DopeSick Radio - Your Online Energy Crank

For all you hardcore, revved-up, fast n' loud kids out there, DopeSickRadio might be your daily dose of rockin' punk excellence. I recently learned about this radio show (made by Brian Bush every Tuesday night 7pm CST and then on iTunes afterwards) and a quick musical listening will get you out racing through red lights and ripping apart locker rooms. Or turning off the TV and picking up a guitar. Or something like that. Be a friend at its MySpace site as well.

AZ Fall Frenzy - Tickets now on sale

Tickets for the Tempe, AZ "AZ Fall Frenzy" rock and roll weekend are available - Buy 'em ($55 in advance, $60 DoS) at the link above or here. "Accompanying the wide variety of musical acts will be water slides, a Ferris Wheel, arts and crafts booths, a gaming center, food vendors, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and much more."

Here's the lineup:

SEPTEMBER 18
Rob Thomas
Jason Mraz
The B-52s
Gavin Rossdale
Colbie Caillat

SEPTEMBER 19
Blink-182
Fall Out Boy
Slightly Stoopid
Pepper
Anberlin

SEPTEMBER 20
Social Distortion
Flogging Molly
Ben Harper & Relentless 7
The Bravery
The Airborne Toxic Event
Carolina Liar

Rock Clip of the Week - R.E.M (live in '85) Pretty Persuasion

This is a special, late Friday edition of the 'How Far Away Musically Can I Get From A Certain Singer" version of Rock Clip of the Week.

And the answer is....none more far. As far as possible.

Here's my Rock Clip of the Week, R.E.M. doing a live version of 'Pretty Persuasion' 25 years ago to the week....
Now *THIS* is Pop. :-) R.E.M. was doing everything it could to knock down the thrillerboy.

R.E.M.'s 'Reckoning' Reissue came out earlier this week, with a bonus live disc of a show I was at on July 7, 1984 in Chicago. A magical night, one I've written about before here. Cuz right after REM and Dream Syndicate at Aragon Ballroom, everyone went over to The Replacements and Del Fuegos show at the Cubby Bear. What a night.

Glastonbury + Rain = Rock Fest Fun

England's great rain-soaked Glastonbury rock festival starts tomorrow and continues through the weekend. The UK's Daily Mail has some great photos (like this one below) and writes about rain starting today as well.
"Thousands of music fans yesterday began arriving at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, determined to make the most of the sunshine - which was expected to continue today. But a spokesman for forecaster Meteogroup said: ‘Unfortunately, on Friday and Saturday Glastonbury could be in the line of fire from thundery showers."

More Glastonbury updates at Drowned in Sound. And the BBC will have online streams and overall coverage all weekend.


photo by The Daily Mail

Sky Saxon Dies, Heads to YaHoWha

Rock and roll singer Sky Saxon, first known through the 1960s garage band The Seeds, died this morning in Austin, TX, according to a Austin 360 report.

Saxon was said to have died of "what doctors suspected was an infection of the internal organs, but cause of death has not yet been released," said the report.

In a short profile of Sky back in March at SXSW, Austin360 wrote: "Saxon formed the Seeds in Los Angeles in 1965. The bands's first couple of singles — 'Can't Seem To Make You Mine' and 'Pushin' Too Hard' — are garage punk classics, snotty and fuzzy and brief. Their first two albums — 'The Seeds' and 'A Web of Sound,' both from that magic rock year 1966 — are perfect examples of proto-psychedelic rock. After a few more records, Saxon broke up the Seeds in 1970, joined the spiritual commune the Source Family, adopted the name Sunlight and played with the Source Family band YaHoWha 13 now and then."

Growing up, my older brothers turned me onto The Seeds. The band's snarly garage rock has stayed with me all these years. I covered 'Pushin' Too Hard' as the first song in my 2006 Covers series. And Waved Rumor included 'Can't Seem To Make You Mine' right here a few weeks ago.

Farewell, Sky Saxon. Rock you did. Here's a clip of the band from the 1968 hippie film "Psychout' playing at the groovy funeral (!) scene!

The Feelies' first two LPs to be reissued

The Stranger has the story on Bar-None's plans to reissue the first two Feelies' records from the 1980s, Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth. Will the reissue make my original 'Crazy Rhythms' LP (in pic) more or less valuable?

Here's the info:
"On Sept. 8, Bar/None Records will re-release 1980's Crazy Rhythms and 1986's The Good Earth, the first two LPs by the Feelies, a New Jersey group who epitomized a certain strain of college rock in the ’80s. They merged Talking Heads’ rhythmic jitteriness with the Velvet Underground’s mantric riffing and deadpan vocalizing while sometimes instilling a rural, downhome aura that made it easy and logical for DJs to segue them into R.E.M. and dB’s songs."

Kinks Reunion Follow-up - Choral Collection

Here's a new tidbit to our post about the Boston journalist trying to get the Kinks reunited in our lifetime.

Sadly, it may not happen, says Ray Davies on a parkbench in Highgate, North London to The UK's Independent reporter James McNair.

"So a Kinks reunion is a possibility?

"No, but I will continue to play with ex band members like [Kinks drummer] Mick Avory from time to time. With Dave, a lot of it is psychological. I'll guide him in, and coerce and nurture him, and when the time is right I suppose I'll even shout at him again. I'm an Alex Ferguson-type motivator - I'm not a great producer like Lou Adler or Phil Spector."

As our interview winds down, Davies tell me there is a new film about the Kinks in the offing, and that Julien Temple, best known for his documentaries about the Sex Pistols, wants to direct it. Davies, meanwhile, is planning to make a new album in Nashville, and he also wants to finish Flatlands, the Norfolk-set choral work he began with the Britten Sinfonia back in 1998. But what of humble old songwriting? Is he doing any of that?

"Yes. I like to write at the weekends these days; it always reminds me of when I didn't have to go to school. Last weekend, I wrote two country songs, one of which is about the difficulties of family relationships. It's called 'Brothers and Sisters'."

Here's Ray on British AM TV a few weeks ago talking about the new collection of Kinks songs set to choral settings Kinks 'Choral Collection' with a lot about Waterloo Sunset.

AA Bondy Hits Phoenix Modified next week

Singer-songwriter AA Bondy is on tour singing his songs and promoting his DIY debut American Hearts, which Fat
Possum re-released last year. His new one, When The Devil's Loose, comes out in September on Fat Possum.

He comes to Phoenix' Modified next Monday night to play his brand of Dylan-esque American folk music, which sounds authentically cool to these ears. But what a trip for a musician - From a set to hundreds of fans at Bonnaroo to the tens (or so) that will likely be at Modified.

Download AA Bondy's "When the Devil's Loose" right here.



Here's AA Bondy at Bonnaroo a few weeks ago.

Battle Brawl - Halford or Mould?

Halford and Mould - two badass rock guys, who've been there and back, with similar outlooks on lifestyle and music, and who both could probably kick your ass from here till sundown - Take your pick.



[Extra prize: Read a cool 4-pt. interview with Bob Mould at the Big Takeover Interviews page]

Tinted Windows, Urge Overkill, Posies (and Evan Dando!)

Apparently, if you love Powerpop-Altrock-Indie 90s, you shudda been at this past weekend's Taste of Randolph Street fest in Chicago. Not only did you get Saturday's billed bands of Tinted Windows, Urge Overkill and the Posies, you also got a guest appearance from Evan Dando. Cool! Good pix and UO video below.


photo by Dan Parker


photo by Dan Parker


photo by Dan Parker

Here's Urge Overkill doin' a fine version of The Candidate for their roaring hometown crowd:



More great Urge Overkill pix from the show at Rhino's Flickr page.

Mott the Hoople reunion now 5 nights (Hammersmith, October)

Mott the Hoople's Hammersmith Residency Extended to Five Nights! HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London UK - 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6 October 2009

Mott the Hoople sold out its original reunion gig dates of October 2-3, 2009 and then added October 1st. That date too sold out, and now the band and promoter has added October 5 and 6. Can the band that hasn't played together live in 35 years give old school fans five nights of what made them great without a huge punch-up by the end? Time will tell.

I write this with a bit of recrimination, as I read that Ian Hunter's band will be rockin' Rockefeller Park next Thursday in Lower Manhattan for a free show. That park was my backyard for the past 8-9 years - I saw a bunch of shows at the park - free shows every Wednesday night in the summer. Now one of my fave old school rockers hits it, and I'm miles away. :-(

"Hey Rose....you're finer than you know..."

Here's what one fan thought of a gig they played another era ago.

Gene Dante and the Future Starlets - The Romantic Lead

Is theatrical rock making some sort of comeback? Every once in a while you get a band or artist who's daring to either recreate the glories of yesteryear's theatrical rock (Roxy Music, Queen, early Genesis, Sparks, Nektar, etc.)....or.... (yes, Dfactor?)

A year ago, I posted a show review about Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears - it was an unbelievably good show for a typical night club rock show, combining loads of great pomp and musicality. (I'd highly recommend seeing Bryan Scary and his band - they're in Boston, Philly and Chicago in July)

Now I get news of Boston rocker Gene Dante, a not terribly debonaire name for a guy who sings 'I am gorgeous - I am without disease' and who's trying to bring his style of glam into today's popland. Here's the video to the song "A Madness to His Method", the first single from the full-length album 'The Romantic Lead'. I love where he sings at 0:25 "A moneyshot...", reminding me of my favorite turn-of-this-century NYC rock band.

It's theater, it's rock. It's Killers and Freddie Mercury in bed together. Enjoy. Happy Friday.

Rock Clip of the Week - Grateful Dead, Hippies, LSD

I've been re-reading an old book I own called "Beneath the Diamond Sky: Haight-Ashbury 1965-1970" - it's a slim, easy read, chronicling the growth of the mostly San Francisco hippies and LSD scene, brought about by Ken Kesey's LSD experiments with the Merry Pranksters.

It's fun to read how utopian the hippies wanted to be (as emphasized by the Grateful Dead members in the clip below). Too bad inter-scene tensions, bad dope in the Haight and scary folks like Manson and his ilk killed those dreams. Hey the punk scene fell apart for mostly the same reasons too, right?

In the clip below, CBS newsman Harry Reasoner meets the Dead and pontificates about drugs, wisdom, free love and more. The last minute of this clip is stone cold Harry.

Social Media is the new Punk Rock

Where does change happen now? Do the old folks get it? Fun analogical stuff from a Melbourne, Victoria, Australia based web consultancy.

The Radical Sons hit NYC next week

I'm just today learning about The Radical Sons, a St. Louis band banging it out in the tradition of all the good ones. I'm hearing Julian Casablancas in the vocals and maybe even some Strokes guitars in their sound, but only the '70s NYC punk classics are mentioned on their MySpace site. But the Lower East Side kids should eat this shit up, if anyone comes out to Mercury Lounge next week to see them on the 25th (or Glasslands on the 23rd).

Pitchfork has a bit on the band, as does Tripwire.

The Beatles' summer-fall onslaught?

Oh dear Lord. The Beatles Beatles Beatles vault onslaught is already here! I thought we were safe until the fall launch of Beatles Rock Band, which launches on 09-09-09 (Ed note: shouldn't it be One AFTER 909? Like Sept 10th, you idiots?? Oh, I see, too close to 9/11. Right. Carry On, Paul).

What else is happening?
- A new George Harrison solo compilation is out today;
- news of remastered Beatles LPs on vinyl in November (via Glorious Noise);
- unreleased George Harrison-Wilburys tracks to appear soon and
- Macca's gonna write songs for his children's book High in the Clouds for an eventual animated film.

Hey, I loved the Beatles just like everyone else, but after this year, can Apple and Capitol just kinda take a break for awhile and let us live with our fond memories? Like these below?



Oh shit, I forgot about Ringo! Oh well, everybody else used to as well...

David Lynch - Fox Bat Strategy

Cool news from Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker about a David Lynch project called Fox Bat Strategy - A Tribute to Dave Jaurequi, made a few years back with the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me musicians. Seems David and the musicians recorded seven of David's songs with the same danger cool late night vibe that's permeated a lot of Lynch's films.

The CD description at Amazon reads:
"A long-time pet project of film director David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive), Fox Bat Strategy features a cast of musicians who began collaborating with Lynch surrounding the filming of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The same line-up of players appeared on Fire Walk With Me's two roadhouse cuts: "The Pink Room" and "Blue Frank" (as well as made cameos in the film itself). In 1994, these same musicians, with an invitation from Lynch, re-entered the studio for experimental collaboration. What emerged were these 6 tracks. For nearly fifteen years these songs have remained unreleased and unheard, slow-cooking in the ether of time, all the while retaining a uniquely modern sensibility. This release is a tribute to the album's late singer and guitarist Dave Jaurequi, who passed away suddenly in 2006."

Lynch is quoted in the Entertainment Weekly link about one of the tracks, 'Shoot the Works' spoken-sung by the late guitarist Dave Jaurequi.

""Dave Jariqui was not a singer," explains Lynch. "He was a guitarist, a fantastic one, but I asked him to sing and speak these lyrics of mine, because I had a hunch that proved correct: he had great phrasing, and I love the grain of his voice....I think about him a lot, and wish we'd been able to record more than the seven songs that are on this album."

The Horrors coming to Tempe!

The Horrors are coming to Tempe! Oh man, this is wholly unexpected good news! I love the 'Sea Within a Sea' single - used to dance to loads of this type of music back in the first wave of gothy 80s (Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Cure, etc) - Can't wait to see The Horrors live....(From silverplatter).

New Order + Blur = Bad Lieutenant

"Bad Lieutenant is the project of New Orders Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris & Phil Cunningham following the departure of Peter Hook from New Order in the Spring of 2007. Jake Evans of Rambo and Leroy is also a member. Other collaborators are reported to include drummer Jack Mitchell from Haven and bassist Alex James from Blur."

Why do all these cool musical 'collaborations' have such awful names? Bad Lieutenant? Ugh. It sounds like a '70s LP vinyl cutout from a New Jersey metal band.

That being said, this is a lovely melancholic song and it's awesome to see & hear New Order's Bernard Sumner singing his fantastic voice over these chiming guitars. Paste Magazine has more of the details behind the collaboration, which I'll skip repeating here, but digging this song nonetheless. [Sidenote: My live acoustic version of New Order's 'Love Vigilantes' is here.]

One Man's Chickenfoot experience

"Days after their show in San Francisco, I wrote the following:

My body hurts all over; it´s wrung out like a wet rag. My right ear hasn´t quite come around yet either.

Chickenfoot's performance at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA on May 17, 2009 was the concert of a lifetime.

I knew I was in trouble when the first song, "Avenida Revolution," a balls-to-the-wall song about the perils of Mexican immigrants, pounded from the speakers like an iron fist slamming down hard on the stage. I was already overpowered.

Joe Satriani on guitar, Sammy Hagar on vocals, Chad Smith on drums and Michael Anthony on bass came onstage in a burst of sonic boom that felt like the world was splitting open, its internal organs shooting upward to the stratosphere like a volcano OD´ing on testosterone. It bounced off the back walls in some sort of sweet rage/euphoria and rolled like breeding thunder through the audience.

And it never let up."

Sell music ANYWAY you want!

Been reading two separate things today that caught my attention for selling that ol' commodity music!

Two new ways to sell music - Via a hybrid vinyl-MP3 combo platter and on an embeddable T-shirt! Whaddya think?

First from Fortune Small Business:
"Like many music retailers, Nathaniel Bernier was getting squeezed. His store, Wild Rufus Records, in the seaside town of Camden, Maine, was selling fewer CDs. It was suffering as a result of the music industry's broader woes - CD sales nationwide were down a steep 17.5% last year. So Bernier, 35, came up with a solution that married convenience with cool. He decided to focus on selling old-school technology - vinyl records - bundled with pass codes that allow customers to download MP3 versions of the same songs when they get home. For audiophiles, it's the best of both worlds: the rich, analog sound of vinyl for home listening and a digital version they can take anywhere. Bernier was attracted by the profit margin: A Ben Folds Five hybrid set, for example, retails at $24, a substantial markup on the $15 Bernier pays for it. "I sell what makes people happy," he says. "They're going to want that experience no matter what the economy does."

Second from the good kids at Girlie Action:
"Mos Def is the first artist to release a new CD in T-Shirt Format; Four More “Mix Tees” and several new artist tees coming this fall. Within weeks of launching The Music Tee, an innovative new T-shirt that literally weds music and fashion by embedding digital music in the shirt, clothing label LnA is pleased to announce the second shirt in their new series -- and the first “artist” shirt -- The Mos Def Music Tee, containing the new Mos Def album, The Ecstatic. The shirt was produced in collaboration with Downtown Music and music innovator Invisible DJ, and will available for purchase beginning July 7.

The Original Music Tee, a “mix tape” shirt containing “album art” on the front and a play list on the back, features such up-and-coming artists as The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Alice Russell, Theresa Andersson, WAZ, Magic Arm, Lettie, Passenger, Holmes, Amy Kuney, Charlie Mars, The Silent Years, Mason Proper, Nive Nielsen and Afternoons. Each shirt also has a hang-tag printed with a URL and a unique code allowing the purchaser to download the play list. Several more shirts will be added to The Music Tee Collection in the fall, including several artist shirts and four “mix tape” shirts being created exclusively for fashion retailer Shopbop."

What other innovative ways have you found people thinking about getting music to people? Leave it in the comments. My fave way has always been the old 'Chip in the Head' that we're all gonna have eventually to download music, movies, lovers, recipes, children, you name it.... Call me crazy.

AOL Spinner streams - Big Star, Cassettes Won't Listen, The Legends

Eclectic music indeed over at AOL/Spinner stream page today.



Revisit Big Star's great '#1 Record/Radio City' release in a remastered version (sounds sweet!), Cassettes Won't Listen new instrumental release 'Into the Hillside' and The Legends' 'Over and Over'.

Rock Clips of the Week - Garage Rock Frenzy

Feeling very amped up today and wanna kick out the garage rock for kicks! I've found a couple of rare old nuggets from the first Garage Rock invasion 1964-1967.

First up, Chicago 1960s garage rockers the Del-Vetts with an awesome track called "Last Time Around" (complete with one-note bass middle freakout, so prevalent at the time)


The Seeds - early clip of their first single "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" (from American Bandstand)


The Syndicate of Sound - Hey Little Girl

What is the new 'free' in music?

Good points made in a blog post today at Smart Blog for Social Media. Writer Merritt Colaizzi writes in The value of emotional value that...

"Many musicians these days are giving their music away for free. This makes sense, generally, because bands that might not otherwise be heard are getting broader exposure and being shared by word of mouth. So the free music is driving revenue associated with touring: Tickets, merch, performance fees, and the occasional sale of a CD with creative perks such as bonus tracks, artist signatures and limited edition artwork.

The trouble though — and this applies to many industries — is that “free” may, in fact, be dead. Now that we expect it; where’s the value in that? I’m not alone in this thinking, either. Seth Godin agrees: There’s just “too much free.”"

Indeed! If 'free' is expected in everything (a conversation I had in a meeting this morning), does anyone gain value? Maybe musicians can start offering their musical value to folks in barter exchange deals, like maybe fans can come over and cut the musician's grass or wash the band van or something ... :-)

PHX New Times Summer of Sound American Show

Phoenix New Times hosts its first show in its Summer of Sound series this weekend - it's an 'Americana' themed bash, featuring all the cool bands seen in the flier below. And all for $5? And Drinks deals? And cool peeps? Done deal.

Phil Spector - UnWigged!

Glorious Noise shares the goods on convicted criminal and former record producer Phil Spector:



(picture via The Smoking Gun)

Remember this one?

Blur - Reunion Shows, Greatest Hits

Blur is back! For anyone who enjoyed the band's Britpop songs mid-last decade, this is an exciting week. The band is playing a bunch of UK festivals this summer and releasing a best-of compilation called "Midlife: A Beginners' Guide To Blur". It comes out June 15th. (You can stream the songs at their home page link above).

NME's got a piece with more links and dates of the comings shows

Here's a 5minute video medley of the sharps and flats of the Blur catalogue - Whoo Hoo!

Aerosmith - 'Toys in the Attic' in entirety this summer

In this 4-5 year existence of Waved Rumor, I've not posted on Aerosmith much. Not sure why. I always liked the 1970s band, saw 'em several times live (coked up for sure), and still think 'Get Your Wings' is their best, with 'Rocks' nipping at its heels. I think I lost interest in their 1990s songs, but their success with Guitar Hero shows that Aerosmith's powerful rock music will be around for a longlonglonglong time.

For this summer's tour, Aerosmith founder/singer Steven Tyler has said the band will play 'Toys in the Attic' in its entirety. That's cool, that's the one with all the big hits Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way and Toys in the Attic, the ones we've heard overandoverandoveroverandoverandoveroverandoverandoverandoverandoveroverandoverandoveroverandoverandoveroverandoverandoverandoverandover....I say No More No More! :-)

But it should be a crackin' tour, especially if they get special guests to come up and roll on with them on these songs. Here's Aerosmith kicking out No More No More.

No More No More - Aerosmith

Cheap Trick - Transformers theme (The Fallen)

Cheap Trick rocks it (from the upcoming Transformers 2 film) - Nice reuse by the band of the swirly Dream Police keyboards.... "Robots in Disguise!"

Reunite The Kinks - Kickstarter play

Thanks to uber blogger and VC indie rocker Fred Wilson, I learned about Kickstarter over the weekend - it's a web site designed for you to put forth your project (tech, music, whatever), make a compelling case for funding it and see if anyone chooses to send some donations your way. (Note: I can see LOTS of indie musicians using this tool to fund their music projects - there are some already up there. Hmmmm....I do need to fund my upcoming CD.... :-))

But one Kickstarter project kicks ass over the rest of 'em. It's from Geoff Edgers, a former Boston Globe arts journalist who is on a one-man mission to fund the reunion of The Kinks. Rumors have abounded for the last 2 years or so about the Kinks reforming, but Geoff wants your money to make it a reality, and he enlisted some cool musicians to help him out. Check out his star-studded video pitch below - it's fantastic - Geoff gets to play 'Set Me Free' with Sting singing!

Pitch in your dosh. Bring Ray and Dave Davies back together again.

Dfactor goes Me(n)tal tonight!

If any of you rock kids are hangin' out near sunny Tempe, AZ early tonight, drop by the Big Fish Pub on University and rock out with us. I'm opening up a night of mostly rockin' metal bands, and will definitely be the guy with the shortest hair there! :-)

I'll be playing songs from my upcoming CD and other fun ones. Maybe even an old metal cover, who knows? Other bands following are Pure Coincidence, Warhead, Fractured and host (thx, Marshall!) and headliner Dyer.

Rock Clip of the Week - The Gaslight Anthem (Pearl Jam's 'State of Love & Trust')

The Gaslight Anthem has been covering Pearl Jam's cranker 'State of Love & Trust' on their current tour, and I found a great clip of them doing it at a small Italian club gig in February 09. Dig it.

Rock-O-Rama Blog-O-Plenty

I've had little time to do much rock blogging this week, so I'll send ya back to Walker with lots of cool bits from around the blogosphere this week:

- TabRobot is an online chords and tab site for all you rockin' cover bands out there. (via Largehearted Boy)

- Get the MP3 here for Yo La Tengo's new song Periodically Double or Triple. It's groovy and R&B-y. Yes,you can dance to it. (via Village Voice music)

- See pictures from yesterday's The Hold Steady rock show in Leeds, UK (via Glorious Noise)

- Detroit musician and producer Jim Diamond talks the talk about recording adventures, friends and feuds. (via Phoenix New Times' Up on the Sun blog)

- Powerpopaholic has the stream for pop guy Marshall Crenshw's newest collection of songs 'JaggedLand'. (via LaLa)

- Taking requests for Friday's Rock Clip of the Week - I missed last week, so I'm throwing it out to my non-commenting readership... one criteria, band/song must be from the 1980s and below the Mason-Dixie border.

Seoul Rocks! Korean Pop!

For some reason,I ended up on YouTube checking out this South Korean boyband group called SHINee. Call me crazy, but there's something about checking out Korean pop (or K-Pop) - ya know, there's a whole other world of popness out there. But can we be sure there's not a Boy Band University somewhere out there, where teens go to all sound like New Kids on the Block?



But...I also checked Korean Rock, and found this Korean Queen tribute cover band - RAWK!

Smells Like....Rock Volume One?

So, it seems rock star 'fragrance' is NOT sweaty T-shirt smell and funky ass blue jean reekness...it's something more 'citrusy' and 'spicy', writes WSJ.

I spritzed on some “Rock” slightly below the palm of my hand, and waved my hand around a bit to let the fragrance sink in. Hmmm. Apparently a rock star smells spicy and citrusy. Not like teen spirit at all. (Soft rock?) Ok so “Rock” is definitely not for fans of true funk. Maybe a too-real rock aroma wouldn’t be that easy to smell—or sell.

Spinal Tap - Back from the Dead (out June 16)

Spinal Tap is 'Back from the Dead' with new recordings of its old songs released on June 16th. To commemorate this semi-historic occasion, Nigel, David and Derek are speaking about past Tap memories. The chaps look somewhat weathered in this clip, but such is the outcome of a hard-scrabbled rock and roll lifestyle.



Here's the band playing 'Back from the Dead' a few years ago on Letterman...

Cheap Trick - 'Sick Man of Europe' first track from upcoming CD

Cheap Trick uploaded a song called 'Sick Man of Europe' over the weekend as the first song for everyone to hear from their upcoming CD 'The Latest'. It's a rocker-corker, complete with guitars that sound like The Hives, with a shouted out chorus of 'I'm the Sick Man....of Europe' from Robin Zander. Check it here:



Longtime Cheap Trick fans will know that 'Sick Man of Europe' was an early incarnation of the group in the early 1970s featuring the band's Rick Nielsen, Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson, but with an earlier singer.

"Nielsen, Petersson, Carlos and Wisconsin native Zander all grew up in Rockford, coming of Midwest age just as the British Invasion hit. Inspired by English rock, they did what a lot of other young music fans did, picking up instruments and forming bands. In between research and recreation trips of various sorts to Europe and elsewhere, Petersson and Nielsen made their long-playing debuts on a 1969 album by Fuse, and subsequently launched Sick Man of Europe with Carlos and Robert "Stewkey" Antoni, the former singer of Nazz.

Upon Zander's induction to the band in 1974, Sick Man of Europe became Cheap Trick, and Midwest clubs were soon rocking to "The Ballad of Richard Speck," "ELO Kiddies" and "He's a Whore." With a vivid image, a great singer and more instruments than a music store, Cheap Trick brought arena-scaled flamboyance to the unsigned band circuit, and became the area's biggest local attraction."