‘We Are X’: Soulful Documentary of Japanese Heavy Metal Band

The band X Japan in the 1980s, as seen in the documentary "We Are X." Photo: Drafthouse Films

As a kid, Yoshiki always wondered if he were from somewhere else — like Mars.

A misfit child scarred by his father’s suicide, Yoshiki, trained in classical music, grew up to become a David Bowie-like man who fell to Earth. He revolutionized heavy metal music in Japan and, still going at 50, is trying to break into the American consciousness.

Stephen Kijak’s documentary “We Are X” is a broad but surprisingly personal portrait of Yoshiki and his band, X Japan, which formed in 1982, broke up in 1997 and re-formed in 2007. The band began a push into the U.S. market about five years ago, and interviews include American friends and fans such as Kiss front man Gene Simmons and Marilyn Manson.

10 Questions with Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran of Stump Tail Dolly, from First Order Historians

Read original post on First Order Historians

Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran (sometimes separately, sometimes together) have toured, performed or recorded with Bob Wayne, Fifth on the Floor, Shooter Jennings, JD Wilkes, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Sarah Gayle Meech, Red Simpson, Travis Harris and many others. They’ve opened for Social Distortion, Tiger Army, Hank III, George Thorogood, Unknown Hinson, Roger Clyne, JJ Grey, Scott Biram and more. Ryan has appeared in multiple music videos, including “Hush Hush” by The Pistol Annies. The purpose of Stump Tail Dolly is to mess your head up with an off-center mix of metal and country with other influences snuck in for good measure. We are thrilled to have Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran of Stump Tail Dolly as our guest today in 10 questions.

The Art of Moving Tattoos!

Have you ever imagined what an animated tattoo would look like? What if the black ink carved into your skin could suddenly materialize into a moving image? Well, say hello to Ink Mapping, Video Mapping on Tattoos. 

The Politics of Punk Tracks Populist Protest Music Far and Wide

DOA at Warehouse Live, 2014

In The Politics of Punk: Protests and Revolts From the Streets (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers), Houston Press writer David Ensminger probes the conscience of punk by documenting its ongoing activism and outreach. Creating a people’s history of the movement's social, cultural, aesthetic and political life, the book features interviews with members of Dead Kennedys, Dead Boys, MDC, Really Red, Scream, Minutemen, TSOL, the Avengers and many more. In doing so, Ensminger highlights punk's community involvement and its broad, long support for political action groups, gays and lesbians, the homeless, the disabled, environmental issues, health research and other causes. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, the following excerpt is from the chapter "Undead Legacies."

WhammyPhone is a Bendable Smartphone that Makes Music when Bent

Flexible phones aren’t exactly a new concept as they have been seen in demonstration and prototype form several times. The last flexible smartphone that Slash Gear talked about was from Lenovo and the flexible phones it showed off were cool. Over at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab some of the researchers have developed a device called the WhammyPhone. It’s being called the world’s first musical instrument for a flexible smartphone.

Downloadable Flyers For Nashville Show Featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

What would Halloween be without a good mask. Be on the lookout around Nashville, TN for these flyers posted up by Stump Tail Dolly For their show with The Goddamn Gallows, Hillbilly Casino and Gallows Bound on 10.29 at the Exit / In. Click on images to download full size jpg file.

Hillary Clinton show flyer cut out Halloween mask

Donald Trump show flyer cut out Halloween mask

Mark Di Giuseppe's Stranierofono

Since 1986, Mark Di Giuseppe-"The Legendary Straniero", has been thrilling audiences around the world with his unusual inventions and music. Born in Chicago and now based in Italy, Mark has travelled to many countries and borrowed from many cultures. His musical styles range from Jazz to Rock to Classical to Folk to Reggae to Punk. He sings in English, Italian, Neapolitan, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, Russian, Portuguese and Rom (Gypsy). In the show Mark sometimes not only changes musical styles, but his physical appearance thanks to a large selection of comical masks, wigs and props

In this video, he is performing "Dancing With the Bride" on his legendary invention.

