At the Drive In Review by

Daniel Jaramillo

This year At the Drive In announced that they would be reforming the band and venturing on a new world tour. It was also stated on their website that they would be releasing new music this year. Fans of ATDI had been anticipating this tour since that band last performed together in 2000. In those 16 years a lot of music was put out by each of the individual members especially from Cedric Bixler-Zavala (Lead Singer) and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (Lead Guitarist) who formed The Mars Volta and Antemasque. I was one the lucky pundits to get a ticket to ATDI’s sold out show in Sydney at the Enmore Theatre last Sunday.

As I arrived to the venue the place was already filled with fans who were ready to get the concert going. I was sitting from my seat at the back of the theatre and I could see fans right at the front getting close to the stage and preparing for what was going to be a great show.

The supporting band were Bad// Dreems a 4 piece band from Adelaide. There first few songs reminded of early punk music reminiscent of The Sex Pistols but with pop choruses. They got the crowd energised and created a buzzing atmosphere. Their set was short but only because their songs were short in timing. In my opinion they were an appropriate band to support ATDI but I wouldn’t be interested in a seeing them headline a show.

The moment came when the lights went out and ATDI came on stage to a loud applause. They got their set underway with Arcarsenal the opening song to their classic album Relationship of Command, even today it is still regarded as one of the top post-punk/hard-core releases of the last 20 years. The full set list comprised of songs mainly from Relationship of Command with a few songs from previous album In Casino Out.

Cedric dived into the audience in more than one occasion, crowd surfing and jumping around like he had flees in his pants. The light show behind them was also impressive but did not distract the audience from the music. The 5 piece band still can put on a rocking show with high energy and even Cedric who was having problems with his vocal chords as he discovered he had nodules in his throat (this subsequently made the band have to cancel their North American tour only a month before their visit to Australia) was singing like he was in his 20’s. Omar was also enjoying his himself but unlike the Mars Volta where he plays a much more lead role, his guitar playing becomes more about complimenting the whole band rather than playing long guitar solos.

The singer also gave a passionate speech about how in the early days of the band they were playing shows where no one new about them and how driven they were to keep their collective dream alive. He then went on to explain how for young people who have dreams of doing something they love are told by their parents that they need to have a backup plan is like having a fire inside your soul which your parents ignore and you go ahead and light houses on fire figuratively speaking. With that in mind it was a celebration of a band that has gone through hardships from members losing their lives to drugs to others leaving just before an 8 month tour took place and then reuniting again with most of the original members selling out shows all around the world. 

My Favorite Albums of 2016 so far!

The Gateway by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

The Gateway is a combination of Funky/Hip Hop jams to more melancholic rock ballads that resemble past songs of the R.H.C.P such as Scar Tissue and Under the Bridge. The album was produced by Danger Mouse and his input on this album is very apparent, I am a huge fan of this collaboration as it has delivered something special to listen to. Both Danger Mouse and R.H.C.P are not boxed into one genre easily and that's why the two camps coming together works perfectly.  

A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead

Radiohead is a band I am always excited to listen to new music from and this latest release is an exceptional listen. What makes A Moon Shaped Pool stand out in Radiohead's discography is the use of orchestral strings and arrangements - especially on the song Burn the Witch. There is definitely a resemblance to the Beatles Eleanor Rigby and Led Zeppelin's Kashmir as the music takes the listener into a mystical journey. 

Roots and Roads by Yossi Sassi

This is Yossi Sassi's 3rd solo album and 1st album after officially splitting with Orphaned Land. The album takes influence from the virtuoso guitar playing of Joe Satriani to traditional middle eastern folk music. Sassi is excellent in fusing his love of heavy metal with his Arabic heritage and Roots and Roads demonstrates this quite nicely. The guitar work on this album is of course world class and Sassi's guitar playing always leave me with joy and happiness. 

Magma - Gojira

The French progressive metal band return with a heavy dark atmospheric album that shows their aggressive edge as well as a esoteric side that hasn't been heard as much on some of their previous albums. The stand out song on Magma is Silvera a track that sings in the Chorus "Time to open your eyes to this genocide, when you change yourself you change the world". The band also put out some fantastic music videos for the song Lowlands and Silvera. 

Bottomless Pit - Death Grips

This album will surely offend you mum and will make you have a cold shower after listening to it. Death Grips are rebellious and don't give a fuck about critical acclaim or album sales however Bottomless Pit has well crafted songs that have accessibility. I would argue this album is what music without genres sounds like, it's philosophy is about being hybrid and not confirming to music trends by embracing originality. 

