Mister G ~ Pizza For Breakfast (album review) ... Pizza in the morning, dogs & ponies, courtesy of Mister G!

Style: humor, folk-rock, children's music
Label: Coil Records
Year: 2010
Home: Massachusetts

Members: Ben Gundersheimer "Mister G" ~ vocals/guitar
n/a ~ other instruments

Bluesy beats, thick bass, wah-wah guitar, organ & pizza in the morning everyday with a little ice cream ... I mean, you don't have to be a kid to enjoy that combination! Though, if you are that's better as that's who MG is reaching out to. When I was younger I always had this feeling that children's music had to be as rockin' as Peter, Paul & Mary, i.e. not rockin', or music you normally would never listen to, or even really want to share with kids. Maybe it was Garcia & Grisman's successful bluegrass album focused on kids, but today it's a fact that kids like the same music that big people do. You don't start dancing to a beat when you become a teenager, you always grooved. MG fuses common musical styles of a mellow mood with fun lyrics either talking about things kids like, such as breakfast choices & animals, or teaching lessons about taking care of yourself. The musical styles are incredibly diverse, from the bluesy title track, to the recycling song "Don't Waste Stuff" that is accordion flavored country, while Fleetwood Mac-esque pop a la Christine McVie glides through "Run" about meeting wild animals, calypso in "Sneaky Chihuahua", bluegrass via "Dogs Don't Fly" & some imitatively perfect Mellencamp in "Pony With A Problem". The secret to great children's music is wanting to listen even when children aren't around or if you're not a kid yourself. It's like listening to the Christmas themed albums of Trans-Siberian Orchestra during the summer ... you want to do it & you do do it & who cares what anyone thinks. Check out "Pony With A Problem" & I'm willing to bet you'll listen twice if not more, while you'll have visions of bluegrass mandolin king Bill Monroe following "Dogs Don't Fly." Go ahead, I dare the kid in you. MG's songs might be cute, but they're not overly saccharine or looking down on kids like they're not smart, but just the opposite. Even when churning out a blues solo over "Bath" about the horrors of taking a bath, only to be turned to interest by the bubbles, its all top notch playing, as bluesy as Eric Clapton even, & MG doesn't cut corners or aim for making cheesy music. Pizza For Breakfast is MG's debut & follows spending a few decades in the music world as an indie songwriter, getting the first songwriting scholarship in the history of Berklee. Ben "Mister G" Gundersheimer went back to school for a secondary degree in elementary education following a part-time day gig bringing roots music styles into schools balancing out his evening gig that at one point found him sharing the stage with Phish. The songs on this album were inspired by his former students. MG's other albums include English & Spanish bilingual albums.

Rudy Schwartz Project ~ Moslem Beach Party (album review) ... Kill for god!

Style: experimental, instrumental
Label: DC-Jam Records
Year: 1985
Home: Texas/Canada

