Deleo, my main influential bass player. It is from the 1994 STP album, "Purple." The song is simply great. That's all I can say...it's very well written and leaves you with a smile.

Check out the video...

Twitter Battles

http://www.nme.com/news/chris-cornell/43454

Former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has responded to Trent Reznor’s Twitter blast, with a bible-themed update on his own account.

As reported yesterday, Nine Inch Nails’ Reznor updated his status saying Cornell’s album makes him feel “uncomfortable”.

“You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell's record? Jesus,” Reznor wrote.

Cornell today wrote ”What do you think Jesus would twitter? "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" or "Has anyone seen Judas? He was here a minute ago".

Cornell embarked on a new direction with his new solo album ‘Scream’, which was produced by Timbaland.

Report courtesy of NME.com

Good for you Cornell. For all of you Chris Cornell fans out there, always believe and support him. Up yours, Reznor!

Rock Mix 3

1. Gotta Get Away - The Offspring
2. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
3. I Can't Win - Default
4. Get Out Of The Way - Econoline Crush
5. Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
6. Can't Catch Tomorrow - Lostprophets
7. Kids- MGMT
8. Whiskey In The Jar- Metallica
9. Wild Side - Motley Crue
10. The Difference - The Wallflowers

Bob Rock

Bob Rock is one of the most famous record producers, sound engineers and mixers in the music industry. In his illustrious recording career, Bob's most notable clients have been Metallica and Motley Crue. He has also produced records for bands such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, The Cult, Skid Row and most recently, The Offspring and 311.

Born in Manitoba, Canada in 1954, Bob grew up ensconced in music. His first gig with music was in British Columbia, playing guitar with friends William Alexander and Paul Hyde. At that time, it was the late '70s / early '80s and BC was known for having a brief era of punk rock music flowing through the hottest venues and clubs. However, Bob Rock's first band wouldn't be in the punk genre. Instead, Rock left BC and became the co-founder of The Payola$, who became well known for their 1983 hit, "Eyes of a Stranger." The song earned them a Juno Award for Single of the Year.

In the late '80's, Bob Rock decided to produce albums full time. He had experience producing/mixing material from The Payola$ and throughly enjoyed the process of creating music from behind the glass window of a studio. The rest is history.

To sum his style up perfectly, Bob Rock is known to make sonic records that radio stations love to play. Two prime examples are Metallica's "The Black Album" and Motley Crue's "Dr.Feelgood." Bob's style of producing gave these albums an elaborate sound and record production.

In my discography collection, it is correct to say the most common producer, by coincidence, is Bob Rock. Every record producer has their own method of recording and writing music. That's the nature of the business, it's why artists choose to work with different producers. Bob's main focus is on the song writing. Normally, bands come into the studio with material, demos and songs ready to be recorded. With Bob, he takes his clients into the studio and guides them through the song writing process. Recording albums with Bob usually tends to take quite a while, simply because of those details.

Also, critics and artists have commented on the fact that Bob can make any album sound very, very mainstream. That can be a bad thing...sometimes. An example of that is "Gravity" by Our Lady Peace. Don't get me wrong, it's one of my favourite albums of all time, but it's a radical departure from OLP's trademark sound. It's a fact and Raine Maida has even admitted it. However, that is just how Bob Rock works. His intention is to bring out the best of an artist or band. Can you really blame him for that?

In some cases, YES YOU CAN. Oh my, "St. Anger"...enough said. A petition that over 20,000 fans signed was posted online. The petition called for Metallica to dump Rock as producer, claiming he had too much influence on the band's sound and musical format. It's true. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to the Metallica albums he's produced, but they were different then their albums from the '80s. You can't please everybody!

