Myspace Player for Re-Evolutionize Now Available

Here's the Myspace Song Player for my debut CD - Re-Evolutionize. All tracks can be streamed, added to a Myspace Profile/Playlist and Mp3's Purchased Online.

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We got a Black President - Now can we Finally have a Black Rock Band?

This Documentary from 2006 details the difficulties trials and tribulations faced by Black Rock Musicians in an industry that is far more interested in exploiting the current body image biases of the Rock Audience, than promoting the best and brightest artists.



As a personal confession, I actually know quite a few people in the documentary - including Reggie McFadden, Mike (Maggot) McGinnes of Bozaque (The Original Rap Metal Band), Bernie K. (Sound Barrier/Total Eclipse) and Oscar Jordan who I was very briefing in a band with. In the lat 80's and early 90's I joined the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Rock Coalition, an organization dedicated to addressing this very issue which had originally been formed in New York by Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Greg Tate (Writer for the Village Voice) and Artists Manager Konda Mason.

Quite a few different people were supportive and involved in the early days including members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, Tom Morello just before he formed Rage Against the Machine and some members of Body Count. Although it should seem quite obvious if you simply ask yourself "Where did all the black people in Rock n' Roll go?" there are still those who want to deny it's any kind of issue and instead basically blame the victims.

On the Full Length YouTube Version of the Movie there are comments like this:

this is not a race issue as this is portayed (along with many other issues). these guys have talent, but black rock bands are not money makers. why are the majority of rap artists black? same reason. people just need to accept the cold hard facts. if you have a good band, people will listen no matter your race. its not uncommon for a great band to be unsigned.

Or this...

They portray this as a race issue, but it is not. Most people have never heard of my favorite band, they have been around since the mid 90's, but they are not black, so they can't use the race excuse. The music industry is here to make money. Who makes money? Whoever 13 year olds like. Apparently, it is not black people making shitty rock music. The people in this movie want to be rich and famous. They are not content with making music that they love.

They contend that the music industry is somehow racist, but they overlook the impetus of greed on the situational dynamic. Doing so allows them to absolve their greed and blame someone else for their lack of success, on an unrelated basis. The music business is a business. The only color that matters is green. There is no racism involved. If a group of 4 black guys came out with a record on par with "Master of Puppets", they would be unbelievably fucking famous.

Let me tell ya, if it wasn't about race - why was it that the very first BRC Shows in Hollywood received Bomb Threats? Who threatens to BOMB a Rock Show? Country/Western Fans?

And this wasn't in the 60's, or the 70's - it was 1989!

But here's the thing Greed is exactly the point and exactly the problem. It's not about what is the better art, or who is the greater artist, with the challenges that the music industry has been facing, particularly with free downloading, they have no desire or courage to challenge any existing status quo no matter how biased and/or bigotted it may be. They just give in to it.

This is not just an issue that affects these artists, it affects anyone who doesn't fit a very molded, easy to market Body Image. An artist that is too old, or not slim enough, or has the wrong kind of hair, not puffy enough lips, not wide enough eyes - faces all the exact same things. Sure, a lot of these people can GO ON A DIET, but then in far too many rather extreme cases, this has led to Anorexia, Bulimia or even plastic surgery to change their appearance.

We all know that we've seen the affect of Body Image on many Hollywood and Music SuperStars, some like the Late Michael Jackson have even clearly come down with Body Dismorphic Disorder, where they've become literally addicted to having procedure after procedure to satisfy their desire for acceptance and visual "perfection." That's not an option for artists who are either unwilling or financially unable to transform themselves into Skeletor the way Micheal did, or be willing to Shuck and Jive with Rap-style "Bling Bling" as ?uestlove of The Roots points out during his interview just to be able to have their music heard.

Being expected to give in to someone elses bigotry by descending into self-parody, self-loathing and self-destruction is not exactly my idea of a solution. Some prices are just too high to pay.

I think it's going to far to expect everyone to cowtow to stereotypes rather than challenge the basis for those stereotypes. America is supposed to be land of the "Free", not land of the "Wannabe's!" This issue has affected all of Rock, particularly Women Rockers from Pat Benatar to Heart who were basically forced out of the business because Nancy didn't fit the "Image" they thought she should project. Or to put it another way - She Got FAT. It had nothing to do with her ability to write or sing, they just didn't think she looked cute girl in the videos anymore - y'know like Madonna or Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers? And please, it's not like any of those Miley (Spawn of the Original Billy Ray Vyrus) or one of those Jonas chicks are the greatest musicians in the world or have ever released an album as AWESOME as "Master of Fucking Puppets" dude. WOOO!

We all know damn well they haven't, but we keep smiling at the American Idol/Disney Assembly Line of SUCK anyway.

This "Image" issue (which he saw as inherently racist and sexist) was a driving force behind much of Kurt Cobain's music, however the end result of his efforts were that a skinny stringy hair drug addicted white-guy in spandex was replaced by a skinny stringy haired drug addicted white-guy in a flannel shirt and mohair sweater. Again, not much of an improvement IMO.

One of the commenters, just like those people who have attacked Judge Sotomayor for applying current judicial precedent in the Ricci case, want to automatically assume that the White Guys must be better, and the Black Guys who didn't get the promoted in that case - MUST HAVE BEEN SHITTY - which is a typical defensive response to people's passive inaction in the face of bigotry.

Yeah, ok. If you're a Rock/Metal fan Check these videos out.



If you don't know, one of the Videos is this selection includes a song by the band Wicked Wisdom which features Jada Pinkett Smith as lead singer - yes - Will (Independence Day/Wild Wild West/MIB) Smith's Wife Jada who just started a brand new TV series. Even with his and her considerable Fame her participation in this band is practically A Secret - even after they toured with Ozzfest last year.

Another featured video is Dionne Farris of the Rap group Arrested Development who basically had to quit the industry after she scored a #1 Hit on the Billboard Top 40 with the Medium Rock Song "I Know" because they wouldn't let her do ROCK anymore, and insisted she only sing R&B. Let me repeat: After she had a #1 HIT ROCK nd her label refused to let her sing ROCK!

Frankly, I hope to God that was Racism because if not it's just Frakin' Crazy!

Farris’ return comes after a nasty parting of ways with her former label, Columbia, which wanted her to produce black-radio-friendly, neo-soul tracks, even though her post-Arrested Development breakout single, “I Know,” was a mainstream video pop hit. At a creative impasse, she requested and gained a release from her contract.

That was more than a decade ago.

Some people assume that everything in America is a perfect Meritocracy at the same time they admit that the situation, particularly with music is inherently unfair - and that's supposed to be "Just fine."

Crazy Much?

If one of these bands had made "Master of Puppets" or an album as good they would be naturally be HUGE just because right!? Not exactly. A lot of the hype around that album came from the fact that it was one of the first American Band that reflected the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. It was a bunch of guys that people could easily relate too, and the fact that it was different from everything else around it that helped propel that album forward as much as the music itself.

Living Colour is a Multi-platinum, Multi-Grammy Winning Band. "Shitty?" Fuck no!

It would be easy to argue that Fishbone's "Reality of My Surroundings", King's X "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska", Living Colour's "Time's Up", Mother's Finest "Black Radio Won't Play this Record" and 24-7 Spyz "Strength In Numbers" and the debut album by Sevendust if not match that challenge, they surpass it.

But they weren't made by the right (looking) people at the right time.

Another couple examples would be the arguemetn Guns N Roses "Appetite for Destruction" and Rage Against the Machine's debut CD are equally as good as Master - but the one big difference between those records and the others is that practically no one at the time knew - and some still don't know - that Gun's guitarist Slash and RATM guitarist Tom Morello Are Both BLACK.

Ok, technically half black, like Barack, but still Black. Except both of them can and did pass for White since they're both fairly light-skinned. See - Look White Enough and the problem is solved. No biggie, just borrow MJ's old Skin-cream, he's not gonna need it anymore.

The point serious, is that if it's not something that's obvious, and it's not in your FACE, it doesn't become and issue. In order to duck and dodge the issue - the first couple Living Colour singles and their originally album cover didn't include a image of the band, just so people wouldn't automatically assume they were an R&B or Reggae group.

Not a problem?

Not hardly.

These bands and these artists are going to keep fighting this injustice, and eventually they're going to win. The funny thing is - it's going to help every other artists whose fighting against being Prejudged based on their Image just as much as it will help themselves.

All the rest of you are already welcome. Just remember who did you the Solid. Again.

Vyan

Rock Vault Zine Interview

The Good News: Rock Vault Zine has just posted an Interview with me about my New CD "Re-Evolutionize"!

The Bad news: It's in Turkish.

Ok, that's only bad if you don't speak Turkish. For the rest of us non-Turkish readers, I do have an English version available - although I don't have all their cool graphics. Bummer.

Enjoy!

---

Baran at Rock vault: Hi there Vyan, first of all how the life is treating you as well?

V--It goes how it goes - up down and all around.

Congrats for great debut "Re- Evulitionize". How did fans and press reacted songs?

