Marilyn Manson, Slayer and company dropped in on Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre last night with Mayhem Festival, a satisfying replacement for Ozzfest, which quit coming around these parts a couple of years ago. Manson’s set kicked off with "We're From America," the best cut off his now "The High End of Low Disc," and included “Disposable Teens,” “Irresponsible Hate Anthem,” “Tourniquet,” “Beautiful People,” “Four Rusted Horses” and “Arma **** geddon.” But aside from performing “Irresponsible Hate Anthem” draped in an American flag and a few coy sex and drug references, there was surprisingly little shock and spectacle during Manson's set. What? No spider stilts, topless dancers or flaming Bibles? Chyuh! That guy's goin' soft. However, he did cop some guy’s cell phone, though, screaming the refrain of “Hate Anthem” at the guy on the other end of the line before tossing the handset out into the crowd. Ouch! Don’t think the warranty covers that.
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I’ve come to think of Slayer as the AC/DC of thrash metal. They’ve got a pretty specific thing they delivery – in their case, relentlessly morbid mosh anthems about Nazis, serial killers and stuff; and the only new song they played, “Psychopathy Red” (about a Russian serial killer, for the record), could have been an outtake from their mid-‘80s classic “Reign in Blood.” But like AC/DC, the fans still eat that stuff up two decades into their career. Check my interview clips with Dave Lombardo to hear what he had to say about consistency.
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Backstage God Forbid’s Byron Davis made a quick call before doing a few interview’s. Mayhem’s lineup Tuesday also included Killswitch Engage, Cannibal Corpse, Trivium, Behemoth and more, spread out on two stages. Ozzfest? We don’t need no steenking Ozzfest!
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Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, a.k.a. American Idols No. 1 and 2, Tuesday night at the Tacoma Dome.
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A point of disclosure: I’m not the biggest “American Idol” fan. Just don’t get it, actually. It’s kind of like televised karaoke, minus the sloppy drunks singing hideously off-key versions of Crue tunes before hitting the parking lot for a quick chunder. (For the record: Always entertaining.) So over the course of eight seasons, I’ve tuned in only about as much as my nine to five required; that is to say, I mainly just followed local boys Sanjaya, Blake Lewis and A.J. Gil (remember him? Season one?) and ignored most of the rest.

But I must confess that, as jaded as I am, I may have caught just a smidge of Lambert mania Tuesday night.

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Keep it up and your face is gonna get stuck like that, Mike Dirnt.
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So how is it that Green Day, of all the alt-rock hit makers of the 1990s, is still packing arenas like few bands this side of U2?

And what's the deal with "21st Century Breakdown," yet another high falutin' concept album about American mores? Didn’t these guys used to write three-chord punk anthems about masturbation? On albums called “Dookie?” And are they just trying to make up for paving the way for New Found Glory and Good Charlotte at this point?

So many questions in the days leading up to the band's tour launch at Seattle's KeyArena. And at least that question about the band's longevity was soundly addressed by last night's performance.

The band may have been somewhat two-dimensional back in the day, but songs like "Brain Stew" and "Longview" are still undeniably catchy. And the increasingly diverse new songs benefit from apparent study of the best of arena rockers past and present, with riffs that recall everyone from the Kinks (a la "Horseshoes and Handgrenades") to Marilyn Manson (that first part of "East Jesus Nowhere" is effective "Antichrist Superstar" lite.)

But nearly four years had passed since the “American Idiot” tour dropped in on the Tacoma Dome, so I'd almost forgotten how much singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool look like they're having every time they play, and what a special bond they have with their fans, which always wind up on stage in some capacity. Here are a few scenes from the early set.

The band’s unofficial mascot, an afflicted looking pink rabbit with a nasty drinking problem, was back from the “American Idiot” tour. He staggered up and down the catwalk, chugging brews, dry humping the stage and otherwise getting fans hyped for the main attraction. But seriously, it’s time for an intervention, Bugs.
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Green Day kicked off their set with the title track, “Know Your Enemy” and “East Jesus Nowhere” from the new album. Put the band's pop-punk label aside, and the newer sounds – which hint at a whole slew of classic rockers, from the Kinks to AC/DC – are a natural progression from what Green Day does best; namely deliver arena rock anthems that stick in your head long after the last power chord has faded.
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“Alright, who wants to hear some old s---?” Armstrong inquired before his band dusted off fan favorite, “Geek Stink Breath.” The middle part of the set was dedicated to radio hits like "Brain Stew," "Longview" and "Basket Case," with pyrotechnic blasts, cascading sparks and towering flames punctuating the music. “King For a Day” was a set highlight, as on previous tours, with the band donning funky hats and Armstrong incorporating bits of the Isley Brothers’ classic “Shout” and Ben E. King’s “Lean on Me” into the lyrical mix.
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And there was the expected crowd participation, part of what makes every Green Day set special. The band didn't recruit an entire replacement band from the audience, as on previous tours. But Armstrong did pluck a couple of fans from the audience to sing verses on “Longview.” He probably got more than he bargained for when the second one, a dude, gave him an awkward, lingering kiss before singing his lines. Is it just me, or did Billie Joe edge away just a little bit as the fan declared, “Who wants to (make love to) him?” Armstrong seemed to think it was pretty funny, though, and called the guy back onstage to take the customary stage dive back into the crowd. Later, during Green Day's encore, another kid held his own, playing lead guitar for “Jesus of Suburbia.” Hey, maybe hours of Guitar Hero does pay off?
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OK, so I’m not live from Sasquatch any more. But I had to share a few more pics. Plus, this post is kind of a Critic’s iPod thing, too, since you can click on the links in the cut lines below to hear samples from all the CD’s I picked up at the Gorge.

Also, scroll down the Nine Inch Nails set list and click on the first couple of songs for something special (but well within “fair usage” standards. Too bad my recorder conked out before Reznor and company covered Gary Numan’s “Metal.”

South African indie-rock outfit BLK JKS features (from top) singer-guitarist Lindani Buthelezi, guitarist Mpumelelo Mcata, Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba on the Yeti Stage. I knew next to nothing about the band - which blends prog-rock and dub into its trippy, uplifting sound - but checked them out on the Yeti stage at the insistence of Seattle Weekly’s new music editor, Jonathan Cunningham. I like! Good pick, J.C. Listen: "Summertime, "Lakeside".

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A few pop big shots have called Tacoma their home in recent years (or at least one of their homes.) Rickie Lee Jones kicked it here for a bit. Ditto with Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and ex-boy bander and Rainiers co-owner Nick Lachey. And could the Pixies Frank Black and wife Violet Clark be next?

The couple made their first Grit City stop Saturday as their first tour with their new pop project Grand Duchy wound through Jazzbones. Clark seemed especially enamored with what they saw before the show. “We’re real estate addicts, and there are some cool houses,” she remarked a few minutes into Duchy’s set.

Hey, they only live a few hours down the road in Eugene, Ore. as it is. I'm thinkin' Mr. and Mrs. Black Francis should pack up their stuff, round up the kids and come on up. It's a buyer's market, right? Just sayin'.

Anyway, the couple recorded all of Grand Duchy's debut album "Petits Four" on their own. But on tour they're joined by Black Francis drummer, Jason Carter, and a keyboard whose name I didn’t catch. (Sorry, keyboard player.) I didn't take down the entire set, but I can tell you the quartet played most of the new album and their remake of the Cure's "A Strange Day," previously recorded for the Cure tribute album "Just Like Heaven."

Sketchy sound plagued the early set, and I was a little bummed that Clark’s vocals were nearly muted during “Lovesick,” one of my favorite pop songs of 2009 so far. But the bugs seemed to get worked out for the most part, and the set was a nice showcase of the Duchy’s eclectic sound, with breezy pop numbers (the aforementioned “Lovesick,” set closer “Fort Wayne”); euphoric new wave cuts ("Seeing Stars"); brooding post-punk (“Black Suit”); and an alt-rock cut or two that more overtly recalled the Pixies (notably set opener “Come On Over.”)

Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis, born Charles Thompson) hung out for a spell after the show, and he told me that he hoped to swing back through Puget Sound with Duchy later this year. Hmmm. I'm thinkin' the One Reel peeps need to give him and his wife a jingle before their Bumbershoot lineup firms up.

Frank Black and Violet Clark brought their new band, Grand Duchy, to Jazzbones Saturday night. Check out cuts from the new CD on their MySpace page or hear clips mixed in sound bites from my interview by clicking here.
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It had been a minute since I caught the Nightgowns (Trevor Dickson and drummer B.J. Robertson in photo, Cody Jones and Kyle Brunette out of frame.) As a matter of fact, they were stilled called the Elephants last time. During their opening slot Saturday, the Tacoma synth-pop outfit previewed cuts from forthcoming collection “Sing Something.” The CD release party is set for May 16 at Tacoma underground venue, the Warehouse (you know, where Kulture Lab was held) followed by a June 2 gig at EMP/SFM’s Skychurch. Cody handed me an advance copy of the disc. And if it’s OK with the fellas I think I’ll stick a track or two in the South Sound Mix Tape player this week. Check back soon.
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America's most hipster approved metal band, Mastodon, delivered an epic set last night at Neumo’s.

Troy Sanders, Brent Hinds, Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher have strayed from their thrash roots and moved in more of a King Crimson/Pink Floyd/early Yes direction in recent years. And last night the quartet put all those proggy inclinations on display, kicking off their set by delivering new album “Crack the Skye” in its entirety. A recent trend has found numerous rock veterans - Roger Waters, Heart, Motley Crue - delivering their quintessential recordings like this in concert. So was this a statement, an assertion that “Skye” will one day be heralded as just such an essential recording? That, perhaps, it's already an instant classic? One thing's for sure. The Atlanta outfit is quite proud of where it has taken its music. Check out Sanders' enthusiasm for the new songs from the interview I did last year here.

Mastodon left the stage briefly (the touring keyboard player took off) before resuming with most of its previous critically acclaimed album, “Blood Mountain.” And the foursome eventually plunged into “Leviathan,” with only a little nod to the “Remission” album with “March of the Fire Ants” towards the end, a compelling exercise in devolution. But as much as I appreciate the new stuff, I’m actually bigger fan of the heavy, hooky rockers from the band’s first two albums. I was disappointed the cuts like “Blood & Thunder” and “Workhorse” weren’t on the agenda (not to mention that sick cover of the Melvins’ “The Bit” that Mastodon served up at El Corazon a few tours ago.) But it was a solid display from a compelling and innovative band that will be rockin' us for years to come.

I'll take it one further. Mastodon is the new Metallica. There, I said it. And by that I mean old, edgy and on the verge of a massive breakthrough Metallica. But here's hoping Mastodon never goes all "Some Kind of Monster" on us.

From top: Mastodon's Bill Kelliher shreds; a view from a crowded and sweaty balcony; Wednesday night's set list; opening band Kylesa's Corey Barhorst and Laura Pleasants.
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I caught the Ventures for the first time as they and their buds, the Wailers, celebrated 50 years in the biz Friday at the Moore. Last night, I caught the tail end of legendary L.A. punk band X's two-night stand at Showbox at the Market. And my ol' lady and I got out of there in time to cab it over to the new Crocodile Cafe (love the redesign) just in time to see Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards play "The Mountain," one of my favorite songs of 2009.

Yep, this is one of those weekends that reminds me just how much I love, love, love this gig. And of course I had my trusty Canon with me to document the action you may have missed.

Anyone who’s seen X live is familiar with Billy Zoom’s perma-grin. Towards the end of the set he noticed me lurkin’ in the corner and mugged for the camera.
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March 28 shall henceforth be known as Little Bill Day. So says Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, who delivered said proclamation Saturday night at the Rialto Theatre during a celebration of the life, legacy and music of Little Bill Engelhart, elder statesman of Washington blues and the namesake of seminal Tacoma garage band, Little Bill & the Bluenotes.

Engelhart turned 70 on St. Patrick’s Day. And while he may not be as famous as some of his Tacoma rock peers, he’s a legendary figure in the development of rock and blues in Washington. Fabulous Wailer bassist and former Bluenotes band mate Buck Ormsby took the stage to explain how he, Engelhart, Lasse Aines and Frank Dutra met up after seeing a 1955 screening of iconic rock flick “Blackboard Jungle,” back when they all attended Jason Leigh Junior High. That fateful encounter led to the Bluenotes, the band that paved the way for the Wailers and the Ventures, Tacoma bands that would in turn inspire fledgling rockers around the globe. (Dutra and the Wailers’ Kent Morrill were also in attendance.)

Engelhart was a portrait of cool, dressed in a black fedora and sunglasses as he sat on stage near wife, Jan Engelhart, and local band leader and show organizer Randy Oxford. And Little Bill looked pleased as he observed a cross-section of regional blues all-stars put their stamp on his material, as recorded for a new tribute CD “Big Blues for Little Bill.”

Billy Roy Danger & the Rectifiers ripped through a rockin’ version of Little Bill’s “Texas.” Adorned in black leather and slicked back hair, slide guitar wiz Henry Cooper offered a simmering riff on Engelhart’s “Comin’ Home Again.” And Junkyard Jane’s Leanne Trevalyan played a mean washboard as she sang “Thangs Gone Be” with the Blues Vespers All Star Band, a group of musicians that had performed at Immanuel Presbyterian Church’s monthly blues series.

And, of course, the man himself capped things off. I had my camera handy for the second half of the show, and here are some more highlights.

Mayor Bill Baarsma set up his Little Bill Day proclamation by recalling a time in the ‘50s when Tacoma’s “city fathers” barred Little Bill & the Bluenotes from playing “the Devil’s music.” “I’m the city fathers now, so I get to make things right,” he joked. Engelhart was also presented with an honorary diploma to Stadium High School, where he didn’t graduate in the 1950s, in part because of difficulties he suffered because of polio. Well, he also apparently had the rebel without a cause thing going on, too. “Mr. Christie told me on my last day, ‘Bill, you’ll never amount to a damn thing,’” he recalled with a big grin. “He was almost right.”
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Diva Patti Allen came out with guns blazing as the Randy Oxford Band got started with Etta James’ funktastic “The Blues Is My Business.” Between songs, she remarked at how she’d worked with Engelhart since the early 1960s. But between her infectious intensity and the form fitting dress she was wearing, it was hard to believe her when she joked, “We’re all on Medicaid now. It’s workin’, honey. I’m usin’ all the benefits.” In a poignant moment, Allen also acknowledged Randy Oxford Band drummer Riky Hudson, who recently suffered a stroke. Hudson received and ovation as he flashed a peace sign from his wheel chair at the back of the theater.
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Backed by the Rusty Williams Band, Merilee Rush also brought the house down with a booming delivery of her late ‘60s hit “Angel in the Morning” (also a hit for Juice Newton.) The band also put their stamp on Engelhart’s “Better Things to Do.” “We’re gonna do this song we took of his, and we just butchered it,” joked the bubbly Rush.
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Of course, Engelhart’s set included his 1959 hit “I Love an Angel,” with Heather Mueller, of Randy Oxford Band fame, handling the vocals. “She’s the only other person I’ve heard sing that besides me,” Engelhart joked. Many of the night’s performers crowded the stage for the big finale. And a palpably thrilled Engelhart made his exit with a few heartfelt words of thanks. “Thank you for letting Bill Engelhart be Little Bill all these years.”
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... or you just want to relive it, I'll be posting something special later this weekend once I clean up some audio. No, really, I think you'll like it. Stay tuned.

Girl Trouble singer K.P. Kendall was in rare form and, of course, eventually shirtless Friday night at the New Frontier Lounge. His popular garage-punk band -- also Bon Von Wheelie, Bill "Kahuna" Henderson and Dale Phillips -- celebrated 25 years of "eluding fame" with three big sets, including the one patterned after Girl Trouble's first gig, on March 9, 1984 at Ft. Steilacoom College (since renamed Pierce College.)
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The 16th annual Wintergrass festival kicked off Thursday night at the Hotel Murano Pavilion, where I caught great performances by Seattle’s Tallboys, Canada’s Widow Maker and mandolin master Mike Marshall’s latest project, Big Trio (above with Marshall in the maroon shirt with Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, upright bass player Paul Kowert not shown.) I had my Microtrack with me, and the plan was to record a few "bootleg" clips throughout the festival to either show you what you missed or help you figure out who to catch next. But technical difficulties (read: user error) threw a monkeywrench in my plan for night one, and all I got were really muffled clips with a lot of hissing, which really wouldn't do the performances any justice. All three bands I caught were great, but the lack of clips is especially a bummer after Big Trio's phenomenal, gypsy jazz oriented set. But I plan on picking up the new CD today, and I've got another chance to record when Trio comes back to the Pavilion at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Plus, Marshall will also be gigging with Brazil's Danilo Brito & Choro Famoso. Check here or The News Tribune for full schedule. And I figured out how I screwed up the settings on my field recorder, so check back here throughout the day for interview and song clips, plus a few photos.
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Buckcherry, featuring singer Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson, got the Tacoma Dome all “Lit Up” last night. Click the “more” button to read more about what went down.
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By now many of you should know about “Two Car Garage,” the forthcoming split disc that the Ventures and the Fabulous Wailers are releasing on April 10 to commemorate their 50th anniversaries. (Click here to learn more about the album and the CD release party if you’ve been slackin’ on your Bring the Noise readin’.) And this morning it was a meeting of Tacoma rock legends, pimped rides and one smokin’ model at Austin's Pro Max on South Tacoma Way for the album cover shoot.

Ventures guitarist Don Wilson (top photo) and the Wailers’ Buck Ormsby posed for a couple of promo shots with Seattle burlesque performer Fuchsia Foxxx, the model recruited for their new album cover. Wilson just recently returned from a tour of Japan during which the Ventures played 22 shows in less than two weeks.
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The scantily clad Foxxx braved the elements and got her pose on as photog Chad Ruin snapped away. Did I mention it was just a few degrees above freezing?
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Wilson and Ormsby huddled with Wilson’s son, Tim Wilson (far left) and Blue Horizon Record’s Leonard Haggarty.
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