Remembering not so long ago the world was lamenting over the passing of prominent actor Heath Ledger and pop icon Michael Jackson. Knee to theworld'sballs. Only to be sucker punched in the gut and other hurtfully sensitive regions with news of Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy Sullivan and Slipknot bassist Paul Gray's untimely departure to the afterlife. The world will surely miss their talent and contribution to music.
Left : Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan and Avenged Sevenfold
A few days ago it was officially reported from toxicology testings that the death of Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan on December 28, 2009 was because of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. The cause of Paul Gray's death on May 24, 2010 however, is still being investigated. Paul Gray known as #2 or "The Pig" was one of the founding members of Slipknot.
A paragraph from a Rolling Stone article by Jon Wiederhorn on Jimmy Sullivan's death; Toxicology reports indicate that Sullivan suffered "acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Diazepam/Nordiazepam and ethanol. Oxycodone is painkiller that substitutes for Codeine, Oxymorphone is a painkiller similar to Morphine, Diazepam/Nordiazepam are anxiety medications and ethanol is the intoxicant in alcohol. Actor Heath Ledger similarly died from acute polydrug intoxication on January 22, 2008. Sigal added that Sullivan also had cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart), which was marked in the coroner's report as a "significant condition" that may have played a role in the drummer's death. The Coroner's Department conducted "five or six" different tests to verify the cause of death, Sigal added. Read full article
An Associated Press report on Paul Gray's death;
Fans of Avenged Sevenfold were somewhat happy and relieved that the band has decided to continue on with Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy in the drummer's seat for the band's next album Nightmare, set to be released on July 27, 2010. Mike Portnoy, a man looked up by The Rev and undoubtedly one of the best drummers in the world today, was more than happy to pick up where The Rev left off.
The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF for short) is a unique festival that brings together on the same stage renowned world musicians from all continents and indigenous musicians from the interiors of Borneo.
Considering the next RWMF 2010 is just around the corner, I feel it is timely that I share my experiences at the last RWMF, how it was like and some advice to bear in mind. Briefly, this traditional music fiesta is annually held around June or August in the Sarawak Cultural Village, 35 kilometers from the city of Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia. The festival lasts 3 days, with musical workshops in the afternoon and concerts at night. Details on WRMF 2010 at the end of the post;
The trip to Kuching, Sarawak was an adventure in itself, but let's just jump to some pictures shall we?
Tickets were RM90 for a 1 day pass and RM250 for the whole 3 days.
We got to meet people from around the world who gathered here just for this 3 day event. Everyone was being friendly and awesome to each other despite the H1N1 virus outbreak was at its peak! Masks were on at the start but half way through, we didn't care!
There were obviously ALOT of people around, so if you have health distrusts or just want to chill for a bit, its good to know that the concert will also be projected onto a screen for you to enjoy, away from the crowd.
Tip #1 : Belongings in here please! If you're in a group, bring along a bag big enough to keep everyone's stuff in but small enough so not to be a burden (trust me you will feel it with passing hours). Then assign one person to guard it. Rotate guard duty.
My bud here posing for a pic with some of the people we met. Michael Jackson's Beat It was included in AkashA(group from Malaysia)'s unforgettable performance on the 3rd (final) night. It was great. The night was filled with awesome performances by local and international acts including from Sabah and Sarawak also the Zawose Family from Africa. List of artiste from RWMF 2009;
AkashA (Malaysia)
Asika (Malaysia)
Dazkarieh (Portugal)
Inti-Illimani (Chile)
Jeff and Vida band (US)
Jouhiorkesteri (Finland)
Moana & The Tribe (New Zealand)
Muzsikás (Hungary)
Oudaden (Morocco)
Red Chamber (Canada/China)
Zawose Family (Africa)
Kinabalu Merdu Sound (Sabah)
Lan-e Tuyang (Sarawak)
Noreum Machi (Korea)
Sekaa Jaya Jenggala (Indonesia)
Saint Nicholas Orchestra (Poland)
Now people were everywhere you see. The ground was wet and muddy from rain the previous day, we were right in the middle so it was chaos all around, people were sweating and jumping taking clothes off singing and clapping and running around. Everything you'd call a good time..
Tip # 2: Wear sandals and bring a spare shirt. It's gonna be dirty.
We secured a perimeter in the middle of the crowd and basically made camp. Safe to say the bottled water (and rice wine) stand was in business. It was like having a personal watering hole to keep us hydrated while the "bartender" was passing vodka shots around. Well not actually vodka, it was local rice wine provided by our Sarawakian friends we met up with when we arrived in Kuching.
Tip # 3: If you plan on getting drunk at the festival, book a hotel near the venue because it's going to be a long drive back to Kuching. The best and nearest option would be the Santubong Kuching Resort.
Having gone through the festival with some magical immunity to fatigue, the hours of cardio, power jumps and the overall physical straining slowly came back to torture. Plus we had to walk another 5 kilometers or so back to the spot our cars were parked, the sweetest thing I could think of was my ricketty bed back at the hotel. Looking back, it was all worth it for the fun filled nights and the amazing finale to RWMF 2009.
