This week’s
featured band is
a funky,
hard-hitting,
progressive Rock
band that
started out as a
one man band
called Otis.
Founded by Frank
Ferko, Otis now
is one of Erie’s
top Alternative
Rock bands that
has swept the
city with their
distinctive
style and music.
Featuring Frank
Ferko on Bass
and Vocals, Sean
Dunn on Guitar
and Vocals and
Ryan McCall on
Drums, Otis
explodes with
phenomenal
original music
that teases the
mind, and
pulsates the
senses.
Drawing on their
influences of
Primus, Stanley
Clarke, Dream
Theatre, and
Rush to mention
only a few, Otis
delivers up a
unique sound
that can only be
described as a
mind-blowingly
outrageous
experience that
takes you on a
funk trip around
a monster groove
to the
ends of
the
musical
universe.
Since being
formed more than
a decade ago,
Otis has
preformed not
only in Erie but
in venues across
Pennsylvania,
Ohio and
throughout New
York and West
Virginia.
In addition, the
band has had the
opportunity to
perform three
times at the
Midpoint Music
Fest in
Cincinnati,
Ohio.
The MidPoint
Music Festival (MPMF)
launched in 2002
as an
independent
music festival
and industry
conference. The
annual three-day
event occurs
each September
in the city's
downtown and
historic
Over-the-Rhine
entertainment
district.
Founded by
Cincinnati
musicians Bill
Donabedian, of
Crosley, and
Sean Rhiney, of
Clabbergirl, the
festival was
acquired in 2008
by Cincinnati
CityBeat, a
weekly
alternative
newspaper.
With the diverse
talents and
style of its
members fused
with many
musical genres
and influences
of each band
member, along
with their
unique and very
innovative
style, makes for
an energetic
blend of funky
hard driving
original tunes
that has
launched Otis
into the
stratosphere as
a power packed
dynamo of
musical
phenomenon.
For more
information on
Otis and their
show dates,
please visit
their
Facebook Page.
Shock Rock
Band GWAR
Guitarist Cory
Smoot Found
Dead, Aged 34,
on Tour Bus
Riddle over
heavy metal star
who called
himself the
sci-fi fantasy
character 'Flattus
Maximus'
By Craig
Mackenzie
Cory Smoot, lead
guitarist of the
heavy metal band
GWAR has been
found dead on
the group's tour
bus.
The body of the
34-year-old, who
played under the
sci-fi fantasy
name of Flattus
Maximus, was
discovered
following a gig
in Minneapolis.
His bandmates
are said to be
'shocked and
devastated' by
his death. The
cause is still
unknown.
Lead singer Dave
Brockie, known
as 'Oderus
Urungus,' said
in a statement:
'It is with a
sense of
profound loss
that GWAR must
announce the
passing of their
long-time
guitarist and
beloved friend
Cory Smoot, also
known to
thousands of
metal fans
worldwide as
Flattus Maximus,'
'At this point
we are just
dealing with the
loss of our dear
friend and
brother.
'Please give
your thoughts
and your prayers
to Cory, his
family, and all
the people that
love him.'
He described
Smoot 'one of
the most
talented guitar
players in metal
today.' The GWAR
bus was close to
the Canadian
border when the
shock discovery
was made.
The metal
musicians, who
dress up in
alien costumes
and spew fake
blood and goo on
fans, are on a
six-week North
American tour,
which features
three other
bands - Every
Time I Die,
Ghoul and
Warbeast.
They are known
for lampooning
well known
figures
including Sarah
Palin, Lady Gaga
and Paris Hilton
and singing
vulgar lyrics.
Band manager
Jack Flanagan
said there were
no details on
funeral
arrangements,
but GWAR will
still perform
today at
Edmonton Event
Centre despite
the tragedy.
Cory Smoot
joined GWAR in
2002 and was the
fifth guitarist
to play the
character of 'Flattus
Maximus'.
He is known as
the one 'True
Flattus' being
the person who
portrayed the
character for
the longest
time.
With his red
face, white
dreadlocks,
dinosaur-head
shoulder pads
and reptile
feet, he became
a legend among
metal fans.
His talent as a
producer came in
handy as he
loaned his
skills to the
recording of the
band's albums
War Party,
Beyond Hell,
Lust in Space
(where he did
lead vocals on
the track
'Release the
Flies', and the
bands latest
album Bloody Pit
of Horror.
Before GWAR,
Smoot previously
played with such
acts as
Misguided and
Locus Factor and
still played
with Mensrea and
his own solo
project called
the Cory Smoot
Experiment.
The band was
founded by
Brockie in
Virginia in
1984. It has
released 13
studio albums
and EPs.
Reggae's
Tributes to
Smokin' Joe
Frazier
Musicians from
Burning Spear to
Big Youth and
Lee 'Scratch'
Perry were
inspired by the
great boxer's
feats in the
ring
The death of the
great
heavyweight
boxer Smokin'
Joe Frazier sent
me rummaging
though my box of
7-inch reggae
singles from the
early 1970s,
when Ali,
Frazier and
Foreman spawned
a host of
tribute records
from some of
Jamaica's
finest. In 1972,
Burning Spear
had a big local
hit with the
devotional Joe
Frazier (He
Prayed) on the
Studio One
label, which
seems to bear
little relation
to the boxer.
The rhythm of
Spear's song was
later utilized
by producers Joe
Gibbs and Errol
T (the Mighty
Two) to propel
Big Youth's
brilliant
Foreman Vs
Frazier, in
which the
inimitable
toaster sounds a
little
punch-drunk
himself.
Never one to
waste a good
rhythm, Youth
also used it on
Big Fight,
another hazy
Frazier tribute.
It also
underpins Dennis
Alcapone's Joe
Frazier Round 2
– "Sharp as a
razor is the man
called Joe
Frazier … With a
right and a left
and a left and a
right, this
gonna be the
fight of the
night".
(Incidentally,
Alcapone had
previously
hymned Cassius
Clay on a song
of the same name
– "Move away Joe
Frazier!… the
brother called
Cassius Clay as
the order of the
day.")
One of Big
Youth's biggest
DJ rivals was I
Roy, who also
cut a
valedictory
tune, Don't Get
Weary, Joe
Frazier, in the
wake of
Frazier's defeat
by George
Foreman –
"Brother Joe you
got to come back
to the ring/
Because I know
that you can
swing and do
your thing."
But, by then,
Cassius Clay had
long since
become Muhammed
Ali and was well
on his way to
becoming the
undisputed king
in the ring,
garnering
lyrical and
musical praise
from the likes
of Tommy McCook,
Trinity and Dr
Alimantado.
The last word on
Joe Frazier has
to go,
inevitably to
The Upsetter aka
Lee "Scratch"
Perry, who cut
the suitably
surreal Sunshine
Showdown about
the
Frazier-Foreman
rivalry over the
bouncing rhythm
of the Stingers'
Give Me Power.
"George Foreman
the Fireman has
blunted Smokin'
Joe Frazier's
razor,"
announces
Scratch,
sounding almost
regal, before
heading off into
Upsetterland
with some
serious dub
trickery and
lyrical mischief
("Round one, he
was like a
scrambled egg in
a frying pan").
Ali would have
approved;
Frazier, who
later tried his
hand at soul
singing, would
probably have
not seen the
funny side.
Lionel Richie
Returns to CMA
Awards With New
Versions of Old
Hits
Rascal Flatts,
Darius Rucker,
Little Big Town
Will Join Him
Onstage in
Nashville
By Alison
Bonaguro
As the legendary
Lionel Richie
finishes work on
his upcoming
album, Tuskegee,
a collection of
his hits
recorded as
duets with
country's
biggest stars,
he's also
getting to
perform a
handful of those
tunes on
Wednesday's
(Nov. 9) CMA
Awards show.
His performance
will find him
sharing the
stage with
Rascal Flatts,
Darius Rucker
and Little Big
Town, who are
featured on the
album. Set for
release in
March, the
album's all-star
cast also
includes Blake
Shelton, Jason
Aldean, Kenny
Chesney, Tim
McGraw, Shania
Twain, Willie
Nelson, Jimmy
Buffett,
Jennifer
Nettles, Kenny
Rogers and Billy
Currington.
This will be
Richie's first
time on the CMA
Awards stage in
more than two
decades. His
last appearance
on the show was
in 1986 when he
performed "Deep
River Woman"
with Alabama.
In a recent
interview with
CMT.com, he
talked about the
album and what
to expect during
the live
broadcast.
