KOL May 7, 2009 Concert Review

As the lights dimmed over the audience, eventually to complete darkness, the clapping got louder and the cheering turned to screams. After a minute of having the audience wait anxiously in the dark, four young men, dressed in ordinary street clothes and sporting overgrown hair, walked out and each took a place underneath a golden spotlight. They picked up their instruments, and calmly looked out into the crowd. Then, just before starting their first song, Caleb Followill, the vocalist in the band, spoke, “Good evening, we are The Kings of Leon.”

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On Thursday May 7^th, The Kings of Leon performed at The Bank United Center in the city of Miami. This performance was part of their 2009 tour, triggered after releasing their fourth and most successful album yet “Only by the Night”, which includes the international hit, “Sex on Fire.”

When the band of three brothers and one cousin, Caleb, Nathan, Matthew, and Jared Followill, started playing their first song “Crawl,” the audience was instantly captivated by the hard guitar riffs, the powerful drum beats, the slamming base, and Caleb’s soul-filled voice. They’re songs described by MTV as sounding like “bar-band, country-garage, Allman Brothers-meet-Strokes music,” kept the audience’s arms in the air and their feet always dancing.

What seemed more captivating at times was the interaction of the band onstage. At times the brothers would look around at one another and grin as they heard the music they were making pour out of the five foot speakers lined behind them. At other times they would watch as Caleb’s eyes shut, voice crack with emotion, and teeth clench; then seconds later his head would violently shake, as if bringing himself back to reality, shaking off sweat droplets at the same time.

As the concert eventually drew to an end, Caleb turned to the massive South Florida audience cheering him on, and said, “We've been trying to build a fan base in Florida. I think tonight we did.”

One word to describe the concert: unforgettable. I can't wait till their next concert in September!

Gorrilaz Came Out With A Hot New CD: Plastic Beach

"Plastic Beach" is the third studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz. recently released on March 3, 2010. The album has produced three singles, “Stylo” “Superfast Jellyfish”, and “On Melancholy Hill”.

Primarily a pop album, "Plastic Beach" contains lyrics concerning consumerism and ecology-related themes.

Creators of Gorillaz, musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, originally began working on a new Gorillaz project in November 2007 called "Carousel", which then eventually evolved into "Plastic Beach", the group's third studio album.

Gorrilaz is known largely for it’s animated band members; but now "Plastic Beach" is different.

In a July 2008 interview with The Observer Albarn said, "Gorillaz now to us is not like four animated characters any more — it's more like an organisation of people doing new projects. That's my ideal model — Gorillaz is a group of people who gave you this, and now want to give you new stuff."

Hewlett also expressed annoyance at having to draw the band members again: "I'm so fucking bored of drawing those characters. But then we had a moment where we had a new angle on it... I'm gonna adapt them. They'll be the same characters, but a little bit older and told in a different way".

Albarn said in September 2008 that he wanted "to work with an incredibly eclectic, surprising cast of people". As with previous Gorillaz albums, "Plastic Beach" features a number of collaborations with other musicians and music groups. The album features Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Lou Reed, The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, and more.

Eagles of Death Metal: My New Favorite Band?

Listen to the Eagles of Death Metal's new album "Heart On" and you too will be in rock n'roll love.
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The Eagles of Death Metal are an American garage rock band from California formed by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme in 1998. Although the bands name seems to hint that the music is "death metal", it is not.

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The band acquired their name when a friend of Homme's was trying to introduce the death metal genre to him. When the friend played a death metal band for Homme, he called them "the Eagles of death metal". After hearing this phrase Homme wondered what a cross between the band the Eagles and death metal would sound like. His curiosity therefore led him to create a band that was, well, a cross between the smooth-bluegrass-slide-guitar sounds of the Eagles mixed with stripper-drum-beats-and-hard-vocals of the death metal genre.

