Fuel for America's Economy!|
Winter 2003 Musical Notes |
Shifting Gears: WIsdom for the Road
Jeff Ball: The sound of the American Indian
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Fuel for America's Economy!"Loved your creative music, It is so great that you have captured a sense of America. I believe that everyone should have a copy of your CD, Shifting Gears, to get a sense of the heart you have captured in your creation."
Gary Yamamoto, President Self-Navigation Institute Change-Age Leadership
This CD is getting to the biker community. The songs will touch your heart, have you smiling and entertain every vein in you.
Lyrics are created by some biker/musicians who get to the rhythm, the pulse, the emotions, the nuts and bolts of it. Take this CD for a spin. Share the love of artist who created this CD of songs to remember.
"SHIFTING GEARS "- take it for a spin on the open road. The CD, created to prevent strokes punctuated with wit and wisdom, puts your mind and body at ease.
This CD makes you drive more alive for the music and will give you a lift with every shift . You'll be playing it over and over again. What a CD. One of a kind. You're going to love
Stuart Miller, Author of The Biker Code: Wisdom for the Ride, Simon & Schuster, sold fifty-five thousand copied in reprint.
Jeff Ball and his band -- who are generally credited for moving the sound of American Indian wood-flute playing out of the traditional native arena and into modern music with the addition of guitars, keyboards, bass and a drum kit -- now celebrate the winter season on their latest instrumental album, Songs of Winter, featuring both timeless classics and new melodies.
Although completely respectful to the Native American culture, Ball's music speaks a more contemporary and universal language than most American Indian flutists which makes his recordings and concerts strongly appealing to a broad and diverse audience.
Along with keyboardist and guitarist Sennen Quigley, bassist Randy Ball (Jeff's brother), and drummer and percussionist Ted Natale, Jeff Ball creates music that ranges from the quietly meditative to spacey-progressive-alternative to friendly rock'n'roll.
All of this and more is evident on the new Songs of Winter which captures the spirit of all the holidays that come between autumn and spring -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter solstice and others from a variety of cultures.
"On some of the material, we were trying to musically reproduce the exhilarating feeling of being outside in the cold, everything lit at night by the moon, and the snow falling through the trees," explains Jeff. "But in addition we wanted to get the warmth of coming indoors, being with friends and family, and celebrating the holidays. 4ut let's face it, winter also can be that time of year that is a bit dark and sad, so there are moments of that in the music as well."
Ball is most proud of what he accomplished with the flute on the traditional tunes -- "Greensleeves," "Silent Night," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Jesus Jesus Rest Your Head,n "O Holy Night" and UAuld Lang Syne.n
"Because American Indian flutes have fewer notes than classical metal flutes, it's difficult to utilize a full range of notes from the European scale. But I was determined to play ALL the notes on these classic melodies even though it was a time-consuming and daunting task. It took delicate fingerwork and breathwork, playing half-hole and three-quarter-hole notes. If you are patient you can find a lot of the notes that some people claim are not there. This may be the first time that these old hymns have had all their notes played on a native wood flute."
Songs of Winter also includes a complete reworking of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" ("It just felt right and seemed to fit with the other seasonal music."). Filling out the recording are three original pieces -- "Through the Eyes of Innocence" ("You never forget your first snowfall, sled ride or Christmas tree"), ~Winter Without You" ("How hard it is to be separated from your loved ones") and "November."
"On the traditional songs, we tried to reach back and find that spark of excitement that moved us when we were young and first heard the tunes which have become so synonymous with these seasonal holidays," Jeff explains. "But we tried to bring something new musically to each piece as well."
"Silent Night" features Randy Ball on dobro; "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" includes handbells which tease at the "Carol of the Bells" melody ("We went to the darkside on that one"); and "O Holy Night" uses a big church organ ("We wanted an old world feel on it").
Songs of Winter is Ball's sixth nationally-released album. He has been playing wood flute since 1992.
"lt wasn't until I went to the International Native American Flute Association Convention that I realized, from what flute players there said, that my music has influenced them as musicians."
Also spreading Ball's reputation is a book he wrote about playing this type of flute. First published in 1994 with a cassette of musical examples (now available with a CD), Trailhead of the American Indian Courting Flute remains the basic instructional primer.
Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, and still a resident of that state, Jeff comes primarily from a Scotch-lrish heritage with "according to family legend, a few drops of Indian blood, just enough to help me play wood-flute."
Jeff grew up listening to pop music like Billy Joel and Prince, smooth jazz such as George Benson and Al Jarreau, world instrumental acts like Voyage, and movie soundtracks ("I liked the orchestral storytelling").
After showing a passing interest in harmonica, Ball went to a powwow and heard a Native American flute player and also purchased a Douglas Spotted Eagle album.
