Summer Music

Howdy,

Tomorrow: Heavy MTL!

The Megadeth/Slayer/Testament concert that was supposed to take place last November and got postponed twice is now happening! And we were given a day-pass for the Heavy MTL fest in exchange. Now also on the bill, Alice Cooper, and fuckin' Rob Halford - oh yeah!

And haven't missed Megadeth in a while, still haven't had a chance to see Slayer, and Testament should be cool. These bands, I know what is going to happen. But Rob Halford - that I can't wait. I just recently catched up with his solo records, and damn, the tone and production just crushes. Can't wait to hear and feel the crushing guitars of his band play some of his solo songs and some classic Judas Priest hits. Oh Yeah!

As for Plum Shark, we are planning on a weekend of recording, end of Summer, to get some new songs on an EP. Should be a lot of fun, and should sound pretty amazing granted the new recording gear I've gathered in the past year. The API 3124 should just rule on Chris' drums...

I am also putting the finishing touches on a demo/EP for my little brother's band, that should be quite nice.

Finally, while being back in Quebec City last week, I could not miss the Rush concert for the 'Festival d'Été'. They sure can put on a concert - music is good, musicianship is right there with the best, and the vibe of a perfect Summer night was really really good. Long live to Rush and the Quebec City crowd.

I also couldn't resist wandering in the streets on Saturday night, and witnessed a really good concert at 'Place d'Youville' : the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. These guys from Benin sure did know how to rock and get the vibe going. This 40-years old rock/R&B/funk band had a classic 70's sound, with a lot of percussions, keys, horns, guitars, etc... (had an argument there about the age of the band, but to me, they were so good that I automatically thought they had played in the 70's! -- looks like I was right... :) ). They got people dancing, while I could'nt stop raving about the amazing keyboard player that filled their sound. A really surprising, worthwhile fun time... And the Guinness afterwards at the Pub St-Alexandre was the perfect ending! :)

Otherwise, there is not much else going on musically wise (it's already quite a lot, mind you), but apart from that, life is good and rich (working hard, having fun, ...).

Rock on!
Charlie

Alice in Fuc?!ng Chains !!!

As you can guess by the title, the Alice in Chains concert at the Metropolis last week was amazing!

For me, it all started a few hours before AiC hit the stage, as I had the chance to meet with the band before the concert. I was quite excited at the idea of chatting with Cantrell - even though AiC might be 'heavier' than what is coming out of me creatively, I always found that he was the best guitar players of the past 20 years. His play is, in my opinion, extremely tasteful - never too much, great riffs, and solos in which each note means something special, which is why he is definite influence for me...

Most of all, I definitely wanted to speak with their new singer, William Duvall. This guy clearly fills the void left by the death of Layne Staley. He also knows how lucky he is to have had the chance to front a legendary band - his other band, Comes With The Fall, is really good, but no thanks to the current state of the music industry, never had the chance to make a definite impression. However, Cantrell noticed, and these guys became part of his backing band for a solo tour. Afterwards, Duvall was offered the chance to play with AiC, and from then, the music took over. Thus, knowing this, I just took a chance, and offered William a copy of Plum Shark's last record! I just told him that it would be appreciated if he would just give it a listen, and give me a few comments...

To top it all, Sean Kinney, the drummer, couldn't stop joking (as usual) while Mike Inez, the bassist, was the most friendly and definitely interested in meeting people. Of course, I also had the chance to sign a few items...

As you can see, when it came time for pictures, I definitely wanted to play along and be the rock star! :P

After that, I just waited for the guys to hit the stage. After a quite forgettable opening band (mmm... can you call a drummer and a guitar player a band ?!?), it was clear that the crowd was pumped for AiC. Actually, this was the first time I witnessed such an ambiance at the Metropolis - it was packed (had been sold out for months), and people were definitely there as fans. The extremely friendly weather of the day (sunny and 15 degrees) might have also helped mind you!

Even though you could think of Cantrell making a rock star entrance, the guys just arrived on stage with the lights on, and the PA music still playing - quite casual, which was surprising. Then, they just launched into 'All Secrets Known', the first song from their new album. From then on, you knew that the evening would be great.

Technically, the sound was really good, as you could hear every nuance of the vocal harmonies, even though Cantrell's crushing tone was in your face all along. The lights were kind of surprising - the stage was always bright and clear, as you can see in this picture.

They played hits, classics, rarities. I particularly liked 'We Die Young', 'Nutshell' and 'Again'. The new songs were also really good, and I've rarely seen a crowd that much into a band's new material. Clearly, this was one to remember, and for me ranks with last years NiN and Neil Young's concerts as some of the great rock and roll moments I've had a chance to live.


Let's go with a few videos, to illustrate my point. Even for a cell/camera, the quality of the sound is impressive. By the way, these were taken by a guy I chatted with before the show - he headed for the first row of the balcony while I went on the floor... Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Catching up...

So much happened since my last post that I don't know what to begin with! :P

Let's start with Plum Shark! We are currently putting the finishing touches on the artwork, and are aiming at a release for the end of January. In the meantime, the first single, Mr. Morganfield's Dream, has been put online at www.myspace.com/plumshark. We have not confirmed this yet, but plans are to put this one up as a free download, so that it ends up on most people's iPod!

We have also been rehearsing for concerts and even we keep demoing stuff for a 3rd album, so there will probably be a lot of things going on for Plum Shark in 2010!

Of course, I have toyed with some new gear this Fall! I put my hands on a Line 6 Delay Pedal, and I predict that this will play a major role in Plum Shark's 3rd album - this pedal offers so many different delay sounds that it sure will be useful in the studio. It is a charm to play with, yet the only downside is that it is a large piece of equipment! I'll probably have to get myself a second pedal board... :P

More recently, I just changed by converting gear and got a Lynx Aurora 8 AD/DA. I already recorded some acoustic guitars with the thing, and it makes a huge difference in my current rig! The sound is rich and detailed, and I now find new frequencies in the acoustic guitars that were not rendered at all with the Firepod I was using previously (... I know, it is a whole different ballgame).

I also had a chance to go to a few concerts this fall (Liam Finn, Mars Volta, Jean Leloup). At a chance to chat with Liam Finn before the concert - he is such a calm, low-profile guy when talking, but he just explodes and radiates on stage! And 16$ for such a great concert... what can I say.

As for the Mars Volta, they put on a great show. However, they are playing way to loud! I talked after the concert with their sound engineer, and he told me that the band was blasting over 105 dB without the PA! Holy shit! However, the quality of the sounds suffers... I also noticed that they were recording the show - their engineer told me that he doesn't know what Omar does with the tapes, but that they probably end up in a vault in his recording studio somewhere in Mexico...

Finally, I was lucky to witness my first Jean Leloup concert in a small venue in Quebec City, and let me tell you that this was a crazy concert, with people body surfing and the floor literally vibrating from people jumping all over. The guy is an amazing musician, and clearly does not give a damn about the business aspects - god bless him! You never know if he is going to be in a good mood and/or too fucked up to play but this time, he sure was happy and in a great shape.

Ok... so that is pretty much what happened recently. Again, a couple of interesting concerts coming up here in Montreal in the next three months: Guns n'Roses, Megadeth and Slayer, Wilco and Alice in Chains... That is going to be a hell of a winter! :P

Megadeth - Endgame

Yes, the album I was waiting for all Summer is finally here! This one was having me excited more than the new releases from Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains that both are coming up in the next two weeks...

After having listened to it for 4-5 times, I can definitely say that it delivers. More than that though - it just destroys. It ranks up there with Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction, as it has the sound of a classic album already - superb songwriting, killer guitar riffs (the like we had not heard from Mustaine since the early 90's), crazy guitar solos, incisive lyrics, this album has it all. Could this be the best metal album of the past 15 years? If not, it definitely ranks in the top 3. I ended up many times, throughout the album with a crazy grin on my face, just enjoying the power of the guitars, and actually wondering when was the last time I've heard such a good metal album and I've enjoyed a new record so much.

It starts with a fast an furious instrumental song, and doesn't let go for the next 45 minutes. Not that there is only fast thrash songs - the album is half mid-tempo melodic songs reminiscent of CTE, but the rest is classic Megadeth speed metal. There is no filler on that album also - all songs are excellent. However, I can already say that the title song, Endgame, stands out and will rank up there with 'In My Darkest Hour', 'Holy Wars' and 'Hangar 18' as a heavy metal classic.

Production-wise, the whole album is just crushing - we are facing a wall of sound that is clear but full. And the guitar tone is piercing, is fat and as so much balls, it might just be the best metal tone I've heard. And drums are also present and well defined. Definitely, having producer Andy Sneap around at Mustaine's home studio was the best thing that could possibly have happened for this record. Let's not forget the new guitarist, Chris Broderick, for the crazy guitar solos tha fill this album, and for the fact that he fits extremely well with Mustaine.

Granted, I am already sold, having followed Megadeth for the past 15 years, so I might not be neutral enough. Let's say that the 2 previous albums were a step in the good direction, as Megadeth was slowly getting back to what they do best. But with Endgame, Mustaine has surpassed himself, giving us a gem. And reviews all abound in the same direction:

Blabbermouth: 8.5/10.
Metal Hammer.
BW&BK: 10/10.

Definitely, with that record, Mustaine and his brain-child just re-established themselves as a relevant force in the metal realm - let's just hope that he keeps Megadeth alive, as he recently hinted at the fact that it might soon be the 'end of the road' to quote the title song...

Get the album in streaming here: http://www.myspace.com/megadeth !!!

And yes, as I thought, they will be in Canada this Fall. November 11th at the Bell Centre, with Slayer (which I've never seen live yet) ! This promises to be a great night, almost 10 years after seeing Megadeth for the first time (my first concert ever...).

Pearl Jam in Toronto and More...

Last few weeks were amazing music wise - here are a few highlights:

New AIC Song - A Looking View
Not that impressive - a bit too long. I think I was waiting for something better, even if it is still ok. Sounds like Cantrell solo. However, the other song that can be heard on youtube, Check My Brain, sounds amazing.


New Megadeth Song Excerpt - 1320
Crazy, crazy song. The more we hear new excerpts and songs for this upcoming release and the more this album will be great - full of insane technical guitar reminiscent of RIP, guitar solos, and great vocals melodies. Can't wait for this album to come out, as it might clearly be their best in 15 years.

And I keep hearing about a Canadian tour sometime this fall...


Plum Shark News
The 2nd album is now mixed and mastered. We just need to finalize the artwork-thing, and we will be done.

Also had the chance to play a few times with the band. It had been a long time. We are now going into full 'rehearsal mode' for the release of the album - expect some shows this fall.


Pearl Jam Concert in Toronto, Friday August 21st
The high point of the last week for me.

Highlights:

• Going to the pre-party at the Brazen Head Pub close to the venue: Packed with Pearl Jam fans from all over the world. Great time, from 3 to 6 PM, before the concert.
• Flirting at the Pub with an Eddie Vedder thirty-something model friend from Toronto. Now I digress, but, what the heck! In retrospect, that encouter made my day... (which was already amazing to begin with, so I guess you can understand how fun and gorgeous that girl was... She was just 'shining' personality-wise and physically).
• Pearl Jam opening for Pearl Jam: The singer for the opening band was missing, and we got a real treat, with Pearl Jam helping out. Missed Vedder playing Needle and the Damage Done just as we were coming in... however, they played with the openers for a while, including the final song, the classic Stooges song, Search and Destroy.
• Seats were amazing: 15th row, which means my fan club number keeps getting me better seats, as members were flying from all over the world for this concert.
• The crowd was crazy, and the band was on fire.
• Ending the night at the Horseshoe Tavern, famous for playing all the Canadian bands before they are huge...
  
  Here are a few pictures I took from my seat:

PS: Oh... I forgot. The next morning, I went to see the new Tarantino movie, which ended up being just a really fun time. The best Tarantino movie since Pulp Fiction.

PPS: Tomorrow, thanks to my little brother, I got tickets for the media party for the release of the new Vincent Vallières record at the Astral. Should be fun.

PPPS: Also got some tickets for the Mars Volta in Montreal, and Liam Finn is coming our way end of October. Should be a lot of fun!

Pearl Jam - The Fixer

Yes, the new single for Pearl Jam's forthcoming album is here!

Sounds fresh for Pearl Jam.

Enjoy!

Head Crusher

New Megadeth coming soon! Yeah!

While I write some other posts regarding Plum Shark and gear, I was floored this week by the new Megadeth song that was given for free on their website, for the oncoming 'Endgame' record.

And this is song the real Megadeth! Just looking at the cover explains it all:

From the intro on, it is a real assault on the senses! A mix of their last record and 'Rust in Peace'. Heavy, extremely tight, along with nice transitions. If this is a glimpse of what the record is gonna be like, this one is a statement. This song is just sick.

It has this pure 'Mustaine snarl' all over, and the guitar tone is as aggressive as it ever was for Megadeth.

And the new guitarist, Chris Broderick, certainly won't deceive anyone.

For now, if this song is a good example of what is to come, this album might be, by far, album of the year.

Never been that excited for a new Megadeth record. Can't wait to hear more!!!

Get the new song, in streaming, at www.megadeth.com.