Vinyl Review by Daniel Jaramillo

The new HBO TV series “Vinyl” is bringing back the 70s and giving the audience an insight into the music industry of 1973 with some flashbacks of the 60s in New York that are part fiction and part reality.  This new period drama was created by “Martin Scorsese” and “Mick Jagger” and is already 6 episodes in with 4 more to run. As it is a long form television series the show is always finding new ways to show us what it must have been like to be the head of a record company and competing to sign artists who are either in their prime or who are just getting started. The main character is Richie Finestra played by Bobby Cannavale who is a record executive and runs American Century records. The label is struggling to keep afloat and their approach to resurrect the label is to sign new artists or sell the label to new owners. However, everything doesn’t go according to plan and he finds that he is no longer as powerful as he thought he was to begin with. He is also having trouble at home with his wife Devon Finestra played by Olivia Wilde a former actress/model who was part of Andy Warhol’s Factory. Richie is also being investigated by the F.B.I as Richie was involved in a murder of a Disc Jokey who had an argument with him over not playing any music from bands that were signed to American Century Records.

The other characters are Zak Yankovich played by Ray Romano who is head of promotions at American Century records, Juno Temple played by Jamie Vine an assistant and A&R at American Century Records and Kip Stevens played by James Jagger the son of Mick Jagger who is an English lead vocalist in a band called the “Nasty Bits” a fictional punk rock group from New York. Juno and Kip also start a relationship since Juno discovered the Nasty Bits and lets Richie know about them. Punk in the 70’s was still an unknown genre of music: The Sex Pistols did not even exist back then. However when they play an audition to Julian Silver played by “Max Casella” the head of A&R he realizes that they have no talent playing their instruments and gets them to cover the Kinks songs “You Really Got Me”.

There are a few reenactments of real artists from the 70s that make a one of episode appearance such as Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground and David Bowie. Richie is also trying to sign a funk artist but is outcompeted with the other major record labels. Another character is Lester Grimes played by “Ato Essandoh” who is a soul singer that Richie signs in the 60’s “which we see as a flashback” but Lester refuses to sign a contract with American Century and the mob comes to visit him and they break his wind pipe  and loses his singing voice forever. He then quits music but becomes the manager of the Nasty Bits as he wants them to get the best deal that works for them when American Century tries to sign them.

The series portrays the sleaziness of the music industry and how money plays a major role in all of it underpinnings. Richie is also a cocaine addict sniffing it up in every opportunity that he can. The 70’s in New York were a thriving time for the arts, the whole Andy Warhol movement to the rise of Punk and Hip Hop music. Vinyl however wants to show the audience more of the business side of the music industry rather than of the creative side. The series overall is very impressive in it’s aesthetics, showing what the 70’s looked like from the fashion to the lifestyle and it also does a good job in how people’s attitude’s were back then. The one flaw it has is referencing dates with regards to classic albums, the series takes a creative license in placing albums in certain time periods that are not accurate and it is very apparent to die-hard music fans of 70’s rock music. The characters are very unlikeable and this what we have come to except in Scorsese films and now on his television series. Vinyl will be airing a 2^nd series but in my opinion if it is going to be a success it will need to focus even more on the music than on the antics and drug habits of record executives.

Five musicians we have recently lost and who left us amazing legacies.

David Bowie:

David Bowie was 69 when he passed away but will be remembered forever. He was one of the great musical artists of the 20^th century, a performer who was not afraid to be himself which was the message he put forward to his generation. He inspired people who weren’t accepted in the mainstream such as the LGBT Community, his music was ground-breaking for its time because he was one of the first to really bring forth the concept album in Ziggystardust and be thought provoking and offending along the way.

Lemmy Kilmister:

Lemmy Kilmister the great frontman and bass player of Moterhead was a rock/heavy metal icon that liked to play music loud and heavy. He also lived the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle like no other rock star could. He sold over 30 million records with Moterhead and his influence is quite paramount in the early development of heavy metal and other musicians like Dave Grohl, Lars Ulrich and Slash all payed respect to his inspiration.

Scott Weitland:

Frontman of Stone Temple Pilots, Weitland was one of the pioneer rock singers of the 90’s grunge era, his vocal delivery was angry and powerful and his lyrics dealt with some painful subjects such as betrayal. His output with S.T.P and other bands is an influential catalogue of music that has inspired younger generations to start bands and sing in an honest and raw way that he did.

Chris Squire:

The Legendary bass player of prog band Yes past away at the age of 67 and will be remembered as one of the great rock bass players of his era with the likes of John Paul Jones and John Entwistle. Squire’s bass playing was a fusion of styles complimenting the music whilst leading the band with fantastic improvisations. Contemporary bass players such as Les Claypool and Squarepusher cited Squire as an influence. He was the only musician in Yes to play on all of their albums and if you really want to listen to what he could achieve on bass I would recommend the songs The Fish and Heart of the Sunrise.

