I’m standing out in front of the Granada Theater minding my own as were the other 10 or so people who were milling around waiting for Jay Reatard to take the stage and then a time machine from the year 1951 (black Tahoe) full of people (frat boys) drove by and yelled, “F*CKIN’ QUEERS!” Continue Reading

The wild west has already been won/
Northern lights are growing colder/
And the old eastern ways are gone/
I’m going Southbound

-Thin Lizzy, Southbound Continue Reading

 If 2009 has proved anything, it is that the super group has apparently made its way back into fashion. The Dead Weather, Monsters of Folk, Chickenfoot; the musician mind meld has made its mark this year. Now, with the release of Them Crooked Vultures S/T album, we are given the chance to see what Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones have to offer.

Or perhaps 2009 is a year infatuated with talented musicians collaborating together. Take Beck’s 2008 “Modern Guilt”, with producer Danger Doom at the helm. These two brilliant minds came together to perform what are deemed their superior talents, and the result being a well received and interesting record for both parties. Yet this was not considered a “super group”, as it was a single unit of creative output. Doom acted as an addition, not just producer. In Them Crooked Vultures case, the band seemed to live in a mysterious grail of secrecy. They kept to themselves, avoided the press and wrote an album as a band, not a PR phenomenon.

Look at recent superstar groups Monsters of Folk and Chickenfoot and compare. With Monsters of Folk, you have a rotating cast of collaborating artists, yet each is still competing for a share of the spotlight. As for Chickenfoot, highly public figureheads came together to make what was basically a best of showcase for each individual talent in various parts of the songs. There is a lack of cohesiveness and unfortunately led to unoriginality. It’s like the drunk girl/guy you can, without a doubt, take home at the end of the night. It’s there, it will be pretty good, but what’s the point? You won’t remember it anyway.

Them Crooked Vultures, instead, makes for precise and engaging songwriting that displays these grandiose musicians coming together to take on writing an album, not selling an album. Not only that, but they have written a real capital n Rock N’ Roll record. One that purist have been opining for. It goes without saying that it not only raised the bar for consideration as one of the best outputs this year, but also in their respective careers.
To deem this just a super group would be understating the value these songs have. Led Zeppelin’s Jones has concocted notes on this album that bellow in your bones. Grohl, arguably the more visually famous member in the line-up, is arguably one of the best drummers of our generation and Homme, backed by QOTSA bud Alain Johannes on guitar, crunches and croons his witty and sultry tales of lust, drugs and; cleverly titled, “Caligulove”. So why then must they fall into the cliché of “super group”? No, it isn’t fair to label this as just three notorious musicians, who have spearheaded their own rock movements coming together and prescribing a “super” tagline. Legacy was what came to mind when trying to describe these songs, these artists, this album. It is a triumphant tome to the past from which all three hails. It is easy to compare Them Crooked Vultures to the past, but that seems to be the sole problem with this album. There is supposed to be a gimmick with these bands, yet here there is none. It’s a record and a damn fine one no matter which way you look at it. Take away the mythology and allure behind each character and you still come away with an album that delivers at every turn. It’s loud, it’s bold and it’s damn near perfect; if you avoid the comparisons.
But these will not be forgotten. Josh Homme will always be Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl the Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman and John Paul Jones the low end to Jimmy Paige. But it doesn’t have to be that, you have the power to change that viewpoint and take Them Crooked Vultures as a band. Not a thing, trend, hit maker, etc; but an exhilarating band who just so happened to create THE rock record of the year. The rock record that will be sought after in comparison not for the members, but for the influence and robust breath of fresh air it has brought to everyone’s record collection.

- D. Ward
NYC

Jerry Fuchs, drummer for Maserati, Juan MacLean, !!! passed away. Read the very sad story at Brooklyn Vegan.

 See Fuchs with Mazerti that Annie Cuce shot a few weeks ago at Hailey’s

I hope you already figured out that the title is absolutely false.

Wolfmother is not where you should go for a nice quiet evening.

Wolfmother is where you go if you want to have your face rocked off.

That is what they do, that is what they are good at. By good I mean really Damn Good.

Last night at the House of Blues was one of those loud shows where they rock so hard that you put in your earplugs but immediately take them out so as not to ruin the quality of the music.

They are one of the bands that proves Rock N Roll is still alive and kicking. If you missed it, well they rocked hard plain and simple.

I am assuming their Best Buy show was also awesome, but living in Fort Worth made it too hard to catch on my end.

If I wasn’t so broke right now, I would have bought a signed CD for $15 last night which now I regret. Budgets suck.

If you are not on a budget then you should go out and buy the album.

I have to budget because I will be back at House of Blues tonight for the Pogues followed by Ghostland Observatory at Palladium tomorrow, then DeadMaus next Friday at HOB, Funfunfunfest next weekend and Pretty Lights the following Tuesday.  This is where the whole budgeting thing comes into play. Should be fun even on a budget.

Check out the video HERE.

John
rideincircles
http://www.youtube.com/user/rideincircles