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The band took off on the "Desert Sessions Volumes 3 & 4" album in 1998; but because Homme's was distracted with his other band Queens of the Stone Age, he stopped paying attention almost completely to his project The Eagles of Death Metal.

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Then in 2004 The Eagles of Death Metal finally released their debut album. Some of their songs were featured in television commercials, video games, and movies. But their true fame has come from their latest album "Heart On" which was released late 2008. They then toured in 2009, quickly gaining popularity.

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The Eagles of Death Metal have announced that they will be part of Milwaukee's new music festival "Verge" on June 4, 2010.

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Axl Rose Sued for $1.9 Million

Guns n' Roses is now managed by Doc McGhee, Kiss’ manager since 1996 and the man credited with helping artists like Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, and Hootie & the Blowfish rise to fame.

But now trouble has arisen with former managers as they have filed $1.9 million lawsuit particularly against the band's leader, Axl Rose. The lawsuit claims that Rose reneged on a verbal agreement from 2008.

The $1.9 million is 15 percent commission Rose's previous Front Line Management was promised of the estimated $12 million the band have earned so far in their tours of Asia and South America.

Specifically the lawsuit talks of breach of contract for “failing and refusing” to pay Front Line the promised 15 percent.

Guns n’ Roses are currently on tour in South America and has nothing to say to any news outlet.

Ricky Martin Finally Comes Out of the Closet

Finally putting the speculation to rest, the truth has come out about Ricky Martin. He is gay.

Martin came out of the closet by posting a really long note on his website in both English and Spanish for both of his fan audiences.

Here are some highlights of the note:

"Writing my memoirs got me very close to my truth-- Hiding my sexuality any longer would indirectly diminish the glow that my kids (twin boys from a surrogate mother) were born with."

"These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed."

In an old interview (August 1999) with Rollingstone Magazine, Ricky Martin seemed to give hints about his sexuality:

"You can fantasize however you want to. Go for it. Be free about it. I’m not too concerned with what people say about me. You can think whatever you want. I know what I am, my beliefs, what I like and don’t like."

His lengthy note ends in a peaceful ending:

“Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution--I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

Good for Ricky!

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This video makes light of the "Coming Out of Ricky" situation:

And just for old times sake:

Phil Collins Suffering From Nerve Damage

After a surgery to repair a dislocated vertebrae on his neck, Phil Collins, best known for his work in Genesis has suffered severe nerve damage to his hands that has made drumming and playing the piano now impossible.

Ironically, Collins claims that the damage was a result of his poor posture during the Genesis' 2007 World Tour, which caused his vertebrae to crush his spinal cord.

Phil Collins told Rollingstone Magazine, “The first time I picked up the drum sticks after my neck surgery, they flew across the room because I couldn’t grip them. I’ve had to tape the sticks to my hand. It’s very strange. It really cramps your style.”

But despite saying this Collins stays optimistic.

"After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally," Collins told newspaper The Daily Mirror. "Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any distressed state -- stuff happens in life."

Jimi Hendrix fans listen up!

Jimi Hendrix is back from the dead! Well... no... not really... But recently a collection of relatively unreleased music tracks, recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1969, has made itself apparent. It's sort of like a hidden treasure that has been uncovered by some archeologist.

This musical treasure is titled the "Valleys of Neptune". Listening to this album is like seeing an old friend that you haven't seen in forever. You are instantly comfortable and wanting to desperately catch up.

"Stone Free", the opening track in the CD, remakes one of Jimi's earliest recordings. "Fire", one of Jimi's most famous tracks, is also on the "Valleys of Neptune" CD, except this time around, the guitar is more fluid and clear. "Sunshine of Your Love" is also on the album, this time more instrumental than the last. The best tracks though, are the ones that are mixes of rare tracks that only true Jimi fans are familiar with.

If you're a 60s/70s child, or just someone who enjoys listening to true classic rock, I suggest giving the "Valleys of Neptune" a listen.