Gang of Four pictures from Rolling Stone

Fricke’s Picks: Motorpsycho

“Suite: Little Lucid Moments,” the opening track on Little Lucid Moments (Rune Grammofon), by the Norwegian power trio Motorpsycho, is not little. It is a mini-album in itself, an improbable union over four parts and 21 minutes of Tool, Goo-era Sonic Youth and the ‘69 Yes: angular riffing, volcanic guitar-bass-drums debate and surprising pop-sheen vocal harmonies. The second section is well named — “A Hoof to the Head” — and the gripping tumult in the third stretch, “Hallucifuge (Hyperrealistically Speaking),” explains why Motorpsycho are established prog-metal stars abroad. Bassist-singer Bent Saether and guitarist-singer Hans Magnus Ryan started the band in 1989, taking the name from Russ Meyer’s 1965 biker-gang B movie and throwing caution to the arctic winds over a long discography of hard-rock indulgence, including the two-CD epics Trust Us (1998) and Black Hole/Blank Canvas (2006). Little Lucid Moments — a single disc, and Saether and Ryan’s first album with new drummer Kenneth Kapstad — is pith in comparison, but just barely. The finale, “The Alchemyst,” is a 12-minute whirl of power-pop clang and polyrhythmic jamming with a soft space choir landing at the end. You wouldn’t want it any shorter. [Photo: Anja Basma]

Published: 2008-06-04 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Fricke's Picks

Scott Weiland Responds to Velvet Revolver’s Overthrow, Recommends Sebastian Bach

Scott Weiland has issued a scathing statement in response to yesterday’s non-April Fool’s Joke that Velvet Revolver would continue on without its singer’s services. “I find it humorous that the so called four ‘founding members’ of Velvet Revolver would decide to move on without me after I had already claimed the group dead in the water on March 20 in Glasgow,” Weiland said. Weiland went on to remind everyone that he’s reuniting with Stone Temple Pilots, saying “I choose to look forward to the future and performing with a group of friends I have known my entire life. This also speaks to my commitment to the fans who I feel would much rather watch a group of musicians who enjoy being together as opposed to a handful of discontents who at one time used to call themselves a gang.” In one last parting shot, Weiland comments on the band’s upcoming search for a new lead singer. “Good hunting lads, I think Sebastian Bach would be a fantastic choice.” We personally cast a vote for Axl Rose, but that doesn’t seem likely. Related Stories: Velvet Revolver Part Ways With Scott Weiland Due to “Erratic Onstage Behavior,” “Personal Problems” Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum Fuel Velvet Revolver Breakup Rumors Velvet Revolver on the Verge of Breaking Up? [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-04-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Composer Tyler Bates Channels Joy Division, Daniel Lanois For “Watchmen” Score

Photo: Ortega/WireImage Tyler Bates, the Los Angeles-based producer whose dark-ambient compositions score the long-awaited movie adaptation of the Watchmen graphic novel, hadn’t read the comic before accepting the gig. He didn’t want to jinx his chances of getting it once he heard that friend and collaborator Zack Snyder (300, Dawn Of The Dead) would be directing the long-awaited film. And once Bates found out would be providing the soundtrack for the cult favorite, new challenges expressed themselves. “To be honest with you, I’m not a real comic geek,” said Bates. “The first time I read it was just understanding when to look at the pictures and then read the bubbles.” The score he would produce is a propulsive mix of vintage synths, apocalyptic choirs, machine-like pulses and brooding drones — sometimes all at once — in an attempt to capture the feel of the mutated, alternate 1985 where the movie takes place. “Some moments cried out to be supported with more of an ’80s vibe,” he says of tracks like “Edward Blake,” which are infused with classic synths redolent of Jan Hammer, German composer Klaus Doldinger and Leonard Cohen’s synth-infused ’80s output. “But it’s still a contemporized expression of that. I’m not trying to recreate it, it’s the essence. Just like the movie. It’s the essence, not actually the ’80s because Nixon is in office.” Bates, who came up as a rock guitarist in Atlantic-signed hard rock group Pet, says his musical ideas were formed in the 1980s — and even in the orchestral passages in Watchmen, you can hear the influence of post-punk bands like Gang Of Four and Joy Division, and classic metal like Metallica and Slayer. The machine-like pulses meant to underscore the wheels turning inside the vengeance-obsessed brain of Rorshach were influenced by the industrial music he heard growing up in Chicago. Bates gets to play guitar at the very end of the film, plucking a tender intro to My Chemical Romance’s end-credits cover of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation

Published: 2009-02-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Introducing: The Virgins

Welcome to Introducing, a new RollingStone.com feature where we’ll be throwing a spotlight on recommended up-and-coming artists. The Hook: New York-based quartet the Virgins play a brand of soul and R&B-tinged rock — think a more jagged Maroon 5 had Adam Levine and Co. been bigger fans of Lou Reed and Gang of Four — that’s already gained the approval of punk icons and fashionistas (they opened for Patti Smith in front of 3,000 people during Paris Fashion Week — it was their third-ever show). Secret Weapon: They’re slaves to pure songwriting and the gritty spirit of rock. “We are much more interested in writing songs as opposed to some sort of tone or crazy mood,” explains bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman. “There is a structure, there are rules to rock & roll and we respect them,” adds singer Donald Cummings. Must-Hear Track: In “Rich Girls,” a fantastically funky bassline bobs and weaves while two angular guitars battle it out. Meanwhile Cummings’ vocals (alternately drowsy, falsetto and energetic) explore his fascination with the inner psyche of a “Rich Girl” as he croons, “I’ll tell you everything I know / Every little thing I know / You’ve got a lovely way with words / Is that the way you see the world?” What’s Next: Recently signed to Atlantic records, the Virgins got a song onto the HBO series Entourage earlier this month; they’re set to record and release their full-length later this year. Where To Find Them: Check out their MySpace or Web site.

Published: 2007-08-22 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Breaking

Rock Reality Show Recap: ‘Man Band’ Guys Prove They Have Trouble Holding Liquor or a Tune

Misson: Man Band tracks a reality show’s efforts to restore four former boy-banders to their chart-topping glory. RS’ Rock Reality Show Recaps track our efforts to be sympathetic to their cause. Here’s our second report: Thirty Mantastic Minutes in Five Sentences: We’re back at the House That Justin Timberlake Built, or the mansion of *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, where Bryan Abrams from Color Me Badd leads things off by auditioning for Celebrity Fit Club for five minutes. Abrams wants to lose weight because he feels that in order to succeed in the entertainment industry, you need to have the total package, which evidently doesn’t include talent. We learn where Abrams acquired those extra pounds: beer, and lots of it. During a party that features women who are Rock of Love reject-caliber, Abrams, who had been sober for two months, gets so drunk that he begins telling partygoers he’s both “big and pimpin’.” The next morning, a hungover Abrams blows off his workout program, further proving that he’s in desperate need of a twelve-step program. The Rockin’ Struggle: The Man Band has two tasks this week: Write songs that will impress their producer, Grammy-winner Bryan Michael Cox, and come up with a band name. With Max Martin not around, our quartet struggles to compose a simple chorus; instead, they opt to joke about the word “dictaphone.” The band name meeting goes only slightly better, with Plan B and After Life among the more fitting choices. The Funniest (And/Or Most Honest) Moment: Bryan Michael Cox admits the only reason he’s producing the group is because if he can make the Man Band a success, it would “validate” his career. The Rockin’ Finale: The band’s manager Katie McNeil tells the gang that she’s booked them a halftime slot at an Orlando Magic game in three days, even though they have neither a song nor a band name. It sets the stage for the inevitable reality-show humiliation payoff: Post-Shaq Magic fans would boo Elvis during

Published: 2007-08-15 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Reality Show Recaps

Radiohead Lead Featured Artists Coalition, Seek Greater Rights

Photo: Getty Radiohead, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and Iron Maiden are among the initial artists to sign up for and usher in the launch of the new Featured Artists Coalition. As the music industry continues to shift into the digital age, the Coalition seeks to protect the artist’s rights over their own music. “We want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age,” a statement on the FAC’s website reads. “We speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others, and are campaigning for specific changes.” The FAC has also penned a six-step manifesto for “fair play,” including increased compensation for commercial use of their music and changes to copyright law. Other members of the Coalition include Kate Nash, Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry, Gang of Four, Billy Bragg and the Verve. Related Stories: • The Future According to Radiohead • Best Festival Band: Radiohead • Musicians Unions Avoiding Digital Rights Fight For Now

Published: 2008-10-06 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Led Zeppelin To Play New Old Song? Gang Of Four Post New Music, Suge Knight Named in B.I.G. Lawsuit and More

Jimmy Page has revealed that Led Zeppelin might perform a previously unheard song at the band’s December 10th reunion concert. “There’s one number that we rehearsed, I assume that it will make it to the Dome [O2 Arena], that we never played at any point in time,” Page said, “It’s a really intense number.” Pressed for more details, Page was vague, noting that the song dates from between 1968 and 1980 — which basically encompasses the band’s entire first tenure together. Post-punkers Gang of Four have uploaded two new demos, titled “Password” and “Second Life,” on bassist Dave Allen’s personal music blog. Allen promises to post two more new Gang of Four songs, “Faking It” and “American Man,” later this week. In what may be proof that that the iTunes/Beatles embargo is finally ending, the first ever Apple-sponsored Beatles podcast has launched on iTunes. The podcast, called “Help! Is On The Way,” is a retrospective of the music from the film Help!. After forty years, Neil Diamond has revealed the inspiration behind his classic sing-a-long “Sweet Caroline”: Caroline Kennedy, JFK’s daughter. Diamond found inspiration in a newspaper photo of the then-nine-year old Kennedy. “It was such an innocent, wonderful picture,” says The Solitary Man. “I immediately felt there was a song in there.” The judge overseeing the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Notorious B.I.G.’s family will allow the family to name a few more defendants in their suit. The added names include members of the LAPD and, not surprisingly, then-Death Row CEO Suge Knight.

Published: 2007-11-21 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup