Garbunzl.com » music

Muse 4/2/10

garbunzl — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:36:07 +0000

Ok, I know I never update this thing anymore. It’s the homepage of my browser so Nick likes to read it sometimes. He actually requested that I post about the Muse show that Jenn and I went to last night, along with friends, Mark and Pat. Jenn and I got to Key Arena late and missed the openers, Silversun Pickups, but Muse was definitely worth the trip. They opened with Uprising and played a bunch of their best songs, old and new. Hysteria was great to see live but Mark pointed out that the bass level was too low. I agreed that the bass was certainly not as prominent as it should’ve been. I was also glad to see them play Time is Running Out and Starlight and they closed out with Knights of Cydonia. Two songs that were noticeably absent for me were Map of the Problematique and Exo-Politics, but still a great set. One highlight was where Matt (singer) threw his guitar into the drum kit. Although our angle wasn’t the best (2nd level on the left), the stage was very cool with raising and lowering platforms and a rotating platform for the drummer. The lighting and laser effects were also rather impressive.

I didn’t take an pictures but here’s a link to a guy who took some really good ones.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justanbaca/sets/72157623634950571/

Here’s a YouTube video of Matt throwing his guitar:

All in all it was an awesome show. Next up, the show of a lifetime…U2, in 78 days!!

6/20/10

garbunzl — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:27:39 +0000

Countdownr

’nuff said

Coldplay show at the Gorge – July 11th 2009

garbunzl — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:35:27 +0000

I saw my first show at the Gorge in George a few weeks ago, awesome that it was one of my favorite bands. I drove over with my dad and met up with friends just before the show. The venue was pretty amazing with the rocky cliffs and hills and the setting sun in the background. Our seats were not the best. We were all the way to the right and 39 rows back, making the angle to the main stage rather extreme. Additionally, there was an auxiliary stage and equipment right in front of us which, while not blocking our view of the main stage, was a bit of an annoyance. That was all forgotten when Martin and co. ran out and performed 3 songs on that stage. It was pretty cool being mere inches away from the band. I really liked the setlist they chose and they gave an awesome performance. My dad and I spent the night at a campground after the show which, despite being stuffed in like sardines, wasn’t too bad. At least they had soft grass and loud, all-night partying by other guests was not an issue. There are a few other pics of the Columbia on our trip back and a petrified Ginko log and some petroglyphs removed from walls along the river. It was a quick trip but a great experience. Looking forward to seeing another show there someday.

New U2 album sounds “magnificent”

garbunzl — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:19:44 +0000

I’m pretty excited with U2′s new album, No Line On the Horizon, coming out next week. It’s been over 4 years since “Atomic Bomb” so us U2 fans are starved. Being a U2.com subscriber, I’ve been able to listen to the entire album this week. I’ve already listened to it twice and streaming it a third time as I type this. It’s characteristic U2 stuff but with new and different sounds. My current favorite song on the album is called “Magnificent”. The pulsing bassline reminds me of Joshua Tree tracks. The title track is also quite good. Another awesome track is Breathe, which the band premiered live in Paris last night. The song is a real rock track that opens with Edge’s charged guitar and a piano and leads into Bono’s frantic lyrics. Very cool sound!! 11 tracks and 53 minutes of awesome!

Coldplay’s coming back!

garbunzl — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:41:21 +0000

I was thrilled to find out that Coldplay was coming back this summer after they skipped us during their last US tour. In fact, when I first heard a local DJ mention they were coming to the Gorge several weeks back, I thought I was crazy as there was no news on their site or the venue’s for a couple weeks. While I have been to a Coldplay show, I’ve never seen a show at the Gorge, so this will be pretty cool. I saw them back in ’05 at the new White River Ampitheater. They were touring on their X & Y album which I pretty much played non-stop for months. It was an excellent show. While Viva la Vida is probably their biggest commercial hit, it’s not my favorite album but I’m still hyped to see them again. The Gorge is supposed to be pretty nice. It’ll be cool to see them with my dad and some friends, though we’re not all sitting together.

New U2 single out today!

garbunzl — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:04:59 +0000

The first single from the new album, “No Line On The Horizon” is streaming online today. The album comes out March 3rd. Hard to believe it’s been more than 4 years since U2′s last album. I remember trying to buy tickets to see them for the Vertigo tour and being unsuccessful, due to website issues. I also remember they had a huge problem with scalpers then and a lot of people were upset. U2′s been my favorite band since my dad bought me the Joshua Tree album when I was a kid…but I’ve never seen them live!!! If they come anywhere near here this time, I plan to see them. I think it would be awesome to see them at the Gorge.

I like the track. The guitars have somewhat of an Achtung Baby feel to them.

