Hey California; Check out Gn’R all girl tribute band Paradise Kitty, on June 19 at Saint Rocke & 20 June at The Viper Room.
California
All posts tagged California
….with guests at Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, April 2, 2015
Thaw at the Shaw, Brought to you by local radio 100.3 The Bear, and attended by local radio legend Warren @thedieselbarris Barris.
TATS has generally been a sell out show. This year it seems headliner and former shock rocker Marilyn Manson wasn’t able to bring in a capacity crowd. Nevertheless, there were people a plenty.
Care Failure, herself no stranger to touring with Manson, this time with a fresh new line up for her Toronto based band Die Mannequin, was first up on the stage. Not a shock that they woke up the masses. Many had wondered how the new, less punk than normal, evil dance music, DM record, Neon Zero, would translate live. And the answer was provided right here.. It translates fucking perfectly, and is perhaps preferable in an “in your fucking face” setting. The fresh faces of Keith, Kevvy and J.C. seemed to fit well, and not a note was (noticeably) dropped. Failure played some older favorites, dropped to her knees to shred on her guitar, and left the stage as part of the show, a fairly standard night for her. She seemingly becomes possessed when performing, but never gives less than 125% of herself at a live show.
Genius that she is, Failure had the band perform the theme song for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which brought the crowd to an almost frenzied state. It’s pretty weird to hear a large crowd singing along for such a tune, but to see a room full of black, green and pink haired, block booted, frilly skirted, freaky contact lens wearing rock fans do it, is stunningly bizarre.
Die Mannequin spent a long time meeting fans and being especially gracious after their set, which was unfortunately not long enough. A return visit should be arranged soon.
California natives Deap Vally opened for Queens of The Stone Age at this very venue in 2013. At a time when Royal Blood are all over the radio, and being hailed for their uniqueness, Deap Vally are working their asses off, touring none stop, doing something twice as good as the British two piece, and yet the radio station that hosted this show, is not even giving them air play. Shame on you 100.3 The Bear. During the Deap Vally set, one particular gentleman appeared at the merchandise table, exclaiming that was blown over by the ladies and their live performance, which, when there are only two of you, to be good is something, to be fucking killing it, and have middle-aged dudes raving about it is not something that just happens overnight. Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards are rock stars. This accomplished duo has played at Glastonbury Festival, AND have made an appearance on Later With Jools Holland, a very popular, and long running show produced by BBC 2 in the UK, for appreciators of all music genres. This band doesn’t have a large catalogue, but you can bet your ass that when they make new music, it will never disappoint. Alas, another amazing performance cut short. But the crowd was there for Marilyn Manson, right?
Deap Vally also paid their dues, and hit the merchandise table after their set, and were both stunningly talented ladies were gracious and charming to all that approached.
So we still ask the question, were the crowd there for Manson? Well, he was there, and there was beer, and a long weekend on the horizon, so um, maybe.
Musically, this band is not at fault. Former Manson bassist Twiggy/Jeordie White has reunited with his old parter in crime, and was obviously a big pull. He also penned such tunes as Beautiful People and The Dope Show, so to see him perform them was likely a thrill for anyone in attendance that knows their Manson biography.
Manson himself is known as a smart, well-informed and savvy artist. This is his circus. He is undoubtedly the ringmaster, the leader of the pack, the man behind the mask. He is however, not well acclaimed for his live performance vocally. This was fairly obvious from the opening song Deep Six. But it’s all totally irrelevant. Now at an age where he would be an ass to parade in high heels and ladies lingerie, now looking a touch portly in his tunic style jacket, The Pale Emperor is so well established that the followers will be there, hell, high-water, or in this case, another dumping of snow. There are not many artists out there these days, that could persuade a room full of half cut metal heads to scream Hallelujah. Even at this most Christian of times that is Easter.
The sheer satire that is a Christian church, stained glass window style banner, with the face of one Brian Warner in the guise of a holy man says it all really!
HALLELUJAH, and Amen to that.
Edmonton needs more shows like this. Diverse artists, giving music fans a taste of new and exciting noise, with a little history for dessert. Local radio needs to take note and widen their horizons.
KG April 3 2015
The Hoax are a well known, talented blues band, based in England.
They are, in no particular order;
Jon Amor; Guitar, Mark Barrett; Drums, Hugh Coltman; Vocal and Harmonica, Jesse Davey; Guitar, Robin Davey; Bass Guitar.
TiTT recently had Drummer Mark Barrett answer some questions and we tried to get some usable answers. He did OK!
We asked Barrett to answer in one short paragraph, “who are The Hoax?” without using the words Blues or Rock.
