Holepuncher

WHY 2010 WILL RULE.

holepuncher — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:48:49 +0000

Well, I’ve been talking about it here since 2008 and it is finally confirmed: SOUNDGARDEN IS REUNITING!!!!

This from Chris Cornell’s Twitter:

The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!

Could there be a better way to start this year?!? I’m so excited right now that I’ve all but forgotten how much I threw up earlier this morning!

You may not see another post this year but if you’re a fan at all you’ll get your internet butt over to soundgardenworld.com and sign up for their newsletter. No doubt if when they hit the road tickets will go fast.

See you there!

Chin Music

holepuncher — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:35:46 +0000

Hey there. I don’t have much to say about this band or this song, but the video is pretty ridiculous. Here’s The Obits with “Pine On” from their album I Blame You:

Nice to see an amusing, unique take on something so simple. Too bad the song kind of reminds me of something The Hives would’ve thrown away in 2002. Oh well.

Also, if you’re a Cave In fan make sure you check out their new EP Planets of Old which is streaming right now, right here. Love those guitars.

More soon…

Ill Communication

holepuncher — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:19:50 +0000

Hi. I’m still trying to figure out a way to make this blog interesting (to me at the very least, and hopefully you the reader), but in the meantime I thought I would pass along the news you’re likely to see somewhere else first. Adam Yauch, whom you also know as MCA of the Beastie Boys has been diagnosed with cancer. Hit up the AV Club to read more about it and check out the video below:

And now for the understatement of the century: cancer sucks. If you don’t know anyone personally who has had to fight cancer then count your blessings. As a society we should be well past the point of being “shocked” by the news that anyone, celebrity or otherwise, has cancer in this day and age unfortunately, and Yauch seems to be about the last person on the planet who would want special attention just because he’s “got old school flows like Mike McGill.” So join me in simply saying GET WELL, dude.

More soon probably…

Oh, Fred.

holepuncher — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:23:51 +0000

With all due respect to the Limp Bizkit fans in the world (and for that matter the Michael Jackson fans in the world) sometimes a well intended act of respect just doesn’t come across that way to the rest of us. You’ve seen the clip of Michael’s father changing subjects in an interview from his son’s death to some new Blu-Ray’s he’s promoting? Well, file this in the same category of regret:

http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/07/01/fred-durst-is-such-a-fucking-douche-turd/

And, yeah, normally I don’t show the actual page address for my links but I felt like the title of this one was probably calling out for an exception.

Enjoy…

A View To A Kill.

holepuncher — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:27:32 +0000

Morning. Just stopping in to let you know the new Alice in Chains single is out and you can grab a free mp3 by visitng the band’s website and giving them your email address. The song is called “A Looking in View” and if this track is any indication of how the rest of the album is then I’m going to go ahead and say that this puppy could be a major hit. It’s a heavy, heavy track that wouldn’t be entirely out of place on either Facelift or the self-titled record. Do I miss Layne Staley’s voice on the song? Sure, but smartly this first single is heavy on the harmony, with new singer William DuVall and guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell basically singing in unison throughout. As such, there’s really nothing about this song that doesn’t feel exactly like Alice in Chains. I am as surprised by this as I am aware now of just how much I have missed this sound. Cantrell’s guitar sounds like it must weigh nine hundred pounds on this track. Here’s the teaser for the video, which should also be out sometime today I think:

So welcome back Alice in Chains! Hopefully, if nothing else, by the end of the day this song will be all over the radio and those bands that have been blatantly ripping you off while you’ve been gone (let’s just call them “Godsmack”) will realize the gig is at last up and will then do us all a favor by running far, far away where they will never be heard from again. Ever. Please.

The album Black Gives Way To Blue won’t be out until September 29th, so that’s almost three more months to get over the fact that Layne is gone and this new music might – just might – actually be really good. Let’s hope so. I’m at least very, very optimistic now.

More soon…

Say Say Say…

holepuncher — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:21:35 +0000

Well, you know the news that’s taking up the space of just about everything today and I do feel somewhat obliged to comment on it since this is (occasionally) a music blog and also because I’ve written about Michael Jackson before. But I don’t really have a clue what I could possibly add to the discourse. Not only that, let’s be honest: the dude was polarizing. On the one hand, Michael gave us a great song like “Smooth Criminal.” On the other, that same very song is the reason why most of us have heard of Alien Ant Farm. See what I mean? But the fact of the matter is – and this is true for all artists I believe – that time ultimately cares more about the art than the artist. Meaning that in a hundred years Michael’s scandals, skin color, and eccentricities will largely be the kind of things only those who read books about him will know (assuming there are still books 100 years from now). So, really, the only smart thing to say about Michael Jackson is that his legacy will be his music.

