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

About Lou/’Tallica’s “Junior Dad”…

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While a lot of people are giving “Lulu” negative reviews, one thing that everyone agrees with that most think “Junio Dad”, was the best song on there. I agree as well. “Junior Dad” is the best song on “Lulu”. The song really showed a lot of emotion and intensity.

However, there are some people that enjoy “Junior Dad”, but they complain that the song is way too long. The song is almost 20 minutes long. In the song’s defense, when musicians go off playing a song as long as possible, they improvise it. When they feel that “emotion” while playing a song, sometimes they can’t help themselves but keep the music going. They are playing through their minds and letting the fingers do the talking. Songs progress.

If you think Junior Dad is long, why don’t you try listening to Iron Butterfly’s, “In a Gadda Vida”, that song is way over 20 minutes. What about Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”. Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Phish, and most rock bands have written songs that are over 20 minutes.

The way I look at long songs, they don’t bother me. I listen to music like a piece of art, I don’t care about the song length. That’s the way bands play music sometimes, they stop playing when they feel like it.

While I did like the whole album, “Lulu”, “Junior Dad” is my favorite one on there too. I’m looking forward to see how well this album sells in the Billboard 200. It may become a no. 1 record. A lot of you will think this album is not going to sell well at all, but I disagree. I am predicting it’s going to be a hit. It might be a no. 1 record for a couple of weeks at least. While Metallica fans and metalheads may not enjoy this album, keep in mind that Lou himself has a large following of fans of his own. I’m betting my money this album will do well.

Enjoy “Junior Dad” below, feel free to grab a box of tissues if you need to wipe your eyes with, ’cause you might need it when you listen to this track.

Kev

Random/off topic posts

So what’s going on with the music???

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I’ve been trying to write some new originals, but I’ve been most focused on trying to become a better guitarist and singer. Learning how to do both at the same time.

For the singing, I’ve been working with “Metal Method’s Vocal Power”, the Jim Gillette instruction. I’ve just started using it again, practicing with it everyday. I do want to be a better singer, my goal is to get to those higher notes and to try and sing stronger. My singing is kind of soft like a Bob Dylan/Tom Petty kind of voice. I want to be better and hopefully be looked at as a “singer” than just a guitar player. I’m trying the best I can and learning.

“Vocal Power” instruction really works. It really does help your singing voice stronger as I feel my voice has gotten just a little bit stronger just by practicing with it.

I do got a lot of original song ideas and I hope to get ’em out of my chest soon. I also plan to give “Evil Fred”, a re-write. Change the music around a little bit, and re-write the lyrics totally. “Evil Fred” is one of my popular songs, it used to be the most requested song at the gigs from the past, and I plan to revive it to a new version.

The next question is, will I ever gig again? My answer, I don’t know. I love gigging and I love performing live in front of people. Only thing though, I lost my appreciation and respect for this area’s music scene due to un-professionalism and negativity around here. Plus, people don’t go to shows anymore, so why even bother? I can just perform live for you all right on my video camera, for livestream or something like that.

I just do music for fun. I’m not looking to make a name for myself or make money doing it, I do it ’cause it’s what I do. Even though I don’t play shows, I still play guitar and sing every day. I’ll never give that up.

I’ve been trying to come up with new songs lately.

Kev

music

Thought: More on this Lou/’Tallica project…

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Ya know, I completely understand that people are entitled to their own opinions with music. You either like it or you don’t, that’s all good with me. The same goes for Lou Reed. If people are not into his music, that’s all cool. What’s bothering me is that people have been disrespecting him as a person and disrespecting his music legacy. When I defend Lou Reed on the internet, I’m not trying to force people to like him. That’s not that what I’m doing.

What I’m trying to do are two things: 1) Trying to get people to learn about Lou’s musical past and respect his legacy 2) Try to ask people to give “Lulu” a second chance.

It’s pretty obvious that most metalheads and Metallica fans don’t know anything about Lou Reed. I’ve seen people write some of the nastiest shit about Lou in facebook, it’s just crazy.

