lördag 27 mars 2010

Konsertrecension


Mejeriet, Lund 26 mars 2010

För egen del var spelningen på Mejeriet lite av en jubileumsspelning. För 25 år sedan bevittnade jag som 14-årig, finnig tonårskille Saxon på smått legendariska sporthallen Olympen just i Lund.
Mycket har givetvis hänt bandmässigt på dessa 25 år. Sångaren Biff Byford blir allt mer lik Carouschka Streijffert från inredningsprogrammet Roomservice (eller om det är tvärtom), Nigel Glockler bakom trummorna har bytt sitt ”läckra” pannband från 80-talet mot heltäckande scarf (för att täcka en begynnande flint?) medans Paul Quinn på gitarr obönhörligen transformerats till mysfarbror som ser mer beskedlig ut än farlig. De två på scen som inte var med på 80-talet är tämligen anonyma. Doug Scarratt på gitarr är dock definitivt kompetent och Köpenhamnsbon Yenz Leonhardt, tillvardags aktiv i halvdussinet andra band, ersatte på kort varsel med bravur då basisten Nibbs Carter tvingats dra sig ur turnéen.

Låtlistan nedan vittnar om att aftonens spelning inriktade sig på alster från guldåren kring 80-talets början. Och visst svängde det rejält stundtals.
Dock kändes det tyvärr som om bandet gick lite på rutin denna afton. Kanske berodde det på att bandet hade bråttom att komma iväg för att hinna ner till turnéavslutningen i Holland? Biff tackar pliktskyldigt och artigt publiken och kör publikfriande standardfraser så som att ”ni har varit en mycket bra publik” och ”ni överröstar ju till och med bandet”.
Noterbart denna afton var den stora uppslutningen av oss gamla rävar som var med på 80-talets början. Många var vi som för en kväll lämnat familjelivet därhemma och vikit fredagskvällen åt öldrickande. Vi skickade våra knutna högernävar i luften och framstötte välljudande gutturala läten mot scen för att blidka våra gamla rockgudar. Redan där var segern i hamn. Låt vara att bandet denna afton som sagt gick lite på rutin.

Stort tack till Totte på KB som fixade ackreditering.


Betyg: 3/5

Längd: 1 h 50 min

Publik: ca 600

Setlist:
Battalions of steel
Heavy metal thunder
Live to rock
Motorcycle man
Requiem
Witchfinder general
Metalhead
The eagle has landed
Warrior/Battle cry/Sixth form girls/Man and machine/Battle cry
To hell and back again
Strong arm of the law
Broken heroes
20 000 feet
747 (Strangers In The Night)
Princess of the night
-----------------------------
Doug solo
Wheels of steel
-----------------------------
Crusader
Denim and leather

/Steve Mårtensson

tisdag 9 mars 2010

Bokrecension och Q&A med författaren

"Castle stories - A rock and roll scrapbook" 2009

Duane Roy



En mycket charmant och underhållande liten bok om en plats du antagligen aldrig hört talas om. Förattaren Duane Roy växer upp i Kanada, strax norr om Michigan i USA och beger sig under mitten av 80-talet på ett antal äventyrliga resor till Castle Farms i Chalevoix, Michigan för att uppleva konserter med några av de större hårdrockbanden. Allt från Whitesnake till Bon Jovi.
Roy berättar roliga anekdoter från flertalet konserter och jag skrattar för mig själv vid flera tillfällen. Castle Farms ser ut som ett gammalt medeltida slott och när man anordnade konserter där var det i större skala med en publik runt 15000. Numera är konsertaktiviteten dock nedlagd.
Språket är lätt och ledigt och klart humoristiskt. Det är roliga resor över gränsen och historier om föräldrar som ställer upp och kör flera mil för att tillgodose sin tonårings smak för hårdrock och show. Själv känner jag igen mig i flera scenarion efter att ha blivit skjutsad av snälla föräldrar till konserter i Lund och Malmö under det glada 80-talet. Roy berättar bl a om ett möte med Ozzy Osbourne och en väldigt ung Zakk Wylde. Givetvis ges det även bildbevis från detta tillfälle.
”Castle stories” är en fyndig och rolig bok om en tid som inte längre finns och då man kunde göra saker som säkerligen är otänkbara i dagens samhälle. Jag ser med glädje fram emot nästa bok av Duane Roy, för det kommer fler.

Vi skickade lite frågor till Duane Roy och fick snabbt svar.

First off, who´s Duane Roy?

Some dude who lives in Wawa, Ontario, Canada....check the map it's far from everything (9 hours north of Detroit and 12 hours north of Toronto. I work as a "blaster" in an underground gold mine, which means I blow things up every day and tell me that's not metal! I have three kids, two teenagers and a two year old, my oldest son has been playing guitar for about 10 years and I think that will be his future.

