TrueRockSoc

TRS Podcast 09 #2 Ahoy!!

2009-05-21T16:49:00.003+12:00

Like a drunken first year at a Foundry party this podcast is gagging to be taken home to be hurt in so many ways....

'Ghost Hunt' - Turbo Wolf
'Crazy Naked Girls' - Super Furry Animals
'Place In The Sun' - The Insurgents
'Hovercraft' - Sora Shima
'Back Round' - Wolfmother
'Screwtop' (Demo) - Shihad
'Old Money' - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
'Tainted Love' - Head Like A Hole
'Rooster' (Demo) - Alice In Chains
'Peacemaker' - Green Day
'Helgorithms' - Cobra Khan

Click me to download this sweet wee thang

Go on, we won't tell ;)

New Alice In Chains album out in September...oh and with new frontman!

2009-05-20T15:02:00.006+12:00

Alice In Chains, one of the biggest bands from generation X, have finished recording their as yet unnamed forthcoming album due for release in September. A recent blogpost on their official site claims the record will return the band to “the top of the hard rock heap” with heavy hitting riffs contrasted with what could be the saddest song they have ever produced. This record will be the first studio recording by the band since 1995’s self titled Alice In Chains and since former frontman Layne Staley tragically died of a drug overdose by speedball in 2002.

Also, the band have found a replacement on vocals for the legendary Layne Staley in William DuVall. DuVall rose to fame through the hardcore punk scene in the bands Awareness Void Of Chaos and Neon Christ moving on to the Hendrix-inspired No Walls in the late 1980s before forming Mudfly and subsequently Comes With the Fall.

Click here to see DuVall in action with the Men in the Box performing 'Dam That River'.

Burn Out or Fadeaway: Johnny Rotten

2009-05-20T13:51:00.004+12:00

A British butter company by the name of Country Life have gotten rather annoyed at the fact that almost half of those surveyed by newspaper the Guardian mistakenly believed that Anchor was a British brand. So in response to this survey the jealous butter company have launched a campaign headed by former Sex Pistols frontman John Lyndon. The heading banner reads ‘Anchor’s from NZ!’ to which Lyndon’s ugly punk mug replies “So?! I buy Country Life cos I think it tastes the best!”.

This isn’t the first time that Mr Johnny Rotten has relied on his own image to get some green as this video is testament to. It’s kind of ironic that such a major punk image, the frontman of the band that at their height epitomised the punk spirit, is now pushing butter down England’s gobs.

So Mr John Lyndon we here at TRS proudly present too thee the big rubber stamp SELLOUT

You Had A Boyfriend Who Looked Like A Girlfriend...

2009-05-20T13:29:00.007+12:00

Placebo have released a new song for their eagerly awaited new album Battle for the Sun. Along with this their frontman Brian Malko, who still looks like a vampire, has now grown his greasy hair long and as a result of this looks like a bit of a lass. Agreements? Disagreements? Check out the music video for 'For What It's Worth' here.

This trend in rock’n’roll is far from new as many of us at TRS are aware of, so we have compiled a short list of rocker lads and lasses who look like lasses and lads.

The New York Dolls formed in, you guessed it, New York in 1971 and musically proved to be a major influence for the soon-to-be-founded punk movement, however visually these guys really, really looked like gals thanks to the sheer amount of make-up that would make any of Manchester Street’s ladies of the night blush.

Out of all the glam rockers out there it is impossible to deny Twisted Sister’s frontman Dee Snider the title of the scariest looking man-who-looks-like-a-girl award for his stage make up and clothing style. I mean fuck me every time I catch a glimpse of the video for ‘C’mon Feel the Noise’ I cry knowing that every time I close my eyes I’ll see Snider’s mug glaring at me.

Speaking of being a bit scary Marilyn Manson’s controversial cover art for his 1998 album Mechanical Animals depicted the goth idol as a woman with boobies ‘n all, which gives him enough of an excuse to make the list for womanliness – just don’t tell him I said that.

While Le Tigre aren’t exactly a rock act they are in this wee list simply because when I saw them at 2005’s BDO – accidently I assure you – I was so puzzled by JD Samson's appearance that I couldn't tell if she were a guy or a girl due to the forest that was engulfing her upper lip.

So there you go, a quick list of rockers who look like rockettes (and vice versa) and therefore scare mums and dads the world over when their child sticks a poster of them up on their wall. However in reflection upon this list essentially all of those included dressed in their respective feminine ways in order to produce a political or cultural statement, such is the vehicle of rock music.

TRS Exclusive: Angelo From The Bleeders Has A Yarn with Maximus

2009-03-23T21:52:00.004+13:00

So tell us, what has been going on in The Bleeder’s camp? It’s been a while since we heard anything from you guys following last year’s self-titled album.

Yeah, I guess last year we did a couple of tours to support the record, and then took a break for 6 weeks before moving to Toronto in January where we are now based for next year. We have played a little bit..but looking to tour a lot more towards the U.S. summer. Also some writing towards a new album is a bit of a focus right now.

As arguably one of the most recognisable figures in the NZ music scene do you feel some kind of celebrity status or is our wee country too small to even consider yourself as a celebrity?

Haha not at all! I'm recognisable if you like what we do and you know the band, but I definately don't get harrased in the supermarket which I like. I am definately not a celebrity, I hate that shit. Manu Vatuvei...now that's a celeberity! He is the man!

Many bands head West to boost their careers but have been largely unsuccessful in doing so (Shihad case-in-point), is the North American hardcore scene very supportive for you boys?

Well you know...NZ is always easy to point out about bands trying overseas and beeing unsuccessfull, but Shihad for instance, they weren't a failure by any stretch of the imagination. The population over here is a hell of a lot more, so expectations are higher. If you get signed to say a major like they were and you sell like 80,000 CDs per se...they see that as failure here. So you get dropped. Reports come back to NZ that they were dropped and its seen as a failure here too. But in the meantime they have probably got a nice small fanbase and can come here and play club tour to 200-300 people per night (or more, I'm not exactly sure what they do) and to do that in a country on the other side of the world from your home is amazing!

So to me...anything's a bonus. If we stayed in NZ for 2009 it would of gotten stale for us. So we are here, and we are grateful for anything. If we come home next year and can say we toured the States and Canada multiple times and have a CD out here with several thousand buying it I will die a happy man!

And yes...so far so good for the Canadians. USA is yet to see Bleeders as of yet. Maybe in a few months!

Tell us about Deadboy Records, you’ve signed on False Start and other emerging hardcore bands.

Yeah false start have done 2 CDs on my label, they were on board very early and have been my top seller for sure! I got like 6 bands on my roster now...so its fun. It's more of a hobby for me, but at the same time I can help bands get their CDs out and keep the costs low you know...so its cool. My label is very diverse, from emo/pop to brutal hardcore shit... like In Dread Response.

What’s your thoughts on NZ music month? Do we need it or should our local music always be able to support itself without the aid of mass-marketing?

I don't really care either way, I used to think there's no point shoving it down peoples throats. But you know...my band has had great support over the years and had shit pretty easy. So nz music month gives some bands that are under the radar a bit more exposure!

The Bleeders are known for their determined touring and intense live performances, care to share any horror stories from the road?

Bro we dont have anything to tell..seriously!

Finally, when can we expect to see you back in NZ? We’ve been missing our favourite hardcore act!

Next year for sure. We hope to record a new album later this year or early next year, and come home to tour it. Or...we may just come back to live. We have definately not claimed we are here forever...so no talking about us failing please if we do just the 1 year! Haha

Cheers - Angelo

No Line On the Horizon - U2

2009-03-16T12:40:00.003+13:00

It’s been five years since U2’s last studio effort, a big gap for a band who in their almost 30 year career have released eleven previous records. In this time they have written some great music, but it seems with No Line On the Horizon they may have dropped the ball.

I shouldn’t be all too negative about this album, there are some great songs on it. A nice cushy love song can be found in ‘Magnificent’ and the single ‘Get On Your Boots’ is pretty groovy, deserving the amount of radio attention it’s been getting lately. The same should be said about the opener ‘No Line on the Horizon’ as well, but it is unfortunately ruined by the fact that it is repeated as a closing track with minor musical alterations and different lyrics. Normally this can work if it acts as a kind of closing credits function only lasting a minute or so, but it is an entire song in itself which paints a pretty lazy picture.