Here, I’ll post some examples of what people have been writing about Lou in facebook (I’ll leave their first & last names out of ’em of course, these are REAL comments posted in facebook that are aimed at Lou Reed)…they were taken from various fan pages…

–“Thats because it sucks. I don’t care how OPEN Lars wants us to be or how liberating it was for him to play this crap. Never could stand any Lou Reed song. I don’t have a clue how people like him ever got famous in the first place. Even if I was stoned, was a hippie in the 60’s I still would think he sucked!”

–“Lou Reed sucks, and ‘Tallica made a huge mistake working with him. I understand being a fan…but he’s crap. Pure crap. His vocals are like having a ten-penny nail bashed into my ears”

–“This will be remembered for a long time as one of the most wasteful examples of the Earth’s resources. Lou Reed’s vocals are so disgraceful. My ass passing diarrhoea makes more musical like sounding noises that Lou Reeds voice box. FUCKING TERRIBLE music”

-“Are any of you people actually musicians? Because this is pure shit, and some of your opinions don’t reflect that. Lou Reed’s vocals are just horrible, and always have been. Being 69 years old and an “avant garde” artist are no excuse for this….whatever the hell it is. @ Jose Luis Zurita- I’m 25 and I guarantee you I’ve forgotten more about music history than you know. Anyone with decent taste in music is shitting all over this right now, hoping Lou goes back to the old folks’ crazy home, and hoping Metallica got all this experimental bullshit out of their systems before they sit down to write/record their follow-up to Death Magnetic.”

-“This sucks, it doesn’t even sounds like music. Lou your voice has nothing to do with music as well! T H I S S U C K S!”

You get the idea??? People just disrespected the man, not realizing who he really is. A rock n’ roll legend, an American icon, a genius and a true master at rock n’ roll. This is just proof that people don’t know their music history that well.

Kev

Crazy stuff

Thought: About the Ohio exotic animals controversy…

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Everybody’s been talking about this on the internet so I thought I would give my opinion and thoughts on this news. Earlier this week, a man named Terry W. Thompson, who owned an animal farm full of exotic animals in Zanesville, killed himself after releasing his animals. There were tigers, lions, black bears, baboons, a wolf, various monkeys, etc. The list is endless.

The Zanesville police department shot and killed most of the animals, but a few still haven’t been found. I would think the few that haven’t been found are probably out in the woods somewhere. In my opinion, I think killing the animals was just wrong. They should have captured the animals and put them back out in the wild where they originally came from.

As for why Terry did this, I’m seeing a lot of people are calling him a prick for this, but the way I look at it is, maybe he did it to try and send a message? Maybe he felt bad that he kept those animals. Maybe he wanted to send a message to other exotic animal farms and family Zoos in the United States, that all animals need to be out in the wild. Just a few things to think about, you know? I think he was protesting something, sending a clear message. He didn’t do this as a random act, he had something to say.

These are just my thoughts, that is all.

Kev

music

Brock calls Lou Reed & Metallica’s “Lulu”, an absolute masterpiece, wow, what an incredible mind blowing album!!!!

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Yes, the title of this topic is no joke. I’m 100% serious on it. Lou Reed & Metallica just uploaded the “Lulu” album in it’s entirety on their website, just the day after they uploaded 30 second clips of each song. Weird, right? Well I actually sat here and listened through the whole thing from start to finish.

After all these people slamming this album, calling it “shit”, saying this collaboration shouldn’t happen, and blah blah blah. I mean, really? Did they listen to the same record I did? Most people bashing this album, have no intelligent argument to back it up with. I’m sure most of them, just listened to it for a little bit, then they stop, go in facebook and bash it, just for something to bash at, and join the bandwagon with their followers.

The thing that people don’t understand about this album, “Lulu”, well, it’s a concept album, a rock musical opera. Kind of like what the Who did with “Tommy/Quadrophenia” and Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, like I explained before. It’s all experimental music. Ever listen to Iron Butterfly and ELO? Those two bands did the experimental thing back in their time too with their records.

