Ray Lamontagne - ‘Gossip in the Grain’

This is the English folk singer-songwriter’s third studio release. It was produced by Ethan Johns who also worked with famous artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Rufus Wainwright and Crowded House. His official website describes this new release as “his most creative and emotionally expansive collection to date.” It is comprised of ten new tracks including “A Falling Through” and “I Still Care For You” on which he collaborated with singer and songwriter Leona Naess.
http://raylamontagne.com/home.php

Keane - ‘Perfect Symmetry’

To continue with the British tradition, the pop rock english act is back with their third album as well. It is said that Keane have a completely new look and this album should also be very different. “The Lovers Are Losing” is the first  single to be released on October 20th. This third effort will contain twelve tracks and a Deluxe Edition with a bonus DVD with the making of the record, demo songs, live rehearsals and track by track commentaries.
http://www.keanemusic.com/index.php

Other Releases:

Santana - ‘Multi-Dimensional Warrior’
Copeland - ‘You Are My Sunshine’
Secret Machines - ‘Secret Machines’
The Foreign Exchange - ‘Leave It All Behind’
The Streets - ‘Everything Is Borrowed’
Sixpence None the Richer - ‘The Dawn of Grace’

DVD:

Static X - ‘Cannibal Killers Live’ (CD/DVD)

The Hoa-Hoa’s: Sonic Bloom

There’s something truly pleasurable about Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Progressive Rock and all that exists at the ultraviolet end of the musical spectrum. Maybe it’s the improvisational style, the long-form songs, the dreamlike, surreal ambiance that good Psych Rock creates.

The problem is that it is a genre that opens itself up to the possibility of excessive pretension. Pretension, like faking a Manchester accent when singing. Pretension, like riffing on Strawberry Alarm Clock, Pink Floyd, with elements of Joy Division, U2 and the Cult.

There’s no doubt that the members of the Hoa-Hoa’s (Pronounced “Wah-Wah’s”) have drive and talent. There’s no doubt that they love their chosen genre of music. The problem is they are squandering that talent, that drive and that love of music by making sound-alike songs. Likewise, the whole Working-Class British accent only works if you’re actually Working-Class and British. If, like the members of the Hoa-Hoa’s, you’re from suburban Toronto, well, you come off insincere.

If the Hoa-Hoa’s actually stop trying to sound like their musical idols and start trying to create their own sound and their own spin on Psych Rock, if they can lose the phony British accents when they sing, they could actually do a lot to liven up the genre. If they keep behaving like pretentious sound-alikes, well, they probably won’t amount to much more than a famous-in-Toronto bar band.

I can’t recommend this album; it’s just not good enough. I’m looking forward to hearing the next release they put out, a year or so down the road, and finding out how their sound evolves. Perhaps, if they do the next one right, then ‘Sonic Bloom’ will become an interesting reference, to see what their departure point was.

The Hoa-Hoa’s: Sonic Bloom
Optical Sounds
Steve’s Rating: 5/10

Metallica: Death Magnetic

I know, I know: this came out nearly a month ago, the time to review it really should have been then. However, when you mainly fly solo doing music reviews, sometimes some things fall by the wayside. If you’ve already heard the new Metallica and liked it, you can skim this one.

This album sounds a lot like classic Metallica. It’s not overproduced like some of their previous efforts, the songs are epic in scope and construction, and they deliver track after track of rock-hard, take-no-prisoners Heavy Metal.

The high point of the album, for me, is “Broken, Beat and Scarred”, a powerful anthem to people who don’t give up. Like the rest of the album, it is an aggressive song, loud, guitar-driven and enraged. The whole of Death Magnetic teems with power, the sort of driven energy that first propelled them into the stratosphere of Heavy Metal superstardom more than two decades ago.

‘Death Magnetic’ is a return to the source for Metallica; if you’re a die-hard or a wayward fan and you don’t own this one (or if you haven’t at least downloaded it) I can only wonder: what are you waiting for?

Metallica: Death Magnetic
Warner
Steve’s (admittedly very late) rating: 9/10

Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul

The Gallagher Brothers have been making music for fourteen years, now. Despite the volumes of derision heaped upon them by critics and fans alike in their early years, Oasis’ six previous albums have all scored multiplatinum success, each of them counting hit singles from their tracklists.

I admit that even I dismissed Oasis for a good while, but I cannot deny that their music has always been beautiful, original and unique in today’s musical spectrum. Those who disparage Oasis as nothing more than Beatles sound-alikes haven’t bothered to listen. Yes, there are similarities, especially between Liam Gallagher’s vocals and the late, great John Lennon’s vocal style, but the former manages an edge, a barely-subdued anger that Lennon was never capable of.

‘Dig Out Your Soul’ is a perfect album to reintroduce yourself to Oasis if you’ve previously put them down, or a perfect album to continue listening to them, if you’ve been loyal all this time. Either way, you will love this album; there is nothing here that distracts, detracts or disappoints. Oasis have produced what is, arguably, their best work.

The 11 tracks on this album are nothing short of perfect; songs like “Waiting for the Rapture” and “[Get Off Your] High Horse Lady” stand out on an album of outstanding work. Hands down, this is the best album I’ve listened to, this year.

Oasis: Dig Your Soul
Warner
Steve’s Rating: 10/10

To discuss Steve’s review or share your own join the CONFRONT Community

From First to Last was my third interview at the Vans Warped Tour and the one I knew the least about. So I couldn’t really prepare myself regarding what to expect. The girl that was responsible for the press tent that day introduced me to bassist, Matt Manning, and keyboardist, Chris Lent, who had just been made the fifth official member of the band. Little did I know that this was going to be one of my funniest encounters yet!

CONFRONT: So we’re with Chris and Matt from From First to Last!

Matt: That you are!

CONFRONT: So your album came out in May with a change of singer, so what were your reactions when Sonny decided to leave?

Chris: Ummm… A little bit, I was kind of stoked actually.

CONFRONT: Really?

Chris: I mean I wasn’t technically fully in the band at that time…

Matt: It was a good thing!

Chris: Yeah it was a good thing…

Matt: I mean in all honesty, we had to drop off tours because of vocal issues and we started another band. We were in the process of starting another but, we were like: “We gotta tour, let’s just start a band”. Kind of the way it is now, we were just going to just basically get another name, write some new tunes and least tour, because without a tour, unless you’re Mariah Carey, you’re screwed!

CONFRONT: So you weren’t all bummed out….

Chris: Yeah well it was all like mixed emotions. It was like alright, we gotta think of what we’re going to do, we gotta get this record out and stuff like that…

CONFRONT: Yeah! What about your fans?

Chris: Well we were worried that they were going to get out!

Matt: Yeah!

Chris: Because there’s a lot of Sonny fans!

Matt: There was a lot of like: “You guys suck without Sonny!”. But it was also before we had even put out any music so they didn’t even know. Like: “You’ll never be the same!” Of course we’ll never be the same, we’re going to be able to tour!

All laugh

Matt: Ha! Ha! We’ll be a band! You know…

CONFRONT: Exactly…

Matt: You know, so once we put out new stuff, well honestly once we started playing shows because we played shows before we put out a new record… We were still able to play on the same tunes, because you get used to doing that… So after that, being able to tour, doing tours and it all went on really well and we would just have this random dude once in a while going: “Hey! Where’s Sonny?” and we would just be like: “Ah!” (in a “whatever!” tone)

Chris: (Laughing) Yeah, yeah! It was like: “Hey where’s Sonny?!” and we were just like: “He’s fucking dead, take that trash somewhere else!”

