Visit the
Haunted Computer
for a journey into supernatural thrills and psychological twists. Ebooks, comics, paper books, and multimedia entertainment.
Flowers: A collection of fantasy and ghost stories, including the Hubbard Gold Award winner “The Vampire Shortstop.”
Speed Dating with the Dead: A man channels his dead wife at a paranormal conference only to stir up demons.
Ashes: A collection of 16 stories of horror and the supernatural, including “Dog Person,” “Last Writes,” and “Sewing Circle.” Exclusive introduction by Jonathan Maberry.
Drummer Boy: A misfit kid is all that stands between an Appalachian town and its own buried past.
The First: A collection of dark fantasy, cyberpunk, and dystopian science fiction, including the Aeropagan cycle. Murdermouth: A collection of seven zombie stories, with bonus material from Jack Kilborn and Jonathan Maberry’s “Zombie Apocalypse Survival Scorecard.
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Also: Visit strange lands, spooky houses, future times, and dirty crimes in story collections by author Scott Nicholson.
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www.crankitmag.com VOL 2: ISSUE3 - 2010
s
FEATURES
Holy Ghost Tent Revival 8-9 Revival on the Mountain NEWS
SEAL
6
Fear Factory
6
SSSC
6
New Release Coming
Surviving a Firery Crash
Debutes New Songs REVIEWS
CD Releases
10
Movie Pick
12
CD Reviews
14
and Music News
‘Inception’
Chatham County Line and RPWL EXTRAS
Photo Page Carnival of Madness
7
Handmade Guitars 1 1 Why artists love to get them
Promote Bands 13 Some ways to promote your band
Joke Time • CRANKIT Online • August 2010
15
FEATURE BAND
8-9 www.crankitmag.com
w w w. c r a n k i t m a g . c o m
STAFF BOX Publisher/Editor: Robert Moore management@crankitmag.com
Art Director/Manager: Rob Moore
Contributing Writers:
Brain Caron Shelly, Rob Moore, Frank Ruggiero, Crazy Monkey, Darrell Ashley and Digger
Photographers
CRAZY MONKEY
s
s
From the Editor
Puddle of Mud
“I’m interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that appears to have no meaning. It seems to me to be the road toward freedom.” - Jim Morrison
Hello CrankIts, August is here and this year is flying by way to fast. There have been some great shows this year, like Carnival of Madness, Jimmy Buffets concert for the gulf and Jay-Z at Bonnaroo, and many more before the year’s end. We are looking forward to attending a local favorite, actually it’s a festival, in Boone N.C. called Music on the Mountaintop. Organized just before the students start back to college. Come up to the mountains and cool off with some great music by Sam Bush, Keller Williams, Holy Ghost Tent Revival and others. Hope to see you there! Robert Moore, Editor management@crankitmag.com
Guitarist Paul Phillips plays to the camera during the Carnival of Madness stop in Simpsonville, S.C. The tour is still going on and is traveling at select locations. Check out where at: www.carnivalofmadness.com. Photo by Mike Burton
Rob Moore, Mike Burton
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Cover Image by: Holy Ghost Tent Revival Copyright© 2010 by CrankIt Entertainment Any reproduction of news articles, photography or advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without permission from management. Issue is FREE. Most design and writing is on a freelance basis.
August 2010 • CRANKIT Online •
SPREADING
the
NEWS
Send us news of an event, or something you have heard, and we might just post it. Send to management@crankitmag.com
SEAL to Release New Album SEAL 6: COMMITMENT, on September 28
Internationally acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Seal will release his sixth studio album, Seal 6: Commitment, in the U.S. on September 28th on Reprise Records. The first single is “Secret,” a deeply moving, stringladen ballad, that ranks among Seal’s finest love songs. Commitment finds the Londonborn, three-time Grammy Award winner reteaming with renowned music maestro David Foster, who also produced 2008’s Soul, Seal’s stunning covers collection of soul classics. “I asked David to produce Commitment because quite simply, he’s the most incredible person I’ve worked with in the studio
for a very long time,” Seal says. “He’s one of a kind. I don’t think there’s an arranger and producer anywhere on the planet who can do what he does.” Foster is equally complimentary of Seal. “His voice is so unique and he has such command of it — his tone and musicality are unequaled,” Foster says, adding that Seal was on a mission while in the studio making Commitment. “He was in fearless, relentless pursuit of greatness — no one was going to obscure his path. The album is full of beautiful musical surprises and his songwriting has never been better. He says it may be his best work yet and I think he may be right.” “When all things in your life begin to align in the way they have for me over the past few years, you become incredibly focused,” Seal explains. “I love a challenge, and this for me, has been the greatest challenge of my career: to write an album that exceeds my own expectations.” While showcasing Seal’s one-of-a-kind husky baritone, ear for unforgettable melodies, and unique lyrical point of view, songs such as “Secret,” “The Weight of My Mistakes,” “Best of Me,” and “If I’m Any Closer,” delve into the emotions surrounding love, family, and commitment, hence the title. “Everything about my life is fully committed,” he says. “I’ve never felt more focused on the mat-
ter at hand: My wife, my children, the family in general, my own well-being, and of course music and my career. Each one of these songs has personal meaning for me. I dug very deep and all I can hope for is that the music strikes a chord with people.” Over the course of a remarkable career that spans more than two decades, Seal has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and enjoyed success across numerous genres of music. His emotional, romantic love songs such as “Prayer For the Dying,” the Grammy Award-winning “Kiss From A Rose,” and “Don’t Cry,” (all from 1994’s Seal II), and “Love’s Divine” (from 2003’s Seal IV), delighted fans and earned him critical acclaim. He has also seen great success in the dance/ pop music world beginning with his roots in Britain’s house music/rave scene with his debut 1991 album and returning to those roots with 2007’s dancefloor-friendly System. In 2008, Seal released Soul — a stunning compilation of classic soul songs delivered with Seal’s unique, signature touch. A No. 1 album in France, Soul remained atop the album chart for 13 consecutive weeks. For more on Seal, including his personal blog, photos, and videos, please visit www. seal.com. Stay tuned for more news about Seal 6: Commitment in the coming weeks.
