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By Christopher Bussmann - Bop and Beyond

What Miles Davis began on In A Silent Way got deep with Bitches Brew and exploded into A Tribute To Jack Johnson - a knock upside the head of stuffy jazz conservatism. By this point, 1970, legions of jazz fans had fled. Bitches Brew had scared them, and Miles, knowing they wouldn't be returning, decided to forge on ahead without them. Assembling a sharp team of openminded jazz, funk, and rock players, Miles blazed onward. No longer tenative, A Tribute To Jack Johnson is, much like the boxer that inspired it, an energetic assault on the staid conventions of genre. This is Miles Davis playing with new found fire as John McLaughlin unleashes crazy power chords and dynamic riffing over Michael Henderson's Motown low-end bass grooves. The results are extraordinary: two tracks, fifty-two minutes, genius.

By Mikey B - The Lonesome Stranger - 03/11/2005

Ahhh Epitaph Records… what great bands, albums & tours you’ve given us over the years. Remember when Epitaph Records meant Bad Religion, Pennywise and Rancid? This was the label that put out the Offspring’s Smash in ’94, making it the best-selling indie release of all time! And heck, I bet most of you have at least one Punk-O-Rama album in your CD collection. This is the Epitaph Records that I know; Punk as Fuck, and they always will be.

Stardate March 11th, 2005

Going to see this year’s incarnation of the Epitaph Records tour; this year’s lineup boasted the likes of Matchbook Romance, Motion City Soundtrack, From First To Last and Scatter The Ashes. What should I expect? Well, for now, I’m going to keep my hopes low, really REALLY low. Apparently this was the first ever Epitaph tour. Surprising to say the least, even though we’ve got Epitaph bands coming in and out of here all the time.

On this particular night, I got lucky and got a lift to the venue from none other that CJLO’s Metal Dave. I was in the CJLO studio at 6:45pm just to check when the show started and well, it started at 7pm. Why so friggin’ early ? Last week’s Taste Of Chaos show started at 5pm! How did Club Soda know that all these kids have 10pm curfews? Anyway, I got to the venue at around 7:40pm after getting lost in the Old Port, which I know doesn’t make much sense. So I missed the Scatter The Ashes set… oh well, no biggie. Apparently they’re the most credible band on the lineup. I guess I’ll just download some songs on Soulseek buy the album and find out for myself.

Five minutes After checking into Club Soda, From First To Last were getting ready. Actually, 15 minutes later they were STILL getting ready. It was a long sound check for these guys, testing out each guitar, each drum. I thought the soundboard operator was gonna torch the mixer! Finally these guys hit the stage with a lot of energy. Out of all the bands playing tonight, theirs is the only one whose CD I own (promo copy). Unfortunately, I got bored of them after 10 minutes. They were nothing special, just another one of those hardcore/screamo bands that everyone seems to be falling in love with. I just don’t get it. It seems as if “screamo” or whatever the hell you wanna call it, has become the new “big trend”. It sucks. Let me be one of the many people to re-iterate this. I’m sorry if I don’t like bands like Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold or Funeral For A Friend. I don’t like the tunes, and I don’t like this nu-metal disguised as punk crap. That’s what this is: screamo is the NEW nu-metal. A few years from now, these “hardcore” kids are gonna look back and say “holy shit, what the fuck was I thinking?”. Everywhere I looked in the venue, there were guys and girls with that same whacked-out hairstyle that defies all logic and common sense:

It’s basically the Flock of Seagulls hairdo… TO THE EXXXTREME !!!!! Slap on your little sister’s T-shirt, put a bandana in your pocket, and you’re hardcore!

Whatever, fuck it.

Once From First To Last finished up, I went across the street to pick up some one-dollar hot dogs at La Belle Province. Now, for the first time going to this location on Ste-Catherine street, I couldn’t decipher who was a pimp and who was a prostitute. They were everywhere! These guys are goddamn scary! There was this one giant Haitian Pimp that looked EXACTLY like Tracy Morgan in those old SNL Pimp Chat skits. Freaky deaky!

I got back to the club in the middle of Motion City Soundtrack’s first song. Frankly, they were the least abrasive band on the bill. They were catchy, energetic, a straight-forward power pop-punk band (6 words, not bad…) If Dustin Diamond was the lead singer of a punk band, I’d swear it was this guy. Maybe I’m just on crack. Musically, they had more variation to their songs, which made for a more interesting live show. At times, they did come off a little too sugary; nonetheless, they were the most impressive band on the tour. They played this song called “Capital H” which is just about the catchiest pop song I heard all night. I know I’ve heard it somewhere before, but where? Oh well, download buy the song and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Remember that song “Playmate Of The Year” by Zebrahead? I don’t know why, but this Motion City Soundtrack song reminds me of it, just cause.

