The stage presence and focus of the band is backward, where Keenan stays in the back and the rest of the band is put in the foreground.  The focus is on the band as a whole along with the insane laser lights, smoke and videos playing on the monitors.  The band incorporates as much visual stimulus as possible so when Adam Jones’  videos are on screen they freak you out more than usual.  Nine Inch Nails used a lot of visuals but there is something about a Tool show that will scar your unborn children.

This was a tight set of songs — as Keenan said”we haven’t played some of these in a long time”, and you could tell the audience was elated to hear some favorite album cuts come to life.  Even though they have nothing new to showcase, they have an idea of what their fans want and they bring it to them.  This was by no means a”greatest hits” type of tour, and I would never expect that; this was a way for the band to stretch their legs a bit.  Keenan has also been busy, as last summer he toured with A Perfect Circle and this spring he hits the road with Puscifer.  He’s a busy fellow and you have to admire his work ethic.

There were no punches pulled at this show, the band had an agenda and served it to us.  I was more than happy to hear familiar favorites and some tracks I never thought would see the light of day.  Not addressing the audience very much, each song segued into the next, and there was almost no way to guess what would be coming at you.  After almost 10 minutes of feedback looping and some weird video, Keenan addressed the crowd by saying “well, it has come down to this” and he began the recognizable breathing that led the band to night closer “AEnema”.  Waving to the crowd and exiting the stage, many of us couldn’t believe almost two hours had passed.  Check the set, it was impressive.

Opener YOB brought their brand of doom metal that was interesting at first, but droned on for too long.  I would have preferred another Mike Patton project instead.

We’ve talked about 4 Footer before, as I wrote a piece on their show at Holiday House last year. Once again, 4 Footer was playing with Bastards of Reality and man, what a fantastic bout of post-punk / heavy metal glory we were given! It was like being tied up in a burlap sack and beaten with a Dethklok “Thunderhorse” Explorer.

The highlight of the night for me, however, was being one of the few recipients of a 4 Footer demo CD. The nine-track EP featured some of my favorites like “Power Move”, “Dirty Old Man”, and “It’s Like Kablam!” The recording is nicely done and the mixing allows for one to easily hear all the subtle nuances of the instruments. Jack Denning’s vocals are clear and crisp, with no fancy effects like reverb getting in the way.

The only thing I could say about the CD that could be interpreted as a negative would be that it only had nine tracks on it, but hey, you can’t argue with free. I’m hoping that they get into the recording studio for another round real soon, though, as I want a good copy of “Epic Fail” to rock out to – it’s truly a brilliant song.

4 Footer is a full-on punch in the face with hard-hitting rock jams. A fun diversion from a rock scene that’s begun to take itself way too seriously.

What I liked about the album by the Wolff boys was that it was simple pop made by a few boys that are not overstepping their own reality, and what I like about this album is that Calhoun is writing straight ahead pop tunes about real relationship problems without making a huge fuss.  He isn’t writing about idolizing some girl he can’t have or anything, he writes about breaking up or promising to make himself a better person to keep something alive.  To be honest, I think he is overstepping a little when he states that he’d take down Mike Tyson if a girl would give him a chance.  I have no doubt he’d try, but the Champ would chew his ear off before knocking him out.

Calhoun has made a name for himself in the last few years with songs on many TV shows: Men of a Certain Age, One Tree Hill, So You Think You Can Dance, Cougar Town, Real World, MTV True Life, A&E, E! and ABC Family to name a few.  With this new project, The Heaven Switch, he seems to be breaking from his usual formula and crafting better material for himself.  You can pick up pieces of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Blessid Union of Souls, Howie Day or Stephen Kellogg as he spins tales of love lost and trying for redemption.

You can stream the first four tracks to give you a great sample of the album: “Raise a Flag” is a solid opener to draw you in, “Stolen Car” will keep you moving, then lead single “Trainwrecks” is a great way to tell someone you love them no matter what, and “Fault Lines” is a good breakup tune.  Later tracks like “Surface” and “Best of Times” are also ones to watch for.

If you are in the market for something that is not run of the mill pop, then I would give this fellow a shot.  It may not be my cup of tea but that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these tunes.

Season Six: Jordin Sparks. Season six winner Jordin Sparks made history when she became the American Idol winner at the youngest age yet: 17 years old. Sparks didn’t stop breaking records there; her single “No Air” has become the best-selling single by any American Idol thus far. In the years that followed, her other big singles were “One Step at a Time” and “Battlefield.” Her first studio album was the self-titled Jordin Sparks (2007), which was followed by Battlefield (2009). There has been talk of a third studio album for a couple years now, but mum is still the word on the release date. We’re more likely to hear Sparks first in her film debut later his year in Sparkle, a remake of the 1976-film inspired by the story of The Supremes. Is it a coincidence that she will be playing the character named Sparkle?

