Album review: Halestorm -A Strange Case of...-

I had high hopes for A Strange Case of...after hearing the single "Here's to Us."  While I've enjoyed everything I've heard from Halestorm and have gushed in excess about Lzzy Hale's powerful voice, I find that Halestorm can be limited in their subject matter and tone, what got me interested in A Strange Case of... was that "Here's to Us" had a softer feel without losing Halestorm's signature powerhouse feeling. I was disappointed to find that the vast majority of the album was the same vitriolic, in your face, stuff we heard on the debut album. While, the band itself is very talented and Lzzy hale has a fearless attitude and powerful voice, Halestorm is regrettably  limited in their range of subjects and tone.

As a stand alone piece the album is wonderful. Fierce attitude with strong vocals and solid guitar work. The drummer is also very good and fills out the few holes in their sound. The album's few slower numbers are sexy and the more up beat songs are positively vicious. I love it on it's own

However, when held up against the rest of Halestorm's discography  it becomes redundant, if   a fun breakup album. There is a little more of a reconciliatory tone in "Here’s To Us" but beyond that its the same stuff we've heard before.

4/6

Speed Reviewing: Lana del Rey, Eli Leib, Halestorm

People send me music, often by the truckload. (At my request, I love nothing quite as much as finding new cool music, and subsequently sharing it with all of you) Because my friends know me, the music ranges from “this is hilariously bad” to “this is amazing” and hits all the points in between. It’s a point of pride for me not to be genre biased, so It also spans an insane number of styles.

In the sprit of keeping this place active I’m going to start reviewing that stuff, from the terrible to the amazing. Even if it’s older.

Ladies and gents, you’ve seen speed dating now: Speed Reviewing.

First up today:

Eli Lieb-3.5/6

Some of my favorite youtube gems are covers, Lieb is no exception. I stumbled onto Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” (reviewed below) and I took a shine to Lieb’s more energetic, innocent take on the song. Add to that Katy Perry’s “Firework” and I was interested enough to check out his original work . His voice is lovely, if a little plain. In his covers, i find his ability to simultaneously bring his own interpretation to the song and respect the emotion involved in the original refreshing. It is all to common to see an artist either cover a song verbatim how it was originally sung or in a “unique’ way with does not respect the original artist’s presentation of the song. I find the former boring and the later an insult. Lieb balances his covers nicely.

His interoperation of Rebecca Black’s Friday is priceless. Just priceless.

Leib’s original work is night and day different from his covers. More instrumental and fairly innovative, despite tis pop sound. Lieb takes full advantage of electronic media to synthesize instrumentation that cannot otherwise be made in a one man set up. He also use layered recording to simulate other vocals. However, unlike most artists who do so, he uses the exact same vocalizations with both layers most of the time, consequently I find it a bit excessive and distracting.

In that vein, I find his use of auto-tune unnecessary and obnoxious. He already has a very nice voice and altering it is only detrimental. Its not even used to deliberately distort the vocals, so all that I  notice is a very sleigh tininess.

The instrumentation is cohesive throughout the enter album, without making all of the songs sound the same. Rather the album sounds like one continuous song with a lot of variation. Excepting one song it is fluid and smooth. This creates a double edged sword. ON the one hand, it create for a consistent sound and style, on the other hand, none of the songs jump out at me, exempt the one stylistic diversion me toned.

I would encourage him to explore the more minimal approach that he uses in his covers as occaiosnally he adds a little to much to the instrumentation.

Lyrically, Lieb is hit or miss, the songs the are strong are sexy, haunting and just plain wonderful, the others are less than mediocre and as redundant as the bad parts of pop get. I wish that element was more consistent, because it can really work well.

I think with a little more polish and honing he could be the next big pop thing.

Next we have:

Lana Del Rey(4/6) Born to Die

I actually paused when I heard Del Rey’s sultry, muted voice for the first time. It is not a sound you hear often, especially not today. There is a weight to her voice that you don’t see often in modern music. More reminiscent of a 30s jazz singer than of a modern day chart toper Del Rey brings an at once smooth and fatalistic sound with otherwise upbeat lyrics that call your attention not by grabbing, but with a firm, gentle pull.

In particular, “Born to die” would be one of those upbeat,  “you can do anything” songs that are so common on the radio. Instead, it is a muted look back at a dangerous, painful time.

