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In This Issue:
Live Review: The Doors of the 21st Century @ Pengrowth Saddledome Sometimes, words can't accurately describe an experience. You have to witness it for yourself to truly grasp what it's like to see a group of musicians such as The Doors of the 21st Century (who will be known as D21C from this point forward). That is why I'm very pleased that I let my good friend convince me to go see this concert here in Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome last Saturday, July 23rd. Before I continue, let's get one thing straight. D21C is NOT A COVER BAND. For all legal intents and purposes, we cannot simply call them The Doors, but two of the founding members of the band make up D21C, being Ray Manzarek on the keyboards and Robby Krieger on guitar. Ian Astbury (formerly of The Cult) fills in the impossible shoes of the late Jim Morrison on vocals, while Ty Dennis and Phil Chen round off the band on drums and bass respectively. First, let me say that Astbury may have had impossible shoes to fill, but if there were only one person on this planet to sing for D21C, it was him. Astbury has been a fan of The Doors for quite some time, and he didn't need to change anything for the performance. He sang his voice, which seemed to blend into the music almost magically. He may have dressed the part on purpose (complete with sunglasses, black jeans and a jacket), but I never got the impression he was trying to be someone he wasn't. Manzarek and Krieger are obviously the nucleus of this band, and their performances reminded me, if not flatly pointed out, that they were a big part of the creativity behind The Doors. Manzarek is still a genius on the keyboards, not only recreating the recognizable music of his heyday, but even going further with solos and creating new sounds and tunes that blew me away. That, and he played with his foot twice towards the end of the concert. Tell me who else could pull that off? Krieger surprised me in that I simply was not aware of how good he was. Every guitar riff and solo was immediately recognizable to me, but the fact that he played them to near-perfection was astounding. Bluntly put with a ghetto twist, the man's got madd skillz! (Sorry, that really had no place in here, but the dude DOES slay on guitar!) Lost in behind the three main players were Dennis and Chen. This wasn't due to their lack of ability, as they did a great job, nor was it due to them being second-class musicians in the band, because Manzarek made a point to not only introduce the both of them, but he also repeated their names several times so that they sunk in. However, when the trio up front were as impressive as I say they were, it's not hard to forget there were a couple more filling out the sound. In classic Doors fashion, D21C brought out the Black Powder Dancers during Wild Child and Riders on the Storm. The dancers are a traditionally dressed native dance group, and they suited the songs quite nicely. I could sit here and try to explain why, but instead, you should just watch the movie The Doors in order to understand (or I'm sure you can find something on the internet somewhere.) Overall, I was very happy to have experienced this concert as it's likely the only chance I would have had to see The Doors perform in my life, and it's definitely as close as I can get to seeing what they were like in their prime. Even without Morrison, I had a sense of experiencing something that I almost should not have. My only complaint would be that the set list was lacking in one of my favourite Doors songs of all time, Alabama Song. A few of us reconvened outside afterwards though, and fixed that by singing the song ourselves. Appropriately, I spent the remainder of the night drinking whiskey. Here's the track listing for the show:
http://www.thedoors.com/band/?fa=21stc Album Review: Underwater Cinematographer by The Most Serene Republic Usually, I try to get album reviews out the week of their release. In this instance, I managed to pick up Underwater Cinematographer from Milton, ON's The Most Serene Republic just this week although it was released (officially) earlier in July (it should be noted though that PLAY here in Calgary only received shipment of the album this past week, so it's kind of like it was only released this week...OK, I know, I'm reaching.) With that aside, I've only had two days to listen to the album and in that time I haven't had much of a chance to research this band. I can tell you one thing for sure, and that's the album is impressive. I picked up the disc without hearing a note on the advice of my trusted PLAY employee and friend Ron. He informed me that they sound like Broken Social Scene but with a little more of an electronic feel to them. He even tossed out the band's "indie-rock androids" moniker. After actually listening to the eleven tracks, I can't say that he was far off. They have a playful, upbeat sound to them, with the vocals being in the upper octaves. There are definitely some floaty aspects to their music that doesn't turn off this listener. However, I have to cut myself short here because instead of me trying to accurately describe what they sound like after only a half-dozen listens, you can actually hear for yourself on their web site. It offers streaming audio of the entire album. I will say this though; I like what I hear so far. You'll aslo get a chance to hear the six band members (Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, Nick Greaves, Andrew McArthur, Adam Nimmo and Emma Ditchburn) in person as they open up for Pretty Girls Make Graves here in Calgary on August 12th at The Warehouse. www.themostserenrepublic.com "My Time Is Like Water Down A Drain" One of our fine readers pointed out to me recently that there is a band that has seemingly slipped into the abyss of forgotten music. They hailed from Washington, DC and their name is actually an acronym for "Fucked up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In", a term widely used during the Viet Nam war. Any punk-rock fan will know that Fugazi shouldn't be taken lightly. One of the band's most celebrated albums is Repeater, released in 1990. One of their most popular songs is Waiting Room which appeared on their very first self-titled release back in 1988 and has been covered by many a band including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billy Talent. However, although the band has put out a host of albums (both full-length and EPs), they started out as strictly a live band. It's fitting then that it's been four years since they released an album of new material (2001's The Argument which contains a fantastic song by the name of Full Disclosure), yet they have since focused on releasing live recordings through their site Fugazi Live Series. The band has been recording their shows since the beginning when