His answer although not particularly short, was an honest one!
“In familial terms, my Brother asks me if I’m still ‘playing with my tin pot band.’ My Dad asks me if ‘I’m still jigging’, and my Mum just wants me to be happy. Outside of that, one fan described us as being ‘the best band in the world.’”
Before joining the best band in the world, Barrett was affiliated with rock drumming in the 80’s and early 90’s (we asked that he correct us if we are wrong here). How did he make the personal transition, or was it a case of getting himself heard, so he, like many others before him would take what you he get?
Barrett confirms what we thought was so. “At that time I was only interested in playing with as many bands as possible and those bands happened to be playing rock music, which was rife in my local area at the time. It didn’t matter to me whether the bands were rock, roll, soul, blues, or anything else. I think it’s important for any drummer to start playing with other musicians as soon as is possible, whatever they bring to the table. It is, in my opinion, the best way to learn how to communicate with music. Further on down the road, I was asked to play in a local blues band who had a bit of a reputation in the wider area and it was that band who really got my playing to where it is today.”
A bit more choosy and a lot more talented in 2014, he must have some influences. Musician or not! We asked him who or what they are?
Barrett is obviously in need of a more orderly sleep pattern at this point… as his reply suggests;
“The family hamster Hamlyn is my biggest influence. The way he goes about his business is enviable. He only really comes out at night time (which everybody knows is the right time), he keeps himself to himself and runs around his wheel tirelessly without complaint. Not only that, the area where he sleeps looks like the most comfortable place on earth. As well as Hamlyn, the biggest influence I have is my immediate family. You travel the world trying to find what you’re looking for and return home to find it.”
Travelling took The Hoax to Los Angeles, California, during the summer of 2013. At this time they were making new music. We wondered what they learned out there, individually and/or as a band? Did they even like the LA lifestyle?
Barrett seemed pretty impressed with west coast living, as he told TiTT “It was my first time in America and the visit challenged my previous views on America. The most influential thing I learned was that we could work as a band again. As for the LA lifestyle, in the two weeks I was there I’ve never felt so healthy, so the lifestyle must have agreed with me in some form or another. Good food, good company, and a good work ethic. To be honest, I didn’t really see much of the LA lifestyle as I was contained within the four walls of a recording studio, but the bits I did see were very enjoyable. To drive West down Sunset to the sea was something I’d always wanted to do. The only shame was that I didn’t have any jungle music on hand to turn down.”
So would he leave the UK for North America permanently if the deal was good enough?
The answer is simple “I’d leave the UK for any country if the deal was good enough.”
As we allow him to ponder his rental options in Venice, Ca, we ponder song writing and asked if, when The Hoax are writing a song, does each member hole up alone, or is there generally a group session?
As Barrett shakes the sand from his pants he shares that “For the Big City Blues record, we got together in a studio in California with only partially finished song! The rest of the songs for that album were written by the five of us on the day. We knew we had to have an album recorded in twelve days, so that forced us to come out with a finished song every day.”
As we are all well aware, with many modern and current blues bands, there is often a ZZ Top influence. The Hoax has a definite ZZ Top vibe in their music. We asked Barret if he was particularly influenced by ZZ Top and would he, or any other member of The Hoax consider growing a ridiculous beard for infamy?
The now fairly clean shaven drummer replied “I’ve gotta lotta respect for Frank Beard. I remember being asked to learn ZZ Top’s La Grange by a band in my home town and the first time I heard it I had real difficulty in understanding the part. Frank Beard’s shuffle was a beat I’d never heard before and learning that track was a labour of love for me. To me, it sounded like an engine turning over. As for beards, The Hoax have a history of outrageous facial hair. I myself sported a fantastic moustache for a tour a couple of years back, unfortunately it wasn’t suitable for picking up my daughter from school on a day to day basis, so it had to go. Needless to say, the band have never forgiven me.”
Hairy or smooth, The Hoax appear to have a solid following in Europe. TiTT wondered if the less stubbly one thinks that their sound translates well there and why? European music is so very different than what The Hoax present.
In his best regional dialect Barret replied “I wouldn’t call the music we play European at all, aside from the fact there are five English boys playing the music. But yes, Europe seems to like what we do, at least the countries we’ve played anyway. I think Europe is enjoying a renaissance in music. A music that has traditionally had its home in Africa and the USA.”
With any band it is always interesting to know hich members of the band took music lessons when they were younger and who is self taught? In such an accomplished band, you would probably expect the answer to be way different than the one we recieved!