Members: Joe Newman ~ all instruments

Every so often I come across some very strange release. I mean, very strange in the full definition of the word, yet also very creative. It may not be the greatest musically, but the artist in me is intrigued as I'm witnessing a musician going crazy & clearly not giving a shit what outsiders think. For example, see my review from some years ago of Xerophonics that is true heavy metal - its the sound of Xerox machines looped! RSP is a cacophony of blasphemy, satire & toilet humor lyrics sung in an array of imitative Gilbert & Sullivan operetta styles - not so bad actually - mixed with tinkling "Casio-toned" keyboards & guitars, as one reviewer describes it, assorted percussion & strange noises covering pretty much every strange fringe musical style you can think of. That is, the Tom Waits type of fringe styles from rock to Islamic singing to polka, surf, ska, calypso. Though, Waits creatives cohesive music, this is purely out for having some fun. Think more a one man Cardiacs or the more obscure Howie Pyro's Freaks but without the acid or the trippiest raunchiest Frank Zappa. Is this a Moslem album as the title belays? Far from it. It's not even spiritual. Some might say its not even listenable. Actually - tongue-in-cheek - I fear for my life reviewing it, as while there is some Muslim drum rhythms & singing, there's only one truly Islamic song ... but what a song it is! "Kill For God" is a satire in my ears, but might blasphemy in theirs ... or maybe they'll actually like it. Actually, it's the one song truly worth hearing, as its lyrically so over the top it'll make your eyes pop out ... or for the more conservative minded not getting the joke it'll make you do something you don't normally do as it joyfully sings about joining a jihad, killing Jews & visiting Allah with all the virgins. As I said, Muslims will either hate or take it up as their new anthem. Now, I've heard white supremacist music, I've heard true Satanic music - two of the most extreme styles out there. I know the views of those songs are honest & heart felt. Whether right or wrong, the musicians truly believe in their message. But, "Kill For God" doesn't have the same feeling. Those musicians are serious where this isn't. Those bands carry their message though each song, Islam is just touched on briefly here & there & not much of an overall theme. It's just a eye-raising title. Even crazy folks like G.G. Allin took it more serious than RSP ... though this is better musically even if in a state of an over the top constant musical personality crisis. Part of the proof is in the music. It opens with the sound of a drum overlaid with a couple of talking voices discussing sex & god, before going into a Chet Aktins style guitar line with bluesy horns, before getting some big band-esque vocals & a bit of a Hawaiian flavor & turning into something that might be heard on an old 78 in the 1930's. One can imagine hearing this over the radio during the war & thinking in that context its quite an amazing listen. All the songs follow thing morphing style of changes, though "Kill For God" is a true highlight & flows the smoothest. But, if you want music to shock your friends with ... I think I found it! As for the rest of the album, it verges between instrumental cuts & less interesting lyrical songs. The music, on all the songs & usually within a single song, covers every musical & vocal style you can think of with abandon. It's like a lounge pianist trying to play everyone's favorite music, but only knowing how to imitate styles not actual songs & not actually having any lyrics to follow. "Polly Wolly Doodle (P.D.)" is the only instrumental worth hearing as its a guitar & washing board that sounds like the Spongebob Squarepants theme song but going for seven minutes instead of thirty seconds & with a lot of strange sound effects from cranks, chains, banging to grunting. It's Spongebob's Halloween special. Personally, I love the music on the show so this caught my ear immediately. The lyrical songs are nonsensical & largely toilet humor obscene, more for the sake of it than actually having a message ... or even making sense or staying focused to fully carry the joke to the end successfully like "Kill For God". "An Orange Is Nothing But A Juicy Pumpkin" covers everything from Ronald Reagan to grandma, while "Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell Funny" is the Howie Pyro's Freaks or more properly Frank Zappa moment. "Christmas Times For Assholes" is directed to all the people you don't like, particularly your boss, & starts funny before becoming too obscene for its own good. "Raspberry I.U.D.", based on an obvious song by Prince, is about going after a 16 year old slut & is super pornographic, but hearing someone sing like Prince is actually kind funny. "Coathangerman" follows a similar path as its brief lyrics, against the most pop sounding melody, discuss condoms before going into the Jackson 5's "ABC". This is one of those albums high school kids play at parties when their parents aren't home to show how cool they are. Like watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show to see about the sex they may not be having yet. One of the most cracked versions of "I Put A Spell On You" helps bring the album to a close. It's an odd inclusion & actually sounds like an early Rolling Stones outtake but with no guitars & Mick tanked up on something. Now, I understand, some reading this may ask why review an album like this? Isn't this better for a blog of strange music? Yes! But, at the same time even with all the musical styles, it does have a rock foundation & coherent songs, or at least pieces of them stuck together. This isn't just strange sounds like some art piece. Actually drone metal is far less coherent on some level & more sound than music compared to this. Personally, I get a kick out of finding stuff like this. I don't look for it. I stumble upon it. I'm not Dr. Demento ... though I did once have my name dropped by him on the radio. This blog started originally with the goal of finding & sharing interesting music, versus everything out there, & this fits the bill ... probably more than most of the things on this blog where I use the term interesting in a very liberal way. Honestly, listening to something like this gives my ears a momentary break from the norm. Though, I sadly won't be going as far as Metal Hammer magazine did a few years ago with their review of Pope Benedict XVI's album Alma Matter Featuring The Voice Of Pope Benedict XVI, reviewed by Cradle Of Filth's Dani Filth no less. Really, they did. You can google it. How's that metal? Dude, it's the music of God ... you can't get anymore heavy! As for wanting to know more about this RSP, there's a lot of youtube videos, while the facebook page simply describes the project as "More Floyd. Less Aunt Bea." But, doing some digging the man behind the curtain is a fellow named Joe Newman, originally of Texas but who emigrated to Canada, whose an admirer of Frank Zappa & supposedly includes Jello Biafra as a fan. It's also primarily a studio project with only one live show known. While the music might be strange the story of it becomes quite intriguing after stumbling through it on Joe Newman's website. Moslem Beach Party has been called by some the "cheesiest" of RSP's output, but others love it with "Kill For God" becoming a fan favorite. On cassette only, but was reissued as part of a Remembering A Summertime Rash best of compilation CD.

Trey Green (aka The Hang) ~ The Awesomeness (album review) ... It was late, he was tired, these are the songs!

