Airbourne Live!
Review By Gregory O.
Photos Dan Savoie
April 19th, Vancouver BC
“Are we going to party toniiiiight?” wailed through the microphone with an eerie similarity to fellow frontman Brian Johnson of AC/DC, as Aussie band Airbourne took the stage. With a half bottle of Jack Daniels in hand, front man Joel O’Keeffe was destined to tear this small and sweaty night club apart by the time he was done with it. The four piece band from Melbourne whose debut album Runnin’ Wild hit the shelves early in 2008 came out of the gates with more force and persistence than I have seen in a very long time. Their opening tracks portrayed an encore rather than an intro as this group from down under was just starting to fire things up.
If one had to describe a band and their unforgettable experience, look no further than one of the band’s own verses from “Stand up for Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
“All right people/Welcome to the show/Are you ready to rock? /Are you ready to go? /Now we’ve got what you want/And we’ve got what you need/So get your ass down here/And let your ears bleed.”
These guys know how to have a good time and they know how to get the party started. The pit was jammed with ambitious and rambunctious fanatics that crowded the already tight, Pilsner can littered stage location. This was not a problem for these rockers as the easy stage access promoted this chaotic crowd interaction. Throughout the set Joel was rudely rewarded by multiple microphone stands crashing into his face. If this was an Oasis show the gig would have ended right then and there, but not for Airbourne, this seemed to make them play even harder.
The boys belted out song after song from Runnin’ Wild and included fan favorites “Fat City”, “Diamond in the Rough”, “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast” and “Runnin’ Wild”. Nearing the end of their set Joel got this look on his face that translated into some kind of disappointment. He jumped off the side stage mid song as he made his way through the bar and maintained his lead guitar duties simultaneously. Noticeably on a mission Joel headed straight to the bar located in the middle of the show floor. Much to the surprise of the bartenders Joel jumped up to the bar top to deliver this distinctive guitar solo. Before returning to the stage to join his brother Ryan (drums), David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass) Joel jumped behind the bar and deviously swiped a new bottle of Jack. Now clear what started this undertaking in the first place he got back under the lights and took a huge pull from the newly acquired bottle to extinguish his worked up thirst. To the lucky maniacs in the front rows he doused Jack Daniels down the throats of all willing and unwilling sweaty metal fans.
Airbourne is no doubt a hard working band with an emphasis on throwing one hell of a party each and every night.
“As long as I am alive… and as long as you are alive. Rock and Roll will never die!”
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Interview With Edenbridge
Interview By Melissa Smith
XS BS: Why did you choose to post tracks from My Earth Dream online prior to its official release?
Lanvall: Well, It´s important to post sound samples before the release to let the fans listen to the new album. We put 4 one minute samples on Myspace and did 40 second samples of the other songs on our homepage. The promo CD has 3 songs without voice-overs, the rest is with voice overs which is absolutely necessary in today´s times.
XS BS: You stated that the goal is to make each Edenbridge album different. How do you think that My Earth Dream is different from its predecessors?
Lanvall: Very different of course. All our trademarks are still there of course, but the new face of the band is much much heavier due to the use of 7-string guitars and also much more symphonic because we used a real orchestra this time.
XS BS: How did your collaboration with the Czech Film Orchestra develop?
Lanvall: Of course the orchestra was something very exciting on this new album. It was my long time dream to be able to work with a real one sometimes and now this idea came to life. So we hired the 65-piece “Czech Film Orchestra” which also did recordings for Hollywood movies in the past and recorded all the orchestra parts within 9 hours at the Czech Television in Prague.
All in all it was a very stressy day cause you need to be 100 % prepared and you never know which things are happening, one wrong note in the score and it´s minutes to solve the problem and the studio clock is ticking. But finally it was great experience listening to your own music played by a real orchestra.
XS BS: Would you consider a project with the Vienna Art Orchestra?
Lanvall: I don´t really know the Vienna Art Orchestra, I know it by name of course but nothing of the music they do.
XS BS: Due to the symphonic nature of your sound, do you find that you have listeners that usually would not listen to metal?
Lanvall: I think so. I think we have to ability to combine fans from metal to gothic and to people who are not into metal at all normally. This of course depends on how good the music is promoted.
XS BS: You have moved from US based Sensory to German label Massacre, and now you have been with Austrian label Napalm for the last two years. Is there an advantage to working with a label located within your own country?
Lanvall: Well, Sensory only licensed our first 2 albums for the American market. Our long-time label was Massacre Records who released all our previous albums in Europe and had the world wide rights. 1 year ago we signed for Napalm Records with whom we are in touch for a couple of years now. They also licensed our last album “The Grand Design” for the American market. I think there are a lot of advantages with a label from your country. The mentality is similar which makes working much easier and it´s only 1,5 hours to drive when you have to discuss things that can not be discussed on the phone.
XS BS: You have only done one cover, “For Your Eyes Only” from James Bond. Will you record any more covers?
Lanvall: At the moment there are no plans for that. But who knows.
XS BS: Why do you think there is such a huge metal following in Northern Europe?
