Monthly Archives: July 2010

Concert Review: Wolf Parade at Le National, Montreal

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Wolf Parade performed the first show of their international tour at Montreal’s Le National on July 8th and what better way to start a set of gigs than by performing back-to-back shows in a hometown venue? When these guys jam, they do their band name justice. I kid you not, they all resemble wolves engaging their instruments in passion, angst, and fun.

A little background on the wolves: Dan Boeckner, Dante DeCaro, Spencer Krug, and Arlen Thompson have participated in successful indie projects including Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, Hot Hot Heat, and Handsome Furs. Wolf Parade’s first full-length album, “Apologies to the Queen Mary,” got a Polaris nomination back in 2006 and after the success of their first LP, the band released 2008’s “At Mount Zoomer” under Sub Pop. Spencer Krug’s lyrics follow from the aesthetic of Patty Smith, whose “rock poetry” appropriated fragments of symbolist writing to construct indeterminate sequences of metaphor and meaning. Continue reading →

CD Review: Flying Blind with Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere

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Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere – Midnight Flyer
Stax

This new album by Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere answers the musical question of what happens when one of the most original, soulful and popular guitarists of the ’60′s and ’70′s teams up with an equally original, soulful and popular keyboardist of the same era with one of the most recognizable singing voices in the history of rock and roll for an duo album. Cropper is best known for being one of the main lynchpins of Stax Records, handling guitar duties for Booker T and the MG’s, writing a ton of soul hits and playing guitar on more of them than just about any guitarist in the history of music. Cavaliere is best known as the keyboard player for The (Young) Rascals who had a plethora of hits in the middle and end of the ’60′s and who ultimately became a pioneering cosmic soul band with several great concept albums at the end of their hitmaking run. This, their second album together (the first, Nudge It Up A Notch, was one of the best albums released in 2008 according to many critics, including your’s truly) shows the aging duo still mining the same soul grooves in which they’ve toiled their entire careers. Though their hit-making days were essentially over by the early ’70′s as The Rascals disintegrated and Stax went belly-up, both remained relatively active in the music world, especially Cropper.

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CD Review: Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion

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Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion
Atco

Legendary British guitarist Jeff Beck returns with his latest album! Full of the same rock and roll bombast of his past solo albums but with added participation from several up and coming vocalists to balance out the shredding, it is nonetheless Beck’s album. With his mastery of the guitar, how could it not be? While Beck is respected and well-known among musos for his guitar work, his relatively low public profile has long puzzled many fans, who recognize Beck’s vast accomplishments and innovative techniques but puzzle over his career choices.

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CD Review: Tony Harnell & The Mercury Train “Round Trip”

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Tony Harnell, best known as the powerhouse vocalist behind hard rock band TNT, is ready to unleash his new solo record called “Round Trip”. With his new band, The Mercury Train, Harnell revisits previous material to offer his fans (and hopefully some new ones) a bold, fresh take on his songs. In concept, it is similar to Bon Jovi’s “This Left Feels Right”, but Harnell makes the effort much more worthwhile.

While stripped down or alternative versions of classic rockers are going to seem sacrilegious to some longtime fans, I feel Harnell has done an amazing job showing us how timeless his songwriting can be. These new renditions are fantastic, bringing even the most dated of his material into the 21st century as if it were written yesterday. His riveting vocals and the brilliantly produced instrumentation are icing on the cake.
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Hard rock legend Tony Harnell opens up about TNT, the music industry going down the toilet, and his new solo album

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Tony Harnell is no stranger to fans of hard rock. Best known as the frontman of TNT since the ’80s, Harnell has also been in Morning Wood, Westworld, and Starbreaker. He’s now released his latest solo effort, “Round Trip”, which features alternative versions of some of his greatest material. Tony was kind enough to take the time to tell The Rock and Roll Report about everything from his early days to the present.

Q: To start, let’s go back to the beginning – what event took place in your life that made you realize you wanted to rock for a living?

A: I had just moved to New York from California and was driving around in my car, I was about 16, and some local dudes with long hair came up to my car at a stop sign and told me they’d been looking for me for weeks. Apparently they had heard me screaming in my car to Priest and Zeppelin through the hood and were trying to find me, so they invited me to their band rehearsal. I had never played with a band before so this was exciting for me. Well, after the three or four hours with them in their studio it was all over for me. I knew when I walked out the door that night what my life was going to be about. Continue reading →

The Creators Project delivers unforgettable events celebrating art, music, and technology worldwide

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New York City summers consist of two things: unbearable heat, and cultural events. And while the first makes for some stinky subway rides, the latter provides an array of free concerts in our parks, and so many opportunities to see music you may not normally get a chance to experience live.

This summer in particular began with a splash, as the first in a series of events called, The Creators Project, kicked off in the meatpacking district of NYC. Hipsters from every path of life assembled for one day only in the Milk Studios office (turned party house) to celebrate a mosh pit of art, music, and technology. With partners such as Intel and VICE (one of my faves!) it was guaranteed to be a sweet time. Continue reading →

CD Review: Stone Temple Pilots S/T

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It is all too easy to jump on the “Stone Temple Pilots is so yesterday” bandwagon. I admit that I had pretty much written the band off after the appearance of “No. 4″ – they had a couple good tracks left in them, but not enough to fill an album. I never imagined their 2010 self-titled reunion record would do more than just raise a curious eyebrow.

But the latest from STP is a pleasant surprise! It is less of a gritty rocker than early STP – which will alienate some longtime fans – but the new melodic rock direction suits them well. What STP has managed to do here should not be underestimated – they still have some of their grunge influence (you’ll hear clear derivations from 90s kings like Nirvana and Pearl Jam), but bring more of a modern powerpop sensibility to the songwriting. Scott Weiland sounds re-energized and Dean DeLeo has a never-ending bag of guitar tricks that can make a so-so song sound so much better. Catchy melodies abound on this CD, with highlights including the single, “Between The Lines”, “Take A Load Off”, “Hickory Dichotomy”, and “Cinnamon”. And don’t miss “First Kiss On Mars” if you are a David Bowie fan – I did a musical double-take when hearing the first verse!

The record cuts right to the chase – it only takes the band 40 minutes to rip through the twelve new tracks. Even the rare filler is tolerable and not bad enough to hit fast forward. This is one of their most consistent records and can enjoyed straight through from start to finish.

In short, I think it is the band’s best since 1996′s “Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop”. Give it a shot. It certainly gets my vote for the most pleasant surprise of 2010 so far.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

Stone Temple Pilots on MySpace. Official site.

To purchase a copy of the album, click on the album cover below:

10 Years on 10 years in the business, finding inspiration in dreams, and embarking on the Carnival of Madness Tour

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Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, 10 Years is a modern hard rock band that is aiming to make its mark in rock music with its latest record, “Feeding the Wolves,” which follows 2005’s breakout record, “The Autumn Effect,” and 2008’s, “Division.” Before they head out on this summer’s Carnival of Madness tour, alongside Shinedown, Sevendust, and Chevelle, drummer Brian Vodinh sat down to answer a few questions for us at Rock and Roll Report.

Q: Thanks for taking the time for the interview!  So your band is actually coming up on 10 years of existence – how has the ride been so far?

A: Actually, we first got together and formed the band in 1998, then played our first show in April of 1999, so it certainly has been quite a ride. We have definitely had our ups and downs, but being in a band is just like any other kind of relationship. Continue reading →

CD Review: Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett

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Damien Jurado’s attention span topples that of most singer-songwriters. Rather than spinning fully formed narratives, the Seattle folkie has always carved out and harped on minute moments — small gestures; a contained smile here, a devastating blank stare there. These still lifes bear greater resonance than your traditional set of point-A-to-B lyrics because they appear to process despair in ways the everyman can fathom. We don’t live in panoramic memories, we live in very specific ones, dealing with very specific instances. Continue reading →