He's Hiding In yr NIGHTMARES

"I Wanna Be A Hulkamaniac"

"Hulk Hogan Theme Song"

[right click to download]

Okay, It's sunday, so it's time for another TV theme songs.

This one isn't really a TV theme song but it falls under that category. Enjoy "I Want To Be A Hulkamaniac" by Hulk Hogan, as well as his "theme song".

Quick story, i remember receiving a Hulk Hogan weight set for kids when I was very young. It came with dumbells, a jumprpe, one of those arm stretching things and a cassette with the Hulkster's instructions on working out. It was the standard Hulkster jargon, but at one point he said "And don't cheat, remember the Hulkster is watching you....". I thought he somehow was. I was frightened of Hulk Hogan for a while after that.

Telling that story reminds me of several more Hulk Hogan stories. But it's Sunday, so I won't tell them now. Maybe I'll start a separate Hulk Hogan blog. Here's an additional video of one of the strangest Hulk Hogan interviews I've ever seen. He talks about dog paddling in the Atlantic Ocean with Donald Trump on his back.



I'm sorry but I just keep finding these. Here some black wrestler I've never heard of calls the Hulkster a "nigga".

You'll Just End Up Getting Hurt Again, Gilbert

Gleaming Spires "Are You Ready For The Sex Girls" (slow version)

"We've Got Bush" (movie quote)

[right click to download]

Revenge Of The Nerds is one of my favorite films. Ever. If I had to come up with a top five, it would be hard, but Revenge Of The Nerds would definitely be in there. I think it has something to do with growing up having cable and that was one of the movies that was ALWAYS on. And I watched it every time it was on.



"Revenge Of The Nerds Theme Song"

[right click to download]

But it's story beneath the silly gross out humor is what keeps me coming back to it. I always get a good feeling at the end when they play "We Are The Champions" by Queen. Unless yr a jock douche bag, you should get that feeling. It's like Fuck You Stan Gable! You got what you deserved for trashing the Nerds' house! i'm glad they put liquid heat in yr jocks!



"Nerd Techno Rap (Greek Carnival Performance)"

[right click to download]

John Goodman gives one of his greatest performances as the evil football coach. Near the end of the film, after the Alpha Betas lose the Annual Greek Carnival to the Nerds, losing their control of the Greek Council, the coach gives a stirring speech to his players. I have been known to deliver this very speech word for word at various bars and parties. And it never works unless you run out of the room at the end while screaming "LET'S GET THOSE NERDS!!". Also you have to wait a few minutes before you come back in. If you truly want to be a jackass you'll do it the way I do it.



"Takashi's Song"

[right click to download]

So in honor of Revenge of the Nerds, here are some of my favorite songs and moments from the film. Just stay away from the sequels. They pale in comparison.

Bloody Poofter That One There....

Shudder To Think "Hot One"

Shudder To Think "The Ballad Of Maxwell Demon"

Grant Lee Buffalo "The Whole Shebang"

The Venus In Furs "2HB"

[right click to download]

So have you seen the film Velvet Goldmine? Well, if you're a homophobe, then you should probably skip it, cause there's a LOTTA gay shit going on. But if you're a Bowie fan (like me) and you can see past all that and enjoy the glam rock then check it out. At least check out the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, which is the best part.

The soundtrack contains some of the best glam rock from the 70s from likes of T Rex and Brian Eno. But the best part of it are the original songs. Shudder To Think and Grant Lee Buffalo wrote songs that might as well be off "Ziggy Stardust" or "Hunky Dory" for the film's lead character, Brian Slade (A shady Bowie knockoff). I've always liked this movie for the songs, which are dead on perfect imitations of Bowie at his best.

The other song here is by The Venus In Furs, doing a cover of Roxy Music's 2HB. Which by the way I think was the name of the medical droid in the Empire Strikes Back. I'm just saying, George Lucas may have been a closet Bryan Ferry fan. Or maybe it was Lawrence Kasdan. Nevertheless, The Venus In Furs is comprised of Paul Kimble, Bernard Butler, Andy Mackay and Johnny Greenwood and Thom Yorke of Radiohead, who i'm told are big Empire Strikes Back fans, so it all evens out.

