I saw this yesterday on one of MC Chris‘s daily bulletins on MySpace (click the picture to go to his MySpace profile):
Time for a break MC Chris???
Looks like the one man show is going to be taking a break. Rightfully so, the guy has been touring mad crazy ever since I have first heard about him. In the last 3 years I have seen him 3 times and was supposed to see him just a few weeks ago but could not get off of work.
MC Chris
Are you wondering who I am talking about? The best way to describe MC Chris is nerdcore even though the artist tries his hardest to stay away from that scene. Nerdcore is hip hop beats with nerdy lyrics. Imagine a sweet beat layed with rhymes about Star Wars or robot dogs and you have a hint of nerdcore. Mind you not all of MC Chris’ songs are in fact nerdcore, but still many associate him with it. Aside from songs MC Chris also likes to throw in a few little comedy skits and trust me some of it is hilarious. It’s hit or miss, you love it or hate it, and of course I love it.
The one thing I admire about the man is that he has done it all by himself. He used to work on the Adult Swim show Sealab 2021 as well as on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and opted to leave to persue his own passion, music. He tours with just a merch guy and handles everything himself. One man show indeed.
He has released 6 CDs since 2001 and not one has been on a record label. He is an internet addict posting blogs daily and is very personal with his fans. I love reading his blogs as he just talks about random things from dates he went on to the newest Xbox 360 game he got sucked in to. He is real and does not act like a rock star at all. Yet another reason why I like this guy so much.
Hearing he is taking a break is good and bad at the same time. It’s good because I know he was at one time was trying to have his own show of sorts on Adult Swim. Details about his project are unclear but I know it will be entertaining as his music.
Also if you are wondering what Black Friday 2 is, it is MC Chris’ sale of the year for his merch on his very own website. Head over to www.mcchris.com if you want to buy some gear at pretty good prices.
Here’s a bad quality video I took at him at one of the shows I was at (WARNING: Cussing Will Happen):
To clarify what was going on in the video: There was a drunk kid who was being drunk and dumb and MC Chris asked the kid to come up on stage and stand in the corner. When said drunk kid kept dancing and mocking the main act, MC Chris helped the kid exit the building. The quality of the video was crap, but it should give you a small taste of the sold out show that night…
Australian rockers the Vines have canceled their live commitments due to a deterioration in their frontman’s mental health.
In a disarmingly frank website post, the band confirmed that they were withdrawing from live and festival appearances indefinitely.
In 2004 Craig Nicholls was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, after his behaviour became increasingly erratic. He received treatment and the band were able to continue recording, even returning to the road.
But the situation appears to have deteriorated. The band wrote: “It is with a great deal of regret that the Vines today announce that they have cancelled all of their Australian festival appearances – Homebake, Pyramid Rock and Big Day Out – and their forthcoming Japanese tour, scheduled for late November. Craig Nicholls’ mental condition has deteriorated to the point where he requires immediate help over an extended period of time.”
According to the NME, drummer Hamish Rosser added: “On behalf of the Vines, we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to those of you who have bought tickets to see us perform and will not get to do so. We are all absolutely devastated that we’ve been forced to cancel all our upcoming shows as there’s nothing we love more than playing on stage before an enthusiastic audience.”
I don’t know about you, but I loved The Vines’ debut release Highly Evolved. There was a certain high strung energy felt from the lead singer Craig Nicholls throughout the whole mainly 90’s alt rock inspired CD. I had no idea that he was suffering from such complications. The fact that he did not give up when he wass first diagnosed is amazing yet I can only imagine how hard it is now for Craig Nicholls now that he finally has to take a break for the time being. The band was touring for their latest release Melodia that was released earlier this year.
This morning during my morning ritual of reading random blogs and just catching on on current events I found myself checking out +44‘s lead/bassist Mark Hoppus’ blog site. The former Blink 182 member had updated it for the first time in months. He explained where he has been, what he has been doing, and most of all reconnecting with friends from the past, more specifically Blink 182:
in the midst of everything else that has happened lately, tom, travis, and i have all spoken together. first through a number of phone calls, and then a couple of weeks ago we all hung out for a few hours. they’ve all been great, very positive conversations. we’re just reconnecting as friends after four years of not talking. it’s a good thing. obviously the first question for a lot of people will be “does this mean a blink-182 reunion?” the answer is none of us know. we haven’t talked about it at all. right now it’s just good for the three of us to see one another, reconnect, and let the past be the past. the events of the past two months supersede everything that happened before. life is too short.
Two months ago Travis Barker was involved in a terrible plane crash that left four dead. I posted a blog about it the day after it happened as I as a fan felt terrible about what happened. He luckily survived along with pal DJ-AM but it was still a horrific event and a real eye-opener for many. Seeing Mark Hoppus’ blog just proved more how the crash started to make people think about life and values of friendship.
It’s great to hear that the three members of the once power pop punk rock act are speaking. Blink 182’s break up was just dumb in my opinion. The guys had a good thing going and tossed it to the side for the sake of what seemed personal stardom. Each side had their story but once Blink 182 broke up it was clear that the three were not what they used to be. I would love to see Blink 182 reunite not for the music aspect but just to see the three together again. The band was a group of close friends and I myself liked them more because of that.
Whether they actually start up Blink 182 is still to be determined but at least they are hanging out again as friends.
American screamo teams up with Japanese screamo on the recently released Thursday / Envy split EP on Temporary Residence Limited. The two powerhouse bands contribute songs to this limited release that is being sold strictly CD+LP only (there will not be a sole CD or LP available) and can only be found in independent record stores. There is also a hand printed limited edition version that can be ordered exclusively on their website of on their label’s site. Both bands comprise exceptional tracks and really do a great job in doing so on this release.
Formed in New Jersey around 1997, Thursday has been a staple in the post-hardcore scene. Having released multiple albums, the band has had a very successful career despite ping ponging from record label to record label after mishaps and disputes. Currently the band is signed with Epitaph records for this full length to be released in 2009.
Screamo experimental rock act Envy, hailing from Japan, are unique in their own way with songs sung in their native tongue layered over post hardcore music, as well as a little experimental chill out on some tracks. Well respected all over the world by many and commonly known for their explosions of screaming on songs, I was really looking forward to finally hearing them.
So how did the two come to unite? Truth is Thursday is a huge fan of the experimental Envy. Back in April the Thursday posted news of the release on their site:
“It’s our pleasure to announce a split release with one of our favorite bands in the world. We are currently in the studio recording tracks for a 12” release with Japan’s Envy. For those of you unfamiliar with Envy, they are an experimental, epic, lush post-rock band that’s heavier than just about anything we’ve ever heard. Despite the enormous geographical distances between us, the bands have evolved from the same thrashy underground post-hardcore scene. Honestly, there’s no way to properly describe them.”
The split CD started out with four tracks by Thursday and opens with the impressive “As He Climbed The Dark Mountain”. Geoff Rickly and crew provided a solid track full of the sporadic singing styles I grew accustomed to with their previous releases, layered with some sick guitar playing and insane drumming. I really enjoyed this track a lot and after hearing this I can not wait to hear their next full length.
The dark instrumental “In Silence” was more of something you would hear the Crystal Method crank out. The techno strong song is far from the post-hardcore material the band is known for and I myself loved it. Full of distorted synthesizers, electronic drum beats, and a mellow piano solo, this song really showed a different side to the band usually known for their screamo.
“An Absurd And Unrealistic Dream Of Peace” had it’s moments with more of an emo feel throughout the song and really did not do much for me. “Appeared And Was Gone”, another instrumental track, continued the dark trend and was remixed by Anthony Molina of the 90’s alt rock band Mercury Rev. The track once again is more of a techno experiment that had a God Lives Underwater feel, but was just amazing. Lyrics added to this track might have enhanced the song a little further.
Envy really impressed me with “An Umbrella Fallen Into Fiction”, having not heard any of their material before. The song started out slow and really reminded me of The Cure for some reason but with a Japanese spoken word behind it. Think slow Dir En Gray, that is until you hit just after the 4 minute mark and the song completely explodes with lead singer Tetsuya Fukagawa’s dishing out some insane screaming over a faster tempo. The song was quite beautiful throughout although my lack of understanding the Japanese language wished to be informed.
“Isolation Of A Light Source” had enough screaming to push you to the ground. Again, I had not the faintest idea of what was going on, but I enjoyed the severity of the screams added along with the heavy music. The final track on the other hand,“Pure Birth And Loneliness,” was a gentler track than the previous two Envy songs… that is until about the four minute mark again. Surprising screaming snuck its way into the mostly mellow song and you could tell how full of emotion it was.
This really is one of the best split CDs I have heard in a while. Being happily introduced to Envy on this split may have added to some of the charisma but I have been listening to the whole CD over and over and so far have not grown bored with either party contained.
Thursday’s instrumentals on the track were the winners as it was something unexpected yet appealing. I almost wish there were more tracks on the CD as I was left with a craving for more. That’s ok though because I can now get more involved with Envy’s catalog and no longer wonder why they were so enthralling to Thursday.
Want to hear? I found the following songs on the Temporary Residence Limited website:
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group’s last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.
Mitchell was a powerful force on the Hendrix band’s 1967 debut album “Are You Experienced?” as well as the trio’s albums “Electric Ladyland” and “Axis: Bold As Love.” He had an explosive drumming style that can be heard in hard-charging songs such as “Fire” and “Manic Depression.”
The Englishman had been drumming for the Experience Hendrix Tour, which performed Friday in Portland. It was the last stop on the West Coast part of the tour.
