Shivers: R.I.P. Rowland S. Howard

It's such a cliché, but it's disturbing how often it's true: You don't appreciate an artist or person until they're gone... Rowland S. Howard passed away today. Click HERE for Howard's obituary in Australia.

Umlaut generally only exposes my Metal side in this space, but I actually listen to a variety of music... and Nick Cave has been my favorite songwriter since the late-80's. Rowland Howard was a founding member and guitarist of The Birthday Party with Cave, but their history extends back to an earlier version of that band called The Boys Next Door who released an album (Door, Door) in 1979 that featured the haunting Goth love anthem 'Shivers'. Yes, the Goth posing by Cave in the following video is cheesy here in the 21st Century... BUT Rowland Howard wrote the song's lyrics when he was 16-years old and they're still riveting to me.



"I've been contemplating suicide, but it really doesn't suit my style. So I think I'll just act bored instead.. to contain the blood I would have shed."

Again, those lyrics were written by Rowland Howard when he was 16-years old... Think of that as the camera focuses on Howard at the 1:59 minute mark.

Then there was The Birthday Party... a band that I won't spend time pontificating about here... because if you don't know them already you're kinda not a full-fledged member of the Umlaut Nation. Sorry... just being honest.



Rowland Howard is so fucking badass in that performance.. cigarette perched on lower lip as he stabs out chords on his Fender Jaguar as bassist Tracy Pew (who passed away in 1986) shoves his head inside the bass drum. Bands these days don't even fucking know...

For awhile in the late-80's and into the 90's the satellite bands around Cave that involved his past and present band members and collaborators were just as compelling as he was; they were like a gang of musicians and artists that seemed to bind Australia and Germany together... and Howard's work with These Immortal Souls, Crime and the City Solution, and his solo releases were perfect counterparts to Cave & the Bad Seeds. Howard also sang backup vocals on the song 'Do You Love Me?" on Cave's seminal 1994 album Let Love In.

As I said at the start of this rant, it's a cliché how you tend to appreciate an artist or person more when they're gone. Umlaut's head has been so METAL for the past year or so that I ignored other parts of my record collection... and Howard's passing makes me feel guilty about that. I know it's too late, but I'm pulling all of my Boys Next Door, Birthday Party, These Immortal Souls, Crime and the City Solution, and Roland S. Howard CDs and records out and listening to them again... for the first time.

Anyway, age may only be a number but it's tough getting older and seeing your old heroes moving on like this. This year began with the passing of the great Ron Asheton and now it's ending with Rowland Howard... as well as Vic Chesnutt last week... and I know it's too late but I just picked up the new albums by both Howard (released in October) and Chesnutt (released in September).

R.I.P. Rowland S. Howard..

This Week In Music Geek

Last week Umlaut came home after being out of town for 7 days to find this in his mailbox:


It's the BLU-RAY of Metallica live in Nimes, France from this past July! It's the first regionally exclusive DVD / Blu-Ray released by the band, with Nimes (sold only in France) being followed as you read this by a Mexico City DVD / Blu-Ray (filmed in June and sold only in Latin America); other regionally exclusive releases from other cities / countries may be unleashed in the future. It's a brilliant Marketing move that galvanizes the fans in those regions behind the band because it's something exclusive for them and it also creates a buzz in the rest of the band's worldwide fanbase. My Inner Music Geek loves this kind of shit.

From the Nimes DVD / Blu-Ray press release:

Francais Pour Une Nuit

On July 7th of this year we were honored to perform at Arenes de Nimes, the historic Roman amphitheatre in Nimes, France, easily one of the most spectacular venues in the world. We thought it would be a memorable night, so we asked our friends in France to bring along a film crew to document the festivities. The result is "Francais Pour Une Nuit" (translation: "French For One Night"), the DVD of the evening including the full show, interviews with us, and five videos shot by YOU, our buddies in the audience. All this and more will be available starting November 23, 2009!

"Francais Pour Une Nuit" was extra special for us because not only was it filmed in France, but ALL aspects of the project are French as the show was filmed, recorded, and edited with French camera and recording crews, the artwork on the package and special box set were created by a French design team; even the credits are in French. The only non-French parts: the three Americans and one Dane on stage and the photos shot by Englishman Ross Halfin.

The DVD will be available in retail stores in France only, at www.metallica.com, or you may order online through the record company at www.metallicanimes.com. There will be three formats available: Standard DVD in a digipack including a 16 page booklet, Blu-Ray DVD, also in a digipack with the booklet, and the deluxe limited edition box set that includes the DVD, a copy of "Death Magnetic on CD," a Large T-shirt, laminated pass, and five exclusive photos.

Metallica never do things like this half ass and the Blu-Ray's production is fucking stunning... spectacular.. amazing. It's the first release by the band in this format and it vividly captures all of the magic of the band playing in the Arenes de Nimes which was built by the Romans in 70 A.D.. Trivia: Rammstein also filmed live footage at the venue for their Völkerball live DVD.

This looks and sounds even better on a 46" HDTV... believe me:


Come on, even if you're a jaded mofo, you have to admit it's fucking cool watching the band walk down the ancient tunnel of that ancient venue just as Roman gladiators did and emerge to the thunderous roar of 20,000 fanatical French fans. Fucking magic... and something that only happens in Europe or South America, where fans aren't as jaded and ancient historic venues like this exist. The smile on James' face at the 1:13 minute mark says it all; they aren't playing in Fresno.

Yeah... still my favorite band.