V--The Fans have been great real supportive, and Press is good so far. I haven't started to formally make a lot of Press contacts, they've actually been coming to me which is unusual - but I think it's really cool. Normally you have to shout from the rooftops and really make yourself a near-nuisance in this business to get noticed, but I've already done a couple live on-air interviews with land and internet based radio like Flashrock.com and the Autopsy Report from England, and it's been mostly through Myspace. If this keeps I'll be the Tila Tequila of Hard Rock - except I don't look quite so cute in a thong.

I think it's difficult for you to choose, but which track is your favorite? My personal favorites are "Wannabe" and "Not Like You"

V--I was really happy with "Wannabe" from the moment that my old band Planet X/Sacto first played it. We wrote it all together during a rehearsal, the other guys Darryl (Guitar), Ron (Bass) and Mitch (Drums) worked on the music and structure while I was doing the words at the same time. We finished both of them together, it was like "BOOM" this song has to be born right now! The groove, the energy and the depth of the subject matter came together perfectly, I don't think I've written another song that flowed so well. Although that group did put out it's debut CD in 1999 (which is now out of print, and we later sold the name to someone else from Dream Theater) we never did manage to record that song for a CD, so I had to do it now - it was my finest hour then and it should be heard.

"Not Like U' also came from the same PX lineup, and although Darryl and I did record a version of it for a second PX record, it was never released. One other song from that period is on the CD, "Harden" and there's even some video of us doing an early version of that song on Youtube from years ago on a Sacramento Cable/We Show called "Capital Chaos", but we didn't record that one either. I always felt those were the three best, unreleased songs, from that band. Everything else on my new record is either completely new and written for it like "All I Feel", "Wake Up", "Tumbling Down', "Say You Will", or old solo songs I used to do acoustically in Sacramento like "Faith", "Justified" and "Refugee" - sometimes at Open Mics, sometimes on the street corner for spare change during some tough times - only now they're fully electric and rocking the way I always wanted to do them. Technically "Faith" was also one I did with Planet X, but I wrote it myself and they just used it for awhile.

You have to worked really hard for this album. You composed entire album, played nearly all instruments, mixed album and designed memorable art work. Do you believe in "Do It Yourself!" motto?

V-I kinda *have* to, the way that my life has turned over the last few years. I had to move out of Sacramento because of economic issues. I was an IT consultant with the State government back in 1999, but after a perfect crap storm of Y2K, Enron ripping of California for $50 Million, the Dot Com Crash and 9-11 shutting down the startup company I was working with back then I had to pretty much quit music and move me and my family back to L.A. to live with relatives in 2004. It's been a rough bunch of years trying to rebuild after the bankruptcy and evictions from that time. A lot of people these days are looking at those kinds of times in their future.

This record reflects both that fall and, hopefully, a rebirth. I started it with writing and recording "All I Feel", using an old hand-me-down Macintosh I bought for $40, the one guitar I didn't pawn from the bad days, a strat-styled Yamaha that I bought because Ty Tabor recommended them, a 30-watt Line 6 Amp and a cheap Radio Shack/Realistic Microphone that was a gift from a local homeless drunk I became friends with here in L.A. No one else would even talk to the guy, he smelled horrible - could barely put sentences together - but he'd do little jobs for me for a couple dollars, sweep up, take out the trash - and we'd talk for hours. Most people here won't give you the time of day without thinking you want something from them. Tony was different. He knew I was a musician, so he "found" me a microphone. I didn't know at the time what I was going to do with it - now I do. It makes the vocals sound kinda distorted and scratchy, and I've had some people mention it - but I don't care. This record wouldn't have happened without that Mic I got from Tony, so even though I eventually bought a better Microphone by the time i was halfway done recording, most of the original vocals with this cheap piece of crap with electrical tape hanging off of it - are still on the record. They sound more "real" to me... if you know what I mean. I haven't seen Tony in a years couple since they tore down the creepy little hotel he used to live at. The sound of his mic will go on.

I think that this interview is your very first interview on Turkey. I know it's boring question but can you tell us brief bio of Vyan?

V-I actually started playing music in elementary school orchestra. Trumpet. By High School I was in Marching Band and even played in the Rose Parade, but I didn't want to be some Jazz or R&B trumpet guy - so I eventually switched to Guitar, Vocals and Keyboards after seeing Purple Rain for the Tenth Time in a Row. I spent a few years trying to get into bands, Amalgam was one of the first - kind of a Funk/Rock thing where I was the backup guitarist when I joined the LA Chapter of the Black Rock Coalition. (I used my first name 'Frank" back then)



After that and a couple other horrible little groups I'd rather not mention I moved to Sacramento and joined Planet X (Vocals, Keyboards) and started using my middle name "Vyan". They put out one self-titled CD and I spent about 4 years with them.



Download Planet X/Sacto Mp3's

After they broke up some of guys who'd been in the later lineup of PX and some guys from one of my favorite bands from Yuba City named SHaLLOW got together to form GliTCHed.

Technically I left Glitched to move back to L.A. in 2004, but I kept in contact with them and kept working on the Glitched CD - which I plan to finish and release in a year or so - we managed to get one of our songs "Drown" onto a CD by local radio station
98 Rock and play a pretty big CD Release show.

Glitched Live 2004


In the meantime I'd also joined an L.A. band called "Silenced Within" on bass, so all the Silenced guys came with me up to Sacramento and we played a Glitched/Silenced show where I spent part of my time on bass and the rest on vocals. The other guys from Glitched who had been in Shallow were into another group too and that band - Zero Ground - finished the show. Me being 400 miles away ended Glitched, some of those guys eventually formed the band Ritalin Code. The guys who started Silenced moved to Texas - so I've been on my own since then, and now I'm finally doing something about it three and a half years later.

Silenced Within Live


More.
http://www.myspace.com/silencedwithinrocks
http://www.myspace.com/zeroground

http://www.myspace.com/ritalincode


Tell me your favorite musician and Top 5 albums?

V-Prince (Ha). With strong mention for Doug Pinnick. Ty Tabor of King's X, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, George Lynch and Jeff Pilson from Dokken. (I actually became real friends with a lot of these guys as we crossed paths in the music biz - except Prince, never met him, and Nuno - but I know his brother Paulo.)

Top Five Albums.

1. Sevendust (Seasons)
2. King's X (Their latest - each and every time one comes out!!)
3. 24-7 Spyz (Strength in Numbers)
4. Extreme (III Sides to every Story)
5. Dokken (Dysfunctional)

Are you still playing with Glitched and Silenced Within?

V--- Nope. (Oh look, a short answer). I would If I could, they're just too far away.

Over decades we saw (and still see) few but remarkable black rock/metal musicians such as godly Hendrix, mighty Rock George and Doug Pinnick. What do you think about that? Why do black musicians don't show interest on rock genres?

V-Ok, that's a long story and a lot of opinions vary - but I honestly think it has a lot to do with the Beatles and Little Richard. Rock N Roll, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Gospel and later Funk and Hip-Hop all come out of the experience of Black people in America. It came from being Repressed and Unfree in the "Land of the Free" - that conflict, and the passion for freedom is what drives all these types of music, but Blues & Rock are different because they're not like a whisper or a cry for freedom, they're a SCREAM. A scream that was first heard by English kids who had their own confusion and frustration after surviving the aftermath of the WWII Blitz without understanding what had happened or why. They NEEDED to Scream about some stuff, and Rock was the way they could do it. That music resonated with them, they were inspired and formed the Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Sabbath and Zeppelin.

But back in America Rock was still repressed, they called it "Race Music", "N---er Music", even when Elvis tried to play it. The first Rock DJ, Alan Freed went to jail over it. But once they heard British Rock in America - it went from being "Race Music", to the "British Invasion". Hearing that music from Black people was frightening, scary - hearing it from cute long haired English kids - transformed everything. Jimi James and the Flames coming from Seattle no one wanted to hear, but The Jimi Hendrix Experience coming from England was a HIT. A lot of people didn't even realize Jimi was even an American, or that he use to play with both James Brown, The Isley Brothers and Little Richard. He couldn't make it from here, but he could from there.

But other black artists who wanted to do Rock had to match that same intensity the Brits were getting and America simply wasn't giving it to them, plus it was pretty difficult for them to pull off that Beatles/Stones hair-style, so they didn't have the same "look" either. Jimi tried, but he never really got it - LOL. (Trust me, the hair thing was a big issue - it's why James Brown, Little Richard and even Prince processed their hair for years. We even went through it will Amalgam and me and the singer Chris Coshea used to have long talks about how the "Glam Brother" was considered so "dangerous")

Then the money got involved, artists like Pat Boone would re-record Little Richard (the original Glam Brother)'s songs and get a higher position on the same chart at the same time. Same song, but with a "safer" person = More money. Good bye black rockers.

With the Beatles doing it, and The Stones, and the Beach Boys, Aerosmith, KISS, Yes, Van Halen and everyone that followed, that original passionate scream for freedom from Rock was eventually heard in all of Europe, in Asia, even in Soviet Russia. Rock N Roll, Long Hair and Blue Jeans changed the world.