"Once I heard that native flute sound, I couldn't get enough of it. My biggest influences when I got my first flute in 1992 were Douglas Spotted Eagle, R. Carlos Nakai and Tsaine Dose. I also knew some Indian groups in Virginia and they introduced me to a Choctaw flute player named Windtamer who gave me some valuable tips early on. But at some point for any musician, it becomes a personal journey."
Jeff says he learned as much as possible about flute playing from many sources.
"l read everything I could get my hands on about the Native American culture and history. At Indian gatherings I listened to their stories; I joined them in sweat lodges; and I got some sage advice from a Chipewa medicine man. He suggested I try playing the treeline. Now whenever I am playing outside I use the horizon and the landscape to influence the direction my music goes."
Ball's first album was the locally-distributed solo flute Dancing in the Wind. He went national with his next recording Mixed Blood, which also included his brother on bass and some other instruments.
These albums were followed with Reverence, the solo flute Windtamer (in honor of his first flute advisor), Cedar Moon (a tribute to romance and the courting flute) and Prairie Runner (the title track is about the American buffalo). Cedar Moon won the "Native Heart" category at the Native American Music Awards. Prairie Runner is "more of a jam album, more similar to what we do in concert" and includes a cover of Steve Miller's UFly Like- An Eagle~ with the group Walela on vocals.
Jeff first began playing with a band when Sennen, Randy and Ted -- who were all in a popular regional alternative rock band called Blue Yard Garden -- showed up at Jeff's solo concerts without their vocalist and began sitting in.
It went so well that they began recording together. Quigley, who first hit the national recording scene with the rock-ska band Dog Fashion Disco, brought influences as diverse as U2, Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Randy Ball, who has been playing bass since 1988, draws inspiration from musical acts such as Bela Fleck, Nictor Wooten and Martin, Medeski & Wood. Natale's influences range from the soul of James Brown and Stevie Wonder to the alternative-rock of Counting Crows and The Sundays. Meanwhile, Jeff has been listening in more recent years to Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan, Sting, Jesse Cook and George Winston.
"We don't play traditional American Indian songs," Jeff says. "When the Indians first started making flutes hundreds of years ago, they were only used by young men for courting. They would go out into the woods and listen to the wind in the trees or the birds singing; and each flute-player came up with his own music to play for the woman of his choice. That individuality is the tradition I am following. I am simply trying to convey a mood or feeling. There is no point in copying what others are doing. We want to create a new path in our genre. This isn't our ancestor's flute music. This is American wood-flute music for the modern age."
Out Of Ireland - From and Whisper To A Scream DVD
Featuring U2, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, The Cranberries and many others....
New York, NY (October 20, 2003) - This November 4th, Eagle Rock Entertainment will present the living history of Irish rock with the release of Out of Ireland - From A Whisper To A Scream on DVD. From its humble beginnings in overcrowded dance halls and beat clubs to the glittering venues where it is played today, this documentary highlights the evolution of Irish popular music, showcasing musical artists U2; Sinead O'Connor; The Cranberries; and Van Morrison, among others. Out of Ireland will be available beginning November 4, 2003 on DVD for $20.98.
Out of Ireland documents the extraordinary individuals who participated in making the small country of Ireland a major player in popular music of recent decades. Interviews with Van Morrison, Bono, The Edge, Bob Geldof, Sinead O'Connor, The Corrs, Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries, Ronan Keating of Boyzone, Maire Brennan of Clannad, and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, among others, along with rare archival footage and live performance clips, create an electrifying film presenting highlights from over 30 years of Irish popular music.
Them, Thin Lizzy, The Boomtown Rats, Rory Gallagher, The Pogues, The Boyzone, and Riverdance are among other artists featured in this comprehensive yet fast-paced study of the evolution of contemporary Irish music. The film was produced and directed by David Heffernan, who is known for his two films about the Velvet Underground (Curious and Velved Redux) and BBC's Classic Albums series, profiles on Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac.
Eagle Rock Entertainment develops, acquires and produces music programming for a wide range of notable and high profile artists, which the company distributes on a worldwide basis. Eagle Rock Entertainment, Eagle Vision and Eagle Eye Media are wholly owned divisions of Eagle Rock Group, LTD.
The Persuasions: A Cappella Dreams
New York, NY (October 1, 2003) -In their four decades performing together, the Persuasions have covered a lot of territory. Some of their stylistic roaming is evident in their last few recordings, which included a children's record (On the Good Ship Lollipop), a gospel collection (Sunday Morning Soul), and tributes to Frank Zappa (Frankly A Cappella), the Grateful Dead (Might As Well...), and the Beatles (... Sing the Beatles- CheskyJD220).
But over the years, the group has also logged some serious miles driving from town to town to deliver their a cappella message. To entertain themselves while on the road, they sing old favorites: songs they perform in their shows, their own versions of songs of the day, and, of course, the good old stuff they've known since they were kids. Any true Persuasions fan is probably jumping up and down now, screaming "Let me drive!"
