Last week a “dear friend” (it’s an in-joke) asked me to join her at the Bob Mould tribute/concert at the Disney Concert Hall and I jumped at the chance.
First, the tribute. Margaret Cho took the stage and lord how I prayed an act of God would strike her from this earth. Yes, she was that fucking horrible. Thank the gods (man, I’m feeling mighty religious) Ryan Adams took the stage soon after. Yeah, he’s too cool for school but he still puts on a great show. The highlight was Dave Grohl who took to the stage like a crazed fan and rocked the Hell out of the drums.
Then came the concert. Bob was good but sloppy, kinda like I imagined he’d be. I’m glad I saw him but I’m pretty sure I never need to see him again.
When I first discovered these guys, they were a smart, post punk political band. Everyone loved them. They could do no wrong. Then they started believing their own hype and they became insufferable pricks. Everyone hated them. So they went back to the drawing board, dumped the politics and started writing adult oriented pop. More over, they reinvented themselves as jerks we loved and released one of the biggest and best albums they’ve ever made. Of course I speak of these guys and this amazing album.
When I first got into U2, they were my sister’s band. I rode along but once they became the douche bags we couldn’t stand (hello Rattle & Hum), I dropped out. But then Achtung Baby dropped and it was epic. To this day, this album sounds incredibly fresh and I’d say it’s still unmatched in its singularity. I saw these guys on this tour when it hit Dodger Stadium and I’ve hardly missed a tour since. Yeah, they’re on the slide again but I’ll give them another chance.
Next time, I dunno, I’m still adjusting to my new job and its schedule but more posts soon.
I have to admit, I wasn’t a big fan back in the day. I was a metal head, my sister was the alt music fan. It wasn’t until I got into Nirvana that I got into the Pixies. Luckly, I saw them when they first played Coachella and they fucking rocked. Will they record another album? Probably not, it’s kinda hard to get over a break up like that, but they’re still worth catching live.
A long time ago I caught an Alice in Chains / Soundgarden / “Special Guest” concert at The Palladium on Sunset. The “special guest” was a band out of Seattle that would drop their debut album six weeks later. I never heard of these guys before the show but afterwards I left singing their songs. The band was Pearl Jam, the album “Ten“.
It was with this band, with this album, that I started forming a new musical identity. I discarded the head banging of my earlier years and bought a whole ton of flannel. Looking back, what’s odd is that I was responding to their classic rock sound. I think it’s impossible to listen to Pearl Jam, especially this album, and not hear their 60s and 70s rock influences. I swear you’ll hear some Cream in just about every song.
But that was me. Just as this album dropped, the band blew up, big time. By the following year everyone was making claims about how they were into this band since the very beginning. Me, I had six secret weeks where I couldn’t convince a soul about these guys.
That’s it for this week. Next week, a surprise for both of us.
As I was enjoying the fading heyday of metal, a few foot soldiers of the forthcoming grunge movement were already on the scene and in my CD player. Alice in Chains was opening for every rock band I loved so I knew them well. The other guys I caught released their landmark album 20 years ago but fuck, my ears are still ringing from seeing them live. The band was Soundgarden and the album was “Badmotorfinger“.
I’d seen these guys a few times before this album (for the first time at what might have been the craziest show ever, but that’s for another post) but I didn’t find them to be new Zeppelin nor the new Black Sabbath, as they were often hyped. But when Badmotorfinger dropped I played the life out of that album. In particular, the first single, “Jesus Christ Pose“, blasted out of my discman repeatly. That sound captured what I was feeling.
I loved the album. Still do. But then there’s the case of the band’s live show. I quickly learned that I could count on Soundgarden for two things: to be loud and to be earsplitting loud.
I think they’re the reason I wear ear plugs to all concerts now. I know everyone says that Chris had an amazing voice but back in the day all I heard was him screaming and wailing. The band was a massive wall of sound that rattled my teeth. I would have avoided them but they were opening for every band I caught. I think I may have seen Soundgarden 20 times live (that’s not a hyperbole).
And so 20 years ago Chris Cornell split my ear drum.
Next week, let’s round out the grunge explosion with the band I discovered (yeah, I’m taking credit).
If you have any sort of pop culture pulse, you know that September 24, 1991 saw the release of what may have been the most influential rock album of the last… well, forever.
But Nirvana wasn’t the only band to drop a huge album that day. No, one other rising band released an album that would turn them into superstars. And for better or for worse, this album would also serve as the template for all their future success. Of corse I speak of this album by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Prior to this album, I knew of the RHCP but I wasn’t into them, despite their being local boys. Then I picked up this album and like most of the world, I was hooked. I loved this new direction (I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Mother’s Milk“). I even saw them play the LA Sports Area (Nirvana was one of the opening bands) and they rocked.
But as the years passed and subsequent albums dropped, it became clear that the boys couldn’t escape the gravitational pull of this mega hit. The few times they’ve tried, they’ve fallen flat. All their recent stuff that’s any good sounds like an outtake from BSSM.
And so 20 years ago, a bunch of punks discovered a winning funk formula that they just can’t quit.
Next week, one of the bands I saw over twenty times, and my ears are still ringing.
So I was gonna write about another band this week but in light of last week’s breaking news, I’ve decided to write about the album that destroyed R.E.M. forever. Yes, I’m talking about “Out of Time“.