Barrett tells it like it is; “As far as I know, I’m the only one who took formal lessons. My Mum and Dad insisted on it. I had a drum tutor come around to the house every week. He taught me how to read music and how to not over-tighten cymbals. He smelled heavily of garlic all the time, but claimed he’d never had a common cold in his life due to his penchant for garlic; which by the way I didn’t believe. Trying to prove my disbelief was difficult and after several weeks of drum tuition my chance came when out of nowhere I caught a cold. My plan was to sneeze into a jar, then immediately seal the jar thus preserving the cold virus. The next lesson came around and I got the infected jar out and left it open next to where he sat. The following week he arrived with a runny nose, a cough and a sneeze. I asked him if he was alright and he replied by saying “I’m fine thanks, Mark, just struggling with a bit of hayfever.” Of course, some might say it would have been easier just to sneeze directly on him but my method seemed more fun.”
Sneezing in jars! Voodoo? No, not even close, but it did make us wonder, is there a Hoax pre-show ritual? If so how did that come about. If not, what could you see yourself doing to make sure a show has the correct karma?
Again with a less than mainstream answer, Barrett tells; “I’ve long thought the best way to prepare for a show is for the band to have a huge falling out; a massive argument pre-show. That way the band takes to the stage with fire. Of course it doesn’t always work out that way as I’ve found out to my misfortune with other bands… Aside from that, individually wrapped peanuts and chocolate filled carrots seem to do the job for The Hoax.”
We figured for a bonus question we would talk clothes, as Barrett is somewhat of a fashionista in his own right.. So we got down to the real brief and asked “Do you wear lucky underwear? Ha, do you wear underwear at all?”
“I do not. In truth, luck plays no part.” Barrett replied.
So there you have it ladies. Now you know!
The Hoax have a UK tour in April 2014 and more European dates later in the year. For details click the links!
https://www.facebook.com/thehoaxuk?ref=ts&fref=ts
Tumblr page at http://thehoaxuk.tumblr.com for details.
Karen G March 28 2014
Photos by Darlo Dave
Santa Barbara boys Winchester Rebels are on a roll.
It seems that West Coast waters are becoming a touch unsettled.
New single Waters Rage is soulful, Melodic and kicking the ass of rock. Nick Hunt has an evolving and stronger vocal than the front man of yesteryear. He is leading them through the rough water and is bringing the band to the base of the mountain, they are going to climb it. It will not be too long before they hit the summit..
In the meantime, while we await their peaking, we can listen to the new single here..
http://winchesterrebels.com/wp/store/
Karen Graham Jan 24 2013
Another side project from Erik Turner of Warrant has just been unveiled.
I Saw Red is a double hitter it would seem. This time it comes in the form of a beautifully palatable Cabernet Sauvignon!
This Cabernet Sauvignon is bold rugged individualistic with dark and complex characteristics. Rich, concentrated character that is layered with ripe black cherry, cassis and blueberry jam fruit aromas are underscored with modest herbal scents and warm, smoky oak tones. Full bodied and velvety upon first taste, this is a supple wine with great varietal intensity.
Each bottle is hand signed and numbered by Warrant co-founder and guitarist, Erik Turner, who is also a partner in Down Boys Records with band bassist Jerry Dixon.
Details of the wine are as follows:
Vintage: None
Type: Red Wine
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13.8%
Harvest Date: Various
Bottling Date: July 2012
Wine Volume: 50ML
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber; genius or gimp?
When Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote and produced Cats, Starlight Express and Evita he totally missed out an integral part of Musical Theatre. Jumpsuits and gimp masks. He came very close with Phantom of the Opera, but he left it just a little too late and Slipknot jumped in and finely honed it to psychotic perfection.
OK, you cannot really sing along with Slipknot in the manner that you could to Don’t Cry For Me Argentina or I know Him So Well. But you don’t need to, it’s really not required in this setting. You already know that Corey Taylors re-creation of Marvin The Paranoid Android is gonna be in your face, flip you off, scream fuck you and be self-destructive in a manner bound to give you the shivers. What at first you don’t realize, is that seven other crazy mother fuckers are gonna join in and give you the choreographed orgasm that Jenna Jameson failed to provide.
This band is all about show. You could add Opera or Classical music to the backing soundtrack, it would still kick you in the balls and slap you in the face, perhaps not quite as hard as Slipknots home grown thunderclap, but the effects would be similar.
This band has worked perfectly to create a flow, a story and a show that gives you no escape, you watch, mesmerized and you are hooked until the very end, when you request a strait jacket and a ride to the closet nut house.
See you in solitary…fuckers.
WARNING: for those with sensitive hearing, please wear earplugs or defenders; the show contains very loud thunderclaps
Dedicated to my nephew Kyle