Lanvall: I think it´s not only Northern Europe, it´s nearly whole Europe. Europe and especially Germany was always a good market for metal, cause the fans are very loyal here and not so trend orientated maybe as in other parts of the world, very similar to Japan.
XS BS: Your material includes Star Trek references, your only cover is from a film, and now you have collaborated with the film orchestra. Do you have any desire to write film scores or contribute to soundtracks?
Lanvall: Writing music for films would be great. At the moment I am totally focussed on Edenbridge of course but maybe the new album generates some interest in the movies scene, if people from this scene have the chance to listen to it, cause there are some huge orchestra things on the album which could also be from a movie.
XS BS: This is your ten year anniversary as a band. How will you commemorate the occasion?
Lanvall: I don´t think we will commemorate in a special way. Now it´s time for touring and hopefully it will continue like this later on in the year. But there is no plan for something special like a DVD. Maybe it´s time to do something special in 09/10 cause 99 we recorded our first album which then came out in 2000.
XS BS: Some of your lyrics on My Earth Dream suggest a nostalgia for the past when the threat to nature was not so pronounced and yet your band is known for its SciFi references. How do you reconcile those two interests?
Lanvall: That´s not difficult. I am loving Star Trek, especially DS9 and Next Generation because of its humanistic aspects. There are no wars and no need for profit gains anymore on earth in the 24th century, therefore there is no more rapture done to Mother Earth. This is what mankind has to develop to survive and mankind can only survive with an intact nature.
XS BS: Two of your members list New Zealand as a dream holiday on your website. Would you consider a tour in that part of the world?
Lanvall: Of course, if we get an offer to tour there it would be great. We toured in Asia twice and Oceania would be another dream to be realized.
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You can check out the latest release from Edenbridge on their website:
www.edenbridge.org
www.myspace.com/edenbridge
Eddie Vedder April Fools tour
April 2, 2008 Vancouver, BC
By Gregory O.
Eddie Vedder’s highly anticipated April Fools tour kicked off April 2nd. A small and very personal theater was the setting for this special occasion and consisted of only Eddie and his basic necessities.
Eddie nervously delivered his first few songs of the night including “Around the Bend” from No Code before stopping to shed some light on how special of an evening this was for him, and for the 1800 eager fans in attendance. There is something about the first time you do or see something that ensures you are always going to remember the experience. In this case it was a magical first for Vedder and for his fans alike. Alluding to another memorable first, he announced that he was wearing the exact same Butthole Surfers shirt as he did the first time Pearl Jam took the stage together as a band. Being a notorious enthusiast of the ocean he especially liked the vertical placement of the word surfers.
The evening was compiled of songs from the soundtrack Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, rarities from his band Pearl Jam and a various versions of songs written and previously performed by other great musicians. Mr. Vedder continually paid homage to a horde of musical influences and there wasn’t a soul in the audience that didn’t sing along to the Beatle’s “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” and to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”.
Though Eddie mostly stuck to singing and playing he did take time to speak his mind about a few things. He spoke of current events and some simple but humorous events from his past. He gracefully mumbled monologues about trips to the hardware store and about his ukulele named Luke that was a better friend to him than some he had come across previously. His undisputed generosity and charm kept the crowd engaged between songs as he responded to comments and opinions made by various audience members.
You could tell that Vedder was getting a little antsy on his stool as he decided to crank things up with an enthusiastic rendition of “Porch” from Ten and a plugged in performance of Hard Sun to end the evening that was accompanied by opening artist Liam Finn on the skins. This was a magical evening from start to finish and will not soon be forgotten. Those looking to hear more hits from Pearl Jam can do exactly that when the band hits the road in early June.
Spirit Creek: A Culture of Unaccountability
Spirit Creek: A Culture of Unaccountability
by Melissa Smith
A Culture of Unaccountability is the 5th release from this Milwaukee, Wisconsin quartet formed in 1996. Released early in 2008, the recording was produced, mixed and engineered by lead singer Doug Shea, who also acts as chief lyricist on the tracks.
Although 13 songs are listed, the opener is a minute in length and “Odium Rising”, the beautifully atmospheric instrumental that comprises track 7 is only 30 seconds long.
Spirit Creek site their influences as Radio Head, The Cure and Morrissey amongst others, but their powerful stadium rock sound on the remaining 11 tracks will likely appeal to fans of a more driven sensibility.
The harder rocking songs such as “The Black Co.”, “Within a Grin” and “In Hell” channel Metallica while the last two tracks of the album have a slight feel of Tool. Throughout the album, often unexpected but well executed harmonizing adds to the soundscape. Spirit Creek have previously played with Nickelback and the vocal stylings from their slower songs like “Mirror Track” and “I Am” are reminiscent of their neighbours to the north, with the ghost of Chad Krueger at his finest, hanging over several tracks on the album.
With its anthemic angsty sound, power ballad “I Am” is the standout track on the album. If the song receives airplay, it has the potential to catapult this band into stadium filling capacity. After 12 years of plugging away, they’ve earned it.
