Op Ed

Audioeclectica Returns!!!!

It’s been said that if you find yourself losing the passion for something you should go back to your roots and rediscover what made you fall for that in the first place. Over the last few months or so, I felt like I had lost a lot of the passion I have for music along with writing and running Audioeclectica. I started this as a labor of love and continued to do it as so. After 2100 articles I felt like I had exhausted myself as well as those of you that read what I write about. There are a few reasons for my taking a break and below will be the answer as to why (not that I need one).

I do want to thank you all for all the years of support. Thank you to all that have shared and reposted articles, wrote me notes and have joined in the fun of following along. I really do appreciate all of you out there that have been along for the ride and it will continue.

For those of you that don’t know, since 2021 I have been part of bringing back The Cobalt Cafe (the legendary So Cal all ages rock club) as The Cobalt Presents, doing shows at different venues across Los Angeles. Part of my exhaustion has been due to that as well. Booking shows and bands and then running the show and listening to band after band can definitely lead you to needing a break. After all this I needed a break from music it seemed. Even just going to a concert for fun was a bit of a challenge as I tried to just enjoy it without thinking of it in terms of reviewing a show. Though there was one show recently that I did go to and enjoyed quite a lot and I’ll get to that in a moment.

Then there is the other factor that caused me taking a break. For a while too, I was working with a partner to get an artist development company off the ground. There are many different caveats to this one. First there are the bands that really work their ass off cause they really want it. Then there are others that you can tell they only want to be in a band for the sake of being in a band and telling people they are in a band but, they won’t do what is necessary to get to the next level of things. That alone is annoying enough because, myself and my partner in this would be working to get things going and such only for nothing to happen on their end. It’s interesting too to watch the bands that really want it. They come in and kill it every time. The ones that don’t come in like that and or question every aspect usually are the ones that fall short. If you question everything to the most minute detail, you’re going to get so far in your head that reality is far off. There also seems to be a sort of empty void between communicating with people these days. One other thing that really bugged me about all that came with that was there was never any sort or gratitude for the work put in. The entitled sensibility of today’s youth has really left a bad impression on me. You know who you are if you are reading this!

Another reason for my taking a break was seeing a total lack of professionalism out there with a lot of the bands. There seems to be this thought (especially with the younger bands) that you don’t have to pay attention to things and read the details that are sent your way. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have to deal with either kids that don’t pay attention or their parents that “manage” the band and them not reading a very detailed checklist of sorts or just not putting in any work to being in a band. Then there is the reviewing the show factor. Putting on the shows made me have to really question what I was doing. Do I review these shows and bands and then absolutely destroy a kid’s dream because their band is that bad? That’s not the type of energy I want to be putting out in the universe.


It has taken me a while to come around to the idea of continuing, then an album came out and it was sort of the start to me finding my love of all this again. I remember being a very young kid, probably about 2 or 3 years old and hearing a band that ultimately led me down the path of becoming the music nerd/encyclopedia that I am, that band was Bon Jovi, and they just released their 16th, yes SIXTEENTH studio album, entitled Forever. Upon listening to this album, a smile came back to my face. It’s kind of funny that it took a Bon Jovi album to bring me back. And I’m sure a lot of you are scratching your head wondering “really?! Bon Jovi? Yep! sometimes you have to go back to the start to find out what it was that got you into it in the first place. After that my passion started to come back little by little. Then something else happened that really seemed to have brought it back. My daughter started to get really into the album and the next thing I knew she was asking me for more Bon Jovi. How could I say no?! I mean this is one of those proud dad moments and it really made me think, wow this is the power of music and how it can really make things all come together. Plus now I get to share that with her so I can’t be happier. Thanks Bon Jovi for making me come back to music.

