“dUg” Pinnick wants to know what you gonna do and make you sick.
It’s no secret I’m a fan of King’s X. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the follow up to their fantastic 2008 disc XV, but as with most of the really good bands, they don’t make much money and therefore wait a long time between albums. However, the three members of the band are really prolific artists on their own and have released solo albums in that time. Apparently, lead vocalist/bassist Doug (styled “dUg”) Pinnick has a new album coming out called Naked sometime in the next… whenever. And as such, he’s released a track from that album called, “What You Gonna Do?” in the form of a self-filmed music video.
And when I way self-filmed, I mean it’s himself holding a camera to himself while he lip syncs the words and spins around the room. It’s all a little too nauseating for my tastes and it makes me wonder just how high dUg was when he filmed it (the man is a well-known fan of the ganja). The song isn’t half bad though. Like most of his stuff, it’s got some heaviness to it, some groove, and while not the greatest thing ever, it is pretty fun. Check out the vid below and be on the lookout for Naked sometime in the future.
-Dan
Update: Jerry Gaskill is out of the hospital!
I know it’s been quiet here for awhile, but I wanted to share a brief update. Last week, King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill was released from the hospital and is continuing his recovery at home. This is great news, of course! Now, he just needs to have a fast recovery so he can get to hitting the skins again. Glad to know you are well, Jerry!
Jerry victoriously heading home!
Have a great monday, all!
-Dan
Help out Jerry Gaskill of King’s X!
I haven’t spoken on King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill’s recent health problems, mostly because I didn’t know what to say. The drummer of my favorite band EVER had a heart attack on February 28th and has been in the Intensive Care Unit since. So, my thoughts and prayers are definitely with him. However, Molken Music, who are basically King’s X record label for everything but “official new material” has seen fit to release a digital live album from their “Faith, Hope and Love” tour. It’s called Burning Down Boston, and you get an immediate download of the album when you donate $20 to help with Jerry’s medical bills.
I think this is a great idea, and not just because I love the band. Musicians often lack medical insurance, and especially bands on King’s X level who have to tour to make a living (or only when they can conceivably do so). I’m sure Jerry is in that position. So, I plan to do this and I would encourage everyone to as well. I mean, $20 may seem steep, but that’s like three days of Starbucks, or two six packs of a micro-brew. You all can go without, right? I know I sure can. Check out the video below, and you can download it,here.
-Dan
King’s X to tour the U.S. this spring!
My perennial favorite, King’s X, have announced a Spring 2012 U.S. tour. The best part (for me at least) is that there is a Denver date. I haven’t talked much about this band because, well, they’ve been pretty quiet since the blog started. That said, this news fills me with so much joy! I haven’t seen the band since the tour in support of Ogre Tones, which was back in 2006. Holy crap, it’s been six years! Check out the dates below and a little live video to give you taste of what’s in store. The official website says that more dates are pending, so hopefully everyone will get a chance to catch a show.
King’s X Spring 2012 tour;
3-28-12 Dirty Dog Bar / Austin, TX
3-29-12 Warehouse Live Studio / Houston, TX
3-30-12 Trees / Dallas, TX
4-1-12 House of Rock / Corpus Christi, TX
4-3-12 The Rock / Tucson, AZ
4-5-12 Key Club / West Hollywood, CA
4-6-12 Brick by Brick / San Diego, CA
4-7-12 The Coach House / San Juan, CA
4-10-12 Don Quixote’s / Felton, CA
4-12-12 Cargo / Reno, NV
4-13-12 The Boardwalk / Orangevale, CA
4-14-12 Pound West Oakland / Oakland, CA
4-17-12 Hawthorne Theatre / Portland, OR
4-18-12 El Corazon / Seattle, WA
4-21-12 Herman’s Hideaway /Denver, CO
-Dan
King’s X- Live in London
While I haven’t blogged a whole lot on King’s X, it should be noted that they are my hands down, all time favorite band. Seriously, there is almost no shitty day that a little King’s X can’t make that much more bearable. Unfortunately, the band have been kind of quiet on the new release front for awhile and that hasn’t been good for this here blog. That said, the band did finally release something they’ve been talking about for several years last November; a live DVD and I finally got to watch it. This is my review/mind dump on that DVD.
First things first; the quality of the sound is fantastic. Live videos these days come in either “shitty fuzz” or “crystal clear perfection” as a result of current technology (your phone vs. Pro-tools), so it’s refreshing to hear a DVD that is clear, but not perfect. You still get the “live feeling” from these recordings. Part of that has to do with the band themselves, as the power trio of Doug (dUg) Pinnick, Jerry Gaskill and Ty Tabor give themselves free reign to “improvise” in their classic songs. This leads to slips in performance (compared to recorded material, of course) that ultimately enhance the live feel. It would have been easy for the band to simply re-record those parts in the studio and dub them over. Thankfully, we get the original package and the enthusiasm is transferred really well. The unfortunate part, however, is in the visuals. Whoever did the editing has some major ADD issues, as the cuts are overly dramatic and very choppy and quick. Often, they aren’t on the beat, which for what is basically an extended music video, this is a big no, no. Thankfully, the musicianship and feel overpower this slight, but be forewarned; it does crop up at times. Especially during solos, for some odd reason.