Style: pop rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Trey Green ~ vocals/piano
Jeff Norberg, John Konesky ~ guitar
John Spiker, Frank Gagliardi ~ bass
Brooks Wackerman, Kevin Hupp, Jamie Douglass ~ drums
Dan Rowe, Charlotte Kendrick ~ b. vocals

Getting a bit of notice for one's song titles can't hurt when enticing potential listeners ... examples here being "Totally Awesome", "It Was Late, I Was Tired", "Bill Murray, Philosopher", "The Honest Lullaby", "That Really Was Stupid", "The Shepherd's Pie Song" & "The Gay Pirate Song" for starters. It also doesn't hurt that Kyle Gass of Tenacious D gets a thank you in the album for advice on the lifestyle of a particular pirate & Tenacioius D for the studio space ... one assumes sans pirates but potentially with Bill Murray. Nor does it hurt the band consists of members of Bad Religion & the Tenacious D band, though musically its rock light & heavily relaxed acoustic guitars with a steady backbeat & nothing like these two groups. The key to getting people interested in a band is to get them in the door. The awesome TG has easily done that without trying. But, do you stay for the party? As long as one is having a good time at the party ... & you're probably thinking that, given the hints so far, you're either going to have a good time with TG or end up blowing beer out of your nose in embarrassing laughter, at TG not with TG, as you sneak out the room. Surprise, the beer doesn't go anywhere you don't want it to. This isn't really a comedy album. It's more a fun album of primarily acoustic alt rock with some witty lyrics of the Tenacious D sort versus in your face Spinal Tap. Its joking but not a joke. It's funny but just as much fun rock. An example is "Blew A Kiss" about a girl from Peru, "she's pretty tall but so am I", who he liked when they were just kids. It's more than the cliché 'I like her' songs but instead the un-cliched I liked her "back in the day ... now she's in magazines & all the rage I wish she wouldn't doctor her age" from "Blew A Kiss". This is followed by a collection of fun, sometimes witty but not in that distracting or annoyingly forced way or over-played to the detriment of the music, songs covering "trouble in some fancy packaging" (i.e. "Criminal"), to talking about being a new dad & looking forward to the future when "you'll only get A's & B's ... & play a mean lead guitar ... you'll make up for the nerd I was" (i.e. "The Honest Lullaby"), to wanting to rock out "when MTV was still about the music" with name checked details of the 80's rock scene cause "there's nothing like a heavy metal solo" with the ending plea "can't the ones that are still alive start a school & teach ... how to solo" (i.e. "I Wanna Rock'N'Roll") to what Bill Murray said in the movie 'Groundhog Day' (i.e. "Bill Murray, Philosopher') , to a song hailing Shepherd's Pie (i.e. "The Shepherd's Pie Song") to the stand out piano ballad (i.e. "The Piano Song (Feelings)") about the difficulty of writing a love song in the "I'm gonna act like I really care of what I sing, gonna pour my heart & soul into some random words that just don't mean a thing ... this song is moving right along & I'm pretty sure eventually I'm gonna have to raise my voice ... I'm gonna hold on this last chord for way too long." Some in between song studio babble reminds us that even when TG & co are being more serious than not ... or more Bad Company than the Big D ... this is all about having fun. As for the pirate song ... what do you expect, it's a pirate song! To tour The Awesomeness TG put together a live band, taking the role of rhythm guitarist/vocalist, that has since morphed into The Hang including drummer Jamie Douglass from the album & new faces Jon 'Sos' Sosin on guitar & Nick Campbell on bass. Under this new moniker TG & company have lots of new music on way.

The 99% ~ Occupy Bellingham: Local Artists Songs Of Protest, Rebellion & Hope (comp) (album review) ... And, the result is?

Style: folk, alt rock, ska, comedy, protest, rap, experimental
Label: self-released
Year: 2011
Home: Bellingham, Washington

