X Japan Expand Their Horizons Towards the West

The Japanese heavy metal band X Japan seek to become the next big name in American rock n’ roll as they continue to tour the States in support of their upcoming American debut album.

X Japan have been called “The Guns N’ Roses of Japan” and for good reason.  Much like G N’ R, X Japan have sold many albums (more than 300 million records!), packed stadiums (they’ve sold out the 50,000 seat Tokyo Dome 18 times!), and disbanded back in ’97 (a year after the original G N’ R broke up).  Ten years later, they would reunite and perform live for the very first time since going their separate ways in a series of concerts held from 2007 through 2009 throughout Asia.  While a household name in their native Japan and in the neighboring China, Taiwan, and South Korea, they are completely unknown back here in the USA. 

X Japan was founded in 1982 by Toshimitsu “Toshi” Deyama and Yoshiki Hayashi under the name “X”, the heavy metal group gained breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their sophomore album “Blue Blood”.  X Japan originally started out as a power/speed metal band, but they later adopted a more progressive sound and at times emphasized on ballads rather than straightforward thrash.  Many describe the band’s sound as “extremely raw” while combined with the sounds of classical style of piano passages and vocal melodies.  X Japan is also well known for having well-developed percussion parts and often use harmonized guitar riffs and solos in most of their songs.  The group is considered by many in the music industry to be the pioneers of the visual kei movement in music.

X Japan performed their first North American tour last year from September 25 to October 10 of last year.  Their American debut was at last year’s Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.  And while it’s still too early to tell if X Japan will be as big here as they are back home, one it for sure, Yoshiki is no stranger to States.  He has been a Los Angeles resident for more than a decade has been using his time to carefully plan X Japan’s international debut while also studying the Western music scene and the English language!      

The band has a new album in the works that will be released sometime this year.  As of now, their 2011 album doesn’t have a title, but that’s sure to change before it drops.  The new album of the band’s hits have been made with American listeners in mind: the lyrics were translated into English and there is a heavier bass featured on the tracks!

The band planned to release the new album’s first single “Jade” this past March 15^th, but it was pushed back due to the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.  X Japan has decided to postpone its debut until further notice, but instead of waiting for them to debut it, here’s a fan made video from YouTube of “Jade” instead.  Enjoy! J

Foo Fighters Won’t be “Wasting Light” This Year

It looks like 2011 will be the year of the Foo Fighters!  The alternative rock band has huge year ahead of them not only with the release of their new studio album, but also the upcoming releases of a cover album and a film documentary!

The Foos are set to release their upcoming seventh studio album titled “Wasting Light” on April 12^th.  “Wasting Light” is the band’s first studio album in four years (not counting “Greatest Hits” which came out in 2009).  The entire eleven track album was recorded in FF front man David Grohl’s garage and was produced by former Garbage drummer Butch Vig who has served as a producer for many great rock bands’ albums including Green Day’s “21^st Century Breakdown”.  Recording for “Wasting Light” was officially finished on January 3^rd as the band posted on their Twitter account that day which read “Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially done”.  The band has recently released as video for one of the songs off their new album that can be seen on Fuse or MTV Hits.  But why would you sit in front of your TV waiting for the video when you can just watch it here instead? J   

Check out the video for their newest single, “Rope”!  I think it's going to be a hit!

Now you see why I said they’ve got a hit on their hands! J And that’s coming from someone who's not a die-hard FF fan, but this song is definitely one of my favorites from them.  “Rope” is right up there with “Everlong” as one of their best songs.  But, don’t just take my word for it; “Rope” debuted at #1 on the Billboard’s Rock Chart, making it the second only song aside from Linkin Park’s “The Catalyst” to have done so since the chart’s birth in 2009.

This looks to be a very productive year for FF as they will also be releasing a cover album called “Medium Rare” which will feature such covers as Thin Lizzy’s “Bad Reputation” and Wings' “Band on the Run” among many others.  “Medium Rare”, the vinyl-only compilation, is expected to drop on April 16^th. 

The film documentary “Back and Forth” will chronicle the Foos’ history as a band which rose from the ashes of Nirvana’s permanent disbandment (Grohl played drum’s for the Kurt Cobain led band way back in the day).  The film is set for a theatrical release on Tuesday, April 5^th and will also air on VH1, VH1 Classic, and Palladia on April 8^th.  Before I leave, here’s a gift for all Foo Fighters fans:  the official trailer for “Back and Forth” courtesy of YouTube!  Enjoy!

No Need to 'Panic!' About "Vices & Virtues"

The Las Vegas based Alternative meets Classical band, Panic! At the Disco returns with a brand new album and even fewer members.  Panic! At The Disco which started out life as a four piece band back in 2004, has come a long way since then.  The band first emerged into the mainstream with 2005’s “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and gained stardom with their hit lead single “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies”; snagging them the covenanted VMA Video of the Year Award in ’06.  This was the THE video that made me into a Panic! fan.