Here’s where normally I would just post a video and call it a day, but I think of all that I’ve heard or read about Michael since the news of his death it’s this quote from musician Saul Williams that is probably the most profound: I received a MJ scholarship frm the 25 mill he gave UNCF for performing arts students. Thank u MJ 4 inspiring & funding my dreams& education.

I didn’t know about that, did you? Does knowing that change how we should feel about Michael based upon the various accusations that circled his personal life? No, I can’t say that it should change anything. But it’s further evidence of just how broad his influence has had and may continue to have upon modern music, even in ways that we may not be able to detect in the music itself. I don’t think Saul sounds anything like Michael Jackson, and yet here he is saying that there might not be Saul Williams music without him. So, really, maybe the only truly smart thing to say is that his legacy will be the music of others.

More next week…

Quick & Sunny.

holepuncher — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:19:42 +0000

Talk of another Sunny Day Real Estate reunion (this time featuring original bassist Nate Mendel) has been confirmed apparently. You can read the scoop over at Idolator.com, where they provide October dates for the two shows scheduled thus far. And then look through the comments, where someone has noticed that oddly one of those dates isn’t listed on Ticketmaster’s page and is instead replaced by a date in Atlanta. So, in other words….yeah, expect this all to possibly change. But good news nonetheless for fans. Now let’s get Texas is the Reason, Mineral, and Sense Field on the opening bill and we’ll have us a gay old time…

Just don’t invite Paramore:

UPDATE: Billboard has some quotes from Enigk on the reunion along with the full list of dates. Click here to have a read.

More soon…

Living Velvet.

holepuncher — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:25:01 +0000

It’s Friday, you’re in love. Good. But have you heard the new Mars Volta album Octahedron? Well, it was streaming over at the band’s MySpace page but now all you get are tracks “Since We’ve Been Wrong” and “Cotopaxi.” That’s too bad because listening to it I got the sense that Octahedron might be the most relaxed album the Mars Volta have ever recorded and that this isn’t really a bad thing at all. Because if any band is in danger of becoming boring by actually doing too much it’s the Mars Volta. At any rate, the album drops next Tuesday so we can all listen to it (again) then. Yep yep.

What else is going on this week? Well, Rolling Stone has Fred Durst talking about the misunderstanding of Limp Bizkit and word that Courtney Love is making another Hole record. And if that weren’t enough garbage for your DeLorean they’ve also got the scoop on the new record by none other than Living Colour. I always thought Time’s Up was a pretty good album that seem to unfairly fade into oblivion because it didn’t have a “Cult of Personality” sized single. Is that crazy? Let’s ask Arsenio:

How much does that sound like a Jane’s Addiction tune??? I’ve never been crazy about that song, but take the vocals up an octave and wow – total Jane’s. But then would Little Richard come do Arsenio with Jane’s? Probably not. So eat it, Navarro.

Moving on, I think the big news out of the indie world this week is this project this “Record Club” project that Beck has launched. Pitchfork can tell you all about it or you can hit up Beck’s site for the unfiltered details, but the long and short of it is that he’s enlisting friends to record a cover of an entire album just in one day and then release the results on a weekly basis. The first album selected is the great The Velvet Underground & Nico and here’s how opener “Sunday Morning” turned out:

Not bad, right? And, yes, that is Giovanni Ribisi on xylophone or whatever. But my initial excitement for this has now turned to guilt and minor disappointment. Because when I stopped to think about I realized this: isn’t it sad that the most exciting music news of the week has nothing whatsoever to do with actual new music? Isn’t this no different from those who get excited about seeing Phish cover Purple Rain or Dark Side of the Moon backwards or whatever it is they do instead of playing actual Phish music? (For the record, I’ve never seen or listened to Phish so I don’t really know what I’m talking about but what I always seem to hear from people who do go to Phish concerts is how awesome their cover of _______ was, so that’s where I’m coming from.) I mean, I’m not immune from getting excited about hearing a good cover and I realize that at the end of the day it’s all extremely harmless. It’s not like Beck is charging me to watch that video. But still…it’s worth questioning right? Somebody had to ask it. I mean, wouldn’t it be great if instead of being excited about a cover of “Sunday Morning” we could get that excited about a new song that was every bit as good, simple, and lovely as the one from 1967? That’s forty-two years folks…

Food for thought. Enjoy the weekend. More next week…

Bonnawho?

holepuncher — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:13:05 +0000

While not playing in one of the many summer festivals that will dot these United States the newly reuinted Faith No More are set to hit the stage tonight (Friday) at the Download Festival in England. And guess what? You can watch their set live right on your fancy pants computer. By my poorly performed math, Donnington’s five hours ahead of EST which means you’ll want to visit this link at 4pm (or 1pm PST) to see the stream. Unless you want to see the also newly reunited Limp Bizkit, in which case you’ll want to tune in at 12:45pm and also very seriously, seriously question your own tastes in music.