Bands include Ken Stringfellow

Dana Lyons

Pirates R Us

Police Teeth

The Dt's

Boris Budd & The Waterboarders

Keaton Collective

Sher Vadinska

Yogoman Burning Band

Porch Party

Sugar Sugar Sugar

Bob Paltrow

Jan Peters & The Monday Night Project
The Loyal Sinners

Black Eyes & Neck Ties

Kit Nelson

Kris Orlowski

Mostafa

Tim Mechling

stabbin hobo

The Red Umbrellas

Biagio Biondolillo

DJ Einstein

Snug Harbor

Clambake

1985

Jesse Morrow
Enders of Ozone

Reverend Mathew

Acorn Project

The Offshoots

Neptune Skyline

bandZandt

Average Mammal

This massive protest album brings together 34 artists/bands from the small town of Bellingham, Washington, a must watch community of vibrant & new music from across the spectrum that has churned out onto the national scene Dana Lyons, the Posies, Morbid Angel founder Trey Azagthoth, Chris Riffle, Death Cab For Cutie & countless other bands that have glowing west coast reputations. Bellingham is a town known for its protests over the decades ... partially spurred by the dominating presence of the liberal university on the hill, also spurred by the isolated location allowing a bit more personal freedom for the unsocially minded, while the town is the last major stop on the way from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada that has been a stop off for beatniks, hippies & was even under the radar as a potential target on 9/11. Ironically, it's motto is 'the city of subdued excitement'. In the recent Wall Street based 99% movement Bellingham may have had more stand-ups against the police & protests than Manhattan, the home of the movement, & certainly has sparked community wide attention while in Manhattan the past social upheavals are now just part of another day of old news. Bringing the spirit of protest to an album this collection, credited to the 99%, it includes a few famous faces such as Ken Stringfellow of Big Star/Posies/R.E.M. & acoustic guitarist-songwriter Dana Lyons who became internationally famous for his comical vegetarian anthem "Cows With Guns". Alongside these two is an array of more regionally & locally musicians that span the musical spectrum from new & old styles of folk (i.e. Sher Vadinska, Tim Mechling, Porch Party, The Red Umbrellas, Biagio Biondolillo, 1985, Kit Nelson, Kris Orlowski, Jan Peters & the Monday Night Project, Reverend Mathew) & Americana bluesy rock (i.e. The DT's, The Loyal Sinners, Jesse Morrow, bandZandt, The Offshoots, Acorn Project) to retro surf (i.e. Clambake), alt rock bands spanning the genre(i.e. Police Teeth, Neptune Skyline, Enders Of Ozone, Black Eyes & Neck Ties, Sugar Sugar Sugar), shoe-gazing prog (i.e. Keaton Collective) to funk (i.e. Average Mammal, Snug Harbor), ska (i.e. Yogoman Burning Band), hip-hop (i.e. Mostafa) & trip-hop (i.e. DJ Einstein). In terms of diversity the collection deserves kudos & it surprisingly flows fairly well with an easy stride, though due to both the musical diversity & the number of artists this can be a bit much for a single listen. In its favor is the fact that it stays mostly away from typical in your face rock aiming instead mostly for the alt rock/blues rock/folk sound that dominates the Bellingham scene leaving the large jazz scene or more experimental or thrashy rock for another protest outing. If there is any disruption it comes in a few poorly recorded live tracks later & a few alt rock bands whose near screaming is unlistenable next to tighter neater folk harmonies, particularly when the vocals are obscured & thus obscuring the message of protest, & one instrumental that has no lyrics or any particular protest feel that is completely out of place. If nothing else this is a wonderful introduction, though far from comprehensive, to a little post-grunge town in the Pacific Northwest that truly could be one of the most important music spots in the region for new talent. & don't worry about too many obscure local references as they are few. For those curious Ken Stringfellow turns in a slow & moody "Everybody Is A Fucking Liar" with only voice & acoustic piano, in the same vein as the Posies, though for those unfamiliar with his band it'll sound more like a moment of cussing just to get attention. Pirates R Us open the album the accordion/violin pirate-esque sea shanty "Sam Walton's Blues" showing this is not going to be a normal listening experience as in this one song is humor, social protest a la such lines as "the streets run red with the blood of rich ... I can steal millions with just a laptop while you're stuck on ship swabbing the deck ... i'd rather be a pirate than a snooty corporate bitch", & no holds bar of what music is going to be featured. It's a great welcome to the show. There's a few comedic folksy rock groups of the same tongue-in-cheek vein as Pirates R Us, including Boris Budd & The Waterboarders, also the producer of the album, with "Conglomeratocracy". Budd & co create intimate music of the coffee house culture & compared to some of the more alt rock songs is a breath of fresh air with its carefully composed lyrics for a listening crowd versus shouts of profanity for a drunken crowd. Cover artist Bob Partlow also turns in a comedic "Stick It", while the always enjoyable king of musical satire Dana Lyons turns in the "WTO Disco" bringing the Bee Gees up to date with Weird Al-esque delight. Stabbin Hobo's "The Last Crusade" is a dark & ethereal hip-hop against an acoustic guitar background with the chorus "We pay for gas" that is some of the more interesting musical fusion on the album. Traditionally, folk music has always been the music of protest a la Guthrie, Dylan, Baez, etc. to be later taken up with hippie groups like Jefferson Airplane, & folks-esque Country Joe McDonald, Richie Havens, before heavy metal became the music of angst. But, folk still remains the standard of the protest song as the vocals are the focus over the music. Though, perhaps its the plethora of folk music in our culture but the comedic songs here seem to jump out of the mix the fastest & have the biggest impact re the message & might be the future of protest music ... hitting home with laughter. While the few funk bands come in second place, albeit only because there's less funk than comedy in this collection. As this collection is about a message the message needs to be mentioned. According to the press release this album "salutes & celebrates the 99% in their pursuit of equality, which is the one word that summarizes the different, viable & important issues that people are working through by using the power of peaceful gatherings & demonstrations, fostering education & awareness." It's hard to say if all of this is in here musically or lyrically, while some songs don't feel that much like social protest songs ... but just the fact that all these musicians gave their permission to be included is enough. They've got solidarity if not in the message then in the desire to be a part of the message. Further, this album has been released on bandcamp "free for the 99% ... it costs $1,000,000 for the 1%."