When did you get the idea for the book?

I sat around with my buddies talking about the old days, having beers and the stories were so funny and entertaining that I just wrote them down. I knew from the first time I visited the Castle I would write about it some day, it just took 22 years to do it.

How long did it take to put it together?

I started writing the book Jan. 2, 09 and completed it on September 11/09 and it was released on Nov. 11/09

How did you hook up with Alloway´s Publishing?

Alloway's is a small company that is in the area so dealing with someone close by is a lot easier than someone thousands of miles away. Locale was very important and it just worked out that way.

What is it that made Castle Farms so special?

It was the whole event, leaving Canada to go to the US and seeing the biggest bands in the world only a few hours from our doorsteps was cool. The lawlessness of those times was something that you'll never see again in North America. Doing everything and anything that would get you deported nowadays. Charlevoix is a beautiful little town and to see 15,000 extra people jamming every possible orifice of the town was amazing.

What was the first metal show you ever went to and do you have any fun memories of it?

The first show I attended was Ted Nugent, not sure if he's considered metal or not. It was so loud it hurt and that show still ranks as one of the loudest I've ever attended. At that first show I really wondered if I would be able to handle going to concerts with insanely loud music like that. Since then I've been addicted...I just wear earplugs now.

Coolest rocker you´ve ever met was…?

Ozzy of course....The Prince Of Fuckin' Darkness!

During this time frame, did you go to other metal shows somewhere else?

The Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario was the closest place, (small arena less than 5000) lots of Canadian bands like Helix and The Tragically Hip…but of course there were shows like Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent. We also attended some big shows like The Rolling Stones at The Pontiac Silver dome (1989) and Metallica (1989 with Queensryche on the Damaged Justice Tour).

During the writing of the book I still attended some cool shows like...
- Metallica in January 2009 with Machine Head and The Sword (Detroit, MI)
- Metallica in November 2009 with Lamb Of God and Volbeat (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Ace Frehley in November 2009 (Sault Ste. Marie, MI)

And some other non-metal shows with the wife, Bryan Adams and Reo Speedwagon

What was the Canadian metal scene like in the 80´s and how would you compare it to today´s?

The Canadian music scene had so many great metal/hard rock bands that are forgotten about today. We got our weekly dose of metal from Much Music (Canada's MTV) on a show called The Pepsi Power Hour. Bands like Razor, Sacrifice, Sword, all great metal bands that are sadly underrated. We also had the cool hard rock bands like Helix, Kickaxe, and Triumph...still listen to all those bands today. Today's music scene seems a little repetitious, and I don't really listen to many "new" bands from anywhere. I like Fifth Way from Detroit (not Canadian I know) and there are a few cool metal bands in the area like Garden Of Bedlam from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Some Canadian bands keep on going like a rock n roll terminators like Helix....always good stuff from them.

http://www.myspace.com/fifthway
http://www.myspace.com/gardenofbedlam

Could you give us any tips when it comes to writing your first book?

Write lots and read even more. If you're going to write about music, read music books for inspiration. For me the process is pretty standard, I do the internet research about the bands and the era that I'm writing about, listen to the bootlegs, watch the videos, read the interviews, visit the fan sites. Then I have a few beers with my buddies and we discuss the concerts we attended (while I take notes) and I write it all down. So write, read, research and buy Stephen King's book "On Writing" it really, really helps.

Any chance of another book?

I'm working on two books at the same time, one about concerts at the Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I've got some famous Canadian musicians involved in that one. I'm also writing about growing up in a small town and being one of the only rabid metal fans in town....got some cool television personalities doing some blurbs.

Which is the easiest way to get hold of your book?

Exclusively through my website at www.duaneroy.com I ship all over the world email me if you have any questions duane@duaneroy.com

/Niclas Müller-Hansen

torsdag 4 mars 2010

Bokrecension

"Bomp - Saving the world one record at a time"

Suzy Shaw och Mick Farren



Det finns bra rock & roll böcker, det finns väldigt bra rock & roll böcker och så finns det Bomp! För den oinvigde så är Bomp numera bara ett skivbolag, men det var också ett fanzine med en eldsjäl vid namn Greg Shaw vid rodret, som var lika viktig för rock & roll historien som Rolling Stone Magazine, Cream och NME.
Till skillnad från många av sina rockjournalist-kollegor så var Greg inte främmande för att recensera Elvis 1973 och gilla det, eller att erkänna att Abba var minst lika mycket power pop som Slade och Small Faces.
Den här boken är en kärleksfull coffe table book (fan vad pretentiöst det låter), gjord av Gregs livskamrat Suzy och vännen Mick Farren. Vi får fotostatkopior av valda intervjuer och artiklar från de fanzinen som Greg skapade, Mojo Navigator och Who Put The Bomp, tillsammans med kommentarer från dem som var med då. Och när jag läser dessa artiklar är det alltför tydligt att rockjournalistiken inte blivit bättre, snarare mer ointressant.
Bland de medverkande skribenterna i denna utgåva finns Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus och Iggy Pop. Förutom fantastiska och intressanta artiklar får man mängder av bilder och en genomgående vacker rock & roll layout gör läsningen behaglig.
Ska du bara köpa en bok i år så är det denna.

/Mikael Ekström

onsdag 3 mars 2010

Bokrecension och Q&A med författaren.

"Full Metal Jackie certified - The 50 most influential heavy metal songs of the 80´s and the true stories behind their lyrics"

Jackie Kajzer och Robert Lotring



Jackie Kajzer är en relativt stor radioprofil i USA, där hon har sin egen metalshow vid namn ”Full Metal Jackie”. Tillsammans med Roger Lotring har hon nu skrivit boken om de 50 mest inflytelserika metalsångerna under 80-talet.
Det är en mycket intressant bok, även om titeln, som är längre än längst, kan ses som något missvisande. Kanske hade en titel i stil med ”50 betydelsefulla sånger...” passat bättre, då jag tvekar till att alla dessa låtar egentligen varit speciellt omvälvande på något sätt. Kajzer nämner detta i bokens inledning och påpekar att hon istället siktat in sig på låtar som på något sätt kommenterat samhället för tiden. Frågan är ju också hur pass påverkad man blir som lyssnare? Må så vara att Judas Priests ”Electric eye” handlar om det övervakade samhället, storebror ser dig och Orwells ”1984”, det har ändå hela tiden varit riffen och melodin som gjort mig knäsvag, inte texten.
Boken är skriven i kronologisk ordning och börjar med Judas Priests ”Breaking the law” 1980 och avslutas med Megadeths ”Holy wars... the punishment due” 1990. Dave Mustaine har även skrivit förordet till boken.
Låtarna analyseras och för varje låt har även själva låtskrivaren/skrivarna fått berätta om sina texter och ge en förklaring till innehållet. Det gäller dock inte Metallica som är representerade med flera låtar. James Hetfield kontaktades, men avböjde att kommentera då han menade att allt ligger i lyssnarens fantasi och associationer. Lite trist, men ändå förståeligt. Dock ger andra artisters syn på och influenser av bandets låtar, mindre intressanta berättelser.
En mycket kul liten notis är att Ozzys "Suicide solution" inte skrevs med Bon Scott i åtanke, vilket Ozzy själv hävdat genom åren. Bob Daisley berättar att texten mer var en indirekt varning till Ozzy själv eller faran med alkohol överlag.
Något underligt är det att ett band som Mötley Crüe inte finns med. Säg vad man vill om hårspray och glitter, men nog skulle man ha kunnat klämma in ”Knock ém dead kid”, ”Wild side” eller ”Dr. Feelgood”. Minst lika relevanta som Dokkens ”Kiss of death”, men å andra sidan är kanske HIV/Aids mer politiskt korrekt i sammanhanget.
Sammanfattningsvis är det här en väldigt givande och intressant läsning, även om man kan ha sina synpunkter på låtvalen/banden ibland. Utan tvekan är det låtskrivarnas berättelser som väger tyngst, men även bildmaterialet, signerat Mark Weiss, ger extra krydda till denna över 300 sidor tjocka bok.

Jag passade på att ta tillfället i akt och mailade lite frågor till författaren.

First of all, who's Jackie Kajzer?

Jackie Kajzer is me, a metal fan for life! I'm a DJ who programs and hosts a syndicated metal radio show that broadcasts in 27 markets across the United States.

How did you end up doing radio?

I was a DJ on my college radio station, WSOU at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. That's where my love for radio was born. After graduating, I spent several years broadcasting from different commercial rock stations around the country before moving to Los Angeles. It was there that I started my own metal show on Indie 103.1. Other stations began requesting the right to broadcast my show, which led to a full syndication situation.

Did you come up with the name Full Metal Jackie or was it someone else?

Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols also had a show on Indie 103.1, and he came up with it. The name stuck, and I've been using it ever since.

Do you remember the first interview you did with a major act and what was it like?
Oh yeah, absolutely! I've been really fortunate to have had opportunities to interview most of my metal heroes, and none of them have let me down by being anything but extremely cool. One of the first “big” interviews I did was with Dave Mustaine from Megadeth. I can laugh about it now, but at the time it seemed pretty scary—in fact, I was shaking while we talked. But it was amazing, and very surreal. These days, Dave is very much a friend, and it's kind of funny to remember how intimidated I felt back then.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

Mostly metal from the New York and New Jersey scene, where I lived. I was about 9-years-old when I started listening to this music, and my love for it hasn't really changed. I actually had a fake ID when I was 13, so I've been going to the clubs and supporting metal for a long time.