I think that after Hendrix died, a lot of Black artists just decided (or were TOLD) to swim in safer waters - stick to what they had more control of - rather than fight against the tide in Rock, which was like trying to stop Niagra Falls by holding up your hand. Not gonna happen. The money issue just killed it by the mid-70's, particular as radio become just as segregated and as niche marketed as Jim Crow had been. Black artists would be played on "Black Radio", White artists on "Rock Radio" even if it was the same song. Buy the late 80's it was so bad that Living Colour's first record didn't have their pictures on it, just so that Rock Radio wouldn't send it to the Black Radio Dj's out of habit. They weren't even shown in their first video "Open Letter to a Landlord", but eventually it actually worked in reverse - because it had been so long since anyone had seen a Black Person doing Rock the video for "Cult of Personality" got everyones attention and it became a huge hit. You never know how it's going to all work out.

I'm just doing the music that's now become an International symbol, a world-wide powerhouse, not because of what anyone else tells me I should be doing (and yes, I've been told I should do R&B or something even by people who just think they're giving me "good advice") but because - it still inspires me. That's where my passion is, so that's why I do it.

What does future holds for Vyan?

V-Next year after really getting the Press and promotion going for this record, I hope to recruit a rhythm section and form a Power-Trio for some touring. I might add another guitarist if I can find someone good enough without them being an ego-maniac. (Like making a solo record entirely by yourself isn't egotistical - HA! I got enough for both of us!) Then record some cover songs of my favorite artists, particular great black rock bands that never got heard like Subject To Change, Civil Rite, Nicklebag, Lock Up and Super 8. (I have a special Myspace friends category for a lot of these bands, the ones that are still around) By 2010 I might be ready for a second solo record.

What do you do to kill time beside music?

V-What else is there? Ok seriously, lots of TV and Movies. I just bought a DVD of "The Dark Knight" I have a ton of favorite shows like Connor Chronicles, Life, Heroes, Numb3rs and SCI-FI Stargate. Good stories with interesting people/characters all keep me thinking, and wondering.

Let's discuss recent election? Do you think that Mr. Obama can keep his promises? At the dawn of new world order do you still believe in Revolution? ( I think you do friend :)

V-We'll see. I'm hopeful that a lot of the damage that the previous Administration did to the U.S. (which like I mentioned, I suffered personally) and the rest of the World just might begin to get fixed. America's in bad financial shape right now, and a lot of people are looking at losing everything they have (just as I did). We're all going to have to rebuild, to re-invent - to "Re-Evolutionize" ourselves - which is why I called the CD what I did. it's not just about me, it's about everyone. Obama will probably be a big part of that for all of us. He hasn't done anything "yet" to shake my faith in him, because mostly he's going about things exactly the way he said he would. He's reaching out to people that disagree, letting them all get a voice at the table, then making decisions based on *ALL* the facts, not just what he wants the hear (the way that Bush did). Bill Clinton used to do that too, and it turned out pretty well during his years - he ended the wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, helped bring peace to Northern Ireland by taking a chance on Gerry Adams. Bush didn't listen and nearly lost a war he never should have started. Listening helps. If Obama does half as well as Bill, and keeps his pants on, we should all be alright.


Here comes traditional Rock Vault question. Tell me your favorite drinking memory?

V-If you can still remember it, you weren't drinking enough!!

But I did once run into Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) at a Dio concert at the L.A. House of Blues, and oddly enough he recognized *me* (from the LA Black Rock Coalition) and we talked about his old band Lock Up, who I loved. He rushed off to watch the show and I went to talk to the guys in the opening band, Atomic Opera, who were who i'd come to see in the first place (They were friends with King's X and had the same producer) Jonathon from Atomic Opera got all excited when I mentioned that Tom was there and made me show him where, but he was deep in the middle of the mosh pit by that time and we couldn't find him.

I later got to tell that story to Ronnie Dio himself at Jeff Pilson's house, and I was dumb enough to say "If I'd known that Jeff (whose been my vocal inspiration forever) was playing with you... I would've been in the pit too" - but Ronnie was really cool about it. My wife saved my butt by mentioning that she'd been a Dio fan since Rainbow and he really felt appreciative of that. He's a great down to earth guy. Growing up and Living In L.A. you do just plain RUN INTO a lot of famous people if your in the right place at the right time. I met Eddie Van Halen at a guitar store once, and Steve Lukather (Toto) at the Baked Potato. Most of them are cool if you don't act like an idiot and freak-out around them. I did that once when I met first Neal Schon of Journey - never again.

What do you know about my country? Have you had a chance to listen any Turkish bands or singer?

V-Not that many, I admit - it can be difficult for artists to break though in this market. But I do try to listen to everything i can, everyone has something worthwhile to contribute and say. Some just say it better, it just takes practice....practice....practice.

Thanks for your participation.
Here is your turn for last words?

V-I think I used them all up. Thanks for oppurtunity to share with everyone. And don't stop ROCKIN!!

Abu Gonzales: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

From the New York Times.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 -- In an embarrassing turnabout, the Department of Justice backed away Wednesday from a denial by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales of responsibility for the treatment of a Canadian who was seized by American authorities in 2002. The man was deported to Syria, where he was imprisoned and beaten.
Skip to next paragraph

Asked at a news conference on Tuesday about a Canadian commission's finding that the man, Maher Arar, was wrongly sent to Syria and tortured there, Mr. Gonzales replied, "Well, we were not responsible for his removal to Syria." He added, "I'm not aware that he was tortured."

We're not responsible...

I'm not aware...

What a load of bull feces. Just for the record who is Maher Arar and where has he been the last five years?

Maria C. LaHood, Mr. Arar's lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, called Mr. Gonzales' comments "unbelievable."

"I had hoped that they would actually step up and say, `We made a mistake, we accept the report's findings, we clear Mr. Arar's name and we apologize,' " Ms. LaHood said.

Mr. Arar, now 37, is a former telecommunications engineer who was born in Syria but did not live there after his teenage years.

In September 2002, as he changed planes at Kennedy International Airport in New York on his way home to Canada, he was detained because his name was on a terrorist watch list. His name was included on the basis of incorrect information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that he was linked to Al Qaeda, the commission found.

Let always remember that our police and intelligence gathering agencies are completely infallable -- don't let a little glitch like this undermine our confidence in these fine people. It's not like bad and inaccurate information has ever put us in any awkward or embarrising positions in the past, right Colin?

The attorney general's comments caused puzzlement because they followed front-page news articles of the findings of the Canadian commission. It reported that based on inaccurate information from Canada about Mr. Arar's supposed terrorist ties, American officials ordered him taken to Syria, an action documented in public records.

Ah, but there is an excuse -- you see the right hand of our war on common sense (Gonzales), and our left hand (Michael Chertoff) simple didn't exchange memos on which innocent person their predecessors (Ashcroft and Ridge) have had waterboarded. And why should they anyway?

On Wednesday, a Justice Department spokesman said Mr. Gonzales had intended to make only a narrow point: that deportations are now handled by the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Justice.

[All snark aside, let's assume for a second that Gonzales deserves the benefit of the doubt that Arar didn't receive - and take him at his word that he honest didn't know and that the DOJ had nothing to do with it. OK, fine. Is there a single serious person who doesn't think that he should have fucking known?!!! Isn't this like - his freaking job - and stuff?) And what does the terrorist scumbag innocent man in question have to say about it all?

Asked about Mr. Gonzales's remarks, Mr. Arar said in an interview on Wednesday with National Public Radio that American officials had sent him to Syria despite his protests that he would be tortured there.

"The facts speak for themselves, you know," Mr. Arar said. "The report clearly concluded that I was tortured. And for him to say that he does not know about the case or does not know I was tortured is really outrageous."

Thank God we haven't already had cases like that of Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr aka Abu Omar (who was apparently kidnapped by the CIA in Italy and sent to Egypt where he claims to have been tortured until they discovered he knew nothing and was released) or that of Pultizer Prise winning AP photographer Bilal Hussein (who has been held incommunicado by U.S. Forces in Iraq for the last five months - despite clear indications that he had helped other reporters escape from insurgents - not the reverse as the military contends).

Praise JESUS - we are so lucky we haven't had a couple dozen people die in custody from mistreatment, people who hadn't received a hearing or a lawyer and whom we have no way to confirm their whether they had just planted an IED or failed to yeild to a cross walk sign.

I'm so glad BushGov is on the case, I'll just bet you bin Laden is shaking in his cave right now.

[Except that he's now under the protection of a treaty between the Taliban and Pakistan and doesn't need to live in a cave anymore, isn't likely to get "picked up in a random sweep" and be extremely rended to anywhere except a nearby hot tub!]

Heckuvajob, Bushie!

Vyan

Rock Star : Week 9 Performance

Well, that was something.

I don't think I've ever seen a more energetic job of reputation resurrection in my entire life. My hat's off to the Mark Burnette Editing team who managed to defribulate Dilana back into this show. As I predicted, they did show the entire incident of her near final flip-out at the mansion including the champion wine-glass toss which ricocheted back and hit Magni, then showed her remorseful "I'm sorry, Magni" even if it was done via subtitles. His lack of any bandage and saying "It was just a flesh wound" pretty much sealed the deal, and magically turned Dilana into the sympathetic character of this little psycho-drama.