Bad Acid Trip ~ Lynch The Wierdo (album review) ... Psychopathic fury!

Style: comedy, grindcore, thrash
Label: Serjical Strike
Year: 2004
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Dirk Rogers ~ vocals
Keith Aazami ~ guitars/banjo/vocals
Chris Mackie ~ bass
Jose Perez ~ drums

Additional: children's chorus ~ b. vocals

"Energetic bursts of psychopathic fury" is how BAT describe themselves on their website &, considering how hyped hype is ... it's actually fairly accurate. Though, I might argue that psychopathic is more just trying to be obscene & wacky. Produced by System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian BAT might best be described as a punk version of Zappa, but they're taking offensive to a new level & leaving the jazzy guitar solos behind as the music is not so important here ... though there are some quirky arrangements right out of the Zappa template. They're both aiming to just be corny, though. For example, the oddly named highlight "Cigarette Pack" is from the point of view of sex toys that can teach you more about yourself. The motto is don't deny what turns you on. The MTV single "BeefMoo" is where Weird Al meets Red Hot Chili Peppers as BAT scream about the dying planet & its resources & overpopulation. The problem is they literally scream ... but then, I've already said, music isn't the focus here. Then there's "Jump Rope - Spray Water" about capitalism & the puppets of democracy with a particularly Zappa refrain, moving to the ironically titled "It's A Wonderful Life" that covers everything from politicians, fucking one's mother to money. Though, with the songs ranging from under a minute to just barely two they all blend together & its hard to tell where one begins & the other ends so it becomes one long diatribe of profanity as musically its a repetitive lurch of just straight ahead chugging guitars with minimal variety. Sadly, not helping the gap between songs, BAT spends too much time on their single message - government is bad, humans are on the way down socially. Zappa may have had the same message at times but was never this profane nor profane for the sake of it, while the antigovernmental message is as cliched as 'rock all night' songs & thus it wears out its welcome quickly. Further, anyone can scream the government is bad, but it takes depth & creativity to bring that well-worn sentiment to life again ... BAT aren't the ones taking up this challenge as they prefer the in your face assault approach. Shock now, not much to say later. Thankfully, there are some variations on a theme, such as the standout "P.C." about the obvious & the Weird Al soundalike "Habits Of Clay" about habits. Those that like quirky lyrics will enjoy checking out BAT, but others will wonder what's the point? The same thing they probably wondered at some of Zappa's recording. At least Zappa had the music to rely back on when the humor got stale. For myself, I hear some horrible death metal bands & they interest me far more after listening to this. They have a mood, this doesn't. This doesn't have much of anything in the end. But, this blog is about interesting music & this certainly fits the bill & for some BAT, who first came to prominence at the 2006 Ozzfest, will certainly have an attraction.

Warp 11 ~ Boldly Go Down On Me (album review) ... Star Trek never sounded so good!

Style: humor, hard rock
Label: Reboot Music
Year: 2004
Home: California

Members: Captain Karl Miller ~ bass/vocals
Chief Medical Officer Jeff Hewitt ~ drums/vocals
Chief Science Officer Kiki Stockhammer ~ keyboards/vocals
Chief Engineer Brian Moore ~ guitar/vocals