FEAR FACTORY Narrowly Escape Devastating Bus Fire
Northamptonshire, England: FEAR FACTORY in the early morning hours narrowly escaped fire that quickly engulfed their tour bus while in route to London. The fire reportedly stemmed from a back wheel tire before spreading throughout the double-decker coach. BBC News confirms the fire closed down two lanes of the southbound M1 as Northamptonshire fire officials battled the blaze. FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares released the following comment moments ago: “We had just finished playing a sold out show in Sheffield and we
were on our way to London. Everyone was asleep except for two of our crew. At about 3:30am the bus driver noticed smoke coming from the back right wheel. He stopped, jumped out and noticed a flame underneath the wheel well. He tried to extinguish it but the flames were too much. Everyone on the bus was woken up by one of our crew yelling ‘Get everyone up and out of the bus.’ Everyone grabbed their bags and ran off the bus. We stood on the side of the freeway going ‘thank god we all made it out’ until someone noticed our merchandise guy was still asleep on the bus. A good friend of ours ran back on the smoked-filled bus and got him out just minutes before the bus was completely in flames.” FEAR FACTORY are currently on tour in the UK continuing performances in support of their latest album, Mechanize. The band completed their most recent American tour on July 27th to a captivated audience in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The following evening the band departed from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport for an additional three weeks of dates in the UK and other various European festivals. Cazares adds, “our eyes are burning and we were all coughing from the smoke. Some of us lost wallets, money, computers but that’s not important compared to our lives. It only took about 20 to 30 minutes for the bus to be completely covered in flames. The fire trucks and the police finally arrived but it was too late to save anything on the bus. A coach bus picked us up and brought us safely to a nearby hotel. We found out only a short while ago that the trailer was saved where all our gear was. But the bus is just a metal frame on the side of the road.” View photos of the blaze here: tinyurl.com/2vt7ztm. Check out more on the band here: www.myspace.com/fearfactory or www. facebook.com/fearfactory
Street Sweeper Social Club Debut New Songs The Ghetto Blaster EP Is Out Street Sweeper Social Club, the band comprised of Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave/The Nightwatchman) and Boots Riley (The Coup), return with The Ghetto Blaster EP, out August 10th on SSSC/ ILG. It’s the follow-up to their 2009 critically acclaimed, self-titled debut. Morello recently chatted with Spin.com about the EP, check out the feature along with an exclusive stream of SSSC’s new song “Scars.” The lead single off the seven song EP is a cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” which the band just posted to their MySpace page today. Listen HERE. Also, Hot 97’s Miss Info has an exclusive stream of SSSC’s cover of LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Ou.t” Fans have the opportunity to pre-order The Ghetto Blaster EP at SSSC’s own webstore - sssc.hasawebstore.com - You can choose from autographed CD’s, vinyl and bundles that include both, plus a limited edition t-shirt. A digital download of “Paper Planes” is available as an instant gratification track with any pre-order. After their Coachella performance in April, the LA Times gushed “The Social Club proved something important: that rap and rock, such a treacherous pairing given its history of appealing to the testosterone-heavy, shirtless frat-dudes, can be strong and beautiful, smart and angry.” SSSC will be out on the road in support of the EP playing select Warped Tour dates and all of the Rock The Bells Festival in August with Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest & Wu-Tang Clan among others. Dates below. Tom and Boots are available for the right press opportunities.
Tour Dates 8/10 - Vans Warped Tour - San Diego, CA 8/21 - Rock The Bells - NOS Events Center - Los Angeles, CA 8/22 - Rock The Bells - Shoreline Amphitheatre San Francisco, CA 8/28 - Rock The Bells - Governors Island - New York, NY 8/29 - Rock The Bells - Merriweather Post Pavilion Washington, DC 10/29-31 – Voodoo Festival – New Orleans, LA
• CRANKIT Online • August 2010
Carnival of Madness
THE CROWD, GOT TO LOVE THE CROWD SHINEDOWN
PUDDLE of MUD 10 YEARS
SHINEDOWN CHEVELLE
SEVENDUST August 2010 • CRANKIT Online •
INTERVIEW
Image provided
with
Holy Ghost Tent Revival A Revival on the Mountain
by Rob Moore
L
et’s have a revival. A Holy Ghost Tent Revival to be exact. No, this is not a religious gathering so to speak, and there’s really no way to place these guys in a genre, but they have a revival wherever they play. They could play in Mardis Gras because of the brass sound and blues influence in their music, and the way they celebrate life. They would say “Theirs is not music to lament life’s hardships but rather to celebrate in life itself; with all its hodgepodge of pleasure and pain.” I would say that’s true after listening to their music and they could plug in and play anywhere. So, why Mardis Gras? They have a six-piece band loaded with sound. They mix a lot of brass, which fits Mardis Gras, banjo, guitar, bass, drums and keys. They
• CRANKIT Online • August 2010
