Many Americans are seeing a lot of white this weekend. A blizzard is hitting the eastern part of the nation and Ohio is on the back-end of it and I am glad - you New Yorkers can keep your two feet of snow! I despise snow and cold weather and winter in general. My goal is to someday live in Hawaii where the temperature is always consistent and warm. I know a lot of people are excited about the wintry weather because Christmas is this week. With that, a very cute Jon Bon Jovi singing "Blue Christmas" is making my Sunday.
And just a couple years ago, Bon Jovi did some holiday songs in concert, too.
My Bon Jovi concert tickets came in the mail just a day ago and as you can tell, I'm excited. Come on July! Come on festival season! Come on balmy weather!
Slipknot premiered their short film for Snuff yesterday. Yours truly wrote some pithy comments for the debut. In case you didn't see this clip, I implore you to watch it now. You don't need to be a Slipknot fan to appreciate the artistry of the clip. Peace.
Ok - so this is a Glam site where we give mad love to bands like Motley, GnR, Buckcherry and the rest. Still, I love listening to music of all genres - and I get really excited when a good new band hits the scene, Glam or otherwise. Enter the Los Angeles-based band Armada. I like their sound and since the band is giving away a free song, I thought I'd pass along. The band is good, mellow indie rock - but not stuffy, trust me! For what it's worth, check out the song "Blue and Green" on the band's Facebook. Here's the info:
The Los Angeles based independent rock band, ARMADA, released a video last week featuring time-lapse still photography of the band members creating their own spray-paint backdrop for a photo shoot - the backdrop just happens to be on the photographer's living room wall. The video features one hour condensed into three minutes. The soundtrack to the video is the new song, "Beautiful Heat," which the band has now made available for free download on the site http://www.theArmadaStore.com.
Both of these releases come in anticipation of the release of the band's new EP, "Shake the Chill," slated for digital release on January 5, 2010. A truly D.I.Y. project this completely independent EP was produced in less than three weeks at the Den Recorders studio in Pasadena, CA.
Armada reemerges from their studio hibernation with two shows in their native California - the first in San Francisco on December 19th at the Hotel Utah Saloon, and a benefit concert for the APLA on January 9th at the Joint in Los Angeles. Details for both events can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ArmadaForPresident.
It seems like most celebrities of the music ilk or otherwise like to help when charities call. To that end, I was just alerted to a cool Bon Jovi charity item that I felt I just had to share! Check it out: an autographed guitar pickguard. I wouldn't mind having it myself, but it's a little pricey. The good news is that all the money goes to City of Hope, which benefits cancer research and education. [Click the link for a picture and to zoom in on the autographs - you need to go to eBay to view the item. Auction ends December 21].
I decided to make it a list-filled week here at Bring Back Glam! Music videos just aren't as important as they were in the 80s. Bands don't need MTV for publicity anymore thanks to the Internet but video clips are still great marketing tools. With that, my picks for the best rock videos of 2009:
05. Papa Roach - "Lifeline" 04. Green Day - "21 Guns" 03. Halestorm - "I Get Off" 02. Shinedown - "Second Chance" 01. Slipknot - "Sulfur"
Agree? Disagree? What are your favorite rock videos from 2009?
It’s impossible to make a “best of the decade” list coming just from my perspective. It would be inaccurate and unfair. I decided, instead, to list some of my favorite works from the past decade. The albums below are the ones I always come back to and enjoy spin after spin. The list may be disproportionately heavy on the second half of the decade, but for good reason: I graduated college in 2001 and was preoccupied with finding a job. I also had no money for music. Then the cycle started again with grad school, cutting my time and money for music way down. Having said that, I’ve always made it a general practice to scan new release listings and read album reviews of all genres. In short, the second half of the 00s was better for me musically. With that said, here’s my list. I eliminated compilation and live albums from my selections. These 12 albums below were nearly impossible to rank as each one means quite a lot to me.
12. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising Sand (2007) 11. Black Tide – Light from Above (2008) 10. Damone – Out Here All Night (2006) 09. Guns n’ Roses – Chinese Democracy (2008) 08. Britney Spears – Circus (2008) 07. Bullet for My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire (2008) 06. Crashdiet – Rest in Sleaze (2005) 05. Michael Jackson – Invincible (2001) 04. Avenged Sevenfold – Waking the Fallen (2003) 03. Lynam – Slave to the Machine (2006) 02. Alison Krauss and Union Station – Lonely Runs Both Ways (2004) 01. Slipknot – All Hope is Gone (2008)
Slipknot is also my band of the decade. From Iowa to All Hope is Gone and everything in between, the ‘Knot has developed a unique brand of heavy metal meets stagecraft. Their shows are part brutality, part survival of the fittest, part theatre of the absurd. They may be geniuses or just a collection of insane gents who can really play the hell out of their instruments, I'm not sure. Whatever the case, All Hope is Gone may be one of the best metal albums of all time, not just the decade.
I won’t spend time writing about each release. In most cases, I’ve already done that at some point on this website. Still, if you’re so inclined, you might check out Alison Krauss and Union Station. I quite enjoy bluegrass music, which seems to mystify people. The guitar parts are technical and the songs tell a real story – and the vocalist needs a good set of pipes. You get all that and so much more on Lonely Runs Both Ways. The album won a slew of Grammys and for good reason: it’s brilliant. Tone and control take refinement and practice. Krauss delivers both effortlessly.
Invincible is Michael Jackson’s last true studio release. It happens to include my favorite MJ single “You Rock My World.” That song was nominated for a Grammy and was the last music video ever to feature MJ. The song is also my ringtone.
So, that’s it for me. Some of my favorites from the past 10 years. I still can’t believe we’re about ready to switch over to 2010. I must be getting old!
As we wait for the year to roll on by, please take a minute to tell me some of your favorites from the past decade. I can’t wait to compare notes. The chances of any two people having the same list is so slim, it’s a fascinating look into what makes us all tick.
Check out some other "best of" lists at these fine websites:
As promised, today we’ll look at the top straight metal releases of 2009. Yeah, I can flip from Poison, to Mayhem, to Britney Spears to Alison Krauss to Goatwhore without missing a beat. Don’t hate. These records rule and you should own them – even if you don’t like it particularly heavy, give props for the artistry. Here’s the list of seven because there wasn’t even 10 straight metal albums I liked enough to write about. I think 2008 was better for straight metal, but every other critic is gushing at how great the year has been, so be it. With that, my top seven:
07. Megadeth – Endgame 06. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know 05. Slayer – World Painted Blood 04. Goatwhore – Carving Out the Eyes of God 03. Saxon – Into the Labyrinth 02. Queensryche - American Soldier 01. Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue
Notice Mastodon isn’t here. I don’t dislike Mastodon. I’ve never met the band, never interviewed them, have nothing against them. I guess I just didn’t like Crack the Skye as much as every other metal writer on the planet. Sometimes it takes some major cojones to break from the pack. It seems like every list I saw also hated the new Queensryche, but not me. I think the Seattle band regrouped with American Soldier and made one of their best albums since Mindcrime. Opinions make the world ‘go round I guess.
What say you?
Tomorrow, a look back at the music of the decade.
Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 12:01AM