Leonard Cohen’s first North American Tour in 15 Years! - US Dates & TICKETS!! Take advantage of special offers now.
February 27, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
On the heels of his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Leonard Cohen announced his eagerly anticipated return to the stage for the first time in 15 years. Cohen is arguably one of the greatest singer/songwriters of modern times and his incredible body of work spans over four decades. His unique contribution to the history of music is often cited as inspiration for many of today’s most influential artists among those who have covered his songs are Jeff Buckley, Judy Collins, U2, REM, Sting, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright and Johnny Cash.
April 2009
2 - Austin, TX - Michael and Susan Dell Hall at Long Center
3 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie
5 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
7 - San Diego, CA - Copley Symphony Hall
10 - Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre
13 - Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre
17 - Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
19 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place
21 - Victoria, British Columbia - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
23 - Seattle, WA - WaMu Theatre at Qwest Field Events Center
25 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
26 - Calgary, Alberta - EPCOR Centre’s Jack Singer Hall
28 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
30 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
June 2009 - 2 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
One of the most fascinating and enigmatic — if not the most successful — singer/songwriters of the late ’60s, Leonard Cohen has retained an audience across four decades of music-making interrupted by various digressions into personal and creative exploration, all of which have only added to the mystique surrounding him. Second only to Bob Dylan (and perhaps Paul Simon), he commands the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the 1960s who is still working at the outset of the 21st century, which is all the more remarkable an achievement for someone who didn’t even aspire to a musical career until he was in his thirties.
Cohen was born in 1934, a year before Elvis Presley or Ronnie Hawkins, and his background — personal, social, and intellectual — couldn’t have been more different from those of any rock stars of any generation; nor can he be easily compared even with any members of the generation of folksingers who came of age in the 1960s. Though he knew some country music and played it a bit as a boy, he didn’t start performing on even a semi-regular basis, much less recording, until after he had already written several books — and as an established novelist and poet, his literary accomplishments far exceed those of Bob Dylan or most anyone else who one cares to mention in music, at least this side of operatic librettists such as Hugo Von Hoffmanstahl or Stefan Zweig, figures from another musical and cultural world.
He was born Leonard Norman Cohen into a middle-class Jewish family in the Montreal suburb of Westmount. His father, a clothing merchant (who also held a degree in engineering), died in 1943, when Cohen was nine years old. It was his mother who encouraged Cohen as a writer, especially of poetry, during his childhood. This fit in with the progressive intellectual environment in which he was raised, which allowed him free inquiry into a vast range of pursuits. His relationship to music was more tentative — he took up the guitar at age 13, initially as a way to impress a girl, but was good enough to play country & western songs at local cafes, and he subsequently formed a group called the Buckskin Boys. At 17, he enrolled in McGill University as an English major — by this time, he was writing poetry in earnest and became part of the university’s tiny underground “bohemian” community. Cohen only earned average grades, but was a good enough writer to earn the McNaughton Prize in creative writing by the time he graduated in 1955 — a year later, the ink barely dry on his degree, he published his first book of poetry, -Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), which got great reviews but didn’t sell especially well.
He was already beyond the age that rock & roll was aimed at — Bob Dylan, by contrast, was still Robert Zimmerman, still in his teens, and young enough to become a devotee of Buddy Holly when the latter emerged. In 1961, Cohen published his second book of poetry, -The Spice Box of Earth, which became an international success critically and commercially, and established Cohen as a major new literary figure. Meanwhile, he tried to join the family business and spent some time at Columbia University in New York, writing all the time. Between the modest royalties from sales of his second book, literary grants from the Canadian government, and a family legacy, he was able to live comfortably and travel around the world, partake of much of what it had to offer — including some use of LSD when it was still legal — and ultimately settling for an extended period in Greece, on the isle of Hydra in the Aegean Sea. He continued to publish, issuing a pair of novels, -The Favorite Game (1963) and -Beautiful Losers (1966), with a pair of poetry collections, -Flowers for Hitler (1964) and -Parasites of Heaven (1966) around them. -The Favorite Game was a very personal work about his early life in Montreal, but it was -Beautiful Losers that proved another breakthrough, earning the kind of reviews that authors dare not even hope for — Cohen found himself compared to James Joyce in the pages of The Boston Globe, and across four decades the book has enjoyed sales totaling well into six figures.
It was around this time that he also started writing music again, songs being a natural extension of his poetry. His relative isolation on Hydra, coupled with his highly mobile lifestyle when he left the island, his own natural iconoclastic nature, and the fact that he’d avoided being overwhelmed (or even touched too seriously) by the currents running through popular music since the 1940s, combined to give Cohen a unique voice as a composer. Though he did settle in Nashville for a short time in the mid-’60s, he didn’t write quite like anyone else in music, in the country music mecca or anywhere else. This might have been an impediment but for the intervention of Judy Collins, a folksinger who had just moved to the front rank of that field, and who had a voice just special enough to move her beyond the relatively emaciated ranks of remaining popular folk performers after Dylan shifted to electric music — she was still getting heard, and not just by the purists left behind in Dylan’s wake. She added Cohen’s “Suzanne” to her repertory and put it onto her album In My Life, a record that was controversial enough in folk circles — because of her cover of the Beatles song that gave the LP its title — that it pulled in a lot of listeners and got a wide airing. “Suzanne” received a considerable amount of radio airplay from the LP, and Cohen was also represented on the album by “Dress Rehearsal Rag.”
It was Collins who persuaded Cohen to return to performing for the first time since his teens. He made his debut during the summer of 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival, followed by a pair of sold-out concerts in New York City and an appearance singing his songs and reciting his poems on the CBS network television show Camera Three, in a show entitled Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen. It was around the same time that actor/singer Noel Harrison brought “Suzanne” onto the pop charts with a recording of his own. One of those who saw Cohen perform at Newport was John Hammond, Sr., the legendary producer whose career went back to the 1930s and the likes of Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie, and extended up through Bob Dylan and, ultimately, to Bruce Springsteen. Hammond got Cohen signed to Columbia Records and he created The Songs of Leonard Cohen, which was released just before Christmas of 1967. Producer John Simon was able to find a restrained yet appealing approach to recording Cohen’s voice, which might have been described as a appealingly sensitive near-monotone; yet that voice was perfectly suited to the material at hand, all of which, written in a very personal language, seemed drenched in downbeat images and a spirit of discovery as a path to unsettling revelation.
Despite its spare production and melancholy subject matter — or, very possibly because of it — the album was an immediate hit by the standards of the folk music world and the budding singer/songwriter community. In an era in which millions of listeners hung on the next albums of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel — whose own latest album had ended with a minor-key rendition of “Silent Night” set against a radio news account of the death of Lenny Bruce — Cohen’s music quickly found a small but dedicated following. College students by the thousands bought it; in its second year of release, the record sold over 100,000 copies. The Songs of Leonard Cohen was as close as Cohen ever got to mass audience success.
Amid all of this sudden musical activity, he hardly neglected his other writing — in 1968, Cohen released a new volume, -Selected Poems: 1956-1968, which included both old and newly published work, and earned him the Governor-General’s Award, Canada’s highest literary honor, which he proceeded to decline to accept. By this time, he was actually almost more a part of the rock scene, residing for a time in New York’s Chelsea Hotel, where his neighbors included Janis Joplin and other performing luminaries, some of whom influenced his songs very directly.
His next album, Songs from a Room (1969), was characterized by an even greater spirit of melancholy — even the relatively spirited “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes” was steeped in such depressing sensibilities, and the one song not written by Cohen, “The Partisan,” was a grim narrative about the reasons for and consequences of resistance to tyranny that included lines like “She died without a whisper” and included images of wind blowing past graves. Joan Baez subsequently recorded the song, and in her hands it was a bit more upbeat and inspiring to the listener; Cohen’s rendition made it much more difficult to get past the costs presented by the singer’s persona. On the other hand, “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy,” although as downbeat as anything else here, did present Cohen in his most expressive and commercial voice, a nasal but affecting and finely nuanced performance.