BB King:

The Iconic blues guitarist, singer and songwriter was one the great musicians to really push guitar playing to new heights. Guitarist like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix owe a lot to the way BB King crafted his style. Along with Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker BB King planted the seed for what great bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were to become. King played music for 6 decades and his passing was a reminder of how important the blues was to American music.

Is Martyr Loser King a Winner?

by Daniel Jaramillo

Martyr Loser King is the latest album by poet and hip-hop artist Saul Williams. In all of his albums Williams has attempted to make music that defies labels making them difficult to categorize. Martyr Loser King is no exception to his rule however M.L.K offers a comprehensive blend of electronic beats, African and tribal rhythms, spoken word and intense singing to top it all. It’s accessible but the music demands your attention and the lyrics especially will make you think about issues such as wealth inequality and the government’s fear of cyber hackers that release secret documents.

Musically the album also makes cool use of a lot of hip hop’s stylistic production techniques such as the chipmunk voices or the chopped and screwed vocals and of course the beats are layered in 808 drum machine patterns. In the past Saul Williams has recruited heavyweight producers such as Rick Rubin and Trent Reznor and has also attempted the role himself, this time Justin Warfield who is not so well known but has dozens of underground rock and hip hop albums to his credit as well as his own band’s She Wants Revenge releases took charge of the production.

In M.L.K Williams and Warfield have created a hybrid of all the music that the artist respects and admires. The album is part of a graphic novel to be released later in the year and without creating a “spoiler alert” about the storyline it certainly focuses on the digital age and what the life of a “hacktivist” is like. Williams is an artist that doesn’t compromise his creativity and wears many hats including being an actor and a writer. However his work is not about trying to be popular or commercial it is there to serve a deeper purpose which is to inspire and encourage us to all think outside of the box musically and conceptually.

This album would certainly work well in a club setting but it also appeals to a much more alternative crowd, balancing the two styles quite nicely. Songs like Ashes and the Bear have a really club/dance style about them yet the chorus line on Ashes which goes “Dancing on the Corpses Ashes” is a lyric borrowed from an At the Drive-In song called Invalid Litter Dept. As a Saul Williams fan I am always excited to hear a new album from him and when I finally got the chance to listen to M.L.K it was what I new Williams to have always done which was something that was experimental but accessible at the same time. M.L.K is a decent album but not one of Saul Williams’s best releases and if you’re new to his work I would recommend listening to his first 3 studio albums which have a more rock influenced sound. Those albums will give any listener a better understanding of Williams approach to making music of a left field and hybrid persuasion. 

Musings on Music and Politics

For as long as popular music has been around there has always been a fair share of rebels and artists who have challenged the status quo and exposed greedy oligarchs and elites for who they really are.

Music is around when transformation is occurring in society whether it was the folk music scene of the 1960’s opposing the Vietnam war, the punk rock and heavy metal scenes of the late 70’s and 80’s being angry and nihilistic about the future or the hip hop scene of the early 90’s that was challenging racial and economic inequality in America and globally. What all these genres have in common is a “fuck you” attitude towards authority and the powers that be.

Today we face a number of issues from the recognition of first nation people being incarcerated in very high numbers due to a criminal justice system that is run by corporations aiming to maximise their profits by keeping as many black people locked up as they can.  We are also seeing police murders of young African Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement being born as a way to protest and resist the brutality on the streets of America due to people recording these incidents on their smartphones. The issue that affects nearly everyone today is the gap between the rich and the poor and a fragile environment that is being destroyed because of climate change, a human made problem that is especially being perpetuated by the fossil fuel industry.

With all these issues being real and affecting people’s lives, the only way to overcome them is if we take direct action and realise that we can all make a difference. Music has a role to play in motivating and inspiring people to take action and over the last few decades young people have become aware of such issues when their favourite bands start to educate fans about the issues of the day. In the 60’s and 70’s the voices of Bob Dylan, Gill Scott Heron and Nina Simone gave rise to political consciousness for people all around the world. In the 80’s Bruce Springsteen stood out and spoke about the ugly truth of American patriotism in “Born in The U.S.A.” The song would be a huge hit for Springsteen in a decade when the music industry was being swept away by the rock star lifestyle of fame and riches.
In the 90’s Rage Against the Machine wrote many anthems that would champion political causes from the Mexican guerrilla group the Zapatistas to causes the political left cared about such as immigration and getting the common person to stand up against exploitation and injustice. They also wrote songs that spoke up against corporate greed and America’s offshore wars. The music was always angry but that anger was speaking truth to power which not many bands have been able to achieve in a music industry dominated by disposable pop music. In the 00’s System of a Down made their fans aware of the Armenian Genocide that occurred in 1915 by the Turkish government and Turkey denying it was a genocide, it was a personal issue for the band because they are all of Armenian heritage and their grandparents were survivors of the genocide.

