Too Drunk...

Yesterday during my lunch break, I hit the local Walmart specifically to pick up the new AC/DC album. Like always, I ended up walking away with more than I came for... 5 new discs including Buckcherry's latest release "Black Butterfly"

Yes, I know music is available online but there's something about forcing myself to listen to an entire album that enables me to feel like I'm broadening my musical horizons.

Buckcherry, where do I start... They sound like my kind of band, they look and act, well... like something else. Josh Todd is in serious need of a better stylist, a little less eyeliner, and perhaps if he laid off the drugs, you wouldn't be able to see his ribs poking though those horrid threads. The whole emo thing is a little difficult for me to accept... visually.

I truly thought Buckcherry was destined to be a one hit wonder with "Crazy Bitch" as their one psuedo hit. However, a record rep sent me a video postcard of "Too Drunk.." just prior to the release of thier lastest album. I had a listen and much to my surprise it was as catchy as it was raunchy. It's pretty raunchy! I found myself listening to it 4-5 times that day (in a row...shh!)

Then back in August, I attended Crue-Fest ... that's me in the pic!

Motley Crue... all my naughty rock n' roll fantasies include Tommy Lee...

Ahem... Back to Buckcherry, they opened for Motley Crue, and after seeing them live I was again significantly impressed, which is what lead to the Black Butterfly disc purchase. Again, I have to admit, it exceeds every expectation. "Too Drunk..." is as raunchy as they get and the rest of the tracks are comparably catchy. With Buckcherry, you don't expect much, but then then go and wow you! Maybe there's something to their imaging afterall... Check it out:



PS - If you are reading this on my facebook page, the embedded videos don't transfer through, so if you're curious enough: http://billierock.blogspot.com

Grateful for Whatever Breaks the Silence...

At last my dry spell is over!!! Sunday night Jim Cuddy played a corporate date in Saskatoon, and, lucky me, I was in attendance. It had been waaay too long!

I'm seriously going to have to find a solution to the lack of live music in this small town I now call home, but that's a rant for another day.

I've seen Jim Cuddy on stage a total of 4 times in his career. The first time, was coincidently my first live show ever. He performed along with the rest of Blue Rodeo at the Salmon Valley Music Festival. I was 16 years old. I'd like to say that seeing them live was an incredible first experience and I've been a big fan ever since, but I was 16 and they were Blue Rodeo... nuff said.

In fact, the only reason I've seen Jim Cuddy perform as many times as I have has more to do with it being part of my past life in radio than it does choice. He puts on a great live show, it's only about 1000 times better than on record ... but honestly I'd never pay for a ticket.

I'm not going to lie, it's hard to tell one Jim Cuddy song from the next but if you look a little deeper (and who really wants to) his songwriting is artistic and deep without being too abstract.

Pull Me Through, is new and probably the best record of Jim's solo career. It's about losing your life partner after years and years together. It's emotional. It's brilliant!

Outside I hear voices
Underneath the moon
And I'm grateful for whatever breaks
The silence in this room
Time won't let me go
And every night I know

That you could pull me through
You could always pull me through
Even when I'm lying here
Drowning in my blues
You take the sting out of the rain
And bring the sun back up again
Darling you could always pull me through

Like most Jim Cuddy stuff, the recorded version doesn't hold a candle to the live performance, but I must share anyway...

Life changes = Blog changes

I haven't posted here in quite some time and I apologize for that. I've moved from Vancouver to a small town in Northern BC, called Dawson Creek.

The music scene is not quite the same. That said, I still want to continue this blog. I still aim to post at least once a week and the majority of posts will still be music related. I just won't be able to catch a live show once a week.

Here's to a new chapter...

Backstreet's Back - Alright!!

I forgot how much I love the Backstreet Boys and seeing them at GM Place last night was a gigantic thrill!!! They were so much fun - probably the most fun concert I've ever been to. I cheered and laughed and danced. The dancing was incredible! Oh the dancing!! Brian is my favorite but I'd give anything for Nick to teach me some of his floppy fish moves.

It was obvious the four of them, Brian, Nick, AJ and Howie enjoy every second they're on stage. The vocals and choeography, not perfect. But the boys are certainly energetic, charismatic, and funny... I've never laughed so much at show!

Give them credit, the Backstreet Boys are really good at what they do... it's 100% cheese and it's 100% awesome. So unless you were born with some sort of gigantic stick up your ass you can't help but love every minute.

The only thing they could've done better was fire whoever was in charge of sound. The sound was horrible, however the show was so good it didn't matter.

Yup I just said that.


Not from the show last night, but same thing

My Wonderful Discovery

Okay, so technically I didn't "discover" him, but I did discover him in a sense.

3 years ago, I was pulled (kicking and screaming) to a Jacksoul concert in Victoria. I was certainly not expecting to enjoy myself, but I did end up receiving an incredible surprise. That night, I fell in love with the opening artist... Shawn Hlookoff.

Here was a young performer, from Nelson BC, barely 20 years old, who sang with a maturity and emotion you rarely see in seasoned performers. I have never been so impressed by raw talent.