30 Years Ago Tonight...

Thirty years ago TONIGHT this is where Umlaut was:

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Cheap Trick on the Dream Police Tour! It was my 2nd time seeing the band and I went with my cousin.. Cheap Trick were my favorite band at the time, man... BIG TIME. I was fanatical about them. The Pat Travers Band were 2nd on the bill after Moon Martin and it was awesome this show happened during Christmas Break. Soon after New Year's (in the new decade known as THE 80's!!) I was wearing my new 3/4 sleeve Dream Police Tour jersey at school and some jocks made fun of it and said Pat Travers had blown Cheap Trick off the stage that night. "FUCK YOU GUYS!" I didn't say... because I didn't want them to kick my geeky ass. Fucking asshole jocks! However, it's cool because those guys probably look 15 years older than me now and are also probably miserable as their life continues on the downward slide that began for them after high school. HAHA!

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Yeah, Umlaut is old... but age is only a number! Umlaut still loves Cheap Trick long time.. I still have the tour program I bought that night. Click HERE to relive the day just 7 months ago when Umlaut pulled a doubleheader of Cheap Trick at a County Fair and then some Japanese Death Metal back in The Big City. Yeah, I still got it..


THANKS to Kirk Fireball for reminding me about this anniversary... Kirk was also at the show (his 1st concert!) and amazingly he still has the 3/4 sleeve jersey that he also bought that night (!!!):

(From the Fireball Archives)

Fuck those jocks!

Rattlehead

This should be interesting.... Dave Mustaine's autobiography is being published by HarperCollins next April and photos and other artifacts from the Umlaut Archives will be featured in it. At least Dave contacted me personally to ask me to contribute. Stay tuned.

Click HERE to get an FYI about Umlaut's history with Megadeth.



From the book's press release:

Megadeth has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including six consecutive platinum albums, with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance.

A founding member of Metallica, Dave Mustaine was officially fired from the band in April 1983 for his alcoholism and because of clashes with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Unceremoniously dropped off at a Greyhound station in Rochester, NY, with a ticket back to LA, Mustaine went on to become the founder, lead guitarist, and singer of the equally popular heavy metal band Megadeth.

Here, for the first time ever, he tells the tale of the two biggest metal bands in history, a story that has yet to be told from the inside. Mustaine recounts the highs and lows of a life in hard rock.

The Decade Onstage

I still don't have my head around the fact that another DECADE is ending in less than a week... Trippy, right? Anyway, while Umlaut is hesitant to jump on the "Let's Compile An End Of The Decade List" bandwagon I will attempt to be one of the cool kidz and post this list compiled from the Umlaut Archives... because seeing a band live is where it's at, dude.

The 15 Bands That Umlaut Saw Onstage The Most Over The Past Decade:

• Green Day (aka Stalking Tour Manager Doug) - 16x
• Acid King - 12x
• Nick Cave (including 2 Grinderman shows) - 11x
  
• Metallica - 10x
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - 9x
• Ludicra - 8x
• High On Fire - 8x
• Motörhead - 7x
  
• Slayer - 6x
• Fu Manchu - 6x
• Black Cobra - 6x
• Saros - 6x
  
• Iron Maiden - 5x
• Mastodon - 5x
• The Sword - 5x
  
  
  2000: Maiden with Bruce and Adrian back in the band...
  
  
  2005: Probably the oddest bill of the decade...
  
  
  
  

2008: The day I finally met Steve Harris...

This is a pretty good general snapshot of where my head has been over the past 3,650 days. At the start of this decade I hadn't really come back around to my Metal roots yet. Also, at the beginning of this decade, I had yet to experience some personal and professional earthquakes that profoundly affected me psychologically... events that eventually guided me back to the music that has meant the most to me since I was a teenager: METAL.

Anyway, there you go... Umlaut is NOT going to compile any more fucking "Top Whatever" lists after this. However, Tour Manager Doug points out that "The Decade" actually doesn't end until after 2010, which seems to fly against popular consensus right now.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Nuts!

The Battle of The Bulge is still Umlaut's favorite Holiday event... and earlier this week I was lucky enough to be back in New Orleans and made my 3rd visit to the awesome National World War II Museum where they had a special "Holiday" exhibit set up.

(All pics and caption by Umlaut)

History Geeks RULE... Dog bless us, every one. Happy Holidays and THANKS for the support you've given this space over the years. It means alot... really... "NUTS!"

Iron Maiden has yet to write a song about The Bulge... just saying.

Kyle Meets Metallica - Part Three

The exciting conclusion to Kyle Meets Metallica - Part One and Part Two!

When we last left our hero, Kyle had just experienced the fire breathing beast that is Metallica in concert... and he and his parents were about to enter the dark void that is the backstage VIP Room!! What supernatural beast would Kyle encounter in that magical realm?! Would Kyle meet his Rock Star heroes??! Would Kyle smile???!

Cue 'Dyers Eve'..



Kyle’s Great Metallica Adventure, Final Chapter
by K.J. Doughton

OK. Let’s backtrack.

Kyle has toured Metallica’s HQ Master Control Center, setting foot inside recording studio, practice pad, and fan club center. He’s also seen the band live, in astonishingly peak form, even 28 years after Dad helmed their first fan club at seventeen years old.

Kyle is a bit overwhelmed, and getting tired. Most 12-year olds aren’t accustomed to the frantic, late-night cycle of extended encores and post-concert meet ‘n greets. But he’s willing to stick it out if it means meeting “The Guys” in person.

HP Pavilion ushers tell us that we need to move it. Bail. Get out of Dodge. We’re not sure about the VIP backstage arrangements. Ian Kallen cues us to follow him into a covert VIP room, packed with crowded tables full of various rock ‘n roll types. I don’t know who any of these people are… before spotting a very tall dude who can only be John Marshall (one-time band roadie and occasional fill-in guitarist following James’ various injuries). He and his wife invite us to join them at the table.

It’s the Marshalls, the Kallens, and the Doughtons. Pretty cool. We talk more about our kids than about metal. All of us agree that the band is still amazing.

