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- Matt K in Just a small complaint… Agreed whole-heartedly. Nice observation.
Back in February, we posted about a VBS.tv documentary about the search for Acrassicauda, Iraq’s only heavy metal band. The 5 part series was far more fascinating than I’d expected. Well, now comes a part two of sorts. VBS.tv has a 7 part series called “Black Scorpion of Baghdad” about Acrassicauda (Latin for Black Scorpion). Luck you… all 7 parts are up and posted. Write off the next few minutes of your life because you won’t be able to do anything until you get through all 7 parts:
On top of teaching our kids to read, write, memorize the fifty states and floss, future parents can add to the list of responsibilities indoctrinating their children to the music
of Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles. At least, that’s the recommendation from music industry documentary Before the Music Dies, lest the future of music fall into the wrong hands. Not that Mom & Dad should be the hippies who bring their babies to Dead shows, but without a little parental direction it’s not hyperbole to say that tomorrow’s children run a greater risk of life-long addictions to bad music than to drugs (yes, one can be argued to lead to the other, but that’s neither here nor there).
Before The Music Dies is an unsettling and inspired bit of film-making by first timers Joel Rasmussen and Andrew Shapter, who mingle their own treatise on the state of the music industry (narrated by Forest Whitaker) with perspicacious commentary from a roster of high-profilers. Of the assembled speakers, Branford Marsalis, Questlove and Erykah Badu provide the keenest and most hilarious assessments of the current state of mainstream music.
Not much of what is said is news to anyone who has been paying attention, and has absolutely zero chance at inspiring fans of Ashlee Simpson and Mariah Carey into dusting off Dad’s old copy of Nashville Skyline, but while avoiding the cynicism of a jaded hipster it does give our suspicions and music-industry-conspiracy theories a little credence.
This film is made mostly for people who purport to ‘love music’ and struggle to find out what went wrong - in doing so, it made a few assumptions and took some easy shots below the belt. For example, we can all be smug in our correct prejudices that fans of Ashlee Simpson concentrate on her hair above all else, but though we would hope that they’ve at least heard of Bob Dylan, we shouldn’t be shocked to find that they haven’t. Why not ask a Rebecca Wells fan if Ulysses is a good read?
Singling Ashlee Simpson out as a symbol of what’s evil and wrong with music is almost too easy, but I found out that moments like that are disturbingly common. The same scene played itself out where I work and involving [college-educated] people who know they’ve heard Dylan’s name somewhere, but couldn’t remember if he is a member of Green Day or the Rolling Stones. Read more »
I don’t know what it is with me and metal today. I’m not even a fan of the genre on the whole. Maybe it has something do to with watching Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey over the weekend and suddenly, I’m seeing metal everywhere.
Anyway, on to the point. I got a press release from Vice Recordings today announcing the launch of VBS.tv (Vice Broadcasting System.) One of the shows caught my interest, a 5 part series called Heavy Metal In Baghdad, about the only heavy metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda (Black Scorpion). Parts 1 -3 are already posted with the additional 2 episodes being posted tomorrow (Feb. 8 ) and Friday (Feb. 9 ).
Thus far, they haven’t shown more than archive footage of the band, but that’s inconsequential. These videos are really well put together and engrossing and only adds to the legend that whatever Vice does must be cool. Check it out, it’s pretty amazing.
Hot damn! If you’re one of the sad sacks that missed out on the best weekend of music, like, EVAR–The Touch and Go Records 25th Anniversary Block Party–the Chicago label is giving you the opportunity to witness high-quality, well-edited video of the event so you can see just how sad of a sack you are for missing it. For the rest of us, it’s a great vehicle for reliving some seriously warm fuzzies. Quoth Touch & Go on their website:
All of us here at Touch and Go are pleased to announce the release of the first in our web series of mini-videos about our 25th anniversary birthday bash held last September at the Hideout here in Chicago. Now, for all of you who couldn’t make the trek, here’s a way (other than all those blurry youtube videos) to check out Big Black’s stellar set, David Yow in all his writhing glory, or any of the 29 other bands that rocked thousands of socks off in one glorious weekend.
The series kicks off on our website this Monday, January 22 with an overview of the block party and how it came to happen. Then, starting January 29, we’ll begin posting band-specific clips from every set of the weekend. We don’t want to give too much away about the first few posts, but you can expect to see a little old-school, some more recent faves, and even one from a band that’s so new they haven’t released a record on Touch and Go yet. In the weeks and months to come, check back every Monday for a new video from a different act blending live performance and interview footage in commemoration of 25 years of Touch and Go.
Oh golly gee whillikers, i wonder if that band that’s “so new they haven’t released a record on Touch & Go yet” could possibly be Ted Leo + Pharmacists? Anyway, as they say, the introduction is up now, so click here to experience Steve Albini looking at David Yow and exclaiming, “So, David, i hear you’ve stopped eating your own shit!” And then stop back in the coming weeks for almost certain footage from Girls Against Boys, The Didjits, The Ex, Enon, Arcwelder, my favorite two performances–Killdozer and Man…or Astroman?–and of course, thee mighty Big Black.
I really hope they post some of the glorious trainwreck that was The Monorchid’s set too.
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wow, i just heard that denny doherty died yesterday. this leaves only one member of 60’s pop band the mamas and the papas left alive (that being michelle phillips, of course, who had an affair with denny behind her husband and fellow band member john phillips’ back and got herself kicked out of the band…so much for free love.)
anyway, unlike some of the other founding members of the mamas and the papas, denny doherty had nothing to do with inflicting wilson phillips upon the world so he will be missed. let’s remember him with a video of the classic song “california dreamin’,” shall we? doesn’t it kinda make you want to dance in a bathtub yourself?
Since the inception of this site, two abominations have been the source of many brutal tirades and lengthy harangues made by our writers and contributors. These abominations? My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco (more nefariously referred to by us as Pitchfork! At The Disco). In celebration of our collective fervent derision, I offer to you, gentle readers, this footage of Panic! At The Disco’s frontman, Brendan Urie, being whacked in the head with a bottle, wisely thrown by a knowing Brit during the UK’s Reading Festival. Sure, this happened in August 2006, but justifiable violence never really goes out of style, does it?
