Album Review: L. Ron Drunkard's "The First 5" EP

“Due To You” and “Throw Away,” the opening salvos from L. Ron Drunkard’s EP "The First 5," are aggressive hardrock tracks with gruffly delivered nursery rhyme lyrics, with the latter track declaring: “Two, four, six, eight, everyone just wants to get laid.” Scientology-endorsed it is not, but it would be by anyone who likes pessimistic post-punk from a power-chord driven three-piece. “I Feel Great” attempts to put on a happy face, but “Everything Falls Apart” and “Tie Me Off,” full of heroin metaphors, slow the tempo and allow the near-west suburban band to probe more subtle instrumental arrangements. (www.facebook.com/LRonDrunkardMusic)

Review originally printed in the December 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer, page 55:

https://soundcloud.com/l-ron-drunkard

Pondering Life and Death in the deer woods; Or, Being an Uncle

A northwest Indiana 5-pointer

It was with a heavy heart that I took to the woods for deer season the weekend of Nov. 15-16, 2014. Just a day earlier I had learned of my Uncle Mike’s sudden death--a death that shocked the family to the core. Uncle Mike, from L’Anse, U.P., Michigan, was a deer hunter himself, and I am still coming to terms with the news.

Also, my brother Marky and his girlfriend, Tiffany, were expecting the birth of their daughter Edith Rae (she was born on Friday the 14th)--good news for sure.

Combine those extreme ups and downs with the fact that I had not successfully harvested a deer in four years despite hunting an average of 50 hours a season. Would I be able to hunt and also make the journey to Uncle Mike’s funeral? Would I be able to see my niece in the hospital after her birth? Would I redeem myself after four frustrating years of hunting? The pressure was on from all directions. Thankfully, the woods are my preferred spot for pondering answers to difficult questions.

So, I was alone on my family’s 50-acre plot of land (a mix of farm fields, woods, prairie, pond and stream) in northwest Indiana, ready to pit myself against the challenges of nature and come to terms with ideas of life and death. As melodramatic as it sounds, I even prayed to the spirit of Uncle Mike to send me a buck.

Saturday, Nov. 15

I climbed into my tree stand at 5 a.m. on a frozen morning. Gradually, as dawn broke around 5:45, I could start to make out the features of the land spreading out in front of me: to the right, a creek; to the left, a wooded hillside; in front of me, the 10-acre scrub of the prairie.

At 6:30, I caught a quick glimpse of my first deer of the season. At first I thought it was a doe, but as it reappeared to my right about 150 yards away, I saw through my binoculars what appeared to be a 4-pointer--a odd 4-pointer with one side of its rack bent so that it wasn’t properly sticking up, but more toward the side.

I readied my Savage 220 bolt-action slug shotgun as it crept closer, headed straight toward me by way of a mowed trail. I tried to wait for a broadside target, but just as the deer was about 50 yards from me, he spooked and stepped into the nearby treeline bordering the creek. Maybe he smelled me? The wind was not in my favor.

A moment passed. Then he emerged and headed back the way he came. At 75 to 100 yards away, he started trotting and, fearful that I would miss my chance at any shot, I put the crosshairs on his body and squeezed the trigger.

The buck, apparently startled by the bang of the gun, bounded away at top speed, and I quickly lost him in the brush. He didn’t go down.

I immediately began to shake, convulse, under the influence of the adrenaline (“buck fever”) coursing through my body. I cursed silently, despondent over the idea that I had missed my chance. Would any other buck dare to enter the prairie now?

I only had 5 minutes in which to beat myself up mentally and recover from the adrenaline shakes because to my immediate left, 50-yards away on the wooded hillside, I heard footsteps crunching the frozen leaves. A doe. Then, a buck. They had appeared like ghosts only minutes after I cracked the silence of the morning with my shot.

I saw the buck for a couple seconds before he ducked behind a bush. He was bigger, perhaps a 12-pointer, I quickly surmised. Now if he would only take two steps into the prairie, he would present the easiest broadside shot a hunter could ask for.

But he too turned and retraced his steps, back up the wooded hillside. Desperate, I took a shot at him through the woods. He turned and looked back at me--I had obviously missed. Then, he ran up the hill and was gone.

I was crushed and did the only thing a hunter could do at that moment: wait. Wait for 30 minutes before descending the ladder to truly determine whether I had hit the first buck, for surely I had missed the second.

After a time, I walked over to the spot where I believed the first deer had been running when I took my shot. No blood. I walked the rest of the prairie and nearby treeline, looking for any sign I had wounded him. Nothing.

Doubting my hunting and shooting abilities like never before, I returned to the cabin to rest for the afternoon hunt. That evening produced nothing, as I sat in the same tree stand from 2 to 5 p.m., filled with conflicting thoughts of my uncle, my niece and the bucks that so easily eluded me.

Sunday, Nov. 16

I awoke at 4 a.m., seriously rethinking my priorities and my ability to face another day of hunting failure, especially amid the recent news of birth and death. Nevertheless, I suited up and climbed back into the frigid stand by 5. Dawn broke as it did the day before, and once again I stared out into the prairie.

By 8 a.m., with only the call of Great Horned Owls and the appearance of a yearling doe to break up the monotony during the long three hours, I decided I had had enough for the morning. I descended the tree stand and for no apparent reason, walked again toward the spot where I had taken the shot at the first deer the day before. This time, instead of circling around a tangle of trees, I walked right by it.

There, to my shock, was a deer, a buck, lying down and facing away from me, leaning against a tree. I shouldered my gun, then quickly realized that the deer was dead.

It was the 4-pointer--actually a 5-pointer with a bent-back antler, giving it a distinctive odd look that I had first seen through the binoculars the day before. I had hit him, killed him, with a shot to the left hip that diagonally traveled through his midsection before being lodged in his hide just behind his right elbow. He had laid down and died, and was there the day before when I had walked right by him, not seeing him. He must’ve been alive then, because after I got over my shock and gutted him, he was still warm to the touch (the air temperature had not risen above 25 degrees all night and had dipped into the teens). Again, I felt a flood of contradictory emotions: joy at the success of such a difficult shot, sorrow at the suffering he endured but ultimately respect for the sacrifice he made. I was redeemed.

Being an Uncle

I spent the rest of the day butchering the magnificent specimen, deeply grateful for the opportunity to hunt him and thanking Uncle Mike for answering my prayer (as corny as that sounds). Now, venison--steaks, stew meat and ground meat--has filled my freezer. I have grand plans for homemade jerky and sausage as well. And the skull and antlers will be made into a European mount and join the other deer trophies I have on the wall.

In a way, my success in harvesting this buck prevented me from driving to Michigan for my uncle’s funeral that occurred the next day. I was spent. I’m not happy with that, and will probably regret it for a long time, if not forever.

But I did get to visit my niece Edi two days later. She is a beauty, and my gift to her father, my youngest brother, was a package of venison. Maybe one day I’ll be able to take Edi into the woods for a hike, and we can talk about and witness the marvelous life of the woods--just like I did with my uncles when I was young.

Concert review: Helmet does "Betty"

The last time I saw Helmet in concert before this past Saturday night was 20 years ago when they opened for Faith No More at the Aragon Ballroom. That night, I got bounced out of the venue while crowd surfing during the second song of Helmet’s set. I had to wait on the mean streets of Uptown while my chums enjoyed the rest of the concert, in addition to missing Mike Patton and the rest of FNM during their heyday.

I had redemption on Aug. 16, at Reggie’s (2105 S. State St., Chicago), where Helmet played “Betty” in its entirety to mark the 20th anniversary of the album’s original release: I’m sure Helmet played many of those same songs that fateful night two decades ago. “Betty” was before its time in 1994 and remains relevant today.

The opening riffage of “Wilma’s Rainbow”--quickly joined by a thudding bass line and crisp, uptempo drumming--signals the start of some of the grooviest, most contagious post-punk, alt-metal ever recorded. The 14-song album (with most songs clocking in at under 3 minutes) was a follow-up to “Meantime,” perhaps one of the most influential alternative albums of the 1990s.

“Betty,” although more polished, retains the ferocity of the other album early on, and Page Hamilton and the guys ripped through them like it was the mid-1990s. “Biscuits For Smut” and "Milquetoast” rocked the packed and sweaty crowd, with frequent outbreaks of mass swaying and headbanging. Five songs in with “Tic,” Hamilton’s voice was showing physical strain as he croaked out “The tic begins!”

Helmet rocks Reggie's

His guitar playing, however, never cracked, and it was a pleasure to see the singer-songwriter-guitarist take the spotlight on the few solos he allows himself. A big part of Helmet’s appeal has been the out-of-the-box arrangements this classically trained  jazz guitarist brings to the metal genre. Hamilton (also a producer and touring guitarist for David Bowie) remains a virtuoso on the axe.

“Betty” isn’t all killer and no filler. A couple songs probably would not make the cut on a normal set list, but the band dutifully played them anyway: “Beautiful Love” merely showcases Hamilton’s jazz guitar skills in a way that doesn’t fit the rest of the album, “The Silver Hawaiian” is a bit goofy in delivery, and “Sam Hell,” with its country-western plucking, is also out of bounds.

At the end of “Betty” Hamilton said they were going to take a break but couldn’t since there was no DJ. So, they soldiered on for set #2 without pause. The song selection favored more recent offerings from albums “Size Matters” (including “Crashing Foreign Cars”), “Monochrome" (2006) and “Seeing Eye Dog" (2010). Hamilton began taking requests, but urgings for “In The Meantime” were left unanswered. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Link to video and audio for "Wilma's Rainbow," the opening track to the album "Betty":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3a8Ow-DoAw

Catching 'Bows On The Rogue

Author and brother on the Rogue

I was only able to fish for two days while on a 17-day Pacific Northwest trip from Seattle to San Francisco this summer. But I made the most of it by catching my limit of rainbow trout from the pristine waters of the Rogue River (Oregon). I camped along the river for one night very near its source, Mount Mazama, which is better known for the massive caldera that crowns its long-ago destroyed volcanic peak: Crater Lake.

I camped in the Umpqua National Forest on Monday, July 21, with my wife and two kids (9 and 7), and with my brother Jonny, his girlfriend Amber and their 1-year-old, the spunky Westly, aka Chunkers, aka Weaseltown. Jon and Amber own and operate Peace of Pizza in nearby Applegate, and they provided all the camping and fishing supplies.The isolated, primitive site we occupied for the night was north of Medford, off Highway 62, about 12 miles past the turnoff for Crater Lake.

The river at this elevation is small, fairly fast flowing and gorgeous. It is full of downed trees. Some served as walkways across the river, but most served to frustrate me early as I was fighting snags nearly every cast.

Jonny and I fished the high mountain haven the first night we set up camp riverside. I hooked up with two trout, but both released early. We didn’t have much luck on a secluded bend of river where Jonny had torn it up only a couple weeks before. Before sunset, I tried a spot in the river closer to our campsite. Battling snags, I finally landed a 9-inch rainbow. It was my first Western trout since catching brookies in Hat Creek, California, circa 1999.

Beautiful Rogue River 'bow

I was using a simple spinning rod set-up, with artificial trout Powerbait and neon-pink artificial eggs on hooks. I would cast above a hole or other promising spot--like a downed tree or above the edges of submerged vegetation--and let the current naturally float the bait downstream.

The next morning I had much better luck. Waking at 6:45 before anyone else, I hit the nearby spot again. The trout were hungry, and I limited out in an hour.  It was a rush every time I hooked up with a ‘bow as each fought and jumped with vigor. All fish caught were 9 to 11 inches long (minimum keeper size is 8). 
When I returned to camp, all were still asleep. When they awoke, we dined on fresh trout, broke camp and headed to Crater Lake.

