@Rstrahs Love Stabbing Westward... And their "we don't own the rights to the name anymore" band The Dreaming.... Highly recommend their new official Stabbing Westward album (out earlier this year) if you haven't heard it. Walt is back, and so is their original production team. It's beautiful!
@theunabeefer I have heard some of it. It was not bad, the music was great. The lyrics, not so much. They have that problem that a lot of bands seem to have, that 20-something angst doesn't work when the band members are 40+.
@Rstrahs That's kind of how I felt with The Dreaming (they also had issues with the label bringing in producers that really changed their sound), but I didn't get that with the latest Stabbing Westward album... To me, I could tell it was the first album in a long time they actually had control over.
I'm also an audio producer, so I might be biased a bit there... Hearing nuances that I can tell a band has say over...
@theunabeefer I do think the music was excellent and it sounded great in my car. Really, the lyrics are just me being nitpicky.
@Rstrahs That's fair... I'm just happy they're back in their shoes and maybe another album can happen that's maybe more natural... That band went through a lot to get where they are... I still love every iteration.
@theunabeefer After this Bad Religion concert thing that I am watching is over, I will throw on the newest Stabbing Westward album again.
@Rstrahs I grew up in far NorCal, and one of the bands I saw a lot was a band from Portland/Eugene called Floater... I've since relocated to the Midwest, but Floater is the one thing from the west coast that I miss... I can't recommend them enough if you like Tool, The Doors, and other things prog and/or Pink Floyd... It truly makes me sad that they haven't reached father east then Denver...
@theunabeefer I have heard of Floater! They are really good.
Where about in the Midwest are you? I am in Cleveland.
@Rstrahs I'm in Chicago... As in, a block from Wrigley, Chicago. Kind of surprised you heard of Floater! They deserve to be better known... Same with King Black Acid (psychedelic rock?) also from Oregon. One of the best bands I've seen live.
@theunabeefer I was a member of random music forums, one was a grunge one and someone on there posted Floater.
@Rstrahs That's funny, because only recently I realized they reminded me of Pearl Jam... Decades of Floater and it took me that long to think "oh this reminds me of PJ"... Although Pearl Jam is also questionable as a technical "grunge" band after their first album, but that's another argument!
@theunabeefer Grunge, in my opinion, was a weird sub-genre of alt rock. Like the big 4 Seattle bands sound nothing like each other. It is that way throughout the entire genre, Mudhoney, Tad, etc. I think PJ had the grunge sound until No Code.
@Rstrahs No Code is actually my favorite... And yes, "grunge" is a weird "not a sound or style, but a sense and feeling" genre that it's really not as easily narrowed down as other genres.
@theunabeefer Have you heard Talk Talk, we are talking about bands that have evolved in sound and style. They are the definition of that. They first had that Duran Duran sound that was popular at the time and then they moved on to help create post-rock.
@Rstrahs I love Talk Talk! Also, one of my favorite riffs from Rifftrax was Mike saying sometime along the lines of "that song Talk Talk, off the record Talk Talk, by the band Talk Talk" (or something like that) and it's so accurately perfect that it's funny!
@Rstrahs Have you heard of Porcupine Tree??? They are another fantastic and eclectic prog band... They've changed sounds enough, yet still stayed the same.... Worth looking into if you're a fan of music. Steven Wilson and all his many various side projects have something for everybody....
@theunabeefer I have seen Porcupine Tree open for Fear Factory! They were great live as was FF, like they always are.
@Rstrahs You're my kind of people! My last 2 live shows before 2020 were NIN and (separately) Ninja Sex Party.... My first recently was Porcupine Tree a couple months ago.
@theunabeefer My musical styles is everywhere! I am actually trying to see if i can talk friends into going to Vegas with me to see Katy Perry during her residency. Don't laugh but she is amazing live.
@Rstrahs Lady Gaga was at Wrigley a few months ago, and I'm not a fan, but it was so audible to where I live that it was clear as my TV.... And the street party outside my window for 2.5 hours after the show was a delight... I've never been so happy as that night!!
@theunabeefer I would have enjoyed that concert. I think her first 2 albums are amazing. Pop music is my weakness but I am selective on what pop singers I really get into.
@Rstrahs I'm unapologetically a Kylie Minogue fanatic. No judgement on loving pop music here! It's some good stuff, and whatever makes you happy in this shit-hole of a world...
@theunabeefer She is amazing! I am assuming you have heard this Flaming LIps cover of her song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXMc7GbQnjk
@Rstrahs Oh of course! She's a boss.
Unrelated, if you haven't dug into Chumbawamba, their career spanned 30 years and multiple genres, my and they're another band that I can't recommend enough!!! Look up Todd in The Shadows review of them on YouTube if you want a summary!
@theunabeefer Chumbawamba had the best cover of a BeeGees song ever! Those crazy anarchists who somehow made the perfect earworm in the late 90s are great but WYSIWYG (sp?) is such an amazing album
@Rstrahs I spent most of 2020 restoring (some from my vinyl copies) their ENTIRE discography. I ran a web page for them in the 90s of their liner notes and they sent me a TON of their records and EPs on vinyl... I also restored their "lost" Jesus H Christ album... I was bored!
@theunabeefer Did you actually get to meet them or was it more like hired through people type of thing? I have a feeling they would have been fun to go out with for a night.
@Rstrahs I never got to meet them in person, but it was over email. I would have loved to meet them IRL. They graciously sent me all the vinyl they had (including EPs) excess of, which sadly didn't include the Anarchy album, as well as some bootlegs, like the JHC album... Which I need to reupload to YouTube my latest version
@theunabeefer When you upload it let me know, I will give it a listen!
@Rstrahs When I saw NIN in 19, my sales manager got me tickets, and the night I saw them, an electronic band Death In Vegas opened. I've been a fan of them since the 90s... Pretty sure i was the ONLY person there who gave a shit about them! I'm eclectic.
@theunabeefer NIN always has interesting opening acts. I have seen Saul Wiliams open and he was brilliant. Then I have seen Health open for NIN and they were okay. They sort of didn't fit the vibes which is weird because Saul Williams definitely did.
@Rstrahs I saw Tricky open for Tool, and that was weird.... Another where I think I might have been the only person cool with that.
@theunabeefer depending on the era of Tricky haha but he had some great albums that I can't remember the titles of now.
@Rstrahs It was definitely in promotion of Blowback...
@theunabeefer During the pandemic Bad Religion did audienceless concerts showcasing each decade they have been around. I have on the 80s concert and it is amazing. It's sort of like listening to a live version of their compilation All Ages.
Godsmack's first album was great but they went hard with the AIC thing, they were an AIC cover band at one point so it makes sense. I just usually go to AIC when I'm in the mood for that style. I haven't heard Voodoo in forever that's a great song.