Move over Cain’s Ballroom. Stand aside, Metro.  And CBGB, you must have seen it coming.  There’s a new place to get your fix of the hottest new music – emphasis on hot.  It’s the local Wal-Mart Garden Center.

Australian rock trio Sick Puppies played an acoustic set in this inexplicable location on Wednesday to promote the release of their new album, Tri-Polar.  The set also featured a signing and photo-op, where those that purchased the CD at Wal-Mart that day received a free autographed poster.

The band were in high spirits, despite the muggy greenhouse conditions, onlookers scattered among aisles and lawn furniture, and unaware shoppers weaving through lugging toilet seats, groceries and gawking children.

Lead singer Shim Moore did all the talking for the band, bantering between each song and affectionately poking fun at some of the children in the audience who weren’t as enthusiastic as the adults with them.  The band played several songs from Tri-Polar, as well as material from their previous albums, including the one that put Sick Puppies on the radar, “All The Same” (from the famous “Free Hugs” YouTube video).

The crowd of around sixty – give or take a few sleeping children – was subdued but attentive, and the line for the signing stretched through the Garden Center after the set.  Most of the people in line held copies of the CD purchased at Wal-Mart, which Shim encouraged to help the album’s chart debut.

Some, however, were reluctant to purchase the CD at Wal-Mart because of the chain’s practice of editing albums with explicit lyrics.  “I’d rather buy it at the show and get the real album,” said one long-time fan after chatting with the band.

“The show” took place at Cain’s Ballroom, where Sick Puppies played along with Hurt, The Veer Union and Tunnels To Holland.  Sick Puppies played a full set that showcased their energy in a way the earlier acoustic set could not.

Unlike many over-produced rock bands of this generation, what you hear on the album is what you get live.  These kids are a rock band in the purest sense of the word, with a genuine quality to their music that makes them endearing. Bassist Emma Anzai is a wonder to behold, an aggressive yet attractive and feminine presence onstage alongside Moore’s brash frontmanship and drummer Mark Goodwin’s driving beats.

One fun highlight of the Puppies’ set was a cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” mashed up with the  riff from Green Day’s “Brain Stew.”  “All The Same” got a rapturous response, with the entire crowd singing along.  Toward the end of the set, Moore stepped back for Goodwin to indulge in an arena-caliber drum solo and Anzai to let loose with some jaw-dropping slap bass licks.

By the end, Moore had heated the previously lukewarm crowd up to a jumping, screaming furor, encouraging them to release their frustrations at a society that looks down upon those who are “different.”  A recurring theme of the night, and throughout Sick Puppies’ work, is a refusal to abandon one’s individuality in order to fit in or please others.

The crowd at the Cain’s was certainly buying what the Puppies were selling, with the line to meet the band after their set still going strong as Hurt took the stage.  That passionate stance, however, makes the Wal-Mart gig that much more of an irony.

It seems we all have to fit in at some point.

–

Sick Puppies are on tour through September.

See more Sick Puppies photos after the jump:

(more…)

As Kill Hannah embark on their first U.S. tour in a year, they have released a track from their upcoming album, Wake Up The Sleepers, as a “thank you” to their loyal fans.

“New York City Speed” has circulated among Kill Hannah fans for years as a leaked demo, but the finished version is an aggressive, polished track with a beat that is fresh and contemporary, thanks to the skilled production touch of John Bourke.

(Read what Bourke had to say about working with Kill Hannah in his interview with Julie Tate of Gossip [&] the Devil.)

Tune In, Make Out

The track starts with an homage to the original low-tech version, then the generic Radio Shack keyboard disco beat is swept up by Kill Hannah’s signature crunchy guitars (props to guitarist Dan Wiese for effortlessly picking up the lead licks from the departed Jonny Radtke). The dynamic drum fills keep this song far from typical dance-rock fare, but the programming still puts the listener right in the middle of a crowded dance floor.

Shut Up, Put Out

In a recent MySpace blog post, the band called the forthcoming album “the proudest accomplishment of our lives.”  It’s exciting to see such a hopeful attitude from a group of guys that survived a disastrous tour bus fire last year and has been put through the wringer of a music industry that, as they put it, “has tragically lost its way.”

According to their MySpace page, the band is now signed with Original Signal Recordings, a progressive record label with an artist- and technology-friendly outlook.  Original Signal promotes itself as a supportive, dynamic environment for independent artists with an outlook that embraces the modern musician and music consumer.

Dress Up, Let Go

Kill Hannah believe their time has arrived.  Trimmed to their barest elements, they have rediscovered their roots and reconnected with the heart and soul of what made the band popular in the beginning.  They have thrown all their faith into this approach, the new album, their future, and most of all into the hands of their fans.

Listen to “New York City Speed” on Kill Hannah’s MySpace page now, and don’t forget to check them out on tour with Lacuna Coil.

Every time someone might say Kill Hannah is down, they jump up with a vengeance and scoff in their scrappy Chicago way that they were just taking a breather.

The departure of guitarist Jonny Radtke — who left the band on good terms after nearly ten years to pursue his own projects — has left many fans biting their nails and fretting for the future of the beloved band.

No need to worry.  The boys tore through an energetic set on Monday night at the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City, drawing on the support of friends, longtime fans, and new converts from the ardent crowd of Lacuna Coil fans there for the headliner.  (The strange mix of bands on the bill definitely led to an interesting demographic in the audience.)

KH immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention by opening with their popular first single, “Kennedy,” then continued with high-energy, rock-driven songs like “Believer,” and new tracks from their upcoming album due out this fall, such as “Acid Rain” and “Strobe Lights.”

Long-time fans who have heard the old bootleg version of the song “New York City Speed” will not be disappointed by the reworked and polished version of the track.  Oklahoma’s own DJ/producer/wunderkind John Bourke helped refine a great song concept into an aggressive anthem for this generation’s party set.  The song has “single” written all over it.

Another never-officially-released fan favorite has also been reworked and brought the show toward its frenzied conclusion.  “Welcome to Chicago, Motherf+cker” once saw the light of day tacked onto an older Kill Hannah release, but the band brought the song into the new millennium and gave it that final polish that will guarantee its status as a crowd pleaser for years to come.

Despite admittedly little rehearsal time, the band showed little sign of road rust.  Radtke’s replacement on this tour, a dreadlocked whip of energy with a hundred-watt smile named Gil Baram, seemed comfortable with Kill Hannah’s dynamic, and he jammed out an enthusiastic performance.  (The many young girls in the audience were quite vocal in their approval.)  The few miscues and nuances that were glaring only to a seasoned Kill Hannah fan will certainly be ironed out in coming shows.

(And yes, he’s a very nice guy as well.)

The entire band spoke enthusiastically about the new record, called “Wake Up The Sleepers” after a line from “Strobe Lights.”  They’ve moved away from dance-rock (think “Crazy Angel” or “Boys and Girls” – neither of which appeared on the night’s set list) to focus more on their electronic rock  and New Wave influences.  Those dance beats have taken a supporting role to the crunchy, layered guitars and refreshingly in-your-face vocals.

Kill Hannah have reached back into their roots to effect this next evolution to their sound.  Their energy and hopes are high, and it’s obvious the boys from Chicago aren’t through leaving their mark on the modern rock scene.  If you’re a Kill Hannah fan, rest assured — the band is hopeful, determined, and they sound great.

Wake up the sleepers, indeed.

For another take on the show, and the following show, check out Miss Julie M. T.’s writeup at Gossip [&] The Devil.

Catch Kill Hannah on tour with Lacuna Coil through July.

That’s a rhetorical question, obviously.  Plenty of people liked Aiden’s 2007 effort, which was a significant departure from previous releases – most notably their breakthrough album “Nightmare Anatomy.” This departure is exactly what made “Conviction” a bone of contention among fans and critics.  For every one voice that lauded the new direction, there were three bemoaning the loss of the dark themes and heavy guitar riffs that made songs like “Die Romantic” and “The Last Sunrise” perennial live favorites.

I was excited from the moment I’d heard the band start talking up “Conviction,” and delighted after the first few listens.  An ardent New Wave fan, I loved the idea of one of my favorite bands emulating New Order as it emerged from the ashes of the much darker Joy Division.  The band seemed equally excited and enthusiastic about this direction, and they played it with gusto.

Somewhere in the intervening years, however, the enthusiasm wore off.  Whether Aiden were never really that enthusiastic about “Conviction,” or the immature fan rantings finally wore them down, it seemed toward they end that the band almost became apologetic about the album.  “We’re sorry for stepping outside the box!  Please forgive us!  We won’t try that pushing creative boundaries thing ever again, we swear!”

