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Spearheading
the Revolution Michael Franti is certainly not the only musical artist to have toured a war zone, but he is among the few to do it without the support of the USO. Two years ago, Franti decided to put his action where his words were, so to speak, and traveled to Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Franti toured with his guitar and a video camera to experience firsthand the ravages of war.
Throughout his long career, first with Beatnigs, then Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Franti's music has been a soundtrack for disenfranchised youth. Through his street-level insight and sometimes incendiary commentary against poverty and injustice, his protest songs have created large swaths of righteous outrage. Franti has moved further away from the militant activism of his younger days, shining the warm light of peace on his protest songs instead. Franti's face-to-face view of Middle East violence and suffering resulted in his most upbeat songs yet: 14 new tracks on the album Yell Fire!, released in July. For the most part, the album stays blissfully in the realm of reggae — unsurprising, as it was partially recorded in Kingston, Jamaica. When it does veer off the red, green and gold path, it heads to stadium rock land. The track "Light Up Ya Lighter" is an anthemic shout-out to soldiers. Over a bouncy beat that turns guitar-grungy, Franti sings, "Here's what you get, an M16 and a Kevlar vest. You might come home with one less leg but these things will surely keep a bullet out ya chest." "Tolerance" sounds unnervingly like a bad Lenny Kravitz ballad and is the only truly cheesy moment on an otherwise tight album. That's excepting the backing vocals by pop tart Pink on the slow and soulful "One Step Closer To You." Franti's trip produced a companion DVD, I Know I'm Not Alone, featuring the voices of individuals living with the daily realities of violence. Showing real, on-the-ground war footage alongside Franti's guitar playing, the DVD is a powerful medium through which Western audiences can experience something they would never see on Fox News or CNN. At press time, Franti was performing in Canberra, Australia, on his way to three dates in Japan. His first stateside audience upon his return will be right here in Eugene. In Franti's press release for Yell Fire! he discusses the new album, saying, "The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance." He has accomplished this goal, and next Thursday's McDonald Theatre show should be a raging good time.
A
Darker Side of Dread Cover bands disturb me. Especially if I'm a fan of the original group and the music gets butchered. Even worse are bands that copy too well (see Dark Star Orchestra). Show a little creative initiative!
This week's cure for the dreaded cover-band syndrome is Easy Star All-Stars. In case you forget or never knew, they produce reggae interpretations of rock albums. Released in 2003, the All-Stars' Dub Side of the Moon was embraced as a unique dub repro of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Despite Dub Side's novelty, there's no joke à la polka Black Sabbath. Dub Side remains musically entertaining and absorbing. The All-Stars' newest is on the same tack. Radiodread, the All-Stars' take on Radiohead's OK Computer, digs dirtier but follows similar Orwellian themes found in Dark Side. Everyone and their farty little sister knows Pink Floyd, but not as many know Radiohead (although Spin magazine called OK Computer the top album in 20 years). The All-Stars, a New York collective of label partners (Easy Star Records), recruit and record today's top reggae musicians. Michael G, Ticklah, Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer are the rootstock behind Dub Side and Radiodread, though dozens of others contribute to those albums (let alone the nine-piece tour band). Radiodread was recorded in São Paulo, Brazil, "in an alleged second world country." Guest artists include Horace Andy, Toots and the Maytals and Israel Vibration. Menny More's rasta-robotic vocals on "Fitter Happier" plain creep me out. Big Brother a Rastafarian? Not in my Babylon! Michael G, who struggled for years with choosing a follow-up to Dub Side, describes Radiodread as "a musical treatise on the collision of cultures, on surviving in this day and age, and thriving amidst everyday insanity." Reggae is music born out of colonialism's economic and social oppression, he says. "It has always tackled dark subject matter, but manages to do it in a way that still conveys hope at the bleakest moments. We see similarities in Radiohead's approach; there is humor (however dark) and hope in the voices of OK Computer's lyrics, and that's where we found the deepest connections with the reggae spirit." So why do I own Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread instead of Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer? I like the copies better. Live and learn.
