pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

While nothing is “new” per se with their (obvious) choice of theme (the one they always do), this trailer for the upcoming Fear Factory album, The Industrialist, actually made me a bit excited for the new album… especially the ramp up double kick drums at the last 20 seconds…

The new album comes out June 5th, 2012, and it marks the 2nd album since vocalist Burton C. Bell & guitarist Dino Cazares patched up their differences.  The new album also features Gene Hoglan on drums (the mega-monsterous drummer from Death, Testament, etc).

~Dan – np: Boards of Canada – High Scores EP

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of instrumental world/surf/film metal shape-shifters Secret Chiefs 3 for a long time and a fan of Los Angeles-based, Cambodian-pop-fusion band Dengue Fever for a handful of years as well.

SC3 and DF has their own connection.  Dengue Fever’s debut album in 2003 was on Web of Mimicry, the label that SC3 frontman Trey Spruance runs.  Their connection goes a little deeper still.  Dengue guitarist Zac Holtzman was in Dieselhed with Danny Hefietz (drummer for Mr. Bungle – another Trey Spruance band).  Danny is also back drumming with SC3 on this co-headlining West Coast tour.

For this tour, the bands have been switching off their order of performance.  I was able to catch both Oregon shows… for Eugene (Mon 2/6), DF played first and SC3 closed.  There was no opener, and Dengue Fever went on just before 8:30 at WOW Hall.  I have a couple of their earlier records, but never had the chance to see them live.  I dug it… pretty fun, and it looked like they were having fun on stage as well.

They played about an hour of Cambodian power pop.  Trey Spruance joined them on stage and played guitar and a wicked solo for their final number “1000 Years of a Tarantula”…

DF Eugene 2/6 Setlist: about an hour

• Genjer Genjer
• Seeing Hands
• New Year’s Eve
• Hold My Hips
• Tiger Phone Card
• Durian Dowry
• A Go Go
• Uku
• Pow Pow
• Sober Driver
• Only A Friend
• Cement Slippers
• 1000 Tears of a Tarantula [with Trey]
  No Encore

Secret Chiefs 3 came out at about 10pm, donned in long, dark hoods except for violinist/ guitarist Timb Harris dressed in more masked martial arts attire…

This was my third time seeing them, and it was definitely the tightest band I’ve witnessed.  They ripped through a blistering set of proggy, world metal.  The off-kilter timings, the meticulous instrumentation… all spot on.  “Bereshith” is a tune that I think I saw them start the 2007 NYC show with, and I thought it was “off” in NYC.  It’s a really odd number, from a timing perspective.  This time… they nailed it.

Probably the most strikingly different moment “live vs. studio” was the gorgeous intro/outro to “Exodus.”  The intro/outro on the Book of Horizons studio version is a lovely melody played on strings (Eyvind Kang on viola & Timb Harris on violin).  For this live setting, Timb put down his violin and played it on trumpet.  I looooooove trumpet… and this melody on trumpet about made me swoon…

SC3 Eugene 2/6 Setlist: about 80 mins

• Radar (The Day the Earth Stood Still) [Bernard Herrmann]
  
• Zombievision
• Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
• Balance of the 19
• Fast
• Bereshith
• RFID Slaverider / Agenda 21 / Codex Alimentarius (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini Medley)
• Sophia’s Theme
• Vajra (Rat Puriya)
• Combat for the Angel
• Tistriya
• Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
• Saptarshi
• Encore: Hurqalya

For Portland (Tues 2/7), I showed up at Dante’s right around 8pm, and the first band wasn’t going on until closer to 8:45.  It was U SCO, who I had never heard of before; so I walked to the near-ish Deschutes Pub and had one of the last pours of their Jubel Kriek (their Jubel Ale aged 25 months in a barrel on cherries and with Brettanomyces).  They blew their 2nd (and last) 1/6 BBL keg shortly after I ordered.  Mmmm… sour beer… after that, I skedaddled back just in time to catch U SCO’s bitchin’ set.

U SCO were helmed by guitarist Ryan A. Miller, who I had just seen a week prior in Eugene opening for a solo bass show from Trevor Dunn (a former Trey Spruance band member as well).  Small musical world in a quite vast musical sea.  Crazy.  Anyway, U SCO was a shredding, avant-garde jazz-metal band – to the best of my descriptions.  They’re a three piece made up of Ryan on guitars, Jon Scheid on bass, and Phil Cleary on drums.  They also had a guest saxophonist for some songs.  They’re from Portland; so I hope I’ll get a chance to see them again.  Definitely!

SC3 started setting up right afterwards and hit the stage about 9:45pm… of core of their setlist was the same, but they did throw in a few new ones: “The 15,” “The 4” and “Zulfikar.”