Still, in all, Songs from a Room was less well received commercially and critically — Bob Johnston’s restrained, almost minimalist production made it less overtly appealing than the subtly commercial trappings of his debut, though the album did have a pair of tracks, “Bird on the Wire” and “The Story of Isaac,” that became standards rivaling “Suzanne” — “The Story of Isaac,” a musical parable woven around biblical imagery about Vietnam (which is also relevant to the Iraq War), was one of the most savage and piercing songs to come out of the antiwar movement, and showed a level of sophistication in its music and lyrics that put it in a whole separate realm of composition; it received an even better airing on the Live Songs album, in a performance recorded in Berlin during 1972.
Cohen may not have been a widely popular performer or recording artist, but his unique voice and sound, and the power of his writing and its influence, helped give him entrée to rock’s front-ranked performers, an odd status for the now 35-year-old author/composer. He appeared at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival in England, a post-Woodstock gathering of stars and superstars, including late appearances by such soon-to-die-or-disband legends as Jimi Hendrix and the Doors; looking nearly as awkward as his fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell, Cohen strummed his acoustic guitar backed by a pair of female singers in front of an audience of 600,000 (”It’s a large nation, but still weak”), comprised in equal portions of fans, freaks, and belligerent gatecrashers, but the mere fact that he was there — sandwiched somewhere between Miles Davis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer — was a clear statement of the status (if not the popular success) he’d achieved. One portion of his set, “Tonight Will Be Fine,” was released on a subsequent live album, while his performance of “Suzanne” was one of the highlights of Murray Lerner’s long-delayed, 1996-issued documentary Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival.
Already, he had carved out a unique place for himself in music, as much author as performer and recording artist, letting his songs develop and evolve across years — his distinctly noncommercial voice became part of his appeal to the audience he found, giving him a unique corner of the music audience, made of listeners descended from the same people who had embraced Bob Dylan’s early work before he’d become a mass-media phenomenon in 1964. In a sense, Cohen embodied a phenomenon vaguely similar to what Dylan enjoyed before his early-’70s tour with the Band — people bought his albums by the tens and, occasionally, hundreds of thousands, but seemed to hear him in uniquely personal terms. He earned his audience seemingly one listener at a time, by word of mouth more than by the radio which, in any case (especially on the AM dial), was mostly friendly to covers of Cohen’s songs by other artists.
Cohen’s third album, Songs of Love and Hate (1971), was his most powerful body of work to date, brimming with piercing lyrics and music as poignantly affecting as it was minimalist in its approach — arranger Paul Buckmaster’s work on strings was peculiarly muted, and the children’s chorus that showed up on “Last Year’s Man” was spare in its presence; balancing them was Cohen’s most effective vocalizing to date, brilliantly expressive around such acclaimed songs as “Joan of Arc,” “Dress Rehearsal Rag” (which had been recorded by Judy Collins five years before), and “Famous Blue Raincoat.” The bleakness of the tone and subject matter ensured that he would never become a “pop” performer; even the beat-driven “Diamonds in the Mine,” with its catchy children’s chorus accompaniment and all, and with a twangy electric guitar accompaniment to boot, was as dark and venomous-toned a song as Columbia Records put out in 1971. And the most compelling moments — among an embarrassment of riches — came on lyrics like “Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc/As she came riding through the dark/No Moon to keep her armor bright/No man to get her through this night….”; indeed, hearing Cohen’s lyrics 25 years on, one could almost find a burlesque of Cohen’s music in the songs of Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay on Friends — who, even money bet probably grew up on Songs of Love and Hate in her fictional bio — and lyrics like “They found their bodies the third day….”
Teenagers of the late ’60s (or any era that followed) listening devotedly to Leonard Cohen might have worried their parents, but also could well have been the smartest or most sensitive kids in their class and the most well-balanced emotionally — if they weren’t depressed — but also effectively well on their way out of being teenagers, and probably too advanced for their peers and maybe most of their teachers (except maybe the ones listening to Cohen). Songs of Love and Hate, coupled with the earlier hit versions of “Suzanne,” etc., earned Cohen a large international cult following. He also found himself in demand in the world of commercial filmmaking, as director Robert Altman used his music in his 1971 feature film McCabe and Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, a revisionist period film set at the turn of the 19th century that was savaged by the critics (and, by some accounts, sabotaged by its own studio) but went on to become one of the director’s best-loved movies. The following year, he also published a new poetry collection, -The Energy of Slaves.
As was his won’t, Cohen spent years between albums, and in 1973 he seemed to take stock of himself as a performer by issuing Leonard Cohen: Live Songs. Not a conventional live album, it was a compendium of performances from various venues across several years and focused on highlights of his output from 1969 onward. It showcased his writing as much as his performing, but also gave a good account of his appeal to his most serious fans — those still uncertain of where they stood in relation to his music who could get past the epic-length “Please Don’t Pass Me By” knew for certain they were ready to “join” the inner circle of his legion of devotees after that, while others who only appreciated “Bird on the Wire” or “The Story of Isaac” could stay comfortably on an outer ring.
Meanwhile, in 1973, his music became the basis for a theatrical production called Sisters of Mercy, conceived by Gene Lesser and loosely based on Cohen’s life, or at least a fantasy version of his life. A three-year lag ensued between Songs of Love and Hate and Cohen’s next album, and most critics and fans just assumed he’d hit a dry spell with the live album covering the gap. He was busy concertizing, however, in the United States and Europe during 1971 and 1972, and extending his appearances into Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was during this period that he also began working with pianist and arranger John Lissauer, whom he engaged as producer of his next album, New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). That album seemed to justify his fans’ continued faith in his work, presenting Cohen in a more lavish musical environment. He proved capable of holding his own in a pop environment, even if the songs were mostly still depressing and bleak.
The following year, Columbia Records released The Best of Leonard Cohen, featuring a dozen of his best-known songs — principally hits in the hands of other performers — from his previous four LPs (though it left out “Dress Rehearsal Rag”). It was also during the mid-’70s that Cohen first crossed paths professionally with Jennifer Warnes, appearing on the same bill with the singer at numerous shows, which would lead to a series of key collaborations in the ensuing decade. By this time, he was a somewhat less mysterious persona, having toured extensively and gotten considerable exposure — among many other attributes, Cohen became known for his uncanny attractiveness to women, which seemed to go hand in glove with the romantic subjects of most of his songs.
In 1977, Cohen reappeared with the ironically titled Death of a Ladies’ Man, the most controversial album of his career, produced by Phil Spector. The notion of pairing Spector — known variously as a Svengali-like presence to his female singers and artists and the most unrepentant (and often justified) over-producer in the field of pop music — with Cohen must have seemed like a good one to someone at some point, but apparently Cohen himself had misgivings about many of the resulting tracks that Spector never addressed, having mixed the record completely on his own. The resulting LP suffered from the worst attributes of Cohen’s and Spector’s work, overly dense and self-consciously imposing in its sound, and virtually bathing the listener in Cohen’s depressive persona, but showing his limited vocal abilities to disadvantage, owing to Spector’s use of “scratch” (i.e., guide) vocals and his unwillingness to permit the artist to redo some of his weaker moments on those takes. For the first (and only) time in Cohen’s career, his near-monotone delivery of this period wasn’t a positive attribute. Cohen’s unhappiness with the album was widely known among fans, who mostly bought it with that caveat in mind, so it didn’t harm his reputation — a year after its release, Cohen also published a new literary collection using the title -Death of a Ladies’ Man.
Cohen’s next album, Recent Songs (1979), returned him to the spare settings of his early-’70s work and showed his singing to some of its best advantage. Working with veteran producer Henry Lewy (best known for his work with Joni Mitchell), the album showed Cohen’s singing as attractive and expressive in its quiet way, and songs such as “The Guests” seeming downright pretty — he still wrote about life and love, and especially relationships, in stark terms, but he almost seemed to be moving into a pop mode on numbers such as “Humbled in Love.” Frank Sinatra never needed to look over his shoulder at Cohen (at least, as a singer), but he did seem to be trying for a slicker pop sound at moments on his record.