We devour popcorn and sip soft drinks. We’re waiting, and waiting…and waiting for “The Guys.” Whispers of Kirk being too exhausted to come out start circulating. “Rob was already down here,” insists another VIP. We’re becoming discouraged, wondering if band members have concluded this hometown, end-of-tour show, fatigued and ragged, to collapse with their respective families.

It’s looking grim. Kyle had hoped to meet at least one musician from his favorite band. He’s sleep deprived and patient. It’s past midnight.

Then John Marshall comes up with an idea. “Follow me,” he suggests. We hastily comply. John converses with some woman I’ve never seen. She’s obviously Someone of Importance. Perhaps Lars’ personal assistant? We’re led down a white hallway with dressing rooms to the left and right. There’s a huge, black Metallica banner draping one wall. Those cool announcements that you see at every gig backstage, outlining the gig itinerary and catering arrangements, are taped on the wall next to each doorway. Mom dares Kyle to snatch one as a keepsake. He sneakily obliges.

John and Mrs. Marshall announce their need to leave. Before exiting the pavilion, John once again touches bases with the Pleasant Enigmatic Woman who seems to hold the key to Phase III of Kyle’s Metalli-Birthday extravaganza. We wait. And wait. And wait.

Lars.

The energetic, hyper-alert force of nature has arrived. The legendary drummer is right here, right now. He’s wearing black. “Ian! KJ!” he exclaims, enthusiasm personified. He talks about having seen fellow Old School comrade Brian Lew at their recent Sacramento show. He suggests that Ian is probably the only one who knew the lyrics to “Helpless,” the night’s first encore. He talks about the chaotic world of parenting. “I feel like a taxi,” proclaims Lars, “always driving kids around.”

Ah, parenting. I can relate.

It’s been a chaotic journey to this wonderful reunion with one of Metallica’s two Alpha Males, and I introduce Lars to Kyle. My son, the Birthday Boy. Lars throws an arm around Kyle and poses for photos. He signs Kyle’s tour program. He tries to engage my monosyllabic son in some form of conversation. He fails.


However, I spot a glimmer of a shy smile.

Dad passes Lars a copy of the first fan club newsletter, from Fall of 1983. “Is this an original?” he asks. I have to confess that it’s only a copy. There probably aren’t any originals floating around after so much time has passed. But still a rare flashback to the band’s embryonic stage, nearly three decades ago.


Today, I’m still not completely convinced that we pulled this off. It’s that surreal, emotional Cleveland Hall Of Fame vibe creeping up, all over again. Two years ago, I was selling the last of my metal artifacts on Ebay, convinced that the era of crunching chords had ended for me. This year, Metallica kicked down the door, re-entered my life, and provided two profound experiences.

Who woulda thunk?

Mission accomplished. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Vickie, John, Ian, and Lars for making it happen.

Happy Birthday, Kyle.

===

For Umlaut, I'm still misty-eyed after reading about Kyle's 12th birthday adventure... It reminded me how it feels to see the world through a 12-year old's eyes again... When I was his age my favorite band was KISS and dog only knows how I would have reacted if I had been invited to visit that band's inner sanctum or met ANY band member! Peter Criss? Yeah, Ace is my favorite... but I'll take it! All of you jaded old mofos reading this should chew on that for a moment...

Kyle's experience was also a profound continuation of something that was set into motion 27 (!) years ago... when a teenager in Roseburg, Oregon sent a teenager in Sunnyvale, California a cassette tape with some primitive recordings by a fledgling Metal band from Los Angeles on it... THIS cassette tape:

"No life 'til leather... we're gonna kick some ass tonight.."

Stocking Stuffer

Umlaut's awesome friends at Dark Horse Books have just published the excellent Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2009)... Just in time for Jesus' Birthday!

Needless to say it's chock full of amazing behind-the-scenes and rare photos of the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig combined with insightful and entertaining text. The book is presented in chronological order so you get a sense of Eerie's trek from teenage angst in New Jersey in the 70's to the Arena Rock implosion with Danzig in the 90's. Umlaut especially liked the content documenting the times in the 80's and early-90's when Danzig hung out and toured with Metallica and both bands were at the top of their Metal Powers... The images from these times include a drawing Eerie did of Metallica as "Alcoholica" shortly before Cliff Burton's death.

Some other nice WTF photos include the Misfits visiting Graceland in 1984, Jesse James (!?) working as Danzig's tour security guy back in The Day (!?), and Danzig with a rather hippie looking Rob Zombie (circa 'Thunder Kiss '65' White Zombie) hanging out with H.R. Giger.

Buy or Die.

Kyle Meets Metallica - Part Two

The exciting sequel to Kyle Meets Metallica - Part One!

When we last left our hero, Kyle and his parents had just visited the secret Northern California headquarters of Metallica. Would Kyle make it to the big Metallica homecoming show??! Would Kyle meet his Rock Star heroes??! Would Kyle smile???!

Cue 'Dyers Eve'..


Kyle’s Great Metalli-Adventure, Part II
by K.J. Doughton

Still dazed from his visit to the Official Metallica HQ, including tours of band studio, rehearsal room, instruments, game room, merchandise center, etc., Kyle gears up for an actual Metalli-SHOW. The real deal. Arena rock nirvana.

Dad is nervous about some unforeseen event throwing a fly in the ointment. Hyper-vigilant about driving on San Jose streets, he wrestles with visions of flat tires, fender-benders, and over-heating radiators. But we push on.

It’s Saturday evening, December 12th, and Dad lets out a sigh of relief. The rental car has made it to San Jose’s massive HP Pavilion. Will call tickets and VIP passes have been claimed (Thanks, Vickie!!!). All is going as planned.

Photo by MetOnTour

From the venue’s parking lot, we are amused by dozens of tailgate parties taking form. A particularly lively group of forty-ish, balding men (I’m noticing that bald is becoming the equivalent of the mullet for New Millennium metalheads) are drinking heavily and taunting passers-by with comments like, “You look like you’re going to a Hanna Montana concert!” Leather-clad women too old to be exposing their cleavage mill around in too much make-up, too much hair, and too little clothing.