Drywall Art Sculpture

This video features Bernie Mitchell from www.drywallnation.com

Bernie is an artist who takes a very unique approach towards his work using only drywall compounds to create wonderful works of art.

The Trailer for L7: Pretend We’re Dead Brings the Punk Rock

Even among the grunge-punk bands of the late ’80s/early ’90s, there was something foot-stompingly primal about L7. The band’s music was fuzzed-out, four-on-the-floor rock that didn’t earn the sobriquet “heavy” so much as prove why the term should be applied to music in the first place. People didn’t go to L7 shows for Rush-style technical wizardry; fans were there for the raw three-chord churn of distorted mayhem. And, as the trailer for a new documentary, L7: Pretend We’re Dead, reminds us, it kicked ass.

Buzzoven, Set To Release Violent Hits CD on November 4th

Buzzoven, Set To Release Violent Hits CD on November 4th

Buzzoven are releasing their latest collection of Violent Hits on cd and digital format November 4th. This album is a collection of their tracks, that is repackaged and featuring art from Christopher Parry / Sinister Illustration.

Harley Exhaust Pipes Change Colour

Heat reactive, and heat resistant compound, that allows you to apply THERMOX paints to super hot items like brake calipers, turbo housings and exhaust systems. See more about thermo heat reactive paints at http://www.thermox.com.au

“All Things Hard, Harsh & Heavy” - Show Listings, on the HEAVIER Side, Throughout North Carolina

Music ranging from punk to hardcore, metal to metalcore, grind to doom, and goth to industrial!

This is a list of all shows and events across NC, spanning from Wilmington to Asheville!

Oct 02 -Russian Circles, Helms Alee /Motorco(D)

            -Skankfest Sunday Matinee: Regatta 69, Konrad Kuechenmeister, The Spectacles, High & Mighties,

             SiBANNAC /Cat’s Cradle(CH/C)

            -Blind Path Booking presents: Fall River Massacre, Filth, Lordis, Hounds, Sustenance, From Wrath To Ruins

             /The DHP(F)

            -Crank It Loud presents: Alestorm, Nekrogoblikon, Aether Realm /Arizona Pete’s(G)

            -Coheed and Cambria, Saves the Day, Polyphia /The Orange Peel(A)

Oct 03 -Saint Vitus, The Skull, Witch Mountain, Demon Eye /Kings Barcade(R)

            -Crank It Loud presents ‘To Hell With the Devil 30^th Anniversary’ tour: Stryper /The Throne Theater(W)

            -5&10 Entertainment presents: Sevendust(rescheduled show), Crobot, AuxiliA, Halden Vang

             /Amos’ Southend(C)

            -The Noise presents ‘The Unbreakable’ tour: Parkway Drive, We Came As Romans, Counterparts

             /The Fillmore(C)

Oct 04 -Disturbed, Chevelle, Nothing More /Red Hat Amphitheater(R) 

            -To Hell With the Devil 30^th Anniversary tour: Stryper, Loretta Jett /Amos’ Southend(C)

            -Anthrax, Death Angel /The Orange Peel(A)

Oct 05 -Svetlands(RU),GASH, KIFF /The Maywood(R)

            -Bloodshed For All tour 2016: Wednesday 13, One Eyed Doll, Fractured Fairytales /Amos’ Southend(C)

            -Journeys presents ‘The Made To Destroy‘ tour: Pierce the Veil, Neck Deep, I Prevail /The Fillmore(C)

Oct 06 -Crank It Loud presents: Neck Deep, TBA / The Throne Theater (formerly Ziggy’s by the Sea)(W)

            -ANTiSEEN, Svetlanas, Hammerlock /The Milestone(C)

            -Legends Of the Fall tour: August Burns Red, ERRA, (silentplanet), Make Them Suffer /The Orange Peel(A)

            -Filth, Lordis /The Odditorium(A)