Then came 1984, and two key new works in Cohen’s output — the poetic/religious volume -The Book of Mercy and the album Various Positions (1984). The latter, recorded with Jennifer Warnes, is arguably his most accessible album of his entire career up to that time — Cohen’s voice, now a peculiarly expressive baritone instrument, found a beautiful pairing with Warnes, and the songs were as fine as ever, steeped in spirituality and sexuality, with “Dance Me to the End of Love” a killer opener: a wry, doom-laden yet impassioned pop-style ballad that is impossible to forget. Those efforts overlapped with some ventures by the composer/singer into other creative realms, including an award-winning short film that he wrote, directed, and scored, entitled I Am a Hotel, and the score for the 1985 conceptual film Night Magic, which earned a Juno Award in Canada for Best Movie Score.
Sad to say, Various Positions went relatively unnoticed, and was followed by another extended sabbatical from recording, which ended with I’m Your Man (1988). But during his hiatus, Warnes had released her album of Cohen-authored material, entitled Famous Blue Raincoat, which had sold extremely well and introduced Cohen to a new generation of listeners. So when I’m Your Man did appear, with its electronic production (albeit still rather spare) and songs that added humor (albeit dark humor) to his mix of pessimistic and poetic conceits, the result was his best-selling record in more than a decade. The result, in 1991, was the release of I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, a CD of recordings of his songs by the likes of R.E.M., the Pixies, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and John Cale, which put Cohen as a songwriter pushing age 60 right back on center stage for the 1990s. He rose to the occasion, releasing The Future, an album that dwelt on the many threats facing mankind in the coming years and decades, a year later. Not the stuff of pop charts or MTV heavy rotation, it attracted Cohen’s usual coterie of fans, and enough press interest as well as sufficient sales, to justify the release in 1994 of his second concert album, Cohen Live, derived from his two most recent tours. A year later came another tribute album, Tower of Song, featuring Cohen’s songs as interpreted by Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, et al.
In the midst of all of this new activity surrounding his writing and compositions, Cohen embarked on a new phase of his life. Religious concerns were never too far from his thinking and work, even when he was making a name for himself writing songs about love, and he had focused ever more on this side of life since Various Positions. He came to spend time at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center, a Buddhist retreat in California, and eventually became a full-time resident, becoming a Buddhist monk during the late ’90s. When he re-emerged in 1999, Cohen had many dozens of new compositions in hand, songs and poems alike. His new collaborations were with singer/songwriter/musician Sharon Robinson, who also ended up producing the resulting album, Ten New Songs (2001) — there also emerged during this period a release called Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979, comprised of live recordings from his tour of 22 years before.
In 2004, the year he turned 70, Cohen released one of the most controversial albums of his career, Dear Heather. It revealed his voice anew, in this phase of his career, as a deep baritone more limited in range than on any previous recording, but it overcame this change in vocal timbre by facing it head-on, just as Cohen had done with his singing throughout his career — it also contained a number of songs for which Cohen wrote music but not lyrics, a decided change of pace for a man who’d started out as a poet. And it was as personal a record as Cohen had ever issued. His return to recording was one of the more positive aspects of Cohen’s resumption of his music activities. On another side, in 2005, he filed suit against his longtime business manager and his financial advisor over the alleged theft of more than five million dollars, at least some of which took place during his years at the Buddhist retreat.
Four decades after he emerged as a public literary figure and then a performer, Cohen remains one of the most compelling and enigmatic musical figures of his era, and one of the very few of that era who commands as much respect and attention, and probably as large an audience, in the 21st century as he did in the 1960s. As much as any survivor of that decade, Cohen has held onto his original audience and has seen it grow across generations, in keeping with a body of music that is truly timeless and ageless. In 2006, his enduring influence seemed to be acknowledged in Lions Gate Films’ release of Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, director Lian Lunson’s concert/portrait of Cohen and his work and career. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
DON’T MISS THE REUNION OF ERIC CLAPTON AND STEVE WINWOOD BACK ON TOUR!
February 27, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
Rock legends Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood will unite once again this summer for a 14-city tour that follows the pair’s successful three-night New York City run last year. The two former Blind Faith members hooked up for the three NYC shows last February after Winwood had joined Clapton during his summer 2007 set at Chicago’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, where the two performed a few tunes from Winwood’s old band Traffic.
The newly announced trek gets underway June 10 in East Rutherford, NJ, and runs through the end of the month, with venues scaled to arena-sized for most of the trip. Dates are included below.
“I have wanted to play with Steve for a long time,” Clapton said in a press statement announcing the New York City shows from last year. “I consider him a friend and a truly gifted musician. Our set at the Crossroads Festival this summer was a real treat, so I expect these shows will be good fun for us and for the fans.”
JUNE 2009
10 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
12 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
15 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
17 - Chicago, IL - United Center
18 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
20 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
21 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
23 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
24 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
26 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
27 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Arena
29 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
30 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
By the time Eric Clapton launched his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in mid-1970, he was long established as one of the world’s major rock stars due to his group affiliations — the Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Blind Faith — which had demonstrated his claim to being the best rock guitarist of his generation. That it took Clapton so long to go out on his own, however, was evidence of a degree of reticence unusual for one of his stature. And his debut album, though it spawned the Top 40 hit “After Midnight,” was typical of his self-effacing approach: it was, in effect, an album by the group he had lately been featured in, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.
Not surprisingly, before his solo debut had even been released, Clapton had retreated from his solo stance, assembling from the D&B&F ranks the personnel for a group, Derek & the Dominos, with which he played for most of 1970. Clapton was largely inactive in 1971 and 1972, due to heroin addiction, but he p
Cover of 24 Nightserformed a comeback concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 13, 1973, resulting in the album Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert (September 1973). But Clapton did not launch a sustained solo career until July 1974, when he released 461 Ocean Boulevard, which topped the charts and spawned the number one single “I Shot the Sheriff.”
The persona Clapton established over the next decade was less that of guitar hero than arena rock star with a weakness for ballads. The follow-ups to 461 Ocean Boulevard, There’s One in Every Crowd (March 1975), the live E.C. Was Here (August 1975), and No Reason to Cry (August 1976), were less successful. But Slowhand (November 1977), which featured both the powerful “Cocaine” (written by J.J. Cale, who had also written “After Midnight”) and the hit singles “Lay Down Sally” and “Wonderful Tonight,” was a million-seller. Its follow-ups, Backless (November 1978), featuring the Top Ten hit “Promises,” the live Just One Night (April 1980), and Another Ticket (February 1981), featuring the Top Ten hit “I Can’t Stand It,” were all big sellers.
Clapton’s popularity waned somewhat in the first half of the ’80s, as the albums Money and Cigarettes (February 1983), Behind the Sun (March 1985), and August (November 1986) indicated a certain career stasis. But he was buoyed up by the release of the box set retrospective Crossroads (April 1988), which seemed to remind his fans of how great he was. Journeyman (November 1989) was a return to form. It would be his last new studio album for nearly five years, though in the interim he would suffer greatly and enjoy surprising triumph. On March 20, 1991, Clapton’s four-year-old son was killed in a fall. While he mourned, he released a live album, 24 Nights (October 1991), culled from his annual concert series at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and prepared a movie soundtrack, Rush (January 1992). The soundtrack featured a song written for his son, “Tears in Heaven,” that became a massive hit single.
In March 1992, Clapton recorded a concert for MTV Unplugged that, when released on an album in August, became his biggest-selling record ever. Two years later, Clapton returned with a blues album, From the Cradle, which became one of his most successful albums, both commercially and critically. Crossroads, Vol. 2: Live in the Seventies, a box set chronicling his live work from the ’70s, was released to mixed reviews. In early 1997, Clapton, billing himself by the pseudonym “X-Sample,” collaborated with keyboardist/producer Simon Climie as the ambient new age and trip-hop duo T.D.F. The duo released Retail Therapy to mixed reviews in early 1997.
