Music Bender

Being from Kentucky (for the time being), I’d heard of Cage The Elephants long before they made last night’s appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. And I’m still not impressed!

Their song, Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, is not only choppy, but the title’s even a misquote (the correct quote is “Ain’t no rest for the weary”. But we can overlook that, because it’s a common misquote)!

Beyond the music, lead singer Matt Shultz jumped around in a way that was more like a twelve year old pretending to be a rock star; if ya look at heroes like Steven Tyler and even early Mick Jagger, you’ll at least see synchronized histrionics (in time to the beat, and done to emphasize part of the song). The fact that the rest of the band were rather sedate didn’t add much; he stuck out like a sort thumb!

And then there was guitarist Lincoln Parish, who looked … well, like he had some kind of problem that kept him from straightening up. Now, I know any guitar that’s fashioned after a dobro is gonna be hard to play — but this guy looked like he was missing something …
But we’ll have to wait and see if, in the long run, they straighten those areas out …

UNKNOWN SONS OF DIFFERENT FATHERS

By now, the world’s heard about Michael Jackson’s allegedly long-lost son, Omer Bhatti (aka rapper O-Bee). It seems that more proof is coming in proving that he is the late King of Pop’s son.
Even Michael’s strange pop, Joe Jackson, said that O-Bee is the son of the Gloved One. The fact that he was sitting beside Jackson’s sister, Rebbie, at the memorial service only added fuel to the fire!
Personally, I don’t see any problem with this.

But what I do see as a problem is the familial rejection of young Christopher Cyrus.
Here’s a guy who actually wants the approval of his famous dad, Billy Ray and half-sister Miley, but doesn’t get it (he was the product of an affair his father had in S.C. in 1991).
Personally, I think it’s time for Billy Ray to put away any animosity, ‘fess up and accept this youngster into his family. Anybody out there … can I get an amen??

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson (who looks like he’s about to sneeze in this photo!) says that he’s been considering retirement (he’s 61), but that the band won’t let him!

With the band just halfway through a 21-month Black Ice, he now says the band are even thinking of extending the tour into summer 2010, with outdoor shows in the UK.

“We were talking about the end of the tour and I said: ‘We’re finishing in May and that’s me done!’ But Malcolm [Young, rhythm guitarist] said: ‘What are you talkin’ about? We’re not gonna let you retire!’ And now they’re talking about next year. I’m going: ‘What do you mean next year? We’re finishing in May in Japan, I’ll be tired!’ And they said: ‘Well, we’ve been offered some festivals…’”

Johnson, whose autobiography, Rockers And Rollers, comes out in October, says he wants to devote more of his time to his auto racing. “The years are flashing past and I don’t wanna be sitting in hotel rooms. I wanna go racing again!”

But the huge success of the Black Ice tour has put these plans on hold. “We just keep selling tickets and I’m just going, Jesus Christ!”

Johnson says that he remains fully committed to AC/DC, but says: “It’s a tough one. It’s not me – it’s just my age. I try to keep myself fit, and I love it being in this band. But it’s not just me – Cliff [Williams, bassist] is knocking on a bit more than the others. The other lads are in their early 50s. I’m the old dog in the regiment.

“It’s a purely selfish thing. I don’t want to look a prat if I try to push it too far. I don’t want for people to see me on stage and say, ‘Oh, poor old f****r, the band’s carrying him!’”

But AC/DC fans don’t have anything to worry about at the moment. Right now, Johnson says he’s feeling as good as ever, and enjoying every moment on stage.
“We’ve been out on the road since September [2008], but it never gets boring. They’re just the best rock band, and just to listen to them every night, it gets me. Every time they kick in, you think, What the f***! You’re on again and you’re thinking, ‘This is ridiculous! I’m still grooving!’”

Y’know, it’s great to read something positive about rock music — especially when the “harder” bands are gettin’ such a “bum’s rush” in the mainstream media. For example:

A young rock fan in England had his dream come true when he met the legendary rockers, AC/DC, thanks to the UK Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Six-year-old Hendrix of Walsall, West Midlands, has Acute Monocytic Leukemia and has been a BIG fan of the famous rockers since the age of three, when he had to have a major bone marrow transplant. Believe it or not, AC/DC’s music was the only thing that would calm him and help him sleep!

As well as watching the band’s show in Wembley (from a VIP box, no less), the youngster was escorted backstage where band members Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Phill Rudd and Cliff Williams gave him a goodie bag and his very own miniature guitar, signed by all the band members!

“Tonight has been fantastic for Hendrix and just to see him so happy means everything,” his father said. “He has met his heroes and this will be something he will never forget. Thank you so much for making his wish come true.”

You’ll find many in our field who are busy with charitable or benevolent causes today — namely, because, as a genre, we know the benefits will only help the human condition — one that we, not so long ago (think Sixties here) had such a hard time with.

So kudos to Brian, Mal and the band for their kind work. Having lost a young friend years ago to the disease, I can guarantee that what they did for this lad helped him more than a hundred doctor visits!

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE …

Obviously, the last word is “Home”.  Wherever we go in this world — whether on business trips, college, military service or simple vacations — we always look forward to getting back to the comfort and safety of home.
But what happens if your home is hit by some kind of disaster?  Is it insured in the event of a loss?  So many homeowners put insurance on a “back-burner” because they think it’s too expensive. 
Of course, it’ll cost you a lot more should anything happen to your residence.  But, to help you find the best home insurance quote, all you have to do is click the link you just passed. These folks will help you find multiple quotes — and do it fast, so you can save time and money. They’ll even give you tips on how much coverage you’ll need.
Protect the investment that’s called “home”, and click there now, okay??
It’s the smart thing to do!