Sorry, Charlie insurance regulations, you know. But this disc is the next best thing. It's the good stuff, songs the band has known and jammed on and thought about for many years. So sit back and letJerry Lawson take the wheel.
Not has Lawson, lead and baritone, Jayotis Washington, baritone, Jimmy Hayes, bass, Ray Sanders, first tenor, and Joe Russell, second tenor, been cited as pioneers of the popular a cappella scene, influencing such groups as Boys II Men, Take 6 and Rockapella, they have never rested on their "Muhammad Ali" status in the world of unaccompanied music.
With nearly 8000 performances; over 20 records spanning the genres of gospel, Christmas music, children's music, the music of Frank Zappa, the music of The Beatles and the music of the Grateful Dead; and multiple television specials under their collective belts, The Persuasions continue their legacy as they pay homage to their influences by performing some of their favorite songs.
Who were The Persuasions influences? Joe Russell would say The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Soul Stirrers, and all those gospel greats; Jimmy Hayes would say Jimmy Rix & Melvin Franklin; Jay Washington would say Louis Jordan; Ray Sanders would say The Temptations; and Jerry Lawson would so Brook Benton and Elvis Presley. Believe it or not, Elvis was a big influence on the group. That being said, The Persuasions do some serious jus~ice to their influences and to the songs recorded on this magnificent recording.
Chesky Records' signature 96kHZ/ 24-bit recording technology allows you to enjoy the "kings of a cappella" with a level of clarity comparable to that of a live performance. If you listen close to "I Have a Dream," and "In the Ghetto" you'll swear you hear female voices.... And you do! The Persuasions are joined by Barbara Tucl;er aayotis' daughter), and their friends Dawn Tallman and Michelle Hutcherson making this recording a true family affair, and a rare must have for any collector.
Chesky Records, the Grammy Award-winningJazz, Pop, World and Classical audiophile label is distributed nationally by Telarc. A Cappella Dreams was available domestically on October 28, 2003.
For more information, contact: Endeavor Promotions T. 707-722-4066 or 707-722-4055
Widely considered the most original and influential DJ, producer and creative catalyst in modern music, Paul Oakenfold has lent his form
idable talents to an encyclopedic array of major artists - everyone from Madonna to U2; Dave Matthews to Moby; Ice Cube to Incubus and beyond.
But with "Perfecto Presents...Paul Oakenfield: Great Wall," his historic new album on Sire/Reprise Records, the master mixer has actually interfaced with a monument of an entirely dfflerent variety. As its title suggests, Great Wall was recorded live at the Great Wall of China, marking the first time a western artist has ever perfommed at the only manmade object visible from outer space. Featuring the mesmeric new single UHypnotized," Great Wall is a sonic landmark of staggering proportions and a fitting leap forward for an artist who, almost single handedly, has championed the perfomming role of DJ and mixer to a huge international audience.
Consider: over the past few years, the London born, L.A.-based Oakenfold has emerged as one of the most in-demand artists both in the studio and on stage, as well as in soundtrack realms.
He is the first electronic artist ever to be inducted into the Guinness Book of Records, the only DJ to have a display in the Hard Cafe's Rock and Roll Museum, and also the first DJ ever to headline the Hollywood Bowl, where he performed before an audience of 15,000 plus.
He has helmed chart topping remixes for, among many, Madonna ("American Lifen) and Justin Timberlake ("Rock Your Body") and his smash 2002 album, Bunkka, featured guest vocal performances by the likes of Nelly Furtado, Tricky, Perry Farrell and the peripatetic Hunter S. Thompson.
His music has graced such major feature films as Planet Of The Apes, Matrix: Reloaded, Swordfish and Austin Powers and, as a live attraction he was the headlining DJ on Moby's massive Area:One North American tour, as well as racking up gold sales for his prior mixed album, Another World.
Suffice it to say, Oakenfold has been front and center on an extraordinary variety of groundbreaking endeavors, earning in the process a high profile reputation for innovation that reached a new peak with the Great Wall concert.
"Over the last year and half, I've really concentrated on doing unusual shows," explains Oakenfold on the impetus for his precedent-setting concert and album. "I was in Alaska and Havana before going to China, which took a year to organize and set up because you have to get government permission to perform at the Great Wall. Fortunately I've been able to pave the way by touring extensively through China for the past six years. I've played in Guangxi, Shan Xian, Beijing, Shanghai and, of course, Hong Kong. There's twenty-one major cities in China," he adds with a laugh, "and I'm working my way around to all of them."
With the bureaucratic hurdles cleared, Oakenfold and his crew performed on the Wall in the midst of a rainstorm. "The party started at sunset and went to sunrise, and halfway through it started raining. I must admit we panicked a bit, but the Chinese loved it, because rain means good luck and they were all dancing with their faces turned up into the sky. It was a wonderful experience, especially because, as a DJ, I'm interested in taking my music out of the nightclub and into other realms."