Tip #4: Bring and extra pair of sandals for the team. I had a friend who's sandals malfunctioned and had to go barefoot the whole time after.
Being at Rainforest Music Festival 2009 was an experience I will never forget, it was a blast going through everything with my bunch of crazy friends, we even made new ones. This post is just the tip of the ice berg, I could go on and on and on. Anyways, the RWMF experience is something you should definitely want to be apart of, at least once. Check out the next RWMF! I'm probably not going this year but you should!
Some info on Rainforest Music Festival 2010!
Date : 9th - 11th July 2010
Venue : Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Ticket Prices : 1 Day Pass ( RM 110), 3 Day Pass (RM 300)
Looks like ticket prices went up a bit this year. Take my word, Worth It.
For more info on Rainforest Music Festival 2010, visit the official website.
Of course you guys know those names up there right? Yeah, sure you do. Why am I even asking, of course you do, minus the airplane. Well at least one of them right? Yeah.. No?? Seriously? Well go shoot yourself. Wait, shoot Justin Bieber first.
pokemon much?
Okay, okay. Don't get excited Bieber heads, I'm just messin with the kid, i mean where would Pikachu go without him? Okay okay.... enough with the kid, he's too young anyways.
For those of you who have been fans of Blink 182 since like forever, you've probably heard of a new album in the making. Well there certainly is but you probably already knew that, and if you do you also know that you wouldn't hold your breath. So lets just leave that where it is. What you probably didn't know was that Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 is in collaboration with Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy and All Time Low on some projects that may not take that long to unfold. Just watch the video.
This will save me a bunch of writing;
Paramore, yes. The band that has been in lights ever since that inappropriately naughty video of Hayley Williams got circulated around the internet (don't fall for that one). Ever since the band stepped into the lime light, they just hogged it from then. Recently being on 'The Ellen Show' and performing on 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' show, the band is qued in BBC Radio One's One Big Weekend event (22 May) featuring a big lineup which includes You Me At Six, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lost Prophets, Rihanna and of course Justin Bieber. Fantastic. The band has also announced the new single will be 'Careful' with a release date scheduled for July 5th.
♥ Hayley
Last but certainly not least, Hayley Williams the voice of Paramore herself. Hayley provides the icing to rub in your face. Hayley has been in many collaboration works now, recently with new act fun.(period, yes the band's got a full stop in their band name). Hayley featured in the reggae/ska song Atleast I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be). Other collaborations include rappers Eminem and B.o.B. Yes, Marshall Mathers. Hayley is apparently featured on a the track Airplanes Pt.2 with Eminem on B.o.B's new album 'B.oB. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray'. Check it out.
Fun. featuring Hayley Williams - Atleast I'm Not As Sad. This is just a fun song. Props to the guy who took this.
B.o.B feat Eminem Hayley Williams Airplanes Pt. 2. Have A Listen. This is surprisingly awesome.PRESS PLAY below.
Some of you might be going "Oh don't you go bitchin' bout gossip gurl, boy..." Don't worry, I'm not here for that.
Things that comes to mind when I hear the name Taylor Momsen : Gossip Girl, Jenny Humphrey, Blair Waldorf (??!), something related to actor, something related to Blair (wh!!?), The Pretty Reckless.
Yea, those things exactly. Well almost. Wait, The Pretty Reckless? What? Oh, that's the name of her rock band.
That's right boys and girls, little Jenny from Brooklyn decided take axe lessons from daddy, traded Serena Van Der Woodsen for a van and opted to play gigs in Chuck Bass's penthouse (wh???). Okay, enough Gossip Girl references for now, stepping away from Gossip Girl, this is about Taylor Momsen and news on her musical aspirations in the form of a four piece band; The Pretty Reckless.
First things first; Make Me Wanna Die, the band's first single which was released online at the end of 2009;
This song was apparently on the soundtrack for the movie Kick Ass starring Aaron Johnson. There's also an acoustic version of this song taken from their unplugged session (click here to watch) in the UK recently.
Although the band isn't all that new, the band members themselves are, going through a complete overhaul after changing band members three times now, The Pretty Reckless still manages to remain, well The Pretty Reckless. Taylor being the centerpiece, the only member unchanged. Current band members are:
Taylor Momsen - Vocals
Ben Phillips - Guitar
Mark Damon - Bass
Jamie Perkins - Drums
Be warned though, Jenny from Gossip Girl and Taylor from The Pretty Reckless are not to be compared. Blonde hair, goth looks, grungy style matched with a fiery attitude, hey it's Courtney Love all over again. But seriously, new members Ben, Mark and Jamie bring a more heavier feel to the band, one might think Velvet Revolver held the auditions. At some point you'd swear you saw Slash on stage playing with the band. Even so, 16 year old Taylor seems to have found the right chemistry (and age) of companions to get that record works going and moving right way. Let's hope that she doesn't change her mind again. Try googling "The Pretty Reckless" and you'll find unending pictures of Taylor looking fresh out of a Nirvana concert. I don't know, this is all too Disney too fast, and don't let me start on Leighton Meester's musical quest.
Latest from the band is that they will be doing the Warped Tour this year going at it with bands like Alesana and Bring Me The Horizon. The band is currently signed with Interscope Records. Expected release date of the unnamed record is somewhere in August (2010). All great stuff and good news for the band, but how long can Taylor juggle between touring front woman and celebrity leading lady before it comes tumbling down? Careful Little J. XOXO. (sorry i couldn't help it)
I am here to tell you a story. A story that will torture your thoughts by day and poison your dreams by night.
Post-hardcore band Alesana from North California recently released a video for one of my personal favorites, The Thespian from their latest The Emptiness album, released earlier this year (2010). Acknowledging that this blog wasn't up yet to review that awesome album, I bring news of the video and the idea that inspired it.
But first, The Thespian; i just love this. enjoy.
Now most of you who are fans of post-hardcore music like me will certainly agree that this band is awesome and The Thespian certainly kicks ass.
The whole dark theme for the video was actually based on the whole album itself. The Emptiness was written with a story and plot that runs through the album. This album would certainly be a joy/pain to review considering the amount of creative depth of ideas in the production leading up to the release. Well, to my understanding the album (and various sources on the internet) revolves around three characters The Artist, The Thespian and Annabel Lee, the latter being the protagonist which sets the album in its direction. The idea, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's macabre poem entitled Annabel Lee, eerily depicting love and death, transcribed and digested to form a darkly tuned, hauntingly enjoyable album.
The three main characters, brought to life in the video by the band members depicts The Artist, a man who is in love with the beautiful Annabel Lee and The Thespian a darkly portrayed character, the man who apparently, is responsible for Annabel Lee's death. The story is intriguingly intriguing, numerous conclusions can be made but who better to tell the story behind the video and the album than Alesana themselves;
"As the sun sets, the Artist cannot seem to escape his own imagination. Completely lost in self-indulgence, he begins to see Annabel's face everywhere. The visions of her usher his wandering, delusional thoughts back to the day when he first fell in love with her. He soon becomes obsessed with the fantasy that she could possibly still be alive. The Artist scrambles home in a hastened fury only to be stopped dead in his tracks at his front porch by a man who introduces himself as the Thespian--the man who killed Annabel." -Alesana
I really think it is amazing that the band manages to tell such an enigmatic story in the form of The Emptiness. The band musically tells the story in such emotions surpassed only by visually adding to the experience. Well here's news, apparently the band is planning to produce a movie based on the story of Annabel Lee. Let's hope that they do. It would be a sight to watch the band play the album in its entirety while the movie plays in the background, don't you think?
Hey guys. Just wana update on upcoming bands that i'm excited about. One of which I am anticipating is this band, Breathing Blue. I heard a few songs on their myspace and I must say, they sound great. I found a lot of reviewers saying the same as well. Two songs currently up on their myspace, one of which entitled Chase The World, give a nice vibe running up to their upcoming self-titled album, due to release on the 11th of June 2010. Can't wait to hear the whole album. Note this one down guys.
I am also waiting for news for the new album Chiodos that's in works. I'm not talking about that Grand Coda album. I love Chiodos, I love their raw sound, it just tickles me. So it reeeaally annoyed me lead singer Craig Owens left the band last year. The main reason I loved Chiodos so much was because of that clean voice of his. Can't wait to see how the band manages a new album without him and the new singer's grasp on things. Currently flying solo with works of a record on the way, he's still one of my favorite singers out there. Check out his myspace for songs from his solo effort With Love, which you can pre-order now. Judging from the songs on myspace, its going to be good, with emo love songs enough to go around. I can't wait for the release. I'll probably write about this album when it comes out.
Thought i'd put this one to my "listening to now" list. For you guys who like the band Four Year Strong, you'll like A Loss For Words. Well at least their sound. The band actually shares the same hometown as Four Year Strong and a couple of guys from the band features on Motown Classics.
A Loss For Words follow in the steps of Four Year Strong by creating a whole album devoted to covers. The thing about covers is that you can't go wrong with a song that is already liked. Or can you? we've all heard that band covering that Britney song. Luckily here A Loss For Words mustered enough quality to pull this off. The album is fair with songs like All Night Long, I Just Called To Say I Love You and My Girl, songs 90's us karaoke-ed one too many times to admit. I'm just saying. We all know these songs.
Well the album isn't perfect. Some may not return to this album except to a few songs fore mentioned. There are a few more memorable enough to keep us listening but some just feel repetitive. Songs feel like fillers as you dive more into the album. I have split opinions on this album, on the lighter side, the album is fun and some may find themselves setting particular tracks on repeat. Those of you looking for a laid back fun album, this is it.