play some infectious music with neat hooks. There’s a blues feeling in most of their sound and you can feel the energy of the music. Put all of this together and you can see why I make this observation. These guys turn heads and get people dancing. They have fun and celebrate with every performance and it wouldn’t be uncommon to see the crowd dancing, singing, or even marching down the street in celebration. Greensboro, N.C.’s Holy Ghost Tent Revival is another example of the diverse music found in this great state. These guys have crafted some cool lyrics and put together a sound that’s uniquely theirs. They are made up of Stephen Murray, who plays the banjo and guitar, Matt Martin who plays the guitar and banjo, Hank Widmer who plays the trombone and euphonium, Patrick Leslie who plays the bass, Ross Montsinger who plays the drums, and Mike
O’Malley who plays the keys. They have played all over the country in festivals, bars and this month they will be playing Music on the Mountaintop in Boone, Aug 27-28 and spreading their “revival magic” to all who attend. CrankIt Mag had the opportunity to do a Q&A session with Hank Widmer and get some low-down on the guys from Greensboro. Here’s what he had to say for the fans of HGTR. CrankIt Mag: There’s a lot of sound from you guys by way of horns, banjo, keys and great vocals. How’d you come together and put together such a diverse group of artists? Where at, college? Hank Widmer: College indeed. Friendship came first, and among different factions of the group at first. At the time of
the very first Holy Ghost Tent Revival performance, which was for a parents weekend showcase at our Alma mater, Matt and Stephen had been friends and roommates as well as peers in the theatre department of Greensboro College for several years. The same was true of I (Hank) and our original trumpet player, Josh Lovings in the music department. In fact the “stage” was set when the four of us had become suite-mates. It was in the doorway of that shared bathroom that Stephen and Matt petitioned us to play horns on two songs that they had recently written (Steamboat and Getting Over Your Love). The two thespians had already enlisted Richard Sprecker on clarinet and tenor sax. By year’s end we had filled out our rhythm section with the enthusiastic additions of Ross and Patrick on drums and bass, respectively. I asked Ross of his interest in joining at our favorite diner spot in Greensboro. Over hashbrowns with cheese he happily agreed. Patrick stealthily snuck in bass recordings on our tunes on the days that we weren’t at his warehouse recording our first demos, so that was a nobrainer. It all came together in such a serendipitous light, and I think we all realized that early on. A year and a half later, after Richard and Josh had parted ways, the five of us met Mike O’Malley at our then-rehearsal space. It was love at first sight for everyone. CM: Are all of you from North Carolina? Widmer: With the exception of Stephen and Patrick, the rest of us were raised in North Carolina. Patrick comes to us from Colombus, OH. Stephen is from Nova Scotia, and moved to Charlotte during his high school days by way of California. CM: What’s been the most challenging musical moment so far in your career? Widmer: Recording our second full-length album. We’ll make no secret that we are currently on our fourth attempt at this project. Perfection is by no means the force that has driven us to this many tries at these songs. Our reality is quite the opposite. We love to get physically excited about our music, we know no other way. We’re always fighting the “Yeah the album sounds good, but ya gotta see ‘ em live.” line. Our goal from “Family” on, was to create our art in a way that was most accurate in comparison with what your senses experience at a live performance; a recording that is as “loud” aurally as we are visually. Attempts one through three of what we’re now calling “Beneath The Hands We Shook” plainly did not meet that criteria. With the recent advent of rehearsal time and a very-soon-to-be-fully-functioning recording studio at Good Ship Records headquarters we are all excitedly determined to complete a version of this collection that doesn’t require the addendum of that unfortunate disclaimer, “...but ya gotta see them live.” In the meantime, we’re currently pressing a live album that was recorded a year ago in Brooklyn. Keep yer peepers peepin for ‘Northbound at Southpaw’! CM: Definitely a revival and you sound like you have fun on ‘Family.’ What was the most challenging track on this CD? Widmer: I don’t know that you could call any of the recording process for ‘Family’ challenging. That was a three day adventure full of laughs and many friends who came to be a part of the lovely hot starving street band, which is what we called the assemblage of these amazing musicians playing with us on those tunes. These ridiculously talented musicians hail from ensembles such as Lost in the Trees, House
of Fools, And the Moneynotes, Big Fat Gap and, formerly Eating the Invaders (see Matty Sheets and the Blockheads). With their musical ideas holding hands in the treetops with our tunes, every song seemed to take off, rocketing towards a layer of the atmosphere that we six could not have achieved conceptually or instrumentally. We’re luckier than words can convey to have had the opportunity to collaborate with these good friends of ours. We’ve talked around the idea of doing it all again for a second EP...
music is a hodgepodge of pleasure and pain. Are these based off of your experiences because I feel the energy in the music?
CM: These tunes are catchy. I especially love “Cardinal Directions.” Is it a collective effort to come up with song ideas or do you have one master writer?
Lately a tune called “Northbound” has been our go-to favorite.
Widmer: Yes. There’s pleasure and pain everywhere, pleasure in the pain and pain in the pleasure. CM: If you had to pick one of your tunes, which one would be your favorite to perform?
CM: Having chosen this tune, who would you ask (famous) to play it with you if you could?
Widmer: Matt, Patrick and Stephen are the bo’s that bring the skeletons of these songs to the group. “Cardinal Direc- Widmer: I think we’d all agree that It would be an out-oftions” is one of the few of our tunes that changed very little this-world experience to play music, any song with Levon from the version that was brought to the group. Without Helm. mention of the awesomely electric contributions of Matty Sheets, Marshall Owens, and Driveway Moore, Stephen’s CM: Where have you traveled that was you favororiginal idea of the song and the final recording came out in ite place to play and also love to return? virtually identical form. The usual process for a song that’s brought to the table is the initial introduction followed by Widmer: Festivals are some of the most exciting places to months to an indefinite time period of individual and group return to. Two great festivals ‘round our parts are Shakori reflection on the concept presented. Once we sit down to Hills and Bristol Rhythm and Roots, both big favorites of ours. practice a tune in particular is when a waterfall of ideas come from all difWe’re currently pressCM: Speaking of places to play. ferent directions. I guess the approYou will be coming to Boone for priate metaphor from there would be ing a live album that was Music on the Mountaintop. Are a series of filters that all these ideas recorded a year ago in you looking forward to playing in flow through to refine what we begin Brooklyn. Keep yer peepthe cool air of the mountains? to play live. And that’s just the beers peepin for ‘Northbound ginning. We’ve found that our songs Widmer: Yes yes yes. We all love the never stop evolving once we start at Southpaw’! mountains and the kind of energy that playing them live. nature lends to a tired bo. CM: “Goodbye or Goodnight” had a cool rap and the rhythm was nice. Who came up with the idea of CM: Are all six members going to play? Any spemeshing rap ( I call it rap) with the sound of your cial guests stepping in for a tune? fast paced horn sound? Widmer: There will be a special guest of sorts who’s been Widmer: We tracked the first version of that rag at Patrick’s playing with us all summer. His name is Charlie Humphrey warehouse about four years ago. He was sharing the cre- and coincidentally he currently attends ASU. Charlie is a ative space with other artists including Tab-One. Stephen fine trumpet player and good friend of ours. We hope Boone and Matt were immediately inspired to mix a ragtime feel will enjoy him as much as we have/do. with hip-hop upon hearing Tab-One freestyle at the warehouse. That collaboration happily lives on today, we’ve CM: Anything else special for this show? done a couple shows and more to come with two of Tab’s groups; Inflowential and Kooley High. In fact Inflowential Widmer: We’ll be playing a couple tunes we haven’t touched in awhile. We love refurbishing. Hopefully they’ll recently relocated to NYC, spread the word. be new to some or old familiars for others. CM: Your sound is one that should be found in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Kind of cool to CM: Parting words? hear you are from Greensboro. How’s your fan Widmer: Also at Music on the Mountaintop, Now You See base in Greensboro? Overall? Them and Uncle Mountain two of our favorite NC bands, Widmer: To say that we couldn’t do what we do without both must-sees and -hears. You’ll probably see all 15 of us support at home is less of an understatement than it is entire- on stage together at one point or another. We like doing that. ly impossible. Greensboro has nurtured us from conception Sound guys don’t like that so much. to our current infancy and by golly there ain’t enough ways If you would like to follow these outstanding musito say thank you for all the gratitude we got for Greensboro. She’s got this feeling as if soon an explosion of creative cians for tour dates you can go online at www.holyghostenergy will define her being. We desperately want to be a tentrevival.com/, on MySpace: www.myspace.com/hgtr, Facebook: www.facebook.com/holyghosttentrevival or part of that. even YouTube. Don’t forget they will grace the mountains Overall, we’re traveling a lot in a simple effort to share our on North Carolina at Music on the Mountaintop in Boone. music in as many different places as we can get to. cM
“
”
CM: I read your bio and it was stated that your
August 2010 • CRANKIT Online •
CD RELEASES L
August
ooks like this month is loaded. It’s almost like the floodgate was released on music and we are the ones to collect it. Well, what are you waiting for. Our choices are Black Crowes, Buckcherry, Goo Goo Dolls and Filter. Check them out and as always – CrankIt Up!
August 3 Arcade Fire - The Surburbs Buckcherry - All Night Long Ryan Star - 11:59 Lady GaGa - The Remix Katie Melua - The House Bun B - Trill O.G. Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust Gaelic Storm - Cabbage Dr. John, The Lower 911 and Derek Trucks - Tribal Paul Gilbert - Fuzz Universe Wavves - King Of The Beach Autolux - Transit Transit Lady GaGa - The Cherrytree Sessions [EP] Secondhand Serenade - Hear Me Now Soundtrack - The Kids Are All Right Black Crowes - Croweology Gov’t Mule - Mulennium Esham - Suspended Animation Reel Big Fish - Best Of Us...For The Rest Of Us Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R [Deluxe Edition] Level 42 - Living It Up [Box Set]
August 10 Buckcherry - All Night Long [Deluxe Edition] Mike Posner - 31 Minutes To Takeoff Blake Shelton - All About Tonight Emily West - Emily West Various Artists - Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Black Label Society - Order of the Black Soundtrack - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Soundtrack - Predators Gaither Vocal Band - Greatly Blessed Brother Clyde - Brother Clyde Angelfire - Angelfire Soundtrack - Enter Laughing Eli Paperboy Reed - Come And Get It Street Sweeper Social Club - Ghetto Blaster EP Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time Budos Band - Budos Band III Laurence Juber - LJ Plays The Beatles Vol. 2 George Duke - Deja Vu Blank & Jones - Relax: Edition Five Various Artists - Gotta Have Hits! Various Artists - Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti Robin Trower - A Tale Untold: The Chrysalis Years Judy Garland - Lost Tracks 1929-1959 [Box Set]
