The other day I received an email from the EPB Admin who advised, “The Farhad spike is still going on…It’s an 11-year-old post buried in a minor blog site, but it’s getting 1000 views every 30 days. Some people out there are obviously very curious about Farhad.” I then realized I needed to provide an …
Since well before the pandemic, Reggies has served as Chicago’s base for live metal (all kinds), post-punk, grindcore, etc., and offers metalheads bus transportation to and from Chicago Black Hawk games. I’ve attended concerts at both of Reggies’ settings. (Kinda like First Avenue and 7th Street Entry in Mpls.) I have also seen a “local” band, Burned in …
Before officially becoming Metallica, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich jammed together, bounded by leather, denim, and the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM), in Los Angeles circa 1981. They recruited bassist Cliff Burton while visiting and playing in San Francisco. If they wanted Burton, he demanded the group base itself in …
The press release from Fifth Island Music for VILT, promoted the Swedish band’s upcoming tour with In Flames (also Swedes) and a new single, “The New Shadow.” VILT aspires to reach heights as a “thrash and melodic death metal band” that has “already established a unique signature style.” Within seconds of the opening guitar, I …
Photo by Original photographer unknown – e24.se, attributed to Scanpixtrelleborgsallehanda.se, Public Domain, Link The notorious J. Edgar Hoover served as the first Director of the FBI until his death in 1972 – a whopping 37 years. Scandals, for example, shielding mob interests from FBI enforcement, creating COINTELPRO and its mass surveillance, and hounding the alleged …
Photo by Wikipedia The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct yet more yawn-inducing acts into the fold. This year Chubby Checker; Joe Cocker; Bad Company; Cyndi Lauper; OutKast; White Stripes; and Soundgarden enter the “prestigious” house of the holy. Of these seven, I favor OutKast more than any other. Overall, the whole lot …
Map: Africa Guide To: wsj.ltrs@wsj.comHello Dow Jones: The April 4 issue of the New York Times listed the top 60 countries upon which 47 slapped tariffs. Of the 60, only never-ending chaotic Congo (the lone country!) had a trade deficit ($112 million) with the USA, yet arbitrarily received a subjective 11% tariff! What is this unfair relationship? …
Blister Brigade hails from Sweden. Their press release for the upcoming 2025 release touts their “straight forward, up tempo” approach to the hard rock/metal brand of music. The first (so far) single and video is called Paradise Industrialized. Since I heard nothing tantalizing from this quartet, I visited YouTube and found a couple other songs …
Montezuma’s Revenge Given the historical low bar, e.g., Tony Quinn, I think Chester Slome represented a worthy candidate to enter North Park’s Hall of Fame. So I thought creatively, knowing that Chester currently lives in assisted living. He subscribes to the New York Times and works the crossword puzzle each day. Cognitively, he is well. …
Herein lies a dutiful review of releases by NERVED and also Gale Forces: Today, September 27, NERVED has released a single called “Don’t Lie.” While I always welcome a powerful female voice to the metal community, vocalist Petra Kvanna and Sweden-based NERVED reveal nothing as a group that necessitates an invitation to my dream US …
In October 1968, the Viking football team fielded by North Park College (Chicago, IL) highlighted its season with a Homecoming pasting of the North Central College Cardinals (Naperville, IL) by a final score of 104-32!! (See Homecoming pin) The Vikings finished the season with a winning record of 6-3, and three players from the team …
Photo Credit The September 11, 2024, business section of the New York Times bore the front-page headline: “Only One Supermarket Is Left.” Here is an update on an EPB feature about Phil Knight’s money. The money spawned 1803 Fund . The first paragraph within this sparse homepage declared: 1803 Fund seeks to grow shared prosperity, …
Magnadur I have been asked to review two groups, Earth Ship and Magnadur. The former hails from Germany. A snippet of its press release described this sludge band “is a literal delight to listen to for fans of slow and heavy with a good sound system. A mighty recommendation for doom metal aficionados with an …
Over the years I expanded my musical taste beyond rock and roll. I embraced classical music, but not opera. I navigated jazz by listening to a regular show on the radio and attended dozens of concerts. Likewise, at the urging of son #2, I have exposed myself to dubstep. Thus, I currently rave about Nanostorm …
HUGE* Ministry fan here! I’ve been hooked ever since a co-worker introduced me in the late 1980s to the industrial metal genre found on Twitch and The Land of Rape and Honey. Releases pleasing to my mind, body, and wespirit followed later, too. During the Presidency of George W. Bush aka “Shrub” (thanks to muckraker …