Oct 07 -Clutch, Zakk Sabbath, Kyng /Lincoln Theatre Street Stage(R)

            -Primitive Ways presents: Necrocosm, Deathcrown, Pathogenesis, Origin Of Disease /The Maywood(R)

            -Rubbish, Blackball, Essex /Sound Factory(C)

            -Fractured Fairytales, Betray Your Own, Take Heart, Decibel 9, A Breath Forgotten, Verrat /The Rock Shop(F)

            -AEG presents Legends Of the Fall tour: August Burns Red, ERRA, (silentplanet), Make Them Suffer

             /Amos’ Southend(C)

            -Birds In Row, Frameworks, Listener, Carbon, Violent Gods /The Milestone(C)

 

Husky Burnette Rolls Out The Shag Carpet For Fall Tour

Husky Burnette Rolls Out The Shag Carpet For Fall Tour

Load up the van and roll out the shag carpet. Husky Burnette is rollin' into town and bringin' the dirty blues from the hill country side of the tracks.

10.6 - The Rusty Needle - Hutchinson, KS
10.8 - LiveWire Lounge - Chicago,IL (early show)
10.9 - Reggies - Chicago, IL
10.13 - Match's House Party - Circleville, OH
10.14 - Crooked Smile Fest - Winchester, IN
10.15 - Wagner's Roadhouse - Chillicothe, OH
10.21 - Water'n Hole - Waynesville, NC
10.22 - Private Party - Trenton, GA
11.4 - Brew and Cue - Chattanooga, TN
11.5 - Phibb's - Chickamauga, GA
11.9 - No Name Sports Bar - Sylva, NC
11.11 - Schooner's - Roanoke, VA
11.12 - Fairmont Room Social Club - Bel Air, MD
11.13 - Raw Ink Tattoo - Gaithersburg, MD
11.15 - John and Peter's - New Hope, PA
11.17 - The Wherehouse - Newburgh, NY
11.18 - The Tusk - Philadelphia, PA
11.19 - The Anchor - Kingston, NY
11.24 - Scooter's - Lancaster, PA
11.25 - Gooski's - Pittsburgh, PA
11.26 - JB Lovedraft - Harrisburg, PA
11.27 - The Empty Glass - Charleston, WV

Whiskeydick Is Rollin' Through the Midwest and Rocky Mountains This Fall On Tour

Whiskeydick Is Rollin' Through the Midwest and Rocky Mountains This Fall On Tour

Get your Texas sized fix this October, all over the Midwest and into the Rocky Mountains with those Bastard Sons who are Always On Tour!

10.12 - Downtown Lounge - Tulsa, OK
10.13 - Westport Saloon - Kansas City, MO
10.14 - Prairieland A.B.A.T.E - Decatur, IL
10.15 - Looney Bin - Bradley, IL
10.16 - Lucky's Lounge - Chicago Ridge, IL
10.18 - The Jobsite - Green Bay, WI
10.19 - Bill's Bar, Pine River, WI
10.20 - Lefty's Live Music - Des Moines, IA
10.21 - J Rod's Rock Shop - Kearney, NE
10.22 - Sports - McCook, NE
10.23 - Canyon Grill - Ft. Collins, CO
10.26 - Derby Grille - Berthoud, CO
10.27 - Boise Tavern - Loveland, CO
10.28 - Tim's Frontyard BBQ Party
10.29 - The Elbow Room - Wichita, KS
10.30 - Lion's Lair - Denver, CO

It's Incredibly Expensive to Run a Music Streaming Site — So Consolidation Could Be On the Way

 

SoundCloud CEO Alexander Ljung. Flickr/Sorosh Tavakoli

Spotify isn't making any money. It's not even close to profitability. Its most recent accounts show it made a $194 million (£149 million) loss in 2015.

And if you thought that was bad, German music streaming startup SoundCloud's finances may make you wince. It lost €39.1 million (£33 million) on revenues of just €17.3 million (£14.9 million) in 2014.