Two years later, the band released their second album “Pretty. Odd.” which was a radical departure from the classical meets punk meets emo sound that they had established with their debut album (It sounded more like a Sgt. Pepper’s album instead).  They also for some bizarre and strange reason decided to remove the exclamation point from their name that same year; claiming that they never actually had one in their name when they first formed.   

A year later, the band became a duo after bassist Ryan Ross and Joh Walker issued a statement on the band’s website that they would be leaving P!ATC.  The band’s first song without Ross and Walker, “New Perspective” appeared on the “Jennifer’s Body” movie soundtrack and a video was released as well.

Being a Panic! fan since 2006, I was worried about this band leaving its roots behind as well as two of its founding members.  Even though I enjoyed the singles off 2008’s “Pretty. Odd.”, it just didn’t sound like the band that I was introduced to after seeing the video for “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” for the very first time.  So imagine my surprise and concern when I discovered that they would be releasing a new album called “Vices & Virtues” after I randomly flipped the channels to MTV Hits (or “the only MTV channel that actually plays music videos") and saw the video for their newest song “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” playing. (Check out all of the references to “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” in the video! J)

All I can say is if this song is any indication of what the rest of the album may be like, then I REALLY can’t wait for it to drop on March 22^nd!  It looks like Panic! At The Disco is finally back and it’s definitely great to have them back again!

Green Day’s Live Album Will Be “Awesome As F**k”!!!

                            I knew that headline would get your attention. J

So, it’s true that the Grammy awarding winning punk trio is planning to release a live CD/DVD album titled “Awesome As F**k” on March 22, 2011.  The album will feature a CD of live music performed during the band’s “21^st Century Breakdown World Tour” as well as a DVD showing them perform at different venues during the entire concert series. 

The track list contains mainly songs off the band’s 2009 album, “21^st Century Breakdown”, a few of their “American Idiot” hits as well as in addition to some of their older work.  However, what’s really got me and every other die-hard Green Day excited is the inclusion of the infamous “Cigarettes And Valentines” song. 

To those who may not know, it was a couple of years after releasing their album “Warning”, that Green Day went to work crafting a new album titled “Cigarettes And Valentines”.  However, it was never released because the master tracks were reportedly “stolen”.  Rather than rerecord the entire album from scratch, Billie Joe and the gang instead went to work creating another album which would later become “American Idiot”.  The song “Cigarettes And Valentines” along with a few others off that album called “Olivia” and “Stay The Night” have been performed live at some venues.  Sadly, yours truly hasn’t heard these songs performed any venues he went to, but I am eagerly waiting for this album to drop next month just to hear “Cigarettes And Valentines”!

Actually, I may not have to wait that long to do that.  All I can say is thank God for YouTube because I was lucky enough to find video of Green Day performing “Cigarettes And Valentines”!  Go ahead and take a look one of the greatest rock bands out there doing what they do best, putting on an epic performance!

I’ve seen these guys perform three times, so far!  I first saw them play at Central Park as part of Good Morning America’s summer concert series back in May ‘09 and then saw them at Madison Square Garden that summer (ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!).  I also saw them perform last summer at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ (Good show, but not as great as MSG!).  They’re definitely one of the best rock bands to see live and certainty the most fun!    

Linkin Park's Fans Won't Be Burned By "A Thousand Suns"

All right, rockers and rocker chicks!  Gather ‘round, it’s review time!! 

Today, I’m reviewing Linkin Park’s newest album “A Thousand-HEY!, wait a minute, who are all those people getting up and leaving?  Oh, they must be hard core Linkin Park fans…no matter; nothing I can say will make them stay anyway.

The rap/metal band Linkin Park has returned with a new album called “A Thousands Suns” and continue with adapting their sound.  LP first came on to the music scene with their smash hit debut “Hybrid Theory” and followed up that album with their equally excellent “Meteora”.  But beginning back in 2007 with the album “Minutes To Midnight”, LP strayed from their once familiar nu metal sound and began incorporating a more progressive rock sound to their music.

“A Thousand Suns” is a concept album, a first for LP, which sets the stage in a post apocalyptic world.  Surprisingly, given the rather dark setting, a lot of the songs are really optimistic!  And by songs I mean all 10 out of 15 of them.  Yes, you DID read that right. 

Not every track on this album is a song, some of them are speeches!  While some of these speeches work to set the mood (“The Requiem” & “The Radiance”), others are a complete waste of time and space on the album (“Empty Spaces”, “Wisdom, Justice, And Love”, & "Fallout”). 

Despite these flaws, “A Thousand Suns” is a pretty solid album.  While hard core LP fans will ignore it (and this post, too), more casual LP fans like myself will find something to love while listening to it.

My favorite songs off the album are “Wretches And Kings” (which almost evokes the ghost of LP’s nu metal past), “Blackout” (a dark moody industrial rock sounding track) “When They Come For Me” (An atmospheric rap/progressive rock fusion), “Burning In The Skies” (the most beautifully complex lyrics I’ve ever heard in a song!), “Robot Boy” (a nice catchy sci-fi track), “Jornada Del Muerto” (an eerie sounding filler track), “Waiting For The End” (the album’s true gem), “Iridescent” (the perfect closing credit soundtrack for a movie, TV show, or anime), and “The Catalyst” (a pulse-pumping epic 6 minute track).