Matt laughs loudly

Chris: He kind of went: (makes a surprised face imitating the guy who just didn’t know what to say when he told him off about Sonny)

CONFRONT: Ooookay! (laughing)

Matt: You know, we’re a bunch of dudes who really don’t give a shit so…

CONFRONT: You just want to play!

Matt: Yeah! We’re really like… Jaded is not a good word… But it’s like we don’t care, if you like what we do cool, if you don’t like it then I don’t wanna hear it! I don’t have to hear about your opinion, it’s worth a big zero to me…

Chris: (laughing) Yeah we’ll still keep on playing!

Matt: Yeah, exactly, we’re still going to do exactly what we’re doing whether you like it or not.

CONFRONT: Well you guys are still here so that means something!

Matt: Yeah exactly!

CONFRONT: So how’s Warped Tour doing?

Matt: It’s fun! We’re playing good shows, kids are having fun…

CONFRONT: Did you start at the beginning, of Warped Tour?

Matt: Yeah! We’re doing the whole thing!

CONFRONT: The whole thing, awesome! So far, any funny stories… Or whatever stories…

(laughing)

Chris: Well…

Matt: There was something with the guy and the hot sauce…

Chris: Yeah! There’s a guy who chugged the hotest hot sauce in the world, he had to sign a legal thing, a kind of release form…

Matt: Yeah! He just chugged it!

CONFRONT: Oh wow! Did he die?

(All laugh)

Chris: No (laughing), thirty minutes later after he chugged it he was just sitting there and then he just started like freaking out and scratching himself going like (starts screaming like crazy and imitating the guy scratching himself) “Oh my God!!!” and started throwing up in the bathroom…

(All laugh)

CONFRONT: Oh that’s gross! But like why?

(All laugh)

Matt: It was just funny! (makes a gulp sound imitating the guy chugging the hot sauce and then chocking) And then he was probably pissing blood…

(All laugh)

Chris: Yeah, like pouring fire into your.. Eww!

(all laugh again)

CONFRONT: What bands did you discover on this tour?

Chris: Oh! Oh! Oh! There’s Family Force 5 are really good, I haden’t heard them yet. I never really listened to Say Anything before this tour, but they’re really good!

Matt: Very good band.

CONFRONT: You’re the second band to say this. Cobra Starship told me that earlier.

Matt: Oh I’m not a really big fan…

(laughing)

Chris: But he’s doing his thing and he’s doing it awesome!

Matt: Yeah kids are digging it so, you know I’m not going to dunk it.

Chris: I mean we had a lot of bands… (pointing at Matt) Me and him always jam together and we’re big fans of any band, so we were stoked that like Maylene and all those other bands are on the tour and Protest The Hero!!! (Protest The Hero’s lead singer Rody Walker were walking by and Chris pointed at him while screaming Protest The Hero!)

Matt: Protest The Hero!!! (pointing at Rody too)

(Rody turns around, laughs and waves at us)

CONFRONT: Oh, I interviewed them a while ago!

Chris: (using a Scotish like accent) They’re great eh!

CONFRONT: You did the Take Action Tour… How important is it for you to participate in those kind of events?

Chris: Yeah it was pretty awesome to be a part of that, you know, actually helping people. Getting the word out there that kids can actually make a difference…

CONFRONT: Do something, yeah…

Chris: Yeah, dosomething.org!

(laughing)

CONFRONT: The Internet is great, it’s awesome that it helps your band to get out there and get known and everything. But the whole situation with less and less albums sales, what do you think we can do about that, what will happen?

Matt: Well you have to embrace the Internet, it’s not going to go away, you have to get used to giving kids your music because that’s not going to go away either. Uh, selling records? You’re not going to be able to do that…

CONFRONT: So you think it’s over?

Matt: Well not necessarily, there’s always going to be people who buy records, I buy records, it’s not because I’m in a band or whatever. I mean, it’s not like it’s expensive, it’s not like a CD costs like three hundred dollars! It costs like ten bucks! You know, I don’t mind buying it, it helps out bands because a lot of bands like all these bands at Warped Tour, all these people are struggling. There’s a lot of misconceptions! Like I made my own t-shirts for Warped tour, we’re trying to start this clothing line, I brought t-shirts and this kid came up and I was selling t-shirts and he was like: “Well I don’t have money, why wont you give it to me for free?” And I was like: “Well if I had all that money I wouldn’t be selling t-shirts!” And he said: “Well whatever! You’re in a band! You’re rich!” And I was like: “Are you freaking retarded?”

CONFRONT: Oh!!!

Chris: You’re so wrong my friend!

Matt: Like seriously! If kids knew what these guys go through and you know… You have a tour bus and you play a show to a good amount of people every day, I mean it doesn’t matter anymore, the state of music, it’s not the nineties anymore, bands don’t sell millions of records anymore. You know, we do this because we love it. If we would be doing this for the money then there wouldn’t be a single band here. Because you definitely don’t get rich doing Warped Tour (with a little laugh in his voice).

Chris: Yeah, I think it’s also kind of cool though the way that the Internet has taken over. Now it’s just uh… Because it’s kind of making kids go out to shows and it’s kind of weaving out the shit because if you’re bad live…

Matt: That’s IT!

Chris: You’re going to be gone!

CONFRONT: Exactly…

Chris: So the bands that are actually good and sound great live rise above!

Matt: And there’s also one thing about the Internet that makes it really easy for bands to be able to make a CD and go on tour…

Chris: Put their image out there…

Matt: Put their image out there… So it’s good and it’s bad. It makes things easier to be able to promote, easier to be able to put your music out there regardless of how terrible you are, you know, which just makes it harder for bands who are really good, you know.

CONFRONT: Right! Why From First To Last?

Chris: The name?

CONFRONT: Yeah!

Chris: The hell do I know! (laughs)

CONFRONT: Just like that?

Matt: Because it’s the worse name…

Chris: (laughs) Yeah! I want to change it to From Fail To Worse!

CONFRONT: That would be awesome!

All laugh

CONFRONT: From Fail To Worse!

Chris: laughing really loud

CONFRONT: I want to start rumors and stuff

Matt: We love that! (laughing)

CONFRONT: They’re going to change their name to From Fail To Worse for their next album!

Matt: Fail To Worse!

CONFRONT: (laughing) First and last CD you bought?

Matt: The last record I bought… I forget the name too! I hop on iTunes, that’s the beauty of the Internet is you get on iTunes you get whatever you want, anytime you want, you can get a lot of stuff!

Chris: First record I ever bought I think was a Van Halen record. I just picked it up and I was like: “Hey it’s Van Halen!” and I was like: “Wow Aftershock! that sounds sick!”

CONFRONT: (laughing)

Chris: But it wasn’t (laughing) So then I bought Weezer and that was cool.

Matt: My first record was Aerosmith ‘Get A Grip’ and I think the last one was the new Weezer!

CONFRONT: The last one? Yeah!

Matt: Yeah the new Weezer was good!

Chris: I think I got the new Coldplay.

Matt: Oooh!

CONFRONT: Oh and what did you think of that?

Chris: I don’t know if it’s the last record I bought but…

CONFRONT: And what did you think of it?

Chris: I haven’t listened to it yet!

CONFRONT: Well critics are not all unanimous about that one.

Chris: Yeah I heard that.

CONFRONT: Where do you see yourself in about ten years?

Matt: Probably working at Guitar Center, telling people about how I used to be in a band.

