It’s June! How quickly has the last 6 months passed? It seems that the older I get the quicker I grow older (if that makes sense to anyone but me) … I can’t believe that just about 10 years ago the soundtrack to my summer was Imperial Teen’s What Is Not to Love, 12 Bar Blues by Scott Weiland, Mark Lanegan’s Scraps at Midnight and Izzy Stradlin’s 117 Degrees. 

Another band that I listened to a helluva lot (although not active) around this time was Blind Melon.

Blind Melon’s debut album was one of those records that sorta defined the generation … when rock music was breaking into the mainstream without the bands sacrificing their integrity.

No Rain and Change where big hits and people knew what you were talking about when you mentioned the “song with the bumblebee girl”.  The debut, Blind Melon, was in many ways a rock classic. It was seeped in all the 70’s influences that each member had, whilst sounding fresh. 

Their second album, Soup, was superior in many ways … the song craft was perfected and diversified. The band was inspired! Sadly, this wasn’t everyone’s belief and the album never really took off … many people looked for the big hit in the foil of Change or No Rain.

Soup never had a song like that … it offered more than a few hits. It was a master class in how to write and compile an album that consisted of nothing but great songs.

Sadly, Shannon Hoon died during the touring to promote Soup.

June’s Bootleg is a brilliant show from Vancouver, Canada, October 3rd 1995. A great performance and one of my favourite shows … and as always it’s a soundboard recording. Enjoy.

2×4
Toes Across the Floor
Tones of Home
Wilt
Vernie
No Rain
Walk
Lemonade
Time
St Andrew’s Fall
Skinned
Change
Soup
the Duke
Galaxie
Car Seats (God’s Presents)

So, in between going to work and playing Gears of War on the Xbox I’ve been reading Slash’s autobiography (SLASH) and it’s pretty damn good.  Those Gn’R fellas were pretty wild … as I’ve said many times, I don’t care much for anything past Appetite for Destuction, but back when I was ‘discovering’ music I sought out everything Gn’R.  Although I don’t listen to much of their post-Appetite output, there is a good album within the Use Your Illusion double.  I can’t even be bothered discussing this ‘Chinese Democracy’ and the best of all the post Guns projects was Duff McKagen’s record with his old 10 Minute Warning pals.  However, I just had to listen to some early Gn’R stuff that I had kicking around so as to hear what Slash was talking about. 

Here’s a few early Guns N’ Roses tracks (available for 1 week only):

November Rain demo from 1986, Welcome to the Jungle, Bad Obsession (early Use Your Illusion demo)

… and away from this Guns N’ Roses stuff, the Connect Festival (held in the ancient grounds of an 18th Century castle in the Scottish Highlands) will feature some mighty fine bands this year (as well as not so mighty fine) and although the tickets are pretty pricey, you can expect your weekend of Friday 29th to Sunday 31st August to include entertainment from Sigur Ros, Grinderman, Elbow, Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Howling Bells, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band and … The Gutter Twins! (for the full list of the announced acts visit the Connect Music Festival dot Com).

Speaking of The Gutter Twins, here’s some more dates that are shown on their MySpace:

JUNE

28 - Sled Island Festival, Calgary

JULY

10 - The Roxy, Hollywood, CA
12 - Showbox, Seattle, WA

AUGUST

2 - Lollapalooza, Chicago, IL
6 - Tavastia, Helsinki, FI
7 - Way Out West, Gothenburg, SE
8 - Voxhall, Aarhus, DK
9 - Haldern Festival, Haldern, DE
11 - Zodiac, Oxford, UK
12 - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
13 - Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK
15 - Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt, BE
16 - Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, NL
17 - Highfield Festival, Hohenfelden, DE
19 - Beatpol, Dresden, DE
20 - Ampere, Munich, DE
21 - Palac Akropolis, Prague, CZ
23 - Proxima, Warsaw, PL
25 - Forum, Bielefeld, DE
26 - Komedia, Brighton, UK
27 - Leadmill, Sheffield, UK
29 - Electric Picnic, Stradbally, IE
30 - Academy, Liverpool, UK

Also on tour is Tom Waits.  Hopefully I’ll get the chance to catch one of the Edinburgh shows, but here’s a list of dates from the Anti- website …

JUNE

17 & 18 - Orpheum, Phoenix, AZ
20 - Plazza Theatre, El Paso, TX
22 - Jones Hall, Houston, TX
23 - Palladium, Dallas, TX
25 - Brady Theatre, Tulsa, OK
26 - Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
28 - Ohio Theatre, Columbus, OH
29 - Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, TN