We enter the venue and find our seats. 11th row. Not bad.


Metal concerts can become unexpected reunions, especially if you’ve been around the headbanger block a few times. Kyle is oblivious to this history. So when I spot hulking Testament frontman Chuck Billy sitting one row ahead, it doesn’t mean much to my oblivious wife and son. But when some twenty-something metal chick approaches him and exclaims, “I bow down to you,” my family is intrigued. Even more so when another fan, armed with a tour program and sharpie, begs Chuck for an autograph. I explain the band’s lineage, and how they inhabited the same Bay Area metal frat house that spawned Metallica and other speed-metal successors.

Kyle and my wife thinks that Chuck looks like Hagrid from “Harry Potter.” Kyle says he’s heard their stuff on Youtube.

The nostalgic vibe intensifies when someone taps me on the shoulder from behind. It’s Ian Kallen, metal veteran from San Fran’s Rampage Radio and Metal Mania fanzine. After decades of going in separate life directions and being somewhat disconnected from the scene, both Ian and myself were privileged to be part of Metallica’s recent Hall of Fame induction ceremony/party in Cleveland.

Ian has brought his daughter to the show. Suddenly, there’s an emotional undercurrent to the reality that two one-time Metalheads are now passing the torch to a new generation. It’s an awesome thing. Gone are the long hair, denim, and leather, but here we are. Watching Metallica 25 years later. With our kids.

After Kyle critiques two opening bands as “okay,” Metallica takes the stage surrounded by electric laser beams of green and blue. My son quickly grapples for his cell phone, with which to generate a steady stream of digital pics and movies. He texts them to a buddy living back in Washington.


Metallica rules. Dad has never seen them so strong, even though the band members have reached their mid-forties, and this marks the final show of their exhausting U.S. “Death Magnetic” tour. In Cleveland, the band’s Hall of Fame inductor Flea said it best: “When that magic happens in a band, it’s not something that you can add up with regular math. It’s a cosmic chemistry, and it is inexplicable.”

He’s right. The band’s flawless performance seems almost superhuman. Maybe it is. “Fight Fire With Fire” has lost none of its furious, attack-mode thunder. In fact, it’s faster and more powerful than ever before.


It’s weird. Unlike my generation of music collectors, my son has the advantage of Youtube with which to sniff out and research rock bands. He also has Guitar Hero Metallica to fall back on.

At twelve years old, he can name every Metallica song on every Metallica album in perfect chronology. He can tell you what types of guitars Kirk plays, and which LP’s were produced by Bob Rock. He knows which unique sound effects on “Master of Puppets” were generated through Cliff Burton’s bass playing innovations. He knows more than I do, all because of the Internet (and the fact that he’s a genius, which has nothing to do with any parental bias).

Another thing that strikes me while watching Metallica live is the transforming power of parenting. These days, the band appears less pissed off and more fulfilled. Some of the rage is gone. But unlike most bands that lose their anger, Metallica has forfeited none of their charisma, vitality, or power. I notice a small, partitioned-off area stage left. Various kids view the show from this select vantage point. I’m sure they’re band family members.

I can’t help but sense a correlation between family life and the positive vibe emanating from the stage. Fewer F-bombs. James’ onstage proclamation that, “We’re here to make you feel better,” and his empowering question, “ARE YOU ALIVE!?!” This is music-as-fuel, sound-as-energy, communal rock-as-inspiration. It’s quite something.


Balls of fire. Flames erupting in shades of green, red, and yellow. A hundred black beach balls dropping from the rafters.

When it’s all over, Kyle is wiped out. I can’t begin to fathom what’s going on in his 12-year old head, now ringing with the residual hum of a truly potent rock show.

But he’s still not smiling.

Phase II of Kyle’s Metalli-Birthday bash has been realized. As the house lights come on and we rush to the backstage VIP room, two questions remain.

Will Kyle meet “The Guys”?

And will he EVER smile for the camera?

Stay tuned for Part III!!!

Click HERE for Part Three of "Kyle Meets Metallica"!

Kyle Meets Metallica - Part One

K.J. Doughton and Umlaut have a friendship that spans over 25 years. We became friends mainly due to a cassette demo tape by some band called Metallica. This was when literally only 10 people knew about the band and eventually K.J. ran the band's initial fan club out of his parents' basement for the first 4 years of their career. It's been a long strange trip for us with The Rock Stars and this piece literally brought tears to my eyes.. If K.J. doesn't win "Dad Of The Year" I will be outraged. Life can be so METAL sometimes!

Cue 'Dyers Eve'..


Kyle’s Great Metalli-Adventure, Part One
by K.J. Doughton

Prologue: None of the following would have happened without the support of Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks to both of you for making this dream a reality.

My son Kyle never smiles for the camera.

He is, however, a fledgling guitarist and fan of loud music who turned twelve several days ago. What better birthday present than a Metallica adventure in San Francisco? Dad’s ancient history as helmer of the band’s first fan club (and a longtime supporter of Metallica’s early phases, through fanzine promotion and demo tape distribution) has its benefits. Perhaps by contacting some of Metallica’s key players, Dad could set Kyle up for a surreal trip through the world of our planet’s biggest metal band.

Mission #1: Contact Metallica Fan Club coordinator Vickie Strate, and ask if she could set up a tour of the band’s “HQ” center, where they rehearse, record, practice, sell their merchandise and Fan Club packages, and unwind by playing Kirk’s “Creature of the Black Lagoon” pinball machine.

Mission accomplished. Not only does Vickie send Kyle a birthday gift box (signed drum head, “Jump In the Fire” monster figurine, guitar picks, t-shirt), but she also arranges an HQ visit. The topper to all this is her willingness to get us into the band’s final “Death Magnetic” North American concert in San Jose on Saturday, December 12th. Not only that… she also provides VIP passes so that hopefully, Kyle can meet his favorite musicians in the flesh.

