Monday, August 29, 2011

Foo Fighters win "Best Rock Video" at the VMAs

"Never lose faith in real rock and roll music, you know what I mean, never lose faith in that. You might have to look a little harder, but it's always gonna be there." -Dave Grohl, 2011 VMA Awards.

Foo Fighters' video for "Walk" won top honors for "Best  Rock Video" at MTV's 2011 Video Music Awards. "Shake me Down" by Cage the Elephant, "Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People, "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons, and "Howlin' for You" by the Black Keys were the other nominees in the category.

Monday, August 22, 2011

American Soldier vs Food.... (Queensrÿche)

So I was channel surfing when I stumbled onto a repeat of the Travel Channel's "Man Vs. Food Nation" where host Adam Richman helps coach challengers through outrageously large, outrageously spicy, or sometime both, eating challenges. I've watched the show but not on a regular basis- usually just catching whatever reruns are on, so I stopped to watch since it was an episode I hadn't seen yet.

It got really interesting when I noticed that the guy attempting to pack away a massive 6-pound muffaletta sandwich was proudly wearing a Queensrÿche T-shirt from their "American Soldier" tour. Something seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it until I googled the episode guide- this was none other than A.J. Fratto, former crew chief for the Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Squandron, lead singer of the metal band Below the Stitch in Pensacola, Florida. Back in 2007, AJ was approached by Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate to lend his voice to the "American Soldier" album. On the following tour, AJ went along to play the part of *The* American Soldier, opening the set, and taking the stage with the band.As a result, AJ retired from his 15 year military career to pursue his lifelong dream of singing professionally, and hasn't looked back since.

(Warning! Spoilers after the break!)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Happy Birthday to the Late Great Joe Strummer

Today marks the birthday of Punk Rock icon Joe Strummer  from The Clash. Joe passed away in 2002, but his legacy lives on. His work with The Clash remains, to this day, a huge influence on the punk scene, and the whole cascade of newer genres that grew out of the Punk Rock movement since.

Shortly after his death, Strummer's family and friends formed a charity foundation, Stummerville, dedicated to supporting young, up and coming musicians- a fitting legacy for someone who started as a street musician who had nothing, that somehow managed to leave an indelible mark on the music scene.



Sunday, August 7, 2011

Josh Homme on the Travel Channel this week- August 8th.


As I promised in an earlier post - "Queens of the Stone Age" and "Them Crooked Vultures" frontman Josh Homme recently filmed a guest appearance for the Travel Channel's hit show "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations." The show, which typically features out-of-the ordinary travel destinations, and the food associated with them, will feature a great deal of original music written by Homme specifically for the episode.

The episode will focus on Josh's home territory- the deserts of Southern California. Josh will travel the area with host/chef/author Anthony Bourdain, and show him around the area, and have a few adventures along the way. Bourdain's blog hints that the show will be more adventurous than usual, with a near barroom brawl, scenes lampooning/honoring films such as "Animal House" and plenty of quirky, sarcastic humor- a must see for Bourdain fans, and a chance to get a rare peek inside Josh Homme's personal life and music.