Thank you Joe Proctor for adding a link to this band on your Face Book page. I am always looking for different blends of sounds and the latest EP release from The Native Howl fits the bill very well.
The Native Howl are 4 very talented musicians from Detroit who blend folk, rock, alternative and with the newest release Bluegrass to form a fun unique sound. The band is still relatively young, only formed in 2013,with only three EPs/Albums released.
Intrigued by the Thunder Head track, the first release from Trash Grass, I decided to dig deeper and listen to the rest of the three albums the band has done. I mostly liked what I heard from the first two releases and Love the newest Trash Grass. The first two releases are mainly a Folk Rock, Alternative sound, which have never been my favorite. I respect the musicians and can hear the quality of what they are doing but just not my cup of coffee.
Now with Trash Grass the music speaks to me. The first track Thunder Head sounds like if you gave a top Bluegrass Group at hit of Speed and then recorded the results, which are Awesome. Doomed from the Start is a fun track about how useless existence is the lyrics cleverly go over all the different ways Mankind can be doomed. Follow Me is a released track from an early release. Finally, with Hurricane, the EP comes to its howling end.
A pleasant find and a fun blending of two styles of music that don't normally blend give Trash Grass a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best- your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Metallica Hardwired on the third try
The past 13 years haven't been great for the god's of Metal , the band Metallica. I will start with Death Magnetic, I won't mention the album that shouldn't be named St. Something or other, it was not a great album. Death Magnetic was on the level of the Reload release, kind of there but not awful. It took 13 years since the departure of Jason Newsted to get it right, but with Hardwired... to Self Destruct, Metallica sounds like the gods of metal again.
8 years is a long time in between releases and I have heard many times during the past years that this album was coming. After too many years of false starts the release has been worth the wait.
To start, I have to say I am impressed with the full court press of media on this release. A full week of a single channel of Metallica on Sirus/XM and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel. There are also at least 8 videos for the album on You Tube.This is a statement. The band knows that this album is getting them back to the top of the Metal Mountain.
A few months ago, thanks to ITunes music, I listened to the first three released tracks: Hardwired, Atlas, Rise! and Moth into Flame. I was hooked just from theses tracks. Finally,when the rest of the album came out I feel the fans' patience was rewarded.
The best thing about the album is that its a great gumbo of Pre and Post Black sounds. Atlas, Rise! and Spit out the Bone sounds early, Now that We're Dead and Hardwired sounds like Black era. I have really enjoyed every track on the release and the sound should satisfy all Metallica fans.
If you want to listen to one of the gods of Metal reawaken to their Greatness listen to Hardwired,,,To Self Destruct.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
To start, I have to say I am impressed with the full court press of media on this release. A full week of a single channel of Metallica on Sirus/XM and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel. There are also at least 8 videos for the album on You Tube.This is a statement. The band knows that this album is getting them back to the top of the Metal Mountain.
A few months ago, thanks to ITunes music, I listened to the first three released tracks: Hardwired, Atlas, Rise! and Moth into Flame. I was hooked just from theses tracks. Finally,when the rest of the album came out I feel the fans' patience was rewarded.
The best thing about the album is that its a great gumbo of Pre and Post Black sounds. Atlas, Rise! and Spit out the Bone sounds early, Now that We're Dead and Hardwired sounds like Black era. I have really enjoyed every track on the release and the sound should satisfy all Metallica fans.
If you want to listen to one of the gods of Metal reawaken to their Greatness listen to Hardwired,,,To Self Destruct.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
A7X Stages a reaching release
As mentioned in an earlier post (The Best Metal Band of 2000) I think Avenged Sevenfold is the best Hard Rock/Metal band of this generation. And with three years since their release of the Monster album Hail to The King the band was due for some new music. What was odd was on how they released the new stuff, no fanfair. Just a quiet here's our title track released on Itunes, Amazon, Spotify oh and next few weeks the rest will be out. Hey when you are the biggest band out there you can have the luxury of people finding you.
So after a few weeks of listing to the album The Stage I am still mixed on my review of it. Let me start by saying Avenged Sevenfold has not stepped back musically or creatively. Truly it is the opposite the band is reaching for much more on this release, and my reaction is did they Overreach? The title track and first release The Stage is grand. The song clocks in at an epic 8:32 time wise and it isn't even the longest song on the album. Musically and lyricly it is ambitious and is very much worth the longer time.