It's an ambition well suited to Oakenfold's emphasis on live performing. UThe most enjoyment I get is playing music to people," he asserts. "You are directly in contact and it is really stripped down to the bone. You're really in their face and you can judge the reaction right in the moment, good or bad:"
It's that same immediacy and urgency that ignites Perfecto Presents ...Paul Oakenfold: Great Wall. The deluxe, two CD set features nineteen riveting remixes, including such standout Oakenfold alchemy as Bjork's UPagan Poetry," Madonna's "Hollywood," Dave Gahan's "Dirty Sticky Floors" and the above mentioned Oakenfold original, "Hypnotized." Extended remixes of key Great Wall tracks are also being made available in a six-sided vinyl edition.
"You don't realistically work out what you play beforehand," remarks Oakenfold on the creative strategy behind Great Wall. "I took six hours of music with me and moved it around from trance to progressive to breaks to house and the crowd just followed. I took them on a musical journey and they went with me."
From the fierce opening chords of "What Do You Want From Me?" to the humor of "The Song That Didn't Rhyme," "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" is not only the album Alice has wanted to make for a decade, but the album that Alice's fans have been waiting for him to make.
Which should come as no surprise, because, in case you hadn't noticed, there's been a veritable explosion of exciting new rock and roll bands recently -- The White Stripes, the Vines, the Strokes, and their brethren -- and you can almost feel the umbilical cord connecting these bands back to the power of the original Alice Cooper sound.
According to Alice, "when I began hearing these new bands, they all sounded fresh and exciting, but they also sounded familiar because it's so similar to t
he music we made when we were starting out. It's the kind of rock and roll I have always loved to listen to and always loved to create.
I realized that I had been wanting to do an album like this for so long, and it came together so quickly."
Using the tried-and-true two guitars, bass and drums line-up (adding keyboards and a few other musical textures later), Alice and his band -- longtime guitarists Eric Dover and Ryan Roxie, longtime drummer Eric Singer, plus new bassist Chuck Garric -- blasted through 13 new songs at a rapid pace
All the songs had been co-written by Alice with Dover and Roxie, and "woodshedded" at Dover's home studio and pal Gilby Clarke's home studio in the months preceding the recording.
To hear Alice Cooper tell it, the story of how "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" came to life is one of coincidence. Or fate, depending on your philosophy of life.
"I was working with the band at Mates Rehearsal Studios at the end of May," recalls Alice, "and I was telling Bobby Brunner, who runs the place, how excited I was about the new songs we were coming up with, and he introduced me to a friend of his."
"Oh, that's YOU in that rehearsal room -- that stuff sounds great," enthused the friendly stranger.
"He asked me who was going to produce the album," Alice said, "and i told him I wasn't sure, we were talking to a few different producers."
"I'm a producer" came the immediate response.
So...Alice asked "have you produced anything I might have heard or liked?"
The answer was "the first two Godsmack albums and also Powerman 5000. My name is Andrew Murdock, but I work under the name Mudrock."
And thus an album was born, as Alice invited Mudrock into the rehearsal room to hear the songs and meet the band.
Here's where that coincidence/fate thing really kicks in. As it happened, Alice and the band had a very short window of time in which to try to record the new album, as they were leaving on tour in only 5 weeks, on June 30. As it happened, Mudrock had just had a project postponed, leaving him with a gap in his schedule the size of June. As it happened, Mudrock loved the songs and the band and Alice (of course), and loved Alice's ideas about how to record the album.
"I want to record this album as LIVE as possible, "Alice told him, "everyone playing at the same time, and just a few essential overdubs."
"If you want to make a garage band style rock and roll album, then don't go into a traditional recording studio," replied Mudrock, continuing "sometimes attitudes change inside the cozy confines of a recording studio. There's an empty room right across the lot here at Mates that we can turn into a makeshift recording studio, and we won't lose the garage ambience."
Introducing "The Eyes of Alice Cooper." Born of happenstance, or is it fate? An album Alice Cooper has been thinking about making for ten years, finally, the right place at the right time. And the right album.
Make no mistake about it, this is an album recorded by a rock and roll band, not a bunch of session guys. Drummer Eric Singer has been with Alice since 1990, and has also worked with Kiss, and Queen's Brian May & Roger Taylor. Ryan Roxie has been with Alice since 1996, and he has also worked with Tal Bachman and Slash's Snakepit. Eric Dover, who joined up with Alice in 2001, came from Jellyfish and Imperial Drag. And new bassist Chuck Garric worked previously with Dio.
That band vibe is among the reasons that there's such a "classic Alice" feel throughout the record, though the sound is thoroughly contemporary at the same time.
Though "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" is not a concept album in the sense of a unifying theme or storyline, it is most definitely a concept album in the way it was conceived and created. Following on the heels of Alice's previous two albums ("Brutal Planet" and "Dragontown"), this album is an abrupt and significant musical and Iyrical departure, which should come as no surprise because one thing Alice Cooper has never been is predictable. The concept this time: keep it simple and let it rock.
And rock it does, loud and clear, as Alice and the band let the music do the talking.
One listen to potential future Cooper classics like "Man Of The Year" or "What Do You Want From Me?," with the ringing guitars of Dover and Roxie atop the powerhouse rhythm section of Singer and Garric shows a band at the peak of their powers, and Alice singing with a passion and intensity that shows he, too, is at a creative peak.
"Detroit City," which features additional guitar from the MC5's Wayne Kramer (who just happened -- there's that word again -- to drop by Gilby's studio when Alice and the band were working there), is a tribute to the early days of the Detroit rock scene, when Alice, Iggy Pop & Stooges, MC5, Ted Nugent, etc. were blazing a trail since followed by Kid Rock, Eminem, the Insane Clown Posse, and most recently the White Stripes. Is it something in the water there?
Whether it's the ballad, "Be With You Awhile," or the creepy "This House is Haunted," or the in your face rock of "Spirits Rebellious," Alice's sense of melody and his clever Iyrics shine through.
Delving deeper into the album, songs like "Bye Bye Baby," "Love Should Never Feel This Way," "Novocaine," and "Between High School & Old School" sound immediately familiar, showcasing Alice's knack for melodic rock. Keeping in mind that Alice Cooper has been responsible for some of the greatest rock radio hits, like "School's Out, "Elected," "I'm Eighteen," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Billion Dollar Babies," and "Poison," just to name a few, it should come as no surprise that "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" is filled with instantly memorable, guitar-driven songs.
There are blasts of hard rock as well, as evidenced by "I'm So Angry," and "Backyard Brawl," showing that Alice and the band can put the pedal to the metal anytime they choose.
If you ask Alice, meeting Mudrock so serendipitously was just another sign that the time was right for this album. '~e'd been talking about some of the records we listen to and like, and Mudrock's work kept coming up. That he might actually be next door never occurred to us. And he helped us make exactly the album we wanted to make."
And if you ask Mudrock what attracted him to the album, once he gets past all the "always wanted to work with Alice Cooper" stuff, he'll tell you flat out: "There are so many great songs on this album, performed by a great band with a great lead singer who just happens to be one of the true icons in rock and roll history. It just doesn't get any better than this."
"The Eyes of Alice Cooper" marks a bold step forward for Alice Cooper, with a nod to his past. A very contemporary rock and roll album from a very classic rock and roll legend.
It really doesn't get any better than this.
MAVERICK RECORDS TO RELEASE SOUNDTRACK FOR QUENTIN TARANTINO'S KILL BILL
Soundtrack to Feature Music by Issac Hayes, The RZA and Nancy Sinatra Hitting Stores on September 23, 2003.
(Los Angeles, CA) Kill Bill Volume 1, Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated feature project, is set to hit theatres on October 10th. As with all of Tarantino's movies, music is an integral part of his filmmaking and the soundtrack is destined to be a huge hit with both fans and critics alike.
Set for release September 23rd on Maverick Records, Kill Bill Vol. 1 will feature such songs as, Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", RZA's "Ode to Oren Ishii", "Run Fay Run" by Isaac Hayes and "The Flower of Carnage" by Meiko Kaji among others. With a stellar track record for helming innovative and exciting soundtracks, Tarantino is arguably the most music-sawy of '90s filmmakers and has once again put together the perfect combination of tracks from the past and present, making this a disc fans won't want to miss.
This marks the second time Maverick Records has partnered with Tarantino and his partner Lawrence Bender, through their A Band Apart production company, for a soundtrack release. In December 1997 Maverick released the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Tarantino hit, Jackie Brown. The soundtrack, a collection heavy on '70s R&B (Bobby Womack, Brothers Johnson, Bill Withers, Minnie Ripperton) peppered with obscurities (Johnny Cash singing "Tennessee Stud," a track from blaxploitation queen/Jackie Brown star Pam Grier) and snatches of dialogue, was an instant hit with critics and fans alike and has gone on to sell over 1.2 million worldwide.
Kill Bill, starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Darryl Hannah and David Carradine, as "Bill," is produced by Bender and Tarantino through A Band Apart.
Uma Thurman is going to "Kill Bill," in Tarantino's latest film about a former assassin betrayed by her boss, Bill (David Carradine). Four years after surviving a bullet in the head, "The Bride" (Thurman) emerges from a coma and swears revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of international assassins, played by Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and Darryl Hannah.
Ryan McAllister - vocals/guitars
Brook Winstanley - guitars
Shane Dueck - bass
John Biondolillo- drums
It's not often that a young band's major label debut shows the Iyrical depth and sonic sophistication of a seasoned rock outfit. But on their first U.S. recording, Perfect Change (Maverick Recordings), the Vancouver based Dakona have done just that. Perfect Change is both current and timeless, intimate and epic.