What was it like
to record your
own hits with
country's major
stars?
Well, the joke
in the studio
was that I'm
walking in the
door with my
lyric sheet,
right? And every
artist fell out
laughing and
said, "What are
you giving it to
me for? I know
it by heart."
Then I said to
Darius, "Darius,
what part are
you gonna sing?"
And he said,
"Your part. I
don't know any
other part. I've
been singing
this my whole
life." So it was
a case of Lionel
Richie is having
a problem
singing on his
own damn record.
You'll be
singing three
duets off the
album on the
awards show.
How's that going
to work?
It was one of
those situations
where you're
trying to figure
out how you put
a medley
together when
what I really
want is to sing
the full
version. But the
good part about
doing the CMA
Awards is that
we have such a
cross-section of
country on this
record, so on
Wednesday,
you'll hear
Little Big Town
and Darius
Rucker and then
Rascal Flatts.
And when you get
there, forget
about it. It's
just going to
make people
anticipate the
album so much
and think, "Oh,
my God. For
God's sake, let
me hear it."
What do you mean
that you have a
cross-section of
country?
Well, Mr. Naïve
here went in,
and I just
didn't know. I
didn't realize
that country was
anything but
straight ahead.
I didn't realize
there were
different genres
of country. So,
naturally, when
I got involved
in this thing,
I've ended up
assembling this
cross-section of
every piece of
country there
is. You got
Willie on one
hand and
Jennifer Nettles
on the other.
And then Jason
Aldean and Blake
Shelton and
Shania Twain and
Kenny Rogers all
in the middle.
It took us nine
months to
realize what we
had.
Was it hard to
choose who'd
sing which song
with you?
No, because the
album came about
like this:
Instead of me
saying, "I want
you to do this
song," I said,
"What are your
favorite songs."
And they all
came with their
favorites. I
made it so that
instead of it
being a duets
album like
Sinatra, where
you came in and
whether you were
Bono or Luther
Vandross, you
had to do the
Sinatra
arrangement. In
this case, it's
just the
opposite. I
wanted to put a
record together
where, if Rascal
Flatts did
"Dancing on the
Ceiling," how
would they do
it? Or if Darius
Rucker said, "I
wanna do 'Stuck
on You,'" how
would you do it?
And let Jennifer
Nettles sound
just like
Jennifer
Nettles. My
problem now is,
I've gotta sing
like them. Are
you kidding me?
You have 13
different
artists singing
with you on the
album's 13
tracks. That had
to take a while
to schedule and
record.
You think it's
gonna take 10
days. But nine
months later,
I'm totally
exhausted, but
we're almost
done. We
recorded it in
Nashville, and
literally what
made it so much
fun was that I
was the
recipient of all
these wonderful
people doing
these songs. But
I was also the
co-producer. It
took about a
half a day just
to slap hands
and hug and
kiss, and then
we got down to
business.
Everybody came
to the table
with their game
face. I've know
Willie forever.
I've known Tim
and Faith [Hill]
forever. But I'd
never leaned
over and said,
"Let's do a song
together." Until
now.
Why do you think
your songs work
so well as
country songs?
When I started
writing songs, I
wanted to avoid
the word "hip."
I would say to
the Commodores,
"I want to write
for the folks
between New York
and L.A. That's
called America."
And so what
happened here,
this album is a
testament to
just that. These
folks heard
these songs
growing up.
Kenny Chesney
said he was in
high school and
that I inspired
him to be the
songwriter that
he is. You never
realize what
you're setting
off in motion --
to turn around
and come back
and join you on
the album later.
All these
singers told me,
"My mama, my
daddy, my
cousin, my
brother, my
sister played it
every day at the
house. You were
in the house.
You were in the
school." Who
knew?
Do you ever get
back to your
home in
Tuskegee, Ala.?
I live in
California, but
I still have the
house right
there on the
Tuskegee
University
campus. The one
where the
Commodores met
in the basement
and said, "We're
gonna be the
black Beatles
and take over
the world."
That's all still
there. Only
thing missing
now is mom, dad
and grandma. But
I go back as
much as I can.
Did that time in
Alabama make you
feel like you
had the roots to
do this country
project?
Yes, but it's
ironic. So
ironic. You
leave Tuskegee,
Ala., to see the
big, big, big
world, and you
end up putting
out an album
called Tuskegee
that came all
the way back
full circle.
