yasmin lawsuit

BLOGGER TEMPLATES - TWITTER BACKGROUNDS ?

The second

Rabu, 05 Agustus 2009

Saint Loco Biography


Saint Loco was formed for the very first time on September 2002. In Indonesian music industry, the individual members of Saint Loco have accomplished different achievements. Barry (MC) for instance has once won an MC Battle in Jakarta. Nyonk and DJ Tius are also additional musicians for well-know artists in Indonesia.

After a lot of practicing together and playing covered songs with their own
touch such as "Jump" by House of Pain, they decided to make a demo and send it to
Sony BMG Music Entertainment Indonesia.

Since May 7th 2004 Saint Loco was announced officially under the label of
Sony BMG Music Entertainment Indonesia.
After working very hard, being critical about their own music,
finally the album is wrapped in such manner "
so that any audience will be able to accept it.
The first album "Rock Upon A Time" was sold more than 15.000 copies within 2 months in Indonesia.

The album consists of 12 tracks with 80% of the songs were delivered in
English, full of distortion nois and heavy drums in combination with turntable
art that brings a unique color of the band. The reason why most of the songs are delivered
in English is due to Saint Loco's aim,
to be the first Indonesian (or perhaps Asian) to reach the International Market.

Not to forget their own nation, they have created 2 songs in Indonesian.
In fact "Hip Rock"was a number one hit single for a couple of months in many Radio Sattions in Indonesia.

Saint Loco's vision is to arise the spirit of the generation of today with full confidence.
Heavy lyrics in the album represent the hard knock live in a hectic and chaotic metropolitan
urban lifestyle.
While the name Saint Loco was chosen as a translation of "SAINT" as "THE ONE" who comes to the world
to bring a brighter live, and "LOCO" as "CRAZY", representing the world in general.
Therefor, it is clear that the message their trying to deliver is to bring a brighter color
to the crazy world with their own concept of hiprock music.

Readmore »»

Akeboshi Biography


Akeboshi (明星 ) is a male Japanese popular music singer. He is mostly known for the song Wind (pronounced as in "winding"), used as the ending theme to the anime Naruto for the first twenty-five episodes.

Akeboshi was born in 1978 in Yokohama. He learned to play the piano when he was three years old. After that, he also learned to play the guitar. Akeboshi studied music in Liverpool. His time in England has heavily influenced his music. Before his major debut, he produced for singer, Matsu Takako, for many of the songs in her fourth album a piece of life.

Akeboshi's songs are mainly sung in Japanese, but there are some notable songs that are sung in English, such as Night and day , 'Money', and Wind . Another remarkable thing about Akeboshi's music is that he rarely uses the basic 4/4 time signature. Wind and 'Kamisama no Shitauchi' for example, are both written in 5/8.

Readmore »»

Slank PLUR Biography


Slank pertama kali terbentuk pada 1983 bermula dari band sekolah yang diberi nama Cikini Stone Complex (CSC). Dengan personelnya Bimo Setiawan (drum), Boy (gitar), Kiki (gitar), Abi (bass), Uti (vokal). Mereka membawakan lagu-lagu dari Rolling Stones sebagai ekspresi kesukaan mereka terhadap grup band tersebut. Namun CSC ini akhirnya tidak bisa dilanjutkan. Namun karena keseriusan Mas Bimo (Bim2) dalam hal musik bersama dua saudaranya Denny dan Erwan mereka membentuk sebuah band baru bernama Red Evil dengan formasi Bim2 (drum), Bongky (gitar), Denny (bass), Erwin (vokal), Kiki (gitar). Kali ini mereka tampil dengan konsep baru, kini dalam aksinya mereka berani menampilkan lagu ciptaan sendiri. Penampilan mereka di atas panggung yang asal-asalan serta urakan, membuat penonton yang sering menyaksikan penampilan mereka menyebutnya band "Slengean" sejak saat itulah mereka memutuskan untuk mengubah namanya menjadi "SLANK". Beruntunglah Mas Bim2, karena tekad dan aktifitasnya di dunia musik didukung oleh kedua orang tuanya, dengan ikhlas mereka merelakan sebagian ruang di rumahnya di jalan Potlot/14 dijadikan tempat latihan sekaligus markas berkumpulnya kelompok"SLANK".

Pergantian personil menjadi suatu persoalan yang tidak terelakkan dalam perjalanan karir mereka, setelah sekian kali berganti, baru pada formasi ketiga belaslah Bim2 (drum), Bongky (bass), Pay (gitar), Indra (keyboard), Ka2 (vokal) akhirnya tekad dan keseriusan mereka di jalur musik membuahkan hasil. Setelah beberapa kali ditolak oleh produser musik yang meragukan kemampuan mereka, akhirnya salah satu personel mereka Indra mempertemukan "SLANK" dengan "Budi Sasoeti" seorang produser (yang sering memakai jasa ayah Indra yang bekerja sebagai seorang fotografer untuk pembuatan cover album yang diproduserinya). Setelah mendengarkan demo SLANK, Budi mempunyai keyakinan bahwa musik SLANK akan banyak digemari, Budi menilai bahwa aliran musik SLANK berbeda dari aliran musik lain, mereka berani memadukan aliran Pop, Rock n' Roll, Blues dan Etnik menjadi suatu aliran musik khas SLANK. Keyakinan Budi akhirnya terbukti album pertama SLANK SUIT..SUIT HE..HE... meledak di pasaran dengan hits single "Maafkan". Hal ini membuat SLANK mendapat penghargaan berupa BASF Award pada tahun 1991 sebagai pendatang baru terbaik.

Sejak saat itulah SLANK digemari dan dicintai penggemarnya di seluruh Nusantara. Kemudian mereka mengeluarkan beberapa album diantaranya:
Album ke-2 KAMPUNGAN-1991
Album ke-3 PISS-1993
Album ke-4 GENERASI BIRU-1994
Album ke-5 MINORITAS-1995

Walaupun sudah menyelesaikan album kelimanya SLANK harus kehilangan tiga personelnya Bongky, Indra, dan Pay (yang kini sukses dengan grup barunya BIP). Dengan 2 personelnya Bim2 dan Ka2 yang dibanyu 2additional music Ivanka (bass) dan Reynold (gitar) SLANK mencoba bertahan dengan melahirkan album ke-6 LAGI SEDIH tahun 1996 yang menunjukkan suasana hati mereka saat itu. Hingga akhirnya pada tahun 1996 SLANK kembali membentuk formasi barunya yang merupakan formasi ke-14. SLANK berhasil melahirkan beberapa album barunya:
Album ke-7 TUJUH-1997
Album ke-8 MATA HATI REFORMASI-1998
Album ke-9 999 09-1999 (Double album)
Album ke-10 VIRUS-2000
Album ke-11 SATU-SATU-2002
Album ke-12 ROAD TO PEACE-2003
Album ke-13 PLUR-2005
Album ke-14 SLANKISSME-2006
Album ke-15 SLOW BUT SURE-2007
Album ke-16 OST GET MARRIED-2008

SLANK adalah grup cinta damai dan pada kenyataanya SLANK tidak saja berhasil merebut hati penggemar, tapi SLANK juga telah berhasil membangkitkan semangat dan solidaritas dari sebuah generasi untuk punya sikap.

Readmore »»

Maroon 5 Biography


Sometimes Plan B can put Plan A to shame. Singer/guitarist Adam Levine, guitarist Jesse Carmichael, bass player Mickey Madden and drummer Ryan Dusick would second that emotion, seeing as how their first shot at the big time got them some rave notices, but not much else. Now, their second shot, in the form of neo-soul rock outfit Maroon 5, thanks to 2 songs, "Harder To Breathe" and "This Love", has the LA-based Maroon 5 looking like the Cinderella story for 2005.

Released as a single way back in the summer of 2002, seventeen months later "Harder To Breathe" hit #4 at top 40 radio. Over 500 live shows, including opening stints for John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Train, and Counting Crows, and now a consistent headline act in its own right, has helped to underscore a list of reasons why Maroon 5's debut CD, Songs About Jane, had already sold more than 3,000,000 records and gotten the guys on the Tonight Show twice, The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly and the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. The next single, "This Love" was #1 at top 40, VH1 and MTV, simultaneously! It was also the first song ever to be certified as a platinum download.

But perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves. What about Plan A?

Known as Kara's Flowers, Levine, Carmichael and Madden were the toast of their West LA high school (Dusick, who’d known Levine since they were nine and seven, respectively, had already graduated). Here they were, 17 years old and making a CD with legendary producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch). Life was grand.

This is where the good news ends. Following a disappointing run with their debut, The Fourth World, Kara's Flowers were granted their release from the label. Plan A had gone awry, leaving the quartet to consider their future. "We were like, Okay, what do we do now?" recalls Levine. "So we ran away to college to figure it out." Leaving Dusick and Madden behind to study at UCLA, Levine and Carmichael ran smack dab into Plan B in the dorms at the State University of New York.