They ripped through a great set once again.  They’re such a tight band on this tour – quite stunning.  Even when Trey kicked his cord out for about 5-10 seconds during “Halloween,” they didn’t miss a beat.  And, once again, Timb’s trumpet intro/outro for “Exodus“… swoon…

SC3 Portland 2/7 Setlist: about 70 mins

• Bereshith
• Radar (The Day the Earth Stood Still) [Bernard Herrmann]
• Zombievision
• Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
• The 15
• The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
• RFID Slaverider / Agenda 21 / Codex Alimentarius (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini Medley)
• Vajra (Rat Puriya)
• Zulfikar
• Tistriya
• Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
• Saptarshi
  No Encore

The one gripe with the Portland show… the lighting was pretty poorly matched.  They didn’t turn the house lights down until nearing the end of SC3′s first song.  Also, the lights in general were behind the band, and they were still too bright if you ask me.  For some bands, that’s probably good… but with the Chiefs, the air of mystery and cloaks in darkness adds to the allure of the live show.  Don’t get me wrong, it was still an amazing show.  I’m just glad I got to catch it in Eugene, too.

I had a long drive home and work in the morning; so I sadly bailed on Dengue Fever’s closing set in Portland.  I’m sure it was groovy like the Eugene show.  Sorry, but my body thanks me for getting home at 1am instead of 2:30am!

The tour wraps this weekend… but stick around, SC3 are bound to kick something off later in 2012.  More 7″ vinyls?  More touring?  The long-awaited Book of Souls?  A Chinese Democracy cover album?

If you missed the tour, I’d HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking out their new schwag… including the new SC3 Traditionalists Le Chanson de Jacky / The Western Exile 7″ split (featuring Trey’s fellow Mr. Bungle band-mate Mike Patton on “Jacky”), the 12″ re-releases of First and Second Grand Constitution & Bylaws, and three bitchin’-design new t-shirts.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Secret Chiefs 3 / Web of Mimicry Record Label Site
• Secret Chiefs 3′s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Dengue Fever’s Site
• Dengue Fever’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• U SCO’s Site / Facebook / Bandcamp
• My Other Related Reviews~
  • SC3 @ Doug Fir (Portland – Aug 2008)
  • SC3 @ Bowery (NYC – Mar 2007)
  • (Timb’s old band) Estradasphere @ 2nd Story (Bloomington, IN – Oct 2006)
  • (U SCO guitarist) Ryan Miller/Trevor Dunn @ The Goat (Eugene – Jan 2012)
• WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
• Dante’s Site / Facebook / Twitter

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… most likely the David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) house show in Portland on 2/15, unless something pops up before then.

~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works XIII: Invitation to a Suicide

SECRET CHIEFS 3 & DENGUE FEVER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

SC3 & DF 2012 West Coast Tour Dates

• Jan 24 – Denver CO – Bluebird Theatre
• Jan 25 – Santa Fe NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company
• Jan 26 – Phoenix AZ – Crescent Ballroom
• Jan 27 – Los Angeles CA – El Rey Theatre
• Jan 28 – Santa Ana CA – Constellation Room
• Jan 29 – San Diego CA – The Casbah
• Jan 31 – San Luis Obispo CA – Club SLO Brew
• Feb 1 – Santa Cruz CA – Moe’s Alley
• Feb 2 – San Francisco CA – Great American Music Hall
• Feb 3 – San Francisco CA – Slim’s
• Feb 4 – Sacramento CA – Harlow’s
• Feb 6 – Eugene OR – WOW Hall
• Feb 7 – Portland OR – Dante’s
• Feb 8 – Seattle WA – Neumos
• Feb 9 – Bellingham WA – The Wild Buffalo
• Feb 10 – Vancouver BC – Rickshaw Theatre

Due to my schedule, I won’t be able to edit photos until Wednesday night, but I should have my Secret Chiefs 3 / Dengue Fever post covering both the 2/6 Eugene WOW Hall show and the 2/7 Portland Dante’s show posted on Thursday morning.  Here’s a teaser from Eugene…

2/6/12 Eugene Setlists:

2/7/12 Portland Setlist (SC3 only):

Bereshith
Radar
Zombievision
Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
The 15
The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
Medley (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini)
Vajra (Rat Puriya)
Zulfikar
Tistriya
Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
Saptarshi
no encore

Check back Thursday morning for more photos…

~Dan – np: MadLove – White With Foam

Napalm Death’s forthcoming album Utilitarian includes an appearance from John Zorn on track “Everyday Pox“. This isn’t the first time Zorn has appeared with Napalm Death – Mick Harris was the drummer in Zorn’s Painkiller trio (with Bill Laswell) and a split 7″ flexidisc was released in 1990.  Utilitarian comes out February 28, 2012, and is up for pre-order now.

~Dan – np: Zakarya – 413A

OSI’s fourth album finally has a name, a cover image, a tracklist and more… the press release from Metal Blade is below…

Fire Make Thunder marks the fourth undertaking for the collaborative duo known as OSI. Formed in 2002 by Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, former Dream Theater keyboardist), OSI is a long distance partnership, both musicians typically writing and recording alone and sending song ideas back and forth for further elaboration. Written and recorded throughout most of 2011, this latest release once again reflects the eclectic influences of both Matheos and Moore.

Fire Make Thunder is slated for a March 27th release via Metal Blade Records. Today OSI unveils the artwork and the tracklisting for their fourth release.

Track listing:
1) Cold Call
2) Guards
3) Indian Curse
4) Enemy Prayer
5) Wind Won’t Howl
6) Big Chief II
7) For Nothing
8) Invisible Men

Additionally, OSI has released an exclusive audio medley from Fire Make Thunder, which features audio samples from the upcoming release. The medley as well as pre-order opportunities can be accessed HERE (Pacificlectic NOTE: they have the CD for a really great price or a shirt/CD combo).  it’s also available for pre-order on Amazon.