What is interesting is that a lot of the songs are based in the perspective of some poor soul suffering through war and poverty or even a journalist covering these global issues. This would normally make for some pretty interesting lyrics but unfortunately they end up resembling those of an accountant for the Green Party, of particular note is ‘Cedars of Lebanon’ with the lyrics “Child drinking dirty water from the river bank/ Soldier brings oranges he got out from a tank” and so on…you get my point. Talking about lyrics there is a significant lack of such with too many choruses relying on the “Oh-oh ooohhh-ooooooh oh” style of speak resulting in the aforementioned laziness.

My biggest beef with U2’s No Line On the Horizon is the fact that it’s very linear; none of the songs really stand out and more or less just blend together. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad album, but it seems to me that U2 are starting to lose their way.

2.5 stars

Minutes To Midnight

2009-03-15T15:58:00.002+13:00

Midnight Youth are on the cusp of owning the limelight. On the heels of a slew of NZ shows Joe Dodgshun has a yarn with vocalist Jeremy Redmore from the Youth re: crashing parties (sort of), their long-awaited debut album and comprehending the opportunity of SXSW.

The lads from Midnight Youth are currently putting in some damn hard graft. For the last 6 weeks they’ve been jamming together 20 hours a week, on top of a hectic raft of shows across the country. Scraggy-locked vocalist Jeremy Redmore sounds extremely weary across the decidedly average cell phone connection, but it’s all for an excellent cause. You see, Midnight Youth, along with a select few other kiwi bands, have been invited to the legendary South by SouthWest talent-scout festival in Austin, Texas. This is an event which can almost instantaneously catapult aspiring bands to superstardom, where record deals are dealt out to those most worthy. “So it’s a case of us now just getting focussed and putting it all into the show, getting tight and being the best we’ve ever been. SXSW is just going to be madness.”

But here! Here I’m getting ahead of myself.

For an Auckland band that was still raging through Rock Quest back in 2006, it’s been a whirlwind few years. Gaining not only expensive airplay of as yet album-less singles, but a swelling following of fans, a Rock FM scholarship and a reputation for a grippingly intense live performance, they spent part of 2008 in Brooklyn recording their debut offering. Add to the mix gig slots opening for bands such as Incubus, OKGO and INXS and an extremely successful single in ‘The Letter’ and Midnight Youth are on the fast-track to greatness.

This brings us to the present day. Well, almost. Those who made it to a certain Tuesday night OWeek gig several weeks back will know the standard of these rockers. For those who haven’t experienced a Midnight Youth show, well, let’s just say their riotous exuberance eclipsed anything the main act Autozamm could offer afterwards. UC loved Midnight Youth and Midnight Youth returned the love- “Actually Christchurch was definitely the best, everyone who was there got into it big time, it was awesome fun.”

Which begs the question, who was the worst? “Well, we only did Auckland and Christchurch,” laughs Redmore “So yeah, where does that leave you?

In fact, Midnight Youth experienced maybe a little too much ChCh hospitality- “we ended up blimmin’ wandering the streets and ended up in some persons flat. This dude was like ‘Hey, there’s a party at my flat!’ and we came back and all the flatmates were asleep, he woke them all up and they were all really unhappy.”

It is then fortunate perhaps, that Midnight Youth then ended their NZ performances on a high by embarking on a much-hyped Summer Jam tour put on by The Edge, adding hard-line credibility to a line-up featuring mix-master P-Money and super-pop rockers The Veronicas and Metrostation. With gigs in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, Summer Jam offered the opportunity to exhibit songs from their upcoming album, which is due around late April with Redmore sounding extremely excited about the impending release... “We’re just doing some artwork, basically we’re just about 99.9 percent done, it’s all with the label and it’s looking really cool and sounding amazing, I’m really looking forward to it. The album, it’s quite varied, some bands have a song which they seem to remake ten times, we’ve got ten songs on the album and they all capture a different mood of the band.”

Although most peeps would know Midnight Youth mainly by the meteoric success of the poppy single ‘The Letter’, he enthuses that “there’s some really rocky songs on there, some intense stuff, there’s actually a few slow and acoustic songs people would have never heard before because we don’t play a whole lot of gigs where you can play those songs, we’ve got some little acoustic tracks on there as well, so I think there’s something for everyone really.”

