A Perfect Circle - Boston July 12

It was the hottest day of the summer so far. Temperatures in the afternoon reached well into the 90’s and even as the day grew into evening, the oppressive heat hung heavy under the Pavilion’s tent. I last saw A Perfect Circle years ago, after the release of 13th Step. It was an intense experience to watch musicians so well versed in their craft and in harmony with each other. Six years since their last tour, my expectations were high. However, I was also anxious to hear what they had planned for us. Having never really toured with the eMotive tracks, the sets would draw heavily from that album as well as their first two. There was also a rumor about a new song. The anticipation grew unbearable as the opening act closed its set.  Just as the sun went down over the Boston skyline, A Perfect Circle casually stepped on stage to deliver an epic show, drenched in their signature textures and flair; sounds as dense as the air around them.

The set opened with two songs from eMotive: “Annihilation” and their dark rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” I love this version and seeing it live was moving. Maynard was in classic form. He sounded great; his voice was tender and tragic, often within the same breath. He stood in profile, not facing the audience directly, on a raised platform in rear left of the stage. It wasn’t until a few songs in, the raucous and emotional “Weak And Powerless,” did Maynard address the hoard of cheering fans with a simple but sincere ‘Good Evening.’

From there, APC focused material from all of their albums. The covers from eMotive translated remarkably well in the live setting, allowing the band to explore the material even further than they had in the studio. With songs like “What’s Going On,” “Peace Love and Understanding,” and “People Are People” we were reminded of the state of affairs when eMotive was first released (election day, 2004). Things have not changed since APC used this collection of covers to highlight the problems we face as a society, to remind us of the darkness, and to beg us not to lose hope.

One of the highlights for me was the run of The Noose, 3 Libras (All Main Courses mix), and Gravity. All of them are standout studio tracks, but in the live setting APC allowed them to run loose to evolve in the summer heat. Billy Howerdel’s guitar work was perfect, the notes reaching out and wrapping the audience with sinewy fingers of madness. James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) added elegant harmony and complemented Howerdel’s playing with guitar and keyboards. “3 Libras” rose up from Maynard’s looped vocals. Drenched in feedback, it twisted and turned like a tortured soul. It was a beautiful monster of a song.

The final five songs completed the circle, starting with “Orestes” (from their first album, A Mer De Noms) and ending with the newly written “By & Down.” Maynard’s singing on “Fiddle And The Drum” was dead on, showing that he’s still got one of the best voices. The entire 18-song set was well produced. It displayed and, at times, extended all the emotion and passion that made the studio albums and original tours so stunning.  The bottom-heavy mixes were thrust forward wrapping the audience in sound and feeling. A Perfect Circle continues to assert themselves as one of the best bands in metal. Will they continue to tour or even record another album? Only they know and the rest of us are just here for the journey.

Complete set list from Boston  July 12, 2011:

Annihilation (Crucifix cover)

Imagine (John Lennon cover)

Weak and Powerless

The Hollow

What's Going On (Marvin Gaye cover)

People Are People (Depeche Mode cover)

The Outsider

(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? (Brinsley Schwarz cover)

When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin cover)

The Noose

3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)

Gravity

Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (Black Flag cover)

Orestes

Passive

Encore:

Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums

Fiddle and the Drum (Joni Mitchell cover)

By and Down

Source (http://www.setlist.fm)

30 Days Song Challenge: Week 4

Final post of the 30 Days Song Challenge...

day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
“The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe. When I’m feeling sad, I turn to songs that I share similar emotions with.  It’s comforting to find something that you can relate to when you’re upset. A lot of music makes you realize that everyone has ups and downs and the important thing is to find a way to rise above all of that. If I’m looking for something to cheer me up instead, I usually turn to Widespread Panic or The Doors.

day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding

“Nothing Else Matters” – Metallica. Our first dance. We also played Widespread Panic, The Turtles, Guns ‘n Roses, and Frank Sinatra.

day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

“Big Truck” – Coal Chamber -- Coal Chamber was one of the very first metal bands that drew me into the genre. So, it’s fitting that my birth into metal should also be played at my funeral. A staple song in any Coal Chamber set, Big Truck churns over the audience. It’s a big-rig of fist-pounding metal crammed down your throat. And as Dez says, “Ain’t no grave gonna hold my body!”

