12/29/2013 Clutch, Into Another (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
By Eric | December 30, 2013 11:00 am
[Lionize was on the bill, didn’t see them.]
Clutch was always one of those bands that I knew existed, knew were pretty good, and probably should have gotten into but never did (ala Helmet). Considering they’ve been around for 20 years, just put out what many consider to be the best album of their career in Earth Rocker, and were playing tiny Montage, I figured I oughta go.
Into Another was the opener. I hadn’t heard of them prior to this, they’re apparently a post-hardcore / alternative band that were together from 1990-1996 and then got back together in 2012. They were good, sufficed as openers, but I wasn’t terribly into them.
Now Clutch on the other hand… I almost saw them back in 2001, when I saw Boy Hits Car open for them, but that was the 2nd of two shows that day, and we left before Clutch came on. Regardless, I was excited to see them this time around. I’d spun Earth Rocker online a couple of times, along with a couple other tunes, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to see (although I wouldn’t consider myself familiar with them at all), but I still was not prepared for the show I got. Lead singer Neil Fallon appears as if he’s pontificating from the stage with all the mannerisms and voice inflection of a televangelist. Talk about stage presence! Beyond that, the rest of the band was super-tight, and packing 400 people into the Montage, most all singing along and rocking out was a sight to behold. I ended up hanging out with an old friend, Rich (he of Hatebreed moshpit glasses fame!), who’s a big Clutch fan. I commented to him that it was a lot of fun for me to go to a show where I’m not hyper-analyzing it, fretting over what is and isn’t getting played; rather I can just enjoy the show for what it is, and enjoy other people going bonkers over their favorite band. Ah, so that’s what I look like! We got nearly an hour and a half set, the crowd ate up every second of it, and the band seemed to be feeding off that energy all night as well. Quote of the night, from lead singer Neil Fallon, after someone in the crowd had yelled to “play something heavy”, Fallon simply responded “F%$# YOU!”, and then the band proceeded to play something heavy! (You had to be there.)
Inexplicably, there has been no footage from this show put up on YouTube SOMEONE TAPED THE SHOW!! (there were phones/cameras rolling all night), so you get the one picture Rich snapped, as I didn’t bother to take any.
Clutch Setlist:
Earth Rocker
Mr. Freedom
50,000 Unstoppable Watts
The Face
Book, Saddle, and Go
Cyborg Bette
The Mob Goes Wild
Cypress Grove
The Regulator
Crucial Velocity
Unto the Breach
Struck Down
Gone Cold
Oh, Isabella
The Wolf Man Kindly Requests…
Electric Worry / One Eye Dollar
Came across a good review with some great pictures at Upstate Metal.
Topics: Concerts | 2 Comments »
Tags: 2013, Clutch, Into Another, Montage Music Hall, rochester
Machine Head – 2003 – Through the Ashes of Empires
By Eric | December 29, 2013 6:00 pm
Artist: Machine Head
Title: Through the Ashes of Empires
Label: Roadrunner
Released: Dec 30, 2003
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Imperium
#Bite The Bullet
#Left Unfinished
#Elegy
#In The Presence Of My Enemies
#Days Turn Blue To Gray
#Vim
#Seasons Wither
#All Falls Down
#Wipe The Tears
#Descend The Shades Of Night
Review:
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Tags: 2003, Jewel Case, Machine Head, Roadrunner, Standard
Machine Head – 1999 – The Burning Red
By Eric | December 29, 2013 6:00 pm
Artist: Machine Head
Title: The Burning Red
Label: Roadrunner
Released: Aug 10, 1999
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Enter The Phoenix
#Desire To Fire
#Nothing Left
#The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
#Silver
#From This Day
#Exhale The Vile
#Message In A Bottle
#Devil With The King’s Card
#I Defy
#Five
#The Burning Red
Review:
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Tags: 1999, Jewel Case, Machine Head, Roadrunner, Standard
Machine Head – 1997 – The More Things Change
By Eric | December 29, 2013 6:00 pm
Artist: Machine Head
Title: The More Things Change
Label: Roadrunner
Released: Mar 25, 1997