As I understand it, you've done a lot of work with the band Five Finger Death Punch. How did you come across that band and what was it that made you want to work with them?

I found out about them when I started getting radio requests from my Los Angeles audience for this new, unknown band. Once I heard their music, I was hooked! I saw them live, and when I found out they were unsigned and had no management, I immediately arranged a meeting and a showcase for some people at my company. We signed Five Finger Death Punch to our management and label, put them on the road with the Family Values Tour, and the rest is history. I'm incredibly proud of them and their success.

When did you first start working on your book?

The idea came to me at the beginning of last year. Preparing my weekly radio show, a lot of the classic metal tracks were never meant for commercial broadcast. In many cases, radio edit versions were just never made. So, because of profanity, I research the lyrics to every song, making edited versions whenever necessary. When you start paying such close attention to a lot of these songs, you really recognize how much these songs, especially the lyrics, were a cultural and social snapshot of the time.

How did you select these 50 songs?

My co-author, Roger Lotring, and I each prepared long lists of potential songs that we felt should be considered. It was a pretty involved process, with conversations almost daily about which songs should be included and why. There was a lot of discussion about each song, and whether or not it met the specifics of our criteria. Ultimately, we came up with what we believe are 50 great metal songs that were not only lyrically influential then, but continue to be just as relevant today.

I guess you never got hold of any of the Metallica guys, since they're not in the book. How come?
We did get ahold of Metallica. I was scheduled to interview James Hetfield, but he ultimately decided it best to leave listeners to their own interpretation of the lyrics, rather than influence them with his own. Unfortunate, yeah, but you've got to respect that level of artistic integrity. Roger agreed with me that Metallica had to be in the book, so what was initially a huge disappointment became a great opportunity to incorporate prominent contemporary metal lyricists who were greatly influenced by Hetfield's lyrics. In terms of the creative process of songwriting, the Metallica chapters ultimately provide a great link between past and present.

How come the song “One” by Metallica didn't make the book? It's about war and it was also a major breakthrough for the band.

We considered it. But metal fans usually take ownership of their favorite bands, and mainstream success sometimes pushes them away, ultimately diminishing the importance of a song or an album to them. Keeping that in mind, we didn't always choose the obvious songs. It wasn't always about the most popular, but rather the ones we felt were extremely influential, in a lyrical sense. We also tried to be conscious of not having multiple songs that addressed similar social concerns. Another criteria was getting different stories that most metal fans hadn't heard before. We had already decided on including “Mandatory Suicide” by Slayer. It also deals with the violent atrocity of war, but unlike “One,” most people are unaware of the inspiration behind it.

What was it like getting Dave Mustaine to pen the foreword?

Like I mentioned before, Dave is a close friend. He's always been recognized as a smart, clever lyricist, so we knew Megadeth would be part of the book. Since Megadeth are such an important part of the development of metal as a genre, I thought he would be the perfect person to write the foreword. Dave and I spoke at great length about what this book would be about, and I'm honored that he agreed to be part of the project!

How did you hook up with Mark Weiss and did he let you use whatever you wanted?

Mark's photos are iconic. A lot of us grew up with posters of his photos on our bedroom walls. Roger had worked with Mark before and was pretty sure he had period shots of every band that would correspond with the timeframe of each song. Mark confirmed that when we first started talking about the possibility of his involvement. Basically, he provided a gallery of photos of each artist that he felt best reflected his work, from which we chose the ones used in the book. Like Dave Mustaine, I'm honored that Mark agreed to be involved.

The cover of the book, was that picture your first choice or did it go through a number of changes?

That photo actually was the first choice, but originally it was cropped to Rob Halford's face. We went through several design changes before deciding on the final layout, but it was always that photo.

Can we expect more books from you, perhaps one with all your favorite interviews in?

Perhaps there might be another book on the horizon, who knows? But right now I'm very excited about this book, and it's very rewarding that it's being received so well.

What would be the easiest way for us over here in Sweden to listen to your show?

My show airs on radio stations all over the United States, most of which also stream online. A full list of stations, and where you can hear them, is listed at FULLMETALJACKIERADIO.com. While you're online, you can also check out Roger's Facebook page at Facebook.com/Roger.Lotring and rogerlotring.blogspot.com.

Any messages for old and new fans of yours?

Yes, a huge thank you! I'm very thankful for my supporters worldwide. I really am just a very passionate fan who is lucky enough to do this as my job. Thanks to everyone who makes it so much fun!

Jackies hemsida för radioshowen

/Niclas Müller-Hansen

tisdag 2 mars 2010

Senaste från Soundgarden!



/Niclas Müller-Hansen