Monthly Archives: August 2010

Get Your Musical Grub On: This Eaton’s Fantastic!!

Posted on by

Marcus Eaton – As If You Had Wings
self released

While listening to this new CD by guitarist/singer-songwriter Marcus Eaton, I recalled a kind of debate, if you will, overheard amongst music fans. And that is what has been mentioned by music lovers who have encountered spiritual-based, or Christian, music mixed in with their normal rock and roll listening diet is why the music in question is easily identifiable as Christian. While never really understanding what the negative aspect of that connotation was, after listening to a decent amount of Christian rock and other forms of contemporary Christian and spiritual music I knew what they were talking about. Continue reading →

Harry Hess talks about his new musical endeavour, First Signal, the end of Harem Scarem, and … bacon

Posted on by

Harry Hess, the powerhouse vocalist behind Harem Scarem, one of Canada’s most acclaimed hard rock outfits, is back with a vengeance singing for First Signal. The new studio project finds him paired with Dennis Ward and a dream team of other songwriters and players.  We had the honor of having Harry take a few moments to answer some questions for The Rock and Roll Report!

Q: Like many other fans of Harem Scarem, I was really disappointed to hear the band broke up. What were some of the reasons for ending the many productive years with Harem Scarem to open up this exciting new chapter with First Signal?

A: I felt we were starting to repeat ourselves on our last few records, but, more importantly, it came down to dividing my time between H.S and making other peoples records, and not having enough time to do both properly. I also just signed a publishing deal with Universal Music worldwide as a writer, so I knew that would really limit my time for other things.

Continue reading →

Review: First Signal “This City”

Posted on by

One of the most disappointing bits of news in the melodic rock world this past year was the break up of Harem Scarem (for a short time also known as Rubber), which was arguably the most underrated hard rock band of its time. Formed in the late ’80s by founding members Pete Lesperance and Harry Hess, Harem Scarem cranked up the amps year after year, unleashing their brand of melodic hard rock on the masses. Both Lesperance and Hess have released solo records before, as side projects, so we were optimistic that we’d hear some echoes of Harem Scarem in the future. That moment arrived in the form of a new project called, First Signal, which is an alliance between the powerhouse vocals of Harry Hess and producer/bassist Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Khymera). Continue reading →

Review: Rocket From The Tombs “I Sell Soul” b/w “Romeo & Juliet”

Posted on by

Although English groups were first to create punk music, it really took off in a big way when American bands started to add their own influences into the style. One band that was very influential was the Cleveland band known as Rocket From The Tombs (not to be confused with the much later band with the very similar moniker of Rocket From The Crypt).

Rocket From The Tombs came together in the mid-seventies to create a new sound, a new feel to the music. And while the original version of the band was short-lived, the musical collective gave birth to two better-known, more popular bands by the names of Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys, bands whose influences on punk are unmistakable. Pere Ubu’s The Modern Dance and The Dead Boys’ Young, Loud and Snotty are still classic albums in punk.

Continue reading →

Shapes and Sizes: Out of Victoria’s “velvet rut”

Posted on by

Shapes and Sizes left quaint Victoria to settle into metropolitan Montreal. As the only Canadian band signed to Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty Records, Shapes and Sizes write layered progressions that jostle the listener outside of normative conceptions of genre. Caila Thompson-Harnett, Nathan Gage, Rory Seydel, and John Crellin led the way at Montreal’s Sala Rossa with new a-tonal progressions that demonstrated compositional complexity. The band played a number of tracks from their latest (third) record, “Candle to Your Eyes”, which abandons the formal aesthetics of both their self-titled release and “Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner,” and opts for poetic explorations of love, memory, and mortality. Caila and I then got to chatting about parks, loneliness, and the “velvet rut” of Victoria.

Q: What is your day job?