People say you
can't go home.
But now I'm
gonna say you
can go home. I'm
goin' back to
Tuskegee. This
is about as real
as it gets.
Why didn't your
1977 Commodores
hit, "Brick
House," make the
cut on this
album? That was
kind of the funk
version of Trace
Adkins' "Honky
Tonk Badonkadonk"
with its lyrical
reference --
"36-24-36, what
a winning hand"
-- to a
well-built
woman's body.
It may still
make it. What
I'm trying to do
in the studio
now is make the
album even more
ridiculous than
it is. I need
that sh*tkicker,
though, for
that. That
kick-the-door-down
guy. I need
somebody who's
gonna mess the
whole room up. I
just need
somebody rude.
Julie Taymor
Sues
'Spider-Man'
Musical
Producers
Director Julie
Taymor filed a
lawsuit Tuesday
against the
producers of
"Spider-Man:
Turn Off the
Dark," alleging
that they
violated her
creative rights
and haven't
compensated her
for
the work she
put into
Broadway's most
expensive
musical.
Charles Spada,
an attorney who
filed the suit
on behalf of the
Tony
Award-winning
director, said
Tuesday in a
statement that
"the producers'
actions have
left her no
choice but to
resort to legal
recourse to
protect her
rights."
Rick Miramontez,
the show's
spokesman, was
not immediately
aware of the
lawsuit, filed
in federal court
in New York.
Taymor was not
available to
comment.
Taymor, who had
been the
"Spider-Man"
director and
co-book writer,
was fired from
the $75 million
musical that
features music
by U2's Bono and
The Edge in
March after
years of delays,
accidents and
critical
backlash.
Philip William
McKinley, who
directed the
Hugh Jackman
musical "The Boy
From Oz," in
2003, was hired
to steer the
ship. He was
billed as
creative
consultant when
the musical
opened in June.
The show has
been doing brisk
business ever
since, most
weeks easily
grossing more
than the $1.2
million the
producers have
indicated they
need to reach to
stay viable.
Last week, it
took in $1.4
million and 86
percent of the
1,930-seat
Foxwoods Theatre
was filled.
According to
Spada,
"producers have
failed to
compensate Ms.
Taymor for their
continued use of
her work to
date, despite
the fact that
the show has
consistently
played to
capacity or
near-capacity
houses since its
first public
performance in
November 2010."
Taymor's lawsuit
comes less than
a week after the
Tony Awards
Administration
Committee ruled
that only Taymor
will be
considered
eligible for the
show's Tony for
Best Direction
of a Musical
category.
Taymor is also
seeking
compensation
from the union
that represents
theater
directors. The
Stage Directors
and
Choreographers
Society filed an
arbitration
claim in June
against the
show's producers
over unpaid
royalties.
The legal fights
are in contrast
to the wide
smiles and hugs
shared by the
creative team on
opening night.
In the months
since then,
Taymor hasn't
spoken at length
about the
behind-the-scenes
turmoil, but has
said she is
still proud of
the show and is
not bitter.
World of Hip-Hop
Mourns Loss of
Heavy D
With his usual
optimism,
hip-hop icon
Heavy D told his
Twitter
followers
Tuesday morning
to "BE
INSPIRED!"
Later in the
day, as news
broke that the
self-proclaimed
"overweight
lover" of
hip-hop, had
died at the age
of 44, music and
Hollywood stars
took to Twitter
to express their
grief at the
tragic news.
The rap veteran
was found
unconscious near
his home in
Beverly Hills
and admitted to
a hospital in
Los Angeles,
where he was
pronounced dead.
His passing has
sent shockwaves
through the
hip-hop world.
Nas wrote, "RIP
TO A REAL HIP
HOP LEGEND HEAVY
D!", while
Common tweeted,
"Heavy D
was...no...is
one of Hip-Hops
(sic) finest.
Your art and
contribution
will live 4ever
(sic) brother!
RIP Heavy D".
A stunned Q-Tip
wrote, "This
can't be true",
and The Roots
drummer ?uestlove
tweeted, "Heavy
D was a good
friend & he'll
be missed."
Rap mogul
Russell Simmons
wrote, "I am
deeply saddened
by the sudden
loss of Heavy D.