Phasers set to kill, Klingons & Vulcans, warp drive & overloading warp cores, malfunctioning electrical circuits, deflector shields, auto destruct & red shirted nameless soldiers that will die quickly ... & most importantly super sexy shipmates ready to get it on in fantasy positions. Yes, it's a typical episode of Star Trek, any of the series actually, it's also the entire lyrical theme of Warp 11 ... everyone's favorite, & maybe the only, Star Trek themed comedy rock band. Started in 1999 as a side-project Warp 11 has drawn a big fanbase ... of both those who love & hate Star Trek ... for it's collection of original songs that combine show references & characters, comedic word play (for example, "Boldly go down on me, can't you see, I'm insecur-ity" from the title track) & lots of explicit & sly sexual innuendos (for example, "Captain caught me on the holodeck with a blaster in my hand" from "Captain Caught Me on the Holodeck"). As much as the joke may eventually become tedious Warp 11 ... a nod to Spinal Tap whose amps go up to 11 not 10 ... put their lyrics behind an array of upbeat musical styles that go from punk rock a la Red Hot Chili Peppers to acoustic folk ballads to twisted quirky pop a la Bare Naked Ladies, though never pulling the attention away from the music. One doesn't need geeky Trekkie insight into the show to understand the humor as Star Trek has so entered popular culture that everyone knows who Captain Kirk & Mr. Spock are even if they've never watched an episode & that's about as much as you'll need to really get Warp 11 ... though more does help if you're so inclined to watch 5 tv series & 3 sets of mediocre movies. The over-the-top sexual topics & the curiosity of what might be said next also keeps one listening. Boldly Go Down On Me is their second album solidifying the experiment & setting the template for the many albums that would follow. This release also features an array of stand-out tracks including: "She Make It So", "Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Klingons", the Red Hot Chili Pepper sounding "Give It Up For The Captain", "Auto Destruct", "Rage Against the Federation", "A Song for People Who Never Watch Star Trek", "Welcome To Our Cube" & "Set Your Phaser For Fuck". The other albums in their catalog also deserve mention & any of them would be a good place to check out Warp 11, though they all fall into the same sound with little variation, & include It's Dead, Jim, I Don't Want To Go To Heaven As Long As They Have Vulcans In Hell, their latest release Borgasm, the controversially titled Suck My Spock & their debut Red Alert with the single "Everything I Do (I Do With William Shatner)" that was featured on TV's roast of Shatner, aka Captain Kirk.

Subplot A ~ Tragic Romantic Mocku Fantasy (album review) ... Cranky music!

Style: comedy, pop rock
Label: Messy Desk Creations
Year: 2009
Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Members: Arun Lakra, Craig Newnes, Wes Sutherland ~ misc instruments
Scott Henderson, Bobby McAlister, Emre Unal ~ assorted instruments/vocals
Joel Schaefer, Paul Distefano, Clea Roddick, Irene Tuazon, Dana Crawford, Sonal Jogia ~ vocals

Hard rock ... folk & country .... techno ... world rhythms ... commercial power pop ... it's all here in a colorful 15 song cornucopia by Subplot A, a "virtual" musical collective led by producer/composer/musician Arun Lakra. It's the same musical cornucopia found in the output of Chumbawumba, Bare Naked Ladies & the Flaming Lips. It's colorful, catchy, crazy, creative, comical & completely fun ... & with enough lyrics to keep the word lover happy for an evening ... which is a subtle endorsement to buy the physical CD & not the download version. For example, in opener "Everyman" the male singer cries out in the chorus "Who do you long for/when I take your hand/when you've all alone/let me be your everyman" while the 30 verses of couplet pairs repeat "I want to be your ____" with the blank featuring a list of over 100 names of guys from George Burns to Dorian Gray to Citizen Kane to Jimmy Buffet to the Soup Nazi (my neighbor actually) to Jean Luc Picard! It's a game of trivial pursuit thrown on the ground & is delightfully repeated at the end of the album with 32 more couplets but now with a woman singer saying "You'll never be my ____"! The rest of the album refrains from such hearty pop culture lessons, though it does continue to favor the list approach in its lyrics ... but then so does Broadway icon Steven Sondheim if one listens closely ... only to throw the trials & tribulations of daily life into the listener's face with such songs as "Cranky" ... calling out everything that makes the hoarse voiced singer cranky ... to a bubbly electronica enhanced love song using references to the planet Pluto ... "we traveled different orbits/your night was my day". There's also the anthem in the making "I Puke Alone" about an all too romantic moment many of us have had too often ... "I don't need you to keep the hair out of my face/please remember before you close the door/I'll love you forever & I puke alone"... along with "Must Sell Screenplay" that's a direct letter to Misters Spielberg, Tarantino, Shamalama, Scorese, Eastwood, Reiner & ending with the lovely last ditch effort "Must sell screenplay.../or maybe ... sell a ... song about it/Please Mr. Eno/I got your number from the Edge...". Isn't this fun? Subplot A certainly want you to say yes with different musical styles channeled into the mix to match. But, they also are hoping you're paying attention cause underneath the fun are some incredibly intense social insights that would make Chumbawumba proud. It starts subtly with "I Don't Care" with the refrain "I got a hundred causes lined up at my door/enough is enough I can't bleed anymore" & moves to the shocking Rasta-esque rouser "Two Empty Seats" about an American with "black hair & dark eyes, my name is hard to say/when I reach out my hand, you just turn the other way" who is pleading to be treated equally & "why do I gotta prove/I'm not one of them/I'm one of you." It's a haunting message that seems to come out of nowhere for the listener, or at least for the listener whose not quite paying attention. It's then that one realizes that many of the fun songs are filled with a line here or there that's about making the listener think. Subplot A might be fun but they've got messages of social insight they believe many should hear. The message is not always fun. It's sometimes uncomfortable. It's also something that many of us can relate to. But, they know the best way to make an uncomfortable message friendly is to cloak it under something everyone can enjoy ... before you know it you'll be singing along with an anti-racism song. What could be better? Subplot A is rare breed of band that includes a collective of talented & super creative musicians that have crafted a wonderful ... mocku fantasy of music with a message,