"The halls would be blasting Gospel music and people would be listening to stuff that we’d never actually listened to, like Biggie Smalls, Missy Elliot and Jay-Z. The Aaliyah record had come out around then, and we were just blown away. When I think of songwriting, I think of The Beatles, Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the stuff that I grew up on, but then I was like, 'I want to do this.' Stevie Wonder came into my life at that point," Levine mentions, "and I just found a knack for doing it."

"I started singing differently," he told VH1, "and Jesse started playing keyboards; that's what changed it." When the duo hooked back up with Madden and Dusick in LA they were summarily reinvigorated by adding an R&B, groove-based tint to their explosive rock & roll. With the new musical frame-of-mind came a new name, Maroon 5, and a fifth member: guitarist James Valentine. "James came along right as we were deciding on the name," says Levine. "We clearly weren't Kara's Flowers anymore, with the addition of James and an entirely new approach to music. Also, if you name a band when you're 15, by the time you're 23 you're probably not gonna like it very much."

Fortified with a new attitude, a new sound and a new name, Maroon 5 quickly attracted attention from labels. Octone Records, a new independent label based in New York (Octone is a marketing co-venture partner of J Records/RCA Music Group), signed the group, and in 2001 Maroon 5 entered the studio with producer Matt Wallace (The Replacements, Faith No More, Blues Traveler). "I was all about making a hardcore, straight-up, funk R&B record," Levine remembers. "I have to give the people at Octone credit because they were really trying to push us to do this. Matt Wallace also thought we had so much chemistry as a rock & roll band that it would be a shame to lose that element. We went back and recorded live drums over loops, and wound up making more of a rock record, which I think makes it stand out way better."

The resulting album, Songs About Jane, was released in June 2002. Funky rhythms and classic soul melodies co-habiting with searing guitars and a powerful rock bottom end. On top of it all, Levine's expressive voice belts out tale after tale of an ex-girlfriend. You can probably guess her name.

"Harder To Breathe"” a powerhouse guitar workout, is ironically not a song about Jane. "There was a lot of pressure to write," Levine offers. "I just want to make music when I feel like making music, and when I feel forced it’s kind of frustrating. Granted, I don't have much to complain about, but I thought that I was done with the album. It turned out to be for the best because it pissed me off so much I wrote 'This Love' and 'Harder To Breathe', which are the first two songs on the record."

Readmore »»

Michael Learns To Rock Biography


The story about the Danish band MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK is a classic in the world of rock music. It is about four friends meeting in an orchestra, staying together in spite of all their troubles, becoming a success far beyond the Danish frontiers, and who are now, after three albums released and almost three million copies sold, facing the release of their GREATEST HITS album titled 'PAINT MY LOVE'.

In 1987, at a grammar school in the city of Århus, JASCHA RICHTER (b. 1963) formed a small café orchestra which included his sister and the two subsequent Michael musicians, drummer KÅRE WANSCHER (b. 1969) and guitarist MIKKEL LENTZ (b. 1968). Although younger than he, they had both listened to rock music at their mother's knees and had been playing with bands for years. Jascha played some of his demos to Kåre, and the two of them decided to start a band, based on Jascha's songs. Mikkel was an obvious third, but they could not seem to find a bass player. So Kåre asked his old pal, guitarist SØREN MADSEN (b. 1967) to play the bass in the first evening of practice. This temporary job became a permanent one. The chemistry worked from the start - and today the band holds the same four people that met in the practice room back in the spring of 1988.

Under the name MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK the quartet made its début at the event "Dansk Rock Grand Prix" that took place in rhus in May 1988. The band won the competition, and a few months later it registered for the then most prestigious musical competition in rhus. Michael Learns To Rock won convincingly at the finals in July 1988 and met on that occasion their future manager and booker JP ANDERSEN, promoter of one of the major festivals of Denmark. Over the next two years, through his efforts, the band gained access to numerous events in Denmark. They played in small and large clubs, at small festivals and in grammar schools. Soon MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK stretched their experience from large audiences in a rapture to very small ones. But first and foremost they learnt to play under all possible and impossible conditions - and particularly the latter produced a close friendship and a firmly constructed band.

After recording a comprehensive demo material and four songs for a promotional album for new artists, JENS HOFMAN, A&R and executive producer of the EMI Medley recording company initiated a close co-operation with both the band and JP Andersen. On 20 February 1989, this lead to signing the coveted recording contract. In the autumn of 1989 and the spring of 1990, MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK recorded their first album with Jens Hofman and OLI POULSEN as the producers. The American TONY PELUSO was brought over to Denmark to mix the eleven numbers, which on 1 September 1991 were released under the title "Michael Learns To Rock".

The first single "I Still Carry On" (released on 4 July 1991) broke the ice for MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK, who quickly became favourites of the air in Denmark. But after release of their second single and video "The Actor", MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK suddenly became a household word. On 3 January 1992 the first album topped the Danish charts, where it remained for the next five weeks. Now things got moving. "The Actor" topped the charts in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, and it was also released in Canada, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, and in several South American countries. At home in Denmark, the band had reached stardom at express speed, and it went on a tour playing to full houses until mid-August 1992. MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK became one of the main attractions at the "Green Concerts", Denmark's biggest mobile festival, where more than 200,000 audience heard the band. They performed on television in both Norway and Sweden, and MTV showed the video "The Actor" several times.

Readmore »»

Dragon Force Biography


Prepare yourself for a gripping, exhilarating ride on January 9th, 2006. On that date, DragonForce release their hotly awaited third album, ‘Inhuman Rampage’. The title is an apt summation of a devastating musical journey, an unstoppable force that the six-man group’s forthcoming tour of duty will leave devastated cities in its wake. Combing the primal force of power metal with hard-earned musical proficiency, old-school thrash and generous quantities of muscular melody in a unique style that they call ‘extreme power metal’, DragonForce have established themselves as THE heavy metal band of the past year.



The summer of 2005 saw them sharing festival stages with Iron Maiden, a sell-out headlining tour of the UK generating scenes of pandemonium. Intensive bouts of touring to accompany the band’s two albums to date – ‘Valley Of The Damned’ in January 2003 and the following year’s ‘Sonic Firestorm’ – has seen their fan-base escalate in quite dramatic terms. Meanwhile, the European metal press have swamped the band with almost universal reams of adulation. “DragonForce are getting bigger. Prepare for the onslaught,” Kerrang! warned. "DragonForce are as metal as f**k,” roared the UK’s Metal Hammer, “They’ll be enormous.” Writers and magazines from France, Greece, Finland, Sweden, Holland, Japan and many more wasted little time in falling under the band’s spell. Perhaps the best summation of all these accolades was Rock Hard (Germany)’s prediction that: “DragonForce could become the first British metal band in ages to reap respect from all over the world.”

Against all the odds, DragonForce have single-handedly revitalised power metal in their homeland of the UK, awarding credibility to a genre that till their arrival was regarded was little more than a joke.
Clearly, plenty rides on ‘Inhuman Rampage’. However, instead of resorting to panic and watering down the style of music that secured such a position of prominence, DragonForce have gone further over the top than ever before. The new album is faster, bolder and heavier – yet still as boldly stirring and distinctly hummable – as anything they’ve attempted so far.

“We’ve come up with the ultimate formula,” proudly declares Herman Li, one half of the band’s unstoppable guitar army. “Combining intensity, chaos and melody, with all the DragonForce trademarks, it’s something that’s never been done before. “For us, this is the next evolution in the DragonForce sound,” he continues. “I’ve never heard an album that sounds like ‘Inhuman Rampage’ – the title says it all! It's seriously gonna blow some heads off around the world during the next year.”



The eight-song album was recorded at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey and guitarist Herman Li's own studio in West London, some of its guitar sections recorded in hotel rooms while the band wound up the tour for ‘Sonic Firestorm’.
Track titles like ‘Through The Fire And Flames’, ‘Operation Ground And Pound’, ‘Revolution Deathsquad’ and ‘Storming The Burning Fields’ leave the listener in no doubt of DragonForce’s malicious intent, and more importantly their aversion to climbing the ladder of popularity by selling out. Winner of the Dimebag Darrell Best Young Guitarist award at Metal Hammer UK’s Golden Gods, Li and his six-string partner in crime Sam Totman have never sounded hungrier nor eager to prove their worth. From the start of each song to its exhausted finish, notes fly from all angles.
The album ends with its sole ballad, ‘The Trail Of Broken Hearts’, though as Totman quite rightly points out: “We still managed to squeeze three separate guitar solos in.”However, shredding for shredding’s sake has never been among the band’s intentions.Although keen to squeeze as many notes as possible into certain songs, this time the pair has experimented with various new textures and sounds.