CONFRONT: Called From Fail To Worse (laughing)

Matt: Yeah! (laughing) “I used to be in a band and I used to travel around and play some shows!” (in a mocking tone) I don’t know who knows man! I think, well me anyway, it’s just one day at a time because it just changes so much, it’s up and down.

Chris: Yeah! Everyday is just one day at a time.

CONFRONT: So what about after Warped Tour?

Chris: Well we’re going to try and take a little vacation until the fall and then do something.

Matt: We go to the U.K.

Chris: Yeah with The Blackout.

Matt: With The Blackout.

CONFRONT: Sweet!

Matt: And then after that I think we might do a coheadliner tour with some band… (trying to hint with a funny voice)

Chris: Some of our friends… But you know we can’t say yet! We can’t throw it out!

CONFRONT: No! No! You’re going to change your name!

Matt: Yeah so I can tell you, in the fall we’re touring with Metallica!

Chris: Straight up!

CONFRONT: That’s it, straight up!

Chris: But SHHHHH!!!

CONFRONT: That’s it! It’s out! Metallica with From First To Last!

Chris: Yeah! They caught us in Holland and they were like: “Yeah! You’re pretty alright!”

Matt: “And you’re coming on tour with us!”

All laugh

CONFRONT: I’m ready, I’m putting this out! Why did you decide to make Chris the fifth official member of the band?

Matt: Because we love him…

Chris: Well me and Manning used to be in a band together prior to this and I sort of just told him I ‘d cut his throat if he didn’t let me in! (laughing) No I’m just kidding!

CONFRONT: (laughing)

Matt: Well it’s simple, if Chris ain’t around, I ain’t around. And if I ain’t around, Chris ain’t around, we keep it real.

Chris: That’s true.

Matt: And it’s as simple as that. We’re all friends you know…

Chris: And because I can win though.

Matt: And he is awesome!

All laugh

Matt: And he can still rock, he’s still young! And I’m getting to old for rock, I used to be able to bring in a little bit of young blood…

Chris: I’m like the fountain of youth!

Matt: (laughs) He’s good with the ladies! Funny dude! So why not?

CONFRONT: (laughing non-stop with Chris) Why not! Who do you see yourself collaborating with? Besides Metallica obviously! (laughing)

Matt: (laughs) Right away that was a lie!

Chris: I know who I would collaborate with… Maylene and The Sons of Disaster! Or Four Year Strong!

Matt: Four Year Strong! Those dudes right there. (pointing at them further away at the press table) Coolest dudes, greatest band on tour!

Chris: Greatest band!

CONFRONT: Well you guys have been great, thank you! So we’ll watch for you and Metallica!

Chris and Matt: (laughs) Yeah!

CONFRONT: From Fail To Worse with Metallica!

All laughing

We continued chatting and laughing some more for about ten minutes and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the funny duo that Chris and Matt make. I truly believe that no matter what happens to the music industry in the near or far future, From First to Last, or at least Matt and Chris, will always find a way to be around and share their passion. So make sure to stop by their merchandise table next time around and encourage them! Check out their upcoming tour dates and information on www.myspace.com/fftl

To discuss this interview join the CONFRONT Community

SteveK shares some music-related news about Red Car Wire and Depeche Mode

Well, I’m just happy to be able to report on something that’s not related to the ongoing Conservative Party of Canada War on Culture.

Some good news all around this week: Red Car Wire, an amped-up pop-punk outfit out of Dallas just got signed to Universal.  They’re releasing an EP this week, titled ‘Lets Never Get Older’, and from what I’ve heard it sounds pretty damn good.  They recently toured with the Vans Warped Tour, and if you were there hopefully you had a chance to hear them live.  You can have a listen to the first single off the EP, “So Far” at the links below:

http://umrg.edgeboss.net/qtime/umrg/_promo/redcarwire/redcarwire_sofar.mov
http://umrg.edgeboss.net/wmedia/umrg/_promo/redcarwire/redcarwire_sofar_1000k.asx

The song is a fantastic high speed ballad about the aftermath of rejection and the pain and passion of unrequited love, highly enjoyable and downright addictive.

Also in the news, Depeche Mode has announced that their next album will come out on the 21^st of April of next year, and they’ll start a world tour in Israel on the 10^th of May.  Depeche Mode plan to hit 28 cities across 21 countries with their unique brand of SynthPop.

If you’re a fan of these veteran Electronic / New Wave artists, who’ve been making music for close to 30 years, you won’t want to miss the new album or the upcoming tour.  If you are new to Depeche Mode, check out their singles anthologies, ‘The Singles 81>85′ and ‘The Singles 86>98″, the best place to hear the music they’re best known for, before launching into their rather extensive discography, which has sold, collectively, over 75 million copies.

Let us know what you think by joining the CONFRONT Community

Oasis - ‘Dig Out Your Soul’

Finally, the new Oasis album is out! ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ was recorded in the legendary Abbey Road studios in late 2007 and the band members went all the way to produce a real rock ‘n roll record. During many interviews,  all the members insisted on the heavy side of the album and on skipping on acoustic melodies. Oasis is back to basics and in rocking form. All the early reviews leaking over the web are outstanding and every one is digging it. Oasis is now back on a world tour to promote their new songs in order to reconquer the hearts of their fallen fans, who might have looked back in anger at their previous releases.

The Pretenders - ‘Break Up The Concrete’

The Pretenders have been on the music scene for almost 30 years, surviving the deaths of some band members and a lot of drug abuse. In fact, the only original band member still on the payroll is their lead singer, Chrissie Hynde. ‘Break Up The Concrete’ is set to be pure american rock powered by blistering punk music and melodic story telling. Hynde’s voice and The Pretender’s music have surpassed the test of time, influencing millions of fans over the past three decades. Another “back to basics” album by another legendary band.

Other Releases:

The Streets - ‘Everything is borrowed”

The Clash- ‘ Live At The Shea Stadium

Senses Fail- ‘Life Is Not a Waiting Room’

Sarah Mclachlan - ‘Closer - The Best Of Sarah Mclachlan’

Rasmus - ‘Black Roses’

Oasis - ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ (CD/DVD)

HI-DEF Blu-Ray disc:

Foo Fighters -  ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’

Korn - ‘Live On The Other Side’

This week, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to a couple of true-to-form Emo Rock albums, both of which proving that there is life left in this oft-maligned (even by me) genre of music.

First, I had a listen to the forthcoming release by California rockers, I Am Ghost. It’s been a difficult couple of years for the band. After the release of their first full-length album, ‘Lovers Requiem’ in 2006, and extensive touring, they suffered the loss of Kerith and Brian Telestai, who left the band due to what can best be described as philosophical reasons. Drummer Ryan Seaman also left soon after.

Founding members Steven Juliano and Timoteo Rosales III added new talent to the lineup and went into the studio to record their second album earlier this year. In May, rhythm guitarist Gabe Iraheta left the band as well, replaced with Chad Kulengosky.

If you wonder how so much turmoil affects the production of an album, you need only listen to the raw emotion, the anger, pain and grief seething from the 14 tracks for the answer. The album opens with a creepy spoken-word intro by an anonymous female vocalist (believed to be Chamber of Echoes singer Klaryssa Korol), then dives into “Don’t Wake Up”.

The album is reminiscent in tone and style to 30 Seconds to Mars’ ‘A Beautiful Lie’, in that the songs are introspective studies in the cathartic personal growth people go through following the end of a turbulent relationship. The turbulence for I Am Ghost came from the conservative Christian views of the departed Telestais, whose beliefs are attributed with holding back I Am Ghost’s sound.