Clapton retained Climie as his collaborator for Pilgrim, his first album of new material since 1989’s Journeyman. Pilgrim was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews upon its spring 1998 release, but the album debuted at number four and stayed in the Top Ten for several weeks on the success of the single “My Father’s Eyes.” In 2000, Clapton teamed up with old friend B.B. King on Riding with the King, a set of blues standards and material from contemporary singer/songwriters. Another solo outing, entitled Reptile, followed in early 2001. Three years later, Clapton issued Me and Mr. Johnson, a collection of tunes honoring the Mississippi-born bluesman Robert Johnson. 2005’s Back Home, Clapton’s 14th album of original material, reflected his ease with fatherhood. The Road to Escondido from 2006 paired him with the man behind “Cocaine” and “After Midnight,” J.J. Cale. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
New Kids on the Block at the STAPLES Center!!
February 25, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
The STAPLES Center presents the New Kids on the Block. The boy band which scored hits in the late ’80s and early ’90s with albums like Hangin’ Tough and Step By Step is back. This reunion features all five original band members: Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, and Jordan and Jonathan Knight. Enjoy the concert from STAPLES Center’s luxurious, fully-furnished VIP Suites.
New Kids On The Block — five now fully-grown men who forever defined what the modern boy band would look and sound like — are back together for the very first time in nearly a decade and a half, and currently hard at work on their first new album since 1994. That still untitled album should be released sometime this summer, preceded by the New Kid’s first new single since the Nineties, and followed in the fall by an already hotly anticipated international concert tour.
On a March afternoon, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood are gathered together, hanging tough all over again in a small Los Angeles studio looking a little older, but still youthful, fit and anxious to not simply celebrate their musical legacy, but also add something new and personally meaningful to it. In the late Eighties and early Nineties, while still teenagers 
themselves, New Kids on the Block became a phenomenon, selling over 70 million albums – including the back-to-back international number one efforts, 1988’s Hangin’ Tough and 1990’s Step By Step — and a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits like “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Cover Girl,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You,” “Step By Step” and “Tonight” — as well as countless number of concert tickets, t-shirts and even lunchboxes to primarily female kids around the world. Then under the guidance of producer Maurice Starr who had previously brought the world New Edition, the New Kids made a tremendous impact on the culture very quickly.
“We’re not kids, we’re just the guys now,” Donnie Wahlberg says with a smile as he takes a break from the recording sessions that started this past winter and have taken on a momentum of its own this spring. Long the hold out from any sort of New Kids On The Block reunion, Wahlberg – who has enjoyed considerable success as a constantly working actor in the intervening years – has long made it clear that he had absolutely no interest in simply cashing in on the Kid’s good name. “We’ve had so many offers from so many people over the years, but I’ve always protected the asset,” he says. “We never sold the New Kids house to anyone. And until we got together in a recording studio in Orlando two months ago, I haven’t even been in the same room with these five guys for fifteen years.” And this time, it’s the boys – make that, the men – in the group who are in charge. “We took the initiative instead of going out and asking for help from a label or anyone,” McIntyre explains. “We just started recording because we wanted to and because we were ready. We started doing this from the ground up –just us.”
So what will a New Kids On The Block concert look like in 2008? Tour Dates: October 08, 08 - Los Angeles - Staples Center, October 09, 08 - Sacramento - Arco Arena, October 10, 08 - San Jose - HP Pavilion, October 11, 08 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay, October 13, 08 - Glendale - Jobing.com Arena, AZ, October 14, 08 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Arena, October 16, 08 - Houston, TX - Toyoto Center, October 17, 08 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center, October 18, 08 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena, October 19, 08 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center, October 21, 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center, October 22, 08 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center, October 24, 08 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena, October 25, 08 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills, October 27, 08 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden, October 29, 08 - Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center, October 30, 08 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena. For more details go to: http://www.nkotb.com
GIANT PANDA GUERILLA DUB SQUAD - Relentless Reggae Sound
Roots reggae and experimental dub. North American International Body Music. 2009 marks the beginning of GPGDS’ affiliation with The Agency Group. www.myspace.com/giantpandadub
GPGDS played 180 shows in 2008, including performances at Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, GrassRoots, Floyd Fest, and Up North Festival. 2007 highlights include a three-week stint in Jamaica, numerous national tours, and a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). Thanks to their aggressive touring schedule and dynamic sound, Giant Panda has developed an extensive following.
Formed in 2004, this Rochester, New York-based group has made a name for themselves through hard work on the road. GPGDS plays an eclectic blend of roots reggae, dub, and afrobeat; their impeccable musicianship and explosive live show have received widespread acclaim.
Giant Panda will be releasing a new album in 2009. Their 2006 debut Slow Down is receiving regular airplay on Sirius and XM Radio.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad has shared the stage with reggae greats Toots And The Maytals, The Wailers, Lee Scratch Perry, Yellowman, Culture, The Meditations, Don Carlos, Morgan Heritage, Mad Professor, and Edi Fitzroy. They’ve been joined on stage by members of Brazilian Girls, Thi
every Corporation, and Umphrey’s McGee.
“This is some of the most intense roots reggae we’ve ever heard…” - Knoxville’s Metro Pulse
“…heavy, air-tight dub and roots reggae pressure…” - Washington Post
“…a viable contributor to the modern reggae movement.” - Metro Santa Cruz
Band Members: Matthew O’Brian - Guitar & Lead Vocals, James Searl - Bass & Lead Vocals, Christopher O’Brian - Drums, Dylan Savage - Guitar & Vocals, Rachel Orke - Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, Melodica, Aaron Lipp - Hammond B-3 Organ
Links: www.myspace.com/giantpandadub, www.facebook.com/pages/Giant-Panda-Guerilla-Dub-Squad/28105220584, www.giantpandadub.com
Tour Dates:
Jan 02 @ World Cafe Live: Philadelphia, PA
Jan 03 @ The Studio at Webster Hall: New York, NY
Jan 15 @ Wobbly Barn: Killington, VT
Jan 17 @ Higher Ground: S. Burlington, VT
Jan 22 @ Castaways: Ithaca, NY
Jan 23 @ Sarah Lawrence College: Bronxville, NY
Jan 24 @ Zeno’s: State College, PA
Jan 29 @ TT The Bear’s Place: Cambridge, MA
Jan 30 @ Main Pub: Manchester, CT
Jan 31 @ Iron Horse: Northampton, MA
Feb 06 @ Water Street Music Hall: Rochester, NY
Feb 07 @ Funk N Waffles: Syracuse, NY
Feb 12 @ Zeno’s: State College, PA
Feb 14 @ Club Infinity: Buffalo, NY
Feb 19 @ Castaways: Ithaca, NY
Feb 20 @ Red Square: Albany, NY
Feb 21 @ Funk N Waffles: Syracuse, NY
Feb 25 @ Paradise Rock Club: Boston, MA
Feb 26 @ The Note: West Chester, PA
Feb 27 @ Blender Theater at Gramercy: New York, NY
Feb 28 @ Recher Theatre: Towson, MD
Mar 01 @ Lincoln Theatre: Raleigh, NC
Mar 02 @ Pour House: Charleston, SC
Mar 03 @ Freebird Live: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Mar 04 @ Market Street Pub: Gainesville, FL
Mar 05 @ The Social: Orlando, FL
Mar 06 @ The Garage: St. Petersburg, FL
Mar 07 @ The Parish at House Of Blues: New Orleans, LA
Mar 10 @ Winston’s: San Diego, CA
Mar 11 @ The Mint: Los Angeles, CA
Mar 12 @ Soho: Santa Barbara, CA
Mar 13 @ The Fillmore: San Francisco, CA
Mar 14 @ Tahoe Biltmore: Crystal Bay, NV
Mar 15 @ The Catalyst: Santa Cruz, CA
Mar 17 @ Doug Fir Lounge: Portland, OR
Mar 18 @ Nectar Lounge: Seattle, WA
Mar 20 @ Zebra Cocktail Lounge: Bozeman, MT
Mar 21 @ Knotty Pine: Victor, ID
Mar 22 @ Aggie Theatre: Fort Collins, CO
Mar 23 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom: Denver, CO
Mar 27 @ Snow Barn: West Dover, VT
For more information please contact Curtis Bergesen at 240-602-5057 or curtisb@giantpandadub.com
KEITH URBAN: ESCAPE TOGETHER WORLD TOUR! TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
February 21, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
Escape Together World Tour - This is a big year for Keith Urban. The new CD, Defying Gravity, drops March 31. This May will mark the launch of his “Escape Together World Tour,” which will visit 58 cities across North America. Urban will team with a different touring partner in each city, including superstars Sugarland and Taylor Swift, as well as Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, The Zac Brown Band and Dierks Bentley.*
Take your pick of incredible ticket offers available now!!!!