OTHER TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

1. A night in a yurt near Mount St. Helens, another volcano.

2. A night in a Tiny House Hotel on NW Alberta St. (Alberta Arts District) in Portland (www.tinyhousehotel.com). We also hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls east of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge.

3. Two nights on the Oregon Coast (one in Pacific City and one in Yachats). We spotted dozens of grey whales offshore, some from the balcony of our hotel room in Yachats and some near Yaquina Head. We also saw harbor seals in Depoe Bay (where a scene from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed).

4. Swimming in the Toutle River (south branch) in Washington, swimming in the Illinois River in southern Oregon, and hiking to the Big Foot trap near Applegate Lake.

5. Six days in Applegate, Oregon, working at the pizzeria, disconnecting from grid, hanging with family.

6. Redwood hikes through Fern Canyon, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood Creek trail, Gold Bluff Beach in California.

7. Three nights in a yurt at Bothe-Napa State Park; went to Sterling Winery, V. Sattui and Castello di Amorosa.

8. Took a beach day along Sonoma Coast State Beaches and Dillon Beach; lunched in Bodega Bay.

9. Breweries visited: Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, Calif., Lucky Labrador Brewery in Portland, Pelican Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon, Caldera Brewery in Ashland, Oregon, Ukiah Brewery in Ukiah, Calif.

10. One night in Seattle on way in (stayed near and toured Space Needle), one night in San Francisco on way out (stayed at Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf and lunched on dim sum in Chinatown).

*2,300 miles driven via rental car over 17 days

Review: Goliath, Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL

Goliath's record-breaking drop

Six Flags claims its new ride Goliath is the world’s fastest wooden roller coaster and the one with the biggest drop. Assuming those facts are true, does this mean it’s the best roller coaster thrill this park has to offer? Not quite.

I took on Goliath on July 7, 2014, a few weeks after its debut. I got to the park early and was in line at 10:30 a.m., the opening bell, and it was still a 75-minute wait. (For perspective: It was a 150-minute wait when I got off the ride, and I read it was a six-hour wait to experience Diagon Alley at Harry Potter land at Universal Studio in Orlando when it debuted this month).

Here are my impressions of the ride itself:

The Drop: Although undeniably intimidating with its 180-foot drop, 85-degree angle and tunnel-into-the-ground finish, there are better drops, most notably on Raging Bull, a steel coaster on the other side of the park. Still, this one isn’t for the faint of heart.

The Speed: The ride is very fast (74 mph at top speed) and smooth. It doesn’t really feel or sound like a traditional wooden coaster. And since the oval-shaped, twisting-back-on-itself track was shoe-horned in the small footprint that Iron Wolf occupied, the ride is very short.

The Inversions: The coaster goes upside down a couple times, once in an attempt at simulating zero gravity. That effect is just as memorable as the drop that begins the ride, especially given the lap-bar and seat-belt restraints, sans shoulder-harness.

Bottom line: It was worth the wait and lived up to most of its hype, but there are better thrills to be had.

Here’s my ranking of the major coasters of this park. (Note: I’ve been going to Six Flags periodically since 1984, back when Whizzer, Demon and Eagle were it):

1. Raging Bull: Fantastic steel coaster that is very fast, long-tracked, and features the biggest and best drop in the park.

2. Goliath: Next time: front car. Notable for its steep drop and inversions, especially given its compact wooden construction.

3. X-Flight: Uniquely designed, like having passengers sitting on the wings of an airplane;  seats are on both sides of the track, not on top of it. Sit in the front to best experience the last-second twist before flying through the control tower.

4. American Eagle: A wooden classic, a giant of a drop that never fails to thrill.

5. Superman: Passengers hang from under the track; simulates flying a la the Man of Steel. Ascending for the drop is always super-spooky (you are hanging under the track!), but if you can get past that, this is a very smooth ride that is fantastic in design. Very fun.

6. Viper: The second best of four wooden coasters in the park; more modern than the Eagle with a couple moderate drops.

7. Batman: Passengers’ legs dangle on this one that is best experienced in the very front; otherwise, you can’t see a thing.

Other notable rides: Whizzer, a classic entry-level coaster; Demon, one drop, two loops and a corkscrew; Big Dipper, a small, antique wooden coaster; Vertical Velocity, a speedy, twisty, forwards-and-backwards line, like a carnival ride on steroids; The Dark Knight, an indoor track that is not worth your time.

Link to point-of-view video ride of Goliath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_2tgfQqJXk 

Album Review: Mastodon's "Once More 'Round The Sun"

MASTODON

*Once More ‘Round The Sun*

(Warner Bros.)

The most remarkable thing about Mastodon is the band’s guitar interplay. Serpentine--constantly writhing and evolving in shape and sound--is the most apt description for it, and the band’s sixth album continues to amaze in this way.

“Chimes At Midnight” is a showcase, among 10 other strong tracks, with its chiming guitar intro that morphs into a heavy rocker by way of Mastodon’s unique brand of progressive metal. A Southern rock-tinged version of Iron Maiden is the closest comparison. Bassist Troy Sanders’ vocals on the verses mesh perfectly with guitarist Brent Hinds’ Ozzy Obsourne-like wails on the chorus.

Few other metal bands can match Mastodon’s wide open instrumental arrangements, displayed on the aforementioned song and frequently throughout the five previous albums, but at the same time, the band has taken a slightly more conventional approach to its songwriting on this one. “High Road,” the first single from the album, is a catchy, grungy tune that, besides its extended guitar solo interplay, is fairly straightforward. The lyrics on “Ember City,” sung by Sanders, are relationship-centered, a departure for a band that has fashioned fantasy concept albums about mythical creatures (*Blood Mountain* and *Leviathan*) or time travel (*Crack The Skype*). Perhaps refreshingly, Sanders implores: “And if I want you to stay/What do I say to you?”

An uncharacteristic inclusion of a closing chorus of female vocalists chanting “Hey, ho, let’s fucking go / Hey, ho, let’s get up and rock and roll” occurs on “Aunt Lisa.” It doesn’t ruin the high-paced song, but is evidence the band is striving for more mainstream inclusion of melody and harmony compared to early albums. “Asleep In The Deep” is another surprising head-scratcher that although evolves into a harder sound, starts off almost ballad-like. Even with these moments, every track delivers the energy and unpredictable metal arrangements that are a hallmark.

Listen for the last two minutes of “Halloween” for pedal-to-the-floor guitar riffing between Hinds and Bill Kelliher: scary good.

Bottom line: This is the best full album yet by the smartest and most creative metal band around.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Link to "Chimes At Midnight" audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6zU87xJoBk
Link to music video of "High Road": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aw1WnNVcYw

Link to Mastodon concert review: http://jasonscales.blogspot.com/2014/05/concert-review-mastodon-gojira-kvelertak.html

Two-for-one metal shows reviewed: High On Fire and Red Fang

Here are my thoughts on two heavy metal shows I attended to check out two West Coast bands who recently came through Chicago: Oakland's legendary High On Fire and Portland's upstart Red Fang. I had seen High On Fire twice before, once at Lincoln Hall and once at the Aragon Ballroom as the opener to a Mastodon and Dethklok bill. They are not to be missed. It was a first time for Red Fang. I enjoyed both shows.

