wow wow wow holy hell
0 Comments
SNL guitarist Pearl Lion shares 10 Things he loves about musical guests, premieres Sunshower: Stream8/25/2017 Photo by Daniel D'Ottavio 10 Things is a recurring New Music feature in which an artist goes H.A.M. on a particular topic. Those who have watched Saturday Night Live over the last decade have seen plenty of Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, and Jared Scharff. True, that last name might not stick out to you, but the guitar licks he plays as part of the Saturday Night Live Band most certainly do. If not there, than perhaps you've caught Scharffperforming with Sting and Trudie Styler's Rainforest Benefit Band or backing artists like Justin Timberlake and Jim James. Surely you've heard his recorded work with the likes of Bruno Mars and Sarah Bareilles? One way or another, you've likely encountered Scharff's music before - but never like this. With his solo project Pearl Lion, Scharff is using his guitar as a loom to reproduce the modern textures of pop textiles as pure instrumentals. The songs on his new double EP,Light andDark, are rich with emotion and melody even as they lack the typical accoutrements of radio-ready songs. Each side of the EP explores a different energy, withDarkfilled with crushing riffs and modern beats a la Justice Rattatat and Jack White andLight built more on atmosphere in the spirit of Bon Iver, Explosions In the Sky, Sigur Ros. Pearl Lion's new single, Sunshower, exemplifies the lighter half. Gentle, uplifting chords slide together on the opening before being elevated by a steady drum beat. The notes build brighter and brighter, like streams of sun as they cut through the clouds, until Scharff is practically praising the rays with a soaring solo. Check it out below. In addition to sharing his new track withConsequence of Sound, Pearl Lion has revealed some of his favorite musical guest moments from his years onSNL, and a few more he'd like to see. Below, read 10 Things Pearl Lion loves aboutSNL guest performances. SNLActs that Blew Pearl Lion Away Dave Chappelle: It was a comic genius speaking to a nation at an incredibly tumultuous time. I remember sitting there during Dave Chappelle's live monologue and you could feel the magic in the air. Not just in the room, but going out to the entire country. I never experienced anything that felt historical, but that moment felt like one for the books. T-Pain: name="wpcom-iframe-3aede71cf1f3063468d917112b82531a-59a00446e7ca2" id="wpcom-iframe-3aede71cf1f3063468d917112b82531a-59a00446e7ca2" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="800" height="500" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen class="wpcom-protected-iframe " > I had never heard of T-Pain and then he performed Chopped N Skrewed. It was so unique, brilliant and his auto-tune thing/dancing captivated me. Was a complete surprise and that song is still one of my favorites to this day. Radiohead: I happened to be there in 2000 when Radiohead performed songs from Kid A. This was way before working atSNLwas even a glimmer of possibility for me. I was in the height of my Radiohead obsession and their performance was almost alien. Between their entire brass section soloing at the same time for the chaotic end of National Anthem or the drum machine/effects going on during Idioteque I never seen anything quite as unique and so good. Bon Iver: This was a case of my usual I don't fuck with super-hyped bands. I had heard of Bon Iver, knew everyone freaked for them but that whole thing turned me off. So I never checked them out until they playedSNL. After I saw them perform the first song that night I was like, Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Justin [Vernon]'s chords and melodies were breathe-taking, the multi-layered band thing (coming from a jam band and creative background I'd always loved that), the delicate and emotional songs and arrangements, etc. I downloaded the album (Bon Iver, Bon Iver) that week and it's been my favorite album ever since. And probably forever. Maroon 5: This is a selfish pick. I went to French Woods (performing arts camp) when I was a kid and met Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael there. They had a huge impact on my musical journey. I played drums in a bunch of bands with Adam and his enthusiasm and passion for music really resonated with me and was prob the first time I felt like I met someone who was like me. And with Jesse, we played in a band together, both on guitar, and made original music. That was the first time I had ever tried that and Jesse had made it such a creative and comfortable experience. Fast forward so many years later, friendships, and many gigs later (opened for them a bit around 2002ish, and also am the only guitarist to ever sub for James!) it was surreal to have Maroon 5 come toSNLwhen I was working there. One of my favorite moments was during the closing theme/credits Adam stayed on stage last, looks at me and mouths, How did we get here? I just looked at him, smiled and mouthed back, I don't know! A really beautiful moment to share with and old friend. (Honorable Mentions: Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I mean, cause DUH.) Acts that Pearl Lion Wants to See onSNL Sigur Ros: I think Sigur Ros are the most magical band in the world. Somehow they tap into emotion like nobody else has ever done. IMO. Untitled 4 off of ( ) is angelic and another one of my absolute favorite songs ever. Guns N' Roses: How sick would that be, to have Guns N' Roses perform? ALL original members. That means Izzy Stradlin AND Steve Adler too. I'm talking Paradise City vid style. Nine Inch Nails: The more I delve into instrumental and rock world you can't help but see how genius Nine Inch Nails is. The production, songs, everything is meticulously crafted. I've never seen them live and their stage show from what I've seen on vids looks insane. Can you imagine them rocking people's faces off in that studio? Francis and the Lights: Francis and the Lights' latest record is brilliant and he does some great dance choreography! Fitz and the Tantrums: Hands down the most fun live show I have ever seen. I've seen Fitz and the Tantrums so many times and it's always a dance party, interactive, and just fun. Remember fun? (Honorable Mention: Julia Michaels. Her lyrics are so refreshing and she's got no filter in the best way.) This 'Best of' features 20 tracks and I don't think any fan of pop and rock would deny that they are pretty well all essential.