“We wanted to keep things interesting, and there are sections of certain songs that will remind you of video games,” grins Hong Kong-born Li. “Many people will hear them and assume they were made by keyboards. That’s completely wrong. All those parts are done on the guitar.”

Which isn’t intended to under-value the superlative contribution of Vadim Pruzhanov, who co-wrote several of the album’s songs (including ‘Body Breakdown’), is credited along with Li and Totman as a co-producer and whose dazzling keyboard runs are as daring and provocative as anything performed on guitar frets. A Ukrainian by birth, Pruzhanov is fast becoming known for lengthy and insane solo excursions during the band’s live shows and has really come into his own on ‘Inhuman Rampage’. On the other hand, vocalist ZP Theart is already regarded as the glimmering pearl in DragonForce’s crown. Far too many European power metal acts are faced up by singers with the merest grasp of English diction. South African-born, Theart is the real deal – a stomping, roaring, beer-swilling frontman who fronts the band with passion and wit.



Alongside Li and Totman, Theart was a co-founder of DragonForce. The trio met in London in September 1999, using the name DragonHeart for their initial two years of existence. Quick to realise the possibilities of the internet, the band posted a set of demos at their website (www.dragonforce.com) and were rewarded not only by half a million downloads, but the interest of Sanctuary/Noise Records.

Early support UK spots with Halford and Stratovarius, plus the timely recruitment of a superior rhythm section moulded a professionalism to match their commitment, and before too long the group were placed on the launching pad of international success. The sextet toured Europe, South East Asia and the Far East to promote the debut album, and before too long, critics were queuing up to praise DragonForce’s fusion of modern melodic power metal, the energy of speed metal and the confident, in-your-face delivery of bands twice their age.

From day one, the band’s goal was to establish an identifiable style all of their own. To an outsider, the lyrics may seem to tell otherworldly tales of sword-wielding warriors occupying distant battlefield plains, but strip away the fantasy imagery and a message of modern-day positivity is right there beneath your nose. But most of all, DragonForce’s success is attributable to playing ability and perhaps their most under-played asset of all – a skill for composing ultra-memorable, rabble-rousing heavy metal anthems. ‘Inhuman Rampage’ offers indisputable proof.

DragonForce Line-up
ZP Theart – Lead and backing vocals
Herman Li – Lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals
Sam Totman – Lead and rhythm electric guitars, backing vocals
Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboards, Piano, backing vocals
Dave Mackintosh – Drums, backing vocals

Readmore »»

Avenged Sevenfold A7X Biography


It’s not always recognized in today’s “I want it all now” world, but patience is a virtue. And Huntington Beach, California rockers Avenged Sevenfold are being rewarded for remembering that golden rule. After releasing two highly successful albums on an indie label (Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and Waking The Fallen), the quintet is set to unleash its major label debut, City Of Evil, on Warner Bros. Records. City Of Evil, co-produced by Avenged Sevenfold, reunites the group with producer Mudrock (Waking The Fall).

“We’re at the point now where we’ve come into our own,” vocalist M. Shadows says of the ambitious City Of Evil, an 11-song collection that gives a middle finger to the idea of categorization, bridging the sonic guitar assault of Iron Maiden with the frenetic pace of Bad Religion and the musicianship of Dream Theater. “In Southern California you’re really brought up in the whole punk world. At the same time, we were growing up listening to Pantera, Megadeath, Metallica and Slayer records,” Shadows recalls. “So then you think, ‘I want to play in that kind of band, but I want to play in this kind of band.’ Then you pass that point and all of a sudden you’re just writing music and it comes out naturally. But that’s what happens cause of all the different influences we have. And we’re definitely not afraid to put anything in our songs if we think it calls for it.”

Yes, Avenged Sevenfold can rock, as the band recently did at a sold-out show at Hollywood’s Music Box Theater, where they turned the intensity of the new tunes up from 11 to about a 20, but these are musicians as well. However, as the group evidenced during the orchestral interlude in “The Wicked End,” a perfect metal moment live complemented by a boys choir and 14-piece string section, Avenged Sevenfold, in the tradition of Zeppelin, Queen, and Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” meld their intensity with a musical daring their hard rock forefathers would be proud of.

Those looking primarily for a cathartic release live, as so many of the kids moshing their brains out at the Music Box were, need only turn to the ferocious energy of “Bat Country,” a song written for Hunter S. Thompson about the band’s own adventures in Vegas, and the Maiden-esque guitar and Shadows’ perfect caterwaul of the line “city of evil” (where the album’s title stems from) in the opening “Beast & The Harlot.”

And while Avenged, whose influences range from Maiden, Pantera, and Guns ‘N’ Roses (Shadows calls Use Your Illusions 1 and 2 his favorite albums of all time) to Billy Joel, Queen, and Elvis Costello, may not be your typical hard rock band musically, they can hang with the best of them. Epic nights of late night fun have followed this band around the country, and it’s something all of the members freely acknowledge. They like to party, and they like to drink: and plenty. Additionally, and fitting with their chosen lifestyle, the members of Avenged could write the A7X equivalent of the Zagut guide to strip clubs in America.

“Strippers and bands have this bond,” Vengeance says. “They totally do. The band walks in and it’s like special treatment,” Shadows adds. So, what makes a good strip club? “I like strip clubs that are out of control,” he says, citing Vegas, New York and New Orleans (“It’s fucking Bourbon Street. It better be crazy,” he says) as home to some of the better establishments they’ve frequented.

Reflecting the complex personalities though that can lead a hard rock band to throw in a beautiful Flamenco guitar solo near the end of the new album’s savage “Sidewinder,” Avenged Sevenfold is far from just a party band, and it shows on City Of Evil. The album is bursting with displays of their virtuoso musicianship, from the intricate tempo changes of “Burn It Down” to the tender acoustic intro into a Spaghetti Western mixed with classical melody that provides the calm before the storm in the savage “Strength Of The World.”

The group has learned a great deal having spent the last three summers as part of the Warped tour. Shadows got some valuable advice from Fat Mike of NOFX, besides how to play Texas Hold ‘Em. “He’s like, ‘You know what, if you do this stuff long enough, you gotta fucking have fun. If you can’t have fun on tour then you’ll never last,’” Shadows recalls. “I think that’s a really important thing.”

Additionally, the quintet, which started on a Warped side stage, graduated to the second stage, and then made the move last year to main stage, a spot they’ll be returning to this year, learned a lot by the gradual progression. “We’ve seen bands that we started out with that got a little bit of a head start or an early break and they’re done. We’ve learned so much more doing it from the ground up. We’ve got so many more stories than other bands will have; so many more good times, bad times. It has made us stronger as a band too,” Vengeance says.

Hard work is what also accounts for the band’s fiercely loyal following, according to Shadows. “It’s rewarding ‘cause you know you have this really solid core fan base that has been through a lot and they believe in the band now as more than a band, it’s like a lifestyle,” he says. “If anything happens we don’t ever fall, it’s like they’re holding us up. We’re not on the radio, but everywhere we go we always have this rabid group of fans. We would’ve never had that if we had some lucky break and just jumped to the point we’re at now. I hope it gradually keeps going up. The slower you go the more I think it builds underneath you and we’re grateful for that. They can’t just get pulled out from underneath us. There’s nothing you can grab to pull; it’s fans that love that band. So, it’s very gratifying to be at this place now.”

Readmore »»

Secondhand Serenade Biography


Over the last few years, the music industry has evolved in a way which allows the common man with extraordinary talents, to rise above the sea of similarity, and stand on his own as the voice of a generation. A generation that is fueled by heart, emotion, passion and determination.

And that man has come to surface as Secondhand Serenade...

Born into a family of musicians, John Vesely has taken the gift he was instilled with, and shaped it into his own. With the help of his father, a professional jazz musician for over 20 years in the Czech Republic, he started getting into music around the age of 12. Playing bass for 8 years, he was a member of numerous Bay area bands ranging in style from ska and hardcore to rock and pop. But it wasn't until he picked up the acoustic guitar that he finally found his true calling. "I switched to guitar when I met my wife. She wanted me to play her a song, but I didn't have a band at the time and serenading her with a bass guitar was out of the question" Vesely said.

Once he began writing his own material, John scraped up the money for 8 days of studio time and went in to record the 10-track album, known as Awake in the summer of 2005. Armed with a superior vocal range, a mind blowing sense of harmony and heart wrenching lyrics, he was able to walk away with an acoustic album that would prove to be the groundwork for the start of his career. When it came time to chose a name, he decided to go with Secondhand Serenade in an attempt to stay away from the typical singer/songwriter image. "It's everything I would want in a band name and more. It basically sums up what I do. I write my songs about events and feelings that occur in my life, and I sing the songs to my wife. Everyone else gets the Secondhand Serenade."