Returning as the band’s session drummer is Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree, this time co-writing one of the tracks with the band. All other instruments and programming were performed by both Matheos and Moore, while vocals and lyrics were handled exclusively by Moore.

All of the recording for Fire Make Thunder, with the exception of drums, was done by Moore and Matheos at each musician’s respective home studio with drums being recorded at Harrison’s home in London. Final overdubs as well as some additional writing/arranging was completed in July 2011 in Jamaica, Iowa, where the band mixed alongside engineer Matt Sepanic at Sound Farm Studio and Recording Environment. Mastering was handled by renowned engineer Roger Siebel. The record was produced by both Moore and Matheos.

We reached out to OSI for comments on the album. Our calls have not been returned.

1/24 Update from Twitter re a vinyl edition (in Europe… which I’ll totally spring for on the shipping):

@Jonopuppy There are plans in the works for a limited vinyl release in Europe. Don't know the release date yet though.

—
OSI (@osi_band) January 25, 2012

For More Information Please Visit:
http://www.osiband.com
http://www.metalblade.com/osi
http://twitter.com/osi_band
https://www.facebook.com/pages/OSI/203893353038854
http://www.youtube.com/osivideos
https://plus.google.com/101327182573580737209
http://www.myspace.com/osiband

~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All

All of this should be available on the upcoming Secret Chiefs 3 West Coast (USA) Tour (dates below), but you can also now order them online…

NEW MERCH FOR 2012 FROM SECRET CHIEFS 3

WOM042 – Traditionalists: Le Chanson de Jacky / The Western Exile Exile 7″

La Chanson de Jacky

In 1965 Jacques Brel wrote and recorded a fiery three verse chanson exploding with the anxiety, bravado and panic faced by someone stretched to a midpoint  across the abyss — to find oneself suspended between mediocrity and genius, villainy and heroism, doom and eternity, etc. In 1967 the nearly equally inimitable Scott Walker brilliantly re-interpreted Brel’s Chanson in English, to equal parts controversy and acclaim in the Anglosphere. In 2012, both versions of the tune have collided in an Anglo-Franco alliance, revealing perhaps an ever-implicit third dimension. It’s a stunt simultaneously ill-advised and absolutely necessary for a band like Secret Chiefs 3: Traditionalists to undertake — and one that could only be pulled off with someone uniquely qualified to take command of the vocals. Who other than the maestro Mike Patton, in this day and age, to do justice (and then some) without insult to such a preposterously Spartan legacy?

The Western Exile

One of the main themes from Secret Chiefs 3′s 2004 album “Book of Horizons” receives a more spaghetti-seasoned marination in the crimson blood-soaked cemeteries of occidental exile. Not a chump re-mix, this is an entirely new thunderhead-evoking arrangement and recording, back-dated with a few more horsemen of the Apocalypse casting shadows over the Cowboys and Indians for cinematic effect. Already a well-proportioned auditory and philosophical compliment to its flipside, this recording is also one of the precious few Secret Chiefs 3 recordings graced with the voice and viola of Anonymous 13.

Read more about the 7″ and purchase here.

Also available: three new Secret Chiefs 3 t-shirts:

Secret Chiefs 3 also available on 12″ vinyl  (US customers only)

Secret Chiefs 3: First Grand Constitution & Bylaws 12″ vinyl

Secret Chiefs 3: Second Grand Constitution & Bylaws: Hurqalya

2012 West Coast Tour Dates

• Jan 24 – Denver CO – Bluebird Theatre
• Jan 25 – Santa Fe NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company
• Jan 26 – Phoenix AZ – Crescent Ballroom
• Jan 27 – Los Angeles CA – El Rey Theatre
• Jan 28 – Santa Ana CA – Constellation Room
• Jan 29 – San Diego CA – The Casbah
• Jan 31 – San Luis Obispo CA – Club SLO Brew
• Feb 1 – Santa Cruz CA – Moe’s Alley
• Feb 2 – San Francisco CA – Great American Music Hall
• Feb 3 – San Francisco CA – Slim’s
• Feb 4 – Sacramento CA – Harlow’s
• Feb 6 – Eugene OR – WOW Hall
• Feb 7 – Portland OR – Dante’s
• Feb 8 – Seattle WA – Neumos
• Feb 9 – Bellingham WA – The Wild Buffalo
• Feb 10 – Vancouver BC – Rickshaw Theatre

~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All

New on osiband.com…

Is it the cover for the 4th album?  OSI responded on twitter with…

Actually, <*--redacted--*>. Hope that clears things up. RT @pacificlectic: Is this OSI's 4th album cover? wp.me/pfu9K-2yQ

—
OSI (@osi_band) January 13, 2012

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.  It comes out on Metal Blade soon (last we heard was March 2012).  O.S.I. is Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, ex-Dream Theater) and Jim Matheos (Fates Warning).

