Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Travis Jammin
Video confirming my belief that Travis Barker is one of the best drummers in all of music. He definitely makes my top five, which include, in varying order, Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band), Chris Tsagakis (RX Bandits), Darren King (Mute Math), and Brian Rosenworcel (Guster). But man... this is a pretty tight video.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Rage on the rise
Man I wish I was there.
The rumor slipped that Rage Against the Machine was going to make a surprise appearance and perform in St. Paul, MN following the scheduled concert by Anti-Flag, but the local police pulled the plug on the concert (literally, they shut off power), leaving a very volatile situation. The audience was in a state of unrest after their anticipation and excitement was broken by the very "machine" they were hoping to "rage" against. Zack and Tom and the rest of RATM didn't disappoint, but instead came out and spoke to the crowd and led an acapella chant of "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name Of" (Local news reports here and Rolling Stone reported the incident here).
Now... lemme be clear. I don't agree with or align myself with all of Zack and RATM's political views and stances. I don't agree with them marching on the RNC. But I also don't agree with the police shutting them down and prohibiting them from performing, even if it is in a concert that is meant to be a demonstration against a particular political party. They were trying to demonstrate and protest peacefully (like anything that happens associated with RATM music is ever peaceful) and really played into Rage's hands by doing something that they could build off of. So the result ended up being a march on the RNC instead of a peaceful (albeit loud and chaotic) concert of opposition.
The rumor slipped that Rage Against the Machine was going to make a surprise appearance and perform in St. Paul, MN following the scheduled concert by Anti-Flag, but the local police pulled the plug on the concert (literally, they shut off power), leaving a very volatile situation. The audience was in a state of unrest after their anticipation and excitement was broken by the very "machine" they were hoping to "rage" against. Zack and Tom and the rest of RATM didn't disappoint, but instead came out and spoke to the crowd and led an acapella chant of "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name Of" (Local news reports here and Rolling Stone reported the incident here).
Now... lemme be clear. I don't agree with or align myself with all of Zack and RATM's political views and stances. I don't agree with them marching on the RNC. But I also don't agree with the police shutting them down and prohibiting them from performing, even if it is in a concert that is meant to be a demonstration against a particular political party. They were trying to demonstrate and protest peacefully (like anything that happens associated with RATM music is ever peaceful) and really played into Rage's hands by doing something that they could build off of. So the result ended up being a march on the RNC instead of a peaceful (albeit loud and chaotic) concert of opposition.
The reason I wish I was there is not because I wanted to go demonstrate and protest against the Republican party or Bush or McCain. I just love Rage Against the Machine and their music. And since their re-formation as a band (which Zack said involved the members putting aside their differences and disagreements to lead a movement against what they saw as wrong, because America "needs us now more than ever") I have been dying to see them in concert. The one time I did get to see them, it was incredible and still ranks as the greatest live performance I have ever witnessed.
Anyways. Rage is back. They are making some waves and stirring up fire in the bellies of some. I just wish I could have been 3 feet away while they performed via megaphone.
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