Overall, ‘Those We Leave Behind’ is a much harder, darker album than their previous release, and its sound and lyrical style represent a real paradigm shift. “Smile of a Jesus Freak” reflects this change the strongest, and is probably the most direct that Steven Juliano gets about the departure of the Telestais. The song is more of a rant than anything else, including excessive use of the “F-Bomb”. The probable cause of the expletives is a nervous breakdown that Kerith Telestai reportedly had after Juliano said the dreaded “Fuck” onstage during a show.

Songs like “Bone Garden” “Saddest Story Never Told” “So, I Guess This Is Goodbye” and “Don’t Wake Up” are a better reflection of the album’s merits; the songs are all anthemic, concert-ready and manic in their intensity. This isn’t a relaxing album, full of anger and tension, emotion and conflict. It reinvigorates Emo Rock, giving it a much needed burst of freshness and originality in spite of an overabundance of melodrama and Screamo leanings.

I Am Ghost: Those We Leave Behind
Epitaph
Steve’s Rating: 8/10

On the more poetic and subtle side of Emo Rock lies Anberlin, and their latest effort, ‘New Surrender’.

Anberlin tend to be more inventive with lyrical imagery, creating clever turns of phrase on almost every track on this, their fourth studio album, their first with Universal Music.

Songs like the opener “The Resistance” and “Disappear” are great examples of Anberlin’s strengths as a band, with tight music and inventive lyrics. However, as a whole this album seems to suffer with too much radio-friendly production; the treble is turned down on these tracks, the bass tones much higher than on their previous releases. The music isn’t as raw or unrefined as the band’s work with Tooth and Nail Records. There is no doubt about the quality of the music on this album, but I feel that the over-production hampers Anberlin more than anything else.

Anberlin: The New Surrender
Universal
Steve’s Rating: 8/10

To discuss these reviews or share your own, join the CONFRONT Community

However, the ongoing debate over cultural funding by the Canadian government has left us little choice, but to weigh in.

Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party’s Canadian Prime Minister by Default, leader of a minority government (which means that a majority of people voted for anyone else but him and his party), recently slashed 45 million dollars from Canada’s arts funding. Under the guise of fiscal responsibility and moral leadership, Harper attempted to justify this attack on Canadian ideals.

The question is, why slash 45 million dollars from arts funding, but maintain 50 BILLION dollars in corporate welfare-subsidies given out to some of Canada’s richest corporations? This wasn’t money to bail out a bankrupted industry; this was cash giveaways to “encourage” business.

Is it that much more fiscally responsible to cut culture programs than it is to stop profitable corporations sucking at the taxpayer’s teat?

Which brings us to the next problem: the government imposition of morality. This isn’t the Harper Conservative’s first attack against culture on moral grounds. Earlier this year, they pushed through legislation that allowed them to deny Canadian films public funds, if the films were found to contravene “public morals”. What contravenes public morals? Well, the Harper Conservatives seem to take particular offence with the word “Fuck”. One of the films they cited as justifying their cuts was “Young People Fucking” which, according to them was an obscene and immoral film. Ironically, there are shows on television with more graphic portrayals of sex and sexuality. Likewise, the fuckophobia of the Harper Conservatives continued, when they claimed that music acts like Canadian rockers Holy Fuck were what was wrong with Canadian culture, and singled them out as one of the reasons for the 45 million dollar funding cut.

Here in the province of Quebec, we have always been militant when it comes to culture, and we have always elevated our artists to the status of cultural icons. In the last couple of weeks, a series of free concerts have been held in protest of the Harper Conservative arts funding cuts, featuring many of Quebec’s greatest and most respected artists.

Upon learning of this, Harper said “I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up - I’m not sure that’s something that resonates with ordinary people.”

In so doing Harper betrayed not only his own anti-intellectual temperament, but his complete ignorance of what it is to be an artist, particularly a musician in Canada. To say Harper is out of touch with reality is nothing short of hyperbole. Harper demonstrates the ingnorant’s disdain for anything intellectual, creative, or to use a favourite word of Harper’s Conservative cronies in the United States, “elitist”.

That Harper, who has never done a hard day’s labour in his life, has the audacity to claim these funding cuts in the name of the “working people” is offensive, for several reasons.

First, anyone involved with the arts on any level knows how difficult it is for artists to make a living in their chosen field-if they even can. Musicians must practice constantly, learning new songs; they usually have to provide their own transport and accommodation when on tour; here at CONFRONT Magazine we’ve spoken with countless musicians who spend their tours sleeping in the back of a battered Econoline van. Likewise, the cost of supplies, be it guitar strings, musical instruments, what have you, can be exorbitant. More than one band has folded for want of being able to afford to replace lost, stolen or damaged equipment.

One need only look at the faces of the young men and women who are working artists-be they musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, or God help them, writers-to see how tiring it is to live an artist’s life. It’s certainly not the life of excess and delights that Harper and his gang of anti-cultural bigots would have us believe. These men and women work diligently and tirelessly, not just to be able to afford to practice their art, but to be able to afford food, clothing, shelter…the basic necessities of life. On average, working artists earn less than 27 thousand dollars a year. That’s less than most people make. Professional artists depend on those government subsidies to survive.

If Harper does not think that the struggles of artists resonates with ordinary people, then he is ignorant of the vital and ever-present role that art in all its many forms plays, not only with what we label “Culture”, but in our everyday lives.

How many of us drop earbuds into our ears in the morning, and crank up the MP3 player as we head out on our commute? How many of us adorn our walls with photographs, paintings, pictures? How many of us buy little odds and ends from street-corner vendors, like decorative sculptures, hand-made bracelets, necklaces, earrings or pendants? How many of you go to museums, or stop to look at public-display sculptures? How many of you go to movies, watch television, go to plays, go to the outdoor summer festivals? Art and culture is all around us. Art and culture saturate our daily lives. Whether we notice it, appreciate it, take it for granted or ignore it, whether we love it, hate it, are passionate about it or outraged by it, art and culture affects each and every one of us profoundly, regularly, constantly.

Subsequently, Harper has claimed that 45 million dollars is a paltry amount, that it is a small cut to cultural funding. If that is true, then why has he repeatedly claimed that these cuts are of such importance to fiscal policy? If that 45 million is so desperately needed, why are corporate handouts in the excess of 50 billion still allowed to continue?

The anti-cultural bigotry of the Harper Conservatives is vile, outrageous, and is an attack on Canada’s ideals as a nation, as a society, as a people. His disdain towards artists and arts programs smacks of ignorance, of the very sort of elitism he supposedly derides. For who else but elitists so ignorantly assume artists to be decadent, lazy, arrogant low-lifes? Who else but elitists think they know what is in the best interests of the “ordinary” person? These cuts were not merely the deletion of a few line items from an invoice. Vital programs have been affected:
• PromArt, a grant program supporting foreign travel for artists ($4.7 million)
• Canadian Memory Fund, which gives federal agencies money to digitize collections and mount them online ($11.7 million)
• Culture.ca Web portal ($3.8 million)
• Canadian Cultural Observatory ($560,000)
• Research and Development component of Canadian Culture Online ($5.64-million)
• Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund ($1.5 million)
• Audio Visual Trust ($300,000)
• National Training Program for the Film and Video Sector ($2.5 million)
• Trade Routes, supporting international tours by Canadian performers ($7.8 million)
• Northern Distribution Program, which distributes the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network signal to 96 Northern communities. ($2.1 million)
These decisions are supposed to be fiscally sound, but yet they fly in the face of any real understanding of the revenues generated by cultural programs, arts, music, film, theatre and television. According to ACTRA spokeswoman Taborra Johnson, “The arts contribute $85 billion per year to our gross domestic product. It creates 1.1 million jobs, which is 7.2 per cent of our employment.”