After promising a record that would have all the lyrical maturity of “Conviction” with the sound of “Nightmare Anatomy,” the guys duly got their black on, cleared their throats for their best primal screams, and tore out a record (“Knives”) that feels more like the precursor to “Our Gangs Dark Oath” than the next step in the evolution of Aiden as musicians.  While there are still hints of Aiden’s catchy rhythms and Angel Ibarra’s melodic guitar, I found myself spending more time staring at my speakers in disbelief than enjoying a trip down memory lane.  The lyrics have devolved to ranting against religion, love, and virtually everything else that borders on shockingly immature at times, while the album’s themes in general scream of trying too hard to recapture the dark, gritty glee of “Nightmare Anatomy.”

Perhaps that is because frontman William Francis isn’t feeling particularly gleeful right now.  He wears his lyrical heart on his sleeve, and he makes it no secret that his albums come directly from his present mental state.  The great part about such raw honesty is that when you can relate to those emotions, the album resounds despite whatever other deficiencies may exist.  Of course, if you can’t relate you feel completely alienated from the album and from an artist you thought you “knew.”

This could be why “Conviction” worked for me.  Not only was it musically appealing, but the themes of contentment, hope, and love resounded with me.  Even “Nightmare Anatomy,” which was full of dark themes and imagery, constantly returned to the idea of hope.  (“This nightmare / won’t last long …”)

“Knives” feels hopeless.  The anger and despair seething through the record make it a chore for me to listen to, and I dread seeing the songs in concert.  I listen to my favorite bands’ music for pleasure, not to be assaulted, and it’s hard not to take it personally.  So, color me disappointed by “Knives,” but I’m not giving up on Aiden yet.

I guess all we “Conviction” lovers can do is wait for a better mood to strike.

Having eschewed the idea of releasing albums in favor of new, alternative methods of music distribution, the Smashing Pumpkins have released their latest song as the soundtrack to a commercial for the Hyundai Genesis.  The commercial premiered before the kickoff to the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Years into the digital music era, artists are still struggling to figure out how to make a living off their creations.  They have experimented with everything from stringent digital copyright protection to giving away music for free.  The Pumpkins have moved to what some may consider the bleeding edge of the music distribution model: releasing songs via new media (or mass media).

Some say the model is nothing new, and it has a name:  selling out.

Who wants honey / as long as there’s some money?

Corgan has already been attacked for the band’s direction as far as music releases go, with their decision to release their single “G.L.O.W.” as part of the new “Guitar Hero: World Tour.”  A lot of observers seem to have a difficult time resolving the Pumpkins’ desire to push forward in new directions while still capitalizing on the cachet they retain from their past successes.

At times, Corgan seems to struggle with resolving the two himself, alternating between cursing fans for failing to respect the band and its direction and earnestly pleading the band’s case for its choices.  He uses the monumental success of their mid-90s work as evidence that they know what they’re doing, then at other times is dismissive of it, saying in one interview that “We spun a roulette wheel and we got it right.”

Come align for the big fight / to rock for you

Having grown weary of battling record labels, bandmates, and anyone else who has complicated his creative life, Corgan and his new compatriots seem determined to blaze a new path through uncharted territory, even if it means going to war with Pumpkins fans themselves.

Corgan recently told the Chicago Tribune:

Our primary function now is to be a singles band, that drives Pumpkins Inc. through singles. We’ll still be creative, but in a different form. We won’t do shows like this anymore, where we try to draw a good crowd and balance the past with the present. We’ll go small and do exactly what we want to do and stop playing catalogue. We’ll be like a new band that can’t rely on old gimmicks. [. . .]  We don’t want a pat on the back: Good to have you back. We want a reaction, even if it’s a negative reaction.

Those fans are more than ready for what Corgan wants to offer:  music delivered in ways that are meaningful to them.  Fans will pay for what they perceive to be value (which generally means more than “just” music–they want a full “experience”), but as they’ve shown, they will quite vocally walk away when they feel they aren’t getting their money’s worth.

“Our intention is to work within popular [media] to bring counterculture, radical ideas into the mainstream,” Corgan said.  The mainstream is obviously receptive; the only question that remains is whether Corgan’s message is the one they’re waiting to hear.

The best things in life…

The Pumpkins got a payday, but it doesn’t have to come from your pocket.  For the price of an email address, you can download  F.O.L., courtesy of the Hyundai Genesis.

And if you missed it, check out the commercial here.

And one more thing.

I owe a special thanks to miss Julie M. T. for guiding me into and through all things Smashing Pumpkins.  Check out her poetry, cultural insights, and saga-in-many-parts about meeting Mr. Corgan himself at Gossip and the Devil.

My Chemical Romance have resurfaced from their extended break to release a video for their cover of Bob Dylan’s song “Desolation Row,” to be featured in the upcoming Watchmen movie.

The band announced the pending release on their blog yesterday, along with a link to a 30-second preview.  The full version is now available to download on iTunes for $1.99.

The song is a radical reworking of Dylan’s nine-minute-plus ballad, trimmed to a lean three minutes and given an aggressive, punk-style makeover that hearkens back to MCR’s I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love days.

Arriving at the sound was no accident, as Gerard Way told MTV News: “[It's] punk but not in a modern punk sense. We really went for that Sex Pistols-type sound . . .  In fact, when we did the guitars, we brought in Marshall heads and ’50s Les Paul customs. So basically, relative things set up as the Pistols to get that sound. And the mixing was done accordingly as well. It’s very distorted and it’s very trashy.”

As for the video, Gerard is back in his pale complexioned, red-rimmed eyed glory, looking again to the band’s past.  The entire band is outfitted in gritty punk style, with leather and studs abounding among reds, blacks, and whites and dirty denim.  Guitarist Frank Iero sports a tattered Union Jack on his jacket, another subtle nod to the obvious.

The punk homages don’t stop there, with Iero also rocking a Misfits-inspired hairdo, and even the ever carefully coiffed Mikey Way thrashing his mane into a mess that Sid Vicious could be proud of.

Glimpses of drummer Bob Bryar’s bloody mouth, guitarist Ray Toro’s equally bloody nose, and Gerard Way’s black eye and bandaged brow give a sinister vibe to the already gritty affair — foreshadowing for the video’s chaotic conclusion that set many a fangirl’s heart a flutter.

Despite Gerard and Mikey Way working on their respective comic books, Frank Iero touring with side project Leathermouth, and the others working on their own projects, it’s obvious that My Chemical Romance still have their amazing chemistry.  It’s a small comfort to see that commercial success, marriage, and family haven’t diminished My Chemical Romance’s ambition, or perhaps more importantly their dark sense of humor and flair for the dramatic.

U2 fans (including yours truly) were treated to a one-two punch of their much-missed Irish heroes Sunday and today.

On January 18, HBO broadcast the We Are One Inaugural Celebration, featuring such diverse performers as Beyonce, Usher, Jon Bon Jovi, and U2.

“What a thrill for four Irish boys . . . to honor you, sir.”

U2 have played to some magnificent backdrops–Slane Castle and Red Rocks among them–and the Lincoln Memorial was a fitting location for a moving rendition of “Pride (In The Name of Love).”  You could hear the emotion and the weight of the moment on Bono’s voice, and despite the bitter cold, every member of the band was beaming.  From there, the band segued into the soaring, hopeful “City of Blinding Lights,” which Bono dedicated to the man of the hour, President-elect Barack Obama.  A few creative lyrical changes only made the song more perfect for the moment.

Some have derided the Irishmen’s presence at the most American of celebrations, but I would argue no band has more faithfully and interestedly chronicled the American political and cultural experience of the past quarter-century like U2.  It’s most appropriate that they be present for this unprecedented time of change and rebirth.

If you missed the show, you can catch one of the rebroadcasts on HBO, or hbo.com.  Also, check out this YouTube video of U2’s performance.

Get On Your Boots

U2 followed their spectacular reemergence into the musical spotlight by releasing the first single from their forthcoming album, No Line On The Horizon, online.

You can listen to “Get On Your Boots” (and read the lyrics) for free at U2.com.

Apparently, Barack Obama’s Inauguration.

It’s been three months since Amanda Palmer’s blog about the future of the Dresden Dolls, where she described the issues the Dolls were experiencing and the reasons why partner/drummer Brian Viglione had said the band was “over.”

Despite the relish with which she has embraced her solo project and tour, it is obvious that the separation has been a painful one for Amanda.  She mentions seeing him at shows with the excitement of a kid sister getting a visit from big brother.  The joy with which she talked about playing with Brian on New Year’s Eve was palpable.

I think Amanda is just as excited about this  “reunion” as the most fervent Dolls fans.  Perhaps even more so.  Regardless, it’ll be great to see how the time apart has affected both Brian’s and Amanda’s onstage chemistry, and where (if anywhere) the Dolls will go from there.  Will they continue to move in their separate directions?  Or, will they not be able to stay away from each other?

I’m a big fan of electronic, experimental, and especially dance-rock music.  Because many of my favorite bands that fall in this genre don’t get a great deal of mainstream exposure, I count on recommendations from fellow music fans or services like Last.fm to find new music.