JULY
1 - Times Union Centre, Jacksonville, FL
2 - Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL
3 - Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL
5 - Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
12 - Auditorium Kursaal, SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN
14 & 15 - Auditorium Forum, BARCELONA, SPAIN
17, 18 & 19 – Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, MILAN, ITALY
21 & 22 – KCP, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
24 & 25 – Grand Rex, PARIS, FRANCE 
27 & 28 – Playhouse, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
30 & 31st - The Ratcellar, DUBLIN, IRELAND

AUGUST

1 – The Ratcellar, DUBLIN, IRELAND

There’s loads of other stuff happening (Festival season and all), but I’ve been to busy playing Gears of War to notice! … oh, and Sunday at Devil Dirt (the new Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan album) was released on May 12th, not May 5th! … but it’s a great album.  I also got my hands on The Panic Channel’s (ONe) for £3 out of Fopp: it’s anything but brilliant, but enjoyable enough (hopefully something comes from the NME jam with the original Jane’s Addiction line up). 

I’ll be getting May’s bootleg posted in the next few days, but in the meantime enjoy those Gn’R tracks and this smashing video from Mr. Waits.

It’s just occurred to me that I made no mention of The Gutter Twins’ performance on Later … I watched the Tuesday show and caught up with the extended Friday show on Saturday via Virgin Media’s ‘Catch Up’ service (skipped most of the acts - especially Operator Please).

It was great to see Dulli, Lanegan and the rest of the guys (Dave, Jeff, Cully, Scott and Ed) on UK TV and if you missed it …

… and some other dates:

August 1st - 3rd - Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago
August 13th - London’s Shepherds Bush Empire

So, the newly reformed Stone Temple Pilots have made some additions to the reunion tour which kicks off on May 17th and have suggested that a new album is on the cards.  This is all very good and certainly makes me a happy man.  Don’t get me wrong, Velvet Revolver were enjoyable, but not a patch on Stone Temple Pilots.

The band start by headlining the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, OH before finishing up in New Orleans (Voodoo Music Festival) on October 24th (list of dates below).  Hopefully they’ll make their way out of the US.

As well as annoncing a pretty extensive touring schedule, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 1st. 

Welcome back!

May

17 - Columbus OH US Columbus Crew Stadium
18 - Camden NJ US Susquehanna Bank Center
20 - Cleveland OH US State Theatre
22 - Chicago IL US Charter One Pavilion/Northerly Isle
23 - Indianapolis IN US Indianapolis Motor Speedway
25 - Wallingford CT US Chevrolet (Oakdale) Theatre
26 - Uncasville CT US Mohegan Sun Arena  
31 - Holmdel NJ US PNC Bank Arts Center

June

01 - Mansfield MA US Tweeter Center
03 - Detroit MI US Fillmore
04 - Detroit MI US Fillmore
06 - St. Paul MN US Wilkens Auditorium
07 - Kansas city MO US Liberty Memorial Park
08 - St. Louis MO US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
11 - Salt lake city UT US E Center
12 - Las vegas NV US Pearl Concert Theatre (Palms Resort) 
14 - Las vegas NV US Pearl Concert Theatre (Palms Resort)
21 - Calgary AB CA V Festival @ Fort Calgary
24 - Los angeles CA US Hollywood Bowl
25 - Tucson AZ US Anselmo Valencia Ampitheatre 
27 - San antonio TX US AT&T Center 
28 - Woodlands TX US Woodlands Pavilion
29 - Grand prairie TX US Nokia Live

July

02 - Denver CO US Red Rocks Amphitheatre
04 - Milwaukee WI US Summerfest
10 - Quebec City QC CA Quebec City International Festival
11 - Montreal QC CA Bell Centre 
12 - Toronto ON CA Downsview Park
15 - Canandaigua NY US Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center
17 - Green bay WI US Oneida Casino
18 - Mt. Pleasant MI US Soaring Eagle Casino 
19 - Cadott WI US Chippewa Valley Music Festival 
25 - Berkeley CA US Greek Theatre
26 - Paso robles CA US California Mid-State Fair
27 - San diego CA US Qualcomm Stadium
29 - Phoenix AZ US Dodge Theatre

August

08 - Bethlehem PA US Musikfest
09 - Atlantic city NJ US Borgata Hotel and Casino
10 - Pimlico MD US V Festival
16 - Elizabeth IN US Caesars Casino
17 - Charlotte NC US Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
19 - Orlando FL US UCF Arena 
20 - Hollywood FL US Hard Rock Live (Seminole) 
22 - Tampa FL US Ford Amphitheater
23 - Alpharetta GA US Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
30 - Vancouver BC CA General Motors Place 
31 - Seattle WA, US Bumbershoot

October

24 - New Orleans, LA US Voodoo Music Festival

With Sunday at Devil Dirt due out on May 5th 2008, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan will be taking to the road.