The arts don’t just contribute to Canadian culture; they contribute to the Canadian economy. When you consider the residual sales of merchandise, memorabilia, food, beverages, hotel and tourism dollars that festivals, concerts, exhibits, productions and plays generate, when you consider the multitude of spin-off income generated by such things, not to mention the jobs for technicians, service people, maintenance professionals and others, it becomes clear that cuts to cultural programmes are not only myopic, but imbecilic in the extreme.

Canada is currently in the midst of a Federal election. This election was called by Harper, in an attempt to change his minority government into a majority government. The funding cuts that Harper has so cavalierly justified have become one of the elections major issues.

It is incumbent upon all Canadians who care about culture, be they fans of music, patrons of the Arts, theatre-goers or festival fans, to send a clear message to the Canadian government that these funding cuts are unacceptable, and far more obscene than the use of the word “Fuck”.

Stephen Harper and his gang of Conservatives have shown a callous disregard for public opinion on this, and on several other issues. The fact of the matter is, nothing less than our Canadian identity is at stake in this election. Anyone who cares about that identity must take action. There is only one way to remedy this situation, and that is to ensure that Stephen Harper does not return to Parliament as Prime Minister. If we care about culture in this country, if we care about our friends and family who toil to make a living in the creative fields, there is only one thing we can do: On October 14th, we must vote against the Conservatives; we must ensure that they are not re-elected to Government. This is a war on Canadian culture. We cannot afford to let the Conservatives win.

To discuss this editorial and share your own view on the issue join the CONFRONT Community

Angel interview front man Andrew McMahon

As our regular readers know, CONFRONT had the opportunity to conduct many interviews at the 2008 Vans Warped tour when it stop at Parc Jean Drapeau and this week’s Round Table is with Andrew McMahon, front man of Jack’s Mannequin, a piano rock band from Orange County, California.

Because of the late afternoon hour and the pouring rain under which the interview was being held, Andrew and I opted for a quick fire question session of a few hot topics that hopefully will teach the fans something new and be a valid introduction to those who are unfamiliar with this band.

Enjoy!

On how he Jack’s Mannequin came to be

First, I got into music when I was about nine years old and started playing the piano.  My parents had a piano in the living room and I started writing songs on the piano after I learned a Jerry Lee Lewis song that a friend of the family taught me.  I’ve had the bug ever since; I was always making songs, making demo tapes and stuff like that.  When I was in high school I started my first band which eventually turned into something corporate.  And after the corporate thing, I started to burn out and started working in the studio on my own and Jack’s Mannequin sort of came out of that.

On the Vans Warped Tour 2008

It’s my first time on the tour as Jack’s Mannequin.  I did the 2002 Warped Tour as another band and several subsequent Warped tours but as Jack’s Mannequin this is the first.

This is our last day on the tour.  I mean it will be good to go home and shower - something I haven’t had to luxury of doing in several days - but we’ve had the chance to see a lot of friends and there are a lot of people out here that you become fond of so walking away from that feels like walking away from summer camp.

On the bands he’s discovered on the Tour

There was this band that I’ve been talking about a lot called A Cursive Memory which is a really cool band that I’ve really been impressed with and been checking out a lot.

On what fans can expect of the new album (released Sept. 23^rd, 2008)

I’ve worked on it for so long.  You know, when you zoom in on something so close, you start to lose perspective.  It’s been three years since the last release and I’ve been working on the new album for over a year, almost two years now.  In a sense, I think what you’ll find a wide range of material.  It’s the longest record I’ve put out - there are 13 songs and a bonus track.  It’s a lot of music and has some of my best pop tracks on it.  And I think we sort of took the advantage of making an LP.  We thought we’d take our time on this and sit back and do essentially like a double vinyl album.  That’s how we treated it.  We took our time; there’s a lot of groovier stuff and some of the stuff is a little more laid back.  It’s a very dynamic.

On touring to promote the album

Before the album comes out we’ll be on the Paramore tour and then after that I’m imagining we’ll probably [go on a headlining tour].  I can’t say for sure because we are still putting our plans together.  We are looking at doing some stuff overseas as well.  We are gonna take a few days off after the Warped but right after we’ll be right back out there.  Especially now, because of the new record, this is a busy time.  Sometimes you don’t see home for close to a year.

First and last albums purchased

My first album purchase was probably Blind Melon or maybe Pearl Jam.  The most recent I purchased… hmmm, you know the iTunes thing makes buying music so passive and I’m trying to think of the last album I bought and I’m drawing a blank.  Oh you know what I bought… have you ever heard of Michael Penn.  There’s a song he did in the 80s [called "No Myth Romeo In Black Jeans"] and I love that song.  And a guy that works on my records played in his band so I said I had to check it out.  And it’s actually a Killer record.

First concert attended

My first concert attended was Billy Joel in Cleveland and it was amazing.

Where he sees himself (ideally) in 10 years

On a boat in the middle of the ocean (laughing) you know what I mean?  Marooned on some island where nobody can call me.  I don’t mean that in a bad way, I’m not that reclusive; but somewhere with a lot of peace and quiet.  I plan on making music of course - I can’t not play music it’s the only thing I know how to do - but it would be great to be in a position to do this and also not feel like you are strapped to a bomb all the time.  I love everything about music but this past six years or so of making records has been particularly tumultuous.  I have a really great life but I’m looking forward to stretching out and getting some sleep at some point.  Maybe in ten years it will happen…

www.jacksmannequin.com

www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin

To discuss this interview please join the CONFRONT Community

SteveK listens to the sophomore releases from Bison B. C. and Cold War Kids

Bison B. C.: The Quiet Earth

Bison B. C. (Formerly Bison) are a Heavy-Metal / Punk fusion act out of Vancouver (Also B. C., for British Columbia). Their second album will be released next week, and thanks to Metal Blade records, I had a chance to listen to The Quiet Earth before its debut.

This is one of those albums that’s completely hit-and-miss with me. Bison’s sound is one of the richest, most technically complex and symphonic Metal CDs I’ve gotten to listen to in quite some time. The music has an epic feel to it; the guitar work on the album is easily among the best I’ve ever heard.

The vocal style of lead singer James Farwell just doesn’t impress me, though. Yes, he’s got a commanding voice, but he doesn’t so much sing as he does recite his lyrics, loudly, clearly, but without tone or rhythm. Listening to the album, I was reminded of countless conversations I’ve had with people, as we shouted to be heard over music at whatever club we were drinking in.

That being said, this album is not without its redeeming qualities. As I said, the music is among the best Metal I’ve heard, and if you can get past (or get used to) Farwell’s vocal style, then it bears up nicely for repeat listening. The lyrics delve into epic myth, fantasy and science fiction, crafting almost operatic story elements.

This album demonstrates exactly why Metal deserves more respect than it gets. The complexity and elaborateness of the music is akin not just to music put out by past and contemporary Metal masters, but of the symphonic work of the Classical Masters, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin. It is the kind of music that deserves to be taught to aspiring musicians because of the rich complexity of its sound.

‘The Quiet Earth’ is flawed, but like any rare gem, its flaws only enhance its beauty and value.

Bison B. C.; The Quiet Earth
Metal Blade Records
Steve’s Rating: 7.5/10

Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty

The Cold War Kids are indie rock sensations, steadily gaining in popularity as time goes on. They’ve released an ass-load of EPs and two full-length albums, of which ‘Loyalty to Loyalty’ is the latest.

What struck me most about this eclectic disc is how utterly unusual their sound is. They certainly fly boldly in the face of popular music culture, and yet the music they produce is nonetheless hit-making material. “Something is Not Right With Me”, the first single off ‘Loyalty’ is one of the best new rock songs out there, already getting a lot of airplay and attention. The song has a manic energy, it’s infectious and it just grabs onto you without letting go.

And yet, lead singer Nathan Willett can’t actually hold a note, and the music of the album is very raw, stripped down and rather jarring. In the formulaic world of pop culture, the Cold War Kids are the band that should not be: The corporate mindset being what it is, these guys shouldn’t have made it past their local show venue, and yet they successfully merge many divergent elements into a unique and addictive sound.

And the whole album is very much like that first single: listening to it, I found myself conflicted between the fact that taken on its own, especially given my own personal musical tastes, I really shouldn’t enjoy this album…and yet I do. I don’t know what musical alchemy the Cold War Kids have performed, but they have destroyed the formulaic nature of pop music, blended together elements that really shouldn’t be able to work and not only made them work together but completely nailed it, crafting an unusual, entertaining and wholly original album.

The Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty
Downtown
Steve’s Rating: 9/10

Anberlin was the last band of the day that I was interviewing at Vans Warped Tour 2008 in Montreal. I was personally very excited for that meeting as I am a very big fan of their music. Anberlin is a quintet from Florida founded in 2001-2002. After five years with independent label Tooth & Nail records, they have now been signed with Universal Records and will release their new beginning album, ‘New Surrender’, very shortly, on September 30th. It is the alternative rock band’s first major label album, which made me even more anxious to meet up with them and know more about all the new and exciting things coming up for them in the near future. I was introduced to Nate Young, Anberlin’s very own fun, relaxed and very enthusiastic drummer!

CONFRONT: Well I’m with Nate from Anberlin!

Nate: Yes!

CONFRONT: So have you been on Warped Tour from the first date?

Nate: Yeah, first day!

CONFRONT: And you’re doing all the tour?

Nate: We are doing ALL two months!

CONFRONT: Awesome!

Nate: Yeah that’s cool…

CONFRONT: It’s not your first time doing it right?

Nate: We did it last year, we only did half of it though. We dropped off in Detroit last year, there was still a month left so…

CONFRONT: Any new bands you discovered this year so far that you like?

Nate: Yeah! I was just talking about it, Everytime I Die… It’s sooo good! I just watched them, I try to watch them like everyday. They’re just super heavy and put on a great show so yeah, I love that band!

CONFRONT: Great! Any fun tour stories so far? Anything happened?

Nate: Ummm… We got stuck at the border for like thirteen hours!

CONFRONT: Today? Like yesterday?

Nate: Yeah, yesterday. We were the only band that got stuck that long. We were there foreeever! We got there a like twelve at night and we left at like one something?

CONFRONT: Eww!

Nate: Yeah! It was kind of sad but… Actually yesterday was pretty funny because after all that, we got there (in Toronto) and everything seemed to be fine and we’re like: “Oh we made it!” and then it started pouring! And our stage got messed up so we had to play an acoustic set.

CONFRONT: (laughs) Oh but that must’ve been good though?

Nate: No, yeah! It was still cool, it was fun…

CONFRONT: Was a fun night!

Nate: Yeah! It was just kind of funny you know the way things happened…

CONFRONT: What are your plans after Warped?

Nate: Actually we go home for a little bit and then we kind of get ready for the record and then we do a full fall headlining tour. We’re going to go to Europe…

CONFRONT: Coming back to Montreal for the headlining tour?

Nate: I think so…

CONFRONT: Great!

Nate: We’re probably going to try to do everywhere so…

CONFRONT: Awesome! Alright, so the Christian rock thing is disputed…

Nate: Yeah…

CONFRONT: What is your saying in this, does it bother you or…

Nate: No! Not in the slightest, to me, the whole question of “Are you guys a Christian rock band?”, we’re all just Christians, we have faith and what we believe, that doesn’t change anything that we play. Obviously like certain things we wanna do you know, go against our moral beliefs and stuff, but…

CONFRONT: It’s not how you started right….

Nate: Yeah, I mean we just wanna be a band! You know, that gets to play everwhere.

CONFRONT: Yeah, you didn’t start saying: “We’re going to be Christian band!”

Nate: No, because when you do that you put yourself in a mold and you have to play in a certain amount of churches you know and stuff like that. We don’t, we also don’t play churches because then you get stuck in this thing you know and we’d rather go out and play shows you know.

CONFRONT: Sure! So ‘New Surrender’ in September, new producer, new label!

Nate: Yeah! Yeah! It’s crazy!

CONFRONT: How does it feel?

Nate: It’s actually amazing! I mean we love Tooth and Nail (records) I mean they’re great guys, great people and all the records we put out with them are awesome, they’re awesome! But it’s just cool, you know it’s really different because we fon’t know anything else but, it’s just amazing recording with Neil Avron…

CONFRONT: Yes! How was that?

Nate: Amazing! Yeah it was SO much fun, it was different you know, he worked us like crazy! We also spent a lot more time on this record than we have before in the past so that was different. It’s just awesome you know, Universal is putting so much effort and work and just put so much effort into it. So it’s super encouraging and exciting.

CONFRONT: So how different is this record going to sound compared to your previous ones then?

Nate: Um… I think you know it’s like a natural progression of what we’ve done. It’s different though for sure, I think it’s more of a variety than anything we’ve done, there’s slower stuff and just different stuff we’ve never done. Like certain songs that we have, when we were doing the record, we were just “let’s just do it” you know and it ended up flowing and it fits well but, it’s just super diverse hopefully that’s what kids will get out of it you know.

CONFRONT: Yeah! I know you guys are very good friends with Yellowcard.

Nate: Yeah!

CONFRONT: You’ve toured a lot with them. They’re on a hiatus now. What is happening?

Nate: I don’t know! I mean that band is so good! Sean Mackin is one of my best friends probably. It’s just, they’re just taking a little break I guess, they all want to do some other things….

CONFRONT: Yeah…

Nate: They might come back you know, who knows, they just wanna take a break for a while.

CONFRONT: Yeah. I saw you guys playing together, when you toured together it was awesome!

Nate: Yeah! They were an amazing band that’s for sure!

CONFRONT: Hopefully they’ll be back, do you think they are?

Nate: I think so, I think they’ll probably come back eventually for sure so…

CONFRONT: Great. On Wikipedia, there was 3 or 4 different origins of the name Anberlin, but none of them are for sure which one it is! There’s the Radiohead story and then it was because he wanted to name his daughter Anberlin… Which one’s true?

Nate: I think, man! We like made up stuff and…

CONFRONT: Really? (laughing)

Nate: Yeah! Just from the beginning. Because I think it was something pretty basic you know, Stephen accidentally said, he was talking and he said, he was talking about the places he wanted to travel and said: “And Berlin”and then you know just kind of slurred it. So you know, we tried to think of more exciting things because people were just like: “Really? That’s it?” And we’re like: “Oh…”… So we started making up stuff.

CONFRONT: Really? Because the Radiohead thing makes sense though, I was listening to the song (”Everything in its Right Place”) and it makes sense!

Nate: Yeah, yeah it does…

CONFRONT: It really sounds like it!

Nate: Yeah totally!

CONFRONT: Yeah!

Nate: To be honest, I don’t really know the truth anymore. We changed it so many times, we just had so many different random stories that we just kind of make up new ones! (laughing)

CONFRONT: (laughing) Want to make up a new one now? (laughing)

(Nate laughs)

CONFRONT: Collaborations in the future, who do you want to work with, play with?

Nate: Mmm… Like tour or?

CONFRONT: Or record with, anything.

Nate: Man um… I think we’ll probably go back with Neil (Avron). It is so good. We talked about something that could be fun, is do an EP some time. It would be a lot different than Anberlin, we would still put it out as Anberlin, but it would be like our chill side, like moody you know, kind of like Jimmy Eat World did with the ‘Disintegration’ EP. We’ve always wanted to do something like that so, we might do it with a different producer or someone smaller.

CONFRONT: And who would you tour with?

Nate: Who would I tour with? Man, if we could tour with like The Foo Fighters or anything like that would be amazing or Jimmy Eat World, anything major like that would be awesome.

CONFRONT: Yeah Jimmy Eat World were just here, they were great!

Nate: Ah! They’re like one of our favorite bands!

CONFRONT: That would be an amazing tour though!

Nate: Yeah, I think so too! I’d be into it for sure!

CONFRONT: Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

Nate: Man! I don’t know… I mean obviously we want to do this for as long as we can and you know, especially in the industry, the music industry these days you’re not guaranteed another you know, even another record. It’s so unstable, you put out a record, it could be great or it could fall you know what I mean, you never know so… I’d like to do maybe a couple more records and that would maybe be it. I’ve always thought it would be cool to go out with the fame instead of draw it out, I mean, we’ve been doing this for like seven years now, so we’re all… You know, we’re not burned out on it, but you know I think that, we all want to eventually, you know, I want to live in the woods in Florida and grow old…

(laughing)

Nate: So we’ll see! But we’ll always play music no matter what, you know no matter if it’s with Anberlin or not.

CONFRONT: Awesome! Well thank you!

Nate: Yeah, cool! Same to you!

CONFRONT: And we’ll look forward to the new album seriously!

Nate: Awesome! Thank you very much!

I made sure not to miss Anberlin’s performance on one of the main stages shortly after this interview and sure didn’t regret it! They blew away the audience with all their best songs and also some new material. The crowd was singing along very loudly and put a huge smile on lead singer Stephen Christian’s face who didn’t miss out on every occasion to thank every single one of them as he was obviously very touched by all the love! Anberlin is currently on tour throughout the United States with one stop in Toronto, Canada on October 27th. Touring along with them are Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Straylight Run and There For Tomorrow. They will then head out for Europe in November, so make sure not to miss them!

http://www.myspace.com/anberlin
http://www.anberlin.com

To discuss this interviews or any other, join the CONFRONT community

The posting of the Metro Station Feature article has been postponed for roughly 24 hrs because of recurring issues with CONFRONT Magazine’s computers.

We apologize for the delay.

The CONFRONT Crew

September 25th, 2008

Feature Presentation: Metro Station

Exhibit A: The Anatomy of an Event

Round Table: Anberlin

October 2nd, 2008

Round Table: Jack’s Mannequin

Views & Reviews: Anberlin & I Am Ghost

Broadcast: Stephen Harper: F*ck Culture

October 8th, 2008

Round Table: From First to Last

Views & Reviews: Pretence, Power and Perfection

Broadcast: Music News

Click here to visit CONFRONT’s Image Gallery

That particular Saturday was the day of the long-awaited first CONFRONT Presents… music concert. There was a meeting at Dame Tartine’s, a fantastic Ontario Street East breakfast bar, where the CONFRONT Crew were meeting with the MAPMusic (((Musicians Against Parkinson’s))) crew over toast, sausage, bacon, eggs and pancakes to discuss the multiple last-minute details that we needed to coordinate before heading over to the Club Soda, our show venue for that evening.

It would be a long day of setup, coordination, planning, networking and crisis management, but the event itself, the MAPMusic Awareness Concert, and CONFRONT Presents… had their genesis months earlier.

Over the course of the two years that CONFRONT Magazine has been in operation, we have had the privilege of making many contacts in the music industry; local, national and even international. Publicist Jon Asher is among those contacts, and one day he pitched an intriguing idea to CONFRONT Editor in Chief, Angel Karmazenuk. He proposed that one of the artists he represents, Robbie Tucker, should write a regular column for the magazine.

Robbie Tucker is a musician who, three years ago, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis was devastating, and evidently was a life-changing experience. Much of his life since has been spent dealing with the bureaucracy of insurance companies and the government, dealing with the effects of the illness and the medications, which have as many side effects as Parkinson’s has symptoms. But if the diagnosis did anything, it cemented Robbie’s determination to live as normal a life as possible, and to find a way of beating the disease.

With the help of Canadian Olympic Pairs figure skating sensation Craig Buntin, whose mother was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Robbie formed MAPMusic (((Musicians Against Parkinson’s))).

After meeting with Robbie and learning about his organization, Angel and Robbie soon began planning a benefit concert to raise awareness and funds to help fight against Parkinson’s disease. The goal of the concert was simple: to educate and change the way people think about Parkinson’s, to help raise funds towards finding a cure for the disease, and to assist and motivate people living with Parkinson’s.

]]> http://www.confrontmagazine.com/web/2008/09/24/the-anatomy-of-an-event/feed/ http://www.confrontmagazine.com/web/2008/09/24/here-are-the-new-releases-for-the-week-of-september-30th-2008/ http://www.confrontmagazine.com/web/2008/09/24/here-are-the-new-releases-for-the-week-of-september-30th-2008/#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:59:07 +0000 sophie http://www.confrontmagazine.com/web/?p=237 Anberlin - ‘New Surrender’

The alternative rock band from Florida is back with their fourth studio release but for the first time under major record label Universal Republic. Produced by Neil Avron who is also known for his work with Yellowcard, this should be a very interesting turn for the members and fans of Anberlin. Their first single, « Feel Good Drag » was released on August 26th. The second single will be the song « Disappear ». The stakes are much higher this time for lead singer and songwriter Stephen Christian and his bandmates, but so far, everything went well for them, so let’s hope it will go on!
www.myspace.com/anberlin for more.

Jack’s Mannequin - ‘The Glass Passenger’

This is the Orange County, California quartet’s second studio release, but this time with Sire Records. Their first album, ‘Everything In Transit’ had been put out under Maverick Records. « The Resolution », Jack’s Mannequin’s first single off of the album had been pre-released on ‘The Ghost Overground’ EP on August 5th, 2008. ‘The Glass Passenger’ already got great reviews including 4.5 stars from Alternative Press and 88% from AbsolutePunk.net.
www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin for more!