August 17 American Hi-Fi - Fight The Frequency John Mellencamp - No Better Than This Trace Adkins - Cowboy’s Back In Town Trace Adkins - Cowboy’s Back In Town [Deluxe Edition] Andrea Bocelli - Carmen: Duets and Arias Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier [Deluxe] Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin David Gray - Foundling Kem - Intimacy Filter - The Trouble With Angels Filter - The Trouble With Angels [Deluxe Edition]
MUSIC NEWS
Toadies - Feeler Soundtrack - The Switch Soundtrack - Dexter: Season 4 A-Ha - 25: The Collection Esperanza Spalding - Chamber Music Society Hey Monday - Beneath It All Lissie - Catching A Tiger Nikki & Rich - Everything NOFX - The Longest EP Various Artists - We Did It: Dora’s Greatest Hits Joyce Sims - Come Into My Life: The Very Best Of Joyce Sims [2 CDs] John Mayall - So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 [4 CDs]
August 24 Katy Perry - Teenage Dream Usher - Versus Fantasia - Back To Me Little Big Town - The Reason Why Randy Rogers Band - Burning The Day Joe Diffie - Homecoming: The Bluegrass Album Jeremy Camp - We Cry Out: The Worship Project Jeremy Camp - We Cry Out: The Worship Project [CD/DVD] Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony [Deluxe] Ricky Skaggs - Mosaic Soundtrack - Going The Distance The Sword - Warp Riders JJ Grey - Georgia Warhorse JP Chrissie & The Fairground Boys - Fidelity! Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk Ra Ra Riot - The Orcharrd Tamar Kaprelian - Sinner Or A Saint Blind Guardian - At The Edge of Time [Deluxe] Marty Stuart - Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions Elvis Costello - Pomp & Pout: The Universal Years Rodd Rundgren - For Lack of Honest Work [3 CDs] Lang Lang - Live In Vienna [2 CD & 1 DVD] CeCe Winans - For Always: The Very Best of CeCe Winans The Dandy Warhols - The Capitol Years 1995-2007 Sixpence None The Richer - Top Ten
August 31 Various Artists - Now That’s What I Call Music! 35 Goo Goo Dolls - Something For The Rest Of Us Disturbed - Asylum Disturbed - Asylum [CD/DVD] Heart - Red Velvet Car Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder 10 Years - Feeding The Wolves Richard Thompson - Dream Attic Mogwai - Special Moves Ryan Bingham - Junky Star The Weepies - Be My Thrill Cast Recording - Sondheim On Sondheim [2 CDs] Micky Dolenz - King For A Day Sammy Kershaw - Better Than I Used To Be Bill Frisell - Beautiful Dreamers Jenny & Johnny - I’m Having Fun Now Bobby Bare Jr. - A Storm A Tree My Mother’s Head Papa Roach - Time For Annihilation: On The Record & On The Road Gerald Levert - The Best Of Gerald Levert Buck Owens - All-Time Greatest Hits Miles Davis - Bitches Brew [Box Set] Miles Davis - Bitches Brew [Legacy Edition]
THE POSIES LAUNCH NEW SONG ‘LICENSES TO HIDE’ * BLOOD/CANDY OUT SEPTEMBER 28TH ON RYKO Upcoming Album Features Artists from Broken Social Scene, The Stranglers and Letters To Cleo The Posies premiere their first song “Licenses To Hide” off the anticipated CD Blood/Candy (Out Sept 28th) with Ryko. The single, featuring angelic guest vocals from Lisa Lobsinger (lead singer of Reverie Sound Revue and vocalist of Broken Social Scene), debuts on Spin.com www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-new-song-posies. In addition to Lisa Lobsinger’s contribution, Blood/ Candy is brimming with cast of guest musicians and “for the first time in their 23-year career,” according to a recent NME.com feature. Kay Hanley of Letters To Cleo lends her voice on the ethereal “The Glitter Prize,” UK punk legend and ex-Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell contributes his pipes on the opening track, “Plastic Paperbacks,” and Paco Loco of Australian Blonde and Paco Loco Trio makes an appearance on “Enewetak.” The band also recruited Grammy-nominated string arranger Phil Peterson, who has played on recent albums for Owl City and Nada Surf. The Posies begin their international tour in Spain on September 28, the same day their album drops in the U.S. The band will travel across Europe and the United States until the end of 2010. U.S. tour details will be announced soon. See Europe dates on http://theposies.net/. Check the online at:www. theposies.net or www.myspace.com/theposies.
August 2010 • CRANKIT Online • 10
Why Guitar Players Love to Get Handmade Guitars by Darrell Ashley
A
lthough most of the guitar manufacturing companies are vying for getting better customer review for their guitars, there is a growing demand for handmade guitars. The experts are more interested to buy handmade guitars for they understand the instrument more than the beginners. It is not just the interest to have a unique guitar that drives the guitar players to select the personalized guitars. But, a player who understands the sounds, tunes and music really appreciate the performance of a guitar made by luthiers than one manufactured in the factory. There are some strong reasons that trigger the choice forhandmade guitars.
Option for customization Most expert guitar players have a passion to own a unique guitar that they can boast to their audience. Sometimes, the personalized guitars become a part of their identity. Hence, many guitar artists prefer to customize their guitars in a way that make them look different. There are many different ways of customizing guitars. But when you opt forhandmade guitars you have lots of options open for you to build your personalize guitar according to your choice. Moreover, handmade guitars offer you choice for building guitars for special requirements. For instance, if you are a left-handed guitarist, you may have hard time to find a left-hand playing guitar from the market as there are a handful of companies producing such instrument. But, withhandmade guitars you will have a great way to build guitars with special features to suit your requirements.
Greater Artistic Design Yes, this is one of the most striking reasons that persuade the guitar players to buy handmade guitars. Company-made guitars are built with same techniques and same styles for the machines producing each part
of guitars are programmed in that way. But, luthiers are different in this regard. Every time they build guitars, they have a unique aim with it. Hand-made guitars are often built for the purpose of adding aesthetic value to the musical instrument. Hence, they attract guitar players who have an eye for the detail of guitars.