Born in New Zealand, Keith Urban learned to play guitar as a six-year-old in Australia, after a young woman asked to place an ad in his dad’s shop window offering guitar lessons. His parents made a deal with her that they would advertise in return for lessons for their young son. The boy had natural ability. By the time he was eight, Urban was winning talent shows. He also was involved in a youth acting company that required him to sing, dance, and memorize lines, all of which led to the ease on-stage, which would serve him well in his music career.
With his father deeply interested in American culture and country music, it was also natural that Urban would gravitate toward country music early on, when he was influenced by the singing of Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, and Don Williams, and the songwriting of Jimmy Webb (”Galveston”). Urban added his own dimension to those influences when he discovered Dire Straits, and became interested in the guitar playing of Mark Knopfler and Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, embarking on in-depth study and endless practice of their techniques.
At the start of the ’90s, Australian country music was primed for a revolution. Keith Urban — young, brash, blonde, rock-ish — was part of that revolution. His first album saw him win several major awards. Throughout his rise Urban always had his eye on Nashville in the U.S.A. That’s where the music in his heart was born and still lived. Almost from the beginning he made periodical pilgrimages to Nashville, forging valuable career bridges. In 1997 Urban decided to base himself in Nashville. With his Australian bandmate, drummer Peter Clarke, he formed the three-piece band the Ranch. Their original bass player soon returned to Australia, but West Virginian Jerry Flowers quickly fit in.
Their live shows, featuring Urban’s standout lead guitar playing, led to a record deal with Capitol Nashville and a management contract with I.R.S. Records founder/Police manager Miles Copeland. The group’s debut album, The Ranch, was released to critical acclaim in 1997. Critics raved about the album’s unique take on country music and Urban’s guitar playing. Other artists also took notice, and when the Ranch disbanded, other artists called on Urban to add some of his fleet-fingered magic to their records. Garth B
rooks asked Urban to play on Double Live. The Dixie Chicks invited him to play on their second album. Matt Rollings, one of Nashville’s top musicians, hired Urban as a session player on an album he was producing, and the two immediately clicked.
Impressed by Rollings’ knowledge of Nashville’s session players, Urban asked him to produce his next record, another solo album. His tour in support of that album included opening for such major acts as Dwight Yoakam, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw, as well as headlining his own shows. Ten years on he was doing to Nashville what he’d done to Tamworth, Australia’s country music capital, with a string of successful records that included Golden Road, In the Ranch, and Be Here. The result was American country hits for “It’s a Love Thing” and “Your Everything” and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for “Rollercoaster.” In 2005, he released an anthology (Days Go By) as well as a live DVD (=Livin’ Right Now).
The next year, Urban continued to attract media attention with his highly publicized engagement and June marriage to fellow Australian Nicole Kidman, plus his voluntary entry into a rehabilitation center for alcohol abuse in October. He postponed all his upcoming promotional appearances, but his album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released that November as scheduled. ~ Ed Nimmervoll, All Music Guide
NEVERWONDER: * TV Show Tonight * Awards Show Nominations * New CD!
NEVERWONDER - an L.A.-based band with a modern rock/soul sound; hints of Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden with vocals of Tina Turner, Joss Stone, and Pink influence.
Fronting NEVERWONDER is sultry former AMERICAN IDOL vocalist Megan Bobo. Bobo finished among the Top 25 Finalists during Season 5 of the 1-Rated hit television series. She was also nominated for “Best Female Vocalist” Award for the 2007 South Bay Music Awards. With Bobo’s great vocals and Neverwonder’s compelling music, this should make for a musical marriage made in heaven! Megan is performing with Neverwonder and recording the quartet’s second CD, due out in the Spring of 2008.
The pulse and backbone of NEVERWONDER are Andres & Vincent Ramos (Exploiting Eve), exceptional musicians voted one of the Best Bands in Southern California by Music Connection magazine. The duo’s experience includes playing venues such as House of Blues (LA/OC), Roxy, Key Club, Viper Room, Galaxy Theater and The Coach House, features on KLOS 95.5 FM radio, and apparel sponsorship by Vestal watches.
Nathan Brenton, not quite twenty years old, has already amassed a formidable arsenal of musical experience and knowledge. An Orange County native, this multi-instrumentalist is rapidly gaining recognition as a guitarist, a music teacher, and a cellist.
A graduate of the prestigious arts school, *The Orange County High School of the Arts*, Nathan’s studies included commercial songwriting, vocal techniques, music theory, music technology, jazz guitar, and symphonic orchestra.
An electrifying stage performer with a charismatic smile, Nathan is looking forward to contributing his talents to his new friends, *Neverwonder*!
Neverwonder’s other guitarist is Scott Ramsey. Scott picked up the guitar at the ripe old age of 15, and jumped right into the rock and metal world. With some friends as bandmates, this Scottish native began proving himself with gigs at backyard parties and local clubs in Glendale, CA. Having an epiphany at a dead end bank job, Scott realized his goal: playing guitar for a career.
While doing some local RnB shows, Scott met up with the future members of his most successful group to date, Rayzing Sons. Starting in 2001, Rayzing Sons began to terrorize local clubs with their high energy brand of “soul metal”. With 3 releases, national tours, and 3 television commercials (Tiltleist, Florida Orange Juice, Cox Cable), the band was quickly recognized as a serious threat.
With mutual friends in common, it was just a matter of time before Scott would cross paths with Dre and Vincent of Neverwonder. To join the group was a no-brainer for Scott and he has completed the sound Neverwonder has been searching for.
Want to BOOK NEVERWONDER for your venue, event, or party? Call 562.397.7708 or send email to band@neverwonder.com
AWARDS~ Top100 Unsigned Artists - Music Connection Magazine - 2007, Modern Rock Group of the Year - South Bay Music Awards - 2007, Band of the Year- Rockwired Live - 2007, Best Album of the Year- Rockwired Live - 2007, Best Male Bassist All*Access Music Awards - 2007, Rock Group of the Year - South Bay Music Awards - 2006, Top 100 So Cal Band - Music Connection Magazine - 2006, 1st Runner Up World Battle Of The Bands - U.S. Finals - 2006
Best Alternative Group/Artist All*Access Music Awards - 2005
SPONSORS~ NEVERWONDER is currently sponsored by: Tyler Guitars RKS guitars, Vestal Watches, Custom Audio Amplifiers, Carvin and Evidence Audio Cable.