The rock quartet has a lush, atmospheric quality that combines heady guitar textures with deep, fluid grooves and piercingly beautiful melodies. Their album, produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day), Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace), mixed by Randy Staub (P.O.D., Nickelback), Tom Lord-Alge (Weezer, Avril Lavigne), drives and uplifts with emotionally charged songs of soulful grit and grace.
Dakona came together six years ago, when Ryan McAllister and cousin John Biondolillo teamed up with friends Shane Dueck and Brook Winstanley. The quartet spent the next several years locked away in a decrepit barn-turned-rehearsal space developing a sound that would eventually become their own.
Along the way, they built a fastidiously loyal following throughout Canada and Seattle, playing-as McAllister puts it- "anywhere and everywhere: high schools, parking lots, waterslides, wherever anyone would listen. We even played a hospital benefit once where we opened for a sex therapist that was doing a question and answer session for teens," he laughs. "Certain shows you try to forget."
In 1998, the blue-collar band went the D.l.Y. route and released Good Enouqh For Me to rave reviews. Two years later, they followed up with Ordinarv Heroes, which became the number one independent selling album in Vancouver, garnering both local radio play and record company interest. .
After fielding offers from a number of labels, they chose Maverick, and headed into a Toronto studio with producer Arnold Lanni. As the band would soon find out recording a major label debut is no small task.
"We were still growing as a band," says Winstanley. "It was our first experience in a professional recording studio, and in the end we all felt that we needed to rethink our approach to the album. We had suddenly acquired a budget to record with, but money means nothing without the magic"
So the band wrapped up the Lanni sessions with an unfinished album and a ton of questions about what their next move would be.
Two months later the band packed their bags again, setting off on the course that would eventually result in Peffect Chanqe. That path headed south and into the hands of Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo. After just 18 days in the studio they had nailed the album.
"In Toronto, we took a very methodical thought-out process where we tried everything to find the right part," explains McAllister. "With Rob, we'd talk about each song for 20 minutes and then cut it and it was done. We were looking for something more spontaneous. And we found it."
McAllister, a gifted Iyricist who writes songs rich with imagery, is intent on connecting with the emotions of the listener. On Peffect Chanqe, the singer turns a sharp eye to the world outside his window and looks for the light in a landscape littered with broken promises, lost souls and lonely hearts. His deeply affecting wordplay and evocative vocals give the record an intensity that has little to do with amp settings. Simply put, it's an album for those who remember how to really listen.
On "Revelation," he finds a friend standing at the crossroads and torn between directions. McAllister explains: "It's about a man who is utterly broken. It's a song about that instant where you decide between what you know you want to do and what you should do. It's a plea for direction. . . a plea for guidance."
"Revolving," speaks of the damage done when one doesn't possess the strength to walk away from a broken relationship. McAllister sums up the song with the impassioned Iyric, "I should go and make this clear / But instead I will hang like a cheap chandelier / Over you, over you, over you." "That's by far the most personal track on the record," says McAllister.
Other highlights include the album's first single, "Good," an infectious piece of urban imagery that delves deeper with each listen and "Trampoline," a song about finding peace in the midst of unanswerable questions. "Richest Man in the World" speaks of immaterial wealth while "In God's Name," one of the most affecting tracks on the album, explores the hypocrisy of the evil that is done in the name of religion.
After navigating their way through the growing pains of industry infancy, after keeping their heads above water through bidding wars and production difficulties, Dakona is finally ready to take their shot at the mainstream. With Peffect Chanqe, their aim is dead on.
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS SOUNDTRACK SET FOR NOVEMBER 4TH RELEASE ON MAVERICK RECORDS
On November 4th, 2003, Maverick Records will proudly release the soundtrack to The Matrix Revolutions, the final installment of the epic Matrix trilogy, on the eve of the film's unprecedented global release.
Music From The Motion Picture The Matrix Revolutions will feature over an hour of oniginal music by composer Don Davis, who also scored the two previous installments, The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded, as well as tracks from Juno Reactor and Pale3.
In The Matrix Revolutions, the rebels' long quest for freedom culminates in an explosive battle. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense to stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war.
Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, The Matrix Revolutions will be released worldwide on November 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
Evolution can be a scary thing.
seems like just yesterday that Static-X were the venerable newcomers on the heavy metal block, the release of Wisconsin Death Trip in 1999 serving as a coming-out party for the Los Angeles quartet's molten hybrid. Equal parts heavy metal and industrial thunder, hook laden and songwriting savvy, they scraped the senses with the untempered energy of digital screams and mosh pit mayhem.
The debut went platinum, and it's follow-up, Machine, has been certified gold as the band toured side-by-side with the biggest names in music, from Reinventing The Steel tour alongside Pantera and Slayer, to Family Values tour with Linkin Park, Staind and Stone Temple Pilots, and amongst Black Sabbath, Godsmack, P.O.D. and Queens Of The Stone Age on OZfest 2000.
