Deadman @ my birthday bash

After The Plant She Killed it was time for my new band Deadman to take the stage. We played a short 4-song set before giving way to my friend Javi's new band, Our First Date. It was nice to have a captive audience and I think the songs we played went down pretty well.

The Plant She Killed @ my birthday bash

A semi reunion of my old band, The Plant She Killed, specially for my birthday party at Triskel Tavern on 17 April, 2009. Thanks to everyone for putting up with us :-)

Coldplay vs. Joe Satriani

Coldplay are being sued by Joe Satriani for plagiarism and I think after seeing this video it's clear they've ripped him off. I'm surprised that Coldplay even listen to Joe Satriani though, given the disparity in styles between the two.

Coldplay's defence is that Satriani's song isn't very original. But what does that say about them? They're so unoriginal they rip off something that itself is unoriginal. So much for them being the pinacle of britpop, the twats.

Holiday in Cambodia Redux

Foo Fighters with System of a Down's Serj Tankian playing the Dead Kennedys seminal classic at some MTV thing in 2007. Awesome, though I'm not sure if Jello would approve of changing "nigger" to "brother" in the first verse. Just not punk, is it? Another sign of the PC times we live in....

Sneak preview

Here's a sneak preview of what's cooking in the Deadman kitchen (or rehearsal room). We'll unveil this new song officially at our next gig in La Leyenda on 24 January with the excellent Hendrix-in-a-stoner-band-esque June Mack.

Check out the Deadman Youtube channel for some more new goodies!

A dying god coming into human flesh

I think I posted this video in my old blog back on Live Spaces. After seeing the new Metallica video the other day with its living dead and eastern bloc coolness I went back to have another look at the mighty Frost.

I was fortunate enough to see them live in Madrid after the release of their comeback album Monotheist. This song is from that album.

From the gig I'll never forget bass player Martin Eric Ain's "There is no god!" speech which most of the audience didn't really understand. For example, he asked "Do you believe in God? Do you go to church?" and all the crowd were yelling "Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh". Duh, this is black metal dudes!

Out of my Head

Another gem from Deadman's 15 October set at Gruta 77. My wife thinks this one could be a big hit...

Sunshine Lies

This looks like the same (or very similar) lineup that I saw in Madrid a few years ago. This guy truly rocks. I love the wall of sound the guitars produce and the lead guitar almost constantly soloing is a real hallmark of Matthew Sweet.

Seropram Summer

Another uplifting track from our gig at Gruta '77 on 15 October, 2008. Does anyone think it sounds a bit like Ash?

In search of the marxist child

Part of an interview with popular scientist and clear thinker Richard Dawkins, author of - amongst others - The God Delusion.

Some say that his views are just another brand of 'faith' - that atheism is a belief system like christianity. Judge for yourself...

Sarah Palin: Is Africa a country?

Sarah Palin is the Republican "hail mary" that went wrong!

I'm not surprised, though. Americans are generally completely clueless when it comes to the rest of the world. Add to that the fact that she believes the world in less than 10,000 years old and what do you expect?

The stories of her abuse of power to try and fire her sister's estranged stage trooper husband seem like child's play compared to all this.

Without Me You're Nothing

Another video from the deadman gig at Gruta '77 on 15 October, 2008.

Hating

Our opening number from last week's gig in Gruta 77. More videos to come later!

Welcome to Saudi Britain

This video was recently banned and then reinstated by Youtube. Apparently lots of muslims find it offensive. I think the fact that some people say they are 'offended' by something is never a good reason for censoring it. Indeed, if you listen to what this guy has to say, it's actually quite scary - and something that I wouldn't like to see happen where I live.

Holiday in Cambodia

Weird how one train of thought leads to another. Having posted the snippet below I had the line "But your boss gets richer off you" going through my head. Then the melody came, then the next line: "Well you'll work harder / With a gun in your back / For a bowl of rice a day," and who else could that be but the truly amazing Dead Kennedys?

I first got into these guys when I was like 15 - I still have a clear vinyl of Fresh Fruit For Rotten Vegetables sitting in my parents' loft - and I've never looked back since. It's intelligent music. I only wish I'd seen them live when Jello was still involved....

Ping Pong is coming home

Boris Johnson - buffoon or comic genius? Whichever he might be, is he really the kind of guy you'd want as your leader?

Tribal Convictions

What a band! What a song!

Rock the kasbah

The fantastic Rachid Taha covering The Clash classic! Taha is a long time collaborator with another fave of mine - virtuoso guitarist Steve Hillage, once of Gong, who has had a successful solo career of his own - and more recently fronted the electronic project System 7. There's a great documentary on Taha that came with the CD that the Rock the Kasbah cover appeared on. Called Kienes, it follows Taha around on his tour of Mexico and shows him backstage, on the radio and even shopping. All the time Taha plays the joker, laughing at one raido interviewer who asks him whether he considers his music Rai by saying he loves Ry Cooder. He's always said he's more of a punk than a world music guy, and says the first album he bought was indeed by The Clash.

Culebrones

Brilliant!

Rainbow

A never-aired episode from the famous 70s children's show - apparently written by a pissed-up script writer who'd previously worked on Carry On... films. Hilarious! I used to watch this when I was a kid and never got any of the innuendo or double entendres.