Face Of The Sun is a relatively new band in New York City’s underground music scene and they might be interesting to those fans of drummer Brian Viglione (who many might know from The Dresden Dolls). I was directed to them by one of the many rising stars that I am fortunate enough to meet as a journalist and at her directive I made sure to be in place for the bands performance at Piano’s on the Lower East Side. This is an intimate club when it comes down to it, and smack dab in the middle of a very active music and restaurant scene. While I was down there I made sure to visit the relatively new Idle Hands bar and also down some tasty Mexican grub at San Loco. Once the physical appetite and thirst were sated it was time to get the musical jones attended to by walking into Piano’s. To read the full on concert report just scroll past the bands logo below; Then I urge you to keep on scrolling down the blog post to see some side images and even some video that are easily enjoyed here. We hope that you like this.
Continue reading Face Of The Sun @ Pianos (5/15/2011) →
Artist: Fish Karma
Title: “The Theory Of Intelligent Design”
Label: Alternative Tentacle
Release Date: Experimental Metal
Genre: 6/6/2006
Rating: 2/5
Tucson, Arizona’s Fish Karma can best be described as one of the worst vocalists ever to have the gall to step in front of a mic, his voice falling somewhere between Neil Young after a swift boot to the naughty bits and the dying screech of a depleted air horn, yet his unique style fit perfectly with his role as a humorous yet often trenchant folkie. His albums “Teddy In The Sky With Magnets” (1991) and “Sunnyslope” (1993) are real head-scratchers until you get past his overwrought whine and actually listen to the lyrics, then once you’ve finished simultaneously laughing like a loon at his hilarious songs and agreeing with the observations made, you may just find yourself with a new artist to treasure. Unfortunately, Fish Karma — real name Terry Owen — appears to concentrate on his live performances, leaving his album releases rather sporadic at best, and this most recent offering is a very odd duck indeed, focusing as it does on a mostly Metal/Thrash sound.
Continue reading “The Theory Of Intelligent Design” by Fish Karma →
Virgin Black is one of the more difficult to catch onto groups in the Metal world. There is a little bit of Opera, a little bit of Classical Symphony and a whole lot of Gothic Metal all twisted around into one unique project. I liked their album enough to come to see them, and appreciated that Unexpect was going to be the opener so if you want to read some more about this gig just scroll past the logo below to be brought to our thoughts.
Artist: Virgin Black
Venue: Lit Lounge (New York, NY)
Opener: Unexpect
Date: 6/11/2007
Label: The End Records
When I say that this gig came faster than the taxman then you must believe me. I had only just finished enjoying the newest release by Virgin Black on The End Records (an interesting CD entitled “Requiem: Mezzo Forte”) and suddenly, like a bolt of lightning there was a New York gig scheduled. The performance would be held at The Lit Lounge, a club I had yet to visit, and would also be on a Monday night. This fact alone presented a problem based on work demands so it would definitely be one of those last minute decisions for me. I have to admit that my mind was made up when I learned that opening for the band tonight would be the one and only uneXpect from Montreal. The uneXpect had tried to return to the States a little over a year ago but were stopped at the gates for some odd reason. As I walked into the Lit Lounge, I found the upstairs to be a rather sizable bar but the bands were going to be playing in the clubs basement area – so down I went into the abyss. The downstairs area is quite small and confined but there is a spot to set up equipment and places to congregate should you have a very minimal crowd attending. There is a bar in the back and a spot for merchandise to be sold as well as an area where the bands can prep and ready themselves to perform. The stage size is small by regular standards but with a trio this would work.
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Artist: Hella
Title: “There’s No 666 In Outer Space”
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Release Date: 1/30/2007
Genre: Experimental Rock
Rating: 3/5
It’s interesting to find bands like Hella – for this is the kind of group that definitely shows a level of influence by bands such as Primus more than anything else you will find on the modern scene. It’s easy to notice this based on the level of heavy experimentation and complex time signatures that appear on every track on the album. There is nothing predictable about their sound, and while at times it looks to confuse – it is instead a very well-thought out mayhem. There are many who refer to this brand of music as Mathcore or Nintendo (which is a term I am still not catching at all) but I did feel that through it all there is definitely a lot of tasty rhythms and patterns that will impress any fan of that Avant-Garde/Experimental side of Rock. It takes a couple of listens to appreciate what is going on, but as a result you will find yourself getting a little more in sync with the guys. The band is comprised of Zach Hill, Josh Hill, Aaron Ross, Carson McWhirter and Spencer Seim. Zack and Spencer were band mates since High School and Josh is Zach’s cousin. The bands goal was to play a less conventional form of music and the name is simply a common slang term used in Northern California. Fans of bands like Mars Volta, System Of A Down and of course anything by Les Claypool should enjoy what Hella is doing.
Continue reading “There’s No 666 In Outer Space” by Hella →
Artist: Unexpect
Title: “In A Flesh Aquarium”
Label: The End Records
Release Date: 8/29/2006
Genre: Progressive, Gothic, Extreme Metal
Rating: 4/5
The band Unexpect is a unit of musicians that truly defy as many of the conventions possible when it comes to the thoughts of what genres can successfully work together. The seven member group performs an eclectic brand of Extreme Metal that includes, and is not limited to elements of Gothic, Progressive, Black Metal and even some Spoken Word pieces. The whole thing comes off like Dimmu Borgir meets Frank Zappa, on a visit to Broadway – and while I am sure that this sounds like a mess to you, it is anything but that and instead a truly complex and “out there” piece of music. The angelic voice of Leilindel is countered by the demonic growls of guitarist Syriak. The other members of the band are Artagoth (guitar/vocals), Exod (keyboard/sampling), Chaoth (9 string bass), le bateleur (violin) and Landryx (drums). I was fortunate enough to catch the group performing live when they opened for the Gathering on that bands visit to the States and I remember watching in jaw-dropped awe as to what was happening on stage. Not only does the band manage to do this stuff in the live sense with ease but Leilindel also acts as the bands Enchantress as she adds the beauty of dance to the live show as well. Having enjoyed the piece as a whole I found no particularly favorable track over any others.
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Where Heavy Music & Pop Culture Collide
