Twenty years ago yesterday my last commissioned article as a freelance music journalist was published. I’d been doing it for more than 10 years at that point, had a 5-year old son, a daughter on the way, and other outlets I wanted to pursue.
I didn’t know it was going to be my last piece while I was doing it, but the subject matter was suitably auspicious: the Business Machines. The band members were Houstonian friends relocated to L.A. chasing the eternal dream. They’d also just recorded what is still one of my favorite albums ever, ‘Almost Automatic.’
A rock n’ roll mini-revival was underway at the time, led by the likes of the Hives, the Vines, the Donnas, and the Datsuns, and the Business Machines were poised to stake their claim. The rest of the story is available in scattered pieces across the internet. But what’s offered here is a fleeting snapshot of when everything was still possible.
The eternal dream. Pursuing it looks naff. But it lurks inside. It guides. It prods. It doesn’t let you go. But it’s ephemeral enough that it can’t lead. Some let it overwhelm them. Some of them end up dead. Some who could achieve it never manage to harness its energy, choosing a path less perilous.
Spend some time watching dUNETX mainman Chris Sacco on stage and you know it’s in there. But what he does with this song is staddle that line between embracing it and observing it from a safe distance. Musically, it gets on a mid-tempo rail and rides. But the lyrics flip back and forth between the simultaneously personal and universal (rolling up on that special someone) and the more rarified air of megalomania (closing your eyes and coming undone)
dUNETX has always worn its influences on its sleeve and this particular number draws from the Smashing Pumpkins end of the band’s pool. Both guitars and vocals drone while rubbing your eardrums. But they also build with enough wiggle to move things forward, keeping the listener waiting for the next bend. Surely something has to give.
Guitar Solo One yields. Guitar Solo Two builds. And then reality breaks. Icon, that’s the way it has to be. You got your rock star type clothes on. Where’d you get those threads? You used to be Jimi Hendrix? Or was that the Doors?
It’s amazing how fresh some things can sound. Like, always. dUNETX sounded current 25 years ago. Guess what. They still sound happening in the 21st century.
New track ‘Get It Together’ puts you on a playground from the jump. You know that feeling when you’ve hit the sweet spot on the merry-go-round? Holding on just fine but going fast enough that it feels like you’re flying. That’s where you are when this song begins.
What follows is what you might get if the Partridge Family were a rock band that smoked weed and played loud, swirly poppy happiness with grit. The bridge slows things down but gets rhythmic rather than dreamy, followed by a solo that’s both!
Nestled in the same neighborhood as Tripping Daisy and The Dandy Warhols, ‘Get It Together’ is dUNETX at their Primal Scream-iest.
“Why don’t you just fly-eye-eye so high?”/like a kite string that never pops/ “Oh hell yeahhhh!”
You can snag ‘Get It Together’ at your favorite streaming site. And the good news doesn’t stop there. The classic dUNETX albums ‘Machowagon’ and ‘Goldenarm’ are also available for the first time on all major streaming platforms.
As I continue querying (is anybody out there?) I spend time between letters putting together a ‘soundtrack’ for ‘Unreality.’ I’m happy at this point to unveil the second of four I plan to complete. This list was inspired by the second quarter of the book, in which the stage has already been set and the madness ahead begins to reveal itself.
Some of the selections are based on the narrative, so playing it in order makes sense. But ALL are based on the tone and themes and I’ve found that shuffle also creates an enjoyable ride.
This list starts with Humble Pie (also featured on the first…can you really have too much ’Pie!?) and ends with early-2000s Sacramento metalcore heroes Catherine. Artists tickling your ears in between range from DNCE to Slayer, with Anderson .Paak, Biggie (x2), DJ Shadow w/Run The Jewels, Ministry, and many more pouring out of your speakers before the ride is over.
At 50 songs (~3.5 hrs) long it’s perfect for your next house cleaning, poker game, pool party, barbecue, or smoke sesh. Listen today. Listen again tomorrow!
Have there ever been four better songs to start an album than ‘Rusty Cage’, ‘Outshined’, ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’, and ‘Jesus Christ Pose,’ the opening quartet from Soundgarden’s ‘Badmotorfinger’?
My suspicion when I first asked the question was that there were likely a multitude of alternatives that were as good, but none that were better. That feeling is still generally intact.
‘Takin’ a Ride,” ‘Careless,’ ‘Customer,’ and ‘Hangin’ Downtown’ from the Replacements’ ‘Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash’ was the first alternative candidate offered. Undeniably great, and at least as visceral, but missing a certain depth.