Following this weekend's violent rally of white nationalist and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Digital Music News examined a list of white supremacist hate bands published by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2014. While combing through Spotify's catalog, the report discovered 29 of the groups identified were still available on the streaming service and unearthed another eight similar acts. In response, Spotify has acted to remove many of the bands discovered in the report, while others are under review. In a statement shared with Billboard, a Spotify spokeswoman said record companies and aggregators are at first hand responsible for the content they deliver, but the company does not tolerate illegal content or material that favors hatred or incites violence against race, religion, sexuality or the like. Spotify takes immediate action to remove any such material as soon as it has been brought to our attention. We are glad to have been alerted to this content and have already removed many of the bands identified today, whilst urgently reviewing the remainder, she added. As of publishing, over two-thirds of the hate bands are still available to stream on Spotify. While the company continues its review process andexplores solutions for blocking such content from future music recommendations, it has shared a new playlist called Patriotic Passion. Described a soundtrack to an America worth fighting for, it includes a Jimi Hendrix rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Lady Gaga's Americano, and Khalid's American Teen. Take a listen below. name="wpcom-iframe-58a9a46feb4089f8eafd21516273b173-5995411106906" id="wpcom-iframe-58a9a46feb4089f8eafd21516273b173-5995411106906" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="650" height="380" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen class="wpcom-protected-iframe " > Live From Terminal 5 captures one of the group's final shows, but its North American release is in jeopardy
If you're a Tool fan, you've undoubtedly been waiting a very long time for a follow up to their last record, 2006's10,000Days. In fact, at this point, their last record title seems more like the group have been taunting fans about how long they'll be waiting for a new one, if anything. But now, some good news has come forth with word that Tool is looking set to remaster and reissue all their records for a vinyl release. Back in June, bassist Justin Chancellor told fans that the new record is about 90 percent there, but Tool fans are well aware of how crushing the feeling of disappointment can be, so they're taking that with a grain of salt. But now, it seems as though there issome movement in the Tool camp, with planned vinyl reissues in the works. A Reddit user recently took to the website to share an email exchange that he had with Tool's drummer Danny Carey. Hi Danny, the user who went by the name of Josh started his message. I have been trying to get a petition going, to get 10,000 Days/nima on vinyl. Would this be at all possible given a certain amount of signatures? Danny Carey was quick to respond, stating The petition won't really matter. We are already in the process of remastering all our albums for vinyl release in the near future. While the majority of Tool's albums, and their 1992 EPOpiate, have seen a vinyl release in the past and are widely available, some remain outside of the grasp of your average fan. Tool's seminal 1996 recordnimawas initially only released in limited numbers on vinyl, and their10,000 Days record has never been officially released on the format, but has been widely bootlegged. It isn't clear whether this prospective vinyl reissue will include theirOpiateEP, or if it will include the compilation albumSalival, released in 2000, but at this stage, we'll take whatever we can get. Whether or not we'll be seeing these vinyl reissues before or after the new record's release, or if we'll even see them at all, remains to be seen, but with reports thatTool's music is set to be made available on streaming services soon, anything seems possible these days. So let's just sit back and wait, and hopefully soon, we'll be able to add a bunch of Tool vinyl into our collections. #DutyFree
After an elaborate album rollout with fake news stories and fidget spinners, Win will return when I got something to say
|
Camille Mullens
Archives
January 2019
|