Well done, I say - well done.

Problem solved, nobody mind that big lump under the carpet - nothing to see here -move along now, move along.

And so we shall, to the actual performances.

First up was Lukas with "Lithium." Meh. Evs.

Ok, then there was Magni - sans bandage - on "I Alone". This song is just deep in his comfort zone, but I actually wasn't much impressed with his performance. Probably because he sounded so good and had such resonance on his acoustic version of the other Live song "Dolphin's Cry" , since then I've found his full band performances lacking. I can't put my finger on it. He sang it great, commanded the stage well, but didn't impress me because that's already what I expect from him. He went up to the SN pod which was cool, except that Jill and Dilana and Patrice have all previously done that also. It's getting tougher to push back the envelope.

And then Ryan comes on and rips the envelope open with his teeth. Ok, like Wow. This guy is a showman. With some people climbing up on the piano could seem corny. Billy Joel does it. Jerry Lee Lewis has been kicking back the piano bench for decades -but somehow he made this work and seem fresh. I do agree with Jason, once he's away from his instrument - either piano or guitar - he "loses the plot". Actually he loses the beat and stumbles around without ever doing anything in time to the music. But this time I really didn't mind that much. The one cool and subtle thing he did was loop the microphone around his neck just before he did the Starsky & Hutch slide back over the piano. That was thinking ahead, because he knew he didn't have time to put it back in the mic stand - he was going to have both hands busy playing and he had to keep it with him to sing the last section of the song. Bonus points for that one dude. Nice job.

Ok I thought Storm doing "Bring me to Life" was going to be a big problem. I was right, it's out of her normal range but she pulled it off. Except for one note at the very begining ("How can you see through open doors") which was tragically flat, she pretty much nailed it. My only technical complainst would be that it was obvious she was struggling, she seemed breathy, her tone was compromised and she was a bit behind the beat on everything - but it really didn't matter. It was a fight, but she got there - and then went far past it with the falsetto high note at the very end. Kudos.

I would however say that battling with the song caused her to fall back on a set of stock stage moves, like the little spread-eagle hop shes been doing since the first note of Pinball Wizard on Day one, kneeling and laying back at the end of the runway, stalking the stage with her twisted walk. Stuff like that. This might be why Dave said that Toby, who was singing backup, may have upstaged her a bit, and he might have - what he had to do vocally was pretty easy by comparison so he could be more dynamic on stage. But still - Storm is Storm and nobody totally takes the stage away from her. My big problem was that some of the backing harmony vocals were off, and it made the Storms vocals and performance seem weaker than they actually were. At first I thought it was Toby, but on rewatching he wasn't singing at that point. It was someone else in the House Band whose singing was off, which is a real surprise.

I wouldn't be surprised if she goes to the bottom three this time, but she'll also probably do some serious defribulation of her own once she gets the chance. She might even do an original, if she's allowed to.

Toby doing "Rebel Yel"l was much better than I expected. In an opposite move to Storm's, he showed a low range I didn't know that he had. I forget which song it was on, but when I'd heard him sing low previously he seemed really shaky - this time is was strong and clear, plus unlike Lukas version - you could understand what he was saying. And then he goes and brings up girls from the audience to dance with him - way cooler than Dilana and the stripper chicks because a) It was spontaneous b) They were honestly fans, and didn't have to go through the casting couch to get there and c) it was cool. As I've said, this contest hasn't been about singing for quite some time, it's about showmanship and so far Ryan and Toby have been stepping it up big time.

Last up was Di-lan-a... Di-lan-a...

Ok, first of all - I hate when people who can't really play guitar - pick up a guitar and pretend to play it. Now, I'm not saying she literally wasn't playing -- she was -- I'm saying her playing sucked. At the beginning of "Mother Mother" she sings the main verse line gently while strumming the guitar once on the downbeat of each measure while sliding her left hand chromatically down the neck from an A-sus to Gb-Sus chord. On measure five she was supposed to go back to the A-sus and she totally blew it. I'm not sure if she didn't get her hand in position correctly, or simply missed the strings while stumming - but it was not good at all. Then with the next chord she hesitated and was way behind the beat - so that sounded fucked up too.

Look, if you're going to strap on a guitar and play it - then fucking play it. It's not a necklace. It's not part of your wardrobe. If you can't hit a A-sus chord properly... let someone who can do it. Jesus.

Imagine if Ryan went over to the piano and fucked up the chords twice in a row. Would anyone think he should be allowed near the thing again until he got his shit together?

I don't think so.

Anyway, she sang the song fine - but oldly not as well as she did during the footage from the reality episode. She's capable of some real tenderness in her voice and that was totally lost once she kicked things into high gear. Fortunately for her, her gears go to Seven. I thought her performance was really good, I personally like Jill's better but since Jill's gone that's a moot point. She did good, and for once didn't repeat herself.

At the end of the show we had Storm - I think Toby - and Lukas in the bottom three for voting. But let's stop kidding ourselves, at this point half and then more than half of the contestants are going into the bottom three. Only Dilana hasn't even had to stand up yet, but her time is coming soon. The voting really doesn't matter anymore for anyone except Magni who would be hitting his third strike if he goes back again today. For everyone else, it's really just a matter of how Supernova feels, not us.

Vyan

Rock Star : Week 7 Elimination

Finally and at last, the night I've been looking forward to has arrived.

But before I get to that, let's go in order. Tonight the band revealed a new aspect to the show - each week one of the hamsters will be performing a new Supernova song with the band, and first up was Dilana.

I have to admit to reading some spoilers before watching the show, something I normally never do - but did. I was therefore warned about this song, but when I finally saw it my feelings were mixed. It didn't bowl me over, it didn't suck. Not completely. It's got potential, but it needs to be reworked - first of all it basically stays on the same chord and riff all the way through. It doesn't have any harmonic motion. It doesn't have any chord charges or real transitions from section to section -- it just starts and keeps going. A vocalist who has a lot of dynamics and the ability to create different moods and colors in their voice could make it something special, Dilana didn't. I think Magni, Storm and probably Lukas could salvage this song. Possibly even Ryan, but nothing and noone - could salvage the bondage - er - dancing girls.

That was some ridiculous shit.

Look, I know that Motley Crue had their "Girls, Girls, Girls" phase for a awhile. Ok, their entire career. And I know that both they and GnR used backup singers eventually. Lord knows Vince and Axl needed 'em. But the Crue went so far as to have pre-recorded backing vocals.

That crap is for white-trash debutant BS like Britney Spears and neo-homo rough trade like NSuck, not Rock n Roll.

This does not bode well for the future. The question is, will any one of the hamsters have the strength of personality and conviction to tell Stupornova - "Fuck, NO" - when they come up with these cheesy suggestions? (And trust me, I've been in this exact same position - working with some fantastic musicians, but constantly having to scrape velveeta off of everything we did. It's exhuasting.) My feeling is the answer is "No". If so, the result may turn out a lot like Van Halen III where Eddie Van ran everything and poor Gary Cherone (who I actually know indirectly through his family and younger brother Markus) was just onboard to do and sing what he was told. He didn't have the clout to fight back or simply walk away like David Lee and Sammy did when things were starting to get too stupid. Neither do these guys.

Somebody has to have the strength to tell Tommy Lee - ixnay on the cheap ippers-Stay!

Dilana was hotter than all of them anyway. Made them look bad.

Enough about that, on to the elimination.

As Brooke called out the names of those who were included in the bottom three at some point during the night, the list continued to grow. Sure, there were the usual suspects, Zayra, Toby and Patrice. But this time we had a couple surprises - Storm and Magni.

Dave addressed Storm over her interpretation of "I Will Survive" - saying that unlike the version by the band Cake, it lacked "irony." Ok, let me tell you something about Cake - because I had to listen to people rave about that crapass band for years when I lived in Sacramento - and about ironic music. John McCrea of Cake can't fucking sing - ok? He has to make everything seem ironic, because you can't take anything he tries to sing seriously. Ever. Second, a man singing that song is a joke by definition. That is a song about female empowerment, it's about not letting someone belittle you - it's about overcoming emotional abuse. Men don't get that. (Yes, I am a man - but I'm married to a woman whose first husband was an abusive, drugged-out rapist pedophile PRICK! I get it because I've seen and had to deal with the emotional devastation that shithead wrought)

Storm was Dead-ON with her performance of that song. It's about POWER, recognizing that you have it and taking it back. Fuck Irony. Fuck Cake.

Oh, and Fuck Dave.

Storm's response was great too - "I gave it 1000% percent. It may not be my favorite song, but it's somebodies favorite song." Heck, the way she shouted 'YEAH!" when they announced she had been among the bottom three was perfect. Not the whiny "Again?" of Zayra or the "Of course" from Jill - it was "Hell Yeah - Bring it ON - Bitch!"

That alone is why Storm deserves to win - but probably won't.

Let me put it this way, I prefer Storm version of "I Will Survive" to the Cheese and Ham fest they put Dilana through a couple minutes earlier.