This in from the Mooreatorium…

OSI guitarist Jim Matheos revealed some details on OSI’s upcoming fourth studio album in an interview posted today by the music website Hit Channel. In the interview, which was conducted on Jan. 2, Matheos revealed that Metal Blade Records was expected to release a press this week about the album, along with audio samples, song titles and pictures. He also said that there are no guest musicians on the upcoming album and that the band is considering the possibilities of live shows sometime this year.

“You know it’s coming out in March and there is supposed to be a press release coming from Metal Blade next week and basically they asked me not to tell anything about it before the press release because I guess they want to get all the attention when it comes out,” Matheos said. “Kevin and I are really happy with it, but that’s all I can say. There will be a bunch of information released next week as far as titles, pictures and some samples coming out next week on OSI website and on Metal Blade as well.”

Regarding the use of guest musicians, Matheos said: “Not in this one. We decided for this one that Kevin and I we’re gonna take care of everything, except for the drums that neither of us can do. It just turned out that way, we felt comfortable with the material that we were writing and he felt comfortable with all the vocals. You know a lot of times in the past we liked some of the songs that Kevin didn’t felt comfortable doing lyrics and vocals for them for whatever reason so we brought a guest vocalist here and there. For this one it didn’t work out that way so it’s just Kevin, Gavin and I.”

Regarding the possibility of an OSI tour, Matheos said: “You know it’s like the Arch/Matheos thing. It’s hard to put together. We’re talking about it, we may do a couple of shows this year but we’ve talked about it in the past also and has never happened so far and I can’t make promises. I will do everything I can to do it cause I think it will be a great show.”

Full interview link: interview-jim-matheos-fates-warning-osi-arch-matheos

~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Uncle Meat

Update 1/10: streaming song “Plan B” (below).

From the Kevin Moore news website, The Mooreatorium…

Experimental rockers In Progress revealed the cover artwork today for their upcoming EP, titled North Atlantic Echoes, which features Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, O.S.I., ex-Dream Theater) on three tracks.  The artwork was done by Sweden-based artist Alessandro Falca, who handled the artwork duties for Moore’s Shine album in late 2010.

“Kevin introduced us to [Alessandro] after Jake [Rosenberg] and I expressed our appreciation of it,” said band member John Dillon of Falca’s work on Shine.  “Alessandro worked closely with us on the art direction, and Jake and I are really excited with the end result.  Just as cool as the cover is the artwork on the interior of the package and the disc itself, which you’ll just have to wait to see when the record starts coming off the presses!”

For more information on In Progress, visit their Facebook page.
For more information on Falca, visit his company website.

“Burn It Down“: temporarily removed from SoundCloud by InProgress

“Plan B” (demo) featuring Kevin Moore on vocals: downloadable, too

This and the 4th O.S.I. album out soon on Metal Blade.  It’s going to be a Kevin Moore-tastic year!

~Dan – np: Year of the Rabbit – Year of the Rabbit

Chevelle’s new album, Hats Off to the Bull, is a hard rock masterpiece.  The video for “Face to the Floor” was released yesterday…

~Dan – np: Various Artists – Pacificlectic 2011 Mix (free)

Made by Mark Hall-Patch. Maybe some of these “musicians” would get a little more street cred with some evil band logos.

~Dan – np: The Roots – Undun

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM

A 6 week tour from Puscifer with no Oregon date?  Well, pack up and drive to Seattle is what I’ll do!  Seeing as Conditions of My Parole is vying quite strongly for one of my favorite albums of 2011 (and a marked improvement on Puscifer’s already strong work previously), I wasn’t going to miss this one.

This was only my second time to the Paramount Theatre (first time was for Spinal Tap Unwigged in 2009).  It’s a really gorgeous venue.

I opted for the “VIP” plan; so 99 other rabids & I got to see a special “VIP Soundcheck” performance… stripped down acoustic on both songs – “The Chain” [Fleetwood Mac] and the personal favorite “The Humbling River” (with Carina Round on banjo).  Maynard flubbed the lyrics slightly to the Fleetwood Mac song and joked about needing to google the lyrics later.  After their short warm-up, Maynard talked about what they were trying to do with Puscifer – small, indie, sustainable.  He joked about that with their small distributor that “even Hot Topics won’t take their call.”  He thanked us for our support and then they left…

Also, being a sucker for Maynard, I also opted for the wine tasting session… For those not in the know, Maynard is an artist.  He started with Tool.  Branched out with Billy Howerdel on A Perfect Circle.  But then he found his creative juices flowing with his boutique Caduceus Cellars / Merkin Vineyards in Jerome, Arizona.  He makes fantastic wine with Eric Glomski and much help from his local friends… I’ve nabbed a few bottles in Ohio when I lived there, had some tastings at the 1st night Nov 2009 Puscifer show in Portland, and finally was able to direct order some at a local bottle shop in Eugene, Oregon (thanks, 16 Tons!).