But anyway, Rolling Stone’s got a review of Faith No More’s first show from the Brixton Academy which you can read by clicking here and to see even more clips from the event just head over to MetalSucks by clicking here. Want to know what it was like to be there in the middle of the crowd with a shaky HD camera, long arms, and a penchant for twirling? Well, then search no further:

Epic indeed. More soon…

Ignorant Bliss, Impending Doom.

holepuncher — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:18:21 +0000

Hey. Been a week or so and plenty to talk about, so let’s get right to it. For starters, if you didn’t catch the VH1 airing of the new Iron Maiden documentary Iron Maiden: Flight 666, then fret not because it hit the streets for purchase on Tuesday and you can buy the DVD, Blu-Ray, CD, or Vinyl right here. Obviously, if you have a Blu-Ray player I’d advise going that route as it looked quite good in HD just on cable and also it’s only 15 bucks right now through amazon. Overall, the documentary’s pretty good but the real gem is easily the performance footage. While I was kind of hoping for a little more depth in some of the interviews (and simply more interviews with fans in the countries visited), there’s absolutely nothing disappointing about Maiden’s performance on stage. They sound so good and put on such a good show that the video’s really not a bad next-best-thing for those of us who live nowhere near the select venues the band hit on this infamous tour. And seeing a young fan in India say “Up the Irons” while waiting in line or seeing another fan in Honduras (I think) just break down and cry after the show’s over is really surprisingly moving. Especially living in America it’s hard to get a sense of just how big a band like Iron Maiden – who get virtually no press whatsoever here – are in the rest of the world. And as singer Bruce Dickinson points out in the film, seeing their audience isn’t like looking at the same dudes who were there back in ’83. Yeah, those guys might be there but they’re surrounded by masses of younger fans. Kids dig Iron Maiden again. And that can only lead to good things.

If you’re a Rock Band gamer then you should also look out for a special Iron Maiden set list available for download that ties in with the documentary. It’s got all the classics and a few live ones (including “Hallowed Be Thy Name”) thrown in as well. For more info, click here. In related news, Van Halen is getting their own version of the Guitar Hero game. While this sounds pretty great in theory, don’t expect Sammy Hagar or Michael Anthony (or for that matter, Gary Cherone) to make an appearance because just like in life, they’ve pretty much been erased from the picture. So it would seem you’ll only be getting the Roth era tracks to jam out to and, yes, Eddie’s son Wolfgang will be digitized for bass duties. That’s all good and well, but apparently you can play as the band circa 1984 and while Eddie, Alex, and Diamond Dave will be made to look like their former selves, young Wolfie will still be there on bass, still looking like he does right this very second. This, of course, begs the question: are you freaking serious? I’m not enough of a Van Halen nut to buy this game in the first place, but if I were I would no doubt feel more than a little shame knowing that the Halen brothers are trying to both profit off their history and rewrite it at the same time. Not cool. Haven’t they learned anything from George Lucas??? Sigh. Read more here.

Have you seen Mastodon’s new video for “Oblivion”? If not, click here and take a look. I think that’s probably their best video to date. Either that or “Seabeast.” In unrelated but undeniably funny news, have you seen the Bret Michaels Tony Awards incident? Don’t worry, I promise it won’t make you want to rip your own soul out the way Rock of Love does:

When Doogie Howser busts your chops and your name isn’t Vinnie Delpino you know you’ve done something dumb. And speaking of dumb, Billy Corgan has reportedly found the new drummer of Smashing Pumpkins and he reportedly is all of nineteen years old. I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t judge prematurely but how can this not end badly??? Read more here.

In other news, the Beastie Boys announced a surprise and extremely rare gig at a less than 1,000 occupancy club right here in Asheville, N.C. where yours truly lives. Tickets went on sale, I made a valiant attempt, and naturally came up empty handed. Sold out in ten minutes. I was disappointed for a while and then life continued. Oh well. Here are the Boys recently on the Jimmy Fallon show playing with house band The Roots:

I hope those that get in have a good time. And, also, I hate all 1,000 of you…Anyway, a friend recently made me aware of yet another side project from singer Mark Lanegan called The Soulsavers. Actually, reading now it seems that Lanegan isn’t actually in the band but merely provided vocals on eight of the ten songs on 2007′s It’s Not How You Fall, It’s How You Land. Whatever the case, this song “Revival,” has been stuck in my head because it’s awesome. May it be stuck in yours too after this:

I swear, Lanegan has made the guest appearance an art form. P. Diddy would be jealous (remember when he was in every single hip-hop or R&B single that came out for a while there?). Anyway, that’s all for now. Maybe more this week, but if not I’ll see you the next…