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Ten Ton Hammer
#Take My Scars
#Struck A Nerve
#Down To None
#The Frontlines
#Spine
#Bay Of Pigs
#Violate
#Blistering
#Blood Of The Zodiac
Review:
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Tags: 1997, Jewel Case, Machine Head, Roadrunner, Standard
Aaron Lewis – 2012 – The Road
By Eric | December 29, 2013 6:00 pm
Artist: Aaron Lewis
Title: The Road
Label: Blaster
Released: Nov 13, 2012
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#75
#The Road
#Endless Summer
#Red, White & Blue
#Lessons Learned
#Forever
#Granddaddy’s Gun
#State Lines
#Anywhere But Here
#Party in Hell
Review:
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Tags: 2012, Aaron Lewis, Blaster, Cardboard, Standard
Led Zeppelin – 1973 – Houses Of The Holy
By Eric | December 29, 2013 6:00 pm
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Title: Houses Of The Holy
Label: Atlantic
Released: Mar 28, 1973
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#The Song Remains The Same
#The Rain Song
#Over The Hills And Far Away
#The Crunge
#Dancing Days
#D’yer Mak’er
#No Quarter
#The Ocean
Review:
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Tags: 1973, Atlantic, Jewel Case, Led Zeppelin, Standard
My Top 12 Albums of 2013
By Eric | December 29, 2013 12:31 am
I don’t think I did this for 2012, and this seems like as good of a topic as any for the inaugural “blog post” of my music-only refocus of Woopop.com. Having to limit the list to ten always seemed so arbitrary, so you’re getting 12. It’s also in alphabetical order, because I’m not about to try and say one album was “better” than another, this is simply what I was spinning heavily this year.
Alter Bridge – Fortress
Continuing the strong, straight up hard rock that they’ve been known for since the first album, Alter Bridge brought it yet again on Fortress. I’ve written it before, but Myles Kennedy could sing over my cat’s screeching and I’d love it, and Mark Tremonti and crew are a damn sight better than that. I’d probably put this a shade ahead of ABIII, but just behind Blackbird. “Addicted to Pain” rips hard, “Lover” is probably as close as they’ve ever gotten to sounding like the Mayfield Four (Myles’ old band), and “Cry A River” is probably my favorite track on the album.
Chimaira – Crown of Phantoms
Everyone wondered if Chimaira could come back and be Chimaira after turning over the entire lineup, save for lead singer Mark Hunter. The answer was a resounding YES. To me, the first 30 seconds of the first song (The Machine) told me everything I needed to know. After that, “No Mercy”, “Plastic Wonderland” and “Wrapped in Violence” are highlights.
Eye Empire – Evolve
One of the hardest working bands in rock today rewarded their die-hards this year with Evolve, which amplified everything that made Impact great. The heavy got a little heavier, the melodies a bit sweeter, BC’s solo’s even tastier. Check out “War Isn’t Over Yet”, “Beyond The Stars”, “Bleed” (which you can absolutely tell Corey Lowery had a hand in, hello Stereomud vibe!), and “Live Loud”.
Fall Out Boy – Save Rock And Roll
#MUPS have been lit. Wow. I’ve always liked FOB, have all the albums, and I always thought From Under The Cork Tree was their best complete album. This is stealing the title. Given all that, I was (and still am) genuinely surprised at how much I’ve ended up listening to this album, and how much I like it. A truly solid pop-rock album from top to bottom with no duds. No highlights because I’d just have to list the entire tracklist.
Filter – The Sun Comes Out Tonight
Picking up where they left off with 2010’s The Trouble With Angels, Filter delivered a great follow-up with this one. The heavier tracks have some great riffs (We Hate It…, What Do You Say, It’s Got To Be Right Now, This Finger’s For You), and the slower tunes / ballads are very well done (Surprise, It’s My Time). My personal favorite is definitely “Self Inflicted”.
Hatebreed – The Divinity Of Purpose
Frontman Jamey Jasta described the album as “All pit, no shit.” Can’t argue with that assessment much. 38 minutes of good old-fashioned Hatebreed metalcore. It kicks off with “Put It To The Torch” and goes from there. Besides that, “Honor Never Dies”, “Before The Fight Ends You” and the title track are my standouts.