What a birthday present, eh?!?

With Mom and Dad in tow at 6:05 in the morning on a cloudy Thursday morning, Kyle jumps onto a plane and lands at SFO. The next morning, he’s en route to the legendary Metallica “HQ.” We’re greeted by Vickie, who set this dream into motion and proves to be the most generous and personable human being one could ever hope to meet. Dad provides her with some old fan club newsletters and bios from the early eighties, before she begins the tour.


One room is packed to the gills with various t-shirts and other merchandise. The mind boggles. Dad used to sell a couple of Metallica shirts each day from his parents’ basement when he ran the fan club. Now, with the holiday demand in full swing, the band has sold an astounding amount of merchandise in just the past 24 hours. Walls of black file cabinets house tens of thousands of membership files. It’s an awe-inspiring reminder of what a phenomenon the band has become since their inception in 1982. Kyle is overwhelmed and excited, but refuses to smile for the camera.

Vickie then transports us into the band’s game room, which boasts two pinball machines, an air hockey table, and various other diversions. Amidst foosball tables, Kyle poses for a pic. He’s having fun, but still no smile. What a rebel.


Next stop is the Metallica recording studio. Vickie confirms that the band produced “St. Anger,” and much of “Death Magnetic,” in this very room, a technical mishmash of knobs, buttons, consoles, mixing desks, mics, and amps.


Soon, we’re guided into the Metallica rehearsal studio, now stuffed with instrument cases destined for the band’s upcoming South American tour. Kyle poses in front of a never-ending wall of guitars (James’ personal stash), which resembles a shelf stuffed with oversized library books.


He’s tempted to touch one of Robert Trujillo’s bass guitars, but resists the urge. Ditto for the battered, bashed Flying V housed in a nearby guitar stand that James wielded during the “Kill ‘em All” era! Dad is about to have a cardiac, his heart is beating so fast.

Kyle gawks at the hundreds of fan-scribed banners wallpapering this practice warehouse, and poses in front of a spray painted mural of the band’s logo (James’ handiwork. Is there anything the man can’t do?) Meanwhile, Dad is intrigued by the “Wall of Inspiration,” a hallway decked out with framed covers of influential records most cherished by the band. Dad spots Thin Lizzy’s “Live and Dangerous,” the first Iron Maiden album, veteran NWOBHM’ers Tygers of Pan Tang’s “Wildcat,” and tons more. Cool, or what?


Thanks a million to Vickie and the other HQ reps who helped to make my son’s birthday present such an unforgettable dream come true.

Meanwhile, the question remains… will Kyle make it to the HP Pavilion in San Jose to get eyebrows singed by onstage pyro flames? Will he experience the punishing live power of “Fight Fire With Fire”? Will he actually meet the metal legends in person?

Most intriguing of all… will he ever smile for the camera? Stay tuned for Part II of “Kyle’s Big Metalli-adventure”!!!

Click HERE for Part Two of "Kyle Meets Metallica"!

Happy Holidaze

The exciting sequel to No Sleep 'Til San Francisco!

Is there anything better than celebrating The Holidays AND the end of a North American Tour with Rock Stars? Nope.

A historic San Francisco location... a few hundred guests... Food, food, food... Drinks, drinks, drinks... Santa... and a photo booth that produced cool multi-frame souvenir pics...

The Lead Guitarist to Umlaut: "I saw you from the stage in Sacramento... sorry we didn't play 'Trapped'.." (Umlaut had requested 'Trapped Under Ice' prior to the show)... and Umlaut FINALLY met the band's legendary soundman Big Mick after all these years.

Yes, The Rock Stars know how to throw a magnificent party! A REALLY fun evening, man. REALLY fun. Happy Holidays... and dog bless us... every ONE.

This Week In Music Geek

This might be the most beautiful thing Umlaut has seen all year by one of my favorite bands:

KYLESA STATIC TENSIONS WOODEN BOX SET 2XLP



The Kylesa “Static Tensions” Wooden Box Set contains the following:

• Solid wood box made of pine and birch, with silkscreened cover artwork
• Screenprinted 12×24 wrap around cover on metallic purple paper
• Turntable slipmat with cover artwork
• Full color A2 sized poster of album artwork
• 8 page full LP sized booklet of lyrics and art
• Sticker
• 2xLP, 45 R.P.M. vinyl version of Static Tensions on exclusive “Purple Haze” colored vinyl
• All boxes individually hand-numbered 1-150

Although the run is 150 copies, only 115 copies are being sold via the 20BuckSpin website. Oh, here's a video of Laura of Kylesa talking about this Music Geek's wet dream... although the German interviewer is a LOSER ("I'm actually not a vinyl collector..")..



YES! Umlaut scored a copy... Now I just have to wait and see what number copy I get in the sequence. The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth! This message was posted on the 20 Buck Spin site later in the day:

Kylesa Box Sets Gone
December 10, 2009

Unbelievable. You maniacs cleaned us out in 30 minutes!
Now please bear with us as we sort through this madness.
Thanks to all who ordered for your support of Kylesa and 20 Buck Spin.

Last Caress

Metallica / Machine Head
Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
December 8, 2009

(color removed to make it harder for sneaky fucks to counterfeit)

This was Umlaut's final concert of 2009... #84 for those keeping score... which is an average of a show every 4.3 days.. which isn't bad for an Old Fart like me. Appropriately my final show of the year was Metallica. Long time readers of this space know what an amazing full circle of life year it's been for me with this band. For the newbies click HERE and HERE to read about it... Go ahead... I'll wait.