Now, with the release of Shadow Zone, frontman Wayne Static, guitarist Tripp Eisen, bassist Tony Campos and drummer Nick Oshiro stand armed and dangerous, equipped with an album that bleeds with the conviction we've come to expect, and slams with the crushing fury of a monster truck run amok.
While it may sound cliche to call the release their strongest effort to date, anything less wouldn't do the band justice, as the songs have evolved from brute slabs of sonic fury to fine-tuned acts of musical misanthropy.
"I can't compare this to the other two albums at all, because it was an entirely different experience this time," says Static of the new release. "Tripp was in there this time, and it was the first time I ever had a songwriting partner. It was a very refreshing experience, because he wrote some of the songs, and all I had to deal with was putting the vocals to them. I try to look at music as a challenge, and in a way I think this record sounds a lot more well-rounded."
Granted, it was Eisen's first time in the studio with Static-X-he joined the band immediately following the recording of Machinc but it's Static who was most responsible for Shadow Zone's jagged depths.
"The funny thing is, most of the traditional Static-X-style songs on the record are the ones that Tripp wrote," he says when asked about the vocal melodies that manifest themselves throughout the album.
"I mean, you always want to push yourself and stretch-it gets kind of boring if you do the same shit over and over again-and I think that when I did 'Not Meant For Me' for the Queen Of The Damned soundtrack, that was real singing, and I had never done that with Static-X. People responded really well to it, and it was a lot of fun, so I figure that I might as well go for it..."
The results are an album with vocal hues as colorful as the music that carries them. Lead single "The Only" introduces a crisper, cleaner sounding Static, industrial-strength bites and barks replaced by a melodic texture that makes the music even more impacting.
From crisper and cleaner, to downright eerie on "So," where emotion and distress take center stage on one of the most haunting songs of the band's catalog. It's that variety, though, that makes Shadow Zone such an inviting place.
"In past bands, I have done everything from acoustic songs to speed metal/death metal stuff, and I think this new album is a culmination of every type of genre I have ever done," says the frontman. "Before, we were trying to be a little dHfferent, trying everything we could to try to differentiate ourselves, and I spent more time disguising my Iyrics and trying to not sound too personal. Now, I don't really care about that anymore. Now, Static-X is who we are, and I just want to write great songs and see what we can build upon."
So in addition to the savagery of "Destroy All" and the pulverizing effect of "Kill Your Idols," you've got the somber aura of the album's closer, "Invincible, a headfirst dive into a twisted psyche. And Static isn't the only one with a conscience, as Eisen's political savvy shines through the mirth on "Dead World." "That's a song that has some of my Iyrics,r says the guitarist, reciting "Sometimes I wish I could see beyond this dead world. . .The verses, the Iyrics that I wrote are philosophical; describing how this world and our culture has been brought down because of governmental policies that are just destroying the free market system. We are living in a dead world and it's just going to get worse unless we realize how to tum it around."
"Writing with Tripp was kind of strange at first, because I'd never really written with anyone before," admits Static, "but we really got into a rhythm with things and figured out how to communicate..."
"And we communicate really well," Eisen adds of the quanet. "We all worked on these songs. There are thirteen songs on the new album, and each song has its own history and way it was written. There are a couple of songs where I wrote all the music and Wayne wrote the Iyrics, some of them were full band efforts, and there's even one song from a few years ago that we re-worked. We wrote a couple songs all together, jamming, like the first single, "The One That was the first one we all wrote together as a full band."
The newest addition to the Static-X camp is drummer Nick Oshiro, who quickly established himseH as the perfect successor to departed drummer Ken Jay, and the ideal player to fill the parts laid down by Josh Freese [A Perfect Circle] in the studio. Despite the fact that Static and Campos are the only two remaining original members of Static-X, the band's namesake feels more confident than ever with their present lineup.
"The chemistry is actually better than it ever was," he says. "It's weird, because [original guitarist] Koichi came in nght before we got signed, did the record, toured, and he quit. In my mind, it's like, 'VVas he even in the band?' He was in the band for like two years, and Tripp has been with us for more than three years now. We are all laidback, and with Nick, we made sure that we got someone in the band that fits in, that we will like touring with, and it feels good... Really good. The old songs still sound the same, maybe even better."
"There are always going to be a few people who say, 'I miss Ken, I miss Koichi'," Static continues, "but you know what? LHe goes on, and I feel our show is still one of the most high energy shows out there, and people can't deny it. I think it's because offstage, we all get along, we are like family, and everyone is a really good player and we love what we do. We are performing, not acting, and we're not trying to be any certain thing, we just go out and rock and kick everyone's ass. I think we will continue to evolve while keeping some of the elements that make us who we are. That's what we've done with Shadow Zone. This is the next step in our evolution."