From the complete opposite end of the rock spectrum came Rush with ‘Moving Pictures’ and ‘Tom Sawyer,’ ‘Red Barchetta,’ ‘YYZ,’ and ‘Limelight.’ Definitely deep and retaining great human feeling and songcraft despite the technical prowess on display, it fell solidly into the “as good” column.
The Stones got a nod with ‘Brown Sugar,’ ‘Sway,’ ‘Wild Horses,’ and ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,’ from ‘Sticky Fingers’ (probably my favorite album of theirs). I guess this works. But only if you like ‘Wild Horses.’ It’s always driven me to distraction. I find the melody unimaginative and the bulk of the lyrics cliched; neither in a way that qualifies it for ‘simple beauty.’ But to each their own.
‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ ‘It’s So Easy,’ ‘Nightrain,’ and ‘Out Ta Get Me,’ from Guns n’ Roses genre-resurrecting debut ‘Appetite for Destruction’ was another completely legit contender and also likely rises to the level of as good.
It was when someone proposed the first four from Led Zeppelin’s fourth, however, that the dialogue took its first real twist. To my estimation Side 1’s ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Rock n’ Roll’ were held back by ‘Battle of Evermore’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ On this basis I suggested ‘IV’ would make a better Last Four Songs candidate (‘Misty Mountain Hop,’ ‘Four Sticks,’ ‘Going to California,’ ‘When The Levee Breaks’) than First.
After some back and forth, my interlocutor and I came up with an alternative track listing and created a stronger version of the album. I present ‘Led Zeppelin 4.1’: ‘Black Dog,’ ‘Rock n’ Roll,’ ‘Misty Mountain Hop,’ ‘Levee’ // ‘Four Sticks,’ ‘Battle of Evermore,’ ‘California,’ ‘Stairway.’ It’s majesty and might are inescapable.
The last word on the Best First Four topic occurred when ‘Abbey Road’ was thrown into the ring. First of all, I consider it the greatest rock album ever, and holding that accolade should disqualify it from the lesser category discussed here. Then there’s the fact that it’s essentially one piece of music, none of which can be disentangled from the rest.
But this is the stuff music conversations are made of, and I’m happier than ever that I asked!
‘To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth,’ released in 1997, is Swedish metal band Entombed’s fourth album. It was a step away from the band’s death metal roots, providing the cornerstone for the then-nascent metal subgenre, death n’ roll (yes, a blend of rock n’ roll and death metal).
Most fans would choose one of the three albums that preceded it as their favorite Entombed record, but ‘Too Ride…’ has a special hold on me. It was the soundtrack of my first trip to Rio de Janeiro. Rio in 1997 was better than Rio even three years earlier, but it was still a place where it was never clear who the bad guys were and in which nightclub madness could turn into actual chaos in the blink of an eye. Gunfire rang from the favellas well into the night and police sweeps of Copacabana were non-stop once the sun went down.
‘Too Ride…’s’ overdriven everything, nearly continuous swing, and lyrics focused on the perpetual struggle for sanity (or at least peace) made the perfect musical accompaniment for a new visitor to a society on the edge. Vocalist LG Petrov didn’t write the words he sang, but he delivered them with such unfettered disgust, amazement, and ferocity that they were inescapable.
LG died today, taken at age 49 by bile duct cancer. He was a unique and striking personality in a genre full of them. But I have ‘Too Ride…’ forever. And the journey’s just getting started.
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So it looks like everyone’s cool with Marilyn Mansion getting cancelled. Let’s use that common ground to build something. You know where to reach me. #bipartisanship
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When Trump backed COVID relief legislation it was urgently needed aid that got broad support from both sides of the aisle, but now that it’s Democrats it doesn’t even merit consideration. How can anyone take the GOP seriously? That’s a real question.
dUg Pinnick’s ‘Strum Sum Up’ solo album turned 13 over the weekend. It’s one of those albums that everyone who participated in its creation looks back on fondly, a true testament to musical community. To mark the event, please enjoy this excerpt from ‘What You Make it: The Authorized Biography of Doug Pinnick.’
Rex Brown [Pantera] was excited to play bass on the record but had to pull out at the last minute. He felt terrible about it, having long wanted to work with Doug. With Brown unavailable, Doug’s former tech, Kolby McKinney suggested he check out Big Wreck’s Dave Henning. Doug had never seen Henning play, but had heard people raving about his 12-string prowess for a while. McKinney kept pushing and Doug finally picked up the phone and called Henning, who agreed to come to Blacksound Studio.
When Henning showed up, however, there was one thing missing…his bass!
“Hey man, did you bring your bass?” Doug asked, thinking maybe he’d just left it in the hallway.