Honestly all the songs on The Stage deal with deep issues and are richly layered with amazing guitar and pounding double bass drums. The final track on the album is the epic Exist, The song clocks in at an 15:41 and even has Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking on the track. So yes the songs are almost like orchestral movements on The Stage.
I loved Hail to The King and think the band reached the top of the Hard Rock world with its release. So if there is a time for a band to stretch out and go beyond their musical limits why not try when you are at the pinnacle? I am mixed on my review but I can say I have really enjoyed getting lost on The Stage. So if you want to hear a band at its height musically and popularity wise see how fat they can go you need to go listen to The Stage.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
So after a few weeks of listing to the album The Stage I am still mixed on my review of it. Let me start by saying Avenged Sevenfold has not stepped back musically or creatively. Truly it is the opposite the band is reaching for much more on this release, and my reaction is did they Overreach? The title track and first release The Stage is grand. The song clocks in at an epic 8:32 time wise and it isn't even the longest song on the album. Musically and lyricly it is ambitious and is very much worth the longer time.
Honestly all the songs on The Stage deal with deep issues and are richly layered with amazing guitar and pounding double bass drums. The final track on the album is the epic Exist, The song clocks in at an 15:41 and even has Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking on the track. So yes the songs are almost like orchestral movements on The Stage.
I loved Hail to The King and think the band reached the top of the Hard Rock world with its release. So if there is a time for a band to stretch out and go beyond their musical limits why not try when you are at the pinnacle? I am mixed on my review but I can say I have really enjoyed getting lost on The Stage. So if you want to hear a band at its height musically and popularity wise see how fat they can go you need to go listen to The Stage.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Alter Bridges the gap from Pretentious to Perfect Lead Singer
My praise for Myles Kennedy has been noted on this blog several times. Even a few posts back I was writing on how he is an incredible lead singer. As I mentioned, in the Louder Than Life post, his band Alter Bridge is incredible and not to be missed live. With the bands new album titled The Last Hero I had to give a good listen and review, so here we go.
I knew about Myles and heard some of Alter Bridge on SXM's Octane but that was the amount of knowledge I had on the band before this release. The album is great and I decided to dig into the band. Surprise, surprise the band behind Myles is the critics favorite Creed. (Yes, that is sarcasm,the critics Hated Creed and I agreed with the Critics somewhat) So with this knowledge it might explain my instant enjoyment of Alter Bridge. Follow me here , Creed was a great 90's band with a talented but Self Absorbed Pretentious lead singer in Scott Stapp. I really liked the band but I couldn't get past Scott. So for the second time (see my review of Slash's solo album) Myles has stepped in and brought a band to where I can really dig them.
The release is solid melodic heavy hard rock. The band lays down tasty hard rock groves and Myles delivery soars with them. One of the great things about the band is that they are Hard Rock but with many more musical layers that sets this band apart. The first release Show Me a Hero is a soaring rock anthem that has a message not missed on this listener during the Campaign season. My Champion has some outstanding guitar tracks. The title track drives home the dark theme of the release and ends a gem of an album.
Myles Kennedy with his band Alter Bridge delivers a great CD which is almost as good as they are live. The Last Hero is diffidently to be listened to.
Til next time , listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
I knew about Myles and heard some of Alter Bridge on SXM's Octane but that was the amount of knowledge I had on the band before this release. The album is great and I decided to dig into the band. Surprise, surprise the band behind Myles is the critics favorite Creed. (Yes, that is sarcasm,the critics Hated Creed and I agreed with the Critics somewhat) So with this knowledge it might explain my instant enjoyment of Alter Bridge. Follow me here , Creed was a great 90's band with a talented but Self Absorbed Pretentious lead singer in Scott Stapp. I really liked the band but I couldn't get past Scott. So for the second time (see my review of Slash's solo album) Myles has stepped in and brought a band to where I can really dig them.
The release is solid melodic heavy hard rock. The band lays down tasty hard rock groves and Myles delivery soars with them. One of the great things about the band is that they are Hard Rock but with many more musical layers that sets this band apart. The first release Show Me a Hero is a soaring rock anthem that has a message not missed on this listener during the Campaign season. My Champion has some outstanding guitar tracks. The title track drives home the dark theme of the release and ends a gem of an album.
Myles Kennedy with his band Alter Bridge delivers a great CD which is almost as good as they are live. The Last Hero is diffidently to be listened to.