The kids that bash this album are mostly Metallica fans, expecting this album “Lulu” to be a pop record. For example, people expect, “Lulu” to be full of hits and radio singles that Metallica is well known for. Well, if you’re expecting this record to be full of catchy songs, where you can sing along with and bang your head to, well you’re probably not gonna like this album. This album was never meant to be for pop radio singles that you were hoping for.

The thing about Lou Reed, that he is a bit older than most of us. So he doesn’t look at today’s music like we all do. He’s an old school kind of guy and I can kind of see that in this record. When I listened to this album, it is all Lou Reed. Everything. Metallica is just a backing band, that’s it. James Hetfield only provided backing vocals for the choruses and stuff.

Lou’s songwriting style in this record is kind of similar to his older stuff he did with the Velvet Underground and solo records. Yes, there’s a bit of similarities to “Walk on the Wildside” and “Sweet Jane” to some of the songs on the album, if you know what I mean by that. Lou just plays an organ throughout most of it. There are some songs where it’s just him and his organ alone with no band back up, then the band will kick in later.

Lou is the narrator, he’s doing the spoken word thing for a good reason. He talks over throughout most of the songs because he’s telling a story, about a woman named Lulu who had a troubled life. Mostly about hate, greed, suicide, and love. The lyrics are going to be very dark and controversial, but if they weren’t, then people wouldn’t even listen to these songs.

Some people like to pick which songs are the best and they pick out the best riffs from Metallica, but that’s not what this album was made for. This album is like a book or a movie. It wants you to know the story about Lulu. Just my 2cents, have you ever gone camping and you sit around a campfire with a group of family & friends, and you have a storyteller telling you campfire stories? Well, that’s kind of what’s going on here. Except it’s Lou Reed reading you a story.

There’s a lot of emotion and sadness in Lou Reed’s singing, especially in the song, “Junior Dad” which was the most powerful track on the whole record. The whole album is great but “Junior Dad”, really hit me hard, and a song never did that to me before. It maybe a long 20 minute song, but the song is very emotional. I can see why the song made Metallica cry in the studio after listening to it. It almost makes you feel sorry for Lulu even though she is just a fictional character. Of all the terrible things she went through. The songs on the album will describe the things she went through.

I think this was the best thing that Lou Reed & Metallica has ever done. So far, this is the best album of 2011. You get way too much crap mainstream music like all this pop & rap garbage you hear in the top 40 everyday, but finally real music is being made with Lou Reed & Metallica. It definitely felt like the 60’s  & 70’s all over again with this “Lulu”, album. This album was a true work of art. I’m definitely buying this album when it comes out.

This Lulu story by Frank Wedekind is something else, and people deserve to learn about it. Despite the negative feedback on this album, the story is already grabbing people’s attention whether they like it or not. Lou/’Tallica will probably go on tour for this record soon and I can definitely see Lou/’Tallica not playing their hits, and playing this “Lulu” album in it’s entirety on their tour. Seeing them playing these songs live would be an emotional experience.

To those that are giving this album negative feedback, give this album another listen and stick through the whole thing. Give it time, it’ll grow on you, and soon you’ll realize that this album is a masterpiece. I loved it. I really did.

Kev

movies

Brock’s Top 20 Favorite Horror films of all time…

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It’s that’s time again. Halloween is just around the corner and I think it’s about time to do another Top Favorite Horror films list of all time. Just my way of recommending you some good stuff to watch on Halloween night. I think I usually do 15 every year, but I think I’ll do 20 this time. The list changes yearly due to the newer horror films that come out lately.