While some artists may fear the rawness of playing with just an acoustic guitar, John welcomes the honesty it comes along with. He claims "In some ways a band is more powerful, but in other ways there are things you can do with one voice and one acoustic guitar that you couldn't do with an army of musicians behind you." It only seems right that an artist with this mentality begins to spread his wings.

With his eyes set on conquering a fan base, John put together a MySpace page and started playing out in his area. As the number of listeners at his shows began to grow, so did his on-line fan base... in a BIG way. In just a few months time, Secondhand Serenade would shoot to the #1 position of all unsigned bands on the widely popular site. Simultaneously, he would become the only unsigned act to have a CD in the top 100 alternative albums on itunes. While that seemed exciting enough, he also released a few demos on Yahoo! Launch, which would soon claim the #1 position as well, on the Adult Alternative station. This time, he was not beating out other unsigned acts, he was competing with the cream of the crop, and winning. Months would go by as Secondhand Serenade claimed the top of the chart over such names as John Mayer, Nickelback and Evanescence. Not used to seeing this kind of reaction, industry insiders began to wonder... was it actually possible for an unsigned, one man act, with nothing more than a self-produced acoustic album, and the help of no one but fans, to post numbers that were superior to artists on major labels? Artists with millions of dollars spent on promotions? For Secondhand Serenade, it was not only possible... it was reality.

As 2006 began to wind down, John's career was in full swing as he stepped to the next level. Having made the rounds to major labels in New York and Los Angeles, a deal was eventually signed with Glassnote Records, a brand new label started by respected industry veteran, Daniel Glass. As Glassnote's first official artist, the team immediately went to work mapping out the next year for Secondhand Serenade, along with the help of Warner/Independent Label Group.

2007 now looks to be an eventful year as well. With 2 new songs added to Awake, Glassnote/ILG released the album to retail on February 6th. In addition, a video was shot with Frank Borin (director for Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Eminem) for the song "Vulnerable," a fan favorite. This year will also provide Secondhand Serenade an opportunity to see his fans from all over the country. With shows already scheduled for SXSW and numerous other tours taking shape, John anticipates giving his audience from coast to coast, a firsthand experience. He will also see the studio again soon as another release is being planned for later in the year. Stay tuned... Secondhand Serenade is invading the hearts, minds and airwaves of the world.

Readmore »»

Jumat, 31 Juli 2009

Michael Jackson Biography


Good Bye King Of POP Rest In Peace

BIOGRAPHY on Michael Jacksonmichael jackson, biography, bio, history, 5, book, lyrics, pictures ,videos ,songs ,gallery , micheal, photo ,thriller, pics, dance moves
The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.

Readmore »»

Yngwie J. Malmsteen Biography


Yngwie J. Malmsteen arrived on the scene in 1983 when he emigrated to America from his native Sweden. Malmsteen created a style - an ear-searing blend of metal bombast and classical beauty that is one of the most immediately recognizable of ALL guitarists. He elevated classical chops to new heights, adding a definite European stamp both dark-sounding and blindingly fast.

"I've been exposed to classical music since I was five years old," says Yngwie, who was born in Stockholm on June 30, 1963. "My mother listened to Bach so much, and I grew to really love his music. Bach's chord progressions and melodies are the most beautiful things ever written.

"My family was very musical," he adds. "My sister played flute and piano and my brother played guitar, drums, piano, violin, and accordian. My father even played guitar."

Malmsteen maintains that his biggest classical influence is 19th-century violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini. "I was in my early teens the first time I heard his music," recalls Yngwie," and he's been my idol ever since. I got turned on to him through a Swedish TV show. A Russian violinist was playing some Paganini stuff on the program, and I freaked. I quickly put a portable tape recorder in front of the TV to get it on tape. When I found out later what the guy was playing, I went out and bought Paganiniâs "24 Caprices," which is my all-time favorite thing to listen to.

"Thatâs how I wanted to play guitar. He did with his instrument what few have ever come close to doing. He was a rock and roller-very wild and very extreme."

Yngwie's work overflows with classically influenced playing. His Grammy-nominated debut solo album, "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force," is regarded by many as the definitive document of neoclassical rock guitar.

"Those compositions ["Black Star" and "Far Beyond the Sun"] sort of sum up my style," says Yngwie. "There are fast runs, slow harmonies, and some really nice arpeggios in them. Those songs are like icons for me. I'll probably play them until the day I die."

Malmsteen first picked up a guitar on September 18, 1970-the day Jimi Hendrix died. "Hendrix did inspire me to play," Yngwie affirms, "but I was more influenced by his image than his music. He looked so cool and was a fantastic performer."

Says Yngwie: "I don't think anyone can actually teach someone how to play guitar. The desire should come from inside. Guitar is at a stage where one has to do oneâs own innovations. Playing electric guitar is not like playing classical violin, which has been around for hundreds of years. To play classical violin, one has to be taught the specific skills needed to perform that particular kind of music. Once you get past the basics needed to play guitar, the rest is up to you."

Guitarists with mind-boggling technique can be quite boring on stage, but Malmsteen impresses as well as entertains. He is always in constant motion, whether playing his Stratocaster with his teeth or twirling it around his body.

"When I play a song at rehearsals I often get bored with it," he admits. "But as soon as I get in front of an audience I'll get excited and everything comes alive. I'm not just playing for myself. I live for my audience-they're everything. It's the best feeling imaginable to go on stage and have the crowd love you. As long as there's an audience, I'll never lose the desire to play."

Readmore »»

Trivium Biography


There's no such thing as a band born to greatness. To succeed in the world of music there's a whole energy-sapping storm of hard work to plough through. Florida's Trivium has surely earned the major contender status that has been afforded them by the international media. After spending the last few years up to their necks in blood, sweat and tears, the formidable foursome, whose 2005 sophomore release (and Roadrunner debut) Ascendancy made them a hit with discerning music fans everywhere, have paid their dues. Relentless touring around the world with over 350 shows in the past two years has sharpened the band's live prowess, making their new album, The Crusade, one of the most hotly anticipated hard rock albums of 2006. The level of charisma and energy that they've harnessed since hitting the global gig circuit has built Matthew K. Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto and Travis Smith a huge international fan base that is as devoted as it is ever growing.

Formed in Orlando, Florida at the dawn of the 21st century, Trivium was soon picked up by small independent label Lifeforce Records, which released their debut album Ember To Inferno in 2003. One track from this album appeared on a magazine compilation CD, which fell into the lap of Roadrunner Records Senior VP of AnR Monte Conner (Slipknot, Sepultura) who immediately heard the potential in the band. "Monte heard the song, gave our manager a call," recounts the now 20-year-old Heafy. "Of course, we all know who Monte Conner is so we started freaking out. It felt like fate because every time I turned on the radio or the TV, there was a Roadrunner band playing. It felt like some kind of omen." To drive it home for Monte, the band recorded a new demo and shot a video for the song Like Light to the Flies" and sent them to him. "He almost immediately responded, saying 'This is what we're looking for. Let's do this!' It was pretty mind-blowing."

In March 2005 the band released Ascendancy a bold and dynamic statement of intent that confirmed the potency of these young men's precocious talents and charisma. The album garnered a large number of frothing, ultra-positive reviews throughout the music press around the world, including the NY Times, Stuff Magazine, Revolver, Decibel and Metal Hammer, Rock Sound and Kerrang! in the UK, who declared Ascendancy 2005's album of the year. Trivium soon graced the covers of a lot of these magazines and picked up a fistful of coveted awards in the UK, including 'Best International Newcomer' at the 2005 Kerrang! Awards ceremony and several Metal Hammer Golden God statuettes. Suddenly it seemed that the sky was the limit! "The UK just rocked, right off the bat," smiles Heafy. &quotIt all happened so quickly. The first show we had in Wolverhampton, we were the first of three bands. We took the stage to this huge Trivium chant, something we never experienced before. When we finished our set the whole room cleared out and people were running out to get our signatures. It was an amazing feeling. The next thing we know, we were given the offer to play at Download."

Globally renowned, the Download Festival takes place on the hallowed turf at Donington Park - one-time home of the legendary 'Monsters Of Rock' festival. Trivium were eager to make their mark in front of such a huge audience... "We were booked to play on the third stage, playing to maybe two or three thousand people," recalls Heafy. "Then they swapped us to the main stage. We were all really stoked, but I remember that at 10:59am there was no one there at all. 30 seconds after that, 40,000 people came swarming across the hill towards the stage. We were thinking 'What the fuck do we do now?' The next thing I know we've played the biggest show of our lives."

Trivium didn't slow down after that tremendous accomplishment. Instead they continued to traverse the globe seeking to spread their metallic gospel. Festivals and headlining shows around the world followed. They even returned to Download in June of 2006, this time as one of the festival's headliners. In the U.S. they were one of the headliners on the Sounds of the Underground Tour. Upon the release of The Crusade, the band will embark on their first U.S. headlining tour and later, be direct support to Iron Maiden on their world stadium tour. "The ride has been completely awesome," states Heafy. "

"Everything that's happened in America, everything that's happened in the UK, all that has allowed us to make an album like this," says Heafy. As we got to the end we realized we were making something really special. To me, The Crusade is still Trivium. As a band, you can either release the same album again, keeping the same number of people interested and not really branch out, or you can evolve. I feel that The Crusade is the next logical step in our evolution. We took one big step between the first two albums, but this time we've taken about ten huge leaps forward."

"Every album title has been a statement about the band and where we were at that time," furthers Heafy. "'Ember To Inferno' meant that we went from a spark to something special. Ascendancy was about the dream of domination and a gradual rise to success. The Crusade is literally what we've been doing for the last two years, crusading around the planet and getting our music out to everyone."

Recorded at Audiohammer Studio in Sanford, Florida, The Crusade is a faithful account of a great young band's swift and bewildering evolution, from up-and-comer to world-beating behemoth. With long-time engineer Jason Suecof at the controls sharing co-production credits with Trivium, the album is as distinctive and immense as any other metal record in recent memory. It is a dazzling explosion of neck-snapping riffs, grandiose scream-along choruses and outstanding musicianship from all four members of the band. Drummer Travis Smith underpins the sharp brutality of his band's songs with a startlingly dextrous percussive attack, all machine-gun kick drums and octopoid bursts of round-the-kit athleticism. Bassist Paolo Gregoletto reveals a hitherto unheard depth and maturity to his playing through the album as well his inspired note-heavy runs and earthshaking bottom end providing a devastating counterpoint to his band mates' deft compositions. Finally, both frontman Heafy and his six-string counterpart Corey Beaulieu have reached a new plateau of blurred-finger brilliance, with instantly memorable riffs and ear-searing fret-melting solos. Additionally, on the album, Heafy sounds more raw, aggressive and emotive than ever before.

From the opening future-thrash twin-blast of "Ignition" and "Detonation," with their anthemic refrains and blizzards of lacerating lead work, The Crusade is clearly a body of work that could raise the bar for rock bands around the world. There's the staggering, precocious &quotAnthem (We Are The Fire)," which blends the scathing thrash riffs of Megadeth with the infectious swagger of Motley Crue at their succinct best. The intricate, rumbling bludgeon of "Becoming The Dragon" has a pummelling, cyclical rhythmic drive and soaring, left-of-centre chorus. The doom-laden, emotion-stuffed "And Sadness Will Sear", reveals a new, darker, edgier side to Trivium's otherwise hook-laden chops. The deceptively accessible "The Rising" is a sumptuous hymn hewn from the juiciest licks that boasts a phenomenal crowd-rousing chorus... imploring the faithful to &amplsquoRaise your voices with me...and sing this song of unity!' This collection of gems culminates in the album's monumental, shape-shifting title track a nine-minute instrumental monstrosity that twists, turns and torments the listener with rapid-fire tempo shifts, immaculate musicianship and a thrilling sense of adventure. It's an obscenely brave and ambitious end to a glorious collection of songs that seems destined to cement Trivium's reputation as the heaviest, sharpest, smartest and hardest working band of their generation.

"We're four very determined people," concludes Matthew. "When I was 12 years old and got into metal, I wanted to be in a huge band. That will never change. We don't take anything for granted and will work hard to make that dream come true. And we've only just started."

Readmore »»

The Ramones Biography


In the mid-'70s the Ramones shaped the sound of punk rock in New York with simple, fast songs, deadpan lyrics, no solos, and an impenetrable wall of guitar chords. Twenty years later, with virtually all of their peers either retired or having moved on to forms other than punk, Joey and Johnny Ramone, the band's core, continued adamantly to parlay the same determinedly basic sound. The cultural importance of the Ramones became most apparent in 2001, when leader Joey Ramone was eulogized not only in the rock press but the New York Times and other general media.

The group formed in 1974 after the foursome graduated or left high school in Forest Hills, New York. The original lineup featured Joey on drums, Dee Dee sharing guitar with Johnny, and Tommy as manager, but they soon settled on their recording setup. Their name and pseudonym came via Paul McCartney, who had briefly called himself Paul Ramon back when the Beatles were the Silver Beatles. The Ramones gravitated toward the burgeoning scene at CBGB, where their 20-minute sets of rapid-fire, under-two-and-a-half-minute songs earned them a recording contract before any of their contemporaries except Patti Smith.

In 1976 Ramones was a definitive punk statement, with songs like “Beat on the Brat,” “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”- 14 of them, clocking in at under 30 minutes. The group traveled to England in 1976, giving the nascent British punk scene the same boost they had provided to New Yorkers. Before the year was out, Ramones Leave Home had been released. As throughout its career, the band toured almost incessantly.

With their next two singles, the group began to soften their sound slightly. “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and “Rockaway Beach” made explicit their debt to ’60s AM hit styles such as bubblegum and surf music, and both made the lower reaches of the Top 100. They were included on Rocket to Russia, which also contained their first ballad, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.” At this point Tommy quit the group, preferring his behind-the-scenes activity as coproducer, “disguised” as T. Erdelyi (his real name).

His replacement was Marc Bell, henceforth dubbed Marky Ramone. He was formerly one of Richard Hell’s Voidoids and before that a member of Dust, who recorded a pair of albums during the ’60s. His first LP with the Ramones, Road to Ruin, was their first to contain only 12 songs and their first to last longer than half an hour. Despite their glossiest production yet, featuring acoustic guitars and real solos, its two singles, “Don’t Come Close” and a version of the Searchers’ “Needles and Pins,” failed to capture a mass audience. Neither did their starring role in Roger Corman’s 1979 movie Rock ’n’ Roll High School.

As the 1980s began, the Ramones tried working with noted pop producers Phil Spector (End of the Century) and 10cc’s Graham Gouldman (Pleasant Dreams), but commercial success remained elusive. After Subterranean Jungle, Marky Ramone departed, to be replaced by ex-Velveteens Richard Beau. As Richie Ramone, the drummer played on four albums, before Marky returned in 1987. Too Tough to Die, with Eurythmic Dave Stewart producing the pop single “Howling at the Moon,” recaptured some of their ’70s energy, and “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” off Animal Boy offered cutting political satire. However, the remainder of the decade too often found them parodying their earlier strengths.

In 1989 the Ramones gained their widest exposure with the title track to the soundtrack for Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, but also underwent their most significant internal shift. Dee Dee departed, first to record, as Dee Dee King, a rap album, Standing in the Spotlight, and then to form the rock group Chinese Dragons. His post-Ramones career included publishing the autobiography Poisoned Heart: Surviving the Ramones and, in the late ’90s, playing with his wife, Barbara, and Marky Ramone in the Ramones spinoff unit, the Ramainz. A heroin addict and substance abuser for 14 years, Dee Dee had been the Ramones’ truest punk (going solo, he also joined AA); his departure signaled the end of an era, if not a style. AWOL from the marines at the time he enlisted in the band, C.J. Ramone infused youthful energy - he was 14 years younger than Joey and Johnny - but the band’s sound remained the same.

Mondo Bizarro, with a guest appearance by Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and songs that attacked both drugs and the PMRC’s Tipper Gore, ushered the band into the ’90s, their influence by then apparent in such rowdy outfits as Guns n’ Roses and the Beastie Boys. In 1994 they persevered with Acid Eaters, a tribute to ’60s idols like the Animals and Rolling Stones. With Joey sober since the start of the decade and Marky in recovery from alcoholism, they continued their relentless touring for two more years until their final show in August 1996. Marky formed Marky Ramone and the Intruders and has released two albums to date. Joey went on to manage the Independents, a horror-punk-ska band, to act in the indie film Final Rinse, and, in 1999, to coproduce a Ronnie Spector EP, She Talks to Rainbows. In 2001 he announced he had been diagnosed with lymphoma six years earlier and was undergoing treatment for the disease. He died that year. Little Steven Van Zandt presided over an all-star party on what would have been Joey’s 50th birthday, a month after his death. The U.S. Congress proclaimed May 19, 2001, Joey Ramone Day. After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March 2002, fellow Ramones Dee Dee and Johnny soon passed away; Dee Dee from a heroin overdose on June 5, 2002 and Johnny from prostate cancer on September 15, 2004.

Readmore »»

The Lemon Tree Biography


were one of a coterie of psychedelic pop groups who sprang up in Birmingham, England, in the mid- to late '60s. Like the Idle Race, the Nocturnes, and most of their Birmingham compatriots, their music was close in spirit to the Move, a cheerful, celebratory, and upbeat account of life in a world lit by a psychedelic glow. The group -- Mike Hopkins (guitar), Mick Taylor (vocals), Gary Wortley (organ), Derek Arnold (bass), and Keith Smart (drums) -- actually had a pretty good pedigree from the get-go; Hopkins was previously a member of Denny & the Diplomats with Denny Laine (in the latter's pre-Moody Blues days) and Smart played with Danny King & the Mayfair Set, whence Roy Wood and Trevor Burton cut their teeth before forming the Move. The latter group wasn't too far in body or spirit from the Lemon Tree -- the quintet was signed by Parlophone Records in 1968 and made their debut with "William Chaulker's Time Machine" b/w "I Can Touch a Rainbow," the A-side of which was written by Ace Kefford, who had just exited the Move, and produced by Kefford, Trevor Burton, and the Amen Corner's Andy Fairweather-Low. It failed to chart, and only Fairweather-Low was aboard for their second and final single, "It's So Nice to Come Home" b/w "Come on Girl," in 1969. After their breakup in 1969, Mike Hopkins moved on to the Idle Race while Smart passed through the final lineup of the Uglys, who transformed themselves into Balls and also played with Roy Wood's Wizzard and the '70s progressive rock outfit Mongrel before disappearing. "William Chaulker's Time Machine" has resurfaced on several '60s psychedelic compilations, including See for Miles Records' mid-'80s era Sixties Backbeat.

Readmore »»

The Cure Biography


It all started in 1976 as 'Easy Cure', formed by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) along with schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Lol Tolhurst (drums) and local guitar hero Porl Thompson. They began writing and demoing their own songs almost immediately, playing throughout 1977 in Southern England to an ever growing army of fans. In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, along with Porl, and an eager trio now known simply as The Cure were quickly signed to Chris Parry's new Fiction label.

In May 1979 their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released to great acclaim, and as the band toured extensively around the UK, the singles “Boys Don't Cry” and “Jumping Someone Else's Train” were released. Michael left the band at the end of the year, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) joined. In early 1980 the 4-piece Cure embarked on an exploration of the darker side of Robert's songwriting, and emerged with the minimalist classic Seventeen Seconds, along with their first bona-fide 'hit single' “A Forest.”

After an intense world tour Matthieu left the group, and in early 1981 the trio recorded an album of mournful atmospheric soundscapes entitled Faith, which included another successful single in “Primary.” The band then set out on a second global trek, named “The Picture Tour,” during which they released the non-album single “Charlotte Sometimes.” In 1982 The Cure went back into the studio, and their increasingly ugly fascination with despair and decay culminated in the unrelenting sonic attack of Pornography. An intensely volatile tour ensued, and the single “The Hanging Garden” was released just as Simon left the band.

After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by 'going pop' again. Rejuvenated, the now 2-piece Cure released their first real dance single, the cheesy “Let's Go To Bed,” and during the making of the accompanying video forged a colorful and lasting relationship with director Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of “The Walk,” followed by the demented cartoon jazz of “The Lovecats.” In 1984 The Top was released, a strange hallucinogenic mix, which contained the infectiously psychedelic single “The Caterpillar.” The world ‘Top Tour’ saw the band expand to a 5-piece, with the addition of Andy Anderson (drums) and Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of Porl Thompson (guitar).

The new Cure sound was captured live for the album Concert. Andy and Phil left soon after the end of the tour, and were replaced by Boris Williams (drums) and further returnee Simon Gallup (bass). This new incarnation started work on 1985's The Head On The Door with a very real sense of 'something happening'... The vibrant hit single “Inbetween Days” was followed up by “Close To Me,” and the ensuing world tour paved the way for the massive success of the singles collection Standing On A Beach in 1986. That summer saw the band headline the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, and a year of extensive gigs and festivals was crowned by Tim Pope's live concert film The Cure In Orange.

In 1987 The Cure brought out Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, an immense double album of extreme and extraordinary stylistic range, and with the arrival of Roger O'Donnell on keyboards the 6-piece Cure traveled the world with the 'Kissing Tour', enjoying 4 more hit singles along the way. The wonderfully atmospheric Disintegration was demoed in 1988 and released in 1989, and despite being a work of powerful brooding grandeur, it too gave rise to 4 hit singles. The awesome 'Prayer Tour' that followed, with the band back down to a 5-piece following the departure of Lol Tolhurst, included some of The Cure's best performances to date, and was captured live for the album Entreat.

In early 1990 Roger O'Donnell left the group, and was replaced by long-time band friend Perry Bamonte, just in time for a series of headlining European festival shows that included the band's second Glastonbury headline slot. The album Mixed Up was released, supported by the re-mixed singles “Never Enough,” “Close To Me” and “A Forest,” and in 1991 The Cure at last won some long overdue “home” recognition with a Brit Award for “Best British Group.”

In 1992 they produced Wish, a richly diverse multi-faceted guitar driven album hailed by some as their best work to date. It spawned 3 fabulous hit singles, and the glorious ‘Wish Tour' that followed was a worldwide sell-out. The sheer power of the shows inspired the release of two live works in 1993, Paris and Show. Immediately after the tour ended, guitarist Porl Thompson left the band again (this time with a smile!), and The Cure headlined the XFM 'Great Xpectations Show' in London's Finsbury Park as a 4-piece. The band also contributed '”Burn” to the film ‘The Crow’ and covered “Purple Haze” for the Hendrix tribute album 'Stone Free'.

In 1994 Boris Williams decided to move on, and in early 1995 Jason Cooper took up residency behind the drum kit, with Roger O'Donnell rejoining once more on keyboards. Work on the next album was interspersed with recording “Dredd Song” for the film ‘Judge Dredd’, a cover of Bowie's “Young Americans” for an XFM album, and headlining several major European festivals, including the 25th Glastonbury. Wild Mood Swings was released in 1996, and went straight into almost every top ten around the world. The Cure hit the road once more with 'The Swing Tour', their longest to date, and released 4 more singles.

Galore, the follow up singles and video compilation to Standing On A Beach, was released in 1997, after which work took place in 1998 on a variety of projects, including “More than This” for the ‘X Files’ album, and a memorable appearance by Robert in the TV cartoon show ‘South Park’! In 1999 the band completed the recording and mixing of what many regarded as their best studio album so far, the Grammy Nominated Bloodflowers. With it's release in 2000 the band set off on the massive world-wide ‘Dreamtour' - playing to more than a million people in 9 months.

2001 saw the long awaited release of the Cure's Greatest Hits album, which featured all the band's biggest selling singles along with 2 new songs, the elegiac “Cut Here” and the ebullient “Just Say Yes,” a duet with Saffron. This year also saw the end of the group's relationship with Fiction Records, the label they had been instrumental in starting 23 years before.

In 2002 the band spent the summer headlining a number of European Festivals before going into rehearsals for two very special nights in November at the Tempodrom Berlin, where they performed all the tracks from Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers plus encores! Both performances were shot in Hi-Def video on 12 cameras, and Trilogy DVD was released.

In 2003 as another chapter of The Cure story opened, the band signing a 3 album global deal with the Geffen label. 2004 saw the release of Join the Dots, a 4cd Box set compiled by Robert of all the B-sides and Rarities, followed by the widely acclaimed new album The Cure, co-produced with the renowned Ross Robinson. 3 singles, “The End Of The World”, “alt.end” and “Taking Off” all hit big, and another hugely successful world tour ensued, with the 23 date North American Curiosa Festival leg especially notable for seeing the band supported by a number of hand picked younger bands including Interpol, Mogwai, The Rapture and Muse. The year ended with an MTV Icon Award presented at a special televised London show.

In 2005 Perry Bamonte and Roger O’Donnell left the band and Porl Thompson joined for a third time. The quartet’s debut show was headlining Live 8 Paris, followed by a number of other summer European Festivals. The first four Cure albums (Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography) were re-released, with Robert providing 'rarities' for Deluxe Edition extras CD's, as part of an ongoing campaign to re-master and re-issue all the Cure albums. Immediately after closing a week of Teenage Cancer Trust Shows at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2006, the band started recording their 13th studio album, breaking off in June to allow Robert to work on a live DVD. In August the second set of re-releases (The Top, The Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me) was released, each album as a 2CD Deluxe Edition, along with 1983’s Glove album Blue Sunshine. In November Festival 2005, a 155 minute 5.1 DVD comprising a 30 song selection of live performances captured the previous summer by a mix of fans, crew and ‘on-the-night-big-screen cameras’, was put out.

Spring 2007 saw The Cure headline the Miami Ultra Music Festival before heading back into the studio to continue work on new songs. The 11 show Australasian leg of ‘The Cure 4Tour 2007-2008’ kicked off in July with a headline slot at the Fuji Rock Festival, the band’s first performance in Japan since 1984, before moving on through Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In October the band headlined the San Francisco Download Festival, before playing 3 wild nights in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes, followed by an outstanding performance at the MTV Latin America Awards.

In February 2008 The Cure kicked off the 23 date European leg of ‘The 4Tour’, and in May released “The Only One”, the first of 4 singles to be released every 13th of the month for 4 months. “Freakshow”, “Sleep When I’m Dead” and “The Perfect Boy” followed, and as the band continued ‘The 4Tour’ with a sell-out 27 date North American leg, all 4 singles reached #1 on the Billboard chart. Indeed, for one remarkable week in August, 4 Cure singles were in the USA Top 20 at the same time! In September the “Hypnagogic States” EP was released, featuring remixes of the first 4 singles by acclaimed younger artists Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Pete Wentz & Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Jade Puget (AFI) and 30 Seconds To Mars. 4Tour support band 65 Days Of Static joined in the fun, remixing all four singles as one track. All artist royalties from this EP were donated to the International Red Cross.

In a radical move the new album 4:13 Dream was performed in its 13 song entirety by The Cure 2 weeks prior to release at a live broadcast MTV event in the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome before an estimated crowd of 75,000 and a potential TV audience of 200 million. The reaction to the event has been awesome, with many fans already acclaiming this new Cure album as a bona fide classic…

Readmore »»

Black Dahlia Murder Biography


From the complete waste of earth that is Detroit, Michigan, comes The Black Dahlia Murder. A venomous melodic death metal outfit named after the brutal unsolved slaying of temptress Elizabeth Short. Drawing influence from forefathers such as At the Gates, Dissection and Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder has upped the speed and intensity of the style into a gore-soaked whirlwind all their own. They seeminglessly twist from destructively fast blast beats to beautiful and dark melodic textures, giving a soundtrack to the horror and insanity surrounding The Black Dahlia legacy. The only thing better than hearing this band on their new Lovelost Records debut EP is to catch them drawing blood in the live element. The stage presence of this band completely transcends the hair-swaying posing that this genre has become accustomed to, bringing an unbridled energy to such a widely sterile musical form. The Black Dahlia Murder are a band that is not to be missed, and once witnessed cannot be denied. Be on the lookout for The Black Dahlia Murder North American Tour this summer.

The Black Dahlia Murder
Brian Eschbach · Guitar
Cory Grady · Drums
David Lock · Bass
John Kempainen · Guitar
Trevor Strnad · Vocals

Readmore »»

The Bangles Biography


The saga of the Bangles begins back in 1980, when an add in the LA newspaper "The Recycler", lead Susanna Hoffs to the garage rocking Peterson sisters. It was December 9, 1980, just a day after the assasination of John Lennon, and Hoffs and the Peterson sisters had a lengthy discussion about the tragedy. They soon discovered that they had similar musical influences, from The Beatles to the Grass Roots to Mama's and the Papa's and more. One thing lead to another, and the trio decided to form a band. Debbi Peterson played drums, sister Vicki bass, and Susanna Hoffs handled the guitars. They all sang. Soon, they were gathering at each others houses with their instruments, favorite tapes, and writing utensils, writing and recording songs. In time, they recruited Annette Zalinskas to play bass and Vicki moved to lead guitar.

The addition of Annette to the lineup allowed the possiblilty of doing live shows. So they hit the club circut. They thought of a dozen names with which to call themselves. First they were "The Colours", then the "Supersonic Bangs", before they finally decided on the name, "Bangs." The Bangs played 1960s oriented indie music with lush and vibrant harmonies and tough, yet playful rock and roll. Soon, the patrons of the clubs were packing the chairs to see them.

The Bangs, along with other 1960s New Wavers such as the Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, and Hoodoo Gurus, became the core of a 1960s inspired rock revival critics were dubbing the "Paisely Underground."

A self recorded and produced 7" single, "Getting Out Of Hand" garnered the band some attention and even some radio airplay. (The single was released on their own label, Downkiddie Records.) It also landed the band in hot water when another group from New Jersey, also called The Bangs, threatened to sue over the use of the name. The band then changed its name to "The Bangles". By 1982, The Bangs were well known in the Los Angeles club scene. Talent scouts for IRS President Miles Copeland, who was instrumental in the breakthrough success of the Go-Go's, were out looking for new talent, and found it in the Bangles.

They were weary of his overtures at first. Says Vicki Peterson, "I was very defensive at first. I thought, 'Oh, here it is: he wants to make us the poor man's Go-Go's,' and I wasn't interested in that at all."

Ultimately, The Bangles decided to sign with Copeland. The band then recorded a five song Ep titled simply, "The Bangles" in May 1982 and were booked as the opening act for the British group, The English Beat. That this extended play release sold some 40,000 copies soon drew the attention of other, larger record labels.

In 1983, the Bangles plans for stardom were almost derailed when the IRS subsidary label, Faulty Products, the label that released the EP, went out of business and Annette Zalinskas decamped for the country-punk outfit, "Blood On The Saddle." This touched off a search for a new bassist. They found one in Michael Steele, who had the distinction, (or misfortune, as she believes) of being The Runaways original lead singer. She won the audition through answering Vicki Peterson's question, "Describe your dream band" with "The Yardbirds with Fairport Convention vocals."

Later that year, The Bangles signed with CBS (Columbia) Records. Teamed with producer David Kahne, the band started recording is major label debut.

"All Over The Place", was released in April of 1984. The album was a critics gem, bouyed by the band's competent songwriting, rough and ranchy guitars, and those always brilliant and lush harmonies. With so many great songs on the album, it was almost impossible to pick favorites. AOTP didn't burn up the charts, but it won favor with the college radio crowds. The singles, "Hero Takes A Fall" and "Going Down To Liverpool", won extensive airplay on college radio stations. The band backed this LP up with dates ranging from being club headliners to the opening act for Cyndi Lauper.

The Bangles raw edge was smoothed over slightly for their second album, "Different Light". David Kahne also produced this album, which catapulted the band into superstardom. The disc was sent to the top of the charts, assisted by the Prince-penned "Manic Monday", Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants", and the wacky, angular dance track, "Walk Like An Egyptian". All three were big hits, the latter reached #1 on the Billboard charts for a history making four weeks in a row. No other all-female band ever had that honor before. The band backed this album up with a sold out national tour. They also picked up several awards, including Single of The Year, Best MTV Video Performance, both for "Walk Like An Egyptian." They also were named Best International Artist at Brittan's own Music Awards.

In 1987, teamed with rap/heavy metal producer Rick Rubin, The Bangles recorded and co-produced and mixed a hard rocking cover of Simon & Garfunkle's "Hazy Shade Of Winter" for the soundtrack to the film "Less Than Zero." The song, released as a single on Rubin's Def Jam Label, became another huge hit - the song rocketed up the charts, settling in at #2 behind Tiffany's "Could Have Been". "We were all so surprised that it did so well," says Michael Steele. "We didn't expect it to be released as a single."

In between tours, Susanna Hoffs found the time to pursue her other interest: acting. She landed the lead role in the 1987 feature film, "The Allnighter." (The film was directed by her mother, award winning short film director and writer, Tamar Hoffs.) The movie was not a big box office draw, and failed to ignite a career in films for Hoffs. It did give Hoffs considerable publicity.


Following that 2 to three month interlude, The Bangles were back on tour for the summer of 1987. The tour was entitled the "Bitchn Summer Tour." The Bangles performed several songs off their first two albums, and also debuted four new songs, slated for their forthcoming new album. Michael Steele's "Happy Man Today", and early versions of "I'll Set You Free", "Be With You" and "Crash and Burn" were performed. The tour was a resounding success. Soon, the girls traded the stage for the confines of the recording studio.


In January 1988, the Bangles set out to record their third album. First, they had to make some changes. They fired producer David Kahne, saying that the producer pushed the band in musical directions they didn't want to go. In his place, they hired Davitt Sigerson, best known for making David & David's album "Boomtown" such a smash.

Before going into the studio, Vicki Peterson had vowed that the record would be more rock and roll, a return to roots. She told a reporter from "Rolling Stone" magazine, "I am perfectly willing to accept the fact that it won't be a hit."

So the band concentrated on writing and more writing. There would be no cover songs this time around. In October, the band's third album, "Everything", was released. The album featured a harder rock sound mixed in with more pure pop and blues numbers, an indication of the growing artistic differences within the band. All of the songs were written by the band members, though mostly in collaboration with outside writers rather than with each other.

Nonetheless, "Everything" almost did just that, following "Different Light" up the charts and producing two more big hits, the rocking "In Your Room" and a rare, orchestral ballad, "Eternal Flame", which went on to #1 on the Billboard charts and became the fifth biggest selling hit single for 1989. All the hidden tension and frustraitions came to a head during the Bangles' "Everything Everywhere Tour." The other Bangles were growing resentful of the "star treatment" given Susanna Hoffs by the media, the public, and by this time, the band's management and record label. This was doubly ironic because the band never had, or intended to have, one primary singer. The other members of the band saw their own contributions being overlooked. In addition, other pressures, including the girls inability to really communicate with one another, contributed to widely growing rifts in what was once a strong, unified friendship. Shortly after "Eternal Flame" hit #1, the Bangles decided to part ways with Miles Copeland's Fires

tars Management Company and signed with Stiffel-Phillips, a relatively new company out of Los Angeles. The switch came out of dissatisfaction with how Firestars was handling things, with the media and with the label. However, the management switch was not the quick remedy that everyone thought it was going to be. In the end, it made things worse and only lead to the inevitable...