Ultimately the first singer to face elimination was Zayra, who again took a chance by doing an obscure song by Blue October. One that actually rocked and was very modern, very different. Her outfit worked - this time. She sounded good - mostly. It was cool - it ROCKED - and was actually tasteful for a change.

Second up Patrice, who re-did "Celebrity Skin" the song that Lukas had fubar-ed with his back to the audience while messing up the lyrics. Patrice not only faced the audience, she ran out into them, around behind them and up onto the Supernova dias. Total showmanship. I still have issues with her over-ennuciation of things. She's like the female Scott Stapp. But it was a great performance, and made Lukey look Stupey.

Last up, was - Magni? What the fuck? Even the CheesyNova boys were floored. But hey man, the public is fickle. Feces happens, then you flush. Magni didn't whine or whimper -he just went up and kicked "Creep" directly in the balls. Now like I said, I read some spoilers - and there was a debate going back and forth about whether Magni's version was better than Lukas.

It's no contest - Magni killed him.

I read a lot of people talk about Lukas being more "emotional". This bullshit is the sad sad legacy of Kurt Cobain. Kurt had an incredibly painful stomach condition, so his looking and sounding "pained" really wasn't always a matter of his being "in the moment" and unleashing the inner angst of the song - he was in fucking pain. Also, Kurt had a tendency to try and sing things that were out of his range, like those Meat Puppets songs from his Unplugged performance. He wasn't really into it, he simply couldn't hit the notes. There's a difference.

Lukas barely got through Creep, he had to cut off some of the notes near the end because he ran out of air. He was better on the encore, but the struggle was obvious. Sometimes it's more interesting to watch people struggle - I get that. Nascar is more interesting if you think there might be a crash. Not knowing what's going to happen creates tension and anticipation. Sure, makes sense. But you have to recognize superior talent and ability when you see and hear it -- and here's something that non-singers won't get -- by laying down as he sang the high notes.... Magni did a windmilling slam-dunk in Lukas's Face.

Laying on your back you have no support. When most people breath and talk, they rely on the weigh of their ribcage to press down on their lungs and push out the air. Technically that's wrong for singing because it creates too weak a flow of air, singers have to also push upward with their diaphram muscle just above their stomach. People who sing without their diaphram can't hold their notes -- they go wobbly, they run out of air and get cut off. (Which is what happened to Lukas when he did this song - and he was standing!) When you lay down you lose the effect of gravity pushing down - you have to do everything with your diaphram muscle alone. Magni not only did it, he did it easily -- he didn't cut off the first part of the major scream the way Lukas did. He wasn't shaky or dodgy on the head-voice section.

Winner - Magni by a TKO.

Now people may disagree about whether they "felt" something from one performance or the other - that's fine. That's a matter of the listener, watchers own inferrences - not the performers actual performance. One is a matter of opinion, the other is a matter of physics.

When Elimination time came - it was obvious. Hell, it's been obvious for weeks now but finally - finally - DING DONG THE Z IS DEAD.

Yes, she's been unpredictable. Sexy. Weird. Fucking strange. But there was no possible way she was ever going to front Supernova. They were simply prolonging the inevitable. Now it's over. I know she gained a ton of fans, and if anyone is likely to salvage a decent solo career out of this - Z probably will.

Heck, if the VelveetaBoys keep going the way they are going --- she'll probably do better than them in the long run.

Vyan

Rock Star Supernova : Week 6 Elimination

Well it was bound to happen. Just like last year, there had to be a double elimination in order for the total number of episodes to line up in the end. That double whammy was tonight, but before I get into that let's talk about the encore songs - both of them.

Lukas finally popped his cherry and had his first one. I would dare say he sang Creep better this time with a lot more precision and clarity through the head voice portion of the song. It's too bad MSN doesn't make the elimination song available for download. He still has a habit of stumbling around the stage like a drunk epileptic - but oh well, you can't have everything. He sounded nice.

Next up was Magni, who reprised Dolphin's Cry from last night, but instead of doing it acoustically - rocked it out with the House Band. I have to say I think encoring the song differently is first for both seasons. Some people had complained that his performance last night was too close to Ed Kowalzick's (sp) original, but this time out it was definately all Magni. I don't think I've heard him do so much of a song with stress vocals before. What both my wife and I thought was really interesting and impressive was the three of four syllabals of higher notes where Magni switched into to head-voice and almost instantaneously back out of it again to chest voice. That's fucking hard to do. Non-singers probably wouldn't notice, but it's like shifting your car from 5th to 2nd gear and back again without losing any speed. What it makes me wonder though is if Magni did it because he had to do it to hit those notes. If so, I think we may have just found the top of Magni's chest voice range, and it's not that far up there. If so, there's no way that Magni could have sung Creep, because you have to do it in full on chest voice - firewalling the throttle in 5th gear - or it simply doesn't work. Mr. Perfect actually does have his own brand of Krptonite.

Hmm...

Again, it's a real shame this won't be available for download.

I have to say I wasn't surprised by the five people who had to stand (Jill, Zayra, Patrice, Josh and Ryan) in preparation for the announcement of the bottom 3. Some might have been surpised by Ryan, but as I said about his performance yesterday - it was just a little too forced and left-fieldy. Maybe in his normal career the kind of theatrics he displayed on "Paint it black" are more common, but with his very staid wardrobe of dark t-shirts, ripped jeans and wallet chains - it came completely out of nowheres-ville. I didn't think most people would buy it, and they didn't. There's only room for one male freak-z-zoid in this contest, and Lukas is already it.

Jill was picked to sing for survival first and she did an appreciable version of "Respect" - but her claims that she "rocked it out" where nothing more than hype. Of anyone in this contest, she has the best pipes. She been able to handle Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson with ease. The only song she had a hard time with so far was Evanescence in week 2, but otherwise she's actually had a tendency to have more power than is really neccesary for the song - like on the Simple Minds song on week 4. This time she hit it out of the park vocally and as usual commanded the stage, but that wasn't where the problems were.

The first problem was the white-bread wannabe clusterfunk of an arrangement. Look, people - if you want to do funk and do it right the first think you have to do is slow... it....downnnnnn. Funky groves work off the counter-beats, the rythms between the downbeats and if things are too fast it simply doesn't groove and comes off as more punky than funky. If you happen to be a neo-punk outfit like the Chili Peppers that can work, but you have to commit to the punk. You can't half-ass it, and this was not even a quarter assed. More like flat-assed. It wasn't funky and it didn't come anywhere close to rocking. If you want to hear someone rock out an Aretha Franklin song, I'd suggest you listen to "Chain of Fools" by Little Caesar - which will rock your ass off and is also Funky as all get out. Or you could use the example of Bulletboys doing the O'Jay's "For the Love of Money" - and both of these songs are actually a lot like what Supernova is headed toward sounding like. Somewhat updated to be sure, but in that ballpark.

Let me point out that Aretha wasn't the first person to do "Respect", it was written and first performed by Otis Redding and his version is nothing like hers. She added the gospel tinge and the entire "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." with the backing vocals going "Sock it too me". Jill had a great opputunity to do something that was common last year, but almost no one has done so far this time, which is use the elimination song as an opputunity to show what they might sound like doing a Supernova-styled song. They now know what SN sounds like. Taking a cue from L-Ceasar of B-Boys reworking of classic R&B might have helped, but unfortunately Jill cluelessly pissed that chance away.

Next up was Josh, he decided to completely ignore the advice/warning from yesterday about hiding behind his guitar during a performance and decided to do it again, this time on a "Shooting Star" by Bad Company. Correction - Bad song choice. I mentioned yesterday that it's pretty difficult to rock and a guitar and sing, but it's not impossible. You just have to put some effort into it. One thing you can do is use a headphone mic like Britney Spears or Garth Brooks. Yeah, I know "Rocker's don't do that" - to which I have to say some rockers need to grow the F up. If it works, do it. Another option is to simply to dance while you play. I'm not saying do the "funky chicken", but just put don't just bob you head back and forth like Josh did - lean back, sway, swing your arms, spread your legs, stomp your feet - -fucking DO SOMETHING. You may not be able to move far, but you can move.

All this time they've been practically begging Josh to ROCK - damnit just ROCK willya - and he just refuses to do it. It's not like you have to lose "the soul", you don't. Eric Martin of Mr. Big has made that absolutely clear, and sure they may be mostly known for the acoustic ballad "To be with you" - that band used to really fucking ROCK, with Billy Sheehan on Bass, shred-master Paul Gilbert on guitar and Martin, whose career previously had been largely doing R&B and soul.

Third and last was Ryan, with his first appearance in the bottom three - just one week after he received the encore, which only goes to show that what SN digs isn't always what the fans dig. At this point it's not about individual performances, it's about the overall package and Ryan's slack jawed, sallow eyed Bill Joelish New Yorker thang isn't working for a lot of people. He's begun to show that he's a great singer, but he's just plain clumsy on stage. On this performance, which was an awesome reworking of Depeche Modes "Enjoy the Silence' was powerful and mezmerizing. This boy has been on fire since Week 4. He did here exactly what he needed to do - show Supernova how they might look and sound with Ryan leading them. In fact, I had a moment there while watching Ryan where I finally thought - "Holy Crap, this guy could win this thing!"

Yet again, it really sucks that you can't get these songs - because I really want this one - badly.

Unfortunately the only thing holding him back is the fact that he's a klutz, and I've finally figured out exactly how he could fix the problem. A now former friend of mine once dragged me kicking and screaming to see Dream Theater. And I F#&KING GOD D*#N HATE DREAM THEATER. He knew it, I've told him this many times - but I am generally a loyal friend and he had no one else who would go with him - and he really didn't care how I or most other people felt most of the time (Wonder why he's an "ex"? Wonder no more). So I went. Yeah, I was a dumbass. Now sure those guys can really play, and I appreciate guys who can play - but after the first 15-minutes opus it's about as interesting as watching people shove beams of wood into a chipper. I'd seen these guys ten years before and just couldn't take it - I may have paid for the tickets, but back then I walked out.

This time was no different (except that my ex-pal was paying this time - which goes to show just how desperate he was for company - anyones company), I spent most of the performance in the lobby hanging with the vendors, and noticing that most of the band photos had the singer standing waaaayyy in the back, like he was a hired hand or something. (Clue! He basically is and acts like it)

But before I went outside I figured out Dream Theater's biggest problem, their singer James Lebrie has the stage presence of squished gerbal that's just been rescued from Richard Gere's butt. Lebrie has a habit of aimlessly pacing the stage, back and forth - forth and back - while he sings. Even he looks bored, like he can't wait for his obligatory back-stage blowjob to begin. The worse part was made evident when Dream Theater's original singer stepped up for a song, and totally blew La Brie away. There was one simple thing he did that put him light-years beyond Jamie-boy, besides the fact that he doesn't whine when he sings, and that's the fact that when he moved around the stage - he did it in time with the music. In fact, everything he did was either in response to, or to emphasize something going on musically. It's just too bad their previous guy is a) balding and b) pot-bellied while Labrie is well-maned, slim, trim and as interesting to watch as roadkill on the interstate.

Ryan's got Labrie Syndrome(tm) - he stumbles around the stage like he's looking for his car keys or something, and he's always out of time with the song. Even Lukas's drunken stumbling is at least close to the beat -but Ryan literally looks lost, because musically- he is lost.



Still Ryan has got far too much juice after his last two performances - so tonights exiting hamsters were both Josh and Jill. I have to say - they had to go. They're both hopeless, and I don't care what Dave says - they're probably going nowhere after this. They have just peaked and it's all downhill from here.

Don't believe me? Who was the number 9 and 10 performer from Season Two of American Idol? And just remember, American Idol is much more popular than Rock Star. Unfortunately J&J just missed their oppurtunity to sign up for that show - auditions were held the day before they were released tonight, at the freaking Rosebowl. (By comparision The LA Rock Star Auditions had about 220 people - total)

Vyan

Rock Star : Week 6 Performances

Well, this was a week of surprises and not all of them pleasant.

First up was Dilana doing her version of The Who's "Won't get fooled again" with Gilby - and I have to say I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, Dilana was fine - but in nearly all of her performances so far she's been able to bring a special something to the performance. Something electric and chilling at the same time. This time - fffftt! Sure, she commanded the stage and had some nice interplay with Gilby, but it really didn't work for me. I honestly felt that Dana did a better job last week on The Who's "Baba O'Reilly" than Dilana did on this song. But maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was Gilby himself and his really lame Holiday Inn supporting vocals. Note to Supernova - Keep that man Away from a Microphone during performances.

That one moment just reminded me why Gilby was the number three guitar option in GnR. His one real claim to fame is being Izzy Stradlin's replacement. Sure he's had his own bands before and after that. He's had a solo career, but all in all Gilby is a major weak link in this band. If the band featured Slash or even Dave Navarro we'd been in an entirely different universe, but it doesn't. Gilby is a pedestrian guitar player, period. He's nice and dependable but he's no guitar hero (and no singer).

Kurt Cobain killed the guitar hero. Murdered them with all due malice of forethought (even more than his own suicide) and completely got away with the crime. It's not just Cobains anti-solo stance and his arguement that solos take too much attention away from the rest of the song (like being the lead singer didn't already attract attention) it's the fact that he made guitarists irrelevant. They became just some other guy in the band, they lost all their mystique and personality. You used to be able to recognize a guitarist by his playing in the pre-Cobain years -- but now can anyone but their most hardcore fans even name the guitarists in the top ten bands in the country? Who plays guitar for Linkin Park? What about Evanescence? Maroon 5? Coldplays guitarist is also their singer, so people know him (besides he's married to Goldie Hawn's daughter isn't he?) - but what if someone else played guitar in that band? And the only reason we know who plays guitar for Pink is because - he's on this show!

Gilby's a dinosaur, and not one from the top of the food chain - like T Rex. He's one of little ones that the T-Rex's ate as an appetizer. He's the one thing that makes me not really look forward to the future of Supernova, and this performance just proves it. I mean c'mon - he and the band were actually out of time with each other at the beginning of the song. How bush league is that?

Dave talked a ton of crap about "How could anyone follow Dilana?", especially when she was performing with Gilby -- normally I would agree, but this time Jill on the Tracy Bonham song was a revelation. She not only followed Dilana - she topped her. Without Gilby. Following her performance last week she's found a whole new level. Yes, we know she can scream in key and does it very well - but ever since she got clowned on "Don't You forget about me" she's learned how to harness all that power and focus it to where it's needed. This was by far her best performance to date. The way she handled the stage was perfect, not slutty - just total take command. She even avoided the fashion disasters of previous weeks. I'd say this performance has made Jill Elite except for the damage and deficit she has to overcome from previous weeks. If she'd begun the show with a performance like this one or "Alone" from last week - there would be no stopping her. Chances are though, she'll be off the show after tonight.

Josh's handling of the Interstate Love Song was admirable. He finally showed how his vocals can work in a rock context (not that that should really be a surprise, the underbase of all Rock is R&B). He looked confident and relaxed - even with Tommy playing behind him - but I do agree that picking up a guitar and singing with it can be very physically limiting. Some people who are extremely comfortable with their guitar playing can and will run all over the stage and dash back to the microphone to sing, but that requires a song with enough of a musical intro or interlude for you to have time to get back and forth. Too many of the hamsters who pick up guitars (and hardly seem to freaking PLAY THEM -- grrrr) are content to just stand behind the microphone and strum. Dull as dishwater that is.

Ryan doing "Paint it Black" was - interesting. It seems like he's picked up fashion and theatrical tips from Lukas circa episodes 2 (black racoon eye makeup) and Dilana episode 1 (Dark hood over the head until the song kicks in). Obviously what they've done has worked for them, but does it also work for Ryan? It seems like a desperate ploy to literally cop other performers schtick while they're watching. It's either crazy or crazy like a fox - I'm not sure which. Other than that, his vocals have been stellar since he did the the Live song, but I still have problems with his stage presence. He's doesn't look comfortable or graceful. It's a bit like watching a drunken footballer try to slamdance and missing the floor. The man is just plain clumsy. The SN guys didn't seem to notice any of that - so whatever. It's not likely he'll be in the b3 this week.

Patrice is probably not long for this show. Her vocals always sound so stiff and over managed - way too much vocal training and it shows. She's just plain boring. She had managed to overcome that a couple weeks back, but this time she choose to do what Josh did - hide behind a guitar for her performance of - heck I can't even remember what she did. Fuck it.

Storm on "We are the Champions" was simple, elegant and killer. She had no problem with the vocals that turned JD into a simpering twit begging to switch with Jordis last year. Her stage persence is always killer, she just commands full and erect attention at all times. (yes, that was a single entrendre). Technically she did have some problems with a few of the odd intervals in the song. As a singer I notice she tended to miss the downward slide to the note for the word "are", but it's only a minor quibble. She's never been note perfect, but more than close enough for Rock N Roll. The thing that she did tonight to kick things into another level is she took advantage of her ability to ad lib and harmonize. From listening to her songs I know that she loves to layer her own voice in the studio and that she usually comes up with really killer secondary melodies which she stacks on top of the original line -- well tonight she did that. Where JD used the audience last year to cover up the fact that he couldn't hit the notes on this song - Storm used the audience (and the House Band) to JAM a solo vocal on top of the primary melody. It's what a lead guitarist would do - back in the days when bands actually HAD lead guitarists (ok, ok, enough on that rant). That was smooth.

And the comment at the end about "Spanking the Crap" out of SN on a future heavy rocking song wasn't a threat - it was a promise. And again smooth to steal some of Z sexual teasing away from her. Spank me Mama... spank me. I've been a bad, bad boy.