31 May 2008, ESTRAGON BOLOGNA
1 Jun 2008, OSSIGENO TURIN
3 Jun 2008, MOUSONTURM FRANKFURT
4 Jun 2008, L’USINE GENEVA
6 Jun 2008, LA CIGALLE PARIS
7 Jun 2008, ANCIENNE BELGIQUE BRUSSELS
8 Jun 2008, PARADISO AMSTERDAM
10 Jun 2008, SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE LONDON
11 Jun 2008, ST GEORGES CHURCH BRIGHTON
12 Jun 2008, ACADEMY 2 MANCHESTER
13 Jun 2008, ABC GLASGOW

According to Onewhiskey.com (the Mark Lanegan fansite) and various music publications, Mark Lanegan will be appearing at all dates … except Glasgow.  Which is a bummer, but you can be sure I’ll check this out a little more.

Ok, so being excited over the release of the as yet untitled album on May 12th and their pending visit to Glasgow in June, overcooked spaghetti is the only phrase I could use to describe myself when I discovered that their album and tour has been postponed.

However!  According to Mascot Recordsit aint all bad:

Chris Goss has announced the postponement of the new Masters Of Reality release as well as the summer tour, due to the fact that he is still in the studio recording what he considers the best Masters of Reality record ever.

As Chris Goss quotes:
“I sincerely regret if the tours’ delay is causing any inconvenience and disappointment. I can only say that I have not stopped and cannot stop writing new music for the album. I believe it is our best work to date. We will bring this on large and correctly; both in album form and in the live arena. The summer will bring the album. The autumn will bring a Masters of Reality tour of a quality I’ve waited my whole life to present to you.”

… donno about you folks, but the blow is more than softened with the prospect of a masterpiece.

In the meantime, enjoy this fantastic performance:

I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at underappreciated albums and the first album to get the Adventures in Stereo Revival is Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 1995 release ‘One Hot Minute’.

One Hot Minute is the first and only Red Hot Chili Peppers record that featured ex-Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.  Coincidentally it also found the band on a darker, richer vein of form than they had been on their previous albums (and indeed the records that followed).

Although there is no denying that ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ will remain the highlight of their career, ‘One Hot Minute’ is its equal.  But, it will forever be discarded by ‘fans’ of the band who dislike its ‘experimental’ sound.

For those fans who discovered the ‘Chili Peppers following the success of Californication and By The Way, One Hot Minute is bound to disappoint. It’s dark and edgy and although it plays unlike anything the band produced before, or after, Navarro’s stint you can’t help but feel that something doesn’t quite fit.

The lead-off single, ‘Warped’, was certainly an indication of what to expect. The band had never sounded so full or heavy. The instrumentation is busy, which seems to highlight the musicianship of the band more than their other records (though there’s no denying that Flea always brings his ‘A’ game to the table). This is evident throughout much of the album.

Navarro turned the band on its head. Turned them into something more than the band they were (or the pop band they would become), but it just wouldn’t work out.

There’s definately a different feel and atmosphere surrounding each of the album’s tracks.  But that’s no bad thing.  One Hot Minute is a great record. Possibly the record that they needed to make in order to exorcise their demons. 

… Gomez.  A band that I had a passing liking for back in the day after I saw them on Jools Holland’s Later.  Yesterday as I walked to work I listened to ‘Bring it On’ and thought to myself how much the album still stands up (though I don’t like ‘Whippin’ Piccadilly’ or the posturing of ‘Tijuana Lady’).  As I understand it they’ve had a bit of a return due to Grey’s Anatomy and The Hitcher?

Anyhoo, here’s a video I found on Youtube of them performing ‘Get Miles’.

Field Songs is one of those beautifully crafted albums that you just have to listen to on a Sunday.  I know it’s Monday, but I’m starting late and this is my album of choice.

For those who aren’t familiar with Mark Lanegan (who isn’t these days?), then here’s an excellent performance of one of the albums highlights. 

Oh yeah, how could I forget: here’s the latest dats from the Masters of Reality tour.

May

31st: Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival, Düdingen (Switzerland)

June

1st: Musicdrome, Milan (Italy)
3rd: Zitadelle (with Queens Of The Stone Age & Eagles Of Death Metal), Berlin (Germany)
5th: Markthalle (with Eagles Of Death Metal), Hamburg (Germany)
6th: Rock-Im-Park Festival, Nürnberg Zeppelinfeld (Germany)
8th: Rock-Am-Ring Festival, Nurburgring (Germany)
10th: VoxHall, Aarhus (Denmark)
11th: Vega Jnr, Copenhagen (Denmark)
12th: Hultsfred Festival, Hultsfred (Sweden)
15th: Download Festival, Donington Park (UK)
16th: Cathouse, Glasgow (UK)
18th: Islington Academy, London (UK)
19th: VK Brussels (Belgium)