I Ain't The Worst That You Seen...

The Suburbs "Cig Machine"

[right click to download]

The Suburbs are one of my brother's favorite bands. He went to college up in Minnesota and discovered them there, I believe. This is the only song I have by them but I love it. I know very little about the band. Seems the Suburbs were destined for the kind of attention garnered by Husker Du and the Replacements but they stumbled along the way.

I don't know why but for some reason this song reminds of the line in Van Halen's "Jump" where David Lee Roth says "Can' you see me standin' here I got my back against the record machine", which I always heard as "Wrecking Machine", which in my opinion sounds cooler. But then again Van Halen never seemed to care whether you thought they were cool or not, just look at Michael Anthony. No, they were more interested in scoring wicked fine ladies. But wait! This is about the Suburbs!

But like I said, I know very little about the Suburbs, so I chose to go down the Van Halen route.

As usual.

Pidgeon Will Kill You

Pidgeon "Six Minutes In The Sun"

Pidgeon "Stolen Compressed"

Pidgeon "You Send Me"

[right click to download]

You would think I've run out of awesome bands I saw at SXSW by now. It's like, I know, lt it go right? We all know you had good time, Kevin. we get it, we're jealous, it's great. Well i'm sorry but I just can't help that.

Pidgeon is from San Francisco. They have sort of a Pixies thing going on, but not exactly. They've got their own thing going on as well. It's abrasive and melodic at the same time. And when I saw them in Austin, their singer told me to go fuck myself. So then I did. Then I came home and wrote this. Ew.

"Stolen Compressed" is an amalgamation of songs you'll probably recognize if you have good taste. "Six Minutes In The Sun" is the melodic punk tune and it's topped of with a version of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me". The male and female singers bridge a long gap between sweetness and madness. And obviously they have a good attitude towards people, especially me, which is always a big plus.

Pidgeon Official Website

Nuns On Smack

The Nuns "Suicide Child"
The Nuns "Lazy"

[right click to download]

I first heard this song in my favorite bar in the world, Delilah's in Chicago. It was monster horror dj night (or something like that) so there was a lot Misfits and Cramps being played. At first I didn't get how this song fit into the mix, but then it made sense. It kind of sounds like horror movie music.

From what a could gather from the record's cryptic liner notes, the Nuns were from California. I think. The liner notes explained the story of the band in a way where they just assumed you knew what they were talking about, which i didn't. "Suicide Child" is a love letter (the Frank Booth kind) from one junkie to another, and it's definitey spite fueled. The other track, "Lazy", is just as ominous. We've all been there at one time or another, some more than others.

Enjoy the Nuns. It's not church music.

Un otro cancion?

Dexy's Midnight Runners "Plan B?"

[right click to download]

You probably never realized this, but Dexy's Midnight Runners (the people who brought you the wedding staple "Come On Eileen") had ANOTHER SONG! And it's a good song!



Don't ask me how I found this, but apparently outside of America, Dexy's Midnight Runners had a string of hits, primarily in the UK. I tend to believe that "Plan B?" is actually better than "Come On Eileen". There are two versions of it, "Plan B" comes from the record 'Too-Rye-Aye', which contained their massive juggerhit, but this one, entitled "Plan B?" (notice the addition of a question mark?) was a single version I guess. The question mark version rocks much harder than the record version? Or die?

So somewhere in an alternative universe, "Plan B?" is being played by wedding bands and James Hetfield has been named employee of the month at Taco Bell.

Another Lazy Sunday

So, since I started it last week, I think I'm going to start putting up TV theme songs on sundays. It saves me the hassle of writing so much.

This week, enjoy my favorite EVER tv theme song, the theme from "WKRP In Cincinatti".



[right click to download]

WKRP In Cincinatti

Sniff my Venus Flytrap.

Do You Love Me?

Seeing as this is a topical blog based on the stuff I'm listening to lately, I might as well be honest. I listened to KISS all the way to work this morning. And that's a drive from Hollywood to Santa Monica, so it was a good sized chunk of the Jewish Kabuki Blood Spitters. KISS kept coming up on the shuffle for the last few days, and I just went full blast with it.