Lyrically, Del Rey has a bit of a pop sound to her, but what makes her investing is that the same lyrics at a faster tempo would be inspirational, almost happy. Instead, we have a resigned, sorrowful album that touches deep beneath the veins. Rather than the typical nostalgia for teenager-hood it is a resigned look back at the stupidity that comes with that age. It feels like something terrible happened, but it was so long ago that the pain has dulled.

The instrumentation is cinematic and polished with minimal layering and a surprising complexity. It complements Del Rey’s contralto stylings without being overpowering or being overpowered.

One more:

Halestorm (new single, album review no doubt forthcoming) 5/6

I confess I’d grown a little disillusioned with Halestorm. I love them, don’t misunderstand me, but I’ve seen them five times and things were feeling a little repetitive. The vitriolic ex-lover songs are only really powerful so many times.

As I said before, It may haven been one hell of a trick, but Halestorm still felt like a one trick pony.

“Here’s to us,” still holds that country-rock flare and gutsy voice Lzzy Hale is known for, but brings a softer edge and happiness that we don’t see on earlier albums. I have no doubt The Strange Case of…. will have the same sass and ferocity we’ve seen in Halestorm time and again, but perhaps we’ll get a little more depth with our vitriol.

Next up: Mona Mona; Halestorm Hello, it’s Mz. Hyde (EP)

Summerfest2010: Saliva, Adelitas Way, Sick Puppies, Halestorm

Venue/Event (Summerfest (warning: flash heavy), Milwaukee, WI): Why I’m Spoiled for Life on Music Festivals (4/5)

I’ve been going to Summerfest most years since since1998.
Summerfest is, easily the best music festival I’ve been to. It claims to be the world’s largest music festival, and at least in the midwest, I’ve not found anything that even comes close in capacity, length, or quality. Eleven stages, eleven nights, at the peak of the Midwestern summer it runs from noon to midnight. If you’ve never been and you can get to Milwaukee next June, go. It is the best music in the Midwest.


The best part, unless you’re at the ‘main stage’ at the Marcus Amphitheater, it’s 15$ a day for evenings or 8$ for afternoons. Period.

The main stage acts are killer. Such acts this year included, Justin Beiber, Rush, and Tom Petty. However, in the evening you will get things that are just as good on the free stages. In addition to what I saw this year, some highlights were: The Offspring, Papa Roach, Joan Jett, and Sheryl Crow, just to name a few. There is no assigned seating in the free stages either so if you’re willing to camp you can get as close as you want to these bands..

There’s also the food. You can get the standard midwestern festival food like roasted corn, funnel cake, and cotton candy, but you can also head to the ethnic food court for Thai, Mexican, and German. For festival food its not badly priced.

There’s also extensive shopping. Local artists and artisans come to Summerfest to sell their work and you can find shops for everything from clothes to incense to palm readings.

There are also booths for video game systems and a large section for children including several inflatable castles, face painting and more.

In case you overheat, they have an air-conditioned area as well as the first aid tent and information booths.

And on 3 July they have fireworks


Most years I go more but this year my wallet couldn’t take it quite as much so I only went two days.

So unbelievably worth it


Day one (6/28): Warm up on a Cold Day.

Crowd: (3/5) typical, tired festival crowd. Not a lot of energy but still willing to give what they had left for the band.

Saliva: Click, Click Superstar, pt. 2 (2/5)
I’d been curious about Saliva as the few songs I did have of theirs were solid and I enjoyed them quite a bit.

Little did I know that I would be hearing one of them over and over throughout the show.

I stood up to see the act, hopped up on my bench, and prepared for a long anticipated chance to cut loose and head bang.

Saliva came out and tried to pump the crowd, I rocked a little but as they played something just wasn’t working. Then they played their big number “Click, Click, Boom!” The crowd woke up and we rocked.

Then as the next few numbers played and the got to “Superstar, II” that’s when it hit me. Every, single song with the exception of their one other hit “Always” had the same cord progression as “Click, Click, Boom!” I thought I had to be mistaken, so I tried a little experiment and softly sang “Click, Click, Boom!” under my breath. Sure enough, same song.

Redundancy is lethal to any good band, but sometimes the live show can still be good if the energy is strong. Not so once again. It was as though front man Joesy Scott was miming a concert. He had the approximate energy of a piece of lint. He acted as though he had energy but it fell flat

While it was lovely to hear “Always” and Click Click boom, the show it self was a bit of a waste.

Okay I’m sick of listening to click click boom, next band

Day 2(July 4th): Its too frikin’ hot.