First, let me put something out there: I’ve never liked R.E.M. “Document” almost won me over but this album proved to me that these guys were too busy drinking their own Kool-Aid to actually make anything that mattered. The songs were just weak. Even if you’re a fan, how often do you put Shiny Happy People or Losing My Religion on your iTunes?
Ya know, I think I saw them once but Michael Stipe pissed me off so much that I wandered off to get myself into some trouble.
Still, no worries. I start over again ready to fight my way up the ranks. My first major obstacle: the default classes.
For those scratching their heads but not scared off yet, the Black Ops multiplayer is built around classes, sometimes called loadouts. Normally these customizable classes let you choose 3 perks (each grants you an ability), a primary and secondary weapon, a lethal and tactical grenade and a piece of equipment. You can then have one class for when you want to be a stealthy sniper, another for when you want to run around with an Uzi and murder other players as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, when you’re starting out at level one, regardless if this is your 1st or 15th prestige, you’re stuck using the default classes. Allow me to break these default classes down for you.
SMG
This might be one of the best (definitely the most popular) default classes available. The MP5K submachine gun and ASP pistol make for a great, fast firing pair while the Lightweight (allows you to run faster), Steady Aim (greater accuracy when hip firing) and Marathon (allows you to sprint for a longer amount of time) perks let you run and gun until your twitchy trigger finger’s content.
CQB
If your close quarter battle (CQB) strategy is to 1) toss a Concussion Grenade, 2) race in and spray the room with your Olympia shotgun and 3) quickly reload thanks to Sleight of Hand [cuts reload time in half] or 4) toss a Semtex and run, then this is your loadout. My one complaint is that Hardline (lowers all Killstreak requirements by one kill) seems like an after thought. Certainly Ghost (which prevents you from showing up on the enemy’s radar) or Lightweight (so you can quickly rush into combat, then out of danger) would have better served this build.
Assault
This strikes me as the wonkiest of the default classes. So the M16/ASP combo works just fine, but those Perks. First, as the M16 is a burst fire weapon and it has a moderate rate of fire, why would you ever need Scavenger (allows you to resupply ammo and grenades from fallen enemies)? You’re not going to burn through ammo that fast with this assault rifle. Second, as the M16 is meant to be a medium-long range weapon of precision, why would you ever want Steady Aim. If someone surprises you as you round a corner, you’ll really want your ASP handy; the M16 is not a run & gun assault rifle. Still, sometimes you gotta love Second Chance (instead of dying right away, you fall to the ground and pull out your pistol, giving you a chance to settle the score) and how it can pwn the enemy.
LMG
This might be the second best default class. Flak Jacket (you take less damage from explosives), Hardened (your bullets can better penetrate thin walls and hit an enemy) and Hacker (allows you to detect enemy equipment and explosives) all work nicely to make this machine gunner one tough S.O.B. Adding the M72 LAW just makes him that much more of a force to recon with.
Sniper
This is another “almost got it right” class for me. Ghost and Scout (allows you to hold your breath longer while aiming down a sniper scope, therefore giving you a steadier shot) are great when you’re slinking around the edges of the battlefield looking to pick guys off with your Dragunov, but Ninja? Ninja (your footsteps are 75% quieter) is great for close quarters combat but when you’re off on your own looking for sniping nests, it’s just not that useful.
Unfortunately, none of the default classes grant you attachments for your weapons nor do they give you a piece of equipment (Boo!) .
Luckily, after one game of Headquarters on Discovery I reached level 4, or the rank of Private First Class, which allows me to customize my loadouts. Goodbye to the default classes. Time to start grinding
Twenty years ago, on September 24, rock experienced a big bang that not only birthed a new scene, it reinvigorated an industry, and it sounded like this.
Unless you’re dead or deaf, you know that Nirvana’s seminal album is about as old as that really cute girl working the coffee bar, and about as big as her… eyes. I was gonna say “eyes”.
Now, everyone and their mother has something to say about this anniversary so I’ll avoid all that and tell you about the one time I saw them live. They were the first of two opening bands for the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Pearl Jam was the other opener. Kurt came on stage wearing not only his standard jeans and flannel but also a tutu. They played the loudest songs off Nevermind and they sounded terrible. Kurt was a mumbling, out-of-tune mess and possibly high or drunk. I was so disappointed.
Little did I know the kind of impact they’d have on a generation. I can still remember a buddy’s roommate going on a massive bender after learning of Kurt’s death. Another buddy dated a girl that had carved Kurt’s name into her arm. Seriously, WTF!
Still, it’s impossible to deny the power that album. It still sounds so fresh and vital. As long as we have rock, we’re gonna keep hearing this album.
That’s it for today. Next week we’ll take a look at another huge album that dropped the same day as this one.
For being just two musicians and a drum machine, I’ve always thought The Kills were one of the best live acts touring. This show definitely reinforced that opinion.
This time around they concentrated on playing tracks from their last two albums, BLOOD PRESSURES and MIDNIGHT BOOM. This pair of recordings have a great rock sound/energy but with a very thumpin’ groove so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see all the hot girls dancing and grinding to the tunes (“Thank you, God”). They did open with “No Wow” but that was the only older track they played. As a long time fan I always wish they’d dig into their deeper, older cuts which were so raw and primal.
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