Austrian Death Machine ~ A Very Brutal Christmas (EP) (album review) ... The Terminator has killed Santa!

  Style: heavy metal, thrash, tribute
Label: Metal Blade
Year: 2008
Home: San Diego, California

Members: Tim Lambesis ~ vocals/all instruments
Chad Ackerman ~ Ahhnold voice

As Christmas time approaches it seems like everyone wants to make a Christmas album, albeit most fail to make something that stands up to the rest of their catalog ... even Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor, movie star, terminator wants to get into the act ... well ... sort of ... ADM is the pet project of As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis, or as he once put it AILD "is heartfelt & full of passion" while ADM "is an outlet of pure testosterone & stupidity." I'm glad he said & saved me the hassle, though I think he has the order backwards for ADM, albeit it is creative none the less. Many listeners may not be able to make it through the rather bland thrash onslaught of a full album by ADM so this EP is a safe place to go to get the same experience but in a smaller & tighter dose, plus it pretty much is the best of ADM, which is ... 'Ahhnold'. ADM usually fails by not including as much of the Terminating Governor as they should but with only three songs they have no time to waste & thus focus on the joke & do what they should do in the full albums. ADM sets out to answer what if the governor of California turned president? No, sorry, I mean, metal singer? The answer sort of answers the question ... sort of ... Ahhnold, done in a pretty good imitation, appears between the tracks doing some Terminator slang narration via skits & song introductions, only to have the songs be bland raunchy thrash with the normal shouting vocals done by Tim & not in the Ahhnold voice. It's supposed to be Arnold singing, but with Tim singing the joke is quickly killed. Sometimes Ahhnold will appear in a chorus or voice-over, but that's the extent of it. While the songs are violent but not necessarily Ahhnold themed. For full ADM albums the best way to listen is to skip over the music. But, on A Very Brutal Christmas, released the same year as their debut, the songs stay with an Ahhnold theme with the voice appearing before, in-between & during. The joke is kept tight like it should be. As for the songs themselves the title is misleading. The album was released for Christmas but features only one holiday song, "Jingle Bells". This is the highlight of the album, followed by the unmemorable Terminator themed original "Get To The Choppa" & a reworking of "Hell Bent For Leather" by Judas Priest. But, really, the music is secondary because really you just want to hear Ahhnold say "you'd better start working out or otherwise no cookies for you."

Coffin Fuck ~ Fucks Christmas (live) (album review) ... Wait till they get ahold of the other holidays!

Style: comedy, live, holiday, death metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New Jersey

Members: Chris 'Mandroid' Lemoine - lead vocals/harmonica/voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/elves
Matt Van Dongen ~ guitar/voice of Santa Claus
AJ 'CorpsePenis' Tedeschi ~ drums/voices of Frosty the Snowman/elves/Neil Young/Mrs. Claus