The break was spent reading the goth special in Uncut magazine. Really, I had nothing to do until Matchbook Romance came on. During the break, people were walking around with complimentary Epitaph loot bags. Then, they were falling from the sky as eager youths pushed and jumped to get their hands on those sweet stickers and PINS!

Anyway, Matchbook Romance came onstage to the tune of an emo-as-all-hell keyboard sequence. I was bored of them after five minutes, and I don’t think I was the only one. At least one-third of the people on the floor were gone (hardcore kids’ curfews most probably). After a couple of excruciatingly whiny songs, I contemplated leaving early. But I just couldn’t…

MUST… HAND OUT… CJLO FLYERS FOR Q.O.T.S.A LISTENING PARTY…

So, I just hung out near the exit and the merch table, eagerly anticipating the end of the set. Then, who should appear from the corner of my eye? Why, it was CJLO’s PRADA, from the ol’ show The Punk Wears Prada. I had only met her once, so I wasn’t sure if it was her. Nonetheless, she and her friend (whose name escapes me) and I all spent 20 minutes ranting on the quality of the show we’d just witnessed. It was scary. We made fun of the same bands, the same trends, the same crappiness, which is weird because I’m by no means a punk elitist, neither is she. Still, this was a terrible showcase of Epitaph bands. I can understand that the label likes to diversify with the types of bands they’d like to bring to the mix, but why’d they have to pick crap like First To Last and Snatchbook Romance? Guttermouth is playing here next week. Why couldn’t they headline the tour? In years past, we’ve seen AFI and the Bouncing Souls. If they wanted variety, they could’ve mixed in better bands like the Tiger Army, Hot Water Music or the Weakerthans (also coming on March 30th and 31st)? Instead, Epitaph got a bunch of watered-down, second-string bands, schlocked ‘em all together and made a pretty shitty tour out of it. Hey, I just realized, didn’t this used to be the Punk-O-Rama tour? What happened to all the punk ?

Oh well, it was a shitty party. At least I got a loot bag.

[Tune in to The Lonesome Stranger Tuesdays noon – 2pm]

By Jo Satana - Umlauts and Powerchords - 03/01/2005

Montreal truly is blessed. Why, you ask? Because there has never been a better time to be a music lover in a city that is being hailed for loving music. The New Year kicked off with a strange spotlight on Montreal in an article published by Spin Magazine. Similar weirdness ensued as the New York Times hailed Montreal as the next big scene in music. While both articles ignored the strong presence of METAL in this city, the added attention Montreal got as a result is definitely not emptying the pockets of show promoters of any genre. This city is simply booked to the teeth with shows, with no slowing down in sight. What’s my point? That even though the Montreal Metal scene (which has been brewing in this town since the early 80’s) gets no formal press recognition whatsoever, that doesn’t mean that Montreal is devoid of quality live metal performances, as exemplified by the last show I attended: Soulfly.

For those of you not familiar with the band, here is some background: rewind to the 80’s as the world was introduced to Sepultura, a thrash/speed metal sensation fronted by Max Cavalera. Critics agreed: finally a band with American balls and South American spice. Now fast-forward to the 90’s, mix in a crafty female manager and some Beatles-esque drama and what you get is a bad breakup segregating a singer from his former bandmates, thus signaling the death of one of the most productive metal bands ever seen (in my book). Now this breakup did not signal the end of their careers per se. Seputura moved on and is still releasing records while Max took the hard road and decided to work from the ground up with his rotating circus sideshow known as Soulfly.

The Spectrum was the setting for Soulfly’s 2005 visit and I have to say that the venue was just perfect. Soulfly is the type of show that could never really work in an arena setting but is “too big” for a small club commitment. Now let it be known that I was absolutely not enthusiastic about the show when I first set foot into the Spectrum. Soulfly has a sketchy track record at best when it comes to new releases. Don’t get me wrong, I love the new album, Prophecy, but Soulfly’s two previous releases were beyond disappointing in my book; they just plain sucked. Throw in the fact that the band was supported by 3 Mile Scream and Shiverdown, two Montreal “metal/hardcore/whatever” acts that have yet to assert themselves on any stage, let alone one shared with Soulfly.

Shiverdown and 3 Mile Scream both left a sour taste in my mouth. I was totally not into them and was begging the gods below to hasten their presence onstage. I was conflicted; on the one hand, it was cool that these Montreal kids were sharing the same stage with one Max Cavelara, but on the other hand, they kind of sucked and really didn’t fit the bill. It must be noted that select members of the audience were really into the musical stylings of 3MS and Shiverdown, but I was not. Call me an old grouch. I don’t care, I just didn’t get it.