A: I’m a housekeeper. I’m like a 1990s Mexican housekeeper working in Texas. That’s me. In Montreal. Continue reading →

CD Review: Big Head Todd & the Monsters “Rocksteady”

Posted on by

Beloved roots rockers Big Head Todd & the Monsters (BHT) returned July 20 with “Rocksteady,” their eighth studio album. “Rocksteady” was recorded in the band’s home studios in Denver, CO and Chicago, IL over the past year and consists of many tracks that were played and refined during their perpetual touring. After twenty-five remarkable years together, the band sounds more relaxed than ever; comfortable taking on any genre you can throw at them. Like most other BHT records of late, “Rocksteady” is a diverse buffet of musical styles. The listener will sample some soul, funk, and pop while devouring the rock base. Continue reading →

Big Head Todd & the Monsters on 25 years in the business, defining success, and why they’ll continue to put out

Posted on by

Colorado-based Big Head Todd & the Monsters never imagined they would be considered one of the finest roots rock bands of their generation. Todd Park Mohr and the boys have enjoyed critical and commercial success, most notably with their 1993 breakout record, “Sister Sweetly,” but have been quietly cranking out worthy successors ever since. We were happy to have Todd take a few moments to talk Big Head Todd & the Monsters, as the band celebrated the release of their latest, “Rocksteady”.

Q: It is hard for me to grasp, but Big Head Todd & the Monsters is approaching its 25th year – did you foresee it lasting this long?

A: Of course nobody expects a career in the music business to last twenty-five years! We are very gratified to still be here and making music. Continue reading →

Red Wanting Blue on why “the fucking road deserves the reverence of The Beatles”

Posted on by

We recently had the pleasure to bounce some “Qs” off of Scott Terry – lead singer of the Ohio-based roots rock band, Red Wanting Blue. The band has been touring relentlessly for 10 years now and their latest release, “These Magnificent Miles,” is a collection of engaging tunes centered loosely around life on the road.

Q: I’d like to get started with the band’s name: Red Wanting Blue.  Is this a political reference – your wanting a traditional red state, like your home state of Ohio perhaps, to become blue, or what? Continue reading →

CD Review: Red Wanting Blue “These Magnificent Miles”

Posted on by

Red Wanting Blue hail from Columbus, Ohio, but they probably call the road their home. They’ve been in perpetual motion for 10 years now, taking their classic roots rock and pop to every town that will have them. As you can surmise from the title, “These Magnificent Miles,” their latest record was written while on the road and tells stories of life on the road. These stories provide us with a rare glimpse into the highs and lows faced by a band touring relentlessly and fighting for survival. Continue reading →

Gaslight Anthem guitarist Alex Rosamilia offers a glimpse into the explosive band and explains why “The Gaslight Anthem is – it just is”

Posted on by

Sure, it’s only August, and 2010 still has four whole months to deliver musically, but The Gaslight Anthem’s latest release, American Slang, is already looking, or I suppose sounding, like the best album of the year. The New Jersey natives’ third album, which was released this past June, is easily the best punk/rock offering to have come my way in a very, very long time. The sense of truth which the record emanates is hauntingly beautiful, and there’s no arguing with the band’s musical abilities either. And turns out the guys put on a wicked live show as well, so what more can one really ask for?

Following the band’s set at Montreal’s Osheaga Music Festival – where Brian Fallon (vocals/guitar), Alex Rosamilia (guitar), Alex Levine (bass), and Ben Horowitz (drums) played to a crowd filled with devoted fans and entranced, soon to become devoted fans – Rosamilia took time to offer The Rock and Roll Report a glimpse into the explosive band, define his odd man out status, and even explain floccinaucinihilipilification. Yes, that’s a real word. And it all began with a bench by the water, a sigh of relief, and the declaration that, “It’s hard to have that much energy at like, three in the afternoon!”

Q: That’s what I was just going to ask – when you’re stuck with an early set time like today’s 3 p.m., is it hard to get on stage and be full force?

A: It is if you, you know, sometimes I’ve woken up and we’re on in like twenty minutes, but because of the border cross I got up pretty early today … But before we go on I listen to the same five/eight songs every day to try to get myself in the same mindset no matter where I am, or what time it is. Continue reading →