All posts by Kev Brock

I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, blogger, writer, poet, bodybuilder, movie lover, music lover, video gamer, history/political buff, conservative/republican, etc. I like to do a lot of things.
music

Thought: Metallica’s “St. Anger” is NOT a horrible album!

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As a matter of fact, I really like the album. In my opinion, the album is pretty good. Not as excellent as “Death Magnetic” or their old stuff, but “St. Anger” had good songs on it. “St. Anger” showed a different side of Metallica.

Their goal as a band was, they wanted to have a different style of music every album they do. There are no guitar solos on the album “St. Anger”, but hey, that’s fine with me. They are a band. The band is not afraid to do what they want to do.

The reason there are no guitar solos on “St. Anger” was that Kirk Hammett was tired of being a “lead guitar” player, he hated being looked at as a soloist in the band when he also wanted to be looked at as a rhythym player and songwriter of the band too. In the movie “Some Kind of Monster”… Kirk Hammett, said so himself during the recording of “St. Anger” that he was bored of playing too many guitar solos for songs. He wanted to write more riffs and write lyrics of his own toward the album.

Fans shouldn’t blame Metallica for keep changing their sound every album. All bands and musicians get tired of staying in the same style and genre. The same with Metallica. Look at songwriters like Beck and Neil Young who constantly changes genres every album.

Will Metallica stay to their old speed metal roots with “Death Magnetic” when they start recording their next album? I wouldn’t count on it. This classic speed metal style for “Death Magnetic” could be a one off. Never know that Metallica can change a genre and style again for their next album after “Death Magnetic”. And who knows how long Rob Trujillo will stay with the band. Trujillo could possibly last with Metallica for like two or three albums.

I really like the album “St. Anger”, always did. I never said it was bad, I was just going by the fan reactions.

Metallica are musicians and songwriters, just like everyone else. Musicians and songwriters go into different directions all the time. Even I do with my own music. You shouldn’t hate a band or a artist just because they don’t stay to their true original sound. They want to discover new things.

I am sick of music fans complaining about Metallica for going to a different direction, and I agree with James and Lars, that them being heavy and doing speed metal every single album would be boring. If Cliff Burton was still alive today and if he was still in Metallica, do you honestly think Cliff would want to be playing fast headbanging metal all the time? No. I don’t think so. Cliff would want to go through different directions in Metallica too.

The future of Metallica is not always going to be the same. I’ve seen the “Some Kind of Monster” movie last night and it was great. I will talk more about that some other time.

Kev

music

Report: Led Zeppelin tour actually gonna happen???

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Jimmy, Jonesy and Jason has been making music together still without Robert Plant since he was on tour with Allison Krauss. The three has talked about going on tour with Led Zeppelin but to go on without Robert since he constantly denies joining them everytime. Jimmy, Jonesy and Jason has been auditioning other singers to join the band.

When Robert received the news that the band was going to tour without him, this is what made Robert speak to the rest of the band on possibly joining them for a tour. Simply because Robert felt that there can not be a Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant because Robert Plant is Led Zeppelin. It is the truth. There can’t be a Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant. So sources say that Robert Plant may actually have a change of heart of joining the band for a full world tour and a possible new Led Zeppelin album.

More on it here:

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/led_zeppelin_fullscale_reunion_tour_in_works

In the next week or two expect Jimmy Page or Robert Plant to speak out on this article printed at the Sun newspaper with them saying that it ain’t true.

Don’t get your hopes up yet.

Kev

Celebrity/musician deaths

RIP: Paul Newman 1925 – 2008

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I am very sad to report this heartbreaking news of the death of legendary actor, Paul Newman. He is known to star in many great movies such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “Cool Hand Luke”, “The Sting”, “The Color of Money”, “The Road to Perdition”, etc.

Paul Newman is an Academy award winning actor who died Friday after a long battle of cancer. He died in his farmhouse near Westport, Conn. where he was currently residing and he was surrounded by family. Before he was diagnosed with cancer, he had plans to direct a remake of “Of Mice and Men” but he had to cancel the project due to his health.

Paul Newman worked with many different legendary directors everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to the Coen Bros. His co-stars included Robert Redford, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Taylor, and more. Paul Newman was 83 years old.