Z - doing all the young dudes in a Gold Alien Jumpsuit, platform stacks and a Top Hat. If I didn't have it on DVR I wouldn't believe it. I'm going to miss Miss Freak-a-zoid when she's gone. One good thing, wearing those platforms kept her from spazzing out on stage. I suppose she's was trying to do a "70's glam thang" this since this was a Mott the Hoople song (All the Young Dudes), but she completely misinterpreted what the song was about. It's a pissed off tune, and her performances was like seeing Celine in Vegas. It was a nightclub act. Next up - Donny and Marie doing "Major Tom" by David Bowie. Y'know, if Z ever bothered to work on her voice - particularly her diction - as much as she obviously starves and barfs, then does everything she can to show off that boney ass of hers, she might actually be a great singer. Yeah, I know that great singers are dime a dozen, and with AI tryouts this week their stock is falling rapidly, but it's obvious that she does all this that shes covering for her vocal weaknesses - of which there are many. She deserved to get dropped from this competiton weeks ago, I mean - I can't imagine how any of her act works with a band like Supernova. They'd be - fuck - they'd be a glam band! Unlike a lot of people, I don't have a problem with glam bands -- but just look at the shit the guys in Damnocracy gave Sebastian Bach for his spandex jumpsuit? The SN guys dropped Matt like a flaming spud when he did one 80's glam band song - so they can't keep this up forever. Z is obviously good for ratings, but not for Supernova. Either way she's not leaving this week IMO. It'll probably be Patrice.

Magni doing a solo acoustic Live song - Just - FUCKING - KILLED IT. He totally murdered that shit. This is what a signed artists sounds like. This was not amatuer hour, this was not dress-up fun with Z and Ryan - he just sang the crap out of that song. That was a hit single right there. This guy has been around block more than a few times, and the pure quality of his performances are always there. There's no doubting that he could front this band, but the question is the same that faced Miggy last year. Is he too - nice? He's a family man, with responsibilties and obligations. Although Tommy does have kids of his own the SN boys - at least Tommy and Gilby - come from what I used to call Gutter Rock. Music made by people who quite literally had been living in the gutter just a few weeks, or possibly hours before. People that had nothing else going on in their lives and made Rock music because they had to for their own survival and sanity. They lived on the edge, and sometimes fell off of it.

Magni is not that guy. That guy is Lukas. And this performance Lukas may have just sealed the deal with SN. Jason's been on him about his vocals - with good reason - for weeks. As was shown during the Reality show, Dilana thought she could strategize him into undermining himself by suggesting he do the Radiohead song "Creep". Clearly she thought he wouldn't be able to open up his throat and pull it off -- but he did. Just barely. He was shaky during the head-voice portion of the song just before it kicked into full on scream mode. Singing in your head-voice is skill you have to practice. It doesn't happen that much in Rock (unless you're in Coldplay), but he got through it. The irony is that he should have really attacked those last notes the way that Jill does. When I first heard this song Thom York reminded me of Bono when he got to the end of the song - he was screaming his fool head off -- but Lukas didn't. He skirted through the first part of the scream and cut off the ending notes, but managed to include them on the second go round to redeem himself. Again he just barely pulled it off, but he's got so much credit in the bank from the songwriting challenge and other events in the show I'm not sure how anyone else is going to catch up to him. This job is his to lose.

Toby's version of "Burning Down the House" was a bit manic and - well - weird. It's seems like everybody is desperate to create some theatrics in their performance. (Isn't this what Ty was constantly - and falsely - accused of last year?) I don't know, at certain point on this stuff coming from guys who don't do it naturally - like Ryan - just comes off as calculated. They know they've got to compete with Dilana and Storm and Lukas - and Z - so they now they feel they have to do something shocking and crazy to get attention. It's like watching someone try to overdo their makeup at a whore convention - it's a mess. And did this guy not watch any of this show last year? Doesn't he know that Mr.Gimmick from last year pulled the exact same deal with the bull horn? Yes, Dave it's been done - JD did it. (That was after he copied Me, First and the Gimme Gimme's version of "California Dreaming", gave "Hand in my pocket" a Bo Diddley enema and then actually dared to borrow melodies directly from Michael Hutchens for the song writing challenge) Enough already. Do what you do best, not what other people do.

Vyan

Rock Star Supernova : Week 6 Reality

It's really a shame that this portion of the show isn't being put on broadcast tv because it gives quit e a bit of insight into the behind the scenes action. As far as I know Rock Star was the first show to offer it's competition phase and reality phase as seperate sets of episodes.

This week the Rockers received gifts, starting with a set of Gibson electric guitars. Technically these are the second set of guitars they've received - the first was a set of Epiphone acoustic guitars during Week 1 for each of the rockers.

Putting myself in their shoes at the time I was thinking - "Acoustic"? Is this a Rock band or what? I've never been a fan of Epiphone guitars (I usually pronounce it "Epi- phoney" or "E-piffony") Blech. Now the electrics they received this time are much cooler, including some Les Paul's and flying "V"s. Real Guitars. Gibson's never been my thing, I've been more into Yamaha, Musicman and PRS - but if ya handed me a Gibson I wouldn't piss on it. Epiphone? Oh yeah - get ready to unzip , but Gibson's are all right with me.

Yes, I am a guitar snob -- with good reason. Bad guitars make bad music. After 20 years I've gotten to the point that I won't even touch most of what Guitar Center has hanging on the walls. Nearly all of them : Total Shiite.

But a new guitar isn't all they received, Magni had a pair of vistors. His wife and infant son from Iceland. He pretty much lit up like a Christman tree when they arrived.

Not long after that heartwarming moment Gilby arrived on his Harley and notified everyone that they were going to be writing the lyrics and melody for an original Supernova track on their own. Starting today and finishing in 24 hours.

The different performers each handled the challenge and pressure in their own way. Storm went running while listening to the track, Lukas took 15 minutes and knocked it out, Dilana stressed and struggled over getting her lyrics just right - but the one person with the greatest difficulty was Ryan who was still working on his song at 2 a.m.

I'm not sure if it was part of his "game strategy", but Lukas was certainly making life difficult for Ryan by intruding on his songwriting and repeatedly doing his version of the tune while Ryan was still working on his own lyrics. Like Rude, man.

When the time came to perform their version of the new song for the band, Ryan - although he'd struggled - produced a good strong version. Jason noted that his vocals cut right through the music, which is true - and something that he seemed to have a problem accomplishing with the house band. In most of his performances their sound tends to squash him, which is why his solo piano performance last week stood out - we could finally hear him.

Various Suave Porn comments - Jill oversang her version, Storm does everything "big" and was very melodic, Dilana's lyrics were "hookey" and unmemorable. "Good girls and Dirty boys getting together on the hill..." or somesuch. The one person who seemed to "Kill it" in Supernova's words was Lukas. "He really seems to understand where we're going musically".
That's going to give him lots and lots of credits in the SN bank, hopefully he won't spend them all in one place.

We didn't get to hear what most of the other rockers versions where like, and I for one am glad. I'm not sure I could sit through another Zayeeda yip-fest without lots of sparkly objects and lights to hypnotize me into a stupor. Her just standing there singing, is a horror too great to contemplate. Whew.

Next up was song selection which included Radiohead's "Creep" and the Who's "Won't get fooled again" (featuring Gilby on guitar). Dilana took command at this point grabbing the Gilby's song for herself - to surprisingly little opposition. Then making a strategic move by suggesting Creep for Lukas. "If he can't open up his throat and sing this song - he shouldnt' be here".

I'm not sure if I agree with that - this actually isn't a singing contest like American Idol. The best singer doesn't win, which was made abundantly clear last year. JD crashed and burned on hsi most difficult vocal song "We are the Champions", but in the end it makes no difference if the band he's actually trying out for isn't going to be writing songs like that. Supernova certainly isn't planning to do a Radiohead. This is a move that could backfire on Dilana. If Lukas pulls it off - he eliminates his vocal limitations as being an issue. If he doesn't - it still doesn't really matter all that much considering how much the SN boys like the way he sings their songs.

Final visual delight from the Webisode, the House Band kicking the Rockers butts at Basketball. Maybe they should have played against the girls?

Priceless.

Vyan

Rock Star : Week 5 Elimination

Well, that wasn't really a shocker.

The encore this time went to Ryan, who had pretty much killed and skinned it last night during the performance show with "Losing my Religion". I've been calling that song "Losing my Lunch" for years now but Ryan made it go down smooth. During this stripped down performance you could finally hear the quality of his voice, which has been largely covered up by the band so far. I'm not so sure he's going to be able to parley this performance into future elite-ness because I think the next time the house band cranks up they're going to yet again swallow Ryan whole and spit him out. But at least he got this one brief moment in the spotlight before becoming a lunchable again.

The bottom 3 this time weren't surprising. I didn't expect to see Zayra perform this time, her fanbase has grown too strong, even if she did release a petulant "of course" when she briefly had to stand while they listed those people who were briefly among the b3 during the night. For once she was actually wearing an appropriate outfit - no dayglow, no spandex superhero uniform, no bikini wax needed - this time she was sporting black gloves and black eyeshadow.
But no, were didn't get to see her sing and shimmy for survival again - no crazy dancing, and no hiccup vocals this time out.

The main limitation Zayra has, which I really haven't really seen anyone bring up, is the fact that her accent is so strong it actually affects her vocals. It causes her to clip of her words and phrases abruptly and akwardly. It's a real bad habit and I doubt she'll be able to fix it. We've already had the vocal clinic.

