Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The next wave of British music is riding on the slim shoulders of Kula Shaker frontman Crispian Mills. Who? Tall, thin and extremely blond, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist (son of actress Hayley Mills) is the latest hottest thing across the Atlantic.
“I’d hate for you to write this story and have everyone think I’m a happy, cheerful person,” Jakob Dylan said. “It’s not good for the image of the group.” He’s joking. The Wallflowers’ lead singer-songwriter-guitarist proved to be anything but a wallflower during a recent telephone interview from his Los Angeles home. His pensive songs may exude bittersweet longing, but in real life he is chatty and quick-witted and the first one to poke fun at himself.
Eye Candy keeps watch on music-related items worth a closer look: The shotgun reunion between David Lee Roth and Van Halen may have been a bust, but the original Van Halen lineup looks young and happy in “Van Halen – Video Hits, Volume 1” (Warner Reprise Video). The 64-minute home video also includes “Me Wise Magic,” a new track featuring Roth on vocals . . .
You wouldn’t expect to see fans doing the polka at a rock concert, but then again, Los Lobos isn’t just any old rock ‘n’ roll band. So when the East Los Angelenos kicked into a rowdy polka, Latin style, halfway through their sold-out concert Friday night at the Riviera, the fans followed suit by partnering up and actually dancing (rather than body surfing or slam dancing).
At most rock concerts at the Rosemont Horizon, the poor suckers stuck in the back rows have to make do with catching glimpses of the performers on the huge video monitors. Not at Melissa Etheridge’s show Saturday night. An hour after her 8:20 start, the singer briefly disappeared, only to reappear on a makeshift stage at the back of the stadium, where she played for the next 50 minutes.
You’d think that after performing for almost 2 1/2 hours and giving the audience three sets of encores, the Smashing Pumpkins would have run off the stage after their sold-out concert Friday night at the Rosemont Horizon. But when the house lights came on, there was a strange sight on stage. Singer Billy Corgan was still there, acknowledging the adulation of his cheering fans and obviously relishing the band’s triumphant homecoming.
When the album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last fall, the Smashing Pumpkins seemed destined for a stunning future. Their previous works “Gish” and “Siamese Dream” had made them superstars, but no one in the band imagined that “Mellon Collie,” which has sold more than 7 million copies in the United States, would become the most successful double CD ever.
Reverend Horton Heat is one of the best bands you’ll hardly ever hear on the radio or see on MTV. And that’s just fine with the Texas trio, which falls somewhere between the retro rockabilly sound and the frenetic psychobilly craze.
Make fun of their laid-back lifestyle, their aversion to walking (outside of a gym) and their quest for the perfect tans, but Los Angelinos know how to have a great time, day or night.
Despite the paradoxical name of the Gin Blossoms’ current album, “Congratulations, I’m Sorry,” the five-man band from Tempe, Ariz., has no reason to apologize. “Congratulations” is as good as the Blossoms’ 1992 breakthrough CD, “New Miserable Experience” – something many critics predicted wouldn’t be possible after the suicide of original member Doug Hopkins, who wrote many of the group’s hits.
I pity the fool who doesn’t like the Mr. T Experience. Playing a potent blend of poppy punk tunes, the 10-year-old San Francisco trio sings songs that are sweetly melodic and, at times, hysterically true-to-life (“I’m like, `Yeah’/But she’s all, `No’/And I’m all, `Come on baby, let’s go’/And she’s like, `I don’t think so’).
As a warm-up before resuming their world tour in Las Vegas, the Smashing Pumpkins played a “surprise” concert Friday afternoon at Metro. It was the band’s first show since the firing of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in connection with the July 12 heroin overdose of keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin.
Noel Gallagher appeared comfortable taking the stage without his brother. Whether he stayed in his usual spot–stage left–out of habit or respect for his brother is debatable (although I’m guessing the former). But if there was any question about his ability to command a crowd’s attention with his voice, it was quickly dispelled when he started their 15-song, 85-minute set with “Acquiesce,” a track not included on either of their albums. As he sang the telling refrain, “‘Cause we believe in each other,” the crowd furiously pogoed its approval back at him.
At the Aragon soundcheck, it was Liam who was intent on hassling Noel. The moody singer jumped off the stage and meandered around the venue playing with a worn soccer ball. Looking at Noel, who was still rehearsing, Gallagher took aim and expertly kicked the ball to or, depending on who you asked, at his brother. Noel stopped the ball with his right foot, but wouldn’t surrender it to Liam until the song was over.
Matthew Caws can’t wait until he gets to Chicago for his band’s Friday night concert at Metro. Sure, the Nada Surf singer is anxious to show fans that his trio has more substance than its kitschy single “Popular” would indicate. But just as important, he wants to collect his birthday present.
Fans at the Sex Pistols’ reunion concert at the Aragon Saturday night spit, swore and threw plastic cups filled with beer, ice and soda at the aging punk rockers. Kinda makes you wonder what they would’ve done if they hadn’t liked the band so much. Yes, it was just like the old days, except the Pistols didn’t return the volleys as they would have in their late 1970s heyday.
Envy those who have tickets to this solid, eclectic sold-out concert. If ever there was a male waif, it’s Beck Hansen. Thin and slight, his frame gives off the misleading impression that he’s a small child playing at being a rock star. But Thursday – in the first of two sold-out nights at Metro – the multitalented musician roared out with confidence and turned in one of his most solid, eclectic sets. Beck’s music personifies what now has become a generic definition for “alternative.”
Scholars and artists may argue about punk’s origin, but few will disagree that until the Sex Pistols exploded onto the music scene in 1976, not many people paid attention. “The Sex Pistols were created by Malcolm McLaren, who was in the fashion business, so a look was pushed on them more so than on the American punks,” said James Stark, author of “Punk ’77” (Stark Grafix). “That definitely made them more marketable.
God save the queen – the Sex Pistols are back. And if they’re not as lean and mean as they were 20 years ago, they don’t care. The British press gleefully speared the quartet whose name has become synonymous with punk rock, accusing the 40ish musicians of being too old and fat to be punk.
When a cocky guy like Noel Gallagher rates your band as being better than his, there might be a tendency to get a swelled head, especially since the Oasis guitarist isn’t particularly generous in his assessment of other groups. But while John Power is quick to tout the merits of his band, Cast, he’s just as swift to set the record straight with a modicum of modesty.