Two bands who have consistently come highly recommended for people with similar musical tastes to my own are MGMT and Cut Copy.  So, I decided to sample each band’s album and try to expand my horizons.

MGMT

MGMT’s album Oracular Spectacular starts out with the mellow single “Time To Pretend.” The sounds are lush and layered, with a 70s-pop vibe, almost Pink-Floyd-like.  The record chills even further with “Weekend Wars,” with the vocals evoking John Lennon.  As I sampled through the record, I kept waiting for something a bit more up-tempo, lest I fall asleep (or go out in search of some special brownies to complement the sound), but the closest  Oracular Spectacular ever comes is the Hustle-tempo “Electric Feel” and the head-bopping “Kids,” with its catchy synth hook.

Sounding like Arcade Fire with a little more of an electro bent, I can see why MGMT are indie darlings right now.  Quality musicianship aside, it certainly wasn’t what I was looking for, or expecting when I was recommended them as a fan of dance-rock and electro-pop.  This trippy duo is just a little too…  whoa, man….

Cut Copy

Greeted by a similar fluttery synth opening when I hit play on Cut Copy’s album In Ghost Colours, I feared I was going to go 0 for 2 in my quest for a new band to really get behind.  I was pleasantly surprised when opening track “Feel The Love” picked up a poppy background beat, the tempo a toe-tapping buoy for a sound every bit as lush and layered as that of MGMT.  The songs flow from one to another, something that appeals to me and is more common with dance-rock albums.  The dreamy little synth-effect interludes (“We Fight For Diamonds,” “Voices In Quartz,” “Silver Thoughts”) give the flow a bit of variety and help with the tempo changes.  Cut Copy approaches MGMT’s laid-back vibe on “Strangers In The Wind,” but they avoid getting too mired in the psychadelic haze, and halfway through the song the dance beat is back.

The music has an obvious club influence and wonderful flow.  It was easy for me to listen to this album straight through, rather than with MGMT’s, where I felt like I was slogging through, struggling to stay awake.  The 80s New Wave influences are everywhere, especially on single “Hearts on Fire,” which has New Order written all over it.

And the winner is…

Cut Copy’s In Ghost Colours.

These two albums and bands have far less in common than I would have believed upon having them recommended to me, and Cut Copy appeals to me more as a fan of new wave music.  MGMT feel like they get lost in all that sound — a little too meandering for me.  If anything, this is a prime example of how “Other Bands You Might Be Interested In…” can be like night and day.

In a letter to their fans posted this weekend, Innerpartysystem (my favorite discovery of 2008) wrote about the difficulties they’ve experienced getting exposure for the video to their single “Don’t Stop.”  The line, apparently, is that the video is too edgy, or too visually intense.  So, a bit reluctantly, the band remade the video.

Never ones to quietly bend over and just take what they’re given (someone must have misplaced the ball gags from the original video), Innerpartysystem have still managed to include plenty of subtly disturbing imagery.  They’ve even brought their creepy newscasters back to take in the new show, complete with quasi-Johnny Carson.

With the brutally overwhelming social commentary cut or at least softened, there is now room for the band to be showcased front and center.  While I know the guys have an aversion to pin-up superstardom — hence the obscuring shadow and backlighting — people like to see what they’re buying (or buying into).  A face makes it easier for the masses to relate to music that is a bit more challenging than your usual pop fare; it gives them something to connect with, an investment, something to keep them hooked while everything else sinks in.  It’s not always so much about selling the band’s image as it is making that personal connection.  This is why bands can make or break themselves live.

This is also where I think Innerpartysystem does themselves a great favor, because their live show adds hot blood and a pounding heartbeat to the already intense electronic beats and grinding guitars, which gives the music a dimension that isn’t possible on a recording.  The performance footage of the band in the new video gives a peek at that live show intensity, however, and adds a level of immediacy that wasn’t in the original video, which had a more cerebral and detached feel.

Innerpartysystem has had a banner year, coming up from obscurity to making a noticeable dent in both the UK and US music scenes.  I know it was a difficult decision to revisit the single and video they used to establish a baseline for what their band is about.  I think it was the right decision, though.  After capturing the attention of the music industry and fans of intelligent, provocative music and visuals, this reworking gives the band a chance to broaden their appeal and continue to develop new opportunities to get out their music and message.  It’s not a matter of redoing something that wasn’t done right the first time; it’s expanding and enhancing what’s already been done to take it to the next level.

Innerpartysystem are ready.