DISCOGRAPHY~ NEVERWONDER’s 2nd ALBUM Preview 2007, NEVERWONDER’s 1st ALBUM Released January 28th, 2006 Recorded, Mixed, & Mastered at: “For the Record” (No Doubt, Save Ferris) Orange, CA, 4 Song Preview/EP 2005
Radio stations currently playing NEVERWONDER~ indie 104.7 FM, KNAC.com, KUCI 88.9 FM, WestCoastPromoman.com, Newartistradio.com, KBeach.org, Radiobuzzed.com, RenegadeRadio.net, AwesomeRadio.net, TPSRadio.org and KTST-FM
1. NEVERWONDER received a invitation to perform on a new TV show “Unsigned Rock TV Show” airing on KDOC tonight 12 midnight to 12:30AM or check
local cable listings in your area, they will be playing 2 videos. They will be replaying the premiere episode 1 more time: 2.11.09 Unsigned Rock TV Show * Performance * 12 midnight and 2.18.09 Unsigned Rock TV Show * Performance * 12 midnight
2. NEVERWONDER nominated for the 5th ANNUAL SOUTH BAY MUSIC AWARDS, Saturday Feb. 21 LA Sports Arena. NEVERWONDER’S Nominations: Please
VOTE NOW on below links!!!! Voting ends FEB 16th! Thank you in advance for your vote! http://www.southbaymusicawards.com/Nominees.php
Rock Group Of The Year: Neverwonder - Alternative Group/Artist of the Year: Neverwonder, Female Vocalist Of The Year: Megan Bobo
Drummer of the Year: Andres Ramos, Bass Player of the Year: Vincent Ramos
3. NEVERWONDER is in the studio tracking and song writing new songs for new NEVERWONDER CD. Things are going great and we are very
excited about this process and very soon we will be able to share it with all of YOU!
HOT NEWS——>>>>>> You tell them the new name for their new CD coming out! Send them in to: band@neverwonder.com any and all ideas.
CONTACT: http://www.neverwonder.com, http://www.myspace.com/neverwonder and band@neverwonder.com
IT IS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN!! “INTENSITY” nominated as the South Bay’s “ROCK GROUP of the YEAR” and “BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE”!!!
February 14, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
VOTE FOR INTENSITY - ONLY FOUR DAYS LEFT!! INTENSITY is a 5-piece Southern California rock band that’s going to the top… Join Them!
***Please take a moment and vote for INTENSITY at the following link:*** http://www.southbaymusicawards.com/Nominees.php and visit their site: www.IntensityRocks.com
“INTENSITY” is the hot new Southern California rock band that everyone’s talking about. Our music is described as fun, energetic, sexy, sassy, powerful, significant, hard rock. A typical set includes half original songs and half covers. The originals are written about social awareness, responsibility, empowerment, love and changing the world around us for the better. The covers we select are upbeat, from bands such as Van Halen, Kiss, Evanescence, and Linkin Park. You wont just listen to INTENSITY, you will feel it. The passion that inspired the songs really comes through in our music. Coming to our show is like entering a multi-dimensional sonic movie where you live in the song settings and experience the emotions and triumph that the artists portray. The INTENSITY show will stimulate all of your senses. It’s brilliant, it’s dazzling, it’s magnificent, it’s unique… INTENSITY Rocks! …and we’re going to the top, so join us!
COMING UP: 2/13… INTENSITY with STEELHEART and Pretty Boy Floyd!!
Next Shows: 2/13/2009 Brixton Club, Redondo Beach Pier, CA ***with STEELHEART and PRETTY BOY FLOYD***
2/21/2009 South Bay Music Awards, Los Angeles Sports Arena, CA
2/26/2009 Canyon Club, Agoura, CA ***with DOKKEN***
3/14/2009 Tap Daddy’s, Hemet, CA
4/11/2009 Major Announcement Coming!
JIMMY BUFFETT TOUR DATES AND TICKET SALES!!
February 9, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
Veneu’s & Dates:
Jimmy Buffett translated his easygoing Gulf Coast persona into more than just a successful recording career — he expanded into clothing, nightclubs, and literature — but the basis of the business empire that kept him on the Fortune magazine list of highest-earning entertainers was his music. Born in southern Mississippi and raised in Alabama, Buffett moved to Nashville to try to make it in country music in the late ’60s. After signing to the Barnaby label, he released one album, 1970’s Down to Earth, from which the socially conscious single “The Christian?” suggested he might be more at home protesting in Greenwich Village. (Barnaby “lost” his second album, High Cumberland Jubilee, though they would find it and release it after he became successful.) Instead, the songwriter moved to Key West, FL, where he gradually evolved into the beach-bum character and developed the tropical folk-rock style that would endear him to millions.
Signing to ABC-Dunhill Record (later absorbed by MCA), Buffett achieved notoriety but not much else with his second (released) album, White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean (1973), which featured a song called “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” (”…and screw?” goes the chorus). Buffett revealed a more thoughtful side on Living and Dying in 3/4 Time (1974), with its song of marital separation “Come Monday,” his first singles-chart entry. But it took the Top Ten song “Margaritaville” and the album in which it was featured, 1977’s Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, to capture Buffett’s tropical world view and, for a while, turn him into a pop star.
By the start of the ’80s, Buffett’s yearly albums had stopped going gold, and he briefly tried the country market again. But by the middle of the decade, it was his yearly summer tours that were filling his bank account, as a steadily growing core of Sun Belt fans he dubbed “Parrotheads” made his concerts into Mardi Gras-like affairs. Buffett launched his Margaritaville line of clothes and opened the first of his Margaritaville clubs in Key West. He also turned to fiction writing, landing on the book bestseller lists.
His recording career, meanwhile, languished, though a hits compilation sold millions; a 1990 live album, Feeding Frenzy, went gold; and a 1992 box-set retrospective, Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads, became one of the best-selling box sets ever. Buffett finally got around to making a new album in 1994, when Fruitcakes became one of his fastest-selling records. It was followed in 1995 by Barometer Soup and Banana Wind in 1996. The following year, Buffett began working on a musical adaptation of Herman Wouk’s novel -Don’t Stop the Carnival with the author himself. After Broadway producers expressed little interest, the production ran for six weeks in Miami during 1997. In spring of 1998, Buffett released a collection of songs from the production as he began mulling over the idea of taking the play on the road. In 1999 he released Beach House on the Moon as well as Live: Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.
During the first few years of the millennium, Buffett’s newly launched Mailboat label issued close to a dozen concert recordings, as well as the 2002 studio album Far Side of the World. Two years later, Buffett allowed RCA to distribute his second Mailboat studio album, License to Chill. Live albums recorded in Hawaii and Boston appeared in 2005, followed by an all-new collection of songs called Take the Weather with You in 2006 and two more live sets, Live in Anguilla in 2007 and Feeding Frenzy: Live in 2008.. Written by: William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
SLIPKNOT NATIONAL TOUR TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!
February 9, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
SLIPKNOT TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUR DREAMCATCHER ONLINE EVENT CALENDARS AAM BLOG!! Slipknot’s mix of grinding, post-Korn alternative metal, Marilyn Manson-esque neo-shock rock, and rap-metal helped make them one of the most popular bands in the so-called nu-metal explosion of the late ’90s. But even more helpful was their theatrical, attention-grabbing image: the band always performed in identical industrial jump suits and homemade Halloween masks, and added to its mysterious anonymity by adopting the numbers zero through eight as stage aliases. Add to that a lyrical preoccupation with darkness and nihilism, and an affectionately insulting name for their fans (”Maggots”), and Slipknot’s blueprint for nu-metal success was set. History: Early years (1995–1998) - Early formations of a band were beginning to form as early as 1992 with the core band members, drummer Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefini, and bassist Paul Gray enlisting the help of guitarists Donnie Steele and Quan Nong. In September 1995, the band The Pale Ones was created comprising Crahan on drums, Gray on bass, Colsefini on vocals and guitarist Steele. Joey Jordison joined the band shortly after, taking up the role of drummer and, subsequently, Crahan moved to percussion. The band continued to develop their vision of what the band would be, deciding to add a second guitarist, recruiting Josh Brainard and moving Colsefini to percussion along with lead vocals. The band played their first live performance under the name of Meld on December 4, 1995 at a club called Crowbar in Des Moines. Soon after, Jordison suggested renaming the band “Slipknot” after their song that eventually appeared on Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.. The band also began experimenting with their image, wearing grotesque make up and eventually the anti-image concept developed towards the members wearing masks. Up until this point, the band had remained mainly obscured due to their desire to wait until their music was fully developed. With plenty of material ready, the band began recording in a local studio, SR Audio with Sean McMahon. In February 1996, guitarist Steele left the band due to his Christian beliefs; though the other band members were prepared to allow him to stay, Steele decided to leave. His replacement, Craig Jones, arrived during the mixing stages of this new project. On April 4, Slipknot played their first public performance at Des Moines reggae club the Safari, where they played most of their early gigs. Their second gig at the Safari was alongside Stone Sour. The band began to realize again that there was need for a change, as they were adding samples to their recordings but could not produce these sounds live.[ Subsequently, Jones moved to full-time sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in to fill the space on guitar. After conflict over the mixing and mastering, the band self released their first album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween, October 31, 1996. With the production of this album, Sean McMahon began distributing it between record and management companies, which resulted in airplay on local radio and, in turn, won a spot at Dotfest. Slipknot had returned to the studio having developed new material, which demanded more vocal melody. As a result, Corey Taylor was recruited from fellow Des Moines band Stone Sour; this moved Colsefini to backing vocals and percussion. While experimenting with their new vocalist, the band continued to do shows at the Safari club, during one of which Colsefini surprised his band and fans alike announcing on stage that he was leaving the band. The gap on percussion was the filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles". Towards the end of 1997, the band was assigned individual numbers respectively and began wearing uniform coveralls at their shows.