Anyway, on to people who actually were in the b3 - first up was Jill who did a fanstastic job on the Heart song "Alone". This is a song that needs a certain amount of vulnerability in the performance, and that's something that Jill hasn't shown yet. It's been all bombast, but she hasn't been able to show the proper amount of taste and sensitivity to the needs of the songs. She's been ALL JILL - ALL THE TIME, or else she's been channeling and emulating someone else - either Tina Turner on Mescaline or Courtney Love on - well, whatever it is that Courtney takes - and for once she wasn't. She was sweet. There are moment in this song where you have to basically bellow - but they're fairly restrained. Jill has proven that she has great pipes, and now she's shown that she actually has some control. Good job. She still has a long - long way to go with her constant excuse making and whining and simply not getting it - but this was a vast improvement.

Patrice did well too, but not as well as she has in her last couple performances. She's still learned how to bring it, but this time her performance of just seemed listless. Maybe she was intimidated by Jill's turnaround, maybe it was just nerves or fatigue - but she backslide a bit back into Boring!Patrice. That's not a good sign girlfriend, and hopefully won't continue - but we're well past the point where individual performances will make or break someone. It's the totatality that matters now - and although Patrice has certainly stepped up since "My Iron Long" she has to maintain it each and everytime to work off the deficit of her first few performances. This one didn't do her much credit.

Speaking of the totality of performances I have to address the Lukas issue. Yes, he probably should have been in the B3 based on how badly he fubar'd "Celebrity Skin", but that simply wasn't going to happen. At least to his credit, he knew it and was willing to admit it. But just like last year - certain people aren't going into the b3 even when they desperately deserve it (like Jordis' version of "Dream on") after a really bad performance. Oh well.

Last up tonight was Dana, whose clearly improved massively and bloomed from a little Country Flower into a Rocker Chick. She's learned how to crutch not on crazy outfits and hair - but on her ability to project the song which is impressive to behold. But it still wasn't enough compared to Jill and Patrice. As the "Suave Porn" guys stated, she just had too far still to go in the few weeks they have left. Whoever wins this gig has to be able to hit the ground running at full speed and keep it up for the next year and half straight. Dana isn't ready yet, but she will be.

We said goodbye to her and it was very bittersweet.

This year there have been both Jill's exit and this one which have shown a ton of class and maturity. Even Tommy pointed it out.

Both of these stand in stark contrast to Ty's exit last year, and his glaring return. Even though I found both Jill and Dana's departure inspiring in their depth and graciousness - I can't neccesarily find any contempt for Ty's tearful and bitter exit last season.

And before anyone gives me any shit about that apparent contradiction - I've already got a ready Rant on Deck!

The truth is that their situations are not the same. Ty went from being a major front-runner and contender with a stage presence that was probably too big for that group (they would have become the TY TAYLOR Band featuring INXS) to be shunned by the audience for speaking the truth. He was absolutely correct to state that there are fewer successful black artists in rock than you can count on one hand. I've checked. Twice.

The reason that it's important is because black people invented Rock N Roll. Everything that people call ROCK originally came from Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Fat Domino and Ike Turners original band who recorded the first "Rock N Roll" song Rocket 88 in the early 50's. From All Music.com

In 1951, the Kings of Rhythm traveled to Memphis to record at Sam Phillips' Sun studio. Their original tune "Rocket 88" (actual authorship is still disputed) was recorded with a lead vocal by sax player Jackie Brenston, and as a result was released under the name Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, not Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm. "Rocket 88" zoomed to the top of the R&B charts and is today regarded by many critics as being quite possibly the first true rock & roll record.

Yes, there were also people right there at the beginning like Buddy Holly and Richie Valens(uela). But the influence of black artists on rock was undeniable. They called it "Race Music". When Elvis dared to perform it it caused riots - not simply because of his turbo charged hips (which he picked up from people like Chuck Berry) but because everybody knew where the music came from. Black people.

Black artist completely dominated Rock until the British artists like the Beatles, the Animals and the Rolling Stones showed up and began to mine the roots of black rock and blues without watering it down the way the White-bread American artists such as Elvis, Ricky Nelson or Pat Boone had. "Tootie Fruitie" is not a Pat Boone song - it's Little Richard. "Twist and Shout" wasn't written by the Beatles - it was written and first recorded by the Isley Brothers.

Gradually rock was stolen from black people - song by song. The executives at the record labels realized they could only sell so many copies of this music with a black face on the cover - but have somebody like Elvis do it and things would go through the roof. Elvis in fact, never wrote a song - ever. He may be the "King of Rock and Roll" but he never would have got there without the help of others - mostly black people.

I can't say that black people didn't help this take place - they capitulated. They could see the direction of the industry, the incredible invasion not just coming from England, but also from American/White artists who previously would have been drawn and quartered (as Elvis nearly was) for doing that Nigger music. (Yes, they called it that - calm down) But once the Beatles did it - it was safe. It was cool. The floodgates were open and black artists were about to be drowned (just like in New Orleans). So they swam for higher ground - they run to the hills - to R&B, to Funk and eventually to Hip-Hop. So the story isn't all bad, that's true, but they left behind part of themselves, part of their heritage - part of their culture. It's something that they'll always be a part of and in many ways - still belongs to them. Rock is about freedom, and nobody was screaming for freedom louder than black people during the '50s and '60s. Rock was their tool, and it's one they could - and should use again.

But now in 2005-2006 you honestly can NOT count more than five successful black artists in rock. There's basicaly Lenny Kravits and um... Lenny Kravitz. According to the RIAA database you have to go back five years and include not just Platinum albums but Gold (500,000 copies) to be able to include a band like Sevendust. You have to go back more than ten years to get to Terrence Trent D'arby who hasn't had a hit record since 1995 (and that one only hit #178 on the Bilboard Top 200). The fifth black rock band - isn't even considered black rock because hardly anyone knows that Tom Morello is black and that's a two-fer with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. If you go back almost 20 years you can pick up number six with Living Colour whose first record Vivid was released in 1987, and number seven with Guns N Roses featuring Slash (whose half black like Lenny).

And it's not like there aren't black people out their trying hard to get into Rock. Tom and I were both members of the Black Rock Coalition in the early 90's - before he formed RATM. At the time he was in a band called Lock Up, who were originally signed to Geffen for a multi-album deal. When the first record didn't take off like a rocket and they were accused of being a "Chili Peppers rip off" - which they weren't - Geffen voided the contract and told them - "Sue us - if you can find the money to do it".

During the 90's I saw that story played out repeatedly. It happened to Cree Summer when her original band Subject to Change released their first album and were abruptly dropped due to a "Management change". It happened to former Arrested Development vocalist Dionne Farris who practically had to go to war with her own label over some of the tracks on her debut album which had a more "rock" sound. Eventually she scored a top ten hit with the rock tinged song "I Know" in 1994. They wanted her to be more like Mariah, more like Whitney - more bland, more POP - more "black". She refused and her career has basically gone nowhere since that time.

People forget that Ty has clearly been through the exact same experience as Tom, Cree and Dionne. He was a member of signed band - Dakota Moon - that managed to score a Top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary Charts and tour with Tina Turner in 1997. But Dakota Moon wasn't just another R&B band - they had Rock Songs too. But somehow only two or three of those songs over the course of several records were ever released, almost like there was a quota or something. It was just like Dionne Farris, and just like Cree Summer who had to essentially abandon rock to make the labels happy and start doing R&B - cuz that's what black folk do now. Hendrix is dead - where's the hit single? Can we play it on Black Radio? What's with this guitar shit?

So when Ty had his eventually melt down - I knew exactly where he was coming from, that was ten years of frustration with record label bullshit erupting all at once, and although he may have shown a lack of class and composure - he said something that needed to be said particuarly on national tv.

This country (and several others really are racist, in many ways and on many levels. It's not always deliberate, it's not always malevolent - but it's there in the way people perceive and preconcieve each other. It's in how they can or can't "See" someone fronting this band or that band. It's in how labels fail to take a chance on a "different" artist, how they fail to take the risk and ultimately fail to see the benefits of that courage - meanwhile the status quo remains.

Dana and Jill have the luxury of being young, attractive, female and yes - white. But it's not going to be easy for them, they'll still have to crawl over broken glass to create real careers for themselves - and no I don't consider singing backup for Pink to be a real career - BEING PINK is a real career.

However neither of them is going to have to fight through the last 40 years of bullshit that someone like Ty has to deal with. Then again, he could always just cave-in and be a good little black boy and "go back to R&B" - or Vegas. He could capitulate like many other black people have had to.

Somehow I doubt he's going to do that. So good luck to him, and good luck to them - they all need it.

Vyan

(P.S. Many of the artists I mention in this rant are included on the T2P radio station, as well as other black rock groups such as RA, King's X, Fishbone, Skindred, Kilswitch Engage, Mother's Finest, 24-7 Spyz, Bad Brains, Skunk Anansie and Urban Dance Squad -- it's not like they aren't out there, if you know where to look for them)