Matt Pike of High On Fire at the Empty Bottle

HIGH ON FIRE
May 31, 2014
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Seeing this band at this venue was like watching a dinosaur stomp through your basement. In particular, iconic singer-guitarist-songwriter Matt Pike commanded the stage like few other metal frontmen can. Shirtless and tattooed, he wielded his axe while gruffly declaring his fantasy-laden lyrics: it's like a heavy metal pep rally for the Orcs of Mordor. Highlights included the following tracks from the band's past few albums: "Fury Whip," "Fertile Green" and "Frost Hammer." The low-ceiling, intimate space of the Empty Bottle was filled for the 90-minute, late-night set.
That same weekend, the band took the stage at the Do Division street fest as well as another gig at the Bottle, so you had plenty of opportunity to see the three-piece destroy.
BITE CAFE, an eatery next door affiliated with the Bottle, is in fact a great place for a bite to eat before a show. I highly recommend the bacon gravy poutine and the fried oysters and grits. You can also get the poutine with a mushroom-based gravy. Heads-up: the restaurant is BYO, so come prepared (like I didn't).

Red Fang at The Wire

RED FANG
June 3, 2014
The Wire, Berwyn, IL
This sleek, relatively new venue was the perfect spot for Red Fang, who was touring to support new album “Whales And Leeches” (see separate blog entry for review of that album). The brick-walled, open-air space was packed with fans eager to see and hear this Portland band’s take on grungy stoner rock, similar to harder-edged Queens Of The Stone Age offerings.  The four-piece band was tight, especially on the following tracks: “Crows In Swine,” “Blood Like Cream, “No Hope,” and “DOEN.” 
A small mosh pit developed early in the band’s set and continued throughout, only to lose steam once when someone puked. An employee with a mop bucket quickly took care of the mess.
Like the Empty Bottle, The Wire is small. Unlike the Bottle, it is airy and modern, if also simplistic in design and comforts: a few high top tables are scattered in the front space in addition to bar seating. There appeared to be a small balcony section, but I didn’t look hard enough to find the stairs up there. In general, the place had good sound and is easily accessible off 290 from city and suburbs.

Album review: Mammoth Nation's "Livestock For Sale"

Link to PDF file of published review, in June 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer magazine. Navigate to page 14, or read review below:
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-june-2014/0320603001401595138

If the success of Elmhurst’s The Orwells (recently hailed in the Chicago Tribune as the next big thing in rock) draws more attention to the young musicians in the Western suburbs, Mammoth Nation deserves a look. On *Livestock For Sale*, the band’s four-song EP (a fifth track is a radio friendly version), “Key This” impresses the most. It’s a Red Hot Chili Pepper-influenced jam with rapid-fire lyrics and extended axe-grinding that would make John Frusciante smile. “Intoxicated Melancholy” is up-tempo pop punk that builds to an anti-climactic alt-rock conclusion. “Underline” further proves the four-piece can write a catchy pop punk tune, and “20-20” has an understated reggae backbone.

Appearing at The Wire in Berwyn June 14.

Link to FB page: https://www.facebook.com/mammothnationIL

P 14 of June 2014 IE

: ignore photo, that's not MN

Album review: Red Fang's "Whales And Leeches"

Red Fang is appearing at The Wire in Berwyn, IL, on June 3--I'll be there.

The album review below originally appeared in the June 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer magazine, on page 50.
Link to PDF file of the issue: http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-june-2014/0320603001401595138

Red Fang has inadvertently recorded the theme song for the past Chicago winter. On “DOEN,” the first track on the Portland band’s new 11-track album *Whales And Leeches,* the singer bellows: “Winter is your doom / sun set comes too soon.”  The instrumentation is high-energy, grungy and doomsday sufficient. Queens Of The Stone Age comparisons abound, with “Blood Like Cream” sounding like a bonus track from “Rated R”-era QOTSA. Red Fang is harder, though, more like Kings Of The Jurassic Age, and therefore similarities to legendary Pacific Northwesterners The Melvins make more sense (although Red Fang’s song structures are infinitely more linear than the Melvins’). Themes of tooth-and-claw survival are explored, with brash guitar riffs and screaming solos to match, especially prominent on “No Hope” and the seven-minute, slower tempo “Dawn Rising.”

7/10

- Jason Scales

Link to David Letterman appearance, playing "Blood Like Cream": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE9Iv56pBXo

Concert Review: Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak

Mastodon's Bill Kelliher

Riviera Theater, Chicago

May 8, 2014

By Jason Scales

Link to original posting: http://illinoisentertainer.com/2014/05/stage-buzz-live-review-mastodon/

Link to "High Road" audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0-EyHT1lJk

Mastodon’s appearance at the Riviera Theater on May 8 served in part as a sneak peek of the band’s forthcoming album in June, the first album since 2011’s “The Hunter.” Most notably, “High Road,” the first single from “Once More ‘Round The Sun,” was featured, a performance that assured the near sell-out crowd that the Atlanta-based band is continuing in its progressive metal approach. The song is sludgy with a repetitive and groovy riff that leads into the instantly singable chorus “you take the high road down, I’ll take the ground below you.” The verse-chorus-verse structure is more linear than one might expect from Mastodon, but that eventually gives way to a wall-of-sound double lead-guitar battle.

The majority of the 90-minute set was comprised mostly of songs from past albums, with “Black Tongue,” “Crystal Skull,” and “Oblivion” cemented as requisite crowd favorites. As expected from a band that features multiple textures, tempos, and vocals—often in the same song—guitarist-singer Brent Hinds and bassist-singer Troy Sanders rotated into the singing spotlight. On “Bedazzled Fingernails,” as Hinds led the crowd in singing “lay me down/stand my ground,” the pit offered up crowd surfers, who were quickly wrangled by security only to be let go and reabsorbed into the crowd. The group’s metal jam-band approach, with Southern rock highlights and spacey instrumental passages, has been honed through years of touring. They’ve never been sloppy, but this night seemed especially on, perhaps because they were touring to introduce a new album rather than support one. Although more preview of new material would have been nice, perhaps the band wanted please the crowd with established jams, punctuated with a small taste of what’s soon to come.

Opening bands Kvelertak and Gojira were a study in contrasts, with the former’s loose punk rock approach to metal clashing with the latter’s precision thrash attack.

Gojira

Chants of “Go-Jir-A!” preceded the French band’s appearance on stage and it delivered on the hype: Two imposing amp stacks bookended an elevated drum platform, allowing shirtless drummer Mario Duplantier an appropriate pulpit from which to conduct his polyrhythmic, helicopter double-bass assault. Strobe lights punctuated nearly every snare drum shot to punishing effect on “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe.” The relentless shredding, combined with the first 90-degree day in Chicago of the season, was nearly overwhelming. On “L’Enfant Sauvage,” the title track of the band’s latest album, the tempo mercifully slowed for temporary relief—necessary for both the band that never missed a mark and the rabid crowd that responded in appreciation.

Kvelertak

Norwegian openers Kvelertak, a four-man guitar and bass line-up fronting singer and drummer, presented a different aesthetic in a quick and energetic eight-song set. Longhaired and bare-chested singer Erlend Hjelvik commanded the stage and crowd, wailing in his native tongue from the band’s two-album catalogue. “Braune Brenn” from latest album “Meir” was a highlight, as the band favored its shorter, high tempo songs (including “Evig Vandrar”) over more progressive offerings found on its albums. Most entertaining were the coordinated guitar-as-prop theatrics pulled off by the four when more groovy breakdowns in the instrumentation allowed. The band was clearly enjoying the energy from the early arriving crowd.

Mastodon's Troy Sanders

All photos taken by author on iPhone 4S

Album Review: Kvelertak: "Meir"

This is one of the best metal albums I've heard in a loooong time. I'm psyched to be seeing this Norwegian band open for Gojira (from France) and Mastodon (headlining and from Georgia, USA) on Thursday, May 8, 2014 at the Riviera Theater in Chicago.
This show will be even better because it's my 15th wedding anniversary and my lovely bride is spending it with me headbanging. Thanks, Jill!