Sadly, the album ends with a rather loud DUD!  “The Messenger” is an acoustic track which features LP’s metal front man Chester’s trademark angry-sounding vocals; in a word “TERRIBLE”!  It’s almost as tragic as the completely bland album cover.  I mean seriously, what is this thing?! What is it even suppose to be, an ink blot test?!  Does anyone really know what it is?!    I guess we never will…          

Paramore Founding Members Leave Band

It looks like my favorite band Paramore has a real “Emergency”!

The pop punk band known for their smash hits “Misery Business” and “Ignorance” is sadly losing two of its founding members.  It was made public on December 18, 2010 through the band’s official website Paramore.net that lead guitarist Josh Farro and drummer Zac Farro would be leaving.

The message from lead singer Haley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York stated that “A couple of months ago, Josh and Zac let us know they would be leaving the band after our show in Orlando last Sunday.”  Adding to that, the band said that “none of us were really shocked” upon hearing this and that “for the last year it hasn’t seemed as if they wanted to be around anymore”.

However, Josh tells a different story for his and his brother’s departure from the band.  According to Josh’s Blogger account, the ousted lead guitarist claims that Paramore was “a manufactured product of a major-label” and that Haley is being controlled by her management; treating Paramore as her own solo project while also claiming that she was the only member who’s signed to Atlantic Records.

Though most would just dismiss his claims as an expression of his anger towards leaving, Josh is right.  In an interview with MTV.com called “Paramore: The Last Word”, Haley, Jeremy, and Taylor confirmed many of Josh’s statements including that Haley was the only member of Paramore signed to Atlantic Records.

Despite losing two of their founding members, Paramore reportedly still plans to release new music in 2011, though it’s unknown if they will release a full length album for this year or if they will only release a few songs.  The remaining members have stated that the band will not break up and that they will instead recruit new members.  According to Haley, changing the band’s lineup will change Paramore’s signature style, but she insists that their sound will not.  As for me, I’m not buying what they’re selling because “For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic” that it actually will!  (Just listen to Guns N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” album which features mostly new members.) 

But Josh and Zac won’t have to be “Feeling Sorry” for leaving Paramore.  On February 2, the brothers revealed that they will be starting up their own separate bands.  Josh will be in his new band Novel American while Zac will be in his own called Half Noise.       

Green Day’s American Idiot Musical on Broadway

Green Day’s American Idiot is an entire one act stage musical based on the Grammy Award winning concept album of the same name.  The musical first ran at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009 before it was later moved to Broadway after doing remarkably well.  Beginning previews for American Idiot were shown at the St. James Theatre (hmm…Saint James, St. Jimmy, coincidence?) on March 24, 2010.  The show officially opened on April 20, 2010; talk about a “Green Day” indeed!

American Idiot follows a slacker named Johnny who has just realized that he hasn’t done anything with his life.  Johnny decides to look for a purpose as he leaves boring ol’ suburbia behind to experience all of the freedom and excitement life in the big city can offer.    

Most of the production’s scores are tracks taken from “American Idiot” while a select few are from the more recent “21^st Century Breakdown” album.  There are even a handful of b-sides as well as the unreleased “When It’s Time”, a song that Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote for his wife!  All of the songs work nicely to help move the story along and seeing the songs go with the actions being shown on stage offer a glimpse into what Billie Joe must have been thinking of when he was writing these songs.  All of the young performers have amazing vocals and really do all have bright futures ahead of them.

But this isn’t just a musical with people singing covers of Green Day songs.  For a limited time only, Green Day’s Billie Joe played the role of St. Jimmy, the drug pushing alter ego of Johnny who threatens to completely derail his life.  I was lucky enough to see him and he was excellent as St. Jimmy.  Everyone in the cast including BJ appeared to be having fun as they performed.  At the end, Billie Joe called up Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt to stage to play “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” as the encore.   Over all, I really loved Green Day’s American Idiot and that’s really saying a lot since I don’t follow musicals and as a die-hard Green Day, I was, to be honest, pretty nervous about having one of my favorite albums being turned into a Broadway play (it could have been a "Fiddler on the Roof", but with way more guyliner).  Thankfully, Green Day’s fans can rest assured that the musical does justice to the iconic album that it’s named after. 
The show is scheduled to continue playing on Broadway until it becomes too expensive to produce, so you all have plenty of time to go see it; I highly recommend that you do.  Tickets for the show can be bought on TicketMaster, Broadway.com, and Americanidiotonbroadway.com.  Billie Joe will be starring as St. Jimmy between January 1st and February 27th while Melissa Etheridge will take over this role from February 1st to February 6th.  Get your tickets today!  The best seats to this punk rock opera are available on Wednesday and Sunday evenings!