If you’re looking for some good movies to watch with all the lights off, here’s my list:

  1. Halloween (Carpenter version) – I’ll never get tired of this masterpiece. I watch it pretty much every Halloween night and I’m sure other people do as well. It’s a classic, indeed.
  2. Halloween II (Rob Zombie version) – Critics and movie fans hated this movie, but I fucking LOVED it. I thought Rob did a wonderful job on doing justice with Michael Myers, the way he’s supposed to be. This was a really disturbing and creepy film. I haven’t seen this film in a long time, maybe I’ll watch it again this weekend.
  3. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn – This is my favorite of the Evil Dead series. Love this movie too much. If you want to be scared to death, get grossed out and laugh your ass off at the same time, this is the film for you. Always a great film to watch on Halloween.
  4. The Exorcist – Of course, can’t leave this one off the list, and it needs to be in the top 5 for sure. Can never forget the incredible performance by Max Von Sydow.
  5. The Omen (original) – Man, I love this movie. Everything about this movie is perfect, and of course, Gregory Peck was amazing in this flick.
  6. Night of the Living Dead (original) – Can’t forget the George A. Romero classic, the man responsible for bringing zombies into films. There maybe so many zombie flicks over the years, but nothing else will be able to top this masterpiece.
  7. Dracula (1931, original) – There’s been way too many remakes of “Dracula” over the years, but nothing will top the Bela Lugosi classic. While Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is a wonderful film, the original will always be better.
  8. A Nightmare on Elm St. (both, original & remake, two way tie) – I loved both the original Wes Craven film and the remake just the same. I loved Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy.
  9. Nosferatu (original, 1932, silent film) – Forget “Twilight” and forget all the nonsense Anne Rice Lestat books. Nosferatu is probably the best vampire of them all.
  10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) – I’m probably gonna get slammed for this, but I loved the remake more than the original Tobe Hooper version. I thought the remake did the Leatherface character just right. Plus, Marcus Nispel’s vision of horror films is just fascinating.
  11. The Ring (remake) – The 2002 film starring Naomi Watts, this film is actually pretty scary as hell. While I did love this movie, I didn’t care for the sequel too much though.
  12. Frailty – A film about two young kids living with their Dad who is a serial killer, in which he saw people as demons. It’s a really good film.
  13. Wolf Creek – It’s another serial killer film, one of the better new horror films. About young backpackers getting kidnapped by a psycho madman. Check it out.
  14. Hellraiser I and II – Most of the Hellraiser movies were pretty bad, but I think the first two Hellbound films were the best. It is sad the Horror film industry ruined such a great character. I hope Hellraiser gets a re-boot someday.
  15. Twilight Zone: The Movie – Do you want to see something, really scary? Enough said!
  16. I Spit On Your Grave (Remake) – A film about a young girl who has been gang raped by a bunch of men, and she kills her attackers for revenge. This film will be a gross out, but it’s a really good revenge story. I love this film.
  17. An American Werewolf In London – Time to throw another classic in here. I think this is the best werewolf movie.
  18. Paranormal Activity series – A lot of people are giving the P.A. movies bad reviews, but I honestly love them so far. I love the story of Katie Featherston. I’m looking forward to the 3rd movie. The third “P.A.” movie is actually a prequel of the first movie.
  19. The Others – This is an excellent ghost story, starring Nicole Kidman. The pacing maybe slow and you may not be into it at first, but it’ll grow on you.
  20. Buried – It’s not really a horror film but scary enough to watch it on Halloween. It stars Ryan Reynolds, about a US truck driver based in Iraq, finds himself buried alive in a coffin underground. This movie is actually pretty scary. Why? Because it’s realistic. I watched this movie on Netflix a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it.
That’s it. There are too many horror films that I like but those above are my favorite.
Kev
music

Cool Video’s: Hear some new songs from William Shatner’s “Seeking Major Tom” here…

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William Shatner’s new spoken word album, “Seeking Major Tom” is out now and hear a few tracks including an official music video of his cover, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. I do plan to buy this album soon, ’cause I enjoy Shatner’s spoken word stuff. He’s very talented at that. “Seeking Major Tom” is a two disc album, full of rock n’ roll covers.

Enjoy a few tracks from his new album in the videos below. They rock. I love ’em!

Kev

music

Lou/’Tallica posts 30 second clip of each song on their album, “Lulu”…

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Lou/’Tallica uploaded 30 second clips of each track on, “Lulu”, you can listen to them, here.

I think I’m starting to figure out why most people are bashing this project. It isn’t Metallica they are hating on, it’s Lou Reed people are bashing. I’m finding that most people enjoy the music of Metallica on “Lulu”, but it’s Lou Reed’s singing that a lot of people aren’t liking.

Let me tell you why…all these Metallica fans who are bashing Lou Reed are mostly young kids that are strictly metal fans. They aren’t really into any other genres outside of metal. I am thinking they don’t really listen to regular rock n’ roll much. Lou Reed has been in the music industry for at least 40 years, he had a longer career than Metallica. I’m willing to bet, Metallica fans don’t even know much about Lou Reed’s music career. Kids of today’s generation are having a hard time understanding Lou Reed.

I’ve been a Lou Reed fan for years, I love both of them, Lou and Metallica. I love the “Velvet Underground” stuff and Lou’s solo album, “Transformer”.

Does the metal world deserve an introduction to Lou Reed? Hell yes, absolutely.

The songs I’m hearing on “Lulu”, Metallica still has that old school speed metal sound, especially the song, “Mistress Dread” which reminds me of, “And Justice For All”. People trashing Lou’s vocals, they just don’t understand that Lou had the same singing style for years. Lou still sings the same way. Lou may not sing as good as James Hetfield, yes, but the passion is there in Lou’s singing, and the way he sings is very poetic sounding.

Just give it time, when “Lulu” comes out Nov. 1st, I know a lot of people are going to buy the album, just out of curiosity. So it’ll probably sell well. I’d be surprised if it becomes a no. 1 record. When people buy the album, they’ll want to look into Lou Reed’s past, they’ll start to listen to the Velvet Underground and his solo music, maybe, the fans will have a change of heart with Lou and say to themselves, “Man, Lou Reed is actually a genius”. That’s what I’m hoping.

Lou’s songs on “Lulu” is really deep and serious stuff. The stories have always been controversial and scared people for years. Frank Wedekind’s work is really incredible stuff. Wedekind’s work deserves to get known in the U.S.

Kev

 

music

BREAKING NEWS: The Stone Roses finally confirm reunion for world tour and possible new album…

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While the Stone Roses career, may have been very brief and made only two albums in their career, you just wonder if they’ll ever make a return. Well, now you can stop wondering. Today the band held a press conference, officially confirming their reunion for a world tour and possible new studio album.

You can see the band themselves in the video below, announcing the reunion. After a 15 year long hiatus, the Stone Roses are back!

I was never that big of a fan of them, but I do enjoy their tunes. I never bought their records, but I heard their stuff on the radio all the time. Radio stations still play their songs.

I agree with most people, if they stuck together after all these years, they could have been the biggest band in the world but their career was short lived. Not anymore! Hopefully they do record a new album. Two albums by the Stone Roses is not enough.

Kev

Celebrity news

Not a Cool Video: Shia Labeouf involved in bar brawl in Vancouver…

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The star of “Transformers”, “Indy IV”, and “Wall Street 2”, Shia Labeouf is seen here in this video getting into a fight with some shirtless fat guy, at some bar in downtown, Vancouver. Shia was in town because he was filming his next movie, “The Company You Keep”, which is a Robert Redford directed thriller.

After the fight was broken up, another big man is seen yelling at Shia’s face, telling him he better lay low.

Whether Shia started it or not, he shouldn’t have been there. Why? Simply because he’s a superstar. An icon who has been in some pretty big blockbusters. If he’s out in a public bar, of course, he’s going to get all kinds of drunk people trying to start shit with him because I’m sure people are going to be jealous of his fame & fortune. That’s what all this is about, in my opinion. They all hate with jealous rage, you can clearly see jealousy written all over that guy’s face when he was yelling at him.

Kev