all they used were simple cassette recorders. They have transferred many of these recordings and now offer them for sale (and at quite a bargain, I might add.) So, whether you're a fan or not, check out these sites for info on the band, and maybe even revisit their music. http://www.worldoffugazi.org/ Recently, I received the Danko Jones newsletter, hearing all about how this Canadian band is progressing quite well in the US and abroad while they're virtually ignored back home in Canada (not by this writer though), and came across something very interesting. In most of their newsletters, they include links to some bands that either Jones himself or someone close to the band has personally discovered. In one of these recent newsletters, a link to two songs by Breaker! Breaker! were included and after hearing Trains On Broadway, I was so impressed that I needed to find out about this group. Sadly, finding information on this band has proved to be a bit of a challenge. The band does have a web site (listed below) with mp3s to download, a crude yet helpful discography and three video clips. So, as far as obtaining media to find out whether or not you're into this band, you're good to go. We do know that Breaker! Breaker! is made up of a trio of musicians, Collin Mel Cunningham on guitars and vocals, Duncan Joseph Gamble on synthesizer and bass, and Gina Marie Scardino on drums and vocals. Where they hail from and what their musical background is remains a mystery for now. Overall, they have a fantastic, upbeat sound that reminds me a tiny bit of Controller.Controller, but less brooding and more energetic (maybe the dual name has something to do with my association as well). Check them out for yourselves, and don't forget that Danko Jones still rocks. www.breakerbreaker.org OLP Announce Healthy In Paranoid Times Details A few weeks back I mentioned that Our Lady Peace was set to release their sixth studio album later this summer. Well, the boys have confirmed that Healthy In Paranoid Times will hit store shelves on August 30th with a tour to support the new disc. The first single, Where Are You has already started airing on radio with a video to come very soon. The single is available on iTunes. The album itself will be available in both traditional CD format as well as DualDisc containing documentary studio footage and interviews with the band and producer Bob Rock on the DVD side. Only a handful of tour dates have been announced including a show in Ottawa on August 28th, Moncton, NB on September 3rd and Stratford, ON on September 10th, but more dates are expected to be announced soon. www.ourladypeace.com "Mine Is Yours and Yours Is Mine" If I had control over just one thing for the upcoming Foo Fighters concert here in Calgary on August 8th, it would be that they open with In Your Honor. Not only is it the title track to the double album, but it's a fantastic opening song to the album and it would be an even more fantastic open song for the concert. www.foofighters.com More Calgary Shows Forthcoming! Last week I wrote a piece on the fantastic run of concerts coming through Calgary this year. As if someone actually read it and decided there was a need to top off the list with even more impressive acts, there are at least three more shows recently announced that will appeal to an interesting range of fans. First, we'll start off with an announcement that will make you '80s metal-heads drool. Judas Priest is coming to Calgary. Now, I did mention this last week, and although ticket sale information is not yet available, we do know at least that the show is on October 21st. Again, as soon as I know about pre-sale and/or regular sale information, I'll pass the good word on to you. Rock On! Next up, we have Quebec's Arcade Fire confirming that they are indeed embarking on a Western Canadian tour which stops in Calgary on October 5th at MacEwan Hall. Tickets are only $20 plus evil fees and the "special guests" are yet to be revealed. This will be a show that I recommend you don't miss. They might not have Dave Grohl coming with them (since you know, he's so busy with his own tour), but Garbage is coming to MacEwan Hall on August 27th. Sadly, you've missed the ticket pre-sale but since it's a standing-room-only show, that doesn't really matter. Tickets are $35.50 plus evil fees and go on sale to the general public tomorrow, Friday July 29th at 10:00 hrs (AM). Next week, we see a couple of collections of two classic artists. First and foremost, from the Man In Black, The Legend Box Set of Johnny Cash's work. Really, there's nothing more I can say since the name Cash stands on it's own quite well. The second is the Best of The Gipsy Kings. Both releases are definitely worthy of at least consideration. Also in stores on August 2nd is Faith Hill's Fireflies for you country fans. Say what you will, but this girl's hot and from what country fans tell me, she's a good artist. Fucked if I know though (Hey, I'm just being honest here!) Although the album's been out for months now, The Tea Party are releasing a limited edition enhanced version of Seven Circles. The release is in conjunction with their tour with Def Leppard, and contains the album on one CD and a bonus enhanced CD including live studio recording audio and video clips of Oceans, Overload and Writing's On The Wall, plus behind the scenes footage of the album recording sessions. Lastly, hitting the shelves next Tuesday is Power To The People And The Beats from Public Enemy. This isn't new material from the rappers; it's a greatest hits package. It's to be followed in October by a DVD titled Power To The People and The Videos. It's also apparently the beginning of The Public Enemy Archive Series of CDs and DVDs to be released over the next year and a half. You should never judge a book by it's cover. The same goes with music, but sometimes you simply cannot ignore a catchy album cover. Take for example Venezuelan based Yerba Buena. Their new disc titled Island Life will certainly catch the eye of any fan of the female form. Still, you should at least learn about what their music is like or about before making a buying decision. That's why it's helpful to read reviews. I always stress that you should make up your own mind, but just like every other week, I offer you the chance to read what the Chart Magazine staff have to say about new releases from this week, including the aforementioned Yerba Buena, Bob Mould, Everything At Once, A Perfect Murder and more. Now, if you can make sense of this gibberish, you should do fine with the following: http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/07/2601.cfm Upcoming Shows In Calgary
~~ kMNR v2005.077 ~~ If you would like to hear about or if you have any information on a particular band or artist, please email and I will do my best to cover them.
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