I'm not ashamed to say I LOVE KISS. I used to be, but life's too short to be ashamed of shit. I'm not ashamed of that Thai hooker I strangled in Vegas last summer either. Whew. Sometimes it feels to let the truth roll out.

I know what you're probably thinking. Kevin is WAY too cool to like THAT band. Check it out. This is on my bookshelf. It's a Christmas card I received from KISS. It says "Merry KISS-mas". Yeah, that's right.




So here are some of my favorite tracks by the hottest band in the world. They call themselves that because sometimes they set themselves on fire by accident during their show. The set includes one "rare" version of "She". At least i'm told it was rare. I don't go that deep into it. Although I do own a Gene Simmons mask that I stole from a karaoke bar. But that's a tale for another day.



KISS "Got To Choose"
KISS "Let Me Go Rock N Roll" (from 'Alive!')
KISS "Goin Blind"
KISS "She" (Live, Rare 1974)

[right click to download]

I Want To Live The Lit Life

Okay so i recorded a couple songs.

A good friend of mine told me that sometimes when you record music it doesn't necessarily come out as something you would normally listen to. He was right. What I did sounds like some sort of Depeche Mode or Bauhaus shit. And yet, despite the fact that I recorded my vocals with the shittiest mic ever, I kind of like the way it came out.

Seeing as I know there is no one on the face of the earth that ever reads this site, (with the exception of Lil Kulit, my newest Myspace friend; big up to KULIT!) I figure it's safe to put this up here. Get ready for it, because the Lit Life is the new shit that will be invading yr ear drones in 2010. Or not.

The Lit Life "Run From Me"

The Lit Life "Live In The Light"

The Lit Life "Together"

The Lit Life "Lesson To Learn You"

[right click to download]

I actually think probably not.

The Lit Life @ Myspace.com

Him Happy

Him very busy today.

But still, Him very happy.

Him so happy Him dance like animal!

Him do ANIMAL DANCE!

ANIMAL DANCE

Wonder Showzen Site

No more NECROPHAGIST, really.

Here is why I suck at Nintendo. I have never beaten Super Mario Brothers 1, 2, or 3. I can't say I haven't tried. I spent countless hours with my brothers and sisters huddled around a tiny rabbit eared television set in my bedroom going over and over those levels. None of us could ever beat the games. I feel there are those that have video game talent and those who don't It doesn't mean the rest us of us can't enjoy the labors of the Japanese, it just means we'll never be succesful



The Advantage "Solar Jetman-Braveheart Level"

The Advantage "Mega Man 3-Dr. Wiley Stage"

The Advantage is a band that plays ripping versions of Nintendo game music. It's also the name of a special joystick Nintendo led us to believe would give us the upper hand in game play. It was a lie. The Power Glove was a lie too. And the Power Pad soon lost it's appeal to parents hoping their kids would get exercise while playing Nintendo the day some dude figured out you could just hit the buttons with your hands instead of your feet.

The Advantage (the band) consists of members of Hella (you might remember said members of Hella from yesterday's post about The Ladies) and some other band I forget. the name. What really bothered me about never beating an of the Mario games is that every one in the world beat except for me. Even a four year old with a learning disability could fire through that castle at the end and save the princess. Not me, I would get lost and turn to "Duck Tales" in frustration. I could easily beat "Duck Tales". Okay, not easily. It took me four years.



The Advantage have two briliant albums under their belt, their self titled debut and 2005's 'Elf-Titled'. They hope to one day cover every Nintendo song ever created. Cheers to them for that, but jeers to them for so easily beating Mario brothers. I mean come ON!

The Advantage Official Site

Wicked Fine Ladies

The Ladies "Empathy On A Stick"
The Ladies "Nice Chaps, Buddy"
The Ladies "So Much For The Fourth Wall"

The Ladies are comprised of two members of Pinback and Hella, bands i'm not totally unfamiliar with, but I haven't heard a whole lot of either. Hella is an instrumental outfit that makes challenging rock music with weird time signatures, courtesy of drummer Zack Hill, who is a member of the Ladies. Pinback, an indie pop band, offers up Rob Crow to round out the Ladies.

The Ladies should not be confused with the Barenaked Ladies, a canadian band that sucks mountie cock. No, the Barenaked Ladies could never write a song like "Empathy On A Stick", that challenges me every time I listen to it and yet has a very catchy melody. The only thing I remember about the Barenaked Ladies is that fellow canadian Jason Priestley made a movie about them. I rest my case.

I've read somewhere that the Ladies' record combines the math rock of Hella with the pop sensibilities. From what I've heard of either group, I imagine this is a valid point. On songs like "So Much For The Fourth Wall" it sounds like there are three sets of drums playing at the same time. It's musicianship at it's best, albeit hard to listen to at times. A lot like NECROPHAGIST, actually.

And just so I cannot be blamed for false advertising, here is a photograph of some actual "wicked fine ladies".

MEOWR!

Meneguar "House Of Cats"
Meneguar "Kids Get Cut"
Meneguar "The Temp"

If you know me, you know that there's one fad of music I simply cannot abide. "Emo". First of all, it's the lamest term that the hype machine has ever invented. Second of all, suburban white boys with skinny, attractive (this is a prerequisite) whiny singers do NOT ROCK. I repeat, this is not rock n roll. These are simply trendsetters. If being a jock was still cool (it's coolness seems to be declining in lieu of being a homosexual in high schools across america). then they would be jocks. If being in the drama club was cool then these kids would all be wearing cardigans and quoting Samuel Clemens to one another. The deepest musical roots bands like Dashboard Confessional and Fall Out Boy have are Green Day and Blink 182. I'm going to stop listing reasons why I hate "emo" now, because I'm getting mad. I just may transform into the Hulk.

Meneguar is pretty damn close to being "emo", i admit. But they teeter just close enough over to the edge of originality so it's okay. I'll embrace it. They hail from Brooklyn and their singer is not whiny. Meneguar write intelligent songs with building progressions and interesting lyrics. Overall, they ROCK. "Emo" does not rock. See what I'm getting here?

I have seen Meneguar perform once. Yet again, I discovered them at SXSW. What can I say? There were NO BAD BANDS there. I did, however, miss the presence of NECROPHAGIST. Maybe next year. Meneguar rocked out in the backyard a shady mexican bar on a stage that appeared to be held up by old filing cabinets. They were playing "House Of Cats" as we walked in. That stage was later rocked by Die!Die!Die!.



I attempted to see Meneguar twice when they were recently in Los Angeles and failed. The first attempt failed because the band apparently got lost on the way to the club (Hello Cleveland!) and we got tired of waiting for them. We also grew tired of downing eight dollar beers at the bar of the venue. The second time we wasted too much time dicking around before leaving for the show and were late.

I can relate to the song "House Of Cats", because I live in one. Seriously, I have two cats who shed like crazy, and my entire life seems to be devoted to cleaning up after them. I know this is not what the song is literally about, but to me it is.

Dammit. To ME it is.

Leave Me Alone, It's Sunday

*Sigh*

Look, it's sunday, okay? And I don't feel like writing a lot today.

So just, well, uh....

Look here's the "Silver Spoons" theme song. No NECROPHAGIST today. These radical guitar licks (!) should suffice yr lust for rawk.

I'll be back tomorrow.

The Theme Song To "Silver Spoons"

Y'all Are Perspirin'

Lil Kulit "NBA Beat"

Look, i'm not going to dog on Lil Kulit. I'm sure he knows in his heart that he has some work to do. His cadence could be described as a tad bit off. He tries to stuff to many words into his lyrics. He sounds like a little Filipino guy. Well, okay, he can't help that, because he is a little Filipino guy. But as the line in the song goes, "Big things come in little packages".

Lil Kulit obviously has a passion for hip hop, as well as basketball. So much passion in fact that he penned and ode to the sport and his favorite team, the Golden State Warriors (I've never encountered anyone who was a Warriors fan. I'm not saying they don't have fans, but I've just never seen one). All this is set to the strains of John Tesh's "Roundball Rock", better known as the theme to the NBA on NBC, which I've always felt was one bad motherfuckin jam. There are rumours that Tesh once toured Eastern Europe with NECROPHAGIST, but I don't believe them.

I once watched Tesh on an episode of Late Night With Conan O'Brien, where Conan coaxed him into playing an impromptu version of the "NBA on NBC" with the Max Weinberg Seven. It was a classic televsion moment as Tesh counted the song off and launched right into it, Conan dancing like a fool next to him.

John Tesh "Roundball Rock (NBA on NBC Theme)"

So i'll give Lil Kulit for picking a good song to sample. But it could have been mixed a little better. You might not even notice that it's a Tesh sample until Kulit is through spitting his verbal fire. I only hope that in the future Kulit writes a song about the Oakland Athletics and samples the MLB on FOX theme song. Just as long as he hooks up with a sound engineer before that occurs.

Lil Kulit @ Myspace.com

John Tesh @ Myspace.com

Bloodlust Funk

Charles Wright & The 103rd Street Rhythm Band "Do Your Thing"

My first introduction to Charles Wright and the 103rd Street Rhythm Band was at a preview screening of the film "Boogie Nights". In a scene where more suitable music might have been something from the NECROPHAGIST catalogue, William H. Macy's character kills his wife, her lover and consequently himself. Me and my friends were yelling "do it!" as the music built, coming to a tragic end. The music ended abruptly, forcing us to trail off our rants of bloodlust in embarrassment.



Charles Wright & The 103rd Street Rhythm Band "103rd Street Theme"
Charles Wright & The 103rd Street Rhythm Band "Twenty Five Miles"
Charles Wright & The 103rd Street Rhythm Band "Ninety Day Cycle People"

The 103rd Street band (i'm not typing that whole name again) were at the forefront of soul in the late 60s/ early 70s. They're probably best known for the song "Express Yourself", which was sampled by Dr. Dre for the N.W.A. hit of the same name. Leader Charles Wright eventually became their leader, but the band are the true heroes here.

See if you can't groove during their version of "Twenty Five Miles", i dare you. It's infectious. These are true soul musicians doing what they do best. What started out as a house band for Bill Cosby's comedy recordings (it's true!) evolved into a well oiled soul machine. Ew. That sounded kind of nasty.

"90 Day Cycle People" has a somewhat complex message for an R&B burner. Wright sings about a race of superhumans who live out a life in just ninety days, with no time for fussing and fighting in between. A utopia is built in place of war and racism. It's rare that you get a science fiction rooted tale of tolerance in a soul song, but at least it's the right message. It could have been about a race of superhumans who obtain a magical gemstone called the "Diorriion" and end up drunk with power, bringing about their own demise. But I digress.

So the next time you're in a crowded theatre and some young men start screaming for blood, just ignore them. They'll end up regretting it down the line. And how could you blame them? That's just their way of grooving to the funk.

One Big Happy Family (On Heroin)

The Velvet Underground spawned many imitators (just ask the Black Angels). It was once said that everyone who ever heard the VU started their own band, or words to that effect. The closest you can come to the VU is to cover them. Which brings us to today's post.

Built To Spill "What Goes On"
R.E.M. "There She Goes Again"
Jane's Addiction "Rock N Roll"
Yo La Tengo "I'm Set Free"
David Bowie "White Light/White Heat"
Nirvana "Here She Comes Now
The Feelies "White Light/White Heat"
Rilo Kiley "After Hours"
David Bowie "Waiting For The Man"

Here is a mini album of the best Velvet Underground covers rock music has seen. David Bowie, no stranger to Velvets covers, gets two here, solely because he does it the best. Probably because he and Lou Reed were said to be, er, "tight". His rockin version of "Waiting For The Man" comes from a performance in Santa Monica in 1972. The other, "White Light/White Heat" comes from the tremendous "Bowie At The Beeb" two-disc set, a collection of BBC sessions from the early 70s.



The rest I'll let you judge. I have always particularly enjoyed Yo La Tengo's version of "I'm Set Free", they've always had a bit of a VU feel to me. And it's not just cause they have a girl drummer. You might notice the absence of NECROPHAGIST's version of "I'll Be Your Mirror". That is because it does not exist. But I wish it did.

