The Mars Volta's concert scheduled for Wednesday has been moved from the Agora to House of Blues. No big deal: There'll still be plenty of 20-minute epics about Cassandra Gemini and conjugal burns. --Michael Gallucci
This just in: Coldplay will be playing Quicken Loans Arena on July 6. And even though we're not too crazy about their new song, they're a pretty solid live band. Tickets go on sale May 17 through Ticketmaster. --Michael Gallucci
Signed to LA's Rotten Records -- home to underground sensations including Acid Bath, which featured Elphantboy & Deadman mainman Dax Riggs -- Salt the Wound is Cleveland's latest breakout metal talent. Read a review of their indie-label debut, Carnal Repercussions, in this week's Scene.
It's not just a noteworthy release because they're local boys. The death/grind metal crew also received a write-up in this month's issue of Decibel (June 2008, no. 44, p. 106), by far the most literate metal magazine. Decibel didn't think they're as novel as we did; the review is a long-form comparison to deadly Michigan metalers the Black Dahlia Murder, who play a similarly technical, grinding kind of music -- but better. In fact, what we liked most about the disc -- it's novelly un-misogynist lyrics -- Decible hated, noting, "Carnal Repercussions is perhaps most annoying in the discnonnect between the brootal artwork (yay, death metal!), the soul-searching lyrics (yay, emo!), and the snaky song titles ("Peas and Carrots"? WTF?!)." But, hey, to each his own. At least the guys got some ink that's not on their arms. -- D.X. Ferris
Like his dad Larry, singer-songwriter James McMurtry knows characters. But unlike his novelist father – who penned The Last Picture Show and Lonesome Dove, and wrote Brokeback Mountain’s screenplay – the guys and gals who populate James’ work don’t even bother looking for a way out. They’re already down for the count, thanks to an America that’s passed them by.
On McMurtry’s latest CD, Just Us Kids, he tells the tales of folks who’ve been hit hard by Bush’s non-recession. They smoke too much, they drink too much, and they pretty much just get on with their lives the best they know how. And often, there’s little hope outside the bars, trailers, and factories in which they spend the majority of their time ...
Glen and Merketa, as seen in the much-beloved movie Once, lead this weekend’s list of really big shows. Read on for a full rundown, with notes and – for a limited time only – scratch-and-sniff entries. Try it! – D.X. Ferris
Kid Rock tickets are now priced to move: Visit megaticket.com, where a four-pack of tickets to Rock's Saurday, May 17 show is a mere $92 (tickets are $35 through $69.50 via Ticketmaster). Also on the bill are Peter Wolf (of the J. Geils Band) and Rev Run (of Run-DMC). Seriously. -- D.X. Ferris
We weren’t the only ones lucky enough to score a wristband to the Black Keys’ “secret” show at the Beachland Tavern last night. Fortunately for you, Scene photographer Walter Novak was also there. Check out his slide show. – Michael Gallucci
When’s a secret show not a secret show? When everyone and his grandma know about the damn thing. The Black Keys’ free “secret” show at the Beachland Tavern last night was ostensibly a thank-you gig from MySpace (which sponsored) to local fans who signed up as a Secret Shows friend. But on Monday, the Beachland announced that it would be handing out wristbands on a first-come-first-served basis six hours before the doors opened to the small-scale show in the Tavern, which holds 150 people. More than 500 fans showed up for the wristbands ...
Ministry’s performance at the Agora last night was probably one of the most unusual retirement parties you could imagine. Ringleader Al Jourgensen and crew had little problem drawing a crowd of amped-up metalheads and gangly goth kids for what was heralded as Ministry’s final tour.
The occasionally rowdy audience surprisingly skewed toward the younger side, but older fans from Ministry’s late-’80s and early-’90s periods still composed a solid chunk of fans. Supporting bands Meshuggah and Hemlock did a good job warming up the crowd – Meshuggah especially generated a warm response from the crowd with its take on down-tuned metalcore ...
Attention Mogwai fans: Our sister paper Riverfront Times scored an autographed copy of the fancy-ass new reissue of the Scottish noisemakers' 1997 debut, Young Team. And they're giving it away! And you don't even have to write a smart-ass comment or anything for a chance to win. Good luck. --Michael Gallucci
Just a reminder that the Black Keys' not-so-secret show is happening tonight. The Beachland will start handing out wristbands at 2 p.m. So, you should get there, like, 20 minutes ago. --Michael Gallucci
It’s a good week for dance and electro music, from she-male Jeffree Star to Cali crooners the Metro Station. But the real discovery of the week is the White Tie Affair, who out-pop them all, with emo looks and a boy-band sound. Click the video for a sample. And click "more" for a full rundown of the week’s shows and what your ticket dollars will buy you. -- D.X. Ferris
Neil Diamond, Merle Haggard, KT Tunstall (click the video for a taste), and Cleveland's own Nine Inch Nails headline this week's list of new shows. Reznor and Nails probably deserve the spotlight, but Tunstall's way cuter. And that's how C-Notes rolls, y'all.
Read on for the rundown. -- D.X. Ferris
Tickets for the Friday, August 22 Nine Inch Nails show at Quicken Loans arena go on pre-sale Wednesday tomorrow – which means they’re sort of on sale, but you have to jump through a couple hoops. And, for once, it seems worthwhile.
The NIN newsletter describes the process: “Premium tickets for all NIN headline dates will be made available to registered nin.com members in advance of public on sales. Pre-sale tickets are personalized with the members’ legal name printed on the face of the ticket and ID will be required for pickup and entry into the venue on night of show. Pre-sale ticket supplies are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Our goal is to put the best tickets in the hands of the fans and not in the hands of scalpers and/or brokers. Register at nin.com and check the performance page for additional tour updates.” -- DX Ferris
Radiohead have a pretty cool deal for fans heading to their Blossom Music Center concert on August 4. Cars with five or more people will get preferred parking to the show. And anyone who’s ever tried to leave Blossom after a packed show (and believe us, the Radiohead show will be stuffed) knows that it’s a real pain in the ass. Plus, the hike from the parking lot can wear you out.
It’s all part of the band’s “appeal to fans” to find different ways to get to their concerts this summer. The green-loving group tracked the amount of carbon that folks were generating getting to their shows over the past couple of years. Thom Yorke and crew were shocked – shocked! – to learn that fans were emitting an astronomical amount of carbon dioxide just to hear “Paranoid Android.” --Michael Gallucci