Also appropriately, my concert year ended with an old fashioned road trip with Umlaut Nation brothers Timo, Photo Ray, and Old Metal Tim... and in old school fashion Timo borrowed his dad's SWEET armored personnel carrier as he had back in July when we traveled into the dark heart of California to see Judas Priest at a county fair... EPIC... and, yes, we're mentally still 16-year old Teenagers. "Dad, can I borrow the car?"

The SWEET Armored Personnel Carrier

This was my 3rd visit to the Sacramento area for a show this year and my 2nd visit to Arco Arena. I like Arco Arena: It's slightly smaller than the other big arenas in NorCal that are commonly used for concerts (Oracle Arena in Oakland and HP Pavilion in San Jose) and its round configuration versus the more traditional oval shape of the other venues makes a difference. Because of its design, Arco feels more intimate despite the fact it holds 17,000 people... and since Metallica's stage was in the round that intimacy was magnified.

The show started early at 7:00pm so those other hometown heroes Machine Head were already onstage when we arrived... which was a bummer since I wanted to see them as much as the headliners. MH are one of my favorite live bands and it was weird seeing them on Metallica's in-the-round stage but they made the best of it. Unfortunately Robb Flynn's wireless unit for his axe had gone out so he was tethered to his amp via an old school guitar cable... and Robb looked like a pit bull on a leash trying to get away from his collar so he could run around. Born free, as free as the wind blows... Since today was the 5th Anniversary of Dimebag Darrell's death, MH busted out their cover of Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile' and did a Jaeger toast to Dime as well. Nicely done. Eventually, Robb's leash got the best of him and he ended up getting the cable tangled up on some gear, so he tossed the guitar down and did the final song without it and let Phil Demmel carry the axe duties. This was my 3rd time seeing Machine Fucking Head on this tour and it's pretty amazing that by the time they play their final show in Europe early next year they will have been on the road for almost 3 YEARS on this album cycle. MH are road dogs of the highest order who unabashedly fly the flag for Bay Area Metal. Dog bless 'em.

It's been awhile since I've seen Metallica 4x on a tour, actually 5x when you count the Death Magnetic tour rehearsal. At this point, I've seen the band so many times over the years (37x and counting) that for much of their shows I'm more interested in watching the production and the crowd reaction more than watching The Rock Stars... It's also gotten to the point now where I know what song is coming in the set by details such as what guitar Kirk is given by his tech (Black Jackson = 'Sad But True') or by what seemingly random guitar doodle Kirk or James play. Total Geek shit.

I have to say that at this point in my history with the band, my favorite part of a Metallica show is the moment when the houselights go down and their 'Ecstasy Of Gold' (For the newbies: From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly movie soundtrack) intro tape starts... The fans know the intro tape as well as any of the band's songs and the roof is always blown off by the crowd reaction when those first notes start in the darkness of the venue. The band has been using that intro tape since practically Day One in the clubs and that connection to the past means alot to an Old Fart fan like me.. Tradition, man... Tradition.



Anyway, show highlights for Umlaut:

• 'Fade To Black' performed with James alternating between an acoustic and electric guitar. The band has never performed it that way before. Awesome.
  
• The part in 'Fade To Black' when Kirk goes into his solo and Lars steps up with the double bass. METAL.. I've loved that part of the song since the first time I heard the song in 1984...
  
• Kirk had a problem with his guitar during 'Enter Sandman' but, in a display of why he's a true Guitar God, he casually walked to the side of the stage, took the guitar off and was immediately handed another one by his tech, and within several seconds (literally) he was back at the lip of the stage at his wah wah pedal and hit his solo in the song without missing a note. This all happened in a matter of seconds and I'm sure not many fans even noticed it. You do NOT learn that kind of musicianship by playing fucking video games like Guitar Hero.
• Looking to my right during 'Nothing Else Matters' (still yawning... after all these years..) and seeing Umlaut Nation Metal brother DeVito standing 2 sections over from me... and both of us waving at each other and saying in that unspoken Old Metal Brother way that we were simply waiting for the next song.
  
• Favorite songs of the set: 'Sad But True' and 'Breadfan'... Especially the opening moments of 'Sad' when Kirk bent the note before James started singing. As he bent the note and held it for a moment, Kirk leaned backwards... pointing his Black Jackson at the sky as a spotlight bathed him in Arena Metal glory... FUCK YEAH.. and the riff in 'Breadfan' is still total godhead. Budgie!
  
• 'Fight Fire With Fire'... PYRO.... GOOD.
  

(Vid by Umlaut)

After the show we made our way to the designated elevator that would take us into the bowels of Arco Arena to the "VIP Club" for the obligatory After Show "wait and see what happens" tedium. It was your typical Arena Rock after show set up... snacks... drink tickets... bar.. standing around..


Joking aside, the best part of the After Show is that I met up with old friends and acquaintances to chat and catch up. At this point in my history with Metallica, going to their shows is very much like attending a high school reunion because I see so many people who I met back in The Day because of the band and there's a friendship and a bond there. It's pretty fucking cool.. and a shout out to John Marshall and to Paschke and his O.G. Trouble patch:


At one point a girl wearing a laminate came up to me and asked "Are you Brian??" and I said "Umm, yes.." and she said "Lars wants to see you.." I almost laughed out loud because that sounded funny (actually I think I did laugh out loud..)... and I wondered how Lars described me to her ("Go find the one Oriental Metalhead in the VIP Room...").... HAHA! Long story short, I was soon escorted to a dressing room where... I had a VERY nice personal conversation with The Drummer. I haven't had a mellow one-on-one conversation with The Drummer like that since The Reagan Administration; we used to bullshit like that all the time back in The Day, man. We chatted about life, the show, etc... but I was most impressed that he remembered my parents' house is in Sunnyvale. It was cool.. and say what you will about The Drummer... but I can't talk shit about him.

