The Cat's In The Bag...

Ask any Mike Patton fanatic what the most consistently solid post-Faith No More project is and I'd assure you that over 90% of those folks will tell you it's Tomahawk.

That's because it is.

Three albums. All unfuckwithable. Well maybe Anonymous was "unique" in ways the first two weren't, but when a band writes songs like "101 North", "Point & Click", "Birdsong", etc...they can do pretty much whatever they want.

So, about six months ago, I had this crazy idea. I wanted to have the three Tomahawk records on vinyl. That first record was BUILT for turntables the world over. I have a working relationship with Ipecac Recordings, so I laid out a concept:

- Tomahawk box set for Record Store Day 2012
- All three albums on vinyl for the very first time
- House that shit in a box that leaves room for the fourth Tomahawk album, coming out in Summer/Fall 2012
- Keep it affordable, but limit it, so once they're gone, they're fucking gone

Patton and the lovely folks at Ipecac dug it. We made it. It's available Saturday.

To say I'm beyond proud of this project is quite the understatement. Faith No More is my favorite band and has been since 1989. I'm also a die hard Helmet fan, so getting to curate this project, involving musicians from bands that formed my musical palate and to this day, are STILL my favorite bands, is an actual dream come true.

Please go out and support your local indie record stores and buy a bunch of records on Saturday. Unload thy wallets.

Thank you to Mike, Shawn and Greg at Ipecac for having an open mind and taking my crazy idea and making it a reality. And to Mackie Osbourne (Buzzo's wife and Melvins album art guru), for making the box look proper.

"Birdsong" Live (2003). The fucking jam.

What A (Satur)Day

I woke up this morning with Faith No More's 1995 gem, "What A Day" playing on repeat in my head. King For A Day is truly the fans' album from FNM. Every song is a unique genre and story unto itself. You want insanity? Check. Balladry? Check. Songs about hating your record label? Damn straight.

KFAD also has one of the strongest closes to a record, with each song getting better and better towards the finale, ending in the higlight of "Just A Man".

This clip below is from a 1995 MTV performance...You know, when they actually welcomed bands and dare I say, good bands, to come perform. Furthermore, they performed an album cut, not any of the records' singles. Gotta love that.

My favorite thing about this clip is that Dean is wearing a DUH t-shirt (the band FNM plucked him from) and Roddy is wearing a Cement t-shirt (the band previous singer Chuck Mosely went on to form). Oh right, and the fact that the band sounds fucking incredible.

Enjoy!

"What A Day" (live, MTV studios 1995):

Fancy Friday

I discovered Oceansize a few years back and instantly knew I needed to own everything this band ever laid to tape. A lot of their stuff is very hard to find or only available digitally (old out of print EP's, singles), so I caved on a few things but gradually got their three full-lengths and, well basically everything. Even stumbled upon the rare "Music For Nurses" EP at Rhino Records in New Paltz, NY a few years back and the weirdo owner just gave it to me. Weird, but nice.

Oceansize had a deal in the US thru Beggars Banquet for their previous two albums but UK label Superball put out their 2007 opus, "Frames", never giving it a North American release. Listen here...Find this record and buy it. Deal with the reality of what you spent on it later. It's so ridiculously good. So good...

Rather than blab about this, import yourself this fancy record and thank me later. If you bow down to Faith No More (and really, who doesn't?), Smashing Pumpkins circa 1991-96 and bands like Failure, Life and Times and Explosions in the Sky, pick this up and have fun finding all their records. Don't be a douche and illegally download it...You know the prize is worth the hunt.

"Unfamilliar" from Frames:

The Best Album of All Time

Angel Dust by Faith No More. Easy choice. I'd venture to say that I've heard this album over one thousand times in my life and it never gets stale. It's a flawless record that is sequenced perfectly. Flow is what makes an album an album and this album flows like the motherfucking Colorado River.

Faith No More made six records, but it was the Patton era LP's (especially Angel Dust and on) that defined them as a quintessential act. A lot of purists now think it's cool to say they preferred the Chuck Moseley LP's better, and those are great records ("Mark Bowen" is still one of the best songs ever), but there's just no denying the chemistry the band had during the Angel Dust sessions. The funny thing is, guitarist Jim Martin hated the direction FNM was headed down and refused to record with the rest of the band most of the time. His off-time and out of key solo in "Be Aggressive" shows how much he seemed to care about the quality of his work. I think it was that sense of apathy that made the record seamless and perfect in it's own way.

Angel Dust is a modern masterpiece. Like all influential records, it has spawned hundreds of terrible bands (to no fault of FNM) and tons of imitators, but the fact is that no band will ever make a record like this ever again.

My favorite live performance clip, "Caffeine" Live, Hangin w/MTV 1992:
"A Small Victory":

Fancy Friday

Stop, Fancy Time! A real quick one today. Anyone that knows me is well aware that I bow to the altar of Faith No More daily. They pulled a Soundgarden (directly after Soundgarden), by putting out a bunch of classic LP's, then calling it quits on their own terms.

This is about as fancy as it gets. Ever. Of all time. The fanciest.

FNM "Evidence":

Testicular Tuesday...The I'm Serious Edition

You have to respect bands that make brilliant records and then break up while still on top. No one likes to be Warrant, not even Warrant. Especially not Warrant. Bands like Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and many others decided that this is probably as good as it gets and called it quits. One such band is Dead To Fall. They used to suck. Basic meathead hardcore with more breakdowns than Hatebreed would know what to do with. They put out three records which all sounded the same, until January of this year.

"Are You Serious?" is a killer metal album that has something for everyone: Breakdowns, riff after riff, gutteral-yet-understadable vocals and lyrics that make you think one second and make you think "What the fuck is this guy thinking?" another. They take a page from the Clutch playbook and never let it get too serious.

They never made a record as good as any of the bands above (except Warrant) but they made a motherfucker on the way out of town. RIP Dead To Fall.

This is why they ruled: "Major Rager"

RECORD STORE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

For you assholes that have forsaken the brick & mortar record shop, today is a day to leave the douche bag you now call home and re-emerge a fantastic and important member of society. Today is Record Store Day at over 450 indie record shops around the country, as well as many more around the globe. Do yourself a favor and go support your local shop(s) today and drop some cash. Keep in mid that this isn't like giving a drinking binge/beer goggles/bad one night stand date cab fare in the morning...This is supporting a local business and reminding yourself (if you forgot) how amazingly awesome record stores are.

Go find that rare import single with that b-side that made you love the hunt for rare records in the first place. Plus, our good friends over at Ferret are releasing a brand new 36 Crazyfists EP today, The Occolus. Three tracks (two off thir 5/27 release The Tide and It's Takers and a b-side cover of Satchel's "Criminal Justice"). It fucking kills. Hand over your $3 now.

Record stores (even shitty ones like Scotti's in NJ) need lovin' too. I'm off to Amoeba SF to spend $$$ I don't have and to leave with dirty hands, bloody cuticles, and a wad of new records to rock the fuck out to.

Woke up with this in my head. Actually, this happens most days. My favorite song of all time. Ever. Since I was twelve. Faith No More rules.

Billy Gould Is Kool

Not only is the man one of the most solid bass players in modern rock history, Billy Gould is a monster songwriter and owner and performer on his own Kool Arrow record label. His bass tone cannot be duplicated and his simple basslines are flawless and gave Faith No More the backbone and groove they are known for inventing. I'm biased as a motherfucker, so take this for what it's worth. Seriously though, if your ass don't shake to "Stripsearch" or "Just A Man", you might have SAS, better known as Shakeless Ass Syndrome. See a doctor immediately.

In my usual searches for what the members of FNM are up to these days, I came across Harmful, a German rock band that Billy is currently recording/touring with in Europe. He also released their latest album, 7. Seems I missed 1-6. He's also playing guitar this time around, which is pretty cool. The last recording of him playing guitar on was the 1994 collaboration of FNM with the Boo-Yaa Tribe, "Another Body Murdered", recorded for the Judgement Night Soundtrack.

So back to Harmful. Good, solid band with great hooks and driving grooves. Apparently, they're pretty popular in Europe. I know little about the band other than Billy's involvement, so I checked out their video for "Elaine", the first single off 7...It's haunting and so much better than most of what Patton, Bottom and Bordin have dome since FNM's demise in 1998 (other than the last Bungle LP, Peeping Tom and the first two Tomahawk records).

Check it out and pick up 7. Support Kool Arrow...Billy Gould has been supporting my ears since 1986. I think we owe him.

Cake Is Metal as Fuck

Don't fool yourself, Cake is metal. No, not in the sense that they wear skintight black (faded) jeans tucked into pristine white hi-tops with big tongues and an Overkill t-shirt. They're more metal in the way that they just don't give a shit and never follow trends. They're basically the Pro-Pain of the AltCountryBonarooHippieSmellypeople World. Same record every time, but I'll be damned if I don't have all of em!

I'm on their mailing list, which is mostly politics and such. Hey, I hate Bush too. Most good musicians do. Anyway, us list members got the opportunity to pre-order their then-upcoming B-Sides and Rarities disc, wonderfully titled B-Sides and Rarities. It was only after I saw it used at Permanent Records in Brooklyn a few weeks back, that I even remembered I ordered the damn thing in the first place.

Well it arrived last week and I just got around to listening to it today. The album flows like a regular full-length (which only a few rarities comps can say, ie: Life Of Agony's "1989-1999, Megadeth's Japanese import of "Hidden Treasures", Clutch's "A Slow Hole To China") and proves just how metal they are. The disc kicks off with a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". Best cover of "War Pigs" ever, and Faith No More is my favorite band. Their cover doesn't hold a candle to this. It's done in the traditional Cake way: 70's easy rock drum sound, thumping basslines, retro guitar licks and a trumpet solo to take the place of Mr. Iommi. Blashphomy some might say. Fuck them. This rules. I thought it might suck, but it blew me away.

Cake has always been consistant. Some records are better than others (Best: Fashion Nugget, Comfort Eagle) but they don't ever let down and they always put just enough sex, humor and underappreciated musicianship into their songs.

They did a fan video contest for "War Pigs". This my favorite one so far:
And the classic "Friend Is a Four Letter Word" clip...