While Miles Copeland had managed the Bangles as a band, more or less, Stiffel-Phillips was interested only in Susanna Hoffs as a solo artist. Weighed down by ever growing tension and alienation from each other, the Bangles abruptly cancelled the rest of their planned world tour. A fall/winter leg, and preparations for a possible new album and concert film were put on hold. At first it was believed that the time off would save the group from self destruction, but a month later, Susanna Hoffs and Michael Steele called a meeting of the band to announce that they were leaving the group. The Bangles were at the top of their game, but were shattered beyond repair.

Afterwards, the band issued a statement to the media, announcing that they were "going on haitus" after ten years together. However, the haitus soon became a more prolonged separation/divorce as band members moved into other projects.

"We were together nine years, you know," said Debbi Peterson in a 1992 radio interview. "We did all sorts of tours, and just done everything together, and it's just, you know, after a while it's time to move on. You just feel like - Ok I can't do this with these people anymore, I have to find myself."

Hoffs in particular seemed to want out for similar reasons.

"There was a quota system for every single thing we did," Susanna said in post-Bangles 1991 interview. "I thought it was really hurting the music, not to mention that it was very unappealing on an emotional level to work that way. It was like: "Your gonna make a record. You are gonna have three songs. And whose to say what impact your songs are going to have on everyone elses songs because everyone was very individualized in the way they were working. Compound that with all the tension that was going on and the stress everyone seemed to be experiencing because of all that since of compromise, it seemed that it wasn't worth it."

A "Greatist Hits" collection was released in May 1990. It contained all the Bangles hits plus three non album tracks. It sold well in the U.S., but broke sales records in Britain, charting in the UK Top 10 for an incredible 97 weeks and eventually becoming the #4 album in the country at that time.

In the meantime, while the other Bangles members have moved on to other projects, the four albums that the band recorded continue to sell well in catalog sales. In July 1994, "Different Light" was certified platinum four times over, the first of the Bangles' albums to reach that mark. Those four albums have also spun off at least 4 Best of Packages that have sold reasonably well. Those collections have featured special remixes, but no previously unreleased material.

In the years that followed, each Bangle continued on her own path. Susanna Hoffs would launch a solo career, and Vicki, Debbi and Michael would surface in many different bands over the years. During that time, they remained aquaintances. Every one in a while, a rumor would surface about an offer to get the group back together from some record company or charity group, but to one degree or another, the girls would not bite. However, as time progressed, these four friends gradually came back together, renewing their individual friendships as individual members started families. (By 1998, Susanna Hoffs and Debbi Peterson would become mothers.) The bonds of motherhood planted the seeds for what would follow:

In the fall of 1998, Susanna and Debbi took the first steps that lead to a Bangles reunion by getting together to work on songs - just to see what would happen. Those sessions worked so well, that Vicki Peterson later joined in the writing as well. This lead to talks about reforming The Bangles. This received a jump start when Mike Myers and Jay Roach (Susanna's husband, and film director of Austin Powers, and its sequel - as well as other films..) asked the three if they would write a song for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

This became the perfect opportunity to bring Michael Steele back onboard. Soon, the new song was written and the four Bangles were in the studio. Over a three day session, they recorded the song, "Get The Girl." The song was penned by Susanna, Debbi and Vicki and it recaptured the vintage 60s oriented vibe and sound that punctuated the Bangles early recordings. The track has been described as sounding like something off the "All Over The Place " album. (And what a great song it is!!)

The ease at which everyone came into the studio pushed thing one final step, and by September of 1999, the girls decided to reactivate the Bangles. They began writing more songs, and even put in an appearence at the Hollywood Bowl in which they sang six Beatles songs in a Beatles Tribute conducted by ledgendary producer, Sir George Martin. Scheduling around each others individual projects and lives, the girls continued to quietly collaborate on new songs. In July 2000, The Bangles formally announced their return with a September club tour, to be followed by a new album and a much larger tour next summer.

Readmore »»

Sum 41 Biography


Sum 41 Members:
# Deryck Whibley
# Dave Baksh
# Steve Jocz
# Jason McCaslin

Sum 41 Is Born
The crazy Canadian foursome from Ajax, Ontario all used to play in rival bands when they were in high school. They decided to join forces in 1996 and formed their own band made up of Deryck Whibley (Bizzy D) on vocals and guitar, Dave Baksh (Brown Sound) also on guitar and vocals, Steve Jocz (Stevo 32) on the drums and Jason McCaslin (Cone) on the bass. The band chose the name Sum 41 cuz they formed the band 41 days into the summer before grade 12.

Sum 41's Big Break
Sum 41 was able to snag a record deal with Island Records in December of 1999 after Sum 41 gave the record execs an EPK (electronic press kit) jam-packed with videos of their live high-energy performances and even mischievous footage of the guys doing drive-bys with a super-soaker water pistol. Sum 41 released their first EP, Half Hour of Power in 2000 and have since landed some great gigs touring with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Blink-182, The Offspring and Social Distortion.

Sum 41 - Did U Know?
# Before Jason "Cone" McCaslin joined Sum 41, he was an usher at a movie theatre.
# Jason McCaslin got the nickname "cone" in high school cuz he used to eat an icecream cone everyday at lunch.
# Steve Jocz is a vegetarian.

Readmore »»

Steve Lynch Biography


Stephen Lynch has enraged the witless and convulsed the enlightened…all in the sweetest tone of voice, with the most sensitive guitar picking on record since Gordon Lightfoot. He thinks of himself as a serious singer/songwriter and his inspirations, when he began playing guitar and writing songs, were people like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell.
"I've always admired people who can tell a story with a simple song," he explains. "You don't need much more than a guitar or a piano and a voice. That's what I've responded to, even when I was a kid. Even now, I like to think that both Joni and I are expressing some sort of truth -- hers might be just a little deeper, that's all."

In fact, while he was growing up in the suburbs of Saginaw, Michigan, Lynch showed no sign of eventually becoming the neo-folk bête noire. He was a regular sort, into sports for a while, always drawn to music, vaguely aware of the great comedians but not especially fascinated by them. His first dream was to act: In high school he did the usual productions -- Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof. He played some piano and every now and then tried to write a song -- none of them, at that point, a portent of impending derangement.

At Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo Lynch stayed on the acting track as a drama major. But at some point the door toward a life devoted to "sitting around the house, making my stoned friends laugh as hard as possible” cracked open. Maybe it was that time he saw Spinal Tap and came away a changed, if somewhat damaged, young man. It was there that he started to write songs.

"'Lullaby' was the first song I wrote where I felt like, 'Wow, I nailed it!' I don't want to say that people can relate to it -- actually, you kind of hope that nobody can relate to it. But it seemed to me that the style had become subtler. And I saw how to set a course at the beginning, turn ninety degrees, and then once you think you know what's going on, turn it around again. That's pretty much how I've worked ever since then."

Armed with 'Lullaby' and some other twisted material, Lynch hauled his guitar down to Catch A Rising Star for its weekly "Big, Bad Music Show." "I got a bigger response from those seven people in the audience than I'd gotten with other songs from a crowd of fifty. I went, 'Okay, now I know what I'm doing. I think I've got it from here."
Since that night in 1996 Lynch been writing prolifically, performing exhaustively -- at first around New York but within a few years on nightclub and college tours throughout America.

His radio appearances have become the stuff of legend ("He's radio gold," Greg Hughes, a.k.a. Opie of The Opie and Anthony Show, told The New York Times.) He blew the lid off of Comedy Central Presents in 2000 by racking up higher ratings than almost every other episode of the show. Then came the CDs: A Little Bit Special (2000), recorded in a Brooklyn basement, snatched up with no discernible promotion by thousands of fans, and labeled "an instant comedy classic" by CD-Now, and Superhero (2002), a pastiche of recordings made live at five different gigs around New York.

Which takes us to Live at the El Rey -- the first complete document of a "typical" Stephen Lynch performance. It's a bare stage -- stool, water -- and Lynch with his guitar. Put another way, Live at the El Rey grabs that door that Lynch pried open in college, rips it off its hinges, and pushes him through on his way to wider notoriety. It's packed with all the comic essentials -- herpes, abortion, creepy Catholic priests, all of it delivered with a pristine guitar style and a vocal range that manages to evoke both Jeff Buckley and "Stonehenge."

It's music. It's insane. It's a guy you wouldn't mind your sister dating … unless, of course, he’s…. (check out "Best Friend's Song"). Simply, it's Stephen Lynch. And he isn't going away.

Readmore »»