All in all, it was another FUN night in the land of Metallica. As I've stated in this space before, I've come to terms this year with the fact that Metallica are my favorite band... However, they are not my favorite band because I'm fanatical about their music... No, they're my favorite band simply because I have so much HISTORY with them... and they acknowledge that history and their organization goes out of its way to do stuff like calling to see if I want to attend a show. Remember, they're now in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and they are basically the Led Zeppelin of their generation... The fact that they still give me the time of day is pretty fucking amazing to me.

Anyway, it was another successful 180 mile round trip for Metal... On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which makes sense I guess. THANKS to Timo for driving and to his dad for allowing us to borrow his SWEET armored personnel carrier... and so another year of concerts comes to an end for Umlaut. See y'all in the pit next year.

"Exit light, enter night..."

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's pics from the show!

5 Years

December 8, 2004...

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Black Sunday

Marduk / Nachtmystium / Mantic Ritual
DNA Lounge, San Francisco
December 6, 2009



A friend recently asked me how Umlaut can attend so many shows; according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 83rd show of the year. The secret is I try to make each show as surgically precise as possible... and this show was a perfect example. It was one of those 5 band Metal shows that started at 7:30pm... With apologies to the other bands (Mantic Ritual, Black Anvil, and Merrimack), the only bands I wanted to see were Nachtmystium and Marduk. Nothing wears me down faster than having to sit through opening bands who I don't want to see. Yeah, there is the chance I'll miss a band who I might actually like, but I'm okay with the odds that I'll be happier chilling on my couch until the last minute versus being in a club wishing I was on my couch.

Prior to the show Timo and I made our monthly pilgrimage to The Irish Bank for pre-show fish 'n chips and pints. With apologies to the opening bands, I can't imagine they were more METAL than our meal. Sorry, just being honest... Oh, and 'Ace Of Spades' was played on the pub's jukebox while we were there too... Motörhead is always a good dinner companion.

It was nice to see a big crowd out for a Metal show on a rainy and cold Sunday night. We arrived during Mantic Ritual's set and the first thought in my head was "What year is this??" It's not that they were bad... but the whole retro NWOTM (New Wave Of Traditional Metal) that's getting so much hype kind of freaks me out because it's based on the production sound and style of Metal that was underground when I was a Teenage Metalhead... and bands back then had that production sound because they couldn't afford anything better... and now that sound is what the NWOTM bands strive for... WEIRD. Anyway, Mantic Ritual... not necesarily bad.. but I would have liked them more in 1983. After their set Timo reminded me that we had seen them with Destruction earlier this year... but I have no memory of them from that show.

Nachtmystium sound like they're European, the boots they wear suggest they're European, but there's something else going on with them that's different from Euro bands... So you ask "Where are they from??"... and when you find out "Chicago.." your first thought is probably "Really? Dah Bears..". Unfortunately, Umlaut was out of town when Nachtmystium visited San Francisco earlier this year with Pentagram. Since missing that show, I've been listening to their latest CD Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 ALOT... and the band's Prog / Psychedelic elements appeal to me in the same way that I'm drawn to the non-Metal elements in the music of Saros, Mastodon, and Kylesa.

It warmed my heart when guitarist Jeff Wilson played the opening riff to Slayer's 'Black Magic' during the monitor check as they set up. Since this was going to be Umlaut's final club show of 2009, I wanted to be right up front during Nachtmystium's set, so I planted myself next to Photo Ray against the stage for their entire set.

It's nice to know that I can still hold my own down front... I can still take a shot to the kidney and roll with it... and I can still throw an elbow into overzealous fans invading my space. Umlaut's old school pit advice: If you're against the stage, avoid turning around to look at the pit action, because most likely that's when you'll get hit in the face. The band slashed into 'Assassins' > 'Ghosts Of Grace', the opening tracks from their latest album, late in the set and I could tell alot of punters knew the album because of all of the slams and punches I received in the back and the back of my head during the songs; it was fun being 19 years old again for 45 minutes. Nachtmystium completely owned San Franfuckingcisco on this cold, rainy night.

"We feel nothing... and are nothing!"

I think it's been 8 years since Marduk last toured America and earlier this year they couldn't get into the country for a tour with Mayhem.. As with most of the pioneering Nordic Black Metal bands, Marduk's lineup is a shadow version of the original band. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think 3/4 of the band were different from the last time they visited S.F. in 2001 except for Morgan on guitar.

In what is common in package Metal tours like this here in the 21st Century all of the bands basically used the same backline and drum kit... which seems odd to me but I'm sure that's the reality of tour economics now. However, I can't imagine Venom and Slayer sharing their gear on tour back in The Day.... Just saying. At any rate, Nachtmystium and Marduk both had sound problems of various degrees, but I was interested by how each band handled the situation. Both bands did their soundchecks just prior to their sets during the changeover, which was a red flag.

Nachtmystium set up their own gear and realized there were monitor problems immediately and spent a good 10-15 minutes trying to sort it out before they returned to the stage. When they were onstage you could tell they were a seasoned touring band and if any sound problems came up they powered through them like professionals so their set didn't lose any momentum. A solid live Metal band onstage is like a shark... It MUST keep moving to survive.

On the flip side, Marduk had a lone roadie set up all their equipment who also noticed problems with the monitors, but these didn't get resolved before the band came onstage. For the first 3 songs Marduk sounded like absolute shit... The water bottles that were onstage were higher up in the mix than Morgan's camo Jeff Hanneman signature ESP guitar; the guitar was literally nowhere.


The sound did improve by the 4th song, but monitor and mic problems plagued Marduk their entire set to the point where I think Mortuus might have taken his frustrations out on a shirtless fan who jumped onstage. The poor kid ended up being thrown out of the club and was seen afterwards standing in the rain outside... pissed off... cold... and still sans shirt. Bummer, dude... However, Mortuus' little tantrums onstage were an interesting contrast to Nachtmystium onstage.