Other Releases:

Jennifer Hudson - ‘Jennifer Hudson’
T.I. - ‘Paper Trail’
Original Soundtrack - ‘Nightmare Revisited’ (Danny Elfman)
Trivium - ‘Shogun’
Ben Folds - ‘Way to Normal’
DVD:

Dream Theater - ‘Chaos In Motion 2007-2008′ (DeluxeCollector’s Edition - 3CD / 2 DVD)
Tori Amos - ‘Live at Montreux 1991-1992′
U2 - ‘Live at Red Rocks’ (Remastered)

Civet: Hell Hath No Fury

All-girl Punk bands are rare and wonderful things. Women in the amped-up high-speed world of Punk rock have to be that much better than their male counterparts, if only because Punk’s a very testosterone-driven genre. Male-dominated despite the sensibilities of an enlightened age, Punk is an industry that’s tough for aspiring female musicians. Because of that, successful Punk Rock Girl acts are invariably that much harder, faster, edgier and more awesome.

Civet hails from Los Angeles, where high-speed Punk music seems to make its home these days. Their debut CD, ‘Hell Hath No Fury’ has 13 of the freshest, most original Punk tracks that I’ve had the excessive pleasure of listening to, of late. Civet leans towards old-school East Coast Punk Rock while staying true to their Skate-Punk Cali roots. The music is treble-charged, with speed-drumming, guitar-raking and growling vocals and stripped-bare, hands-off production.

It’s hard for me to pick out any one song on this album to praise or bitch about, because there is so much awesomeness and so little suckage here. In fact, the only complaint I have is that the album’s total running time is less than 40 minutes. Other than that, well, hell, have I mentioned I like this album?

‘Hell Hath No Fury’ opens with “Alibi”, which maintains Skate-Park adrenaline levels while retaining the anthemic quality of classic 1970s era Punk rage. “Son of a Bitch”, the second (and arguably fan-favourite) track on the album is the type of tune that makes me want to see Civet play live. “Brooklyn” is another great piece, both for the park or the live venue, a great little homage to one of Punk’s many birthplaces. One of the best tracks on ‘Hell Hath No Fury’ is the Celtic-inspired “You Don’t Know Me”, a head-thrashing, boot-stomping piece that’s got a cinematic (in an Irish Mob movie sort of way) feel to it, and another song that motivates me to catch these chicks playing live.

I’d seriously need to check for my pulse if I didn’t mention how Suicide-Girls HAWT Civet’s ensemble is: front-woman Ms. Liza Graves, guitarist Suzi Homewrecker, bassist Jacqui Valentine and Drum-slayer Danni Harrowyn are as beautiful as they are talented, and a little scary besides.

But these chicks aren’t some record-label stock-assembled pretty-girl gimmick act. They are the real deal, and they are delivering some of the best Punk Rock out there right now, putting a lot of the established (and tired) acts to some well-deserved shame. In fact, I’m so impressed with the calibre of this release that I’m overlooking the too-short-run-time complaint to give them a perfect score.

If you’re into Punk music and you’re not listening to Civet’s ‘Hell Hath No Fury’, there is something seriously wrong with you.

Civet: Hell Hath No Fury
Hellcat Records
Steve’s Rating: 10/10

The Sound Of Animals Fighting: The Ocean And The Sun

A few weeks back while reviewing the latest release from Montreal’s Wolf Parade, I bemoaned the idea of making art for art’s sake. The problem with experimental rock is it so often drowns in a mire of pretention and over-production.

Refreshingly, that is not the case with the latest release from Los Angeles Progressive Rockers, The Sound of Animals Fighting. Using eerie vocals and discordant melodies, mathematically constructed music, odd sound effects, spoken-word interstitials and children chanting in some strange dialect, they have constructed one of the best experimental rock albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to all year-and this is the year I discovered The Mars Volta.

This is their third (not counting issues and reissues of ‘Tiger and the Duke’) album since forming up in 2004, and listening to it, all I could wonder is why I’d never heard their stuff before. It is just the sort of trippy, surreal, moody and elaborate music that I enjoy. Their style reminds me of an infinitesimally more commercial version of the aforementioned Mars Volta, though there is certainly no artistic compromise audible anywhere on this album. Given the fact that they are made up of members of Chiodos, Circa Survive, Finch, the Rx Bandits, The Autumns and Finch, it’s no wonder they sound as awesome as they do.

After the spoken-word lead-in “The Ocean and the Sun”, the album opens up with “I, The Swan” and “Another Leather Lung”, a two-song set that is simply fantastic. The trip continues with “Cell-phone”, “The Heraldic Beak of the Manufacturer’s Medallion” and pretty much everything else on the album.

My one complaint about this one is that the spoken-word interstitials I mentioned are confusing, because I can’t figure out what they are meant to convey. This is enough to distract me from what is otherwise a great listen. Unfortunately, it’s also enough to dock points from this release for that distraction. Otherwise, ‘The Ocean And The Stars’ makes me dread the end of the year, because it’s going to be hard as Hell for me to prune my Best Of 2008 down to five albums.

The Sound Of Animals Fighting: The Ocean And The Stars
Epitaph Records
Steve’s Rating: 8.5/10

Although it seems like a long time ago, I had the opportunity to sit with the boys from We the Kings at the summer’s Vans Warped Tour when it made a pit stop here in Montreal.  I wasn’t too familiar with band prior to doing the interview but speaking with them certainly peaked my interest.

CONFRONT: I guess the best way to start is as I always do, and ask you how you guys got together and how you got into music and so on.

WE THE KINGS: Pretty much we started the band in high school, to get girls and just play fun music; but we loved playing music together.  And two years ago, we started really touring non-stop; wrote our first record, well actually recorded our first record.  We never really had money for a good recording so this was like our first record.  Then we released it and continued touring non-stop and now we sit here today; on our first Warped Tour.

CONFRONT: Your first record?  I thought you had a few records out already…  or am I confusing you with another band?

WE THE KINGS: Oh yeah but this is kind of our big one.  Like they are on indie labels so this is kind of our debut on a big label.  And we all played in different bands before and had demos and stuff.

CONFRONT: If you were all in different bands before, why did you decide to start this project?  What is it about this project that stuck for you?

WE THE KINGS: It’s the kind of this that some of us were really young - some of us were in middle school - and we were just playing around with music for fun and in high school decided to create this band and it just worked better that way.  We were all friends and it made more sense.

CONFRONT: I’ve been told on countless occasions that Warped Tour is really gruelling and one of the hardest tours to be a part of and so on.  Has that been your experience?

WE THE KINGS: Yeah we were told that we would dread it and that it was going to be awful.  But we’re like four kids, so the heat we aren’t really worried about and the showering we can do without (laughing).  I don’t know… It’s cool.  It’s like a band summer camp.

CONFRONT: Why do you think everyone says it’s so hard?

WE THE KINGS: Well I think it’s ‘cause it’s long, and you never know when you play.  Physically it’s very trying on the body.  But to tell you honestly, we are just so happy to be here and it’s gone by so fast.  I mean we feel honestly like we just started the day.  So it might be different for us.  I’m sure it’s different for everybody.

CONFRONT: Are there any bands that you discovered on his tour?

WE THE KINGS: Yeah!  Ore Ska band from Japan.  Really, we’ve met a ton of the bands that are out here, so we’ve made new friends.

CONFRONT: What are your plans for after the Vans?  And how long has the album been out?

WE THE KINGS: It came out October 2^nd [2007] and we’re gonna go on a tour with The Academy Is… and that’s gonna go to Europe and then here and the States as well and that goes til December.

CONFRONT: Will this be your first time overseas or have you been before?

WE THE KINGS: Second time.  We went on a tour with Cute Is What We Air For and Boys Like Girls.

CONFRONT: What were your first last CDs you purchased?

WE THE KINGS: I think we all just bought the Devil Wears Prada CD.  It’s one of the bands that plays on our stage and they’re really cool guys.  A