Since the foot of snow we had earlier this month we spent the following week in a deep freeze. Temperatures at and below 0ºF after all that snow and with little or no sun contributed to snow-packed to ice roadways and dangerous conditions all-around. That was followed by significantly warmer temperatures that hovered at or above the freezing mark, day and night, for another week, which has allowed salt to work and aid in making the roadways better, finally. Last Tuesday we had all 4 types of precipitation in one day; rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow. Along with those temperatures we had many days of dense fog and rain on a few days which has helped melt a lot of snow, yet there is still plenty of it everywhere you look. This next week looks to be more familiar with daytime highs above freezing and the lows below, and no real chance of snow.
That's enough of a weather report, I think. Wisconsin can have more extremes in weather than many other areas, many times seemingly without rhyme or reason, so can be interesting to note.
Also, last Sunday I started to feel like I was fighting a cold so I stayed in, started taking my supplements and just relaxed. Didn't matter one bit. Monday and Tuesday I felt like I was hit by a truck with head and body aches and lethargy, staying home from work and sleeping a whole lot. (I tested for Covid and it was negative.) While I got a little more energy back on Tuesday it was only temporary as the virus had settled deeply into my sinuses where it still resides now. And no matter what cold medicine I've tried it barely helps, but that always seems to be the case for me. I want to say I feel slightly better today, but really this whole week has been just absolutely miserable for me. Today will be more of the same - rest and relaxation and hoping this virus clears soon.
At least today I will have some entertainment. At the end of November I signed up for a yearly pass on Veeps, a popular livestreaming site. I paid $60 (a half-price Black Friday deal), which is about what I spent on livestreams on that site last year but now I'll have access to all of their shows so will be more likely to watch shows that I was hesitant to spend money on before.
At almost 2 this afternoon on Veeps is Bad Omens with opening act Poppy, airing live from Germany (7 hours ahead of us) on their current European tour. I'm a big Poppy fan and while I don't know much about Bad Omens I do like the song they did together, V.A.N., released just a couple days ago. Interestingly, it was written entirely by the singer of Bad Omens but it is not a duet with Poppy handling all of the vocals. A good song and fits right in with Poppy's catalog, though. I'm sure they'll share the stage at some point to perform the song together.
I can't remember the last time I bought a ticket and saw a band play live, but it may have been Alice Cooper in July 2019. That's over 3 years ago. Now, I've not gone out to see bands as much the last several years (as I've been getting older), then the pandemic kept me away even when shows still happened during the last few years, until now. ZZ Top has been around since 1969 so time is running out, for them and many of the great bands that have been the soundtrack to our lives.
I was almost late as I was thinking it started at 9 p.m. but it actually started at 8, so the first band was playing when I got there. I jumped in line right away to get a t-shirt, and by the time I got to my seat the opening band was pretty much done. That's okay, I couldn't tell you the name of the band now without looking it up. The show, at the Sylvee here in Madison, was not sold out, but was a decent size crowd even with much of the standing room upstairs pretty empty. And the demographics were similar to Alice Cooper, fans from 8 to 80 (or so). The changeover between bands was pretty quick as ZZ Top has a pretty simple stage setup, and they started playing right about 9 o'clock.
Their set was pretty efficient, and the same 16 songs they've been playing for at least the last few shows. A lot of catchy tunes from the first album through their 80's heyday hits and more. (My video for Sharp Dressed Man & Legs is here.)
It was an expensive evening, for sure, but I'm still glad I went to see another band that I haven't seen yet and may not get another chance. They played for about 80 minutes, whereas I would expect a bit more from a headliner normally, but again, they've been around for quite some time. The show was tight, efficient, and pretty much no-frills as I would expect from ZZ Top. I left halfway through their last song, La Grange, so I didn't get to see the confetti (or what ever was in the tubes behind the speakers) go off for the finale. I had to park on the top floor of the ramp and wanted to beat the rush rather than wait in line to leave. Also, I did have to work early in the morning, after all. But overall, a good night and I'm glad I went. Hopefully more shows will come through town soon that I'll want to see.