Season Seven: David Cook. Season seven is known by some as the battle of the Davids, with Cook coming out on top of Archuleta. Before Idol, Cook had released an independent album titled Analog Heart (2006). Post-Idol, listeners saw the release of the self-titled David Cook (2008). Last year, Cook released This Loud Morning, which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200. He started a 22-show tour for the album on October 9, 2011.

Season Eight: Kris Allen. Season Eight just might mark the beginning of a downfall in the post-Idol success achieved by Idol winners. Allen’s first-week post-Idol album sales were the worst yet ever seen by an Idol winner. However, perhaps his upcoming album, scheduled to be released in spring this year, will do better than his first.

Season Nine: Lee DeWyze. I barely recognize this guy’s name. His post-Idol album, Live It Up (2010), did not gain much popularity. Season Nine is possibly the least successful Idol season so far; no contestants have achieved any significant album sales.

Season Ten: Scotty McCreery. A little over half a year ago, McCreery become the youngest male and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol. His debut album, the notably not self-titled Clear as Day, reached the top spot on US Billboard 200, becoming the first Idol winner to have an album to do so since the Season Four winner Carrie Underwood. We can expect more from the young McCreery, but first we’ll let him finish high school.

(U.S. Air Force photo)

I’ve never understood the point of having celebrities sing the national anthem before sporting events. To me, the whole affair is tired and has easily run its course. Why does it always need to be performed a cappella? Who decides who gets picked to sing the tune? What defines a good performance? More importantly: Who cares?

Rather than muse over whether or not Tyler did a good job as a rock ‘n’ roll musician singing the tune of an old British gentleman’s club, I’d rather wonder about how the Aerosmith frontman’s skin hasn’t sloughed off his face yet. I mean, just look at it. Ew…

At any rate, I suppose everyone’s going to have an opinion on it so I may as well give mine. Do I think it was good or bad? I think it was good, and here’s why. I think that it was a raw, honest rendition of a song that has been performed in the same manner for decades. I thought it was a good effort, and as someone who has experience singing in a dry environment like the cold New England air, I can personally attest to how near impossible it is to achieve high notes that are just barely in your vocal range, even with enough preparation.

I may be cutting Steven Tyler a break because I can empathize with him, or I may not take this sort of thing as seriously as other people. At any rate, I do think it was nice to hear something different out of such a tired tradition.

American Idol

Season One: Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson has done extremely well ever since American Idol. She released her fifth studio album Stronger just last year. It debuted at the number 2 spot in the U.S.

Season Two: Ruben Studdard. Studdard beat out Clay Aiken by what was said to be a very small margin. Both artists achieved moderate success after the finale. Studdard has worked with four labels. He is still attached to 19 (the contract from American Idol), but recently left the label Hickory and signed with Shanachie. He is expecting to release an album later this year, but anticipation isn’t exactly running high.

Season Three: Fantasia Barrino. Season 3 is known as the one that brought us Jennifer Hudson and William Hung, though neither even saw the top 5 spots. (And here I thought Hung had a chance.) Barrino, now simply known as Fantasia, was the eventual winner. She’s done pretty well recently, earning her first Grammy last year for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Bittersweet”. It’s possible Fantasia will be making some film appearances in upcoming years.

Season Four: Carrie Underwood. Where do we start? Even those who didn’t bother watching Season 4 of American Idol know Underwood’s name. Her first album became the best-selling album in the United States in 2006 and the best-selling country album in the United States in 2006 and 2007. Her most recent album Play On was released in 2009. Since then, Underwood has taken part in duets and has made several television appearances, but there is currently no indication of another album coming out any time soon.

Season Five: Taylor Hicks. Oh yeah, remember this guy? Most recently, Hicks released his second album, the first under his own label, in 2009. It sold a meager 9,000 copies in its first week of release. Some refer to Hicks are the exception that proves the rule that Idol winners generally do go on to “greatness.” If only Chris Daughtry had won; then, we would have had a real rule.  Oh well.

(U.S. Air Force photo)

In 2007 Brien released his first album of acoustic original songs and has been consistent with letting more material out each year since then, consisting of originals and demos.  In preparation for his newest album, titled Through the Darkness, We Will Find the Light, there are two songs that he has let me check out and share with you, Avid Reader.  As he explains it: the music is a journey through all of our trials and triumphs in life.  Citing some of his influences for this ongoing project as The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode, you can feel the emotional qualities not just in the lyrics but through the instrumentation.

“Mistakes” reflects upon how we pay for wrong turns we make on the road leading to now.  Sometimes we are left cold and by ourselves, yet if we decide to open up to others, then we don’t have to be alone.  Maybe there is some light at the end of each wrong tunnel or choice we make.