Hey Monea – Cheap Souvenirs
We found out about Canton, Ohio’s Hey Monea through our Buffalo boys The Doyle Brothers (although I swear I’d heard of Hooked on Tonics previously, but can’t substantiate that), and really enjoyed their first Hey Monea disc “Wine, Women, and Song“. Cheap Souvenirs continues their pop/light-rock sound with more polish, tighter songs, and if it’s possible, more fun. WW&S’s “Ballad of Moonbeam Swiner” gets a little tune up and turns into “Stay” on this one, and beyond that, “Pollyanna”, “Never Gonna Take You Back”, and “Ohio Lullaby” are my faves.
Killswitch Engage – Disarm The Descent
A four-year break, plus Jesse Leach re-joining as lead singer, equals one hell of an album. Talk about a new energy! This is another one where I can’t really list highlights, the whole album is fantastic, but I’ll single out “A New Awakening”, “In Due Time”, and “A Tribute To The Fallen” as my favorites.
Matthew Good – Arrows of Desire
A bit more upbeat than the last couple of MG solo records, it’s no less solid than everything that came before it. I like practically everything he puts out, so this is kind of a no-brainer for the list. “Arrows of Desire”, “Had It Coming”, “Garden of Knives” and “Guns of Carolina” are my highlights.
Mike Doughty – Circles, Super Bon Bon…
After swearing for years that he’d never revisit Soul Coughing tunes as a solo act, Doughty had a change of heart, and recorded a bunch of tunes as he’d originally conceived them before they got put through the Soul Coughing wringer. The album was crowdfunded through PledgeMusic (I helped!). It’s pretty cool to hear how stripped down most of these songs ended up, and I’m partial to the fact that “Unmarked Helicopters” and “St. Louise Is Listening” made the cut.
Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
Pretty much anything Pearl Jam put out would have made the list, but Lightning Bolt really is a great album. “Sirens” is one of my early favorites, while “My Father’s Son”, “Infallible” and “Future Days” are catching up.
Sevendust – Black Out The Sun
This one actually had to grow on me a little. I’m as big of a Sevendust fan as you’ll find, but I did not get into this album on the first listen. In fact, I think I called it “Call Me No One Part 2″ at first. After running through it a couple more times, however, it started to make sense to me, and I’ve grown to really appreciate the album. The title track is fantastic, “Decay” is the lead single for a reason, and “Faithless” and “Dark AM” are favorites.
Topics: Blog | 7 Comments »
Tags: 2013, Alter Bridge, Call Me No One, Chimaira, Eye Empire, Fall Out Boy, Filter, Hatebreed, Hey Monea, Killswitch Engage, Matthew Good, Mike Doughty, Pearl Jam, Sevendust, Soul Coughing, Stereomud, The Doyle Brothers, The Mayfield Four
Lifehouse – 2012 – Almeria
By Eric | December 27, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Lifehouse
Title: Almeria
Label: Geffen
Released: Dec 11, 2012
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Gotta Be Tonight
#Between The Raindrops
#Nobody Listen
#Moveonday
#Slow Motion
#Only You’re The One
#Where I Come From
#Right Back Home
#Barricade
#Aftermath
Review:
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Tags: 2012, Geffen, Jewel Case, Lifehouse, Standard
10 Years – 2012 – Minus the Machine
By Eric | December 27, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: 10 Years
Title: Minus the Machine
Label: Pale Horse
Released: Aug 7, 2012
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Minus The Machine
#Battle Lust
#Forever Fields (Sowing Season)
#Backlash
#Writing On The Walls
#Dancing With The Dead
#Sleeper
#Soma
#Tightrope
#Knives
#Birth — Death
#…And All The Other Colors
Review:
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Tags: 10 Years, 2012, Cardboard, Pale Horse, Standard
Chevelle – 2011 – Hats Off To The Bull
By Eric | December 27, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Chevelle
Title: Hats Off To The Bull
Label: Epic
Released: Dec 6, 2011
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Face To The Floor
#Same Old Trip
#Ruse
#The Meddler
#Pinata
#Envy
#Hats Off To The Bull
#Arise
#Revenge
#Prima Donna
#Clones
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Chevelle – 2011 – Hats Off To The Bull
Tags: 2011, Chevelle, Epic, Jewel Case, Standard