Okay … maybe Phil Collins isn’t gonna perform or record anymore, but …

WHAT?? You mean you haven’t heard??

Well, apparently, Phil wants to spend more time with his other projects and, above all, his family. And, personally, it’s a very wise choice.

But that’s not gonna keep Genesis out of the mix! You see, they’ve packaged together all (yes, all!) their live albums and will release them as a boxed set on September 14th.

The box-set (which will include some interesting extras) is called Genesis Live 1973-2007 and includes their albums Genesis Live, Seconds Out, Three Sides Live and The Way We Walk.
You’ll also find Live At The Rainbow 1973 which is only available with the set.

You’ll also have bonus tracks not included on the original releases — and it’ll all be available in 5.1 surround sound for the first time!

IS THIS IT FOR REZNOR??

Word is that, since their NINJA tour wasn’t as stong as they expected, Nine Inch Nails will have its “final” final tour beginning in August.

These will all be smaller venues, but, as many acts will verify, the intimacy of smaller venues (and the fact that they all started with them) makes for a great tour!

Anyway, here are the dates:

Aug. 22 - Bowery Ballroom, New York
Aug 23 - Webster Hall, New York
Aug. 25-26 - Terminal 5, New York
Aug. 28-29 - Aragorn Ballroom, Chicago
Sept. 2 - Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
Sept. 3 - Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles
Sept. 5 - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles
Sept. 6 - Echoplex, Los Angeles

WASHING UP

A few days ago, my kitchen faucet broke, and I found myself making a wild run to find a new one.
Now, I refuse to use anything but Delta faucets, but (as some of you probably have found) the local stores seem to have a very limited selection!

But there’s one place that offers you a tremendous selection of the most beautiful, practical, and durable Deltas on the market! Not only that, but they offer many extras like a Home Savers Club, great moneysaving plans like BillMeLater … and free shipping (see their site for more details on these) and much more!

So for the very best in Delta fauctes just click that link. The best brand … the best selection … the best service, all at the click of the mouse!

Hey … remember an album by the famed rock ensemble, KISS, called Rock And Roll Over?
Well, now the band have their very own Rock And Roll Odor – and you can get it for just £4.99!

Yep … they’ve gone into the fragrance business by marketing two new scents, titled KISS Him and KISS Her (hey … their name fits the product, so why not?).

You can buy it online here in the states (could cost ya up to about thirty-five bucks), but the best price so far is at The Perfume Shop, which has over 170 stores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
In England, each fragrance is normally £26, but the Shop has cut the price to just £4.99! That means you can buy both fragrances for under ten pounds (minus the VAT, natch!).

The KISS Him Cologne Spray (pictured) is, according to its promo, “spicy-warm, oriental, distinctive, boldly masculine and lasting”. And get this — it’s packaged in a shiny black patent leather box, embossed with KISS graphics and the KISS logo in flames (guess it means “heat” and “passion”).

The KISS Her Eau De Toilette Spray (who comes up with these fancy names, anyway?) is said to be “succulent, wild… it entices and seduces like a high-energy, forbidden aphrodisiac”. (oookayyy … but ya don’t drink it, right??)

Y’know, it kinda makes ya wonder what these guys are gonna do next! Already, they’ve got hit records, comics, all kinds of merchandise, and Gene’s got a reality show and now his own record company. Of course, there’s also their live shows, which, IMHO, are yet to be beaten!

Pretty good for some boys from New York who just wanted to start a band years ago …

Hey … you can celebrate ‘Def Leppard Day’ today … if you’re in Hamburg, New York, anyway.

The town board voted unanimously this past Monday to officially designate the day to honor one of the world’s greatest hard rock bands (my source actually said “80’s”, but, since they’re still rockin’ and have hit the charts again with country star Taylor Swift [don't tell me ya missed their knockout performance on the CMT Awards recently!], don’t stick these guys into just one era!).

Band members Phil Collen and Rick Savage are gonna be signing autographs at a local music store before playing a gig at the town’s Darian Lake Performing Arts Center.

The store’s owner is proud to have the band making an appearance at his shop, the only of this kind they are making on their current tour (see??), he told Buffalo News, “This is an important band. This isn’t the blown-out rocker tour!”

ANOTHER ENTERS MUSIC HEAVEN

With the world still in shock over superstar Michael Jackson’s death (… er, if you have … problems finding anything about it, just click here), we overlooked the fact that another rock star has taken the (hopefully) upward trip.

Sky Saxon (real name: Richard Marsh), bassist and lead singer of the Seeds, died yesterday in an Austin, Texas hospital, where he went for an apparent internal infection on Monday.

While the group is remembered for the hits “Pushin’ Too Hard” and “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” (both in 1967) it’s the latter one that’s recently been used in a television commercial.
Sky (who later lengthened his alias to Sky Sunlight Saxon) broke up the band and joined a spiritual commune in 1970, but always kept close to his music. He appeared in a Smashing Pumpkins video and performed with his group, Shapes Have Fangs, just last Saturday. RIP, Skyman …

Well, that’s all for this round. Until later this evening … see ya on the flip side!