In early 1998, the band created another small demo, which included "Spit It Out". The Slipknot Demo was sent to many record labels and, along with a growing popularity on the Internet and help from their then manager Sophia John, interest grew from record labels and eventually producer Ross Robinson was contacted. The band, which had a strong interest in working with Robinson, met with him and it was then decided they would work together. Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was brought in to the band after showing great interest and impressing band members. Wit h the acquisition of Ross Robinson, interest grew and the band began getting offers from record labels.[20] On July 6, 1998 Welts was asked to leave the band becoming the first (and only) band member to be ultimately fired from the band. The reasons behind this are unclear, Chris Fehn replaced Welts on percussion and on July 8 they signed to Roadrunner Records. In late 1998, Slipknot entered the recording studio to work on their debut album. In the early new year, guitarist Brainard decided to leave the band due to personal reasons. His replacement was Jim Root leaving the band with the line-up they retain. Recording finished in early 1999, and the band attended the Ozzfest which began in March. On June 29, 1999, the band released their eponymous album Slipknot. Regarding the album, Rick Anderson of Allmusic wrote “You thought Limp Bizkit was heavy? They’re The Osmonds. Slipknot is something else entirely.” Slipknot included variations of previously released songs, including “(sic)”; a version of the previous song “Slipknot”. These versions were faster than their previous recordings and this shift in intensity was welcomed by old fans. In the same year, Slipknot released their first home video Welcome to Our Neighborhood (which was later released on DVD in 2003). In early 2000, Slipknot was certified platinum, a first for an album released by Roadrunner Records. In July 2001, Q named Slipknot as one of the “50 Heaviest Albums of All Time”.
Iowa and side projects (2001–2003): The band had created a huge fan base, and the expectations for their follow up album were great. They went back into the studio in early 2001 to work on a new album. Iowa, the band’s second album with Roadrunner Records, was released on August 28, 2001. Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic said “It’s really all you could ask for in a Slipknot album, and then some”, and David Fricke of Rolling Stone called the album “the first great record of the nu metal era.” It was also a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard album charts, and at number one on the UK album chart. In mid-2001, the band once again toured with Ozzfest. The band also appeared in the concert scene of the 2002 movie Rollerball. In the same year, the BBC said that Slipknot stole the show and proved entertaining after the band performed at Reading Festival in England. In the same year Slipknot released their second visual output with the release of their DVD Disasterpieces. 2002 also saw the first serious musical projects for Slipknot members outside of the band. Lead vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root revived their band Stone Sour with the release of their eponymous debut album Stone Sour. Drummer Jordison also had his own project in which he took up the role of guitarist in the Murderdolls. Slipknot planned to work on a third album towards the end of 2002 but the band was experiencing problems. At this time there was rumours concerning whether the band had split and the possibility of a third album. By mid-2003 Crahan also had a new side project, To My Surprise, in which he worked with producer Rick Rubin.
Vol.3 (The Subliminal Verses), 9.0 Live, and hiatus (2003–2007): It was the rebirth of Slipknot, you know what I mean it was like… us coming back together, pushing out the vibe that had gotten in there and kinda started pulling people away. But we figured out that you know, we do have to get space you know, we do need to let people be sometimes. Paul Gray on Slipknot’s third album. In late 2003, Slipknot began writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin, who had previously worked with artists such as Johnny Cash, System of a Down, and Slayer. Roadrunner Records also announced they would be no longer be distributing Slipknot’s albums in Scandanavia, due to financial terms. However Slipknot managed to pen a deal with Nuclear Blast Records in early 2003 for the releases in Scandanavia. The band released their third album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) on May 24, 2004, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic called the album “a satisfying, carefully crafted representation of [the band's] career to date”, while Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone said the album “experiments with even newer extremes, which in Slipknot’s case means tunefulness and traditional song structures.” The title of the album denotes that this is their third album, band members later mentioned that they do not consider Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. as an album which reflects the band. In 2004, the band toured on the Ozzfest for a third time, the same year they made their first appearance at Download Festival[50] where Jordison replaced Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich after he was rushed to hospital. In 2005, Slipknot made live appearances without percussionist Crahan—who was supporting his wife during an illness—including their return to Download Festival.
They released their first live album, 9.0: Live which included recordings from shows in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Osaka, Singapore, and Tokyo. The album was released on November 1, 2005 and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200. In 2006, the band won their first and only Grammy for Best Metal Performance with “Before I Forget”. Later that year, Slipknot released their third DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine. Several members of the band collaborated with other artists on the Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions CD released in October 2005. On the record, Jordison was named a “team captain”. Root, Taylor, and Gray also contributed to the album. In 2006, Root and Taylor once again returned with Stone Sour releasing their second album Come What(ever) May. Jordison drummed for several bands while on tour including; Ministry (2006) and Korn (2007). He also produced 3 Inches of Blood’s third album Fire Up the Blades which was released in early 2007. Later in the year Crahan revealed a new side project, Dirty Little Rabbits.
All Hope Is Gone (2008–present) - Slipknot has released their fourth studio album All Hope Is Gone on August 20, 2008. it is the first Slipknot album to ever peak at number 1 on the Billboard 200Preparation for the album started in October 2007 with recording pushed back to February 2008. For this release the band has expressed an interest in making it their heaviest album to date with an expansion of the thrash metal riffing introduced on Vol. 3. However, they also want to make it their most experimental record, and will be including more acoustic guitars and melodic vocals, as well as introducing hi-hats and cymbals to the additional percussion. The album will be the band’s first work with Dave Fortman as producer. Along with the album, the band have debuted “evolved” masks and uniforms, which match the style of the new album. Slipknot will headline the first ever Mayhem Festival festival in July and August 2008. The band was scheduled to play in the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2008, but was forced to cancel after drummer Joey Jordison broke his ankle. 
Slipknot at Mayhem Festival 2008: Slipknot also toured Australia, Japan, Europe and the UK in the latter months of 2008, with the bands Machine Head and Children of Bodom opening at their concerts. The UK dates were announced on August 20, for an early December tour. Slipknot were also forced to cancel their show in Israel, due to 2 of the members having family problems, it was stated by Corey that the show would be rescheduled to the tour. It was also stated in an interview by Jim Root that “Were just going to tour our asses off and then we are going to figure out how to sneak out some of the music that we created, that didn’t make it to the record.” making it a possibility of All Hope Is Gone being re-released, similar to their self-titled album. Influences and style -
Sid Wilson and Shawn Crahan during a 2005 concert - The band’s primary influences include Black Sabbath, Slayer, Judas Priest, Korn, AC/DC, Kiss and Beastie Boys, Death metal, black metal and heavy metal have been mentioned as a key influence on the band’s musical direction alongside nu metal, the category the band is generally listed as. They have also stated that they are influenced by industrial bands like Head of David, Godflesh and Skinny Puppy as well as Neurosis and jungle music like Roni Size.