My dear readers, I want to make one thing clear: I was spawned on a healthy dose of 80’s thrash metal and took the Sepultura breakup very badly… very, very badly. Therefore it was incredibly important for me to “like” the show in question so that I could finally validate the drama that I went through that fateful evening so many years ago. I must admit that I have missed every single prior Soulfly apprearance in Montreal pretty much out of “grievance”. Now, the time was 9:45pm and the stagehands were hard at work getting Soulfly’s gear in order. I have just purchased an alcoholic beverage to cleanse my pallet of any residue that might have been left over from the opening acts. Then it happened, all at once it seemed: the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered as Max took the stage. They opened up with the title track of their latest effort, Prophecy, and it was fucking AWESOME!

Soulfly has had some roster issues in the past. Frankly, they sort of became the “revolving door” of metal; you never knew who you were going to see since the band members were always changing. This time around, Soulfly consisted of Marc Rizzo (guitars), Bobby Burns (bass), Joe Nunez (drums) and they were all incredible in their own right. Soufly is known for performing long jams during their sets and this time was no different. Mark, Bobby and Joe totally complemented each other for what was, in my book, one of the most psychedelic passes I’ve heard in a long time. All of them have clearly mastered their instruments to quasi-perfection and I greatly appreciated watching a band onstage that not only knew how to perform, they also knew how to play (yes, there is an important distinction there). Max really knew how to pick his roster this time around and I hope he is wise enough to keep them around as long as possible.

Soulfly’s set consisted of a medley of tunes that ranged from old to new (and I mean old). I was lucky enough to hear a great rendition of a Sepultura classic, “Refuse/Resist”, as well as a nice throwback to Max’s Nailbomb days (that’s right folks, they played some Nailbomb!). In terms of new, Soulfly previewed a new track from their upcoming album that is supposed to hit stores some time this summer. I enjoyed the song (the name escapes me), but it contains elements that I didn’t really enjoy from their previous releases (III namely).

To wrap things up, Soulfly simply killed. The audience was filled with hemp-wearing political activists (who seem to be procreating and spreading like wildfire here in Montreal) and black-wearing metal maniacs. From an aesthetics perspective, this wholly exemplifies the schizophrenic nature of Soulfly. Their repertoire consists of songs inspired by political uprising and activism ("Eye for an Eye" and "Seek ‘n’ Strike" are favorites for those who love to stir shit up), but at the same time, they have songs that siphon ideas and images from religious and spiritual lore, spreading words of pacifism and forgiveness (hence the hemp-wearing, tree-hugging hippies). While some may consider these musical diversions as hypocritical, others like myself see these differences in themes as an example of real life: spirituality is nice and all, but it can hide in the closet when it comes time to get down and dirty.

Definitely check out Soufly when they rip it up in a town near you.

[Jo “Spirituality in my Closet” Satana hosts Ümlaüts And Powerchords every Sunday from 8pm to 10pm]

By Emilie - 11/30/2004

Romances is one of many collaborative albums by Mike Patton. I know that not many Patton fans at CJLO liked his collaboration with Björk on her most recent album Medulla, but please try and check out this CD anyway. The collaboration is with John Kaada, a Norwegian musician who has been very prolific in the movie soundtrack world. This gives the album a very dark cinematic mood, perfect for lazy depressing evenings. The album really manages to immerse you within a world, with a mix of old-fashioned and haunting sounds. This immersion is also mostly achieved thanks to the different musical themes that come and go throughout the album. This makes for an excellent continuous listen, rather than just simply a gathering of good songs. The themes are also tremendously melodic, staying in your head hours at a time, as you hum it to yourself all day.

There is one stand-out track, “Seule” (yes, all the songs have French titles), which has an emotional heaviness that makes you want to slash your wrists. “I’m asleep… goodnight world…” This song, even though depressive and dark like the others, stands out due to more lyrics and a more standard type of song structure. Indeed, one of the strengths of the album, like many works by Mike Patton, is that the voice is more of an instrument rather than a tool for the delivery of lyrics. These “mmmmms” and “aaaaaahs” work even better in the more atmospheric parts of the album. He does not get into crazy “pootakata ka taka takatak”’s à la Mr.Bungle, but still comes up with interesting and original wordless melodies.

The album also manages to effectively use xylophone solos in quiet parts in an eerie and creepy way, instead of making it cheesy or over the top. The album might seem to go on forever in some atmospheric movements, especially the 11-minute song “Aubade”, but I personally think that those little touches like xylophone riffs or vocal solos manage to pick it up and keep the interest going where others might fail completely. Also, the album is not a COMPLETE depressive anthem from start to finish. There are some strategically positioned happier harmonica and vocals spread throughout the album, mostly in “Viens, les gazons sont verts”, a breather before “Seule”. Even though it has similar creepy sounds to the other songs, the melodies are brighter and a bit more energetic, but don’t worry, it is still *a little* depressive.

Romances, with its dark atmospheric screams combined with its “twee” indie-rock melodic xylophone, could be of interest to both metal heads and indie-rock lovers. Pop it in late in the evening and you just might be converted.