A long time
friend and a
beautiful
person," and
Sean Kingston
called him "One
Of The Most
Influential
Rappers Of The
'90s Era."
Hollywood is
also mourning
the loss of the
rapper, who made
a handful of
movie and TV
appearances.
Actor Samuel L.
Jackson called
him a "dear
friend," adding
"Fond memories
of a truly cool
brutha (sic)."
Heavy D had
just returned
from a trip to
London, where he
hung out with
British singer
Estelle and R&B
star Ne-Yo. A
shocked Estelle
tweeted, "RIP.
Heavy D. i can't
believe that. I
can't. Was just
in London w
(with) him," and
Ne-Yo wrote,
"Man. I was just
with Heavy D
recently in
London. Had I
known it'd be
the last time
I'd see him, I
woulda (sic)
told him he was
truly great."
A slew of other
hip-hop stars,
including
hitmaker/producer
Pharrell
Williams,
veteran hip-hop
DJ Grandmaster
Flash, R&B
singer Brandy
and rapper Nelly
have expressed
their
condolences
online.
Meanwhile,
Public Enemy
star Chuck D
said his friend
was "a hip-hop
god," adding,
"He will always
be remembered
and I'm thankful
for what he's
done for hip-hop
culture."
Beverly Hills
Police Lt. Mark
Rosen said in a
statement that
the rapper,
whose real name
is Dwight
Arrington
Meyers, was
found on a
walkway at 11:25
a.m. PST outside
his condominium.
He conscious and
talking, but
having
difficulty
breathing.
Paramedics were
called and the
singer was
rushed to a
nearby hospital.
"The individual
ultimately died
at the
hospital," Rosen
said. He added
that there were
no signs of foul
play, and the
death is
believed to be
medically
related. An
official cause
is pending an
autopsy by Los
Angeles County
coroners.
The singer's New
York-based agent
was not
immediately
available for
comment.
Rapper Heavy D,
who rose to fame
during the 1990s
and scored hit
singles such as
"Now That We
Found Love",
died on Tuesday
after collapsing
outside his
Beverly Hills
home.
Rotund rapper
Heavy D was born
in Jamaica and
moved to Mt.
Vernon, New York
as a child. He
enjoyed hip hop
music as a kid
and formed his
first group, the
Boyz, with high
school friends
who took the
stage names DJ
Eddie F, Trouble
T-Roy and G-Wiz.
The group became
Heavy D & The
Boyz and
released their
first album in
1987, which
included singles
"Mr. Big Stuff"
and "The
Overweight
Lover's in the
House." Their
breakout album
came with 1989's
"Big Tyme,"
which included
the hits
"Somebody for
Me" and "We Got
Our Own Thang."
The band met
with tragedy in
1990 when
Trouble T-Roy
died in an
accident. One
year later, they
scored their
biggest hit with
the album
"Peaceful
Journey" and
single "Now That
We Found Love,"
which reached
the top five on
R&B charts and
crossed over to
mainstream pop
audiences.
A string of hits
followed in the
1990s. The band
sang the theme
song for popular
TV show "In
Living Color,"
and Heavy D's
1999 CD "Heavy"
became his
seventh album to
chart among the
R&B top 10.
During those
years, the
rapper also
began acting,
working in small
roles on film
and TV before
landing a role
in high-school
TV drama "Boston
Public". His
film work
included parts
in "The Cider
House Rules,"
"Step Up" and
"Big Trouble."
Heavy D
performed at the
2011 BET Hip Hop
Awards and at
the Michael
Jackson tribute
show in Cardiff,
Wales, both in
October.
Slayer Will
Revisit 'Reign
in Blood' at
London Festival
By Kenneth
Partridge
Indie dudes and
metalheads will
break bread –
and bang heads –
this May in
London, where
Slayer will
perform as part
of the second
U.K. staging of
the I'll Be Your
Mirror festival,
an offshoot of
the acclaimed
All Tomorrow's
Parties series.
As an added
bonus, Slayer
will celebrate
the 25th
anniversary of
'Reign in Blood'
by performing
that classic
album from top
to bottom,
organizers
announced.
Joining the
seminal thrash
act on the first
– and certainly
hardest-rocking
– of the event's
three days are
doom-metal
purveyors Sleep
and Seattle
sludge pioneers
the Melvins.
The festival,
co-curated by
the Scottish
post-rock band
Mogwai, runs May
25-27 at
Alexandra
Palace, a venue
that has
previously
hosted the likes
of Led Zeppelin,
Nick Cave and
Pink Floyd.
Slayer - Raining
Blood
Alexis
Petridis: My
Week of Country
Music
Country music is
huge in the US,
but rarely makes
a dent in the UK
charts. Are we
missing out? On
the eve of the
industry's
biggest awards
ceremony, pop
critic Alexis
Petridis saddles
up
Few events in
the American
musical calendar
make a Briton
feel more lost
than the Country
Music
Association
awards. This is
a huge,
glitzy
ceremony,
screened live at
primetime on ABC
TV; it dominates
the US ratings
to such an
extent that you
wonder why any
other channel
bothers
broadcasting for
the duration. It
is also almost
singularly
populated by
people no one in
the UK has ever
heard of.
This year is a
case in point.
Of the 29
nominees, there
are six who
resonate in the
UK. Two aren't
actual country
artists:
American Idol
winner Kelly
Clarkson and
Sheryl Crow, the
latter up for a
collaboration
with Loretta
Lynn – herself
the solitary
name from an age
when the
mainstream
Nashville stars
(Tammy Wynette,
Johnny Cash,
Dolly Parton,
Kenny Rogers)
could expect to
have big UK
hits. That era
came to an end
in the 1980s;
the odd novelty
hit aside, the
twain haven't
really met since
then. Kenny
Chesney is known
in the UK not
for his music –
including All I
Want for
Christmas Is a
Real Good Tan
and She Thinks
My Tractor's
Sexy – but for
being married to
Renée Zellweger
for four months.
That leaves Lady
Antebellum, who
have made some
inroads in the
UK, and Taylor
Swift, who's had
a platinum
album, albeit
one that sounded
almost nothing
like country
music and
everything like
polished teen
pop. The rest
are likely to
provoke nothing
more than blank
expressions:
Grace Potter,
Brad Paisley,
Rascal Flatts,
Eric Church,
Little Big Town,
Chris Young, Zac
Brown Band.
These acts,
however, are
huge in the US.
Country's sales
figures are
mind-boggling,
and don't seem
to have been
affected by
illegal
downloading –
possibly because
country fans
tend to be
older, possibly
because of the
efforts artists
make to bond
with their
audience: the
endless signing
sessions, the
meet-and-greets
after every
show, both
standard
practice in
Nashville. In
one year alone,
Rascal Flatts
sold 9m albums
in the US;
that's as many
as Coldplay's
Viva la Vida
sold all over
the world. A big
country hit such
as the Band
Perry's If I Die
Young can expect
to sell 3m
copies. Are we
in the UK
missing out? I
spent a week
steeping myself
in modern
country,
listening to
every nominated
track, to find
out.
It would be
lovely to report
that the cliches
are desperately
wide of the
mark, that there
is a whole world
of new music to
discover.
Certainly there
is some good
stuff. If you
can get past the
title, the
opening of Eric
Church's Country
Music Jesus is a
wash of grinding
backwards
guitars and
hymnal vocals:
no one's going
to confuse it
with Gang Gang
Dance, but it's
pretty radical
by CMA
standards. So
are a duo called
the Civil Wars,
whose album
Barton Hollow is
fantastic, a
collection of
thoughtful,
hushed, opaque
ballads. Their
presence among
this year's
nominees seems
as improbable as
Belle and
Sebastian
waltzing off
with a Metal
Hammer Golden
God award. But
country is not
the place to
come looking for
what you might
call blue-sky
musical
thinking. There
are still a lot
of songs called
things like Damn
Right I Am and
Like Jesus Does
and When You
Love a Sinner,
performed by an
apparently
limitless supply
of women with
ginormous blond
hair and
middle-aged men
with goatees and
Stetsons. And,
yes, there are a
lot of lyrics
about tractors.
You could view
this as evidence
of a desperate
lack of
imagination.
Certainly,
five-times-nominated
Jason Aldean's
explanation as
to why he called
his album My
Kinda Party –
"It's what the
fans have come
to expect on my
records" –
doesn't suggest
a mind working
overtime to
break down
musical
boundaries.
(Then again, he
is operating in
a world in which
someone felt it
necessary to ask
him why he'd
called his album
My Kinda Party.