In 2007, Bob Rock was recognized at the 2007 Juno Award Ceremony for his lifetime contribution to popular music. Rock was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). "Bob is a musical craftsman whose wide range of talents show no signs of slowing," said Melanie Berry, CARAS President. "He has helped to define rock as we know it today, and we are very proud to recognize him in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame." Rock confirmed his acceptance of the award: "It is an honour to join great producers like Bob Ezrin, Bruce Fairbairn, Daniel Lanois, Jack Richardson, and David Foster in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame" says Rock. "They are all giants of the industry, and to be recognized, means that I had to have worked with truly great artists. I thank them for their confidence and inspiration."

Bob Rock has been nominated for Juno Awards 17 times in various categories ranging from Producer of the Year, Recording Engineer of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year.

Bob Rock is my favourite producer. Why? I DON'T EVEN KNOW. For the most part, he produces great albums. However, sometimes I wonder why he works the way he does. He takes FOREVER to produce albums! It took the Offspring from November 2006 to April 2008 to finish their latest album. WOW!!!! Although, I will give him his dues. His methods and teachings have actually inspired to one day become a record producer. Well done, Bob. Keep making great records!

Gotta Get Away

The year was 1994, and I was seven years old. It was the year that punk rock exploded in the mainstream, and bands such The Offspring, Green Day and Rancid had MAJOR radio air-play as well as spotlights on MTV and Muchmusic. For a young kid like me, music was just sounds from a radio. It never had any sentimental value and I didn't expect it too.

During that summer, there was one song that constantly flowed from my brother's cd player. That song was "Self Esteem" from The Offspring's 1994 masterpiece and monster-selling "SMASH." I was in love with that song. It was so cool, edgy and full of energy! In the end, my brother noticed my obsession with the song and later showed me "Come Out and Play", another from Smash. This was it. I was hooked on The Offspring and it's been that way ever since. Wow, I have been a fan of The Offspring for 15 years now!

Since I own all eight of the Offspring's albums, it is very hard to decide which song is my absolute favourite. After fifteen years, I have decided that although this song may not be my ABSOLUTE favourite, it's certainly made it's mark in my books.

GOTTA GET AWAY (SMASH, 1994)



Here is the link to the official video --> Gotta Get Away

Rock Mix 2

I have decided not to wait "a few weeks" before I submit another rock compilation for you. Here is Rock Mix 2:

1. Epic - Faith No More
2. Why Cry - The Panic Channel
3. Ain't My Bitch - Metallica
4. MF Of The Year - Motley Crue
5. Prostitute - Guns N' Roses
6. Dammit, I Changed Again - The Offspring
7. Six Gun Quota - Seether
8. Wicked Garden - Stone Temple Pilots
9. Contagious - Trapt
10. Down In A Hole - Alice In Chains

U2 Tops The Billboard 200

As expected, U2 topped the Billboard 200 by selling 484,000 copies of No Line On The Horizon. U2 is now tied with Led Zeppelin for the second-most No. 1s by a band, behind only the Beatles' 19.

The first number one album that U2 released was 1987's "The Joshua Tree." After that, "Rattle and Hum" (1988), "Achtung Baby" (1991), "Zooropa" (1993), "Pop" (1997) and "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" (2004) followed the same pattern.

Well done, U2.

Rock Mix #1

Here is a new feature for you. Every few weeks, I will post a ten song compilation for you to enjoy. They are songs that are currently in my top 25 on my itunes playlist. Hope you enjoy them.

Rock Mix #1

1. Magnificent - U2
2. Anthem - Zebrahead
3. Victim - Trapt
4. Jumper - Third Eye Blind
5. The Stone - Ashes Divide
6. Trust In You - The Offspring
7. Say - Low Level Flight
8. We Die Young - Alice In Chains
9. Your Song - Thornley
10. You Fight Me - Breaking Benjamin

This Is It

BIG NEWS! This isn't fake, this isn't a hoax...this is REAL! Although this blog has been dedicated to the rock genre, I just had to post this announcement. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is making a comeback to the stage.