Last night, we had the Merkin Vineyards’ The Diddler (2010) & Chupacabra (2010) and the Caduceus Cellars’ Sancha (2009).  The Diddler was a nice white, primarily California Viognier, Arizona Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay/Malvasia Blanca blend.  It was floral aromatic and a sweet in the nose, dry with a little sweet on the tongue.  I’ve had the Chupacabra before (2005 & 2006).  As a shape-shifter, it changes with each vintage.  The 2010 had caramel and toffee on the nose.  It was a deep, rich Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah blend with all California grapes.  The final wine was special, the 2009 Sancha was a gorgeous all Arizona grape Tempranillo blend (with Garnacha).  Dark, deep fruity nose, slightly chalky tannins (thanks to the host for pointing out chalkiness in some tannins).  I love Tempranillo!  Maynard came up to the room we were in near the end of the tasting and flashed us the peace sign and said “thanks.”  Much less interaction than two years ago, but he’s a busy guy.

“Drink responsibly… even at a rock show!”
-Puscifer road manager

I missed the front end of Carina Round’s opening set due to wine tasting and needing to run to my car to get my camera.  Her short (30 minute?) set struck me as a singer-songwriter turned rocker.  I like her sound, and I have enjoyed some of her singles in the past.  Her latest is the 2009 EP – Things You Should Know.  She also has a new exclusive video for “The Last Time” on AOL Music.  Despite her shortish set, I knew we’d see her shortly, as she’s in the band…

The Puscifer show started shortly after Carina left the stage with the VH1 Behind the Music-esque videos chronicling the honky-tonk performers struggles in life and love and incarceration.  The odd things about the stage set-up was that… there was no stage set-up.  The stage was completely empty when the show-proper started.  At around 9pm, out came a small silver-bullet camper that housed some campfire chairs, tables, and some band members.  Maynard moved the camper into place while talking to us about sustainability and the tour.

Puscifer shows in the past had some complex set design & changes, but the set for this tour was fairly steadily a campfire scene – with of course, an audacious light and video show at times.  The juxtaposition of simple and complex, like Maynard’s nature, was also similar to the juxtaposition of melodic and heavy.  The set was pretty much the entire Conditions album, with some V is for… and C is for… songs thrown in, too.  No skits, some videos (Meats Meier’s and others), no over the top costuming, just a focus on the great music!

Setlist: about 90 minutes

• Maynard Monologue while setting up camper/stage
• The Green Valley
• Tiny Monsters
• Vagina Mine
• Dozo
• Toma
• The Rapture (Fear is a Mind Killa Mix)
• The Weaver
• Rev 22:20 [Carina Round on lead vocals]
• Polar Bear
• Indigo Children [2011 Mix]
• Oceans
• Monsoons
• Horizons
• Conditions of My Parole
• Man Overboard
• Telling Ghosts
• The Undertaker
• Tumbleweed
• No Encore

Conditions of My Parole is a brilliant record; so I think you should go buy it if you haven’t yet.  It’s at the top of my pile for 2011 releases (by far).

The 1st night of tour had very minimal hiccups (if any).  Check it out, if you happen to be in the markets they’re hitting on this leg (see dates below).  I was able to shoot the 3rd & 4th songs; so check back for my photos once I have time to get home and edit them.

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Puscifer’s Site
• Caduceus Cellars (Maynard’s wines)
• Puscifer’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Carina Round’s Site
• Carina Round’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
• Gene Shilling’s photos from the 11/19 Detroit show
• My Other Related Reviews~
  • Puscifer Night #1 w/ wine tasting (Portland – Nov 2009)
  • Puscifer Night #2 (Portland – Nov 2009)
  • A Perfect Circle (Portland – June 2011)
• STG/Paramount Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter

Check out more tour dates below the photos.

Next shows for me… a three-day run by Peter Mulvey (11/10 @ Sam Bonds in Eugene, 11/11 @ private house concert in Creswell, 11/12 @ Majestic in Corvallis).

~Dan – np: dredg – Chuckles and Mr Squeezy

PUSCIFER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Puscifer Fall 2011 Tour Dates

• 11/7 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
• 11/9 Salt Lake City, UT Capitol Theatre
• 11/10 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
• 11/12 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
• 11/14 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
• 11/15 Chicago, IL Cadillac Palace Theatre
• 11/17 Cleveland, OH Lakewood Civic Auditorium
• 11/18 Toronto, ON Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
• 11/19 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
• 11/22 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
• 11/23 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
• 11/25 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Academy of Music
• 11/26 Washington, DC Lisner Auditorium
• 11/27 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
• 11/29 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
• 11/30 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
• 12/2 Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre
• 12/3 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre
  
• 12/6 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
• 12/7 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
  
• 12/9 Mesa, AZ Ikeda Theater (previously listed as Phoenix)
  
• 12/10 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl

This tour was primed to be a Swedish metal onslaught… combine the dire, bleak sound from opener Katatonia with the melodic, progressive power of Opeth, and you have a tour combo made in Heav… um… Hades…

Katatonia played about an hour… I was jonesin’ for some thrash, and was initially disappointed by their slower, doom metal sound.  It grew on me by the end, but knowing that Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt wasn’t breaking out the growls for this Heritage tour, I felt a little slighted…

Well, that, and the mix-up in the “photo pass situation“… all I was able to get was a few iPhone shots of Opeth.

Opeth went on around 9:45pm and led off with the opening song from their latest album, Heritage.  Mikael’s lyrics are almost always poetic, but sometimes straight to the point as with “The Devil’s Orchard” and its Nietzschesque anthemic chorus “God is dead, God is dead.”

Mikael toyed with us several times… the first being the first non-Heritage song… “this one is from Still Life…” and then they play probably the only slow song on Still Life – “Face of Melinda.”

Oh, the crowd, ever wanting them to bust out into the heavy stuff – the band, ever restrained.

Mikael joked with crowd a bit.  He’s going to grow his beard back.  He’s only mustache’d now, and apparently he got hit on while taking a swim in Portland.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

After breaking out the acoustic guitar (yes, at an Opeth show!), Mikael remarked fondly of seeing an acoustic set from Winger.  Some crowd members booed.  He retorted, “well, Winger is better than your band.”  Followed by “Winger is better than this band.”  The crowded booed again and Mikael followed up with, “I’m glad you don’t agree” before starting into their acoustic set…

Opeth’s Setlist: just under 2 hours

• The Devil’s Orchard
• I Feel the Dark
• Face of Melinda
• Porcelain Heart [with drum solo]
• Pyre
• The Throat of Winter [acoustic]
  
• Patterns in the Ivy II [acoustic]
• Closure [acoustic]
• Slither
• A Fair Judgement
• Hex Omega
• Encore: Folklore

Probably the most cruel moment was during the acoustic set…

This one goes back to the Blackwater Park days!

*crowd roar*

Don’t get excited. This wasn’t actually on the album.

All said and done… no growls, no cookie monster vocals… but a fucking amazing Opeth show.  The tour is really showing off that Opeth is more than just “Swedish death metal.”  They’re great performers, great musicians.  They can be melodic and still rock our faces off.  Sure, I’d love a “The Leper Affinity” appearance, but I enjoy the more subdued Damnation/Heritage sound that they put forth this time out.  Accessible?  Maybe.  Quality? Definitely!

iPhone photos… all I got… *sadface*

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Opeth’s Site
• Opeth’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Katatonia’s Site
• Katatonia‘s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
• My Other Related Reviews~
  • Opeth & Enslaved @ Roseland (Portland – May 2009)
• Roseland’s Site / Facebook

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene) on 10/20 [yeah, I'm skipping Ryan Adams]…

~Dan – np: Tool – Lateralus

Opeth/Katatonia 2011 North American Tour Dates:

• Sep. 19 – The Palladium @ Worcester, MA
• Sep. 20 – Webster Theater @ Hartford, CT
• Sep. 21 – Webster Hall @ New York, NY
• Sep. 22 – Webster Hall @ New York, NY
• Sep. 23 – Trocadero @ Philadelphia, PA
• Sep. 26 – Newport Music Hall @ Columbus, OH
• Sep. 27 – Expo Five @ Louisville, KY
• Sep. 28 – Cannery Ballroom @ Nashville, TN
• Sep. 29 – Amos’ Southend @ Charlotte, NC
• Sep. 30 – Center Stage @ Atlanta, GA
• Oct. 01 – House of Blues @ Lake Buena Vista, FL
• Oct. 03 – Warehouse Live @ Houston, TX
• Oct. 04 – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater @ Austin, TX
• Oct. 05 – Granada Theater @ Dallas, TX
• Oct. 06 – The Beaumont Club @ Kansas City, MO
• Oct. 07 – First Avenue @ Minneapolis, MN
• Oct. 08 – Burton Cummings @ Winnipeg, MB
• Oct. 10 – Edmonton Events Centre @ Edmonton, AB
• Oct. 11 – MacEwan Hall Ballroom @ Calgary, AB
• Oct. 13 – Commodore Ballroom @ Vancouver, BC
• Oct. 14 – Knitting Factory Concert House @ Spokane, WA
• Oct. 15 – Showbox SoDo @ Seattle, WA
• Oct. 16 – Roseland Theatre @ Portland, OR
• Oct. 18 – The Warfield @ San Francisco, CA
• Oct. 19 – Mayan Theatre @ Los Angeles, CA
• Oct. 20 – House of Blues @ San Diego, CA
• Oct. 21 – The Fox Theater @ Pomona, CA
• Oct. 22 – Marquee Theatre @ Tempe, AZ
• Oct. 24 – The Complex @ Salt Lake City, UT
• Oct. 25 – Ogden Theatre @ Denver, CO
• Oct. 27 – The Rave @ Milwaukee, WI
• Oct. 28 – Vic Theatre @ Chicago, IL
• Oct. 29 – St. Andrews Hall @ Detroit, MI
• Oct. 30 – Guelph Concert Theatre @ Guelph, ON
• Oct. 31 – Mr Smalls Theatre @ Millvale, PA
• Nov. 01 – Rams Head Live! – Baltimore, MD

REVIEW posted HERE.

Wicked good show from Opeth and Katatonia at the Roseland Theater in Portland Oregon tonight. I’ll have my full review with a setlist posted by Monday evening. Possibly some iPhone photos if they came out… photo passes weren’t communicated properly for this show.

~Dan

The Jelly Jam, a rock super-group from Ty Tabor (King’s X), John Myung (Dream Theater) and Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), is coming out with their 3rd CD titled Shall We Descend next month on Molken Music (pre-orders soon).  They’ll be streaming the first song later this month (stay in tune with their Facebook page).

1. Who’s Comin’ Now (4:26)

2. Stay Together (4:26)

3. Halos In Hell (6:28)

4. Same Way Down (5:20)

5. Barometric Reign (4:58)

6. March Of The Trolls (4:13)

7. Questions (2:34)

8. Shall We Descend (4:38)

9. Come Alive (2:49)

10. Ten (8:18)

~Dan – np: John Zorn – A Dreamers’ Christmas

Melt Banana started off their two month U.S. tour with an initial stop at the WOW Hall in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.  Their last time through Oregon, the Tokyo-based screamo/noise metal band didn’t stop here, and the freezing rain & severe winter fog kept many Ducks who wanted to trek up to Portland away.  Not so this time… and I made it there just in time to catch their blistering set.

Agata shredded up the guitars, making dental exams seem pleasant.  Yako was a sandstorm of power and unexpectedness on vocal duties… and charming in between songs.  The drum & bass battery (presumably Takiya & Rika) propelled the blasts of music forward.

It’s one thing to hear this band on record, it’s quite another to see them live.  They’re going all over the U.S.A. from now until late November!  Catch them (dates below).  They’re also working on a new album, out in 2012.

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Melt Banana’s Site
• Melt Banana’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Other Related Reviews~
  • Jeff Matarrese’s photos in ODE (Eugene 10/1)
• WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter

Check out more tour dates below.

Next shows for me… Chromeo & Opeth at the Roseland (Portland) in a couple of weeks!

~Dan – np: John Zorn – At the Gates of Paradise

MELT-BANANA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

MxBx 2011 U.S.A. Tour Dates

• 10/1/2011 WOW Hall Eugene, OR
• 10/2/2011 Star Theater Portland, OR
• 10/3/2011 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
• 10/4/2011 The Badlander Missoula, MT
• 10/6/2011 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
• 10/8/2011 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
• 10/9/2011 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
• 10/10/2011 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
• 10/11/2011 The Mill Iowa City, IA
• 10/12/2011 Nutty’s Sioux Falls, SD
• 10/13/2011 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
• 10/14/2011 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI
• 10/15/2011 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI
• 10/16/2011 Subterranean Chicago, IL
• 10/17/2011 Cicero’s St. Louis, MO
• 10/18/2011 The Bishop Bloomington, IN
• 10/19/2011 The Historic Southgate House Newport, KY
• 10/20/2011 Mac’s Bar Lansing, MI
• 10/22/2011 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
• 10/23/2011 The Haunt Ithaca, NY
• 10/25/2011 Wrongbar Toronto, ON
• 10/26/2011 Il Motore Montreal, QC
• 10/27/2011 T.T. The Bear’s Cambridge, MA
• 10/28/2011 The Space Hamden, CT
• 10/29/2011 Santos Party House New York, NY
• 10/31/2011 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
• 11/1/2011 The Red Palace Washington, DC
• 11/2/2011 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
• 11/4/2011 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
• 11/5/2011 The EARL Atlanta, GA
• 11/06/2011 The Engine Room Tallahassee, FL
  
• 11/08/2011 Backbooth Orlando, FL
• 11/09/2011 Crowbar Tampa, FL
• 11/10/2011 Double Down Gainesville, FL
• 11/11/2011 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
• 11/12/2011 Caledonia Lounge Athens, GA
• 11/13/2011 The End Nashville, TN
  
• 11/15/2011 BottleTree Birmingham, AL
• 11/16/2011 Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL
• 11/17/2011 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
• 11/18/2011 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX
• 11/19/2011 The Mohawk Austin, TX
• 11/20/2011 Jack’s Patio Bar & Grill San Antonio, TX
• 11/22/2011 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
• 11/23/2011 Hollywood Alley Mesa, AZ
• 11/25/2011 The Bunkhouse Las Vegas, NV
• 11/26/2011 Soda Bar San Diego, CA
• 11/27/2011 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA
• 11/28/2011 Harlow’s Night Club Sacramento, CA
• 11/29/2011 Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco , CA

I love this…

Stevie Wonder “Superstition” mashed up with Metallica “Sad But True.”

~Dan – np: Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy

From Sufjan to Opeth… yeah, that’s how I roll.  Here’s “The Devil’s Orchard” (opens in new window):

It’s from Opeth’s upcoming album, Heritage, out in Sept 20th on Roadrunner.

~Dan – np: Opeth – Heritage

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

A Perfect Circle [APC] is a beautiful collaboration between music-writer Billy Howerdel (Tool guitar tech, Ashes Divide frontman) and lyricist Maynard James Keenan (Tool & Puscifer frontman, winemaker).  Their first album, Mer de Noms, took the artistic approach that is also in Tool’s world into a more mainstream hardrock setting.  They dug deep into addiction-themed lyrics on their follow-up, The Thirteenth Step, and then got really politically bent on eMOTIVe (which was released on the day we failed as Americans by electing George W Bush for a 2nd term).  WTF!?  Anyway, sorry for my personal injection… here is their oeuvre to peruse if you are unfamiliar:

Their last full-length studio album (the aforementioned eMOTIVe) also showed less songwriting and way more covers… Lennon, Costello, Marvin Gaye, Zeppelin, Devo, Black Flag, Joni Mitchell, Depeche Mode, and more.  Its political nature was maybe a last “rock the vote” push in the 2004 Presidential election?  Well, the peace and war and political conflict from 2004 is still here in 2011.  It’s different, but alas it’s still here.  I think that album is still very relevant… while APC plans on releasing some new material in the near future (digital format initially), the first thing I noticed when I showed up at the Schnitzer on Wednesday night was their stage setup: camouflage curtains, ammo boxes, and military-like gear littered the stage.

This was their first show of the six-week tour… Was the show going to be a musical battle-zone?  Maynard has been quite theatrical with his live shows lately (see my Puscifer Nov ’09 review links below), but APC tends to be a different beast… Maynard in Puscifer is the outgoing one, in APC is a bit reserved, and in Tool is many times cloaked and hidden for 75% of the show.

Before digging into APC’s set, the opener…

The opener was a Japanese noise-pop hardrock trio Red Bacteria Vacuum.  The reviews I’ve read have really dissed them.  I’m a fan of this type of thing (poppy Tsu Shi Ma Me Re & noisy Melt Banana); so I dug them plenty.  Plus they were cute a button when exchanging words with the crowd… “please… to… eat you.”  Nice 30-minute sugar punk from Japan.  I didn’t have my photo pass issue sorted out for their set.  Photo above courtesy of Meats Meier.

Well, the 90 minute set from A Perfect Circle seemed less like a battle zone than the stage lead us to believe.  Not as much energy as the props suggested (a generally more subdued Maynard sticking to his perch, etc).  As far as song selection, they played a decent mix of their originals material, but the night was really heavy on the covers.  While I like their “making the song theirs” in the approach, I was hoping for more of the rawness and angst from their original tunes…

Setlist: 90 minutes

• Annihilation [Crucifix] (false start)
• Imagine [John Lennon]
• Weak and Powerless
• The Hollow
• What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye]
• People Are People [Depeche Mode]
• The Outsider (lyric flub)
• (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? [Nick Lowe/Elvis Costello]
• When The Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin]
• The Noose
• 3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)
• Gravity
• Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie [Black Flag]
• Orestes
• Passive
• Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
• The Fiddle and the Drum [Joni Mitchell]
• By and Down [new song]
  No encore

I was hoping for “Judith” and perhaps the Failure cover “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” but it was still a highly enjoyable night.  While there were a few flubs, it was their first tour date in a while, and they pulled off quite an entertaining show.  Maynard explained, “I’m closer to 50 than 40” in an attempt to get some forgiveness.  The band didn’t talk much, outside of a few brief apologies from Maynard and the band introductions.  The band was Maynard on vocals, guitarist/co-founder Billy Howerdel, guitarist/keyboardist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl (filling in for Josh Freese who is currently out with Weezer).

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Maynard’s bands.  This year promises some new music & tour from Puscifer, some new music from A Perfect Circle, and potentially some Tool (they’ve been in a writing phase, but they take longer).  If APC is hitting your next of the woods, do your damndest to make it out to the show…

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• APC’s Site
• APC’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Red Bacteria Vacuum’s Site
• Red Bacteria Vacuum’s Facebook / MySpace
  
• Other Related Reviews~
  • Oregon Music News APC 6/29/11 review (with my photos)
  • SPIN magazine APC 6/29/11 review (with some more professional shots)
  • Puscifer Night 1 (Portland – Nov ’09)
  • Puscifer Night 2 (Portland – Nov ’09)
• The Schnitzer’s PCPA Site / Facebook

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Portland Cello Project at Alton Baker Park / Art & the Vineyard on 7/4.

~Dan – np: Klezmerson – Siete

A PERFECT CIRCLE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld / Pacificlectic,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

APC 2011 Tour Dates

• May 22 – Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
• June 29 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
• June 30 – Kent, WA @ Showare Center
• July 2 – Gibbons, AL @ Boonstock Festival
• July 4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Centennial Concert Hall
• July 6 – St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
• July 9 – Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
• July 12 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
• July 13 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• July 15 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
• July 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
• July 17 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
• July 19 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
• July 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
• July 22 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
• July 23 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre
• July 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
• July 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
• July 29 – Sacramento, CA @ Memorial Auditorium
• July 30 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
• August 1 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
• August 2 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• August 8 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbent
• August 9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
• August 10 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre

• More information & more dates:  http://www.aperfectcircle.com/
  

Brief post with A Perfect Circle’s setlist from tonight (Portland, OR, 6/29/2011 @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall).  Any help on the two missing songs, let me know… my photos and longform review to be posted by the weekend…

UPDATE 7/1: review & photos posted HERE.

Setlist: 90 minutes

• Annihilation [Crucifix] (false start)
• Imagine [John Lennon]
• Weak and Powerless
• The Hollow
• What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye]
• People Are People [Depeche Mode]
• The Outsider (lyric flub)
• (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? [Elvis Costello]
• When The Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin]
• The Noose
• 3 Libras (Remix)
• Gravity
• Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie [Black Flag]
• Orestes
• Passive
• Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
• The Fiddle and the Drum [Joni Mitchell]
• By and Down [new song]
  No encore