However, fans worried about the album losing the dominant live edge Midnight Youth have flaunted in their relatively short career need not fret. “We really ply our live show, bands these days can’t get by with just having good recordings because album sales are down, so the live show is something we really try to make good and the album hopefully captures that.” The album which was recorded in both New York and Auckland is going to be mastered back over in NYC –“We’re actually going to go into Stirling Sounds Studio and watch them master it. It’s one of the biggest mastering houses in the world, just crazy people everywhere!”

The trip to America of course is also inclusive of the massive get-down in the down south - SXSW, an event where Midnight Youth are sure to receive some Southern comfort thanks to a passionate Texan fan base. “We’ve got a whole bunch of kids in Texas that came here to NZ on this sort of School trip and the people in charge played one of our songs every morning on their bus and now they’ve gone back and told everyone else in Texas about us, there’s a whole bunch of people there emailing us all the time and leaving messages. We haven’t really played over there but the internets’ cool in that way, you can touch fans that are on the other side of the world, even though you’re a band that doesn’t really know them.”

Looking to emulate the success of kiwi SXSW veterans such as The Mint Chicks and Katchafire in getting in the face of major labels and publishers, Midnight Youth are realistic about their opportunities. “There’s 1500 bands playing trying to make it big so that’s why we’re doing extra showcases in New York and L.A. We’re playing in the Viper Room which will be friggin’ awesome, it’s hard to comprehend sitting in Christchurch right now, that we’re going to LA and New York again and to this crazy party in Texas. I’m going to deal with it when I get there.”

But as I sat in Christchurch club BASE and watched the chance of the pro-offered quiet beer with the Youth boys be washed away in a sea, nay, ocean of excitable females eager to get their mitts on (or at least photo taken with) the rocking fivesome, I couldn’t help but think that I like their chances.

TRS Podcast 09 #1 Is Up!

2009-03-12T11:48:00.004+13:00

CLICK ME TO DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN!!

Yes indeedy it is! Here at TrueRockSoc one of the things we do is introduce you to music that you may not have heard of whether it be live versions of your favourites, covers or even hidden wee gems.

On this Podcast Maximus and JD play:

'Sake Bomb' (Japanese version) - The D4
Mind Dependency - Blindspott
Re-Write - Asian Kung Fu Generation
Bodies (Sex Pistols cover) - Velvet Revolver
We're All To Blame - Sum 41
Since I've Been Loving You (live) - Led Zeppelin
Cheek - The Naked and Famous
You & I Are Both Away - Idlewild
Power of Moonlight - Tiger Army
Stars Die - Porcupine Tree
Noise Epic - The Verve
One (Metallica cover) - KoRn

Can't get it to work? Click the link at the top of this post and then either stream or click 'download original' to the right! Easypeaseyjapanesey!

What do you think? Got a song you think we should all hear? Then email TRS truerocksoc@gmail.com and let us know!

Superbands: Who Should Be Velvet Revolver's Frontman?

2009-03-06T13:06:00.012+13:00

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year any rock'n'roll fanatic out there should be aware that all is not so well in the Velvet Revolver camp. Ever since Scott Weiland decided he liked the idea of reforming with his old crew Stone Temple Pilots poor ol' Slash n co have been struggling with the Sucker Train Blues in their quest to find a new rocker to lead their Superband juggernaught. At TrueRockSoc we like to encourage debate and discussion on the going ons of the rock industry, so today we ask the question: Who should be the new frontman of Velvet Revolver?
What follows is a quick list of the notable names that have been rumoured to take up the reigns of the Quick Machine as well as what I (you beloved El Presidente) think could do the trick.

Lenny Kravitz was the most recently rumoured after being spotted in the recording studio with the band, but in August of last year he flatly denied this saying to Rolling Stone "I know and love the Velvet Revolver guys but there is no truth to the story about me joining their band,". But what would he have sounded like? Kravitz' style of rock suits VR, but despite this I can't help but think that there could be a clash of egos between him and Slash what with Kravitz playing lead in his own records n all.

Royston Langdon of Spacehog was rumoured after performing with the band, however Slash put down the rumour stating that even though he likes Langdon's style he sounds too much like Weiland - something that the band wants to steer away from, favouring a turn to the more aggressive. Speaking of which...