I got a turntable for Xmas. I have since opened the lp crate, which had been in storage for over 25 years. At times after leaving a visit with Dad and Mom, and then only Mom, I’d swing by the Goodwill in Glenview, Illinois. Maybe find a potentially superior nonfiction hardcover and/or lp. This is …
Photo Credit A decade ago, Nike co-founder Phil Knight bequeathed a whopping amount of money to the University of Oregon to build a facility for only athletes. My memory is foggy, but I thought the structure was a hybrid dorm and training complex for football players only. Maybe not. A quick search found this: https://www.businessinsider.com/phil-knight-own-locker-oregon-football-facility-2013-9 …
When I saw dubstep live at Lollapalooza the acts relied far too much on a repetitive, thumping bass. I had the same impression of nearly all I heard when in the presence of son #2. However, Griz has potential. Then I heard Nanostorm (on Third Dimension) on WNUR! Nanostorm connected with my metalhead sensibilities while …
Last night I dreamt that I killed Henry Kissinger. ‘Twas a vivid dream. Setting: a beach with many people engaged in typical beach behavior. I noticed the former Secretary of State (or as I refer to him – Satan’s Emissary on Earth) to my left with his son. Henry stood and sauntered toward the water …
Craneium, a twin-guitar Finnish quartet, has released its second single, “Things Have Changed,” from its fourth release, Point of No Return (on The Sign Records). Craneium hails from Turku, which is Finland’s oldest “city.” Its population hovers around 200,000 inhabitants. Turku has several tourist attractions; namely, the aurora borealis, water, and the Moominland theme park. …
Television content creators have had coverage/payment disputes with cable providers for a few years now. My first memory of such a standoff was connected to the Big Ten Network demanding more money for its content than cable operators wanted to pay. Currently, the nation’s second largest cable operator, Charter, has reached an impasse with Disney. The …
When this old man, a veteran of the inaugural, third, and two other Lollapalooza festivals, scanned the 2023 lineup, the easy decision was – no thanks. I have already seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers two times and no other act would activate my credit card to charge more than $125 for a single day …
Put your head in the vice, demanded the uniformed figure twice. Or I will squeeze your balls under my jackboot, with firmness and without emotion, either will suit. Our torture methods will force you to cooperate. You acquiesce or we target your mate. If you prefer, the instructions will consist of a haiku. We want …
FFO: Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Soilwork, As I Lay Dying, Five Finger Death Punch, Dream Theater, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Amorphis, Dimmu Borgir Hämärä’s “Ivory Tower”, according to the request for this review, noted the release is the band’s first since reuniting after a seven year “hiatus.” I went to reddit.com to see any activity for Hämärä and …
TWENTY years ago this month imperialistic America started the War in Iraq. After failing to obtain authorization for war from the UN Security Council, #43 resorted to a PR move by declaring the (illegal) impending invasion a “Coalition of the Willing.” Twas just black information, i.e., lies. In this case of specious multilateralism, only Great …
Before I had a driver’s license, the KQRS DJ announced from my clock radio while I sat in my bedroom after dinner with homework in front of me that he would do something he had not previously done. I will never forget; he played an entire album without interruption because it was that good. First …
What follows is another powerful chapter in my ongoing musical journey. While volunteering my regular Monday evening shift at the local no-kill animal shelter for dogs and cats, C.A.R.E. (Community Animal Rescue Effort), YouTube played two excellent songs in succession which had never previously been heard by my ears and I must tell you about …
Photo by Paul R. Burley – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94250424 Five centuries before Columbus made his journey to the New World, a party of Viking explorers led by Leif Eiriksson set sail from Greenland westward to the North American continent on a voyage of discovery. After the successful journey, word traveled back via …
Perry Farrell, frontman for Jane’s Addiction, conceived Lollapalooza (Lolla) as a means to bring “alternative” acts to the masses. Lolla toured America in 1991, performing for one day before moving to the next locale. My friend and I attended the inaugural event held in Tinley Park (IL). Bands like Jane’s Addiction, Siouxie and the Banshees, …
During the Fourth of July weekend violence, 71 people were shot and 8 killed in Chicago, Illinois. Those combined numbers easily exceeded the horrific and tragic shooting that happened in Highland Park, Illinois. While all major local networks fixated on Highland Park for several days, national outlets also devoted considerable resources to the suburban massacre. …