Here’s the link if you want to give a listen: http://goyb.u2.com/

U23D…4Me!

garbunzl — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:47:03 +0000

Perhaps one of the coolest happenings this year is the upcoming release of a groundbreaking concert film called, very simply, “U23D”. Releasing on Feb 22nd, the film uses new 3-d filming technology which has been used in filming sporting events, such as the Super Bowl. U2, having been one of my favorite bands since my dad bought me the Joshua Tree album all those years ago, is the perfect choice to pioneer this new technology in a concert film. Shamefully, I have never seen U2 in concert so this movie will be the next best thing. I tried to get tickets for my dad and I to their Vertigo tour in 2005 but they were impossible to get, especially due to a major scalping problem. Apparently much of the movie’s footage was taken durin the Latin America leg of the tour. Maybe I can get my dad to come up and we see this together instead. Heck, depending on the theater, the acoustics could be even better than a live concert anyhow.

Check out this cool widget from the official site to view the trailer.

Review: Incubus’ New Album: “Light Grenades”

garbunzl — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:51:59 +0000

Ok, enough whining about the Seahawks and on to a worthwhile post.

I’ve been listening to the new Incubus album, “Light Grenades” and I have to say I’m pretty impressed. Their last disc, “A Crow Left of The Murder” was a disappointment to me, aside from the politically-charged, “Megalomaniac” and “Talk Show On Mute” tracks. As a result, I’ve been eagerly anticipating their next release, since their acclaimed Morning View album, which happens to be my personal favorite. Without a doubt one of my favorite things about Incubus is that they have resisted conforming to any one musical genre and they have a great ability create very diverse peices of music…good music. This ability is ever-present in their latest release. In fact, Incubus’ guitarist Mike Einziger told MTV “It sounds like 13 different bands playing 13 different songs…”

The album starts off fairly mellow with “Quicksand” which blends right into the more energetic second track, “A Kiss To Send Us Off”. This track immediately explodes into a bassline and guitar riff that you just can’t help but rock your head to. Next up, is a three hit combo of “Dig” (one of my favorite tracks on the album), “Anna Molly” and “Love Hurts”. These tracks in particular, have the more poppy, Morning View feel, than the rest of the album. “Dig” has such an infectious melody and elaborate lyrics as Boyd uses the word “dig” in various different ways. “Anna Molly” (the first release) is exploding with energy and Brandon Boyd’s vocals soar, making this an obvious chart topper. While the title and the content of “Love Hurts” is a cliche’ to say the least, the band injects their energy into it, making it something more, and alltogether an inspiring track. Next is the title track, having lyrics as thought provoking as the reason behind the name. Here’s an interesting quote from Boyd on this:
“There’s a song called that on the record and it felt like the most pertinent conceptual aspect of the album, the idea of throwing ideas at problems and the ideas explode with light and good results and intention on consciousness,” Boyd muses. “So I started imagining imagery of students in different countries protesting and throwing Molotov cocktails with masks over their faces. But there’s one brave student who runs up to the police line and, as opposed to throwing rocks or things that destroy, there’s this concept of that one courageous, lonely student running up and throwing ideas and having them actually change things. It just seemed kind of a cool concept-the redefining of weaponry.”

Skipping ahead a bit, we find a couple of tracks that are more vintage Incubus. The first, Rogue is one of the heavier tracks on the album. This track starts off mellow but quickly erupts into a full on, grinding, guitar riff, accompanied by Boyd’s super-charged vocals. Yet another awesome track you can’t avoid moving to. Finally, another favorite track on the album, is Pendulous Threads. This track starts of with drums and some interesting guitar distortion which fades into a catchy melody. It also features some of the best guitar work on the album with a great guitar solo about two-thirds through.
This album is a great listen from beginning to end and is currently my second favorite overall. For Incubus fans this is a definate must buy and for non-Incubus fans I’d say this is a good album to begin your fandom with!!

Rating: [rate 4.5]

Audioslave’s 3rd Effort Is A Treat

garbunzl — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:25:15 +0000

I picked up the new album by Audioslave, titled “Revelations”, last week. This album came out on Sept. 5th so I didn’t exactly race out and get it as I did with the previous two. The first couple of times I heard the first release, “Original Fire” on the radio, I wasn’t terribly impressed. Gradually, the song grew on me and now I like it a lot. While this album has the characteristic heavy guitar chords and wailing solos of Morello and driving basslines, the album has a different, more of a funk vibe to it.

You really can’t help but tap your feet to some of the addictive beats such as that of the third track on the album “One And The Same” Cornell’s voice is in top form as usual having no trouble jumping from subdued to full on wailing and blending a gritty, soulful sound with the funk of the guitars. His lyrics are top-notch and as inpiring and thought-provoking as ever. My current favorite track on the album is the title track. It starts off quietly with light guitars but quickly explodes into an insanely addictive, hard-rocking track. I wasn’t one of those who thought Audioslave was done after the release of Out Of Exile, but do think this album is much better. OOE had a few excellent tracks, but the rest wasn’t much to speak of. While the hits on this album may be of a smaller magnitude, there is not a bad track on the album, making it a much more even listen. Overall, I rate this album excellent and it is a must have for Audioslave fans.

Rating: [rate 4.5]