I can't remember exactly where or when I first learned of The Warning, but it was about 2 or 3 months ago and probably while in some Youtube rabbit hole. They are the Villarreal sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. Yes, sisters - Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra - and surprisingly young when you see some of their earlier videos as kids, but even then you could see the talent.
I found they first got some popularity from an early cover of Metallica's song Enter Sandman back in 2014, and they actually collaborated on that song for Metallica's Blacklist album that came out last year. They've been writing their own music now for a while and have a couple releases out there, and a new song coming out next Friday called Money. And they do seem to have lots of fans already, with several Youtube channels posting all sorts of videos with and about them, even livestreams of their shows.
There's a 5 minute documentary video they released a few days ago and shows their charm and growth, musical and otherwise, including talking with the parents. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't look like they allow embedding so you can see it here, I recommend it.
What seemed to catch me first was the voice. I like a strong, female rock voice (think Lzzy Hale or Liv Sin). Then to see her play guitar and sing live was impressive, while the younger sisters were no slouches, either. Plus, I must admit, I was intrigued by the novelty of what were young kids playing good songs well. They've grown up a bit now and play tight and loud and have some very good songs out. I think the best is their most recent EP, Mayday, but that's to be expected as its the first I heard. I have one earlier album from 2018, Queen of the Murder Scene, that is also very good and a little more diverse.
If they continue their current trajectory I think we'll all be hearing more of them in the future. They're just about there, and I think one 'hit' song just might break it wide open for them. Maybe I shouldn't have predicted that, I just know what I like and find interesting to listen to and lately this has been at the top of my list. It's always fun when I find my next latest-greatest!
Shortly after finding and really liking their music I wrote an LLP Bonus post about them. At the time, they only had 7 songs out and I felt they needed to do more to merit a full LLP post. That was in February, and now, after several months of their music being at the top of my mental playlist, I just can't deny how much I've been enjoying their music ever since - and they have two new songs out since then, so they have been active. Ladies and gentlemen, number 38, Wargasm UK!
There's not a whole lot more I can say about them than what I did before. But live shows have started up again, so they're getting their chops by playing out more, at least one festival from what I've seen with more dates scheduled soon. And this make me happy because more live shows means more live concert videos to watch. Always my preference.
Watching this live video reminds me how content I am these days to watch from afar, but they sure bring the energy and the crowd gives it right back. I may be too old to be right down front anymore, but I still enjoy it lots. Keep it coming, Sam and Milkie!
Less than two weeks ago I came across the young duo Wargasm UK on Youtube. I'm constantly looking out for new shows, concerts and livestreams, so it was probably in my recommendations. They had a short set on video, filmed during lockdown for the Download Festival channel. I found the video to be heavy and fun and new and, well, I found it interesting enough to dive head first down that rabbit hole immediately after enjoying the show.
They are Sam Matlock and Milkie Way, from London, and while they call themselves Wargasm I see them referred to as Wargasm UK in several places. I'm pretty sure that's because there's already been a band named Wargasm for a few decades now, but they're kids so I'm sure they didn't know. If you're into genres they call themselves Nu-Metal, but call it what you will, I only know that I like what I like and that's as it should be. While I've not been able to get their music out of my head recently, they need to do a bit more over longer to justify me writing a full LLP post, I think. Wargasm UK has no albums and only 7 singles released since they started a couple years ago. That's all I found of them, aside from remixes, and I bought them all digitally the only place I could find them - Amazon. I thought it was well worth it to encourage their behavior and I hope I hear much more of them, and sooner than later. (I also hope it's even better!)
I'm not sure I have a favorite song they do, but this one is real good. And while they have some good live videos out there, here's the official video for their song Spit. Enjoy!
I was going to save this for a later time to space out the music posts, but I just don't have much to say currently. All is well; eat, sleep, work - you know how it goes.
There are two other acts that have caught my attention this year, Eskimo Callboy and Skynd. I haven't heard enough of them or know enough about them for them to be worthy of a full LLP post, but I am intrigued and like what I see so far. Both these artists are very different, but I enjoy lots of different music.