“Winter Solstice” takes to task the greyest of seasons and how it affects the mentality of many people.  Being stuck indoors is taxing and, unless you hibernate, those months are not easy.  By holding on to memories that made you happy earlier in the year, and realizing that this will pass, everything gets brighter after the solstice.

If you’d like to hear these songs and more, then check the website or catch him live.  Whether he’s accompanied by a full band or just his acoustic guitar, all of the songs take on a different life when performed live.  He’s come a long way since his time in Antimony – and if you get a chance to talk with him, tell him Fizz says hello.

Take, for example, the song “Aneurysm” by Nirvana. Typically played in standard tuning, with the chords F#, C, B, A, and D, the song is quite an easy one to get a handle on. If you tune your guitar in Drop D tuning, however, it becomes a whole ‘nother beast. This is the way I learned it, by ear.

You see, in drop D tuning, instead of creating a shape with one’s fingers that would make an arthritis patient cringe, you can simply barre the three bass strings to create a power chord. When I first discovered this, I thought it cheating to do such a thing. Nay, it isn’t “cheating” in the traditional sense, but it also isn’t widely accepted as a good way to learn to play songs.

When picking up an instrument, it’s typically best not to use any shortcuts, although, if one finds themselves (for lack of a better term) stuck, one might explore alternative ways to play a desired tune. This will keep the interest alive while going through a rough phase in learning, and even teach various styles of playing.

In addition to Drop D tuning, there are various other tuning styles one can choose from. It really is a whole different world out there, as when I say various other tuning styles, I mean so many that I didn’t even bother to count them because it would’ve been an effort in futility.

The point is to learn the standard method first, if possible. If that’s not possible, or if you’re not quite comfortable yet, there’s no shame in using a workaround.

Having seen Pearl Jam and then watched the movie, hearing the music brought me back to those concerts and many others I have attended.  You can hear the band finding a groove and working up the crowd, but you can also hear the crowd riding that groove and working up the band to push themselves on stage.  For example: the song “Betterman” was written by Eddie Vedder for his mother and it might be one of the saddest songs in their catalog.  Yet the live cut on this album from Madison Square Garden two years ago is daunting to listen to.  The entire crowd sings the song while Vedder gently plays the notes and the full band kicks in.  The intimacy that you feel when the crowd joins in brings all of the songs together.

The first CD contains many of the tracks that were used in the movie while the second CD has several demos and then live versions of the actual song.  One of my favorites is “Times of Trouble” which would later become “Footsteps”.  Each track brings you to a different period in the band’s life and you can feel that tension riding over the guitars, drums and vocals.

For me, I jumped into Pearl Jam full time around Binaural and also love No Code – which was the album that many folks were jumping out at.  From there it has been a tough relationship, and I find they are still a consistent group making albums not just for themselves but for the folks that take a week off work to follow them around on tour.  From Green River to Malfunkshun to Mother Love Bone to Mookie Blaylock to Pearl Jam, this is history, this is evolution baby.

That being said, I saw something recently that had me in awe. A 15-year-old  South Korean girl named Park Ji Min, on the Korean show KPop Star (imagine a Korean version of American Idol), performed Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” in near perfect English. For those of you unfamiliar with K-Pop, it’s simply a shortening of the term Korean pop music. Korean pop is an interesting genre in that it’s very much manufactured in the same way American pop music is, which is to say, a whole lot. But I digress…

There are a number of things that make Park Ji Min’s performance amazing. First of all, the Korean age system is a complicated mess. What I mean by that is that Koreans don’t calculate age in the same way us westerners do. There’s a WikiPedia article that goes into this, however, the simplest explanation I’ve found so far has come from Yahoo! Answers (go figure). The long and short of it is that this girl is not 15 at all. In fact she’s either 13 or 14 when you calculate her age based on our system, making Park Ji Min’s feat all the more impressive when you consider just how much difference a year or two makes to a child’s discipline and ability at that age.

The second thing that makes this so amazing is that she’s not phonetically singing. As someone who’s been known to sing German industrial metal from time to time, I can tell you that there is a clear difference in how a song sounds if you know the actual words and are singing them as opposed to “sounding it out”. The latter tends to make you sound like this (warning: painfully embarrassing video).

Third (among other things not mentioned, I’m sure), is the sheer ease with which this girl sang the tune. Adele is no slouch, and the fact that this young girl can match the most talented western pop star (in my opinion) in both tone and pitch is astonishing. Like the judges during the performance, I was awestruck while watching the video. And did you see the looks on the other contestants’ faces? That’s the look of defeat if ever I saw one.

If it were me standing up there with the other contestants, I would have shaken her hand and walked off the stage.