YouTube is full of a lot of junk, but amongst the junk there are some great gems. While on a recent Deftones kick, I stumbled upon this performance from 2001. Deftones covering “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer. At first I was skeptical but after pressing play, I was taken aback by how cool their version is. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Deftones (Weezer)- Say It Ain’t So:
By: Brian Lacy
Let’s travel back to April 1995 and taking what we all know now, we get to experience Hum’s You’d Prefer An Astronaut for all it’s glory when it came out. Hum was formed in 1989 and released two albums before reaching mainstream exposure with You’d Prefer An Astronaut. The bands 1993 album Electra 2000, was produced by Brad Wood who would soon go on to produce Sunny Day Real Estate’s album Diary. You’d Prefer An Astronaut is Hum’s major label debut album and has gone on to sell over 250,000 copies. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but just as I have said about Failure’s Fantastic Planet, pretty much anyone that picked up this album went on to start a band and become strongly influenced by Hum. Chino Moreno of Deftones has even gone on to say that this album is a big influence in terms of the tones they used. The album is full of atmosphere, depth, and great riffs. There are moments in the song “Why I Like The Robins,” that if you listen to some At the Drive In songs you can really hear Hum’s influence in them. Matt Talbott as a vocalist really knows how to project to get his lyrics across in the right way. Bryan St. Pere is one of hell of an underrated drummer. His knack for the right cymbal accents is quite astonishing. Guitarist Tim Lash blend his playing perfectly well with Talbott’s. And the bass of Jeff Dimpsey is crunchy and full of grit bit also played with the right amount of precision.
Hum have reunited a few times over the years, leaving many fans to wonder if they will come out with a new album. In June 2015, it was announced that Hum would partake in two brief tours. In August 2015, Hum will open for Failure on the east coast of the United States. After that, Hum will embark on a co-headlining tour with the band Mineral on the west coast. Sadly, after the tour was announced, drummer Bryan St. Pere parted ways with the band, but Jason Gerken of Shiner will fill in for him.
Thankfully Hum are back, and along with Failure, will continue to be a huge influence on musicians for years to come. Here’s to hoping that Hum get back in the studio and make a great new album.
Hum- You’d Prefer An Astronaut:
By: Brian Lacy
In 1998 Far released what is considered by many to be one of the top 10 influential albums of the “emo” movement in music, Water and Solutions. This record and band attracted a strong cult following in the late 1990s, due to the single “Mother Mary” and the band touring with long time friends in Deftones and Incubus. The album itself had a more melodic sound and richer fuller production by macshop” href=”#”> thanks
to Dave Sardy, who was the producer on this album. The lyrical subject matter of Jonah Matranga and his vocals stretched from the raw screams to a more soulful singing voice, thus providing a real sense of intimacy for the listener to relate the words to. Musically the band has always been on point. Shaun Lopez distorted guitar and his remarkable tone is highly influential. His knack for creating a driving riff with the right amount of melody is often replicated but never quite the same as he does it. The rhythm section of John Gutenberger and the hard hitting drums of Chris Robyn were as tight as tight can be. John’s bass bellowed with the right amount of thump to push Chris’s heavy playing into the heights of the right amount of heaviness needed to fit with Shaun’s playing and Jonah’s vocals.
Sadly, not long after they released Water and Solutions, the band broke up. Though in 2008, the band reformed for a handful of US dates, and also a small UK tour. And in 2010, released a new album At Night We Live via Vagrant Records. At Night We Live is a solid album, and not just a throwback. Again though in 2011 it was announced that Far would not be be getting back together as there was just “too much drama.”
Far is one of those bands who will always be recognized for the great work they did, the material they put out, and the bands they influenced. And those of us who were fortunate to see them will always know that for sure.
Far- Water and Solutions:
By: Brian Lacy
Serj has one of the more distinctive voices in heavy music. He also has a knack for creative melodies that resonate really well with different songs and types of music. Here are a select few songs that Serj has guested on over the years. Some you may have heard and others not so much.
Strait Up- Starlit Eyes (Snot Tribute)
Tony Iommi- Patterns (Iommi)
Deftones- Mein (Saturday Night Wrist)
Dog Fashion Disco- Mushroom Cult (Anarchists Of Good Taste)
Hed P.E.- Feel Good (Broke)
Limp Bizkit- Don’t Go Off Wandering (Demo- Unreleased)
By: Brian Lacy
The 1990’s were truly a great time for music. One of the best things about that time were the soundtracks that came out. Even if the movie wasn’t that good, most of the time the soundtrack was great. As is the case with the terrible sequel to the masterpiece that is The Crow. The soundtrack far surpassed the film. The inclusion of songs from Hole, White Zombie, Bush, Deftones and Filter all made this worth while. The Hole song was a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman.” This could actually be the best song that Hole ever put out. White Zombie’s version of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “I’m Your Boogie Man,” was a fun song that had a great video to accompany it. Bush’s contribution was a really solemn cover of Joy Division’s “In A Lonely Place.” They really did a great arrangement with that song. Deftones song “Teething” is classic Deftones. They also appear in the film. Filter’s song “Jurrasitol” is another classic Filter song, that has become a fan favorite and a must play at live shows. Other bands and artists that appear on the soundtrack are Korn, PJ Harvey, Iggy Pop, Toadies and a few others. Sadly the movie doesn’t hold a candle to what the first movie was, but the soundtrack makes up for that. Even though the soundtrack to the first film is way better than this one!
The Crow- City Of Angels:
By: Brian Lacy
Last week I did a top 10 ranking of Nine Inch Nails. It was quite fun to read what you all thought. Today I thought why not rank another of my favorite bands videos. Here are the top 10 Deftones videos!
10. 7 Words- Adrenaline
9. Bored- Adrenaline
8. My Own Summer (Shove It)- Around The Fur
7. Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)- Around The Fur
6. Minerva- Deftones
5. Diamond Eyes- Diamond Eyes
4. Beauty School- Diamond Eyes
3. Digital Bath- White Pony
2. Change (In The House Of Flies)- White Pony
1. You’ve Seen The Butcher- Diamond Eyes
I’ve been a huge Deftones fan since I first remember seeing the video for “Bored.” I thought Adrenaline was a cool album when it came out, then I heard Around The Fur and my excitement level went through the roof. Around The Fur was so powerful. There was a striking difference between this album and their debut. As The story goes, when Deftones went into the studio to make Around The Fur they really didn’t have a set idea of what they wanted to come out with. This time around the guys spent more time in the studio with producer Terry Date. If you listen closely to Abe Cunningham’s drums, you can tell there is a difference on the drum sounds especially the snare, as he began to experiment using different snares on each song. There is also something really intriguing about the quiet to loud dynamics on the album as well. When you have songs like “My Own Summer (Shove It),” “Lhabia,” Around The Fur,” “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” it really shows the bands growth and ability to write songs that can be heavy yet have a sense of melody without compromising their artistic integrity.
After a break from touring Around The Fur, the band spent a few months locked away in the studio writing and recording what would become White Pony. The majority of this time was spent trying to write songs, and that the writing of a particular song “Change (In The House Of Flies)” was the turning point for the group as they began working as a “band.” There was also pressure from their label to release the album sooner, but, the band decided to take their time making the album that they wanted to make. The band essentially picked up where they left off with Around The Fur by really delving more into melancholia and melody. The album is explosive and beautiful, thus making it one of the bands most mature releases. The inclusion of songs like “Digital Bath” “RX Queen,” (which features guest vocals by Scott Weiland), and “Knife Party,” join in with the vibe that “Change” had in its spaciousness and use of experimentation. The guesting of Maynard from Tool was a great use of a guest vocalist on “Passenger.” Even with all the experimentation and evolution, Deftones still had their heavy touch on a lot of the songs like “Elite,” “Feiticeira,” and “Street Carp.”
Granted these are two very different albums but they are similar in showing a bands evolution. Personally I’ve always been more partial to Around The Fur, for it’s raw prowess, and unforgiving nature. White Pony is a close second though. To me though Around The Fur just really gets me going in such a fashion that I can’t turn it off, or even turn the volume down. Where do you fall on this issue?
Around The Fur:
White Pony:
By: Brian Lacy
On paper supergroups sound like a good idea. Mix parts of one band with another. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Thankfully when Isis members Aaron Harris, Jeff Caxide, and Bryant Clifford Meyer joined up with Deftones singer Chino Moreno, musical bliss was created. Last night at the Troubadour was definitely something inspiring. The bands 75 minute set was full of intrigue. Their set started off with an untitled new song, then quickly jumped into “Tropics.” The main highlight of the night was when Adam Jones from Tool got on stage to join the band in playing “Shortwave Radio.” The crowd erupted when Adam appeared, almost to the same level as when Chino took the stage. You would think that with all the projects Chino is involved with he would run out of things to sing about. That is not the case. In Palms he gets to expand his thoughts into something more etherial that at the same time fits within the music and his voice is subtle as it caresses against the musical backdrop. Closing out the night was the fantastic song “Patagonia.” Palms is the type of band that can transcend heavy music and get those listening to just relax and settle into the music.
Opening band The Beta Machine, was nothing special. Actually to be perfectly honest they were rather drab and boring. I’d almost rather it have been an evening with Palms, than have to sit through their set. Though their drummer is quite fantastic.
What a great night for music. I love shows that leave me wanting more and that make me want to go home and write songs. In the past 4 days seeing Abloom and Palms really did that for me. And despite the venues sound guy not being on top of their game when it came to the live mix of Chino’s vocals, it was a great show.
Palms Setlist:
1. New Song
2. Tropics
3. Mission Sunset
4. Future Warrior
5. Shortwave Radio (with Adam Jones)
6. Antarctic Handshake
Encore:
7. Patagonia
Shortwave Radio w/Adam Jones
By: Brian Lacy
Photo by: Alisa Diaz
Thought I’d try something different. Since there are lots of the same covers out there I thought why not see what one you the reader/listener likes best. This week I put Shinedown and Deftones versions of Lynard Skynyrd’s classic “Simple Man” against each other.
Shinedown:
Deftones:
Lynyrd Skynyrd:
Deftones have long been a favorite of mine. Here is my ranking of all their albums from worst to best.
8. Gore
7. Deftones
6. Saturday Night Wrist:
5. Adrenaline:
4. Koi No Yokan:
3. White Pony:
2. Diamond Eyes:
1. Around The Fur:
