Pissing with Korn

These days Korn are dismissingly lumped in the clichéd, repetitive genre of nu-metal. A little unfairly since this genre consists largely of bands imitating the bands who made their careers imitating Korn. While it has been an influence in the shaping of this genre, Korn’s early music was something new on a dying heavy scene. They chose to create their own sound rather than imitate another. It’s been five years since the band last came to Australia, and three albums in that time. These albums have varied from decent, to plain ordinary. Unfortunately all of them seem to have been created on auto-pilot rather than forging the unbeaten path which made this band so great in the first place. But for those of us who remember having our definition of heavy music changed by Korn (1994) or Life is Peachy (1996), a few dud albums weren’t going to stop us descending on Rod Laver Arena and moshing our little hearts out. The addition of Fear Factory and Static-X to the bill merely clinched the deal.

Most people would associate Fear Factory with Dino Cazares. So the pressure was on for them to prove that they can still pull it off without him. New bassist Byron Stroud (from Strapping Young Lad) was a welcome addition, allowing Christian Olde Wolbers to move from bass to replace the departed guitarist. Although they put on a solid set, and played everything spot on, it must be said that at the end of Fear Factory, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Two main factors contributed to this: volume level, and crowd interaction. Neither of these can be (entirely) blamed on the band, but nonetheless they were a significant barrier to my enjoyment. Although the volume was far too loud by the time Korn were to arrive on stage, Fear Factory were forced to play at what must have been half that, making those of us who couldn’t reach the front feel largely detached from their performance. The lack of crowd interaction therefore cannot be blamed on Fear Factory, but the way they dealt with it can. Singer Burton C. Bell chose to berate the audience for their lack of interest, telling us to wake up, and rechristening our town “Mel-bored”. It is one of rocks oldest tricks for the singer to yell at the crowd for not being excited enough, in order to whip them into a frenzy. Only in Bell’s case he really seemed disappointed and annoyed with the crowds response… and didn’t let up, or show any sign of satisfaction no matter how hard we yelled. His cause would’ve been better served by playing to those faithful who were screaming themselves hoarse, and winning over the rest of the with their blistering songs, instead of drawing attention to the weakness, and in turn pissing off some of us who had been really looking forward to seeing the band. This disappointment was doubled by the fact that I had been so blown away by the bands performance two weeks earlier as surprise openers at the Big Day Out, where they tore through their set and had the crowd captivated. Ah well, I suppose everyone’s allowed to have their off days. Fear Factory will be back in power, just not tonight.

Next up were Static-X, with an accompanying increase in volume. They also benefited hugely from some backdrops, stage costumes, and far more active lighting than Fear Factory. Their set ranged widely from their debut Wisconsin Death Trip (1999), through the two follow-ups, but Static-X were still the newcomers of the night. Nevertheless, Static-X have also had some line-up changes since their last album, but guitarist Tripp Eisen (Dope, Murderdolls) seems to have found a home. Not only can he play guitar, he can entertain. Running around the stage and pulling poses, clearly belonging to this band. Wayne Static’s voice if anything is harder in concert than on CD, and the hair remains as immovable as ever. Highlights of the set were mainly older songs such as opener Push It, Love Dump, Cold and Black and White, but songs off the new album were also given an airing. In the live arena, songs such as title track Shadow Zone and Destroy All, carry a heavier feeling than on record.

Up next were the band of the night. Korn powered through a set which seemed to show that they knew why their fans were there. Newer songs were delivered with a power which seems to have been lost in production on the album, but the set relied mostly on older tracks. Indeed they played as many songs off their debut as they did the current effort. This may have only been four songs a piece, but with six albums to choose from, most of the others got only two. Highlights included Shoots and Ladders (which ended in a brief section of Metallica’s One), Clown, A.D.I.D.A.S., Falling Away From Me, Freak On a Leash and the uncontrollable rhythm of Faget. Lowlights included the horribly predictable current single Y’all Want a Single, and surprisingly Blind, which sounds like they’ve gotten bored with it over these years. As with Static-X before them, Korn’s arrival heralded an increase in the volume. Now I love live music. And I know that live music needs to be loud to reach it’s full potential. But I also know that you cannot listen to music, let alone enjoy it when your ears are in pain. Somehow we managed to go from being too soft, to being far too loud in the one night. Static-X seemed to be the happy medium, and I think the staff at Rod Laver should seriously consider keeping volume at this level in future gigs. Overall though, Korn delivered a great set. Their enthusiasm throughout the night matched that of the crowd, and when Faget hit they really did remind us why we’ve been there with them for so long.

My night was not over yet though. Around 1am I arrived on Chapel st to meet a friend who had just finished work for some drinks. His place of work was directly across from Strike Bowling bar where it turns out Korn had taken up residence in the private room, but were making frequent trips through the rest of the premises. So we took up residence on the couches to sit back and wait. The place was pretty empty, as you would expect on a Monday night. But word had obviously got out, as there were a few tell tale Korn shirts floating around. I managed to have a chat with Tony Campos from Static-X as well as Tripp Eisen. Both of these guys were quite friendly walking around unescorted and generally enjoying themselves. Tripp in particular seemed very drunk, and spent most of the time in a Captain America mask, but stopped to have a fairly decent chat (in length… questionable in content. His response to a mention of his work in Dope consisted of “Dopey-dope”, but he seemed to have some real pride when I told him how much I loved the Murderdolls album). A few glimpses were made of Korn members, but they were escorted everywhere by some pretty huge security (who showed one guy in no uncertain terms what happens if you try to get too close). But even the most seasoned of rock stars and drinkers (of which Korn surely qualify as both) need to go to the toilet. I was on one of my own journeys to the toilet when who should walk up the stall next to me but Fieldy, the man with the lowest pants in rock. I decided against having a talk to him while he went about his business, and instead headed back out to the main bar to wait for him to leave. While still in the bathroom I did however overhear his conversation with a friend about how they should both ditch their girlfriends and hook up with some 34 year olds. So all you young fans, sorry.

On his exit Fieldy turned out to be pretty cool. He ignored his bodyguards suggestion to just move on, and stopped to have a talk to a few of us fans, holding out his fist to anyone who approached him and demanding they “pound it” before showing off his tatts and signing a few things. A fine concert, with the night perfectly rounded off by meeting the people who made it happen. Goodnight.

poor

Mudvayne
+ 2 x NIN
+ Billy Corgan
+ Team Sleep
+ theredsunband
+ Blood Brothers (which I may not even be able to go to)

---

= OMG... where the POOP am i gonna get this money from?

(or perhaps more importantly, once i spend this money, where am i gonna get more from so i can still do other things?)

anyone wanna come to team sleep or billy corgan with me?

also, if anyone in melbourne knows a drummer who can commit to rehearsing to make a band which draws pretty strongly from all those above artists (and respective other bands they all might be involved in), can they let me know? ta. ;)

recommendations

not much news to report today as i must be doing homework. but the following are bands i have cds by that more people should listen to:

36 Crazyfists - when i got their debut bitterness the star i thought it was great (and it is), but when their second album a snow capped romance came out, i went for months just wanting to make a band that sounded exactly like this. they'd completely hit upon the style i was aiming for in my music, and i love it. (now i'm trying to move onto something else so i'm not just copying them, but i'm still pissed they beat me to it).

Circle Takes The Square - i still can't understand how these guys write their songs, but i wish i could make music like this. it's like a more punk/indie version of DEP, without the aggression (which really makes no sense but is the best i can come up with). the self titled ep is cool, but as the roots undo is a masterpiece. it's more like one long piece of music with different movements and recurring motif's than a collection of songs. or to borrow a metaphor from one of the tracks, it's like the tracks are all woven together into one big tapestry.

Murder By Death - another band who's first album, like the exorcist... but more breakdancing, i loved, but whose second album has just gone to a different level altogether. it's called who will survive and what will be left of them? it's a crazy mix of indie rock, western soundtracks (ie saloon bar music), concept album and cello. if you want an introduction to this band i recommend their performance on the hellfest 2003 dvd, the sound is horrible and they're a huge contrast to every other band on it, but you'll get a strong idea of the combination of wild passion and controlled musicianship they rely on.

also, i just found out billy corgan is touring. cool.

we are the six nightmares of the masquarade.

seriously, could today get any better?

nine inch nails tickets on special presale. second row? no problems. AND i'm gonna go see them in brisbane too with much thanks to jo for helping me decide it was a good idea. i'm looking forward to spending some time with you guys.

and then i walked out to check my mail. oh what's this? why, i believe it's the 5.1 surround version of with teeth i ordered.

and just to stop the day from getting completely NIN-ed out, the blood brothers tour has been announced. i'm bouncing around to blood brothers (too exciting to put on nin yet, haha).

you'll never see, your wife and children
again, so tell us what was going through your head
when you looked into their eyes
and said "no thanks,
i'll take the hooker again".

(oh yeah, it's the first day of my holidays too. i'm so gonna
enter all the competitions i see today, i'll win everything).

what you believe you'll wish to recieve

so i thought i should write a new blog. but there's really nothing that exciting to write about at
the moment. it's my last week of uni classes for the semester, so there'll be a bit of drinking (which is really just the same as every other week). that's about it. i have a lot of homework that i should be doing but am avoiding. even though it's a reasonably fun assignment. i'm just lazy.

so nin tickets are giving me the pooops. trynna figure out exactly when they go on sale so i can figure out exactly how much i'll have in my account so i can figure out how many people i can buy
tickets for... sometimes the internet making things "easier" makes life difficult. i remember camping outside the newsagent all night for pumpkins tickets. those were the days. and it was more fun. hobo jackets, battery powered tape recorders, candles and pumpkin soup. a good night was had by all. AND we were first in line. i think we ended up with tickets 5 - 8 or
something.

also trynna decide if i have money for various interstate trips to see bands... would be fun... i probably can't *really* afford it, but can i afford not to for the music? who knows. argh.

empathic stomach

over the last few months i've come to think that i may have an empathic stomach. not in the sense that seeing people eat sickening things or being sick makes me feel sick as well. but in the sense that if i'm nervous, worried, or just have to do something that i don't want to, my stomach gets in on the action too, deciding to feel all queasy and sick it also happens when i'm excited about something (like a concert or on my way to a festival). strange.
but the worst stomach feelings are when you wake me up too early in the morning. then i'll take hours to adjust to feeling normal.

listening to hatebeak at the moment (a grindcore band fronted by a parrot - no shit). but my
favourite band i've just discovered for this week are denali (shame they already broke up, they were great). i wish my nin cd would hurry up and arrive. you couldn't kill me to keep me away from that show.

goodnight.

copyright and creative commons

went to see some free talks today by some of the leaders in terms of thinking about copyright laws and reforms, including Lawrence Lessig and Joichi Ito, both of whom were very good
and interesting.

you can check out a flash presentation of a Lessig lecture from 2002 here, talking about the idea of free culture. it's a bit old, but still really interesting.

since then he's extended his ideas to found the creative commons system of licensing (some rights reserved, rather than all rights), which is really interesting too, and something i'm gonna try to take advantage of, if my band ever gets anything recorded.

then we went to this awesome little function room/gallery/warehouse/everything place to do an interview with Mark Pesce on open source television. coolest room i've seen for a long time. their
lounge area is made up of train seat from the old carriages that have been refurbished. they've got about six rows laid out as they'd be on the train, with window sized cityscapes painted on the wall.. so cool.

now that my political propaganda is out of the way, i'm listening to squarepusher. yay. i've also been watching robot chicken and voltron. new garbage album is kinda boring (aside from the
title track), new limp bizkit album is guiltily enjoyable (if only fred durst wasn't so annoying...), and jakalope are really growing on me. murder by death are still amazing, as are circle takes the square and the blood brothers.

wysht

well, i just saw this, and thought why not. we'll see how it goes. otherwise, visit my webpage . wysht.

Fantomas - Suspend Animation

Perhaps I’m biased because I have preciously declared cartoons to be the only form of television worth watching, or perhaps it’s because April is my birth month, but Suspended Animation seems to me to be the best Fantomas album yet. For their new album, Mike Patton (of Mr. Bungle, Faith No More and Tomahawk on vocals and electronics), Buzz Osbourne (of The Melvins on guitar), Trevor Dunn (of Mr. Bungle on bass) and Dave Lombardo (of Slayer on drums) deliver a celebration of both cartoons and the month of April.

Subtitled “30 Miniature Holidays in 43 minutes”, it’s safe to assume that stylistically Suspended Animation has more in common with the Fantomas debut Book 1, than either of the albums in between. But the sound has not simply returned to those days. This album feels like a more accomplished work than Book 1. Musical motifs are stronger defined and allowed a chance to grow (albeit briefly), and some of the riffs found on the 3^rd (Festival of the Sweeping of the Tombs) and the 13^th (Blame Somebody Else Day) sound like the beginnings of what could have been Mr Bungle songs.

Patton has also allowed his voice to come a bit more to the fore than on Book 1. Although he still does not sing a word on it, the vocal noises found throughout have a far more lyrical feel to them than the random noises previously relied on. This is particularly effective on the 10^th (Soul Sunday/Feast of the Rivers and Seas). That’s not to say there are no words used on the album. But noone who saw Fantomas on their last visit and noticed the childrens toys strewn amongst Pattons table of equipment and vocal processors would be surprised that they come largely from cartoon samples, or what sounds like a speak-and-spell that’s been taken to its limits. One of the highlight days, April 6^th (Sorry Charlie Day/Plan Your Epitaph Day) features this robotic voice counting in another memorable riff.

When dealing with children’s matters in heavy music, it’s all too easy to take the sinister road. This is a method even Fantomas themselves used to great effect on The Director’s Cut. But one of the strengths of Suspended Animation is that it is truly a celebration of the joy cartoons can bring. The 12^th (Cosmonauts Day/Walk on Your Wild Side Day) is filled with the sound of children laughing, while the 16^th (Rekindle Your Romantic Self Day) features a schoolyard chant. Nursery rhymes seem to pop up all over the place, with snippets of Pop! Goes the Weasel and Rock-a-Bye Baby (which couldn’t be more aptly named for inclusion on this album) popping their heads in.

Fantomas also take advantage of cartoon (sur)reality, taking us on what sounds like a weird space adventure for the 22^nd (Girl Scout Leader Day), and into the jungles for the 24^th (National Karaoke Week/Children’s Day – a.k.a. my birthday).

The packaging is also more elaborate and involved than any previous release too. The CD comes in the back of a 30 page calendar for the month, with each song/day illustrated by renowned pop-artist Yoshitomo Nara. It’s always difficult to talk about a Fantomas CD in terms of individual tracks, since in reality they all add up to one long movement. But in this case the visual elements are just as important as the aural.

There is a bit of a downbeat tone to the last day, April 30^th (National Honesty Day) and the closing sound of the album is Bugs Bunny’s famous question, “Well what did you expect in an Opera? A happy ending?” But I would say that yes, Fantomas have delivered a happy and joyous celebration throughout.

Behind Crimson Eyes Terrorise the Night

Over the last year it has become virtually impossible to ignore Behind Crimson Eyes in the Melbourne punk/hardcore scenes. Now having just launched their debut EP, and touring all around the country, it’s probably time we found out where they came from.

“Basically we formed from the demise of two other bands, Coniption Fit and Too Many Chances” says vocalist Josh Stuart. “I was looking to do something a little bit harder edged… [something] incorporating screaming and more techy guitar parts, and was lucky enough to find other people that also had the same ‘vision’.”

That vision seems to have taken root, thanks largely to the bands perseverance. “We worked pretty hard in 2004, playing any show we could, pulling favours from friends and just flat out net promotion.” It’s also inspired some serious dedication amongst their fan base, who have been setting a buzz through the bands website (www.behindcrimsoneyes.com), turning up in droves, and singing along with every word long before any official release was on the horizon.

“I think the key for us was recording a good quality demo and just giving it away at shows and on the internet” offers Stuart. “At least it is something tangible that they could walk away from a show with, not just a memory. I think this encouraged the kids to show their friends…. If you have something to listen to at home then you’re more likely to know the words and come along and enjoy the show a lot more. Currently every song we play in our set has been recorded and is available, whether for download or purchase.”

Which brings us to the bands debut EP, Pavour Nocturnus. The writing and recording of this EP has been a bit of adventure for the band, so how does it feel for them to have it out there? “It’s great. We finally can say “check out our EP”. It was a conscious decision to take our time and produce something that we can be totally proud of. Far too often you see bands rush into recording an EP or LP and end up with a product that doesn’t best reflect them.”

The recording process seemed fairly ad-lib and drawn out for the band, who had to juggle both time and budget constraints, with the desire to get a product which felt representative. “We hooked up with producer Richard Stoltz through Damo and Jay [of 28 Days] and basically Richard organised everything. We had to go in to record when it was cheaper, so this meant recoding for two days then going in three weeks later to record for two days…. So for the twelve days of recording time it took two months real time.”