Til next time , listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Mellencamp ages fine like a great wine
For my birthday my dearest got us tickets to see John Mellencamp in concert. There were a couple of reasons we really wanted to see him preform. First off, John Mellencamp hasn't visited the Bluegrass since 1988 so this is the first time we have been able to see him in a very long time. Second, not to sound too grim, we want to see John Mellencamp preform before he dies. Really with the year we have been having with performers, it is time to see this artist.
I always loved John Cougar Mellencamp, as he was known then. I remember how huge the album Uh Huh was when I was in Jr High, the artistry in Scarecrow for my High School years and the insights of Lonesome Juliblee for my College years. The great things about John Mellencamp's songs is that he revels in the rebelliousness of youth but with the tone of enjoy it now cause it will be gone. What makes him a great artist is that you can enjoy and see yourself in his songs in anytime of life.
As for the concert, John Mellencamp showed that he has been preforming for over 40 years. He commanded the stage with an ease that only comes with time. He preformed all his major hits with a touching treatment of Jack and Diane. The song was just him and his guitar with the audience doing most of the singing. I was surprised he closed with Cherry Bomb, not Pink Houses, but it was a great closer.
If you get a chance, don't miss this great artist preform. With the year 2016 has been it might be your last chance.
Till next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
I always loved John Cougar Mellencamp, as he was known then. I remember how huge the album Uh Huh was when I was in Jr High, the artistry in Scarecrow for my High School years and the insights of Lonesome Juliblee for my College years. The great things about John Mellencamp's songs is that he revels in the rebelliousness of youth but with the tone of enjoy it now cause it will be gone. What makes him a great artist is that you can enjoy and see yourself in his songs in anytime of life.
As for the concert, John Mellencamp showed that he has been preforming for over 40 years. He commanded the stage with an ease that only comes with time. He preformed all his major hits with a touching treatment of Jack and Diane. The song was just him and his guitar with the audience doing most of the singing. I was surprised he closed with Cherry Bomb, not Pink Houses, but it was a great closer.
If you get a chance, don't miss this great artist preform. With the year 2016 has been it might be your last chance.
Till next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Kansas: Progressive for the 21 century
So Kansas, the USA's best progressive rock band, has come out with a release that harkens back to their Signature style. Two things:, first I can't say America's best example of Progressive Rock due to Rush from Canada. The next thing is the USA has great bands that are almost Progressive Rock like, Journey, Styx, Boston and early REO Speedwagon, but mostly they are Arena Rock. If the USA had to showcase its Progressive Rock band it would be Kansas.
Unfortunately, it is the 80's Kansas that went to the Arena rock stage, but with this new release,The Prelude Implicit, the band has returned to its Progressive Rock roots. The first thing I noticed is that the violin is back. I always thought the violin was a great touch and depth to their earlier music. Unfortunately the vocal sounds of Steve Walsh are not here, but Ronnie Platt is a wonderful addition. The two vocalist are different but both can carry the right sound, and can even sing the phone book and grab my attention. The complex melodies and layers that are a staple of Progressive Rock bands are on nearly every track on the release
For the new release, The Prelude Implicit, there are 10 tracks. Eight of them I really enjoy. One I love and One I just don't care for. The first two tracks the band released, With This Heart and Visiblilty Zero are classic Kansas and got me really excited about the the bands return to form. Rhythm in the Spirit and The Voyage of Eight Eighteen are truly wonderful examples of what the USA can offer for Progressive Rock. The one track The Unsung Heroes leaves me flat, it's not awful, it is just filler. Refugee is the track that really made me stop and listen. It's haunting and the subject matter is hard but delivered in such a powerful way that it really grabs you.
The Prelude Implicit is not Leftoverture or Point of No Return but that's a good thing. No great band should step back; they need to take their music forward. Even so with different band members you can't catch that sound or chemistry again. No, The Prelude Implicit is a Progressive sound for this time from these members of the band and can be enjoyed for it.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Unfortunately, it is the 80's Kansas that went to the Arena rock stage, but with this new release,The Prelude Implicit, the band has returned to its Progressive Rock roots. The first thing I noticed is that the violin is back. I always thought the violin was a great touch and depth to their earlier music. Unfortunately the vocal sounds of Steve Walsh are not here, but Ronnie Platt is a wonderful addition. The two vocalist are different but both can carry the right sound, and can even sing the phone book and grab my attention. The complex melodies and layers that are a staple of Progressive Rock bands are on nearly every track on the release
For the new release, The Prelude Implicit, there are 10 tracks. Eight of them I really enjoy. One I love and One I just don't care for. The first two tracks the band released, With This Heart and Visiblilty Zero are classic Kansas and got me really excited about the the bands return to form. Rhythm in the Spirit and The Voyage of Eight Eighteen are truly wonderful examples of what the USA can offer for Progressive Rock. The one track The Unsung Heroes leaves me flat, it's not awful, it is just filler. Refugee is the track that really made me stop and listen. It's haunting and the subject matter is hard but delivered in such a powerful way that it really grabs you.