Horse Show
How you initially react to Band of Horses' first album, Everything All the Time, may depend heavily on which track you hear first. "Wicked Gil," a slightly ominous around the edges rock song, might sound like the band's been listening to too much Neil Young — at least until the sweet, catchy chorus. The rich, acoustic "St. Augustine," on the other hand, might be too delicately gentle, depending on your state of mind. If you want to fall in love with the record, start with track six. "The Great Salt Lake" has a summery, nostalgic intro that leads into a lovely tune that showcases this Seattle band's basic elements: They combine the shiny production and thunderous drums of arena rock, the sincerity of Sub Pop labelmates Iron and Wine, a hearty '70s guitar rock influence and a magical ability to sound epic and plaintive without a hint of self-pitying despondency. It's strangely uplifting when singer Ben Bridwell comes down from his striking upper register to croon, "Now if you find yourself falling apart / I'm sure I could steer the Great Salt Lake," even if I've got no idea what he means. Band of Horses takes the last four decades of rock clichés and makes them fresh; it all sounds a little familiar, but it's comfortable and sweet like an old, thin t-shirt against your skin. Dynamic, energetic, beautiful and likely to put a smile on your face, Everything All the Time is likely one of the albums of the year. For those who like to say "I saw them when," miss the show at your peril. Band of Horses, Simon Dawes and Chad Van Gaalen play at 9 pm Friday, Oct. 6 at the WOW Hall. $12 adv., $14 door. — Molly Templeton
Jazkamer's Metal Hammer
Eugene, you're in store for a real treat on Oct. 7, as Human Monster Productions and DIVA welcome Norwegian noise/metal act Jazkamer for one of their six upcoming West Coast tour dates. With their new album, Metal Music Machine, finding influence in both the black metal dirges of bands like Satyricon and the cacophonous din of legendary noise artists like Merzbow, this rare North American appearance will completely obliterate any sonic boundaries Jazkamer set in the past and utterly demolish anything this town has previously witnessed at a live noise performance. Composed of Norwegian noise luminaries John Hegre and Lasse Marhaug, Jazkamer officially took shape in 1998. With Metal Music Machine (its connection to Lou Reed's album of the same name doesn't extend beyond the title) Hegre and Merhaug have assembled an all-star cast of Norwegian black metal notables, including members of Enslaved!, Toy and Manngard. Through its fusion of dark riffage and ear-splitting noise, MMM does mark a stark departure from Jazkamer's previous works. But rather than creating just another Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) influenced drone record, Jazkamer focuses its attention beyond the riff to isolate and analyze nearly all aspects of metal — breakneck tempos, gutteral vocals, piercing percussion, savage guitar work. The album's first track, "Friends of Satan," explodes in its first second with a wall of frenetic cymbals, double bass rolls and distorted guitar riffs. What initially sounds like actual live instrumentation eventually degrades into an entropic mess of absolutely extreme noise that could only have been achieved through some type of electronic manipulation. The track grows into a rabid, destructive behemoth, and the ear-splitting dissonance becomes almost unbearable when its final 30 seconds combust with a bestial, blood-curdling scream. To be honest, I'm slightly frightened by the thought of this huge wall of noise being recreated live in a small room on a decent sound system. Bring some earplugs, as you won't need to soak in all those decibels to realize something sonically wicked is going down — the visceral vibrations should be enough. Jazkamer, Carlos Giffoni and Warning Broken Machine play at 9 pm Saturday, Oct. 7 at DIVA. $8 — Steven Sawada
Zygotic, Erotic, Hypnotic
If you've lived in Eugene for any length of time and you haven't heard of The Ovulators, you need to come out from under your rock more often. This band lends itself to fun phraseology like "glittering girl group of glam-jammers" or "rhinestone rock divas," but although the four female members are undeniably far out and fashionable, it would be a mistake to focus on their outfits rather than their licks. Fresh off the road from a concert stint in Boise, Idaho, The Ovulators alight on the Wetlands alongside 3asic, Telepathic Dumpsters and Philadelphia-based Pony Pants. A visit to the Happy Mistake Records' website offers an opportunity to listen to the entire self-titled debut album of one of Eugene's hardest working bands. Thirteen tracks (nine original, four written by fellow Eugene rockers Deke Falcon) showcase a variety of raw yet luscious vocals (think razor blades dipped in honey), rhythm-driven power riffs and "crunchy" lead guitar backing intelligent and often biting (or bitingly funny) lyrics. The Ovulators weave an intergalactic myth around their membership, appearing onstage as a foursome of refugees from the planet Zygote, walking the planet "emitting audio frequencies that are strikingly similar to Earth-based rock 'n' roll." The visual splendor of their stage show makes their un-Earthly identity seem entirely possible, but Dori, Tina Gnosis, Stardust and Kayla have achieved much since joining the human experience. They were 2005's EW readers' pick for Best Rock Band and tore up the stage as the house band in the 2004 Actors Cabaret production of Hedwig and Angry Inch. Any Ovulators virgins who think they might like the fusion of glam rock, punk and a whole lot of glitter should be sure to check out the ovaries on these women at the earliest opportunity. The Ovulators play at 10 pm Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Wetlands. $5. — Adrienne van der Valk
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