SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Deadstring Brothers, Silver Mountain (Bloodshot Records, October 9, 2007)

Rating: 2 out of 5 geetars

The Deadstring Brothers don’t make any excuses for what they are: rock and roll covered blues with a smattering of country. And there’s no masking that they were influenced by bands like The Rolling Stones and The Black Crowes. Masha Marjieh’s vocals are coarse and passionate, Spencer Cullum’s steel playing is tenatious and colorful dimentions are added through the use of Hammond organs, Wurlitzer pianos and well-played mouth harp and mandolin.

There’s something lacking from Silver Mountain. It may be as simple as that recordings just don’t do them justice. But it may run deeper and have to do with lack of charisma or melody that catches in your throat and never goes away (how easy is it to remember the tune to “Paint It Black” or “Hard To Handle”?). Considering the genre, this album should hold your attention from first note to last, but there are songs on the disk that come across as afterthoughts rather than well-planned ballads or carefree rompers. Songs like “Rollin’ Blues” are toe-tappers, but they’re not run-to-the-dance-floor-and-boogie-downers.

Photo by Doug Coombe

CD review: Sunset Rubdown, Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar Records, October 9, 2007)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Montreal’s Sunset Rubdown has an outstandingly unique sound, and though these guys (and girl) look normal, their music is anything but. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill four-piece that plays indie rock, no, this is glam-inspired pop that flips and flops like a flag in a hurricane. Band founder Spencer Krug’s vocals have a David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust years) flavor and Camilla Wynne Ingr’s vocals follow in a cat-and-mouse scurry around the perky piano. And that’s just the fast songs. The slower ones tell the tale of an untrusting, unsure soul who dwells on the tricks and mind games played by those around him.

Random Spirit Lover is experimental CD to a certain extent. There are wild noises, layer upon layer of mis-matched harmonies. “For the Pier (and Dead Shimmering)” is a beautiful work with unique strings (harpsichord?) and drums (steel drums?), that runs back and forth between a soft and sensitive melody that flows like a mellow stream and a whirlwind of passion that pounds like waves on an angry sea.

Sunset Rubdown is a band for anyone searching for odd melody mixed with ambient noise and metaphor-drenched tales that fake left, fake right and run straight toward their poetic destination.

CD review: So They Say, Life In Surveillance (Fearless Records, October 9, 2007)

Rating: 1 out of 5 geetars

Here. We. Go. Again. Powerhouse indie rock/emo has reared its ugly head. Every band that comes out with this style of music thinks they’ve reinvented the god damn wheel, and So They Say is no different. I guess someone forgot to write and send the memo: Emo is dead. If it’s not, it should be. Unless you’re gonna find a way to make it sound unique.

To be fair, STS are fair musicians, but you’d be hard pressed to find something that makes them stand out from any other indie/emo band. It’s not all their fault, really … it’s the fault of the record companies that encourage this behavior. At the same time, no one made them play this stuff, right?

This angst-filled music may still work for angst-filled teenagers, but the 30-somethings who listen to it (those who continue to wear baggy jeans and black band T-shirts to work, play in a shitty garage band on Saturdays and wonder why they never get ahead in life) should be ashamed. Change may be scary, boys, but it keeps life fresh and exciting. You should try it. You might like it.

Event: Oscillation Music Festival 2007, Cell Theatre, Albuquerque, NM, October 5-6, 2007

By Rachel Heisler

Vertigo Venus, Oscillation 2006

Fwank!Productions, Ohmni, Dark Beat Productions, www.Burque.info, KeyToSound, Music Go Round and DSBP Records present the seventh annual Oscillation Electronic Music Festival, which will take place on Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6 at the Cell Theatre, located at 700 1st NW in Albuquerque, NM. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: The Sadies, New Seasons (Yep Roc Records, October 2, 2007)

Rating: 5 out of 5 geetars

If you’re into twangy Americana, bluegrass country rock, you’re a fan of the Sadies, whether you know it yet or not. New Seasons is the Toronto, Ontario-based band’s fifth album, and on it brothers Dallas and Travis Good, Mike Belitsky (drums) and Sean Dean (upright bass) go from acting like reckless teenagers to sensitive balladeers in a matter of minutes.

The Sadies are crafty. Anyone who writes a song like “The First Inquisition (pt. IV)” with its fuzzy, psychedelic guitar, its love-song counterpoint “Anna Leigh” and “Yours To Discover,” which is soft and detached but still has a ramblin’-down-the-line feel to it, and puts them all on the same album has some mad-capped creativity running through his veins. Fans of Neko Case, Wilco, Jayhawks, Old 97’s and Jon Spencer will stumble upon familiarities that will wrap around them comfortably like the warm hand of a Jack Daniels’ shot.

Every song on New Seasons has its own persona and there’s not a song included here that shouldn’t be put upon a tall, white pedestal. If every band in the world had this awesome sense of connectedness and clarity, every band in the world would be worth listening to.

Upcoming shows:
10/05/07-Cafe du Nord, San Francisco, CA
10/07/07-Harldy Strictly Bluegrass Fest, San Francisco, CA, 12:30 pm
10/09/07-Aladdin’s, Portland, OR, with the Mekons
10/10/-07-WA Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA

CD review: Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War (Arts & Crafts, September 25, 2007)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 geetars

” … our responsibility in writing pop songs is that no matter how grim it is, it’s your life, and we have to try to make it beautiful in three-and-a-half minutes,” said Stars frontman, Torquil Campbell. “That was sort of my mission with this record. If you could make horror movies that were like love stories, that would be my ultimate genre.”

Well, Stars’ music (if not lyrics) gives the impression that life is a party – not a wild one where people are doing beer bongs and screwing in the corner of the room – but a subdued one where attendees sip at Chardonnay and talk into the wee hours of the night. The piano, keys (Chris Seligman, Campbell), strings and guitars (Evan Cranley) are used in their most delicate forms; Amy Millan’s emotionally driven vocals go a long way in breaking up the male vox and Pat McGee’s real drums (not chinsy pre-recorded loops) bring life and spirit to the songs.

The CD is paired with a fun 55-minute DVD that includes interviews with band members, live concert footage and other random weirdnesses that Stars came across while on the road.

Upcoming shows:
10/17/07-Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
10/18/07-Town Hall, NY, NY
10/19/07-Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
10/20/07-9:30 Club, Washington, DC
10/24/07-Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA

CD review: Michael Hensley, Fire Behind Me (self released, October 1, 2007)

Rating: 2 out of 5 geetars

Hensley, a graphic designer who graduated from Emerson College in Boston, got his “music epiphany” during a college Poetry and Song course. It was then that he began to combine personal words with his run-of-the-mill synth-driven, dance music. He comes across as a sensitive man who could very well cry himself to sleep many a night but his softness is in his expression only; his music has backbone and beat and it’s suitable for all club environments, especially those in West Hollywood.

“I really loved electronic music and songs driven by a strong beat; my belief was that the genre doesn’t often focus on lyrics and melodies as well. I wanted to bridge that gap,” Hensley said.

The bridge is gapped to a certain extent – the song content is good … the inspirational and metaphorical way in which he writes could use some tweaking – but it’s a good start. Hensley is all over the DIY premise, and wrote, performed and produced Fire Behind Me (mixed and mastered by Yasuhiko Fukuoka). While he needs practice in originality and versatility, he definitely has potential – it’s up to him whether he takes advantage of it or not.

Photo by Dana Mueller

Concert review: Scorpions, The Joint, Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas (September 21, 2007)

By Rachel Heisler

This concert review starts long before the concert started. It actually starts ar 4 pm when the meet and greet was suppose to begin at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. A few dozen super fans waited for a good hour-and-a-half for the doors of the concert hall to open. When it finally did, we were treated to a jovial Klause Meine and company, who were more than happy to let us in on a sound check, which included the throwing of drums sticks for our keeping pleasure. And that was followed by a CD, drum stick, T-shirt, guitar-singing, where we could hug, speak and schmooze with the band members – Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (guitars), Matthias Jabs (guitars), James Kottak (drums) and Pawel Maciwoda (bass). Mostly what we all came away with is the realization that these are five of the nicest guys in rock ‘n’ roll. (more…)

Online review: Skyhorse, London, England (four-song demo, 2007)

By Rachel Heisler

We usually don’t bother reviewing demos, especially when a band asks us to listen to their stuff on myspace. But hey, they’ve taken the time to get in touch so we may as well take a few minutes and listen to what they’ve put down.

Skyhorse is a four-piece from London. Their story is familiar – teen boys escape the clutches of high school, move in together and start a band. Singer/guitarist Jack Stanton and drummer/vocalist Arthur Carey are currently in art school and bassist Julien Breteau and guitarist Sam McGarrick have fallen into the day-to-day work pit trap. But downtime lends itself to music, indie rock with that new wave ’80s kick that blends The Cure with Dexy’s Midnight Runners. (more…)

CD review: Pat Monahan, Last Of Seven (Columbia Records, September 18, 2007)

By Eric Plummer

With the Grammy award-winning group Train on hiatus, front man Pat Monahan delivers us his solo debut effort, Last of Seven. Joined by famed producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Elton John), Last of Seven is a carefully crafted album with every track either written or co-written by Monahan himself. (more…)

Book review: The Killers: Destiny Is Calling Me, The Untold Story of America’s Hottest Band, author Jarrett Keene (Manic D Press, 2006)

By Rachel Heisler

With songs like “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me” and “All The Things That I’ve Done,” the Killers became one of the hottest bands in the 2000s. Las Vegas-based journalist, musician, poet and author, Jarrett Keene, followed the band’s career not just because he had to (he writes for Las Vegas’ alt.weekly CityLife), but because he’s been a part of the local music scene for years, and for a short time played in a band with some of the members of what would eventually become the Killers. (more…)

Product: Centerfold guitar by DeVillian

By Rachel Heisler

Swedish company, DeVillain, has created the first-ever folding electric guitar. That’s right, a folding guitar. The Centerfold guitar isn’t cheap, the price tag is a cool $3,370, but what you get in return is a guitar that can go wherever you go. (more…)

Concert preview: Scorpions, The Joint, Las Vegas, September 21, 2007

By Rachel Heisler

The Scorpions have been huge since their debut album, Lonesome Crow, released in 1972, and have gone on to rock the world with mega-hits like “Wind Of Change,” “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and “Send Me An Angel.” The Scorps are still going strong with the release of their new CD, “Humanity -Hour 1″ and a world-wide tour. Don’t miss Germany’s best super group if they come to your town.

Location: The Joint, Hard Rock Casino
4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169

Date: Friday, September 21, 2007

Time: 7 pm

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com

Cost: $66.50-$122.00

For more information, visit www.the-scorpions.com.

Upcoming show dates:
09/22/07-Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Reno, NV
09/26/07-Beacon Theater, New York, NY
09/28/07-Chevrolet Theater, Wallingford, CT
09/29/07-Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA

Concert preview: Monster In The Machine, Riders On The Storm, House Of Blues, Las Vegas, Wednesday, September 26, 2007

By Rachel Heisler

Monster In The Machine released Butterfly Pinned, their debut CD, in August, and now Shannon Crawford, Lats, Jay Curry and John Chase (only Crawford appears on the CD) are on tour! They will start their tour at House Of Blues, Las Vegas, Wednesday, September 26 and will open three shows for Riders On The Storm (featuring Ray Manzerek and Robbie Krieger of The Doors) before heading out with the band Rock Four on a three-week tour, on October 6. For more tour dates, visit www.myspace.com/monsterinthemachine.

Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Location: House Of Blues, Las Vegas
3950 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Time: 7:30 pm

Tickets: 702-632-7600

Cost: $30-$50