The Prelude Implicit is not Leftoverture or Point of No Return but that's a good thing. No great band should step back; they need to take their music forward. Even so with different band members you can't catch that sound or chemistry again. No, The Prelude Implicit is a Progressive sound for this time from these members of the band and can be enjoyed for it.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Louder Than Life Gets the Festival Right
Louder Than Life invited the Bluegrass Mixer to cover their festival last weekend. It was great to be invited as the press. Honestly it has been a few years since my last music festival, Never been a big fan of them, but Louder Than Life changed my mind.
With Music Festivals you get at most 30 minutes of the band playing a few hits then you get an hour of roadies changing the stage and checking the mics. Not exciting and worth the payoff for the wait. So the clever people at Louder Than Life had three stages. Two main stages for the headliners and a third separate stage for the smaller acts. At the music festivals in the past you sit very compact and crowded and bored through the sound check. Louder Than Life had plenty of room to wander around in between acts. The best thing Louder Than Life did was have all types of food trucks everywhere. The only change would be having charging stations for your phones.
If you chose to go next year, spring for the VIP pass. As members of the press, the Bluegrass Blog Mixer had access and it was a great set up. A separate tent with plenty of seating and their own food trucks and bar. It was nice to be part of the press.
Due to prior commitments, (Scarefest in Lexington), we only got to go to the Sunday line up. There was a great line up for both days and I do really regret not getting to see Avenged Sevenfold. The line up for Sunday was awesome and had a cool assortment of Hard Rock and Metal. The bands that surprised me were Crobot and Skindred. Crobot is a much tighter sounding band live and is a shame they can't catch the same sound in the studio. Skinred is a band not to be missed live. Hard and funny at the same time they drove the crowd hard in the early afternoon. Doing reading on the band, Skindred are known for kicking ass live.
The biggest surprise was Ghost. A very controversial band, I won't even get into the whole Satan worship thing. What I will say is that the band is charismatic and spot on musicians. Skillet was just as good live as on their records and a fun show. Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge were amazing to hear and his voice was even better live.
The two headlines were Korn and Disturbed. Both have dominated the Hard Rock and Nu Metal scene for decades and after seeing them live I can say they deserve their place at the top of the heap.
Thank you Louder Than Life for allowing us to cover your event and showing us on how a Rock Festival can be done right
With Music Festivals you get at most 30 minutes of the band playing a few hits then you get an hour of roadies changing the stage and checking the mics. Not exciting and worth the payoff for the wait. So the clever people at Louder Than Life had three stages. Two main stages for the headliners and a third separate stage for the smaller acts. At the music festivals in the past you sit very compact and crowded and bored through the sound check. Louder Than Life had plenty of room to wander around in between acts. The best thing Louder Than Life did was have all types of food trucks everywhere. The only change would be having charging stations for your phones.
If you chose to go next year, spring for the VIP pass. As members of the press, the Bluegrass Blog Mixer had access and it was a great set up. A separate tent with plenty of seating and their own food trucks and bar. It was nice to be part of the press.
Due to prior commitments, (Scarefest in Lexington), we only got to go to the Sunday line up. There was a great line up for both days and I do really regret not getting to see Avenged Sevenfold. The line up for Sunday was awesome and had a cool assortment of Hard Rock and Metal. The bands that surprised me were Crobot and Skindred. Crobot is a much tighter sounding band live and is a shame they can't catch the same sound in the studio. Skinred is a band not to be missed live. Hard and funny at the same time they drove the crowd hard in the early afternoon. Doing reading on the band, Skindred are known for kicking ass live.
The biggest surprise was Ghost. A very controversial band, I won't even get into the whole Satan worship thing. What I will say is that the band is charismatic and spot on musicians. Skillet was just as good live as on their records and a fun show. Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge were amazing to hear and his voice was even better live.
The two headlines were Korn and Disturbed. Both have dominated the Hard Rock and Nu Metal scene for decades and after seeing them live I can say they deserve their place at the top of the heap.
Thank you Louder Than Life for allowing us to cover your event and showing us on how a Rock Festival can be done right
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