Kvelertak

*Meir*

(Roadrunner)

This Norwegian band is at its best early and often on this 11-track second album. They cut their scream-o, full-tilt hardcore with straight-up punk rock that serves as a relatively groovy, and much needed, break from the high-energy catharsis started on opener “Apenbaring” and seamlessly transitioning to the blistering “Spring Fra Livet.” Get over the language barrier: it doesn’t matter that these boys wail in Norwegian, the chorus to “Bruane Brenn” is so damn catchy you sing the harmony anyway. The vocals serve as an extra roaring instrument rather than transmitter of ideas or themes. The seven-piece isn’t one-dimensional or tied to a specific metal genre: “Snilepisk” is the most thrash-like track, and “Nekrokosmos” marks the beginning of three tracks in a row that take a grungy prog-metal approach with extended instrumental explorations.

9

- Jason Scales
Link to PDF print version in the July 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer (navigate to page 32):
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-july-2014/0584122001404175496

Album review: Afghan Whigs: "Do To The Beast"

Check out my review of this much-anticipated new album from this legendary band. The review appears on page 28 of the May 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer (in print and online). Jill and I saw their show at Metro in the fall of 2013--it was good to see the boys back at it (after a 15 year hiatus)!
If you've heard the album, let me know what you think in the Comments section of my blog.

http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-may-2014/0561040001398957987

Afghan Whigs

*Do To The Beast*

(Sub Pop)

On “Parked Outside,” the first track from the first album from this band in 15 years, Greg Dulli sings, “If they’ve seen it all/Show them something new.”  Unfortunately for the lyrics, the song is classic Whigs provocation, not something new. But the soul/rock aesthetic perfectly embodies the Sub Pop-era Whigs, so fans will forgive the lack of promised novelty--the song rocks. The guitar breakdown riff around 2:35 of “Royal Cream” epitomizes the sound of past albums *Gentleman* and *Black Love.* And “Royal Cream” fades into “I Am Fire,” a slow-burn Dulli confessional. Dulli—a commanding rock frontman with the soul of a Motown crooner who perhaps has seen it all—has dabbled in side projects Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins. With this 10-track album, Whigs are back where they belong, on label and in sound.

7

- Jason Scales

Album Review: Phil Ajjarapu's solo album: Sing Along Until You Feel Better

Three ways to read my review of this great album, published in the April 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer: 1) take a look at the text below. 2) Click on the link to see a PDF file of the issue and navigate to page 14. 3) Try to read the screen shot below.
Whatever you do, check out Phil's music on bandcamp (link below) and BUY IT! It's also available on iTunes.

March 2014 marks the second-year anniversary of singer-songwriter Phil Ajjarapu’s near-death motorcycle accident, which served as a wake-up call for the gifted musician to record his first solo album, the 11-track marvel *Sing Along Until You Feel Better*. Before the accident, the Libertyville native played bass in multiple Chicago bands (most notably Liquid Soul) before relocating to Austin, Texas, to teach high school music and gig in bands there. The album that resulted is a hall-of-famer as far as silver linings go: financed by Kickstarter and produced by Ken Stringfellow (R.E.M. and the Posies) the songs sound like they are from the late 1960s—not for nostalgic reasons, but for top-shelf rock songwriting reasons. Nearly 30 Austin musicians helped Phil (who plays guitar, including pedal steel, piano and sings) record his compositions of love, love lost and the self-examination that results. The title track is an upbeat song that belies its melancholy mood; “Don't Worry” is a hopeful song about “leaving Ohio and moving back to Chicago” to chase a girl; “Every Day” is a heart-breaker about the urge to call an old love, and perhaps the most surprising—and cynical track—is “Nothing Is Connected,” a rollicking acoustic-guitar number. (Philajjarapu.bandcamp.com)

-Jason Scales

Link to Illinois Entertainer website/PDF file: http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-april-2014/0480185001396303656

P. 14, April 2014 IE, ignore the odd placement of the photo--that's NOT Phil :)