Five Horizons Thick

April Indie Spotlight

jmacniven — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:51:30 +0000

Since first meeting in college outside of Kansas City, Sleep Another Year’s founding members, Jeff Shrout and Travis Grogan, wrapped on the doors of the rock scene in 2001 with their previous acclaimed band, Axium (featuring an American Idol alumnus). The band’s new EP, We Won’t Ask, merges Patrick Lentz’s gravely vocal work with unhinged guitars to create a fine collection of rock for a new generation of fans. With standout tracks like “Taking Sides,” the music of Sleep Another Year appeals to rock fans and non-rock fans alike.

Sleep Another Year “Taking Sides”

The Nudedragons Live

jmacniven — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:20:34 +0000

Playing under the name Nudedragons, the original members of Soundgarden played their first live show together since 1997 in their hometown of Seattle on Friday Night (4/16). The setlist included a number of the band’s 90′s grunge hits, including “Spoonman,” “Fell On Black Days,” “Pretty Noose,” “Outshined,” and “Blow Up The Outside World.”

According to King5.com, at Soundgarden’s request, the Showbox was very tight-lipped about tonight’s performance. No cameras, and no word on how many tickets were released.

Vocalist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron have been rehearsing in Seattle in recent weeks as a precursor to their first confirmed reunion performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago in early August.

The rest of Soundgarden’s plans, including more shows or a full tour, remain in the dark right now. Drummer Matt Cameron also has summertime commitments with PEARL JAM, of which he has been a member for 12 years.

Nudedragons – 4/16/2010 Seattle, WA (Awesome Audience Recording)

Nirvana in the News

jmacniven — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:18:19 +0000

Early recordings from a young Kurt Cobain were recently discovered at a garage sale in Aberdeen, Washington.

Producers Jack Endino and Butch Vig both verified that the tapes are self-recordings of Cobain, who is believed to have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. According to reports, it sounds as though he is playing an acoustic guitar and ukulele, sometime around 1974 or 1975, based on the content of songs about Richard Nixon.

Several cassettes labelled “KDC” – believed to stand for Kurt Donald Cobain – in black magic marker were found at the sale. The tapes are estimated to be worth millions.

In related Cobain news. The new feature film in pre-production about Cobain’s life, Heavier Than Heaven, will not be starring Twilight star Robert Pattinson (thank Christ) as the legendary Nirvana frontman.

Everybody Loves Young Neil

jmacniven — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:08:36 +0000

Just heard this amazing version of my favourite Neil Young song. Why is it my favourite song you ask? Because it’s about Northern Ontario, my home. This version comes from Neil’s MTV Unplugged performance in ’93.

Neil Young “Helpless” (Unplugged)

Video of the Week

jmacniven — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:11:44 +0000

When will this movie come out?

PJ News

jmacniven — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:41:39 +0000

Pearl Jam’s Backspacer has been officially certified gold by the RIAA which means they have sold 500,000 copies (this number is for physical CDs and does not include iTunes downloads or vinyl sales). Way to go guys.

Pearl Jam also will be hitting the road starting May 1 for a small US East Coast tour which ends in New York city and two shows at Madison Square Gardens. For those of you who remember the last time PJ played at MSG we got 1 awesome DVD and 2 extremely memorable concerts out of the deal. Hopefully 2010 will deliver the same and more. In case you need a refresher here’s an amazing song from one of those 2003 shows at the Gardens.

Pearl Jam – Do The Evolution” (Live New York, NY 07-08-03)

March Indie Spotlight

jmacniven — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:46:51 +0000

I figured this would be the perfect band to highlight in the indie spotlight after my last post. This band, just like Seether, comes from South Africa and sound almost amazingly as good as Seether, but the only difference is the total rawness of their sound. Don’t know a lot about this band other than that. I cruised their MySpace page and could only find bits of information. Couldn’t find anywhere to buy a CD online or even if they are still a band, but have a listen to how kick ass they are.

Track of Time “Want You”

Another Seether Cover

jmacniven — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:53:38 +0000

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Seether needs to put out an album of covers because everytime they get their hands on a song they seem to make it their own and many times better than the original. This is one of those times. I recently came across this one from an iTunes Originals session they did a few years ago. It’s a Beatles cover so you know it’s going to be good already. But the song selection they chose to cover is outstanding with Shaun Morgan’s vocals, it sends chills down your spine the first time you hear it.

Seether “Across The Universe”

February Indie Spotlight

jmacniven — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:53:58 +0000

Crash Karma is a Canadian rock group formed in 2008 by Jeff Burrows, Edwin, Amir Epstein, and Mike Turner. They recorded their self-titled debut album in early 2009 at Pocket Studios in Toronto with Turner producing. The album is due to be released in March 2010.

The band’s first full live concert was held in Burlington, Ontario on June 20, 2009. The live band also includes guitarist Ron Bechard, formerly in Edwin & the Pressure and Edwin’s Another Spin Around The Sun tour. Their first single “Awake” premiered on July 10, 2009. Their self-titled debut album will be released March 16, 2010.

I don’t have any songs by these guys yet, but am very excited to get my hands on the album when it comes out. For now take a look at their MySpace page where you can stream the tunes.

Alter Bridge Recording Album III

jmacniven — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:06:36 +0000

Hello Alter Bridge Nation,

It all started yesterday when we arrived in Miami, FL. First, there was a ton of equipment to bring in…

After that, everything was set up to begin to track…

We spent the rest of last night getting sounds for Flip’s drums as he is scheduled to be the first one to lay down tracks. Here is what his set-up looks like…

And now it is time for Flip to officially lay down the first tracks on our third album. We plan on recording 16 songs but as we have said before, only the best of the best will make the final cut. Stay tuned and we will update you more as the recording process unfolds.

In other news, we would like to let all Comcast Cable subscribers know that if you go to ON DEMAND and choose MUSIC, you can watch a free half-hour preview of our Live From Amsterdam DVD. Just look for the Alter Bridge concert.

And speaking of DVD’s, Mark did an interview in mid-December where he talks about the experience of making the DVD and what it is like to be in two different bands. Many of you may not have seen this interview from San Antonio, TX so we thought we would highlight it. Here is the link…

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-24571-San-Antonio-Metal-Music-Examiner~y2009m12d17-QA-Creed-and-Alter-Bridge-DVDs-hardhitting-doses-of-live-rock

And finally, Slash had some great things to say about Myles in an LA Times interview and Slash also revealed that he and Myles will be playing many old Guns ‘N Roses tunes on the upcoming tour this summer. Please note that while the author states that Myles “fronted” Alter Bridge in the past tense, incorrectly, we all know that Myles will be back with us in October to begin our own World Tour. Here is a link to the article…

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/02/slash.html

Well, that is all the news that is fit to print for now and it is time for Flip to start banging on things. Game on!!!!

Keep rocking,

Alter Bridge