As album titles
go, it's not
exactly Nurse
With Wound's
Chance Meeting
on a Dissecting
Table of a
Sewing Machine
and an
Umbrella.) But
the more you
listen, the more
you realise that
reiterating
cliches is at
least part of
the point, a
source of
defiant pride
among country
artists. "It
ain't hip to
sing about
tractors,
trucks, little
towns and momma,
that might be
true," snarls
Paisley, on the
title track of
his album This
Is Country
Music. "But this
is country music
and we do."
In search of
guidance, I turn
to Bob Harris,
whose career has
taken him from
the sibilant
host of the Old
Grey Whistle
Test to
country's most
visible British
advocate, thanks
to his Radio 2
show Bob Harris
Country. When I
speak to him,
he's just
finished
recording a
session with
Toby Keith, who,
thanks to his
notorious 2002
single Courtesy
of the Red White
and Blue (The
Angry American),
has come to
embody pretty
much everything
some people hate
about latter-day
mainstream
country:
musically
conservative,
not just
politically
reactionary, but
bellicose with
it, a kind of
sonic equivalent
of a poorly
spelt banner
being waved
around at a Tea
party rally.
Harris is a Toby
Keith fan –
"They throw
quite a lot of
big production
at their
records, but
when you strip
all that away,
what you're left
with is raw
talent and that
supports
everything" –
but it was not
ever thus.
Initially, he
says, he had
reservations
about taking on
the radio show.
His tastes
coincided with
those of most
British fans,
who are happy to
buy into the
less glossy
sound of
alt-country, or
of
country-influenced
Americana such
as Band of
Horses or Bonnie
Prince Billy.
"In the Whistle
Test era, I
loved things
like the Flying
Burrito Brothers
and Emmylou
Harris. There
was pedal steel
guitar all over
Neil Young's
records. There
was a straight
line from that
music to Steve
Earle, Nanci
Griffith,
Gillian Welch.
I'd taken much
less of Alan
Jackson and
George Strait,
but then you go
to Nashville and
discover that. I
found myself
becoming a huge
convert. I
really think
Jennifer Nettles
of Sugarland has
one of the best
voices anywhere.
Great
musicianship and
strong songs."
He thinks a
wider audience
might follow if
only British
labels would
stop faffing
with the sound
of the records.
"They sometimes
put out an
entirely
different mix to
the one released
in America,
closing the
faders down on
the pedal steel
and fiddle,
leaving it as
more of a rock
mix. It dilutes
everything. The
record companies
should have the
courage of their
own
convictions."
This seems a
pretty
inarguable
point. Even if
you're not a
fan, it's hard
to see how
country could be
improved by
stripping it of
its sonic USP.
Remove country's
links with its
forebears, and
you're left with
unambitious if
well-turned soft
rock, not
something
Britain is
exactly lacking
in. If you want
an example, and
your stomach is
strong enough,
examine the
oeuvre of Ronan
Keating. His two
biggest hits,
When You Say
Nothing At All
and If Tomorrow
Never Comes were
mainstream
country tracks,
originally
performed by
Keith Whitley
and Garth Brooks
respectively,
ruthlessly
divested of
grit.
Perhaps British
record companies
mess with the
sound of
mainstream
country in the
belief that it
is culturally
too alien for
British ears.
"There's a core
fanbase here
that loves the
American feel of
it, loves the
American
fairytale aspect
of it," suggests
the producer of
Bob Harris
Country, Al
Booth, who
actually has a
Country Music
award of her own
(for Outstanding
Contribution to
the Advancement
and Promotion of
Country Music
Internationally).
"But if it's
people in cowboy
hats talking
about pick-up
trucks, it's
hard to find a
connection."
I'm not so sure.
For one thing,
it's not as if
British
audiences turn
their noses up
at hip-hop,
which you could
argue stems from
a culture
equally alien.
And while I
never really
want to hear the
work of country
duo Montgomery
Gentry again,
that's only
partly because
their shtick
rests on a
curious
combination of
wild,
ungovernable
rebel posturing
and Daily
Mail-letters-page
politics (think
the Bullingdon
Club in a
Stetson). Their
album opens with
a hearty
endorsement of
murdering
burglars, and
isn't always as
charming as
that. But I'm
less bothered by
the lyrics than
by the fact that
their music is
awful, a kind of
antiseptic
version of 70s
southern rock.