Corey Taylor was seriously considered by VR's bassist Duff McKagan following Weiland's departure. So what would it have sounded like? Well by the sound of Taylor's latest efforts in the recording studio this was probably a good thing that it never came to fruition. I tried to write a review for Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone late last year for CANTA but in the end I was far too frustrated by Taylor's loss of talent: it felt like he let the fame go to his head and resorted to simple structures for his lyrics that reminded me of when I tried to write lyrics as an angsty 14 year-old. Combine this with the fact that Stone Sour's only big hits (Bother and Through Glass) have been pretty shallow and highly repititious (did I spell that thing right?...is it even a word?).

Sebastian Bach told Tampa 98's The Buckethead Show in May last year that he would find it very awkward to join VR after Axl Rose helped him with his own record. The former Skid Row frontman could have been a very interesting addition to the band who want to head in a more heavy direction, but as mentioned above Bach simply would not feel comfortable performing with Axl's former bandmates.

Chester Bennington is someone who I have to mention because, well I want him to be the new head of VR. Yes I know that he's a bit of a prat and yes I know he's gotten pretty lazy vocally but this video should put your woes to rest. Why has he stuck with Linkin Park when he can obviously own the classic rock sound as easily as a fat person enjoys cake? Chester is someone with an immense amount of talent that almost single-handidly propels Linkin Park forward and would, in my arrogant opinion, suit VR bloody well in their quest for a harder sound.

Your thoughts? Feel free to comment with who you think should head Velvet Revolver, or do you think they should just give up now and focus on their own solo projects (like Slash's solo album slated for release this year and Duff Mckagan's Loaded)

Welcome!

2009-02-27T13:13:00.002+13:00

Welcome all to TrueRockSoc's official webzine/blog page. As promised you will find the best and most important rock news, reviews and rumours from NZ and around the world. If you have anything you want to add email truerocksoc@gmail.com and chances are the exec will probably let you write your 2 cents worth.

Feel free to comment on postings and remember rock'n'roll ain't noise pollution!

Episode Two: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

2008-08-02T22:44:00.001+12:00

This is podcast number two for TrueRockSoc, and this time around the sucker's about an hour long, with more tunes, new and old for your listening pleasure. Max has a giveaway for all of you, as well as the news and updates I know you're all looking forward to.

But there's a catch. To be eligible to win the CD, you'll have to answer these three simple questions:
Numero uno - who is the vocalist fro Disturbed?
Numero dos - what is the name of Disturbed's mascot?
Numero tres - which video(s) has the mascot appeared in?

A quick google should have you the answers in no time. Email them to truerocksoc@gmail.com with "Disturbed" in the subject line, and we'll send the first correct entry your prize: Disturbed's new album, as well as a set of iPod speakers (which don't require batteries!)

As always, look for the link below the player to save it to your music library. You'll be redirected to a site called divshare, from which the link to download should be apparent. If you're having problems, make sure your browser's pop-up blocker isn't preventing the download.

Enjoy this one - it's the best yet!

To download this edition of the podcast, click here.

Track Listing:
1 The Checks - Mercedes Children
2 AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
3 Deftones - Drive (The Cars)
4 Slipknot - Psycho-Social
5 Primus/Ozzy Osbourne - N.I.B.
6 The Gaslight Anthem - Red In The Morning
7 Star Fucking Hipsters - Until We're Dead
8 The Living End - How Do We Know?
9 No Use For A Name - Domino
10 Strung Out - Calling
11 NoFX - Glass War
12 Anti-Flag - Modern Rome Burning
13 Crime In Stereo - Abre Los Ojos
14 Dax Riggs - Didn't Know Yet What I'd Know When I Was Bleeding
15 Jackson United - Trigger Happy

Episode One: Podcast Ahoy!

2008-04-22T20:14:00.000+12:00

Welcome to the TrueRockSoc blog page!

From here, you can stream or download our podcasts to add to your music library, and of course, catch up with all the news from Max "El Presidente" Hart, and myself - Hayden.

For our first podcast, we're kicking things off in style. Here's half an hour of the finest in rock and roll for your listening pleasure. To save it to your music library, click the link below the player. You'll be redirected to a site called divshare - this is normal. The link should be apparent from this page.

To download and save this podcast, click here.

Track Listing:
1 Shihad - My Mind's Sedate
2 Muse - Citizen Erased
3 Jane's Addiction - Just Because
4 Kyuss - Hurricane
5 The Lillingtons - I Saw The Apeman (Walking On The Moon)
6 Sommerset - Love Like A Hurricane (Magdelene)