Slipknot are seen as pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal developing a lean and aggressive brand of metal formed from thrash, hardcore and death metal. In this they can be compared with groups such as Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard, Life of Agony, and Prong and are known for often chaotic and energetic live shows. The extreme performance style provided by their large line-up featuring a typical heavily down-tuned guitar set-up (lead, rhythm, and bass guitars), two percussionists in addition to the primary drummer, and electronics (samplers and turntables). Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone compared the band’s sound to “a threshing machine devouring a military drum corps”.
Their early work hosted a diverse range of vocal styles, ranging from rapping to occasional singing to growled vocals. In more recent work, this vocal style remains present, but now includes more melodic singing. The lyrics generally follow a very aggressive tone and feature themes such as darkness, nihilism, anger, disaffection, love, misanthropy and psychosis. Rick Anderson of Allmusic regards the group’s lyrics as “not generally quotable on a family website”. There has been controversy surrounding Slipknot’s lyrics, including a case in which a pair of young killers blamed the lyrics from the song “Disasterpiece” for their vicious crime and a case in 2006 in which lyrics from the song “Surfacing” were found at the site of a grave robbing. However, the band has never faced official allegations that their lyrics incite violent or criminal behavior.
Corey Taylor on the masks - The band is known for its attention-grabbing image, the members wear matching uniform jumpsuits and each one as well wears a mask unique from each other’s. In the past, their jumpsuits have featured large UPC barcodes printed on the back and sleeves, which are identical and render the same barcode number to the barcode on their first demo, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. Aside from their real names, members of the band are referred to by numbers zero through eight.
With each new album, Slipknot has attained new masks and coveralls. The masks haven’t changed dramatically with the release of their second and third albums, as the masks are more of an extension of what they previously were. Jordison addressed the issue in an interview in 2004, stating that the change in masks are to show growth and difference within age. During the music video and live performances of their single “Vermilion” the band change their respective masks to death masks made from casts of their own faces. Also in 2004, Gray claimed that the special effects company Screaming Mad George made their masks from their third album cycle, and pictures of the band’s masks from their second album cycle can be found on the SMG website.
The masks have been subject of much criticism, generally thought of as a gimmick to try sell their product. The band however strongly object these claims, proclaiming that the masks are used to draw the attention away from themselves and to the music. Several members have said how the masks are a visual representation of how the music makes them feel and how they put the members in an animal-like mentality. The coveralls and numbers are an extension of their anti-image concept they created with the masks. The integrity of the masks is also a topic of criticism as band members have appeared outside of Slipknot without the masks. The issue has been addressed by most band members, percussionist Crahan specifically addressed the issue during an interview on The Sauce when discussing the release of their 2006 DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine, proclaiming that the masks are always going to be part of the Slipknot show. Death masks: During the music video and live performances of their single “Vermilion” the band change their respective masks to death masks made from casts of their own faces.
Purgatory masks: Beginning on April 1, 2008, Slipknot’s official website began to display splash teasers to promote All Hope Is Gone. During the process there had been around 18 splash teasers, the first nine displayed the band in their new large masks, however the last seemingly shows dark figures with what seems like ordinary size heads. During the recording of the video shoot for Psychosocial, the purgatory masks can be seen being burned in the background. In a interview with Jim Root, he says “they represent the ego of that is Slipknot”. Controversy with masks - The band’s image has started controversy over the years. A portion of the controversy comes from the band Mushroomhead, who, along with their fans, claim that Slipknot stole their image. In 2005, another source of controversy was the band’s lawsuit against Burger King, claiming that company created the advertising based band Coq Roq to capitalize on Slipknot’s image. The band’s lawyer claimed that Burger King had contacted the band’s label to get Slipknot to take part in an “advertising campaign designed to motivate young people to vote”. Burger King responded to the suit with a countersuit, and in that suit pointed out that many other bands, such as Mudvayne, Kiss, and GWAR have used masks as part of their image, although after private discussions the advertising campaign was dropped. Band members: Current: Sid Wilson - turntables (1998 – present), Joey Jordison - drums (1995 – present), Paul Gray - bass, backing vocals (1995 – present), Chris Fehn - custom percussion, backing vocals (1997 – present), James Root - guitars (1999 – present), Craig “133″ Jones - samples, media (1996 – present), Shawn “Clown” Crahan - custom percussion, backing vocals (1995 – present), Mick Thomson - guitars (1996 – present), Corey Taylor - lead vocals (1997 – present). Former: Donnie Steele - guitars (1995 – 1996), Anders Colsefini - vocals, custom percussion (1995 – 1997), Greg “Cuddles” Welts - custom percussion (1997). Josh Brainard - guitars, backing vocals (1995 – 1999)
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NIGHTMARE METAL FEST II HONORS MILITARY PERSONNEL AND FAMILIES…
February 7, 2009 by Claudia · Leave a Comment
Nightmare Metal Fest II, announced Friday it will be honoring America’s military by giving 25% discounts to all military personnel and their families who wish to attend the 2nd annual progressive and power heavy metal festival. The festival features Internationally signed and performing bands, some of whom are signed to Nightmare Records, a label based out of St Paul, MN.
Nightmare Records owner Lance King said, “San Antonio has a large military population with several bases in the surrounding areas. In such times of sacrifice in our nation’s history, we felt strongly about supporting our troops and giving back to them. We are delighted to offer them this discount to attend the festival.”
Nightmare Metal Fest II will be hosting its annual event at The Warehouse Music Venue, 1303 E Houston St. in downtown on the weekend of March 20-21, 2009. The festival features such acts as: Vicious Rumors, Seven Witches, Mindwarp Chamber, Krucible, Six Minute Century, Imagika, Halcyon Way, Theocracy, Lunarium, Sacred Dawn, Aetherius, and One of Six. Tickets may be purchased online at www.nightmaremetalfest.com or directly at the venue box office.
PSST, PASS IT ON…..48 days and counting….it’s coming…ARE YOU? -
JOIN US FOR A WEEKEND OF PURE POWER AND PROG METAL RIPPAGE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!
*Weekend passes for the Nightmare Metal Fest II are now on sale on our site, make your plans now.
*If coming in from out of town, we have room block codes that will save you money, check our Fest forum for details. Fest Forum
Don’t Forget, there are a lot of fun things to do in San Antonio, so you may want to give your self a little extra time in town for a little more vacation. Area Attractions
Final lineup announced: We have a stellar lineup and are proud to bring you… San Francisco, CA Metal Titans VICIOUS RUMORS, ripping power metal from SEVEN WITCHES (Featuring James Rivera -Hellstar, Mike LaPon -Symphony X and of course Jack Frost), Prog-Power from KRUCIBLE (featuring members of Pyramaze / Balance of Power, Hellstar, Z-Lot-Z, and Cea Serin) Chicago based MINDWARP CHAMBER and SACRED DAWN, from Atlanta two bands on the heals of new releases just in stores, THEOCRACY and HALCYON WAY, raging Bay area metal of IMAGIKA, from Houston the ripping riffs of SIX MINUTE CENTURY, roaring “Celtic Battle Metal” from LUNARIUM, San Antonio’s own ONE OF SIXX, powerhouse ASKA, and last but certainly not least, AETHERIUS. Some known to the metal heads of San Antonio, some destined to find many new fans in this METAL MECCA.
Please visit www.NightmareMetalFest.com and ad us as your friend at www.Myspace.com/NightmareMetalFestival for more information on the festival. All ages welcome
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NIGHTMARE METAL FEST II - SAN ANTONIO, TX MARCH 21ST & 22ND - The Warehouse Music Venue, 1305 E. Houston Street, San Antonio, Texas USA 78205, ph. 210.782.2817 - www.myspace.com/warehousemusicsa
TICKETS http://nightmaremetalfest.com/MetalFestII/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=82