“No,” said Henning, “I just thought I’d come over and we could talk.”
Michael Parnin produced ‘Strum Sum Up’ and worked at a pace that made even the efficient processes established with Michael Wagener seem slow in comparison, aided by his ProTools mastery.
When Henning showed up without his bass Parnin pointed and said “there’s a bass right over there against the wall. It’s a piece of shit, but play it.”
Henning plugged into an old SVT amp and cranked it up as the rest of the guys, with Kellii Scott [Failure] on drums, broke into ‘Coming Over,’ including the jam. By the time they reached the end, there was no doubt: this was the band.
Notes: Here’s what frontman Lucas Juarez has to say about the current state of affairs:
Excerpt from ‘Unreality’ — People with more specialized platforms—law enforcement officials, garbage men, bus drivers, etc.—were compensated more for whatever role they felt comfortable playing.
Drunken business men On a drinking binge On the company dime Mama I ain’t lying
Energy companies On their knees Bankruptcy But you know them CEOs will be OK Man, fuck Ken Lay
If you wanna strap money from poor people Texas is the place to be
I saw this rich motherfucker on the tv Saying that he needed a little more money Well that shit ain’t funny I hope someone comes and takes all your shit And then they turn around and then they fuck you over
I saw this one motherfucker on the TV Saying that he needed a little more money Well that shit ain’t funny When you spend your whole life working for the man Then he turns around and fucks you up the ass!
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‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.
Notes: Pres. Trump has been blasting CCR’s ‘Fortunate Son’ as walk on music during his campaign. Its use works like a charm, highlighting the limited comprehension, scofflaw tendencies, and general trollishness that have been highlights of his time in office. Its use has continued despite John Fogerty’s requests that it stop.
Fogerty’s initial response came in a September video.”I wrote the song back in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War,” Fogerty said in the video, as reported by Insider.com “By the time I wrote the song, I had already been drafted and had served in the military. And I’ve been a lifelong supporter of our guys and gals in the military, probably because of that experience, of course.”
Fogerty continued in his video, saying: “Back in those days, we still had a draft, and something I was very upset about was the fact that people of privilege, in other words, rich people, or people that had position, could use that to avoid the draft and not be taken into the military. I found that very upsetting that such a thing could occur, and that’s why I wrote ‘Fortunate Son.'”
He then noted the song’s opening verses: “Some folks are born, made to wave the flag / Ooh, their red, white, and blue / And when the band plays ‘Hail to the Chief’ / Ooh, they point the cannon at you.”
“It’s a song I could’ve written now, so I find it confusing, I would say, that the president has chosen to use my song for his political rallies, when in fact, it seems like he is probably the fortunate son,” Fogerty said, ending the video.
The song hasn’t lost an ounce of its edge. I’ve included a couple of my favorite covers at the end of the post (though nothing matches the intensity of the original).
Excerpt from ‘Unreality’ — People with more specialized platforms—law enforcement officials, garbage men, bus drivers, etc.—were compensated more for whatever role they felt comfortable playing.
Lyrics: Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ooh, they’re red, white and blue And when the band plays “Hail To The Chief” Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no Some folks are born silver spoon in hand Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no, no It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no Yeah!
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask them, “How much should we give?” Ooh, they only answer, “More! More! More!” Yo
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no military son, son It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, one It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no no no It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no no no
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‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.
‘Faith Hope Love,’ the album that arguably came closest to breaking King’s X to a mainstream audience, was released 30 years ago today. By early 1991 ‘It’s Love’ was in regular rotation on MTV and the band was booked to tour both the US and Europe as support for AC/DC. Megaforce’s work at radio also finally was starting to pay off, Atlantic taking the foundation they’d built and getting full rock airplay for the band.
You can also watch a full set of the band’s performance on the road with AC/DC at the end the post.
Excerpt from ‘What You Make It’ – King’s X returned to Rampart Studios for ‘Faith Hope Love.’ ‘Moanjam’ was one of the first songs recorded. It was 10 years old and had no words to it. Doug would simply hum the melody. The bass line prompted Doug to refer to it as the band’s “Motorhead song,” while the drum beat lent a gospel tone. Doug’s vocal approach came from the church as well: moaning the melody to a crescendo the way he remembered the singers on Sunday doing when they really wanted to punch things up, then bringing it back down to hook the audience.
When the band decided it should go on the record, Doug felt compelled to add lyrics. Not sure what to write he started with “I want to sing this song for you.” He knew it could be about a person or people but, with the subsequent references to glory, just as easily about God, and ended up penning an unintentional praise chorus.
Chris Smith, Author 