Billy Keeton - vocals
Will Hunt - drums/vocals
Brian Milner- guitars/vocals
Pete Sison - bass
Randy Melser - guitar
"If you can't fuck or fight to it, it's no good," proclaims Skrape drummer and band co-founderWill Hunt.
"That's the context for us. It's gotta have rhythm and an incredible groove you can shake your ass to." Up the Dose has all that and more. The band's second album for RCA finds the Orlando-based quintet in a different musical headspace from when they released 2001's brutal yet melodic New Killer America--which pummeled active rock radio in the States with the singles "Waste" and "Isolated" - and rose quickly to become the twelfth best-selling album in Japan.
A festival in Japan, a gig in Korea with that country's most famous band, Seo Taiji, and a U.S. tour with Disturbed found Skrape playing for thousands of fanatical converts. Skrape songs also found their way into video games, including Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 and their album cover even won awards. Skrape also created their own video for "What You Say," performance intercut with Japanamation, subsequent to the clip for first single "Waste." Clearly a motivated bunch of musicians, Skrape also take life lessons to heart, as gleaned in the sentiments expressed on Up The Dose.
"Over the last few years there were a lot of highlights...and some lowlights," explains Hunt. "And it all has to do with where we are at right now, which is a great place." A 2001 tour with the Pantera, Slayer and Morbid Angel "gave us a lot of thick skin," Hunt says of the intense, aggro crowds they faced nightly. "We were like, 'if you don't like us, well good, here's another one!"' he laughs of Skrape's uncompromising performances and 'tude. Adds Keeton, "My experiences on tour with Phil Anselmo were life-changing to me as a musician, as a frontman and as a songwriter."
The Pantera tour also weeded out any weak links in the band. So it was with a new guitarist (Randy Melser replacing axeman Mike Lynchard), a new management company and a renewed spirit that Skrape wrote and then recorded their sophomore effort with producer Jimbo Barton (Queensryche, Godsmack) in Miami, Los Angeles and Orlando.
"We wanted old school," said Hunt. "We are big fans of how Jimbo's records sounded; sonically, they hold up." Barton also developed a strong bond with Keeton during the recording process. "He was able to bring my vocal performance up to another level entirely. He and I just clicked. Jimbo created a atmosphere that allowed me to explode vocally."
While the guys in Skrape--as their name indicates--are edgy and rough with every member on his own by age 18, the omnipresent Florida sunshine seeped in (a bit) on the first single "Summer Song." Propulsive drumming, a massive mid-tempo groove, layered vocals and sometimes-sweet guitar stylings make "Summer Song" a tune that "sounds great at 8 in the morning, or on the way to a concert; it's just an anthemic, all-round rocker that tells a good story," explains Hunt.
Hunt, a veteran of the band Stuck Mojo, also tells a good story. The quotable drummer, who toured with idol Tommy Lee between Skrape records, believes in the credo: "That which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." In Skrape's case, "by the time we came back from the Slayer/Pantera tour we realized we weren't as heavy as we thought," he laughs. "We are and always have been a rock--not metal, not nu metal--band, and with UP The Dose, we used a lot more textures in the guitar area, a lot of inventive, different stylings."
From the mystical first moments of the dynamic opener "Bleach," to the dense musicality and irresistible chorus of "The Ocean" to the brute, bare riff-rager "My Life," UP the Dose tells the tale of hard work, change and demons, as well as of times where the group were barely "skraping" by.
With no shortage of material to mine (in 2002-2003 40 songs were penned) they whittled them down to 22, then with producer Barton, down to 14, with 11 of those songs comprising Up The Dose. The low-end buz of the creepy title track is about being helpless to stop the crazy, escalating cycle of drug use coupled with the overwhelming sexual desires of a true street-born band, while "No Respect" concerns how Skrape held their own in front of an obnoxious crowd.
Each member of Skrape contributes to the writing, and in their Orlando rehearsal/recording studio (a million figurative miles from Orlando's boy-band and tourist-trap hell), they track every song they write. "When we play them back, we fully, really hear them," explains Hunt. "Without that process, it's like getting ready for the prom without a mirror."
With Up the Dose, Skrape had no pressure--only the desire to make the best record they could and exactly how they wanted to. Thus, this go-round, there are no keyboards, just the two-guitar attack the band had in-mind when the lineup began in the late '90s. Melser, a long-time member of the Skrape "family," was the obvious choice for the replacement guitarist, and proof positive is that he wrote the soaring "In the End" with Hunt shortly after joining the band.
While Keeton cites everything from Sinatra to Ozzy as influences, one reviewer had this to say about the frontman's full voice on New Killer America: "Keeton's clear, soaring voice sits nicely atop the thunder, yet is forceful enough to stay there." Other New Killer America raves include Hit Parader, who rightly noted, "Skrape are one angry bunch of rock and roll animals.
Despite their overwhelming musical power, vitriolic Iyrics and attitude, don't for one second think Skrape have skimped on the melodies or textures. This stuff has it all."
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