Expert Luthiers’s Skill for Better Performance Often, the luthiers are guitar players themselves. So it can be clearly understood how they will understand the performance of the guitar in connection with the design and construction of the musical instrument. The person who has an idea about the instrument can better design each part of it in regards to the requirements of the artist. Withhandmade guitars , you have a guitar expert building the instrument for you so that you can get the desired result with your favorite musical instrument. It is also applicable for building guitars for special requirements- custom guitars.
Great Resale Value
you want.
Things of artistic importance are always appreciated. Due to the lack of availability of the handmade guitars and their artistic value, the instruments are highly on demand. Many guitarist sale their custom made guitars to get thousands of dollars. If you want to have your handmade guitars, make a search on the web and find out a website that offers you option for building your favorite musical instrument the way
Author Resource: Darrell Ashley is an author who writes useful and informative articles on various musical instruments like handmade guitars, mandolins, banjos, violins, and other unique musical instruments. For more information on custom guitars, handmade guitars, and other musical instruments, you can also visit www.heartshomeacoustics.com.
August 2010 • CRANKIT Online • 11
‘Inception’ most brilliant Inception - 8 Cranks out of 10 Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine Directed by: Christopher Nolan
8
Cranks!
Can Christopher Nolan make a bad film? Considering his track record (Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, to name a few), it sounds like an outlandish idea. But outlandish ideas are his cup. Nolan’s a master of his time, crafting films as deep and thoughtprovoking as they are accessible to all audiences. His latest, Inception, is no exception. In fact, it’s better than that. To call it a head-trip would be an understatement. Though it’s high on spectacle, brimming with special effects both stunning and grandiose, Inception never loses sight of the story, mind-bending as it is, at its nucleus. That alone separates it from, well, practically everything Hollywood’s released this summer, where story is second banana to spectacle, with the final product slipping on the subsequent peel. Nolan doesn’t slip, and Inception - at an extensive 148 minutes - never loses its grip, holding one’s attention all the way through, and then on the drive home. It’s a conversation piece, purposefully ambiguous and nearly impossible not to discuss. Then again, when a film’s setting is the human mind, that’s almost a no-brainer. Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island) plays Cobb, a professional thief, but hardly in the conventional sense. Cobb steals secrets from people’s minds, using a method called “extraction,” which allows him and his teammates to create a dream for their target and then populate the dream as though they were part of it. While there, more or less disguised as figments of the dreamer’s subconscious, they’re able to glean information from their surroundings and coerce their subject into divulging information that would otherwise never be revealed. Naturally, Cobb and company are popular in the corporate sector. Shady businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe, Batman Begins) is a fan, seeking their expertise for the job of a lifetime. Instead of stealing an idea, Cobb is to plant one in the heir to a rival corporation (Cillian Murphy, Sunshine), “inspiring” him to dissolve the family business and allowing Saito’s company to buy it out. Called “inception,” the process has only been accomplished once and with disastrous results. But Cobb’s willing to risk it for the chance to return home, having been forced to flee the United States on bogus murder charges, and the enigmatically connected Saito can deliver. But to ensure that the planted idea grows organically, it must be placed deep as can be in the subject’s subconscious - in other words, a dream within a dream within a dream. With a task so complicated, Cobb enlists a dream team, as it were, of mind-searching professionals, including longtime partner in crime Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days of Summer), dream architect Ariadne (Ellen Page, Juno), smoothtalking Eames (Tom Hardy, Layer Cake), and chemist/anesthesiologist Yusuf (Dileep Rao, Drag Me to Hell). The team is unaware, though, of Cobb’s own dangerous subconscious. Since extractors can manipulate their subject’s dreams through their own thoughts, the vengeful projection of Cobb’s dead wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard, Le Vie en Rose), serves as a constant threat to their mission’s success, as well as Cobb’s sanity. Throughout the film, Cobb battles with his inner demons, paralleling the bigger picture, as Nolan elegantly delivers a message about the power of memory, be it for better or worse, letting go or hanging on. But that’s just the tip of the mental iceberg. Expertly written by Nolan, Inception is packed with clever twists, a thought-provoking character arc, and some of the most imaginative action sequences committed to celluloid, all woven together in a seamless presentation, and all to the tune of another excellent Hans Zimmer (Gladiator) score. Nolan’s casting is also spot on, through and through. By now, DiCaprio’s filmography is generously peppered with flawed characters, and though they share many similar traits, he still manages to bring new depth to his roles, and Cobb is case in point. As an ensemble, Cobb’s team works splendidly, sharing an almost cold chemistry befitting of their characters, as well as the narrative. And like its many narrative components, Inception is multi-layered and quite proud of it. To categorize it as science fiction or adventure would be unfair; Inception’s simply a good film. Inception, rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, is playing now and one of the top rated movies. Check out more movie reviews from writer Frank Ruggiero at mountaintimes.com/movies. Review by Frank Ruggiero of The Mountain Times Newspaper Want to comment on a review or make a request? Contact management@gmail.com.
12 • CRANKIT Online • August 2010
Some Ways You Can Adopt to Promote Your Band by Brain Caron Shelly
P
ublicity is the main and most important factor for a band or a musician to get success in the world of music. Like any other aspect of life, there is tough competition in the field of music also. So, to get success in this field you must take various steps to promote your music. Just because of lack of promotion of music, many talented singers and musicians have failed. The main idea is to make your music reach the common people; and once they like your music you do not have to look back anymore. There are two main ways for promoting of music that you can undertake, the offline method and the online method. Online method of promoting a band or music is easier and more effective than the offline method. While going through the online method of music promotion, the first step that you should take is joining a social networking website like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. In this websites, you can get to know hundreds and thousands of people from different countries.