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh

“Goddamn Trigger” – Serj Tankian. This quirky track from Imperfect Harmonies offers Serj’s biting commentary on society’s inconceivable gluttony. “I have 38 rifles and a bunch of handguns and ammunition / 8 grenades, in case of scuffles…/ it’s my constitutional right/ to arm bears… We are disgusting overweight obese fucks/ A shot rang, animals scatter, bovine hormone growth chewy candy.” The music is over-the-top, swaggering along like a drunken carnival. There is a greater message in all of it, which is not so funny. As usual, Serj draws us in with his musical games only to slap us with reality.


day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument

“24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 4 in E Minor: Largo” - Frédéric Chopin. I can play this and I own a version played by Alexandre Tharaud. This gentle Chopin prelude swells to an emotional climax before fading away. It’s written in E minor, one of my favorite of the minor keys. In Classical music, I find that minor keys evoke more emotion through dissonance and dark tension; a distinct parallel with metal music.

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play

“Light My Fire” – The Doors. I used to be able to play the main organ melody from “Light My Fire,” but it’s been many years. I started playin classical piano, but soon discovered The Doors and Ray Manzarek’s infectious keyboard/organ playing. I’ve been hooked ever since. I love metal, but The Doors will probably always be my absolute favorite band. To be honest, I can’t just leave it at one song… Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade Of Pale,”  the organ solo in Opeth’s “Lotus Eater,” Widespread Panic’s “Travelin’ Man”… the list goes on.

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty

I don’t feel guilty about anything I listen to. Sure, there are songs or bands that I’ve grown out of, but it doesn’t mean I’m ashamed or embarrassed. Just have a look through my iTunes or phone. I’ve got nothing to hide. Did I have some questionable choices back in the day? We all make mistakes… not me, other people…

day 29 - a song from your childhood

“Pretty Woman” – Roy Orbison. We’re all influenced by the music our parents listen to. You spend the first 16 years of your life riding around in a car with them, listening to whatever radio station or cassette tape they wanted to. By the time I was 10, I’d memorized the hits from Roy Orbison, Charlie Daniels, Blood Sweat & Tears, Johnny Rivers, and many more.

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

“North” – Widespread Panic. They released this album in the summer of last year. Around this time is when we went to see them in Boston. It was a perfect summer night on the waters of Boston Harbor. The stellar set list included “North,” “Bear’s Gone Fishing,” and “Lawyers Guns and Money.”  The album, Dirty Side Down, was a return to their laid-back, bluesy style, capping off 25 years of music.

Hope you enjoyed! Up next week: In Flames' Sounds Of A Playground Fading.

30 Days Song Challenge: Week 3

day 15 - a song that describes you

“Am I I” – Dark Tranquillity. This is a song that looks inwardly, questioning the roles and purpose one has in this world. It’s not so much that I’m a constantly conflicted person. I just wondering what I all means as I struggle to find my place.

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

“It’s Been Awhile” – Staind. I’ve lost all feeling for Staind’s radio-engineered brand of depressing rock. I first discovered one of their songs on a sampler CD and bought Dysfunction. It was dark and heavy, that style of so-called nu-metal that bands were developing. And I followed Staind’s sound to the radio, but after a while the sounds became stale.

day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

The what now? Radio...? Sorry, I try to listen to the radio once and while. Honestly, it doesn’t do anything for me. There’s no metal on the radio, especially in New England. I don’t mind listening to good classic rock station, but they tend to play the same hit songs. I’m pretty sure bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, etc wrote more than 3 or 4 songs. Fortunately, satellite radio offers a lot more choices and provides a place for music that isn’t on the Billboard Top 10.

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio

“Black Soul Choir” – DevilDriver. Possibly one of more catchy tracks from DevilDriver, this 16 Horsepower cover stomps and swaggers to Dez Farfara’s throat wrenching snarl. You can’t help bouncing your head along to the sinister groove. Honestly, I’d just like to hear any DevilDriver on the radio… a guy’s allowed to dream, right?

day 19 - a song from your favorite album

“Judith” – A Perfect Circle. A tenacious track from 1999’s Mer De Noms about the perils of blind faith and the justification of your own beliefs. The song captures the dirty angst in guitarist Billy Howerdel’s slide guitar and the raw emotion of singer Maynard James Keenan. This stands out as one of their best tracks and offers a perfect counterpoint to the melancholy despair of tracks like “3 Libras” and “Brena.”

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry

“Boom!” – System Of A Down. This song always ramps me up. The perfect thing to listen to when you’re already pissed off. This song is about the flagrant injustices forced on the people of this earth by those few who hold all the power. The video was filmed during a day of peace marches around the world. The message here is simple – we demand peace!

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy

“Holographic Universe” – Scar Symmetry. When you’re happy and you know it listen to Swedish death metal. I love the prog elements in Scar Symmetry’s ferocious sound, especially the 9+ minute “Holographic Universe” with its death growls, rapid thrash riffs, and spacey synths.

A Perfect Circle's "Judith":



Next week is the last week for the 30 Days Song Challenge.

Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

This past week, Finnish metal icons, Amorhpis released their 10^th studio album, The Beginning Of Times. This new record follows success of 2009’s Skyforger and marks more than 20 years of their brand of progressive heavy metal. Following the tradition of storytelling in their previous releases, this album takes the listener on the journey of Väinämöinen, an important and powerful God in Finnish mythology. It’s believed that Väinämöinen was a shaman and creator of the world.

“Battle For Light” opens the albums with a graceful piano and orchestra background, soon followed by singer Tomi Joutsen’s grand vocal style. The theatrical styling continues, punctuated with heavy riffs and intense growls. This song sets the stage for the entire record, showing that Amorphis is comfortable drawing from all the musical styles that they’ve amassed over the years. Lending backing vocals on several songs, is Netta Dahlberg, who elegantly accompanies Joutsen’s clean and growling styles. You can hear her on “Mermaid,” a song that tears along, bristling with energy supplied by tight riffs and plenty of synth runs. This song reminds me of “The Sky Is Mine,” from Skyforger.

The first single and video was “You I Need.” Released just prior to the rest of the album, this track gave us all a taste of what to expect from Amorphis. Heavily rooted in their Joutsen-era material and set in apocalyptic scenery, this demonstrates Amorphis pushing forward while delivering the epic prog-tinged metal that we’ve come to enjoy over the years.

The middle of the album continues through incredible storytelling. This is also the kind of record that requires the listener to sit down with the lyrics to absorb the story. Songs like “Three Words” and “Soothsayer” are standout tracks. The latter tune also features vocalist Netta Dahlberg more prominently. The duet with Joutsen is perfect as the song ends.

The Beginning Of Times finishes as strong as it started. The complex and varied “Crack In A Stone” is one of my favorites on the album. It begins subtly enough, blooming into a dense, powerful song until charging full bore in sheer chaos. “The Beginning Of Time” and “Heart’s Song” (bonus track) build on the musical themes established throughout. The use of flutes and keyboards alongside double-bass and death growls keeps each song interesting. There’s something new to find with every listen. This is clearly a band at the top of their game. Amorphis continues to write elaborately heavy and technical metal and The Beginning Of Times stand outs as another amazing chapter.

Have you heard the new Amorphis? Let me know what you think. Check out my last post about Amorhphis: http://greenchamberstudio.blogspot.com/2011/04/amorphis-forging-land.html

30 Days Song Challenge: Week 2

I’m back for week 2 of the 30 Days Song Challenge. Again, I’m only using songs from my personal iTunes library. Enjoy!

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to

“Inside Out” – Eve6. Not only do I know all the words, but I’m happy to sing along at the top of my lungs!

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

“Tell Her Tonight” - Franz Ferdinand. Let’s be clear – I can’t dance, but this song has been known to cause me to break out into fits of dancing (often while driving and sometimes mistaken for a seizure).

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

“The Longest Year” – Katatonia. The dark, rhythmic metal of Katatonia is one of favorites to put on and just chill out to. Out the deck, with the headphones on, I can just let this song, and the rest  of Night Is The New Day, take me away.

day 11 - a song from your favorite band

“Black Water Park” – Opeth. The title track closes out Opeth’s groundbreaking 5^th album. This album went a long way to making Opeth known outside of Sweden. It’s the perfect culmination of prog and death metal. The song itself is a 12-minute epic which incorporates heavy riffing, deafening drums, and subtle breakdowns. As the final blast beats grind conclusion, Mikael Akerfeldt roars “…the sun sets forever, over blackwater park” and you believe that it will.

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

“When I’m Gone” - 3 Doors Down. First, let me say that ‘hate’ is strong word. I don’t really have anything that I hate, but I as much as I try, I never been able to feel anything for 3 Doors Down. Maybe it was the incessant play on the radio or just the predictable song structure (verse/chorus/v/c/solo/c….etc), but I just can't like this band.

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

“Sunrise” – Norah Jones.  Just a catchy little song from 2004’s Feels Like Home. I have a weakness for mellow piano and female vocals, what can I say?

day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love

“Blue - Al Di Meola” - Demir Demirkan. This is opening track to Painted On Water by Turkish musicians Demir Demirkan and Sertab Erener. Demirkan is a rock guitarist who brings out some jazz and blues sounds to accompany pop singer Sertab Erener. “Blue” is a short, but sweet instrumental that sets the stage for rest of the album. And in this case, the seemingly unlikely pairing of these two stars makes for an excellent listening experimence.

Check out this video - another amazing song:


Tune in next time for Week 3. Also coming soon - reviews of Amorphis and Wolfbane! 

30 Days Song Challenge: Week 1

I saw the page 30 Days Song Challenge on Facebook and decided to try it. The rules appear simple enough, but I didn’t want to try to remember to post something every day so I decided to write a blog for each week. I promise to only use songs from my own iTunes library.