Eskimo Callboy is a German band that has been around for about a decade or so, and I do remember hearing the name before but it was on a local radio station so I probably dismissed it as I really don't pay a whole lot of attention to radio to find my music. They've been described as a mix of metal, comedy, hardcore and electronic. I don't care what you call it, this song is very catchy and the video is hilarious in an eighties workout video kind of way.
Skynd is a little different, to say the least. Her music is dark and eerie, yet I find it catchy and interesting. She doesn't have a whole lot of songs out, 7 or 8 from what I can tell, and they all have a serial killer kind of theme. Literally, her songs are about serial killers and the songs are named after the serial killer she is singing about. The latest song, though, is a little different as it's just called Columbine. If you forget, it's the high school in Colorado that two kids shot up back in 1999.
This year has been terrible for the music industry. Live shows and tours have been postponed, rescheduled, and now are starting to be postponed yet again. And with digital music being consumed practically for free, live shows are how most musical artists survive. Yet time moves ever forward so albums still get released, videos still get made, and many artists have turned to the internet to put food on the table. Code Orange is one such band, having released their latest album, Underneath, early this year in March, just in time for the rest of their plans for the year to get cancelled.
But this band has moved forward as best they can, and have put some good livestream shows together over the course of the year. First, in March, they played their first livestream show, Last Ones Left: In Fear of the End, and it was very good. Later, at the end of July, they had another, but this time it was set up like an old MTV Unplugged show. Under the Skin got rave reviews from fans and critics alike as their music translated to acoustic better than one would have thought. Then on Halloween they did it again, back to a full heavy concert feel with Back Inside the Glass (a paid livestream, no link available). A truly enjoyable show and happily a very different setlist.
I was lucky enough to see all those shows, and I look forward to more. But enough of the acoustic, here is the title song from the album Underneath. A tune I find very catchy, indeed.
Now, I didn't know a whole lot about Code Orange (formerly Code Orange Kids) before this year, but I've been learning. What I find really interesting is how this young band has evolved over time. One guitarist used to be the bass player. The keyboards and electronics guy used to be on guitar. And the frontman used to be the drummer, might still be for the studio as they list the current drummer as a session musician.
The band does have what I find to be quite a different style and sound, yet I like it and find it refreshing and a bit unpredictable as sometimes it seems hard to catch the rhythm but it always turns up in an interesting way. Vocals are shared by the female guitarist, frontman and keyboardist, a mix of clean singing and growls. I never find my next favorite band when I'm looking for it, it just shows up when it wants. I'm happy Code Orange showed up, and continues to be active in these times. I also look forward to what this band does next and will be there to support them, whatever that may be.
I read yesterday that Body Count just released their 2017 song No Lives Matter to radio. I had forgotten about this song, especially since they released a newer album earlier this year so when I have listened recently it has been the new one. Interestingly, I have to choose when I listen to this band as it is pretty angry music and can affect my mood. I stopped listening to it when I'm at work, for example.
So the Black Lives Matter movement is almost 7 years in (per google) and going strong. There are still protests here in Madison every day but thankfully I've not heard of any recent violence. After it all blew up here at the end of last month all the stores at downtown gathering spot State Street had their windows boarded up, broken or not. Then they had scores of local artists in to paint the plywood, trying to make it a little nicer to look at while being safer for the businesses. Since then there have been marches down main roads and major highways all over town.
It's not surprising to me that Madison got so involved. We have a large black population and made our own national news when a white Madison police officer killed local black teenager Tony Robinson in 2015. The protests then were very much like they are now, and may continue to happen until some tangible change takes place. Police do a vital service protecting us, but people should only be judged by their actions and not pre-judged, or 'profiled,' by their color, and there is a line that should not be crossed where the force used no longer equals the infraction.
You don't have to like the music to watch the video, but I would recommend at least listening to what Ice-T has to say for the first 40 seconds. Better yet, listen to the song, hear the lyrics, the anger.
I don't have the answers, and I don't march, I don't yell. I just try to be the best me, behave accordingly, and be aware of the things I can change. What are your thoughts?