You can tell these people about your music and even upload your home made videos in here which may consist of the cool guitar riffs played by you. Another effective way that you can utilize to promote your music is creating and publishing the personal website of the band or the musician. Since websites are the best tool for worldwide communication, people from all over the world can log on to your website and search for your music reviews, latest albums, coming albums etc. You can even post some of your coolguitar riffs, keyboard riffs etc. which your fans can listen and also photos of your band, list of your songs and biography of the artists. You can also join the music forums on different websites where you can post information about your band or your self composed music. Hundreds of people access these music forums, and if you post your band’s information in here, they will certainly find it. This is a very effective way that you can adopt to promote your band. One of the best ways to promote your band is uploading videos in You-
tube. This website has got millions of users from all over the world. And getting noticed by other people is very easy from this site. Many people have used this method of band promotion and succeeded. This is however the easiest way to promote your band. However, the recent discovery of the iphone app, Riffraters has proved to be easiest and most effective way of a band’s promotion. In this iphone application, you can record your songs and music and share them with other iphone users all over the world. People listen to the available songs and music and rate them. The most rated songs get superior rank in Riff raters. If you do not have this music app in your iphone, contact your nearest iphone dealer as soon as possible. Many talented singers and musicians have gained popularity by using Riffraters. Author Resource: You can find some top guitar riffs with the music app called riff raters in your iphone. These guitar riffs are awesome, since they are composed by professionals.
August 2010 • CRANKIT Online • 13
CD Reviews Chatham County Line Wildwood
Man, ten years in to their career and they put out another very solid CD. ‘Wildwood’ is a very appropriate title for a band that has been roaming the bluegrass scene for ten years. They have been overseas, on the radio, been to Nashville, played many shows and festivals, and they are from North Carolina. Dave Wilson (songwriter/guitarist/singer) is solid throughout the CD. There’s excellent banjo from Chandler Holt (banjo/vocals), solid play from John Teer (fiddle/mandolin/ vocals), and the supporting bass sounds of Greg Readling (bass/vocals). This is their fifth studio album, which was released July 13, 2010, and has already made its mark in the charts. ‘Wildwood’ is currently number 3 on the Billboard Blugrass Charts. It is easy to see why once you listen to this CD. “Don’t mistake me for a wildwood” is off the first, and title, track “Wildwood.” It is a stroll down an old country road with a story of a warning to not to be mistaken and think you can hide behind someone. This is a hit for sure. A bit of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band sound. A favorite, and a perfect start for the CD.
RPWL
Gentle Art of Music Compilation CD RPWL is a German Neo-Prog rock band. The band was formed in 1997 as a Pink Floyd cover band. This explains the symphonic and psychedelic influences of the band but they are a very smooth sounding band. If you grew up loving Pink Floyd, like I did and still do, this is a great CD. There’s a lot of music on “The Gentle Art of Music.” It is a compilation with two parts that brings together ten years of solid music recordings. A lot of bands never make it to this mark so they must be doing something right. RPWL has put together their best over those years so you can take a musical journey with them. The first CD is a collection of their best, and if you are new to RPWL, this is a good way to be introduced to them. They even took the time to put the tracks in chronological order, so you can see how the band has progressed through the years. Excellent to say the least. The second CD, “The Revisited Album,” is a selection of past tracks that have guest appearances, or sound arrangements, on each one. They are different versions. “Fool” is a very nice song that gently rolls the music
CrankIt Up!
“Out of the Running” is more upbeat and has some nice harmonica play. That harmonica play is found throughout ‘Wildwood,’ including the track “Ringing in My Ear.” “Alone in New York” has some excellent banjo to start the track and the question is presented, “Is everyone alone in New York?” This could probably be an observation from a visit to the Big Apple, but either way this is a lonely sounding tune. A nice switch on the CD is “Saturdays & Sundays.” The banjo is put aside and the guitar is added for a different sound. The acoustics are excellent. It had me moving my head from side to side to the rhythm. More upbeat and could be a chart topper. Another possible top ten hit is “Crops Comes In.” I absolutely love this tune. It has a lot of feeling and oh, the harmonica. There’s always that country feeling when you add the harmonica. This track seems to be about calling on your woman, who is Marie in this case, and you can hardly wait but she says “Don’t come around with those poor boy blues.” This track seems to suggest that once he has the money to support, come see the girl but he loses her because he’s a poor country boy. Kind of like a love song. This is just a solid Bluegrass CD. There’s plenty of feeling in this one and probably one of Chatham County Line’s best CD yet. You can’t go wrong and I love this CD.. by Rob Moore
around the room. It has some beautiful guitar work with some 60’s organ play mixed in for flavor. A very different change for the band is “Moonflower.” This is a very jazzy, and hip, song with some great sax play and that lounge lizard feel to the music. The female vocalist also adds to that jazz flavor. “Start the Fire” starts with some elegant violin but fools you into a more progressive, and fast-paced, sound. The violin stays with the track and has some cool hooks–almost Celtic like. The female vocalist adds a bit of fantasy feel to the track. This is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. Just when you were getting use to the older tracks from RPWL, you get some new sound. What a treat. “Watching the World” is just another smooth song that leans heavily towards the Pink Floyd sound. The other track is “Cake.” This one is a bit alternative-rock sound with some cool keyboards – a nice change for these guys. I guess if you have been playing music as long as these guys you can have your cake and eat it too. “The Gentle Art of Music” is nothing but a solid pillar in the Neo-Prog world. You can not go wrong by purchasing this CD. It is a joy to listen too, and one to pass on. RPWL fans will snatch it up and any one new should become addicted. I highly recommend it for the collection. CrankIt Up!. by Rob Moore
.com 14 • CRANKIT Online • August 2010
JOKE TIME Plus Other Tidbits
Useless Facts Did you know that summer started on June 21st? Time to get outside in the sun and soak up some Vitamin D! The Ice Cream cone was invented in the summer of 1904 by Charles Menches. It made its debut one year later at the St. Louis World Fair. Approximately 60% of the water used by households during the summer is used for watering flowers and lawns. Solstice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning “sun” + “to stand still.”
TOP of the CHARTS First Week of August Top 10 Pop Singles 1. Eminem feat. Rihanna No. 2 “Love the Way You Lie” (Web/Shady/Aftermath) 2. Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg No. 1 “California Gurls” (Capitol) 3. B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore No. 3 “Airplanes” (RebelRock/Grand Hustle) 4. Taio Cruz No. 6 “Dynamite” (Mercury) 5. Usher feat will.i.am No. 4 “OMG” (LaFace) 6. Mike Posner No. 7 “Cooler Than Me” (J) 7. Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars No. 5 “Billionaire” (Nappy Boy/Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen) 8. Enrique Iglsias feat. Pitbull No. 8 “I Like It” (Universal Republic) 9. Drake No. 9 “Find Your Love” (Young Money/Cash Money) 10. Jason Derulo No. 10 “Ridin’Solo” (Beluga Heights) Top 10 Albums 1. Eminem No. 1 “Recovery” (Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) 2. Korn new entry “Korn III: Remember Who You Are” (Roadrunner) 3. Drake No. 2 “Thank Me Later” (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown) 4. Newsboys new entry “Born Again” (Inpop) 5. Justin Bieber No. 5 “My World 2.0” (SchoolBoy/Raymond Braun/Island) 6. Sting new entry “Symphonicities” (Cherrytree/DG) 7. Jerrod Niemann new entry “Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury” (Sea Gayle/Arista Nashville) 8. HellYeah new entry “Stampede” (Epic) 9. M.I.A. new entry “MAYA” (N.E.E.T./XL/Interscope) 10. Soundtrack No. 4 “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic) Top 10 Hot Country Singles 1. Luke Bryan No. 1 “Rain Is a Good Thing” (Capitol Nashville) 2. Carrie Underwood No. 3 “Undo It” (19) 3. Jerrod Niemann No. 7 “Lover, Lover” (Sea Gayle) 4. Brad Paisley No. 2 “Water” (Arista Nashville) 5. Zac Brown Band No. 8 “Free” (Home Grown/Atlantic) 6. Keith Urban No. 9 “I’m In” (Capitol Nashville) 7. Clay Walker No. 5 “She Won’t Be Lonely Long” (Curb) 8. Jason Aldean No. 4 “Crazy Town” (Broken Bow) 9. Blake Shelton No. 10 “All About Tonight” (Reprise) 10. Lee Brice No. 11 “Love Like Crazy” (Curb)
Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called ‘chasedevil’, which is known today as St. John’s Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer. Saturday mail delivery in Canada was eliminated by Canada Post on February 1, 1969! In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes! There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo! Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution! Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second! The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache on a standard playing card! There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos! There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants! Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500! The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad! Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating! Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult! One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year! The names of Popeye’s four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye! Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia! The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three naked men with their hands on each other’s shoulders!
Jokes Out for a Beer After the Great Britain Beer Festival, in London, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer. The guy from Corona sits down and says, “Hey Senor, I would like the world’s best beer, a Corona.” The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him. The guy from Budweiser says, “I’d like the best beer in the world, give me ‘The King Of Beers’, a Budweiser.” The bartender gives him one. The guy from Coors says, “I’d like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a Coors.” He gets it. The guy from Guinness sits down and says, “Give me a Coke.” The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered. The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask “Why aren’t you drinking a Guinness?” and the Guinness president replies, “Well, I figured if you guys aren’t drinking beer, neither would I.”
I’ve Got These Two Horses A fellow walks into a bar very down on himself. As he walks up to the bar the bartender asks, “what’s the matter?” The fellow replies, “well I’ve got these two horses (sniff,sniff), and well... I can’t tell them apart. I don’t know if I’m mixing up riding times or even feeding them the right foods.” The bartender, feeling sorry for the guy, tries to think of somthing he can do. “Why don’t you try shaving the tail of one of the horses?” The man stops crying and says, “that sounds like a good idea, I think I’ll try it.” A few months later he comes back to the bar in worse condition than he was before. “What’s the matter now?” the bartender asks. The fellow, in no condition to be in public, answers, “I shaved the tail of one of the horses (sob, sob), but it grew back and I can’t tell them apart again!” The bartender, now just wanting him to shut up or leave says, “why don’t you try shaving the mane, maybe that will not grow back.” The fellow stops crying, has a few drinks, and leaves. A few months later the fellow is back in the bar. The bartender has never seen anybody in this sorry of a state. Without the bartender even asking the fellow breaks into his problems. “I.. I shaved the (sob) mane of one of the (sniff) horses, and... it... it... grew back!” The bartenter, now furious at the guy’s general stupidity, yells, “for crying out loud, just measure the stupid horses. Perhaps one is slightly taller that the other one!” The fellow can not believe what the bartender has said and storms out of the bar. The next day the fellow comes running back into the bar as if he had just won the lottery. “It worked, it worked!” he exclaims. “I measured the horses and the black one is two inches taller than the white one!”
Food for Thought
“There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we’d all love one another.”
– Frank Zappa
Email Us Your Joke management@crankitmag.com August 2010 • CRANKIT Online • 15
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