But far more interesting was the writing process. The band have always been very hands on with their art and website design, but this time around, they attempted to push themselves beyond anything they had done before. Not only were a whole new batch of songs written, essentially Behind Crimson Eyes have created a concept (mini)album.

“When we began writing for the album we wanted to push the boundaries and do something a little different than bands at our level were doing. We decided that we were going to make it more of a piece of “art” [rather] than just music on a plastic disc.” This has extended to a DVD, as well as the album art, and a complete web overhaul being tied into the concept too. But what does it all mean, and how did it come about? “At the time we were writing I was having some weird dreams, and sleep paralysis” says Stuart. “After researching more on the net and various books about what was happening, I stumbled across Pavour Nocturnus [Latin for night terror] and thought that it would be a cool theme for the EP.”

“We wrote a story across the 6 songs themed in dreams, vampires, horror and confrontation with a narrative based on the constant struggle between good and evil within all of us. Hopefully it is general enough that people can still relate to it in one way or another.” But why vampires? This theme seems to be a favourite of many of the newer hardcore bands, is it something to do with the romantic imagery of eternal life? Feasting on the essence of another? (“Tonight I will feast on your flesh” Stuart screams at the end of The Black Veil.) “I think pop culture in general has a fascination with not only vampires but the darker forces…. Az and I [guitarist Aaron Schultz, who helps write many of the lyrics] were watching a lot of Horror movies and reading a bit of vampiric literature. Also there were a lot of vampiric references in the research I did on sleeping disorders, night terrors and sleep paralysis.”

The experimentation also extended to the musical side of things. The midpoint of the EP is a reflective acoustic track titled Destruction is Incapable of Creation, tinged with a melody which would seem at home in dusty desert bar such as that in From Dusk til Dawn. The opening track is also subtitled Part 6. On a six track EP, surely this is significant? “The EP was written to be kind of circular - every ending is a new beginning - so in a way it is the first but also the last song if that makes sense?”

And the ending of recording, leads to the beginning of touring and promoting. When I spoke to Stuart, they had just returned from a two week national tour, and were preparing to head interstate again. “Right now it is the only way to do things. To try and establish ourselves further we have to tour and tour everywhere. Its tough being away from home for so long, having a shit nights sleep, drinking too much and eating badly. But I wouldn’t want to be in a band that didn’t play shows, its one of the most rewarding aspects.”

I’m curious as to whether interstate crowds have picked up on the band as easily as local audiences have? “We have only just started traveling interstate to play shows. I think currently we have only played about 20 shows outside of Victoria and probably about five times that in Victoria. It’s sick to go somewhere that we have never played before and see people singing the words. However it is always amazing to come back to Melbourne and play in front of 500 kids going nuts. So hopefully over the next year or so we will develop BCE in other states, which means a butt load of touring.”

A butt load indeed, for it is live shows on which their reputation has been built. Fast paced and energetic, running, jumping, screaming and even mid-air collisions of band members all have their place. “We love the music we play and get into the music we play…. I like to interact with the crowd at shows - get them to sing lines, clap and get up on stage.” But how do they feel afterwards? “Buggered” is the response I get. “We all need to start some fitness regime. I think I might order a Chuck Norris Total Gym off late night TV. It takes a lot out of you singing on stage and jumping around and shit. I wish sometimes I just played guitar or something.”

So what are the plans for the future? “We have a few things planned release wise at the end of this year but they are a bit hush-hush at the moment. We are hoping to release a full length early next year - maybe around April - but I guess that depends on how everything goes with the rest of this year. In the short term we will be playing shows non-stop!!!”

Behind Crimson Eyes will be touring throughout May in support of Canadian band Silverstein

May 14 - BOOMTOWN SHOWDOWN
TLC - VIC (All Ages)

May 21 - CCCOC – NSW (All Ages)
May 25 – The Rev – QLD

May 26 – Byron Bay Youth Centre – NSW (All Ages)

May 27 – The Annandale Hotel - NSW

May 28 – The Evelyn – VIC

May 28 – The Evelyn – VIC (Underage)

May 29 – Enigma Bar – SA (All Ages)