Recently in Music Category

I just got home from seeing Muse at The Agganis Arena. It was a fantastic show. this is only the second show I've seen at the Agganis but I've really enjoyed it. It seems like there isn't a bad seat in the house, though this time around I was in the front row of section 104, which means front row, house right, arena seats. When you stand for the whole show there's no uncomfortable neck turning to be had, and this is a Good Thing™.

The show itself was really fun. The band was clearly into it and did an excellent mix of all of their material. I loved the piano and the way it had lights corresponding to keys. The band was right on and everything sounded great. The crowd was really into it, too. The whole thing was just a ton of fun. I'd write more, but I'm beat.

I just got home from the Paradise where I saw Rocco Deluca play. Wow, man. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that before. If you have any respect for music for music's sake, you will check it out. Thanks to Ryan for inviting me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some CDs to buy.

I went and saw The Police at Fenway on Saturday with some friends. It was a pretty good time, despite the fact that we were pretty much standing in a puddle. There was a goofy guy in front of us who was just this side of moshing the way he was dancing around. It was kinda funny to watch.

Anyhow, I'm not a "fan" of theirs, but I do know some of The Police's material and I like it. The opening band was Fiction Plane and it turns out their front man is Sting's kid. I was woefully uninformed and wondered what the deal was with the Sting look-alike on stage. Fortunately I didn't make an ass out of myself by saying something before finding out. Guess the cat's out of the bag now.

I'm a little too tired to turn this into a quality review so I'll end with this: They were great. They were absolutely on, playing at a level that people half their age struggle to reach. The improv that they pulled in some of their songs was a lot of fun, too. And, if all else fails to please, there is no place in the world like Fenway Park.

Earlier today I was wondering out loud what Vinnie Paul Abbott has been up to since the Damageplan incident. I am wholly impressed.

He has a record label (Big Vin Records), released a DVD which, based on its title, appears to be for his late brother, and writes a column in Revolver magazine. Plus the whole endorsements thing.

But what's really caught my attention is his latest musical project - Hellyeah. With Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett, Vocals and guitar respectively and both from Mudvayne, Tom Maxwell of Nothingface on guitar, and Jerry Montano of Danzig and Nothingface, they've really put something great together.

They have three full length tracks on their myspace page. Check it out.

G3 2007 has been announced, with Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and Paul Gilbert. For many it's a disappointment that Steve Vai isn't performing since he's been with almost every G3, but for me it's bittersweet. I haven't been as excited about Steve's work as I used to be, while Satch's most recent album is one of my favorites. In fact, I'm listening to it now.

Only west coast dates have been announced so far, but more will come soon I'm sure.

Today at work, as I listened to my iPod on random play, Vanden Plas popped up. It was a refreshing reminder on just how much I like these guys. I just felt like mentioning that.

In the beginning of every Summer, Burlington is home to the Discover The Jazz festival. The festival lasts a full week, and there will be stages on Church Street, down in Waterfront park, and full on shows in the Flynn Theatre and in City Hall's Contois Club. The festival will run from Friday June 2 until Sunday June 11 this year, and the final show schedule has been posted here.

The Discover The Jazz festival has a special place in my heart since the weekend I attended orientation at UVM coincided with it. In the evenings of my orientation I walked downtown and watched a quiet city turn into a bustle of activity and culture. It was an amazing experience, and easily the most memorable part of the weekend. If you look hard enough, you'll definitely find me downtown a lot during this weekend - something I typically avoid otherwise.

Killswitch Engage is a band that plays a hybrid of hardcore and metal, metalcore if you will. Apparently they got a new singer for this latest album, but I must say that he sounds pretty similar to the last one. You can notice differences in the accents and emphasis he uses, but nothing negative and furthermore nothing that leads me to believe he'll have any trouble with the old material.

I've enjoyed this latest album for sure. It's got a good deal of good grooves and harmonies on it and is definitely different from the first album. Still, it follows the same feel and sound. They're definitely establishing their fingerprint on the music market and the metal and hardcore scenes. Unique and yet not. A sound that so many have talked about achieving but never have.

Saint Germain is an acid jazz band which I have just recently discovered. Seems like they've been around for some time, and their repertoire is vast. I have to admin, I'm really enjoying this band! I have two albums, Tourist and Boulevard. Anyone who likes acid Jazz should pick them up.

What I've found is that there's a lot of complexity in their music to be heard if you look for it, but if you just let it sink in it's a fun band to listen to superficially too. Subconsciously you will hear all sorts of wonderful undertones. Their tempo is compelling but not so much so that your attention is drawn from whatever you're doing; I find it music that I can draw inspiration from during my work while not being pulled away from my work and not being bored with the music.

So there you go. A little musical review.