Radiohead’s Kid A album cover depicted snowy mountain tops in flames and the song “Ideoteque” lyrics forewarns “Ice age coming.  We're not scaremongering this is really happening”. What Thom Yorke is referring to is climate change and the dangers that it will bring to current and future generations.
Hip Hop artist have also given their voice to the struggles of racism and poverty around the world. Hip Hop in the early 90’s had Public Enemy, KRS-One and Ice Cube rapping about issues of the ghettos and how being poor and black in America made you a target of the police and the C.I.A. Rap today has been hijacked by masculinity and having more wealth than common sense but last year Kendric Lemar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” was the first mainstream hip hop album to be candid about the issues of police brutality, particularly in the video for the song “Alright” with the Black Lives Matter movement using it as an anthem for protesting.  Lemar also brings up the issue of institutionalized racism but he is mainly interested in the politics of the neighbourhood of Compton where he grew up and where many great hip hop artists carved their legacy and left a mark in popular culture.
America has had a black president for 8 years and now Obama’s time is coming to an end but there are still a lot of problems to be sorted out and it will take a president with a lot of guts and determination to really fix the major problems America and the world is facing. Senator Bernie Sanders is the first truly progressive politician running a campaign that is focused on issues like tackling greed on Wall Street, the income inequality in America and providing free education and healthcare to everyone. Already many artists are in support of Sanders but it remains to be seen if he will win the democratic nomination and become the next president of the United States. It certainly should inspire musicians to write songs about the issues of the day and to get young people interested in politics. I got interested in Bernie Sanders after Killer Mike from Run the Jewels and Dr Cornel West came out and endorsed him and I would recommend watching this video of Killer Mike interviewing Bernie Sanders at his Barbershop in Atlanta.  

Did Rock Die with David Bowie?

Rock bands in today's music climate are a shadow of what the great bands in the 70's use to be. The musicianship is not at a high standard anymore because technology has made it easier to make music and you don't need to make as much of an effort as before. However I am not suggesting that music made by new technologies is crap but it isn’t hard to tell that we are happy to just accept mediocrity because music with integrity and authenticity has disappeared from the mainstream. Bowie’s music was mainstream but he never lost his authenticity and his death has left us thinking about great artists who really made music that was timeless and fearless.

Music festivals are also getting more predictable in their line-ups and to see interesting bands you have to dig deeper to find the real gems. In most parts of the western world audiences are craving for something exciting that has the same passion and rebelliousness as the bands from the 60's and 70's. That went away completely in the 80's but returned in the 90's for a short period of time and by the 00's it had become fairly underground. Rock in 2016 is considered by MTV a genre that is no longer relevant.

According to MTV and mainstream broadcasting rock is dead, I think this is not true its just now rock bands are no longer having the same success commercially because we already have over 50 years of rock music history and as a consequence bands are finding it harder to come up with something fresh. I think artist today can learn a lot from the older bands in terms of dedication to the craft of composing music, writing lyrics and playing your instrument well.

Today there is an opportunity to make music that is progressive in the truest sense of the word but only time will tell if artists can explore new musical idioms that have yet to be discovered. When you have great musicians using technology creatively then you can start to see a transformation not just in the technical side of production but also trying to creatively push music foreword just like the bands from the 60’s and 70’s and 90’s did. Artists today have to conform and fit within a specific genre but I think if bands start making music in a genre-less way of thinking then new hybrids can emerge and we will find much more interesting music in the future. All of my favorite artists have made music by this philosophy and instead of isolating audiences the hybrid way of making music embraces larger audiences.

Rock bands like Wolfmother for example have suffered from trying to sound too retro and perhaps if some of them started embracing new ideas maybe we would have bands coming out that sound fresher and make rock fans excited again. The music industry especially in rock music must avoid following the film industry that keeps rehashing old classics because they are too scared to come up with fresh and original material.

I am usually keeping an eye out for bands that I already like but I am also open to listening to some new stuff that is trying to push the envelope. There are many albums’ coming out in 2016 that I’m looking foreword to. David Bowie’s latest album Blackstar sounds fresh and exciting mixing rock and jazz with a pop sensibility. His imprint on music history is a reminder of how younger musicians should be making music at higher standard and demanding quality music to be played on radio and nightclubs. By the late 90’s Bowie also realized that the adoration for groups as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin had disappeared and the artist had now become a part of the audience rather than a kind of God above them, which was evident in other music genre’ such as Rave and Jungle music where the DJ is an equal member of the music community.

R.I.P David Bowie: