Sunday, July 26, 2009

AC/DC Singer Retiring?

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson admitted in a new interview with Classic Rock magazine that he has been considering retirement. "We were talking about the end of the tour and I said, 'We're finishing in May and that's me done!'" he says. "But Malcolm [Young, rhythm guitarist] said, 'What are you talkin' about? We're not gonna let you retire!' And now they're talking about next year. I'm going, 'What do you mean next year? We're finishing in May in Japan, I'll be tired!' And they said: 'Well, we've been offered some festivals…'"

Brian Johnson, 61, is scheduled to publish his autobiography "Rockers And Rollers" in October, and insists that he remains fully committed to AC/DC, but says, "It's a tough one. It's not me — it's just my age," he reveals. "I try to keep myself fit, and I love it being in this band. But it's not just me — Cliff [Williams, bassist] is knocking on a bit more than the others. The other lads are in their early 50s. I'm the old dog in the regiment."

You gotta give the guy credit, I mean how many singers still tour around the world at 61? Well done.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Down In A Hole

One of my favourite A.I.C. songs...

Rock Mix 6


1. All You Did Was Save My Life - Our Lady Peace
2. A Looking In View - Alice In Chains
3. Don't Believe A Word - Third Eye Blind
4. All Over Me - Default
5. Count On Me (Somebody) - Tonic
6. We're All To Blame - Sum 41
7. Rusted From The Rain - Billy Talent
8. Silvergun Superman - Stone Temple Pilots
9. The Fixer - Pearl Jam
10. Dig - Incubus

C.K. Update


Here's some fresh news in the world of Crash Karma - the band now has two full length songs available on their myspace page. It's great to hear some fresh, new riffs from Mike Turner (ex-OLP guitarist). The songs are called "Awake" and "Fight." The band sounds promising! According to the band, their debut LP will hit stores this Fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Crash Karma myspace.

PJ's Fixer

Check out Pearl Jam's new single "The Fixer" from their forthcoming album "Backspacer" due in September 2009. It is just a LOVELY song...just click HERE.


Rogers Bayfest

I would like to take this time to reflect on my concert experience at Rogers Bayfest in Sarnia. It was July 11th, 2009 and my friend John and I were stoked to see two of our favourite bands - Stone Temple Pilots and Our Lady Peace. After a surprisingly easy drive to Sarnia (from Hamilton = 2.5 hours) we arrived and began walking around the outdoor festival. It was a great venue and the weather was on our side making the experience even better! Ahh...

Before we begin, Rogers Bayfest in Sarnia is a popular outdoor event that features a rock and country weekend, showcasing big names in both genres of music. The rock weekend consisted of Counting Crows w/ The Trews (Thursday), KISS w/ Dean Liquer (Friday..yeah, KISS!) and Stone Temple Pilots w/ Our Lady Peace (Saturday). In previous years, Def Leppard and Aerosmith have played Bayfest. Pretty cool eh?

Let me fast forward to the OLP performance. What can I say about their performance? They sounded great! Did you catch that? They SOUNDED great...I barely saw the stage and even the small, pathetic screens they had around the festival. I'm 5'7 and that's not tall, so obviously everybody in front of me were 6'0 and over. Even my friend John, who is 6'0, had trouble seeing the stage. The first 30 yards or so in front of the stage was devoted to VIP ticket holders and anything beyond that was general admission. It just so happens that I was part of the general admission. Oh well but I didn't expect the crowd to be total pricks!

I've been to many outdoor festivals/concerts and they were never violent or uncomfortable. I've gotten used to the aroma of marijuana, cigarette and cigar smoke so that was all good, it didn't bother me too much. As for the OLP show, I had the opportunity to glance at the band on stage here and there but nothing was permanent. It usually ended by some douchebags pushing people aside or running through crowds or even jumping off TREES...yeah, trees! Honesty, are you kidding me? Anyways, STP came on at 10:30pm and of course, I got my ass kicked in a mosh pit during "Wicked Garden" and "Vaseline." Ugh, it was horrible! Even the Offspring mosh pit was less violent then that. Once again, STP sounded great and I actually got to see a good portion of their show - that was because I moved to the back of the festival.

I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself but it was way too violent and abrupt to actually enjoy a good rock show. It was definitely an experience I will never forget. Perhaps OLP/STP will play Hamilton or Toronto...separately...with security...and no trees.

To all those people who pushed and punched innocent rockers...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Album Review: "Burn Burn" by Our Lady Peace



Release Date: July 21, 2009
Producer: Raine Maida

Back in 2008, Our Lady Peace – more specifically Raine Maida, promised that their next LP would be “a proper rock record” again, comparing it to the likes of their debut album, 1994’s “Naveed” but “more mature.” This meant that OLP had quite the challenge in 2009. However, after fifteen years of great music, you’d think that bands begin to go sour or lose their touch. But OLP proved to defy the odds by releasing two albums under mediocre/weak ratings but selling more then usual - 2002’s “Gravity” and 2005’s “Healthy In Paranoid Times.” Say what you want, both albums are good and should remain an asset in the OLP catalogue.

On to 2009’s “Burn Burn” – a solid set of new tunes and MATURE music. Although it’s not as heavy or too close to “Naveed”, you can always count on OLP to impress the listener. Think of “Burn Burn” as Naveed and Gravity.

Produced by Raine Maida, this gave the band the ultimate freedom of writing their best songs to date and to not worry about pleasing a record label or outside producer. Thus, listeners get a very ambitious record with ascending solos, beautiful piano, hopeful lyrics and straightforward rock. “Dreamland” is a fine example of an up-tempo song with positive lyrics causing the listener to be entranced.

One of album’s finest moments is “Monkey Brains”. This eerie song takes you on a ride through the darkness of “Clumsy” with lyrics “they’re coming after you” and then slowly fading into a gentle acoustic ballad bridge. Some other honourable mentions is the ballad “Never Get Over You”, rocker/potential second single “The End Is Where We Begin” and album closer “Paper Moon.”

Since joining OLP in 2002, guitarist Steve Mazur has really shined and deserves credit on this record. Steve’s guitar playing has really evolved since joining the band and fans should look forward to hearing more from him in future releases. Duncan and Jeremy once again offer solid rhythms and sounds. Oh and Duncan, well done on “Monkey Brains”. As for Raine Maida, he voice is a little plain on this record but he still sounds great. Perhaps the falsetto will return on the next record…*sigh*. Also, is it still wrong to want Arnold Lanni back? Nothing was wrong with Raine’s production skills but has Arnold Lanni been completely excluded from future albums?

All in all, it’s a good record. OLP got it together and proved they can still rock and release great music. For a band that is almost two decades into their career, this was the right record to make.

Rating 3.8/5

1. All You Did Was Save My Life *
2. Dreamland *
3. Monkey Brains ***
4. The End Is Where We Begin **
5. Escape Artist *
6. Refuge
7. Never Get Over You *
8. White Flags
9. Signs Of Life
10. Paper Moon
__________________________________________________
(Deluxe Version)
11. Time Bomb
12. The Right Stuff * (Why wasn't this included in the standard version??)

Monday, July 20, 2009

Saosin Readies #2

California rockers Saosin are ready to release their sophomore album "In Search of Solid Ground" on September 8th, 2009 via Virgin Records. The highly anticipated album will feature five songs that feature Butch Walker at the producer chair.

The first single off the album has yet to be announced, but is expected to hit radio in the coming weeks. Saosin's first self-titled Capitol album has sold over 300,000 units since its 2006 release and featured the hits "You're Not Alone," and "Voices".

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Don't Believe A Word

What is it with bands taking four, five even SIX years to release an album? Geeze...

Here is the brand new single from Third Eye Blind entitled "Don't Believe A Word." It marks the first single from their upcoming album "Ursa Major" due August 18th, 2009!

Monday, July 13, 2009

BPS: Greg K

Over the next few days, I will shine the spotlight on some of my favourite and most influential bass players. So, let's begin -


Bass Player Spotlight
Greg K
January 29th, 1965 (age 44)
The Offspring


Gregory David Kriesel was born on January 29th, 1965 and is best known by his stage name Greg K.,and the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the punk band, The Offspring.

Greg K is one of the founding members of the Offspring alongside lead singer, Dexter Holland. He is a very quiet guy, rarely does interviews and doesn't add much spark on stage, however, that's the best thing about him. When Greg's time/solo shines on stage, the entire crowd is behind him and claps along to his beats. Example: solo in "Have You Ever."

From 1984 to 1994, Greg K used a Fender Precision Bass, as seen in the videos for "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem". After the success of "Smash", Greg K was endorsed by Ibanez and used an Ibanez ATK from 1995-2004 and an Ibanez RD500 from 2004-2009. As of 2009, Greg is once again using a Fender Precision Bass.

**QUICK FACT** - Greg K has a degree in Finance and was also on the track and field team in high school along with fellow bandmate Holland, and was also in the Math Club. He also is the co-owner of Nitro Records with Dexter Holland.

Check out some of his solos and classic riffs on Bad Habit, Self Esteem, Have You Ever, Come Out Swinging, Meaning of Life, Trust In You, Hammerhead and The Noose!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

All Over Me

This is my first entry in a long time. I apologize for my laziness. Umm, look our for some album reviews and concert stories.

UNTIL THEN...FINALLY! Default has released their new single from their upcoming fourth album due September 29th, 2009. It's a great tune and will hopefully be a hit! Check it out!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Offspring Concert


On July 2nd, I went to the Offspring concert in Toronto. It was truly one of the best concerts of my life - and I've been to MANY concerts. This was a special concert for me because not only was I seeing my favourite band live in concert, but it was also the day before my birthday. In other words, it was nice saying "I'm spending my 22nd birthday with the Offspring."

The Offspring played a 90 minute set in front of a sold out crowd at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto. The band was in tip-top form, the tunes were blasting and the mosh pits were insane! Opening acts Frank Turner and Pennywise were great and should be recognized for their performances.

When the lights went out, drummer Pete Parada hit the stage and began banging away to set opener "Stuff Is Messed Up." My oh my, I knew every word to each song. It was great seeing such classics like "Gotta Get Away", "Americana" and "Meaning Of Life." However, I must admit that "Bad Habit" and "All I Want" were some of my favourites. Dexter even sang "Gone Away" with a piano!

All in all, it was a great show. My last Offspring show was back in May 2004, so it was a real treat. Rumour has it that the band is scheduled to release a new album in 2010. If they come to a city near you, GO!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Epiphany

Welcome to Strings and Shooting Stars.

As you all know, my blog spent seven months under the name "Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom." It has now been changed due to many reasons - the most important reason being my career.

The original "rock bottom" title is actually an Offspring song. To me, it was a clever title for a blog, so I kept it. However, over the past few months, I wanted to change my blog title because it wasn't generated from my creativity. The point of this blog is to offer news, opinions, album reviews and thoughts on music from my mind.

Epiphany
- Last week, I went for a walk at 11:00pm at night. It was a nice night out and the stars were in full form. As I was listening to my iPod, "Sell My Soul" by OLP came on and it made my walk even calmer. Within that song, lies a tremendous combo of vocals, guitar overdubs and miscellaneous sound effects. The chorus is my favourite part of that song. During the chorus of the song, I looked up and saw a shooting star. It was absolutely marvelous.

In that moment, I knew that music was going to be my chosen career path and blogging was my first step to let my voice be heard. There you have it! STRINGS AND SHOOTING STARS.

**Listen to the chorus** :)