Trip With Richard

Richard Pryor "Acid"

Richard Pryor "Frankenstein"

Richard Pryor was the funniest man who ever lived. Hands down. And that's not just my opinion. It's SCIENCE. Days of my youth were spent watching a worn VHS copy of "Live On The Sunset Strip" over and over again. When I first saw the Richard Pryor box set, containing his complete Warner Brothers recordings I had to have it. Alas, it was a bit too pricey for my tastes at the time.

Box sets are a definite luxury for a young man. I remember wanting the Led Zeppelin box set (on cassette) SO bad when I was in sixth grade. I asked my dad for it and he told me to save my money and buy it myself. Disgruntled, I did indeed save my money. The occasional loose change would go missing whenever I happened to be in the room. Finally I had enough, but my dad was busy so I had to wait like TEN DAYS (okay it was probably more like two, but seemed longer) until he would take me to buy it. Yes, I realize that was a bit of a tangent, but i'm talking BOX SETS here.

The Richard Pryor box set proved to be the most elusive item I 've ever had to track down. It wasn't until YEARS later that I found it at a Best Buy. It just so happened to be a store I had stopped into in the middle of nowhere in Michigan, in the WHITEST part of the state. I 'm sure that particular Best Buy's customers could only scoff at the box set, passing it by on the lonely shelf. Meanwhile I had been searching for it for eons.

The box set does not disappoint. I have selected Pryor's two bits on taking LSD for today's post. Nothing was off topic for this man, and that's what made him the comedic pioneer that he is. Pryor rarely did impressions (Except for his Mudbone character which I always skipped over), but his impression of Frankenstein's monster taking acid is ridiculous, much like the rest of his repertoire. He almost sounds like the singer of NECROPHAGIST.

Enjoy, motherfuckers.

Estrogen Attack

I know people who have never taken female rock singers seriously. I am not one of those people. In the "alternative" 90s, I was a huge fan of the likes of Juliana Hatfield, Bettie Serveert and Liz Phair (although definitely not anymore). Although if you come up to me and say you like Hole, i will vomit on you. And that's no lie.

Tift Merritt "Sunday"

So today I am embracing the estrogen attack. Tift Merritt may seem like a radical departure for the dude who wrote a piece praising NECROPHAGIST, but she's got a beautiful singing voice. I came across her when I was searching for a decent contemporary country artist. She straddles the line between country and VH1-ish "adult alternative", but nevertheless "Sunday" hits me in the heart. Yes, I remembered to put my tampon in today.

Thea Gilmore "I'm Not Down"

Thea Gilmore is a little more rough around the edges. Her acoustic cover of The Clash's "I'm Not Down" is stirring, and it will make you want to revisit the original. I believe Thea is the West End troubadour type, a comely lass singing in the most down and dirty pub in London. And yes, i realized I just spilled my sea breeze on my dress.

So enjoy the music of these lovely ladies just as much as me. And yes, I've got my purse. It's right next to my "Sex And The City" DVD set.

Thea Gilmore Official Site

Tift Merritt Official Site

Don't Fuck With This

Pantera "Death Rattle"

Saturday night I watched VH1's 'Behind The Music' on Pantera. First of all i'm excited that VH1 is doing this show again. Second of all, I was even more excited that they were doing an episode on Pantera. I actually stayed in that night just to watch it. I had a date with three wicked fine ladies and I cancelled it JUST TO WATCH THIS SHOW. Okay fine, I wasn't doing anything else, except for maybe listening to NECROPHAGIST.

You couldn't pick a better rock n roll story to tell than Pantera. I just wish the story hadn't ended with such a tragedy. I will admit that I welled up in the final moments of the Pantera "Behind The Music". I have such strong memories of that band and their music that it was hard not to. Having watched all of the Pantera home videos and seeing what a funny, loveable guy Dimebag Darrell seemed to be, I can't understand why anyone would want to do him in.

Pantera "Mouth For War"

I remember being in eighth grade and singing "Mouth For War" in its entirety to the girl who sat across from me. Although I think she was mildly entertained, she may have been a little bit scared of me at the same time. I mean, who tries to impress girls like that? It still doesn't work.

Pantera "Regular People (Conceit)"

Me and my cousin were huge Pantera fans. Every time we were in the same room and someone played "Regular People (Conceit)", we would just start beating the shit out of each other. And not pretend fighting either, we were out to hurt each other. Once he punched me in the stomach right after the song ended, and I thought that wasn't fair. Only WHILE it's playing, dude! We were just depressed teenagers and we got out our angst by beating on each other. That song just brought it out of us. Better each other than picking fights with strangers was my rationale.

Pantera "The Badge"

A couple of years ago I was given the opportunity to edit Superjoint Ritual's live concert DVD. I couldn't have been more excited. No it's not Pantera, but it was as close as I was gonna get. I even got to see them perform here in L.A. and go backstage after the show. During the show Phil Anselmo told the security guards to take a break, because he wanted to see the crowd "bloody and unmanageable". Mr. Anselmo was not backstage while I was there, but even being with the band who has sort of a third degree of separation from Pantera was enough to thrill me. Plus they thanked me in their liner notes! That alone is enough to make my 14 year old self shit himself with glee (ew). Superjoint is bad ass as well by the way. You'll definitely be hearing about that band in future posts of mine.

So this is my Pantera tribute post. Dimebag Darrell's body is long in the ground now in his KISS casket, but somewhere in the world right now there's some kid with a fucked up life rocking out to "Domination" instead of killing himself. So i'd say Dimebag did his job.

Guided By Horses

Band Of Horses "The Funeral"

By about the third or fourth day of this year's South By Southwest, I was getting burned out. Not burned out as in I was sick of seeing awesome bands, but just physically tired. When I went to the Sub Pop/Merge Records day party, all I wanted to do was sit down. Alas, the party was being held in the backyard of a local BBQ joint and the only place to sit were some picnic tables strategically placed to the side of the stage where you couldn't see anything. But at this point I just didn't care. This probably wouldn't have been the case if say NECROPHAGIST was playing.





I even sat through Robert Pollard's set with an uninterested look on my face. Usually I'd be in there jumping round with all the other blowfish, but this day I just wasn't feeling it. I caught my seventeenth wind later on that night, and the rest of the trip was a blast.




>

While wallowing in my misery at Pok-E-Joe's, a band of bearded, flanneled men took the stage. They introduced themselves as Band Of Horses. I coudn't have cared less at the time and I don't even remember what they sounded like, but in hindsight I wish I had. I didn't discover Band Of Horses until well after SXSW was over. I missed out. 'Everything All The Time' is a tremendous debut album.

Ben Bridwell and Matt Brooke formed Band Of Horses from the ashes of Carissa's Wierd, a band I paid little if any attention to when they existed. Their sound could easily be compared to that of My Morning Jacket, but I tend to think they approach it a little differently. The songs on 'Everything All The Time' span a range of emotions; sadness and happiness, quirkiness and straight ahead power pop. And with a nod to Neil Young, the record is good enough to fulfill any alt-country void you need to fill since Wilco started using only theremins on their recordings.

I can't tell if "The Funeral" is spiteful or sad. I gather that the writer is coming from a place where he's unsatisfied with himself, and he's taking you down with him. But who's funeral is he waiting for? Yours or his own? The song's highs and lows will definitely force you to put it on repeat and figure it out for yourself.

So next time I'm at a giant rock conference, I have to remember to stay alert try and pay attention to everyone. Maybe I'll cut back on the beer intake next time.

Uh, no. That's not gonna happen, maybe i'll just start taking trucker pills at those day shows instead.


Band Of Horses "The Funeral" music video

Band Of Horses Official Site

Slim Whitman: Killing Machine

Slim Whitman "I Remember You"

My introduction to this song was in Rob Zombie's wonderful film "House Of 1000 Corpses". It's interesting how the first time I watched the movie, I thought it sucked so bad that I turned it off, which I rarely do. Your movie has to REALLY suck shit for me to stop watching it. But the next time I caught it on cable, I realized it was brilliant.