Not normally what I listen to, but there hasn't really seemed to be a 'normal' for me in quite some time. And that's really pretty good, actually. Poppy's made the music news the last few months, which initially got my attention, and now I'm really liking her new album, I Disagree. This is her third album, and while the first two are, well, pop-py, this album has a distinct heavier edge that still fits nicely with her character.
Yes, Poppy is a character, her real name is Moriah Pereira. As I understand it, she started making videos for YouTube and it just grew from there. She makes very interesting and somewhat eccentric or odd videos, which is part of the appeal for me. Her character is just off the wall cutesy, soft and odd. The "Kids React" channel on YouTube has featured her several times and the kid's reactions to her are just priceless. There's a playlist of those episodes here.
There's also been a lot of talk of her and her creative partner separating before this album. That sounds like a messed up relationship, with him having a history of controlling and abusive behavior. I won't go into it here, you can look it up if you like. But it may explain a few things...
And though her music videos can be elaborate I've watched a few concerts of hers from earlier this year before everything was cancelled and enjoyed the live show as well. Enough so that if she did play in town here sometime I would definitely make an effort to be at that show.
It's hard to say why I've not seen Alice Cooper live before now. He does tour a lot, so perhaps I always thought there would be a next time. In fact, there almost wasn't a this time. Alice Cooper played Wednesday night at The Sylvee here in Madison, but I had tickets for a show I especially wanted to see on Friday, two days later. That show was cancelled a few weeks ago so I decided this was the time to see Alice Cooper. After all, he is 71 years old now, how many more tours can there be?
Not wanting to stand and jockey for a good view I bought one of the seats that surrounds the balcony, giving me an unhindered view of the night's show. More expensive, but at my age I can afford these comforts when available. I wound up on stage right, front row, second from the end farthest from the stage. I still had a bit of taller rail in front of me since I was by the end and the stairs, but the rail that separates the seats from a forty foot fall seemed so low, and there is nothing but a short cable tray that runs below it to stop anyone from falling. Me, being tall and clumsy, definitely made a note of that for future.
There was no opening band and the show started a little after 8, so I knew it wasn't going to be a terribly late night but I still took off the next day from work. The stage was impressive with a castle-like structure that was used to its utmost. The songs were mostly all classics with 14 of the 20 songs being from the 1970's, many of the hits. The band, featuring three guitarists including the acclaimed Nita Strauss, was tight and entertaining. And the special effects were limited to lights and fog, but there were several fun props used during the show including a giant Frankenstein, a giant baby and, of course, the guillotine. He does a dramatic show with these little playlets that make things lighthearted and fun to go with the music, as you will see in the video below.
I'm disappointed that my original plans this week were cancelled, but I am very glad I went to see Alice Cooper. Now to see what's next!
I was looking at old posts a while ago and came across this video I posted 10 years ago, and I still enjoy it. I didn't know who it was then, but it's At The Bottom Of Everything, by Bright Eyes.
I actually had this as a draft and scheduled to post on June 8, exactly 10 years after I originally posted it, then must have forgot to hit 'publish.' Somewhat relevant as I just posted about airplanes, and I came across it today so here it is.
I also had this cartoon that I saved some time ago, I forget from where, because I liked it. I don't mean to offend anyone who believes in religion, but I don't, obviously.
I did some more work on the long-fabled cat box area project today, still a long way from being done but it'll get there. I have everything I need now but the good back for it. After a couple weeks without one, I may have another fire tonight. Gif below is from last night. Have a great weekend, everyone!
In keeping with my resolve since I turned 50 to get out and see more live music from touring acts that I would enjoy, I went out Tuesday night to the Majestic Theater to see Buckethead perform. Buckethead is a very respected guitar player who has made several lists such as top ten shredders and top 25 weirdest guitarists, among others. He has performed with many other acts but is probably best known as being a guitar player in Guns and Roses from 2000 to 2004, and his work was also on their 2008 album, Chinese Democracy. He is also famous for wearing a white mask on his face and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head.
He performed with no opening act and no backing band, but played to a track most of the two hour show utilizing lots of effects most of the time, but did play pretty clean guitar at times as well. I have some of his releases, but I don't listen to them enough to recognize any of his all-instrumental songs. And he is a very prolific guitarist, having released 307 albums overall. I had decided to go to this show due to the lack of other shows coming that I wanted to see. I do enjoy his style of play and I am glad I went, but I also came down with a miserable cold starting Friday that I probably got from someone in that crowd.
Overall it was a good show, though. Aside from his guitar playing he also does a mean 'robot' and even performed with nunchucks at one point before handing out what looked like dollar-store gifts to the fans in front. Always handing them out carefully, never tossing or throwing into the crowd. (That video is here, and a there's a couple more on my YouTube channel.) Even as he left the stage before and after the encore it was with just a little wave as he was led off by his roadie. His odd behavior reminded me of autism, but I've not read a word about him being autistic so I gather it's just another part of his act.
I'll be back at the 600-person capacity Majestic in July for a show that I'm really looking forward to - Diamante is coming as opener for the band New Years Day. (There's a third band playing first that I'll have to look into later.) I like both, but I'm a much bigger fan of Diamante. Enough so that I even bought an opera box for the show. Now I could just use a friend who likes the same kind of music to go to shows with!
*This post was flagged today, 3/27/2023, for violating Blogger's Malware and Viruses policy. I'm not sure why, but I removed all links to sites other than my own and my youtube and will be requesting review to keep this post on my site. If you see this, I was successful.
It snowed most of the day on Sunday, but had slowed by the evening with only an inch or two having fallen. No. this is not another weather update post, I actually have something else to write about for a change. The fact that we are presently getting another 8-plus inches and having to stay home for another snow day is totally beside the point except that it gives me the time to write this post sooner rather than later.
Now, back to Sunday, Sunday evening actually, when Marty Friedman came to town to play for a few hundred people at the High Noon Saloon here in Madison. A friend and I arrived a bit late hoping to miss the first band, a local act, only to find they pushed the start time back some because Marty and his opening band had not yet arrived - probably due to the snow. As if on cue, as that set ended crew started bringing in gear as the bus and trailer had arrived.
The opening band, Immortal Guardian, was pretty good, but something was bugging me about them. They play with a prerecorded tape and, as far as I could tell, the only reason was because the guitarist liked to play keyboards with his right hand as he finger-tapped on his guitar with the left. Yes, it can look impressive, but he is the only guitar player in the band and there was obviously chords being strummed. Check out my video of them here and make up your own mind.
Marty Friedman became well known as a guitarist in the band Megadeth from 1990 until 2000. He then left America and has been living in Japan for over 15 years, still putting out solo albums and touring all over. This month he is touring to support his latest release, One Bad M.F. Live. He said during the show that this was his first time in Madison, but in 10 years of Megadeth he may have been here with them, or maybe he just meant as a solo artist. I saw Megadeth on the Peace Sells tour in the late eighties here in Madison, but that was before he joined them.
He has a good backing band and put on an enjoyable, instrumental show. There was one microphone that was only brought out only for him to speak in between songs and the bassist (Kyoshi) and other guitarist (Jordan Ziff) did minimal singing on two songs. The 600-person capacity High Noon Saloon was probably half or more full, just about my perfect size and density. I'd like to see all bands in the same atmosphere, but I don't get to call those shots. My friend got a good spot leaning on the end of the bar near the stage and that's where we camped for the show. I took a lot of pictures that hardly any turned out unfortunately, and I got a lot of good video that I've been re-watching the last couple days. You can see all my videos on my YouTube channel here, also listed in the right column.
Marty Friedman - Ashes / Forbidden / Tornado
I took more videos than usual this show - 6, plus one of the opening band - for a few reasons. First of all, I like to watch them. Simple as that. Also, there was no one behind me but bartenders and the camera was dimly lit and in front of my face - I watched the show over the camera but still able to control the camera (except for the shaking - I was still rocking out, after all!). But mostly, I'm just not terribly familiar with all of his music and an accurate, recent setlist was not found online for me to know when to look out for the parts I wanted to get on video. Still, even with 6 songs recorded I spent much more time with the phone in my pocket enjoying the show.
Here's one that I'm sure was added to the set due to the popularity of Queen recently:
Marty Friedman (w/Jordan Ziff) - Bohemian Rhapsody
That's my latest live music fix, now to look for the next. I've not seen any upcoming shows that are to my taste yet, but I'll always keep looking!
Last year I heard Scum of the Earth's 2012 release, The Devil Made Me Do It. I had no idea who they were, and though I liked it I was very much listening to otherthings at the time. Late last fall I listened to it again and really liked what I heard so I dove in head first to learn more about them and would up getting everything else they've released as well. Even now I am still very much listening and enjoying it all, thus they are my latest listening pleasure!
Scum of the Earth, or SotE, is essentially guitarist and reluctant singer Mike Riggs. Riggs was the guitarist in Rob Zombie's first solo band after White Zombie and before Zombie took a break to make some movies. The resemblance is certainly there, musically and visually. SotE is kind of like a poor man's Rob Zombie. SotE may be a little darker where Rob Zombie is a little more cartoonish. That's the best, briefest description I can give. It's just the heavy guitar riffs, dark lyrics and industrial, sometimes electronic sound that seems to appeal to me here. Greatly.
Riggs and SotE have released 3 full length CDs, in 2004, 2007 and 2012, with just a single released in late 2017 (aside from the streaming-only Munsters theme song, also released late 2017). Not as much as I want, but the heavy grooves and chug-chug-chug guitars make me want to Death Stomp, despite my age and the fact I would get killed in a mosh pit these days.
I don't know how active a band SotE ever was, and they don't seem very active now, touring or otherwise. And I know I've delved into the past on this one, but there's not a ton of stuff about them on Youtube to find. Well, I'm very aware of Riggs and SotE now, so if they come up with anything new I will find it. Rock on, Riggs.
For some time now I've been lamenting the lack of shows coming to Madison that interest me. I see tour announcements often, and I rarely see Madison on the list of dates (yet Grand Rapids, Michigan, a smaller city, seems to get a lot of shows). Maybe that will change with another good Madison venue, The Sylvee, that just opened this fall. Months ago I was scanning the upcoming shows and saw this show coming up. Surprisingly, my wife agreed to go with me so as tickets were relatively cheap we went out to see Steel Panther and check out The Sylvee on Friday night.
Steel Panther, if you haven't heard of them before, is a band that spoofs 80's hair metal. They perform classic metal songs and their own music, all the while performing satire of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Definitely not safe for work, nothing seems to be off limits and being in on the joke is much of the fun. It does surprise me, however, that so many women like the band in this #meetoo time we live in, considering how they objectify and make fun of them in their songs and banter. But it's all in good fun and in the name of heavy metal.
I posted this holiday song when it was new a few years ago, here it is live - The Stocking Song:
It was cold that night - in the mid teens (ºF) - but a new parking ramp just opened up right next door to the venue so that was very convenient. As usual, I bought a shirt first, probably the only one for sale that I could actually wear to work as the others had innuendo that someone would take exception to, I'm sure. We walked around the crowd a bit but took a spot in the balcony. The balcony has a couple rows of seats around the front but the rest is all general admission. When a band comes that I really want to see I think I'd spring for the seats. The first band, Wilson, was forgettable. Steel Panther ran through their set like a well oiled machine, despite having a fill-in bassist for this stretch of dates. We left before they came out for the encore, so we missed a song or two but I'm okay with that. We beat the crowd and were home and warm minutes later.
Steel Panther performing a cover of a Motley Crue song, Shout At The Devil, with some fun at the beginning:
I hadn't seen Steel Panther before even though they've played Madison several times over the last decade or so, and if I had been to a good show recently I may not have gone this time, but I'm glad we got to check out The Sylvee and the band was pretty entertaining. If I sound a little underwhelmed, well, I guess I am. I'll keep my eye on the upcoming shows and maybe something will come up that will get me a bit more excited.
I'm over 50, married and child-free. My wife and I have a home not far from downtown Madison, Wisconsin, since 2009. I like music, taking pictures and good humor - plus writing about it all here. I am still not on farcebook or other social media, only Blogger and YouTube. Email me at scoakatsblog@gmail.com. I check it every so often.
