New Music Express has reported that that Metallica's James Hetfield was hospitalized for "a stomach bug and dehydration," forcing a cancellation of a March 8 Stockholm show .This latest health-related incident parallels a similar incident in Switzerland in 2004 , when drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalized with the ever-popular "undisclosed ailment," and the band was forced to recruit drummers from Slipknot and Slayer at the last minute.
Hetfield's most recent hospitalization continues a string of bad press for hard rock's baddest boys (or metal's most commercially-successful sellouts, depending on your perspective). Ulrich--a poster boy for the anti-Napster music industry contingent--recently admitted to VH1 he illegally downloaded a copy of the band's latest album, Death Magnetic. The album itself sold well, but received mixed reviews (ranging from "self-plagiarization abounds" to "the best Metallica album since Metallica"). Despite the listening public's continued interest, critics couldn't help noting the band had become "a comedy of errors" (to quote Pitchfork ) which reached its shark-jumping, "Spinal Tap"-like nadir with the mama-weer-all-in-therapy-now rockumentary "Some Kind of Monster" and the Landry-era Brian Wilson-esque St. Anger - which was strangely devoid of guitar solos.
Whether you're a fan of Vetiver, suave rock, karaoke, or homeless guys in rollerblades, the new Vetiver video for "Everyday" is downright awesome. The San Francisco folksters riff off those so-bad-they're-kinda-amazing videos that come with karaoke machines, and the parody is a perfect hit (including strange genre tags, cheeseball romances, terrible costuming, and overacting thespians). Check it out below.
The Mighty Mos Def is coming to Oakland. And he's playing a jazz club. Tickets are now on sale for Mos' upcoming three-night stint at Yoshi's Oakland location April 14-16. As a press release noted, the rapper-turned-thesbian is coming off of critically-acclaimed performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and will be previewing selections from his fourth album, tentatively-titled The Ectastic.
While many hip-hop fans have seen Mos in various incarnations over the years--his 1999 NYE performance at the Justice League is the stuff of legend, and he's played the Bay Area frequently of late--the Yoshi's dates promise to be something special, and not just because tix are $55 apiece. Backing up the eclectic emcee will be a full-fledged live band--Robert Glasper on piano and keyboards, Stephen Brunner on bass, and Chris Dave on drums--whose credits include Erkyah Badu, Suicidal Tendencies, Christian McBride, and Pat Methany. Which means listeners can expect to hear something in-between highly-technical jazz fusion, Afro-soul, and full-on SoCal thrash-punk. Sounds about right.
Third Annual Amoeba Art Show Factory Party
March 6, 2009
Warehouse Space, 1343 Powell St, Emeryville
Review and Photos by Sam Prestianni
Better Than: Staying home and watching Joss Whedon's pathetic return to network television.
Long before reality TV and YouTube, there was Andy Warhol, the advertising illustrator turned art star who 40 years ago prophesied that "in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Many of the hundreds of beautiful hipsters, wrinkly hippies and glamorous freaks at Friday night's Third Annual Amoeba Art Show Factory Party took this message to heart, hoping to recreate some of the magic of Warhol's celebrated NYC studio space by getting up close and personal with the art on display and documenting their impromptu performances with easy-to-upload snapshots.
As the Chronicle reported on Sunday, 42 members of a South Bay gang known as "the Taliban" have been arrested following a joint task force raid conducted in 14 Bay Area cities Friday night and Saturday morning.
The suspected Taliban members--who have no religious affiliation, according to police--have been charged with various crimes ranging from homicide to robbery to selling everything from ecstasy and marijuana to guns; $240,000 in cash, automatic weapons, and large quantities of illegal narcotics were reportedly seized during the raids. As the article states, "Among those taken into custody was Dontae Gardner, 32, a member of the rap duo Dem Hoodstarz, who goes by the stage name Scoot Dogg."
Based in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, Dem Hoodstarz scored a major regional hit with 2005's "Get My Grown Man On," and were among the South Bay's leading proponents of the hyphy movement. Known for their manic energy at live shows, the group has released three albums (Hood Reality, Band-Aide and Scoot, and Black Friday) and collaborated with Traxamillion, Too Short, Mistah FAB, San Quinn, Turf Talk, Big Rich, David Banner and Gucci Mane, among others.