If you haven't seen the movie, then you may not understand what Slim Whitman has to do with Rob Zombie (whose music i despise, for the record). In a pivotal scene in "House of 1000 Corpses", Slim's "I Remember You" is played in its entirety as people are murdered. It's a great juxtaposition, this beautiful country ballad about lost love plays as three characters are mercilessly gunned down.

Slim Whitman "Indian Love Call"

For those unfamiliar with Slim Whitman, you might also remember him as the artist whose music ("Indian Love Call") made the alien's heads explode at the end of Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!", saving the planet. Whitman certainly has had an interesting film soundtrack career.

So now you won't be able to listen to Slim Whitman without thinking about grisly death. As it should be.

Slim Whitman Wikipedia Entry

Highway To Haaga

Dead Horse "Like Asrielle"

Dead Horse "Forgive"

Just now on my way home from work (yes, i actually DO have a job) a car pulled up to me with some dude wanting to say something to me. Now this being Los Angeles, I was fully prepared for him to start waving a gun or perhaps offer to sell me some of his homemade porn movies. Instead he commended me on the Dead Horse bumper sticker I have on my car. "Where'd you get that Dead Horse sticker, bro?!?" he exclaimed as four cars behind him laid on their horns. "I got it from a friend of mine from New Orleans" I replied. "That's fucking awesome! Those guys are my friends!" he yelled as the guy in the car behind him rifled through his glove compartment looking for his baretta. "Alright, cool man!" was all I could think to say before speeding away, fearing the angry Angelenos we were holding up.

I can understand the guy's reaction. Dead Horse made records out of Houston in the nineties. They were an accomplished heavy metal band that wrote great songs. I found out about them through a friend of mine (the one from New Orleans) who is probably their biggest fan in the world. Apparently they had a devoted following for their live shows, but they never quite caught on outside their local area. They released several albums themselves, until 'Peaceful Death and Pretty Flowers' was released on Big Chief Records (it was recently re-issued on Relapse Records. Dead Horse's last gasp at attempting to be heard nationwide was 'Feed Me', an EP that was allegedly a demo tape intended for a major record label. After this record failed to garner attention, primary songwriter Michael Haaga left Dead Horse, who released one more record before disbanding.

Dead Horse "Rock Lobster"

Much like NECROPHAGIST, Dead Horse take a technical approach to metal. But unlike the "Prophets of Metal", it's not so much death metal as it is thrash. Much like the fact that it's not so much me as it is Roenick. I know the untrained ear may not think there's a difference between the two, but believe me there is. I've decided to put up their cover of "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s, mostly because it's familiarity, but also to show that this is a metal band who's not afraid to cover Fred Schneider. In songs like "Like Asrielle" and "Forgive" you can hear the punk influence, the metal influence, the sense of humor and the promise that this band showed.

The Demonseeds "Fail"

The Demonseeds "Death To Love"

Haaga went on to form the Demonseeds, who put out their only record "Knee Deep In Hell's Grasp". The album showed new direction for metal, melding it with southern rock sensibilities even more than Dead Horse's recordings had.

Michael Haaga "If And When"

These days, Michael Haaga is still writing genius songs, but they're not quite in the thrash vein anymore. He wrote and recorded "The Plus And Minus Show" with his new band in 2004, his first solo effort to my knowledge. "The Plus And Minus Show" is a departure from Dead Horse, it's more of a pop record, but the same sensibilities are there. Haaga has crafted a brilliant showcase for his musical ideas, and songs like "If And When" and "Looking Beyond" dare you to listen to them only once. It's catchy and clever at the same time. Outliving the looming shadow of Dead Horse is a laborious enterprise, but Haaga achieves it gracefully. The video for "If And When" tells the story of a boy and his egg, topped off by a performace by Haaga's band in a chicken coop.

"If And When" music video - directed by Ken Mowe

And so, since a random person reminded me about the bumper sticker on my car, I came home and played the fuck out of Haaga and Dead Horse. I'm sure that guy is doing the same thing right now too.

Plus And Minus Show Official Site