Guests: Steve Thompson ~ voice of the manager/elves

"It's the most wonderful time of the year" sung in the most throaty growl, think Dethklok, with a distorted guitar slashing away behind it, sounds just as terrible as it reads here & Coffin Fuck do it terribly wonderful in this holiday outing. Following the tradition of rock operas by fellow Xmas carolers Trans-Siberian Orchestra, albeit sans anything Christian, charitable or decent, the album opens with Spinal Tap-esque banter with the band discovering the news they've been hired for "25K" by Santa as a Meat Loaf cover band. The ensuing concert for the elves, with guest appearances by Santa, his North Pole associates & for some mysterious reason Neil Young, is anything but Meat Loaf but gnarly Xmas carolers that take a page out of the Nunslaughter handbook. One guitar plays the melody line while the rest of the band goes into distorted double bass smashing rhythms that sound alike in every song, the only thing not destroyed are the traditional lyrics. It's not a real live recording, well, as much as the elves are real but its so wild & riotous that for every band that ever wanted to capture their stage energy in the studio ... they should take a page from the Coffin Fuck handbook. It's loud, it's obnoxious, it's barely musical. As for the rest of the story, which is really the whole incentive to listening to the album ... the jokes are juvenile & often more embarrassing than anything, let alone featuring a horrible Neil Young impersonation, but the band never sound like they're not having a good time, well, an extremely trashy good time & there's no denying this is an elaborate affairs of numerous overdubs & a script. But, that's exactly the point for these holidays joy makers. They wanted to make some music but also go crazy. While, this is not for the faint of heart or overly mature. As for how it ends ... well, Santa offered 25 candy canes, not 25K, he offers toys instead but a grown man can't drink toys. For those who are curious, Coffin Fuck are responsible for the truly successful Xmas single "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer", which my grandma actually used to enjoy to the dread of my aunt.

Spinal Tap ~ Back From The Dead (album review) ... Back for more of the same!

Style: comedy, hard rock
Label: Spuzzle Group
Year: 2009
Home: n/a

Members: Derek Smalls ~ bass/vocals
David St. Hubbins ~ lead vocals/guitar
Nigel Tufnel ~ lead guitar/vocals

Additional: Gregg Bissonette ~ drums
C.J. Vanston ~ keyboards

Guests: Phil Collen, Steve Vai, John Mayer ~ guitars
Keith Emerson ~ keyboard

I love the Spinal Tap movie. Who doesn't? But, I've always enjoyed the music better on the albums away from the visual jokes. The music, in many ways, is more ingenious & the humor far more subtle. For all the jokes of guitar solos with feet this is an incredibly talented trio. It's difficult enough to write catchy songs, but they wrote humorous & catchy songs while imitating older styles of music with near perfection. Both their "non-fictitious" albums, the soundtrack from the movie & Break Like The Wind are thoroughly enjoyable, though for different reasons. This new release is an interesting addition that cashes in on their 25th anniversary & is probably not what fans expected. You'll find here a songs recorded in the last decade but not released on an album yet ("Back From The Dead", "Rock'N'Roll Nightmare", "Warmer Than Hell"), there's one completely new "Short & Sweet", the first studio recording of the dreaded "Jazz Odyssey" in all three parts, with the other 12 songs being remakes of songs heard on the soundtrack album. I bought this album, & probably so did many other fans, hoping for completely new songs. Where will the humor of Tap attack next? Maybe next release. The four newer songs are as classy as any classic Tap material, though nothing that blows you away. As for the rest of the album ... a greatest hits album is one thing, but this is a re-recorded greatest hits album that features new versions that are generally weaker than the originals. The point of the album is interesting but more often than not seemingly senseless & across the board pale & boring. "(Funky) Sex Farm" is a good example of this with a new & unnecessary horn line, or the new faux reggae style of "Listen To The Flower People", albeit it could have come straight off of a Bob Marley album. Many of the remakes also features changes so minor the remake doesn't seem to have any point except to hear the band play the hits one more time, while others verge into a weird prog-rock territory. & then, there's "Jazz Odyssey", which was meant as a joke the first time around about a failed band but here it's given a serious treatment & something akin to having a traditional polka suddenly appearing in the middle of a heavy metal guttural singing album. Can anyone say speed bump? Included as bonus tracks would have been better. Hearing these three speed bumps you wonder where did that come from & where or when is it going? The delayed jazz harmonica solo in the third part doesn't help. Then there's the under-looked classic "Gimme Some Money" that no longer sounds like the classic recreation it was supposed to sound like but a weird tune. If the joke is in the arrangement & you kill the joke what's the point? I will say though that Tap are great at recreating musical styles, which they might be better at than comedy. If these were new songs the array of funk, jazz & reggae would be welcomed. There's even a Celtic acapella chant called "Celtic Blues", which isn't anything great, though it ends with the wonderful joke of if they should do it with a capo (a device used on a guitar to change keys but not fingerings). It's moment of classic Tap. I believe Tap are far more talented than we give them credit for, but this is not an essential release nor a good introductory release it you don't know them. Stick to the movie & the first CD & if you enjoy that get the over-the-top Break Like The Wind. Avoid the Return Of Spinal Tap DVD but go for the acoustic Unwigged & Unplugged DVD which is a mixed bag but the good points win out. Oh, I should also mention that you should not download this album. The packaging folds out to foot high cardboard figures of the band which are totally cool. & there's a companion DVD which talks about all the songs & is hysterical.