I've been following Shawn's progress over the past few years and he continues to amaze and impress me with his artistry and orginality. Over the past year, he's also been turning a few heads in LA. Shawn has been recording songs for ABC and has had his music featured on shows like The Hills and Eli Stone. Just this week he performed on Good Morning America.

I'm so proud. He is amazing. Absolutely amazing. If you never click on another link or check out another artist... check out this one: http://www.myspace.com/hlookoff "Without You" is my favorite... but they are all good.

Shawn Hlookoff, my wonderful discovery, music needs you - I love you.

Pemberton!

Where do I even begin...

This past weekend was the first ever Pemberton Festival which boasted some big names like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, NIN, Jay-Z, Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay. Actually the entire roster was impressive and the backdrop (Pemberton) was absolutely breath taking. My only complaint was that with 4 stages all on the go, I often had to choose between acts I wanted to see.

This blog is supposed to be about performers that are not "mainstream" and there were plenty of those at Pemberton... in fact they had an entire stage dedicated to local artists. I, however, didn't make it there. The highlights were abundant and different for everyone, as the line-up was diverse enough to suit a multitude of musical tastes.

One of the lesser knowns I managed to catch was Matisyahu who is undoubtably the most original act I've seen in a while, with his delightful brand of jewish reggae hip-hop - complete with some pretty decent beat boxing. The sound is nothing compared to the live show which really can't be described, except to say that the boy can move as fast as he can sing.

The video I found is from an appearance on Letterman and you can't really move around all that much when the TV cameras are on, but the sound is good.


Just a note to let you know that I'm going on a holiday of sorts so it'll be a week or so before I see another show. Until then...

An Elvis Costello Orgasm

Elvis Costello changed my life. Before the show, Sunday night at the Whistler Music Festival, I knew who Elvis Costello was, but couldn't name you a single song. Then he stepped on stage...

Okay, so saying the show was life changing, is dramatic, but true. Before I was merely curious, and now... Now, to say I'm a fan is a bit of an understatement.

After Broken Social Scene had wrapped up and the crowds made their way from the front of the stage to the beer garden, I decided that I was going to grab one of those spots right up front. BEST idea I had all weekend!! When Elvis Costello stepped on stage and started playing, the fresh mountain air turned electric and a force beyond my control turned the corners of my mouth up into this wide toothy grin. I inexplicably stayed this way for the next hour and a half.

Songs energetically came one after the other, the entire performance felt damn good. Elvis is an incredibly gifted singer, songwriter and he delivered those complicated creations with an infectious over confidence. His played his guitar like it was an extenstion of himself... sexually charged and in complete control of every note and every squeal.

At one point he did a version of "Watching the Detectives" that was so incredible, I will call it the greatest single moment I have ever experienced in music. I wish I could share but it's not to be found. The set flew by and when it was over, disappointment set in. I want more!

It's not enough for me to say "I'm an Elvis Costello fan". For the first time in my life, I am on the verge on quitting my full-time job and becoming one of those people that follow artists from show to show... I won't because I have no idea how people do that - but I if I ever figure it out...

If You Build It...

and don't advertise it... they may come... for free...if you beg. This past weekend's Whistler Music Festival was put on by Festival Network out of New York, who were clearly unfamilar with Whistler and its connection to Vancouver. I heard they advertised quite heavily south of the border but left Vancouver off their marketing plan until the last minute... ooops! It was really too bad because the Festival was incredible and I hope the financial loss they must have suffered doesn't effect plans for next year's festival.

The Line-up:
SATURDAY: Serena Ryder, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bedouin Soundclash, The Roots and Thievery Corporation
SUNDAY: The Stephane Wremble Trio, Medeski Martin & Wood, Robert Randolf & The Family Band, Allen Toussaint Band, Broken Social Scene and Elvis Costello & The Imposters

Let's start with Saturday. We left Vancouver at about 9am, but by the time we hit Whistler, checked into the hotel and made our way up the Gondola to the venue, it was almost noon and Serena Ryder was just finishing her set. I managed to make it in time to see Serena perform "Weak in the Knees" a very emotive song about wanting something you can't have - in this case, a married man. I first saw her perform that song acoustically at an industry showcase 2 years ago, after which, I ran out and bought her album. The album has just 3 orginal songs and coincidently 3 songs I like, however, rumor has it there is a new album full of orginals on the way - yay!

The Roots were undeniably Saturday's highlight. They are a high energy jazz influenced hip hop group, who were named one of the world's top 20 live acts in a 2003 edition of "Rolling Stone" I don't think anyone in the crowd Saturday night would've argued that fact. Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson (pictured on the left)was incredible and had the entired audience going as he and the other band members bounced around on stage and put on a spectacular performance. I felt bad for Thievery Corportation who had to follow...

On Sunday after 3+ hours of instrumental pieces, I experienced a bit of self discovery... I really, really like lyrics. I appreciate the talent it takes to masterfully arrange and perform an intricate instrumental piece. But there is something to be said about being able to enhance a superb piece of music with lyrics. Often it can have the opposite effect.