If I had to pick one highlight, it’d be the performance of “Goldilox,” originally off of King’s X seminal sophomore album, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, and later reimagined off of their 2005 album Ogre Tones. The song is played immensely well, but the real kicker is how into it the crowd gets. After an impassioned speech from Doug a few songs earlier about this being their “church” he extols the multi-national London crowd to be his choir, and they have no issue with that. Seeing the entire crowd sing a good minute and half of the song without missing a single beat or messing up one word is mesmerizing. Seeing the ecstatic, joyous faces of the band and the crowd is moving. It is most assuredly the feel good moment of the concert, and my personal moment of jealousy for not being there.
The DVD is short on extras, save for two discs of the same concert on audio and a brief (two and half minutes) “Behind the Scenes” segment, where we find out Jerry Gaskill has Black Sabbath shoes. A couple videos from the DVD released of their concert in London on the touring cycle for Gretchen Goes to Nebraska accompany the main concert and while these are interesting to see, except for the most hardcore of King’s X fan, these videos will just come off as poorly recorded old footage. If you’ve never had any exposure to the band before, avoid those until you are a little more versed in their catalog; only then will the grainy videos of yesteryear be fully appreciated.
Overall, Live in London, is a well put together DVD that introduces the viewer into the live world of King’s X exceptionally. For the seasoned listener, it is a treat to finally have a professionally filmed version of the Texas Power Trio’s live shows, capturing the energy and sheer fun of King’s X live. Ultimately, this is a great addition to any music collection and showcases just why this band has been able to build a nearly 30 year career despite being totally under the radar for most of it.
And here’s a little taste of what’s in store!
-Dan
Band profiles; King’s X, Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous
The blog has been pretty vacant the past few weeks. This is due to a few reasons; 1) Chris and I’s jobs suck the life out of us and we both had very hectic weeks a few weeks ago (and in Chris’ case, currently). 2) I was gone the past few days on tour. Yea, I play in a band. No, I’m not going to link to it either. I swore I wouldn’t be that much of a shameless promotion whore that I’d talk about my own band on my blog. Consider this the first and only mention of such a thing.
Now that we’ve got that over with, I intend to continue my promise from the first of the year about bringing new content here. I actually just came up with this idea to be honest, sitting here listening to one of my favorite albums; King’s X Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous. This is quite simply one of my favorite metal albums that may not sound too metal.
“Mr. Bulbous,” as it’s often shortened to in the King’s X fan community, is the 8th studio release from the band, coming out in 2000. Being a good ten years old now, it’s safe to analyze the album from the stand point of it’s place in the music world, the band’s career, and it’s utter awesomeness. A brief history regarding the state of the band before this album’s release is necessary to fully understand it, so we will start there. Up until 1998, King’s X were signed to Atlantic Records. As the label did little to push the band into the limelight where so many screamed they should be, the band and the label ambically parted ways. King’s X went on to sign a multi album deal with Metal Blade records, who at the time were not quite as storied as they are now. Remember, this is before As I Lay Dying gave the label a much needed shot in the arm, financially speaking. On a smaller label, King’s X were in the perfect position to do what they wanted to, and after a sub par debut for Metal Blade, the band fired back in 2000 with Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous.
Arguably one of the heavier offerings the band did, something which was intentional, Mr. Bulbous introduced the music world to the darker side of King’s X. The band, down on their luck from being dropped, from having a significant portion of their fan base turn their backs on account of bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick’s coming out, and a myriad of personal issues, Mr. Bulbous is an intimate look into the bands state of mind. From the opening strum of the guitar cords to “Fish Bowl Man,” the mosh worthy chorus of “Julia” and the outright weirdness of “Smudge,” King’s X were loudly stating their frustrations. There were still many of the bluesy, groove elements of the band’s sound, as evidenced by “She’s Gone Away” and “Marshmellow Field,” but it all was held together by the dark, sludgy feel of the music. No doubt the band’s experiment with A tuning helped in this, creating a deep, massive feel to the music. Many a deathcore band could take a few lessons from King’s X in how to utilize this seemingly unusable tuning. The melancholy lyrics are the final quality, cementing the dark nature of the album.
On first listen, the album may not sound too “metal.” It’s not thrashy, no tremolo picking, no double bass, etc. However, it sits nicely alongside the Black Sabbath’s of the world; being metal by the feelings and emotions it evokes, instead relying on stock techniques and standard ideas. In a lot of ways, the album is a reaction to the state of music at the time. Nu metal was reigning king in the heavy circuit, and the smart technicality of Mr. Bulbous stands in contrast. The aforementioned tone is the ultimate middle finger to the rise of watered down pop punk that was still the twinkle in every 14 year old’s eye.
The first King’s X concert I went to was for the touring cycle of this album. I was ecstatic to finally get a glimpse of my favorite band. Unfortunately, the band’s personal issues spilled over into the live setting. You could feel the tension from the stage, and throwing in a horrendous sound guy in a shitty venue, you have the natural reaction of Doug Pinnick throwing his bass on the stage at the end of the set. Thankfully, the band has persevered and seem much more positive and happy these days. Mr. Bulbous though still remains as a testament to the band; it’s heavy. Oppressively heavy at times. It’s dark, even in the “happy” parts. It’s monstrous and subdued, with a keen technical knack that is neither show off-y nor demeaning in it’s understated nature. If you need a break from the blast beats and pig squeals, from the myriad of metalcore copycats, are bored by re-thrash,or simply need a soundtrack to those lonely nights, Please Come Mr. Bulbous is here to act as your companion. Enjoy.
King’s X- Julia live.
-Dan
DC Metal Review 