When the music
is good, the
cultural
differences melt
away. There's
something hugely
enjoyable about
Paisley's This
Is Country
Music,
regardless of
his bullish
devotion to the
world of trucks.
As Harris says,
these are good
songs,
brilliantly
played, which
may explain why
– his negligible
UK record sales
notwithstanding
– Paisley
recently filled
London's O2
Arena.
Maybe the
Nashville good
will eventually
out in the UK.
But having
listened to all
101
CMA-nominated
tracks, I'm not
entirely
converted.
There's too much
that is bland or
saccharine;
after a while,
it all starts to
meld into one.
Sometimes, a
song breaks
through thanks
to its pitiless
melodic
efficiency: you
can see why the
Band Perry's If
I Die Young sold
3m copies, and
you could see it
doing something
similar in the
UK. And, just
occasionally,
you alight on
something great:
the Civil Wars,
for instance. I
fire up Spotify
and listen again
to Paisley
blithely
informing me
that 80s
Nashville
behemoths
Alabama make for
a better
seduction
soundtrack than
Barry White. I
don't believe
him for a
minute, but it
doesn't matter:
he appears to
have got under
my skin, Stetson
and all.
Free Autographed
Human Aquarium
CD with every "A
REAL MFer"
T-Shirt, as seen
in the She's My
Ex Video, filmed
at
Sherlock's/Park
Place in
hometown Erie,
PA right here at
www.mofryky.com
or mail $13.00
check or money
order, made
payable to:
Mofryky
P.O. Box 68
Girard, PA 16417
Please specify:
Black or White
T-Shirt
Size: XS, S, M,
L, XL, 2X (2X
orders add
$1.50)
Band Hungers
for Guitarist
Requiem For
Oblivion is
still seeking a
guitarist. If
you have the
madness or know
someone who does
send them to
these animals to
feast upon. We
must bring
Requiem For
Oblivion back to
life with the
blood of a young
virgin & bow
down at their
feet as they
hypnotize us
with their
lyrics.
Steve-814-392-2321
***Passing on
Message From E
Lisa Froncillo-Bower
~ Please Contact
Her if
Interested**
I have openings
in October and
November for
radio interviews
on COOL 101.7
fm. Thursday
mornings. You
would need to be
in studio
(Meadville) by
7:45 am, out by
8:30 am.
(Catching the
driving to work
listeners and
businesses) It's
a great chance
to promote your
upcoming gigs,
cds and more.
Family friendly,
we need to keep
within the
studio's
programming
guidelines.
Cover
bands/artists
welcomed as well
as original.
Metal bands must
be not too
heavy... no
gutterals, etc.
Rock/classic is
fine. One band
member can come
with a CD, or
bring everyone
and do something
live. COOL 101.7
supports local
music and
reaches from
Erie to Slippery
Rock (and below
on a good day)
west into Ohio,
and also
includes a new
Cory station,
and more. Good
exposure. PLUS
you can listen
live via your
computer
anywhere!
The Rock and
Roll Hall of
Fame announced
the nominees for
its 2012
induction class
on Tuesday,
Sept. 27.
Leading the way
this time around
are such worthy
first-time
nominees as Joan
Jett and the
Blackhearts,
Heart, the Cure
and Guns N'
Roses. Other
artists
appearing on the
ballot for the
first time
include Rufus
with Chaka Khan,
British rockers
the Faces (aka
the Small Faces)
featuring Rod
Stewart, '60s
R&B group the
Spinners,
bluesman Freddie
King and hip-hop
duo Eric B. and
Rakim. The
ballot also
includes several
artists who have
been previously
nominated but
never inducted:
the Beastie
Boys, Red Hot
Chili Peppers,
War, Donovan,
Donna Summer and
Laura Nyro.
.jpg)
handful of those
tunes on
Wednesday's
(Nov. 9) CMA
Awards show..jpg)
the work she
put into
Broadway's most
expensive
musical.
glitzy
ceremony,
screened live at
primetime on ABC
TV; it dominates
the US ratings
to such an
extent that you
wonder why any
other channel
bothers
broadcasting for
the duration. It
is also almost
singularly
populated by
people no one in
the UK has ever
heard of.