In July of 2009, MJ will perform five dates at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Love him or hate him, these shows will make its mark in music history. For the last fifteen years or so, Michael Jackson has been the subject of parody and ridicule. It's unfortunate, but it's true. However, this isn't 1994, 2000 or even 2005, times have changed and Michael has obviously stayed out of the spotlight to pull himself together. He has even recovered from a recent, serious illness that landed him in a wheelchair! Also, who cares if he's 50 years old? Obviously he's not going to move like he did in his twenties or thirties but at least he's performing for his millions of fans. Performing "one last time" for his fans in London. THIS IS IT!

From now until July, MJ will be busy rehearsing dance routines, sharpening his vocal chords and shining those dance shoes, in preparation, to give London one hell of a good time. Still don't believe me? Watch this...

Magnificent

This clip of U2 is indeed...magnificent.

Bad Habit

Drivers are rude
Such attitudes
But when I show my piece
Complaints cease
Somethings odd
I feel like I'm god
You stupid dumbsh*t goddamn motherf*cker!!!!!

Ahh, the good ol' days of SMASH! I've been listening to Bad Habit by The Offspring lately and after 15 years, it still pumps you up! Here is the song from a December 2008 show:

Album Review: "Scream" by Chris Cornell

Timbaland: "You know people are going to be pissed, right?"
Chris Cornell: "Yup"

Quote on quote from Chris Cornell on The Hour with host, George Stromboloupoulos.

This is going to be a very difficult album review to write because of my immense respect and admiration for Chris Cornell. First off, let's give the facts, "Scream" is Cornell's third solo album and it is the successor to his 2007 mediocre album "Carry On."

Here it goes, Chris Cornell recorded a hip-hop/funk/dance album that was produced by Timbland. Don't roll your eyes yet. We all know that Chris Cornell was and still is a rock god. He has been frontman of two well-known bands; Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cheers. Nothing will ever top his rock days because it is what Chris Cornell does best. He has one of the most phenomenal rock voices of our time and it keeps getting better as he ages. Although this may seem like an odd effort by Chris, you really, really, REALLY have to be open minded about this album.

I'm not going to dismiss this album from Cornell's catalog. Give the man his dues, three bands (8 albums in total) and three diverse solo albums...not every artist has that on their resume. Chris Cornell's musical career has undergone numerous changes that fans and critics alike should respect it.

Scream is an experimental album and I give him props for expanding his musical taste. Timbaland obviously knows what he is doing and he provides great, catchy beats that allows Cornell to sing his heart out. In fact, Chris sounds phenomenal on this record. For a 44 year old, he can truly sing anything! On a clever note, you have to respect Chris' intuition to shock his fan base. That was his creative intention when making this record. But given his rock history, it is surprising that Cornell is not really doing a lot of screaming here except for his lyrics. Making this album was a pretty brave thing to do and it's nice that Timbaland has his back.

This album is club music with Chris Cornell's vocals slapped on them. There you have it! Here are my favourite songs:

"Scream" / "Long Gone" - These are my favourite songs on the record. They are slower tracks that carry a lot of emotion through Cornell's vocal melodies and a solid beat from Timbaland. Listen to them at night to get the full effect. Great job, guys!

"Never Far Away" - Put this song on full blast and request it in a club! Cornell sounds fantastic on this track and it should be a single! Also, guitars emerge in this song. GUITARS!!!

Some honourable mentions:
"Part of Me"
"Watch Out"
"Climbing the Walls"
"Enemy"

As you can see, there are only 5 or 6 out of 14 tracks that make the cut. In conclusion, good effort but Chris, please stay in the rock scene.

Rating: 2.5/5

Tracks:
1. Part Of Me
2. Time
3. Sweet Revenge
4. Get Up
5. Ground Zero
6. Never Far Away
7. Take Me Alive
8. Long Gone
9. Scream
10. Enemy
11. Other Side Of Town
12. Climbing Up The Walls
13. Watch Out
14. Two Drink Minimum - hidden track