As for the shows, I went to see Queens Of The Stone Age at the Santa Barbara Bowl. They played a set that night that was chock full of deep cuts and Josh even told the crowd a couple songs into the show that “if you want hits tonight, too bad, you should have been at the Forum show. Tonight we are going to play some deep cuts.” As a big proponent for bands changing it up night to night live, this was a very welcome surprise. Plus it had been quite a long time since I’ve seen them live and the definitely didn’t disappoint. Also, it being at the Santa Barbara Bowl was great as that venue is quite great for seeing concerts! Then there more recently I attended a couple of shows that really made me want to get this up and going again. Seeing Mastodon and Lamb Of God celebrate the 20 year anniversaries of their albums Leviathan and Ashes Of The Wake was one hell of a show. Both those albums are exceptional and to hear all those songs live was absolutely awesome. The other show is one that many of you wouldn’t expect but, let me tell you it was one of those shows that felt just right and that show was the return of Linkin Park at the Forum. That show was one of those that from moment one grabbed you and everyone in the audience and for the next 2 hours you were locked in. Plus they have returned with quite the invigorating fire and that felt quite contagious and that was the moment I knew I had to continue Audioeclectica.

In closing, I’ve decided to continue Audioeclectica and I’m going to finally be doing a few things that I’ve put off doing because I was busy with other things that took my passion away. There is still a lot of great music out there to share be it older and new. Cobalt shows are still happening and I urge you to come check out a show! It’s quite fun. There is a lot of new things that you’ll see in the coming months on Audioeclectica, please stay tuned for all that fun! And again, thank you all for your support! It means a lot!

See and Talk To You All Soon,

Brian







Op Ed: Stop Begging For Money
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I have a huge bone to pick with bands these days. There’s a plethora of things I could discuss here but I really want to focus on one in particular. And that one aspect is bands begging for money these days. Whether it’s crowd funding or straight up using go fund me’s to get money. It’s absolutely disgusting.

Crowd Funding your album is a tricky one. On one hand you labels that aren’t giving money to record or the amounts are limited. So now you have bands resorting to crowd funding. The ones that really put thought into this process are the ones that put together the packages that make it a pre-sale purchase and that does make sense and hold merit. At least you are getting something out of it in the end. Provided it gets completed and released accordingly. There was that whole debacle about Pledge Music and the CEO taking the money. I’ve contributed to a couple crowd funded albums but, the ones I did contribute to were straight up pre-sales. If you are a band and need to raise lets say $50,000 towards the whole cost of your album, perhaps you might want to think about getting a job. Relying on other people who already spend their hard earned money on your band be it concert tickets, records, merch, etc is downright wrong. It’s taking advantage plain and simple. I think back a few months ago to when Dino from Fear Factory set up a gofundme to help “finish” the new Fear Factory album. He needed $25,000 to get studio time to record drums, finish the mix & mastering, and some other things. The money was funded and the album was finished but, it’s so lackluster that it makes it seem like a waste of money. And were there any perks for donating? Nope, not a single thing. Not even a downloadable version of the album. Again another example of begging.

My other issue are bands that use go fund me and are straight up begging for money. If you can’t afford to go on tour, GET A JOB AND SAVE MONEY TO AFFORD TO GO. Don’t be asking people to give you money. That’s the upmost of lazy and pathetic. Offering lame incentives isn’t worth it either. Asking people to support you is one thing, begging for money is not ok. If you have to resort to this practice and you are in a band, you should really take a look in the mirror and have a talk with yourselves. If you can’t afford it, than this isn’t the place for you. I know labels don’t have tour support these days, especially for small bands but, don’t be taking advantage of your fans or family. It’s not a good look and it carries over to the rest of the bands that really need help. There are plenty of places people can go to earn money but, it seems like people just want the easy way out. Seriously, if you can’t afford to do something wait till you can. Begging is sad and pathetic and like I mentioned, it makes those of us in this look bad. It’s taking advantage plain and simple!

It’s come to a point with all these “crowd funding” tools that it’s out of hand. I understand in certain cases where it’s necessary. For example, the band Russian Circles recently had their gear stolen and a go fund me page was set up after it was discovered that the insurance had lapsed so this was a last resort option. Not only did they pass their goal, they did it in a day. The cause was a good one as they had no choice but to do this. If it’s a good cause like helping cover their bills after a medial procedure, funeral costs, or things like that, I can understand. But to be straight up begging cause you are too lazy or stupid to save money or get a job that pays well, that’s on you. I will not stand by watching people feel like they are entitled to something they aren’t. Get off your asses and work! Get a job and save the money you will need. Be smart about it. Don’t be lazy and pathetic. Do the right thing!

Op Ed: Change The Set List

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This op-ed is a long time coming. This is one topic I’m sure most, if not all, of you will agree with. This is something that has been happening for quite a while, and over the last few years has really become an epidemic. Bands sticking to the same set list night after night, thus creating a massively boring and predictable show. I’ve been seeing it happen with a lot of bands and it’s really getting to me. It’s one thing if you only have one album but, when you are on your third album or more, it’s time to change it up. You wrote those songs for a reason, so play them. I’m not going to by a ticket to the show just to hear the “hits” or singles. When a band has a catalog, I would expect them to really dig in and create a set-list that is full of gusto and history.

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Op Ed: Why Slayer Calling It Quits Is A Good Thing

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I was recently making a list for a new topic about bands that should call it quits. There has to come a time when a band says enough is enough. This just isn’t worth it anymore. A lot of bands stick around and become full on nostalgia acts and in some instances that’s ok. And then there are those bands that have just overstayed their welcome. With the news of Slayer saying that this upcoming world tour would be their last, I actually thought to myself, that’s probably a good thing. It’s better to leave with your dignity intact and feel like you’ve done all you can do rather than stick it out just for the sake of making money.

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Op Ed: Rock Schools

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Remember seeing School of Rock with Jack Black and then not long after all these “Rock Schools” started opening? I bet most of you, like me, thought what a great idea. Which isn’t very surprising. As of late though, there is a certain aspect of these schools that I’ve been giving a lot of thought to. There are a lot of great reasons why these schools are great; I’ll get to that as well but, there is one aspect of the whole thing that really cheapens it. Why aren’t these schools and teachers helping the kids to write their own songs? The teaching element of playing and learning other bands songs is great but when you are ONLY teaching these kids to play other peoples songs, then, I must take umbrage with these schools.

Where’s the originality? Why be complacent and teach these kids to do that? There is no reason why these kids should be relegated to play covers at these places. Obviously, they have the want and desire to play and perform, so why not take that and spark their creativity?! These kids, a lot of them are massively talented and it’s going to waste playing covers. I’d love for these kids to really start their own band and write their own songs. Look at all the singing competitions on TV. These people are being judged on singing and playing covers. There really is no sense of originality anymore. All these people are strictly “performers” at this point. The artistry is gone and American Idol, The Voice and now these “Rock Schools” have killed it for the next generation.

When the schools do showcase events, the kids are always just playing covers. It’s great that they can play the songs but, there isn’t a need for any more cover bands in the world. I can understand young kids, say less than 12 years old, jamming on covers but when you reach a certain age, there should be a switch to creating your own music. I remember the moment I wrote my first real song. I was at my house with my friend Karl, we must have been in 5th grade. I was already consumed and obsessed with music and was getting my friend really into it as well. At some point while hanging out, I picked up my guitar and started messing around with a riff, my friend Karl then joined me in humming a melody, within seconds we were writing our first song. It was a total simple punk rock song but, we really put our all into it. The song was called “Life and Death,” and we would go on to perform it a couple months later for our parents at a get together. The spark was there then, and it has remained. We were having fun and really digging on being able to write songs. I think we wrote 5 or 6 songs. To us, we weren’t happy playing covers, we wanted to do “our” thing. The name of the band was originally The Warheads and then we switched it to The Eternal Virus. To us it was real, to some people thought it was a joke but, no matter what they all thought, we did it because we loved it.

Please rock schools, embrace the creativity and desire of these kids. They are the next generation of musicians and deserve to be heard. Don’t turn them into a gimmick. Make sure they are getting the right musical education. Teach them about the influences of their favorite bands. Get them INTO music, have them study the greats of yesterday. Help them to understand the difference between being influenced and inspired.

Thank You

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Dear Readers and Bands,

I just wanted to thank you all for a great year. I truly enjoy doing this. It’s all out of a labor of love for music and spreading the word about good music. In the past three years since I started Audioeclectica, I’ve met some very talented people, heard some really great music, and seen some pretty amazing shows.

Thank you to the bands that take the moment to re-post articles, message me back, share new tunes with me, and just chat. It’s that extra effort that makes this whole thing work.

Thank you to the readers of the site. Thanks for reading, commenting, sharing, liking and giving me suggestions. Keep them coming!

2017 will bring a lot of new things to Audioeclectica. It’s going to be a very exciting time!

See you in 2017,

Brian

 

Check out this performance from Oathbreaker. It’s truly intense and amazing:

 

 

 

 

Stop Hating On Metallica!!!!

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Over the last few days I’ve read a slew of other people’s reviews about Metallica’s new album, Hardwired…To Self Destruct. A good majority of the complaints say there is too much on it, the songs are too long, it sounds too much like Load and The Black Album or there isn’t enough of their classic sound. Are you people ever satisfied? Metallica has written an “album” people!!! You know, one of those pieces of music that you listen to from start to finish. Each song takes you on an emotional ride of aggression, pain, anger, and other tumultuous feelings. Hell, they purposely made it a double album to show you that this is an album. Hardwired is an album that is a summation of everything Metallica has ever done. The songs have elements of their classic thrash style from the Kill Em All era all the way through And Justice For All, the more riff driven Black album style, and the solemn bluesy material a la Load. But that isn’t good enough for some of you elitists out there. This album is seriously one of their best. I for one am proud to say that. Not just as a fan but, as a musician, writer, and someone that understands sonics and dynamics in songwriting and recording. I’m curious to know how many of these so called “critics” have ever actually played an instrument or played in a band. I would bet that 9 out of 10 haven’t. It shows by how you judge an album. You’re opinion is your own, and I won’t begrudge you that, but most of you need to get your heads out of your ass and pay attention to what is happening here.  This album has the ability to help reinvigorate and inspire legions of people to grab instruments and start a band. All you elitist/posers out there remind me of those that are so critical of film, yet have never made one. Until you’ve tried it, and really given it a shot, you can’t say anything. To me you all just sound like trolls.

Let me further explain why you all should stop hating on Metallica. Rather than tarnish their legacy over the years and just throw out albums, like some of their peers (Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax), they have taken the time to work on making the absolute best album they can. And on this new one Metallica really succeeds. Hardwired is the album all you “critics” have been whining about wanting for years. How can you not see it? A good majority of Metallica’s early songs were all six or seven minutes long. It wasn’t until The Black Album, that they wrote shorter songs. You wanted thrashy classic songs? It’s thrashy throughout the entire thing!  You all complain about James’s voice? This is the best he has sounded on an album in years. Even Lars Ulrich’s playing on the new album is great. Yes Lars is playing his ass off on this album. He isn’t trying to be flashy and over do it. Instead he sticks to what he knows the songs needs and it comes across in a way that is pummeling, just like the riffs. Kirk Hammett’s solos on this new album are hypnotic at times and classic. Robert Trujillo’s playing is back to the Cliff days.

Metallica are the Kings of Metal and Hard Rock for a reason. They work hard and play harder than most. They don’t need to have 25 albums in their catalog to show that. How many bands can you name that have a catalog like Metallica’s, where pretty much every album is undeniably great? Their first five albums are classics and game changers. Load is a tremendous and mature album. Give it another listen and you’ll see what I mean.  Reload and St. Anger have some really good songs, and if they were produced and recorded properly, could probably be right up there in terms of great songs Metallica has ever put out. Death Magnetic was a record that got them back to their roots and allowed Hardwired To Self Destruct to be created. Yes the compression levels on it were too much, but you can’t doubt the songs. Especially  “The Day That Never Comes,” ” All Nightmare Long,” “Cyanide,” “Suicide & Redemption,” and ” The Judas Kiss.”

They’ve always done what they wanted, and have grown more as a band than most. Their songwriting ability alone is unrivaled. I would dare most bands to try and write a better song than James Hetfield can. He is probably one of the most underrated songwriters, guitarists, lyricists and singers of all time. This new album is a great example of that. Hardwired To Self Destruct is the Metallica album for the 21st century. These songs like like “Hardwired,” Atlas, Rise,” “Moth Into Flame,” “Halo on Fire,” “Spit Out The Bone,” hell all of them, are going to blow you away live.

Embrace your love for the band, and know that they gave you all what you want and then some!… STOP HATING ON METALLICA.

Thank You

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I want to take a moment and thank all of you who take the time to read, comment and share all the articles and podcasts that appear on Audioeclectica. This has been beyond fun for me to do. Being able to share the gift of music and spread the word about bands and albums that are truly fantastic is greatly rewarding. I hope you all have enjoyed what’s come so far. The podcast is just getting started, and there are some other things in the works as well. A sincere thank you to you all.

Cheers,

Brian

I will leave you with 2 of my favorite albums to enjoy!

 

Failure- Fantastic Planet:

 

Nine Inch Nails- The Fragile:

Op Ed: Stone Temple Pilots Take A Break

The wounds are still fresh and the scabs haven’t even begun to form. Now is not the time. Since Scott Weiland’s passing late last year, the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots have taken it upon themselves to continue on. On one hand I totally understand their need and want to get back out there, but it’s just too soon. Their failed attempt to move on while Scott was still alive was atrocious. Their picking of Chester Bennington was awful. Have you seen the footage of it? I mean seriously, what are you guys thinking? The clips that I saw just showed Chester trying to emulate Scott all the way down to dying his hair pink, and swaying and moving on stage just like Scott would. Not too mention that Chester’s voice is too high and sounds nasally. It’s as though they created a tribute band already with the addition of Chester. At least when the band took a hiatus in the 90’s, the guys had the decency to start a new group under a different name. Remember Talk Show?

With enough time, I think that people would welcome an STP return. Look at Alice In Chains. When Layne passed away, they all did their own things and came back when enough time had passed. Granted there were quite a few doubters, but those that took the time to see the new Alice, saw that it’s a breath of fresh air that does the band justice. Jerry, Sean and Mike found the right guy in William DuVall. And now people are loving what William has done for the band.

What I’m saying is that now isn’t the time to get back out there. Let the people have the chance to get over Scott’s passing. Dean, Robert and Eric take some time and do something else. By getting STP going again, you are tarnishing the memory of what a great band you were. All people will think is that who ever you pick to sing for the band, it isn’t Scott and won’t come close. Start up Army Of Anyone again. I’m sure Richard Patrick from Filter would be down to get that rolling again. Or just start a new band and call it something else. You can play a few songs from your STP catalog, but don’t make an entire set from it. With enough time the wounds will heal enough for you guys to get the band back together with the right person.

As it says in the song “Creep”… “Take time with a wounded hand, cause it likes to heal.”

Thank You

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I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you out there that have taken the time to read Audioeclectica.

Thank you to all the bands out there that have taken the time to repost articles, reach out to me about their band, share new tunes before they are released, and just chat. It’s bands like you that make doing this site worth it. I wish all the bands that have been part of the Band Of The Week segment nothing but the best in 2016.

To the everyday or casual reader, it really means a lot to all of you out there that take the time to read and comment on the posts. I hope that through this site you’ve been able to discover a plethora of new music to delve into.

2016 will be a great year for music and for Audioeclectica. There are some new things on the horizon like a podcast and a new site for you all to enjoy.

Thank you all for making 2015 a great year for Audioeclectica!

See you in 2016,

Brian

I’ll leave you with my favorite Neurosis song of all time. This is “Stones From The Sky,” from their Unsung Masterpiece A Sun That Never Sets.