The Skinny, Page 1

The Skinny:

This is where I'll tell you about a few of my favorite things. People have picked on me about how everything is my "favorite." Hey, I can't help it.

So now you can read about hot music, cool drinks, beautiful places, and more. Below are some examples.

You can even offer feedback about things that make your list. Just email me!

Music

Trustkill Records, home of such great metal bands like It Dies Today, NORA, Bullet for My Valentine, and Throwdown

- The Coolest CD's I've bought lately:

Bullet For My Valentine
4 Words [To Choke Upon]
Click here for the Bullet For My Valentine 'Hand Of Blood' MP3

Augustana - "All the Stars and Boulevards" -- I first heard Augustana's song "Coffee and Cigarettes" and thought that it was going to be one of those mellow Britpop-influenced bands. It was a good song, but it wasn't enough to make me excited for the CD. Then I heard "Bullets", which has that jangly rock feel that makes you bob your head to the beat, not unlike a few songs from the Damnwells or Graham Colton Band (below).

This is one of those rare CDs that you can hit play and just "let it ride". I've lately been into this middle American rock vibe, like the past days of Gin Blossoms and Soul Asylum, and the new school of the Pat McGee Band and the bands I mentioned above. Augustana take this vibe, meld it with solid arrangements and clean-as-a-whistle production (courtesy of Brendan O'Brien), and convey a good range of human emotion.

Do yourself a favor, buy the CD, pop it in, and LET IT PLAY. Don't just get hung up on listening to "Stars" or "Boston", though they are both great tunes. Search deeper and you'll likely be thrilled at what you find.

Click on the links below to watch Augustana's brand new video for "Stars and Boulevards"!
RealVideo | QuickTime | Windows Media: lo - med - hi

Story of the Year - "In the Wake of Determination" -- When I first heard Story of the Year on the radio, my first thought was honestly "Great, another faceless alternative rock band." But "Until the Day I Die" slowly grew on me, and when I saw a live song, I knew that these kids put a lot of love and enthusiasm into their music. I went out and bought "Page Avenue" and didn't regret it a bit.

Now SOTY are back with a new CD that cranks up the heaviness and still keeps the melody. There is a lot more anger in this release, and the gang-choruses and breakdowns have been ratcheted up a notch or two.

SOTY's front man Dan Marsala has gone on record saying that Story of the Year's near-platinum 2003 debut, Page Avenue--produced by Goldfinger's John Feldmann--didn't properly represent the band or its full throttle live show. The St. Louis screamo group aims to remedy that with this follow-up, co-produced by Steve Evetts, whose past clients include the convincingly heavy Hatebreed and Dillinger Escape Plan. It's really evident in the nice-and-heavy breakdown in "Stereo" and the rally against mosh-pit dumbasses in "Meathead".

But the last song really did it for me. the 1st time I heard it, I had just backed into my garage and was getting ready to turn the car off. The fade-in to a super-aggressive riff caught my ears. I opened the booklet and started reading the lyrics, and then the band's notes about how they felt playing the song -- it reminded me how it felt to sing one particular CCAB song. Fists clenched. Tears in my eyes. My face all red. Like I was going to explode.

I won't tell you more than that. If you like this kind of music, just go out and buy this. Period. Read the lyrics. read the liner notes. This is a band that doesn't just put out product. They f**king FEEL it.

Throwdown - "Vendetta" -- Wow. That's about all I could say when I heard "We Will Rise" from Vendetta. I had heard other Throwdown CD's, but had never been really impressed with their brand of hardcore. But now it's different. There's a strong sense of Pantera in the vocals, and a lot of Hatebreed in the riffs.

It's rare that I get goosebumps when I listen to a CD. But this album gives me serious gooseflesh. It almost makes me want to get back into a band. There's not a weak track on this whole release. The album begins with "We Will Rise," which shoots out of the starting gate with a riff that vaguely sounds like a lawn mower, explosive double bass drumming, and a very Hatebreed-esque bellow of "We will rise!" Next comes "Speak the Truth;" a song cascading, slow buzzsaw riffs and a couple of Phil Anselmo-ish howls. My personal favorite song on here is "Give My Life." It starts out with a mean-ass riff, has thumping drums, and when Dave Peters says "I give my life" it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

The Damnwells - "Bastards of the Beat" -- The first time I heard "Sleepsinging" on my MusicMatch player, I immediately had to find out who these guys were (and then I downloaded the song).

The Damnwells are an infectious rock quartet that specialize in poppy alternative rock that often journeys into majestic and dreamy territory. Forming around the turn of the century, the Damnwells centered around singer/guitarist Alex Dezen, former Whiskeytown drummer Steven Terry, bassist Ted Hudson, and guitarist Dave Chernis.

Today, �average� American rock could be just about anything, from the jangle of heartland pop to the twang of roots-rock, there�s simply too much ground to cover for a band to become the quintessential, salt-of-the-earth American band. That doesn�t stop The Damnwells from trying on Bastards of the Beat, however, and rather than making the average American sound, they turn out simply average.

The second track, �What You Get� has a pulsating electric guitar that runs through it that traces its bloodline back to Cheap Trick�s power-pop masterpieces. The first time I heard it in my car, the windows were all down, the sun was shining, and I was on my way home. I can't describe how uplifted that song made me feel at that moment.

�I�ll Be Around� mixes the jangle of pop-years Old 97�s with a lazy, almost somnambulant vibe it apparently borrowed from the likes of Matchbox Twenty. �New Delhi� digs deeper into the 97�s catalog for a bit of twangy alt-pop, though it still sits much closer to radio rock than the Texans� alt-country hoedowns. A tambourine in �Kiss Catastrophe� is the only thing that separates the band from bar-band-level roots rock, while the drowsy melodies of �Sleepsinging� recall R.E.M.�s days as college-rock staples.

Bastards of the Beat wants to embrace American rock, but The Damnwells just don�t know which part of America they should settle upon. As the band develops the talent to get things right, they may gain their focus and get a clear picture of what it�s all about.

Lamb Of God - "Ashes of the Wake" -- Wow. I mean that emphatically. Wow.

I haven't gotten this excited or felt this intensely for a thrash CD for a long, long time. And make no bones about it: This IS a thrash CD. These boys from Virginia truly worship the almighty riff, and no one plays riffs this heavy anymore without sounding like they're from Norway. This is straight-up American Metal through and through.

On "Ashes of the Wake", Lamb of God take up where they left off with "As The Palaces Burn" and the jump to a major label only helps to sharpen the knife. In my mind, Lamb of God could very well be the new Slayer, and alongside bands like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and God Forbid, they're bringing back the metal in a big way. Definitely something you should check out if you like heavy music.

Graham Colton Band - "Drive" -- A liitle while back I heard this song on my LaunchCast player (from Yahoo, if you didn't know). It was a rocking tune, with a driving tempo and a pop sensibility. I immediately had to find out who it was.

That song was the first track on the new Graham Colton Band CD, "Drive", and it's called "Don't Give Up On Me.".See, I think there are good CD's and there are really good CD's that will stay in your player for years. "Drive" is one in the later category. This is a GREAT album produced by the master Brendan O'Brien. The style of music is fresh modern rock with mid-western sentiments all over.

"Drive" has tons of melodic hooks, refrains and a great performance by the band. After the opening tune, "Don't Give Up On Me" (that I'm sure you'd LOVE if you like Matchbox Twenty, Gin Blossoms, and latter-day Goo Goo Dolls), it just continues in the same way. Another great track is "How Low (Breakdown)". Check out these lyrics:

"Every time that you get her on the line
She is watching what you say
You don�t care if she�s wrong or she is right
Cuz you just let her have her way
You can take it from me
She will take you for everything -- she will lie -- she will break you down inside
Cuz you will crawl, you will bleed, you will give up everything.
And you will lie, you will tell her anything
So How Low did you go?"

Like I said, I think it's a great CD, and I got it used for about $6.00! Can't beat it. Melodic rock at its very best.

-- Other CD's you should check out: the Pat McGee Band, Matt Nathanson, James Otto, Moments In Grace, Pete Yorn, any older Ryan Adams, Matthew Ryan, Will Hoge, Jimmy Wayne...

Drink

Southern Comfort. You know it well. That slightly peach-flavored, mysterious 70-proof liquor. Is it whiskey? Is it something else? If nothing else, SoCo is the stuff of teenage memories...if I had a dollar for every time I drink too much SoCo as an underage juvenile deliquent....
Ahem, anyhow...I recently bought my first bottle of SoCo in over 15 years. I have joyously rediscovered liquor, like the wonderful taste of Crown Royal (or Jim Beam, or Maker's Mark) and Coke. I guess I'm getting back to the basics. Or maybe I'm finally a man. Whatever.

So try this mix out sometime:

Sauza Wowza
1 oz Sauza Tequila
1 oz Southern Comfort
1/2 oz Tequila Rose
-- Fill with 2 parts orange juice, and 1 part Squirt soda.
It's yummy. But I like that kinda thing.

The mighty Jagermeister. I had never partaken in this imported elixir until a few years ago when a friend suggested I try a drink where you drop a shot of Jager into a glass of Red Bull (called a Blaster by many). Don't drink too many -- a friend of mine had her arm go numb (that can't be good!)

Though Jager has a cough-syrup-like taste and texture, it does mix pretty well. For example:
BUTTERY JAGER RIPPLE: 1/3 Jagermeister, 1/3 Irish cream, 1/3 Butterscotch Schnapps, all into a shot glass. Yummy!
Also, since 1994 Jagermeister has been the sponsor of bands across the country, sponsoring more than 160 bands that play bars, clubs, and other concert venues. They work to recruit bands that embody the spirit of J�germeister... who live for J�germeister. Check out music and videos from the J�ger Bands at J�germusic.com!

Twice a year the J�germeister Music Tour hits the road with top National Bands, such as Slayer, Hatebreed, Saliva, (Hed) Planet Earth and Drowning Pool. Be sure to catch the current J�germeister Music Tour as it hits a city near you!

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