By the time we got to Robert Randolph & The Family Band, I was ready for some vocal attention. I was disappointed, but to be fair, their musical acumen is what they are known for. However their latest album "Colorblind" is full of lyrics. To add to my frustration, their recent big hit "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That"... didn't play it.

This is getting long, but all I need to say about Allen Toussaint is that he is an absolute legend, and exactly what you would imagine and expect him to be. Broken Social Scene, who I'd expect to be great live, was a series of unfortunate events. First they step on stage and begin to play only to find out their instruments aren't tuned or plugged in. Once they get that sorted out they have bad, bad, feedback problems to the extent that they walk off the stage until it can be fixed. They mention at one point that Kevin's voice isn't up to par so there are songs they can't perform and their back-up singers weren't able to get across the border. They had their moments but overall the set was less than you know it should be so I will save judgement until I see them again. They looked good though...


Then there was Elvis... Who was the headliner and highlight of the show and worth every penny of your hard earned money should you ever get the chance to see him live. I'm going to create a whole new post for Elvis Costello, because he was just that good.

DERAILED!

A couple weeks back, I noticed that The Divorcees were going to be playing at the Railway Club. This is a band I discovered through the wonder of MySpace, but have never seen live, so it immediately caught my attention. I circled July 15th on my calendar and started counting down the days...

I show up at 9:30 and there is this big neon green sign on the door that says, "We are closed - sorry for the inconvience" WHAT?!?!?! The Railway Club is NEVER randomly closed. Then I am reminded of the man-hole fire the day before that knocked out power to most of the downtown core. Where did that happen again? OH YA... about a block from the Railway Club!

Silly me, here I was, all dressed up with no place to go. Literally. We wandered down to Gastown and it was black - no street lights, and nothing open. But wait. Are those people I see inside the The Lamplighter? We walk in and they have a generator running a couple tvs and keeping the beer cold. So we stay and it's Dead Bunny Comedy night. I have a little hint for aspiring comedians... if people aren't laughing its because you're NOT funny and telling the audience that they are lame for not laughing at your unfunny jokes will not make them laugh. It wasn't all an uncomfortable disaster, the headliner for the evening Todd Allen, was very funny, it just took WAAAY too long to get to him.

Musically speaking, I'm going to James Taylor on Friday and hitting the Whistler Music Festival this weekend. I can't wait to hear Mr. Taylor do this song live...

Flat Top Joint

Earlier this week I was a little bummed as most of my friends had tickets to see the legendary Stevie Wonder at GM Place and I ... well I did not. I had conceded to the fact that I was probably just going to spend the evening feeling sorry for myself when I picked up a copy of Friday's Province. Thanks to Stuart Derdeyn and his list of "Great Things to Do - Weekend" I discovered one of the best events I've been to all year... They called it "BOP" a 50's themed night, featuring four great Rockabilly acts including L.A's Pep Torres, The Roy Kay Trio out of Seattle and two local acts, The Still Creek Brothers and The Roadhouse Juice Daddies.

I walked into the Fairview Pub on Broadway at about 9:15, and it was like I'd walked onto the set of "Happy Days" complete with beehives and flat top haircuts. Add in some poodle skirts, tight jeans and the sounds made famous by artists like Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley and you couldn't help but "bop" along.

I was impressed by the Still Creek Brothers. Not only did they look the part but their duoing vocals added a depth and dimension that the other bands lacked.

The band I was looking forward to the most, did not disappoint... The Roy Kay Trio was fabulous even with borrowed instruments. They did a great cover of "Cadillac in Model A" orginally done by Rockabilly pioneers of the 30s and 40s - Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.

The good news is the Fairview Pub on (898 W. Broadway) has a night they call Rockabilly Roundup each month. I'll definately be back!

Open Mic is Like a Box of Chocolates

One of my favorite little coffee shops, the Wired Monk on 4th and Trafalgar, has a couple really decent open mic nights each week. If you've never been to an open mic night, the concept is simple - show up, put your name on a list and you can perform 3 songs. No questions asked. As you can imagine, you never really know what you're going to get with the open mic and last night was no exception. I'll be honest, I had moments of utter discomfort as I watched performers struggle through their material missing notes, chords and sometimes the entire concept of melody with orginal compositions that were... well, orginal.

We'd been there for about an hour when to be quite honest I was about to leave. The last group had completely butchered "BirdDog" by the Everly Brothers, one my one of my all time favorites - I have about 30 of them. That was when Kyla Rawlins took the mic. She opened her mouth and I thought WOW, those are some powerful vocals. She mixed jazz, r&b and opera vocal styles with a hint (at times) of what I would call east coast country. Regardless, out came a sound that can't quite be classified except as polished, controlled and delightful. Clearly the highlight of the night. Kyla has a CD coming out soon and I'll keep you posted in the meantime check out her webpage at http://onlinerock.com/musicians/kylarawlins/music.shtml

I'll leave you with some BirdDog