Despite the sound issues, it was still a METAL show. A chick standing not far in front of me had her iPhone knocked out of her hand by the pit action. The iPhone slid across the beer slicked floor towards me and I stopped it with my foot; when she picked it up she gave me the thumbs up in thanks. 21st Century pit etiquette... I guess.

Okay, I got bored during Marduk's set... maybe the sound problems had something to do with it.. or maybe not. I like Marduk's new CD Wormwood quite a bit, but the acid test for any Metal band is how the songs come across live... and their live presentation just didn't have a *bite* and the magic wasn't there for me. Sorry, just being honest.

Late in the set I moved down front, stage right, and I did enjoy them a bit more from that perspective... but I also knew that having watched 45 minutes of their scheduled 60 minute set I wasn't going to see anything that would blow my mind at that point... So we cut our losses, ventured back out into the San Francisco rain, and got our asses back home.

The next morning, the show's promoter (All hail Whore For Satan!) made a comment about the show's sound problems:

There was a bad connection on the guitar pedal board for the first few Marduk songs. The rest of the problems seemed to be related to Mortuus' monitor mix with which there was something terribly wrong. I thought the sound for all the other bands was great. My fear is that after 4 bands a lot of ear fatigue sets in and everything gets muddy. I thought Nachtmystium sounded great! Sorry the sound wasn't as good as it could have been for Marduk. Some people liked it.

I didn't do a merch audit, but from a sick in the head merchandiser's viewpoint I couldn't help but appreciate Marduk's "Fuck Me Jesus" shirt that features a woman sodomizing herself with a crucifix on the front. WWJD? On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Man, as I'm typing this I'm listening to Marduk's Wormwood CD and I'm bummed the band wasn't as good live as the new CD is... This cold, rainy night in S.F. belonged to Nachtmystium... Dah Bears!

Megadeath [sic]

While doing research in the Umlaut Archives for a project at the request of a certain Heavy Metal Rock Star, I came across this piece of historical literature:


I'm almost positive this was THE very first article ever written about Megadeath [sic] aka "Megadeth". It was originally published in Issue #1 of my fanzine Whiplash (that I published with my old buddy Sam Kress... R.I.P..) circa late 1983. Reading it again here in the 21st Century, it's not bad writing for a 19-year old Metalhead who hated English classes in high school. I learned about the written word on the streets, man!

For more history about Whiplash click HERE. Also, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for 1K words on my history with Megadeth click HERE.

A million years ago.

Them Bones

Due to the recent home renovation project at Casa de Umlaut, basically everything had to be moved out of the house and then it all was moved back in. During this process I came across some detritus from my past in boxes and closets. Some of the things were items I thought I had lost, such as this:

It's the tour shirt from Alice In Chains' brief 12-city headlining tour of college campuses in April 1993 in support of the Dirt album. The tour also acted as a warm up for the band's appearance on the Lollapalooza Tour that kicked off a month or so after this trek.

Umlaut saw the April 11, 1993 show at the San Jose State Event Center and it remains one of my favorite shows ever. Dude, I was WAY into Alice In Chains. The thing that makes this shirt so cool is the front design, which features an x-ray of Layne Staley's broken foot and the metal pins that had been placed in it:


"I believe them bones are me.. some say we're born into the grave..."

If I remember correctly, he had broken his foot as the Dirt Tour started when AIC were supporting Ozzy and Layne performed those shows either in a wheelchair or on crutches. By the time this leg (pun intended..) of the tour kicked off his foot had healed and the band's sense of humor about it ruled. Good times. Awhile back, someone posted a bootleg video of the entire San Jose show on YouTube. Click HERE to see what Umlaut lived. 'Angry Chair' > 'Man In The Box' was total fucking godhead that night (see Part 7 of the YouTube videos)...

A little over 2 months after the San Jose State show, Umlaut saw AIC again on the Lollapalooza Tour when it stopped at Shoreline Amphitheater. Another great show that featured Layne giving a shout out to Testament, who were watching the set from the side of the stage. I also remember being fascinated how Jerry Cantrell, instead of handing his guitars to his tech, would literally throw them at the roadie... who caught them every time. Impressive.

Jerry Cantrell > Mike Inez - Lollapalooza '93 Picks
(From the Umlaut Archives)

A year later Umlaut was beyond stoked because 2 of my favorite bands, Metallica and Alice In Chains, were doing a Summer Tour together... AND I had fucking 4th row center seats. However, AIC cancelled off the tour literally 2 days before it started due to Layne's "health problems"... such a bummer.

The Bill That Never Was...
(From the Umlaut Archives)

The next, and final, time Alice In Chains visited San Francisco with Layne was in May 1996 when they performed on The Late Show with David Letterman during Letterman's week-long visit to S.F.. The show was broadcast from The Palace of Fine Arts and rumors were flying all week that AIC were going to play a secret show across town at The Warfield... and Umlaut had the insider friends who were going to get him in.. but alas it never happened.


Two months later Alice In Chains played their final show with Layne (Trivia: In Kansas City supporting KISS)... and I continued on my Music Geek journey while the band sank. Then 6 years later Layne was dead, but by then Alice In Chains were part of my past so it was a sad conclusion to something that I'd left behind years earlier. The End.

Thank dog I never sold my copy of the 1990 'We Die Young' 12" EP, a 3-song record that came out a month before Alice In Chains' debut album. The record is notable because it has the exclusive Non-LP song 'Killing Yourself' (a different demo version was included in the Music Bank box set) and it features THE most fucking eerie and prophetic band photo ever on the cover:


Spooky, right?! It's like the band is looking 12 years into their future..

What? Uhh, yeah I actually do like the new Alice In Chains album... To be honest, I didn't want to like it... because nobody can replace Layne.. but, yeah, I like it.. I've grown to like it alot actually. R.I.P. Layne.