So here goes – the first 7 days:

day 01 - your favorite song

“End Of The Line” – DevilDriver. This song, off of their second album, starts very assumingly before exploding into an all-out earth-shattering, hang-banging, thrash fest. From singer Dez Farfara’s guttural screams to the sick guitar breakdowns, I knew that DevilDriver had found their sound and that this was really the beginning of something epic. After 8 years they’re still going and getting strong with each song.

day 02 - your least favorite song

“Disasterpiece” – Slipknot. Honestly, it’s not this song in particular, but I just couldn’t get into Slipknot’s second album, Iowa. I still go back, listen to their first CD, and am blown away by how far they pushed the boundaries. The influence of that album can still be felt more than a decade later (and rightfully so). But for me, Iowa falls a bit flat.

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

“Sky Is Mine” – Amorphis. With punchy riffs, sick keyboards, and epic vocals this song gets me going and make me smile. The energy and emotion is incredible. There’s something about Amorphis’ style that makes the sun shine brighter and the world challenges seem attainable. “This is sky is mine, this sun is mine, this fate is mine.”

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

“Angel’s Son” – Sevendust. This is a tribute to Lynn Strait, singer of the band Snot, who was killed in a car accident along with his dog in 1998. The music video includes members of Strait’s band and his mother. There’s a great scene where they start a bon fire and are joined by a parade of members of the rock community like Dez Farfara (Coal Chamber), Brandon Boyd (Incubus), and Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down).

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

“Ballad Of A Thin Man” – Bob Dylan. This song reminds me of everyone who just doesn’t get it. Those who fail to realize the life around them and the life outside of familiarity and reason.

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

“Live Your Life (Down)” – Tantric. This always reminds me of driving back and forth from college to home on I-80 in Pennsylvania. I’d put on this CD, among others, and sing along to pass the time. Now whenever this song comes up I can picture the long stretch of highway with trees and cows flying by the side of the road.

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

“Surprise Valley” – Widespread Panic. This was one of the songs that we had played at our wedding, during the part when you’re formally introduced to everyone at the reception. I think we covered 50 years of music and half a dozen genres for our wedding. That’s the way music should be.

Listen To This - Memorial Day 2011

It's Memorial Day Weekend. It's a time to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and to remember all those who have served this country past, present, and future in pursuit of those freedoms. Thank you!

Memorial Day is also the start of summer. Finally, after months of snow and rain we can look forward to sunny skies, food on the grill, and plenty of music. For me, summer also brings traveling to see friends and family. So, this week I searched for some driving music and good tunes to kick off the summer. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been playing this week. What are you listening to?

Widespread Panic - Ball and Dirty Side Down (Remixes)

Traveling home to visit family usually involves driving through the National Forest along the Delaware River (on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border). I always put in Widespread Panic's Ball and open the windows to let in the smell of the forest. Nothing goes with summer better than some bluesy southern rock. Ball is the first Panic album that I owned and I always go back to it. From the flowing opener, “Fishing,” to the funky “Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi),” to the 16-minute jam of “Travlein' Man,” this album is the definition of summer music.

If that's not enough to get your summer party going, go to WSP's website (http://www.widespreadpanic.com/) and download some remixes of tracks from their latest CD, Dirty Sound Down (they're fee!). And yes, I said remixes, but the funky takes on Panic's signature breezy sound is refreshing and I'll admit that the dance beats are infectious. It's a diversion from the norm and a fun way to party with Widespread Panic.

Since about 2005, Widespread Panic has been recording all of their live shows. You can find collections of songs carefully assembled into Driving Songs. Each volume takes the best tracks from a summer’s worth of shows. There’s no better way to explore the roads on a hot summer day.

Green Day - Dookie and Insomniac

Green Day makes for great driving music. It keeps you moving and singing along, especially on those long, monotonous, late-night drives. As the road winds on and the pavement stretches out indefinitely into the darkness, I find that Green Day’s hyperactive sound and sarcastic commentary keep me moving toward my destination. I’m a product of the 90’s and Green Day’s emergence into the mainstream helped shape the musical landscape of my generation. And while I’m still a big fan of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, I always find myself reaching back to 1994.

Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos

No road trip or summer drive could be complete without some Swedish metal. Soilwork has been bringing their mix of hardcore and metal for years now. 2002’s Natural Born Chaos is one of their best efforts. Catchy chorus blended with ferocious vocals and pummeling guitars make this a go-to album for me. “As We Speak,” “No More Angels,” and “Mercury Shadow” are some of the standout tracks, heavy with guitars, keyboards, and soaring choruses. I even use “Black Star Deceiver” as a ringtone (and subsequently find it always playing in my head). Natural Born Chaos, like much of Soilwork’s material, packs the punches in all the right places