Read more here on Paul Newman’s history:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obit_newman

movies, music

BREAKING NEWS: New Guns N’ Roses song to be included in “Body of Lies” movie…

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First Axl Rose gave a new Gn’R song to Rock Band 2, next they give a new song to the movie “Body of Lies” that stars Russell Crowe and Leo Dicaprio, the film is directed by Ridley Scott. Gn’r will release a song titled “If the World” a song from their long awaited album “Chinese Democracy” to the film. The song will be played during the closing credits but it won’t be released on the soundtrack CD of “Body of Lies”. These are really good signs that “Chinese Democracy” may see the light of day this year.

Rollingstone reports:

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/26/exclusive-guns-n-roses-premiering-new-song-if-the-world-in-body-of-lies/

I plan to see “Body Of Lies” in theater when it comes out ’cause the film looks good. Not because Gn’r has a song in the film now, I’m seeing it because I enjoy Ridley Scott movies.

Kev

Politics/war

McCain/Obama debate thoughts…

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Just got done watching the debate and it was interesting. As I predicted the debate was going to be pretty heated and negative. You can tell that Obama and McCain really hate each other for real. McCain and Obama didn’t even look at each other once when speaking even if Jim the moderator tried to get them to face each other.

When Obama is speaking, McCain is just laughing at him like “What the hell is this douche talking about”. I also loved it whenever McCain had to something to say he would say it and McCain wouldn’t stop talking whenever he wanted, even if the moderator wanted McCain to stop, McCain wouldn’t stop talking. Amazing!!!

That is why McCain is my guy. That’s who I’m still voting for and still on his side.

They mostly argued about taxes, oil, econonics, War in Iraq, Russia’s attacks on Georgia, 9/11, etc.

Next Thursday Oct. 2nd is the Vice President debate, it will be Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden and that one ought to be even more interesting.

I enjoyed watching tonight’s debate.

Kev

music

BREAKING NEWS: Confirmed…Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy” to be Best Buy exclusive officially…

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Rumours swirling around the world of the nets that the long awaited Gn’R album “Chinese Democracy” will be released on Nov. 25th through Best Buy exclusive. Turns out, that the release date rumour is false but it is true that “Chinese Democracy” will be Best Buy exclusive. The release date is still being worked out.

Billboard confirmed the news:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003855688

I’m not believing anything until I see the damn CD on the shelves, sorry.

I will buy it, if it ever comes out though.

Kev

music, World Wide Web

Thought: Why myspace music is going to fail big time…

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Those 4 major labels teaming up with myspace to make this happen are insane to go for it. Why is making music free in myspace a bad idea? It is going to hurt record label sales for albums on CD’s that you buy in the stores. People are no longer going to buy albums anymore because all the music will be free to listen to in myspace. It is not only going to make people stop buying songs from Itunes which is the whole point of this to compete with Itunes, but those fucking record labels didn’t think how this would hurt album sales.

While I do said before that I’m all for music should be a “free” market, I certainly do not want major labels doing that with myspace. This completely makes major labels fucking hypocrites when they all say they don’t want music giving out for free or albums leaked for free, yet they are willing to let myspace run free music.

Want to know why Metallica is dominating the Billboard charts? And charts all over the world? It’s because simply put no one is buying CD’s out there and Metallica has attracted people to buy “Death Magnetic” on CD just like the good old days. No one cares to buy CD’s anymore but Metallica has inspired people to go out to record stores again. It’s really simple to figure it all out.

What myspace is doing with music now is disgusting and pathetic. What major labels “should” really be doing with myspace music is go searching for unsigned and indie label artists, and signing them to the majors because there are talented songwriters and bands in myspace.

This just shows that myspace and the major labels could give a rats ass about unsigned and indie musicians. They think they are better than us. Myspace was oringally the heart of unsigned and indie bands/musicians but they ruined the fun for us by having major labels take over myspace just to compete with Itunes. Myspace is no longer a fun website for amateur, unsigned/indie label bands like it once was.

Expect unsigned and indie musicians to create a backlash at myspace to fight back at them to get what we want. Other than that, I really do think unsigned and indie musicians should forget myspace. We should just create a website similar to myspace a networking site for unsigned/indie musicians only with no major label associates. To make it better than myspace.

I could create a website like that myself, but I don’t have the computer skills to run it or the budget to keep it up all year round. I’m sure a site like that will happen for unsigned and indie labels when myspace pisses off enough musicians.

Kev