The Crowd (3/5) a little more lively than yesterday’s crowd but I attribute that to Sick Puppies amazing performance.


Adelitas Way: Survive, Dirty little thing. (3/5)
I nabbed their debut album when I saw them last year with Theory of A Dead man and while I had to hop out mid set to get Halestorm’s autographs, it was a nice listen. They’ve grown up a little and I very much look forward to new material. Hearing “Dirty Little Thing“ never gets old. On seeing them a second time they are really growing on me as an up and coming dirty little rock band. I’m keeping this review short as truthfully I only heard about two or three songs and one was a cover of “Survive.”


Sick Puppies: Wake Up The Festival (5/5)

If you pick up one new band this year, pick these guys up. I predict that they will explode in the next year or two. Wonderfully energetic and very talented this Australian born LA based band comes on with an intensity I’ve only really seen in a metal show. They got a hot, tired festival crowd to move, scream and head bang. Considering they weren’t the final act of the evening and that by a show of hands about half the crowd hadn’t seen them before that was a feat.

Front man Shimon Moore has an interesting range, which isn’t expressed as well on the album as it is live. He’s predominantly a tenor, but throws out some grunts and gravely low notes that smolder. He also has incredible energy and a great deal of drive. Not only was he constantly in motion but also, he was constantly encouraging the crowd, priming them and reacting to them. I find even energetic artist can often be flummoxed by an unanticipated crowd reaction, not Shim (as his fans and band mates call him), Shim rolled with even the unexpected reactions. I think that shim alone could have the energy to work an arena, though he sometimes isn’t spot on in choosing the songs to pump the crowd for. That will come with practice.

But, this isn’t the Shimon Moore show.

Bassist Emma Anzai, could also have brought down an arena all by her self. She is a slim little thing, and soft voiced who at first look doesn’t look as though she could carry, let alone play the bass she hammers.
Using both slap bass and plucking, Anzai is on fire on stage. She has a fierce presence not often seen or heard from the bass. She brings out an element you don’t see often in rock shows these days: mind blowing bass solos.

Sick Puppies are far from a one trick pony, in addition to their throttling, head banging rock; they also have songs that are poignant romances that speak to every man.

Halestorm(4/5): One Good Trick from a One Trick Pony
I love Halestorm, but seeing them as the last act didn’t hold up the way I thought it would. Lzzy hale is breathtaking, and has wonderful energy and a voice like none other, but it was very hard for them to follow sick puppies. Which was a little disappointing, considering how much I love theses people.

That being said, what I saw of their set was still as epic as ever. I think they need new material because all of their songs are breakup songs.

I still have faith in them. They are a truly amazing band. However, I think I’ll let my other reviews of their work speak for their talent.

Album Review: Halestorm(self-titled)

Halestorm(self titled) 4/5

I've gushed about this little band(particularly their front woman, Lzzy Hale)  multiple times. Sexy, hard edged, but still feminine, I don't think there's much Lzzy Hale couldn't do if she set her mind to it.

The album itself, like the band, is a powerhouse. Strong guitar work coupled with vocals like I've seen in no other band of this generation. The lyrics are fearless and sexually charged. Finally, the music scene has a woman who isn't afraid to be sexual without being obscene. The album has a running theme of strength and danger. Between the pained"Familiar Taste of Poison"  and the white hot anger of "It's Not You," Halestorm demonstrates stylistic variety without betraying the underlying tone of the album.

Highlights:
It’s Not You (linked above)-- Its the opening song, and what an opener. It's an attention grabbing, fierce rock song that inspires defiance and tells the listener very clearly "read my finger."

Innoncence-- -- an interesting reversal of the classing man-takes-woman's-virginity, story this song is about the conflict of a woman taking someone's virginity.

Familiar Taste of Poison (also linked above)-- This bitter lullaby demonstrates Halestorm's range of style wonderfully. I think its also a feeling a lot of people have experienced-- the desire to stay with a toxic relationship.


Dirty Work: This song made me grin, this song is an aggressive song that could only be about one thing--sexual dominance

In short, I still have nothing but good things to say about this band. Wonderfully bitter, sexy and talented. My only hope is that they come back to Chicago soon.

Theroy of a Deadman w/ Halestorm, Adelita's way, and Taking Dawn at the House of Blues Chicago.

 Venue: See my previous review of  House of Blues, Chicago. 

The Crowd: (3/5) Like much of the night, took a little warming up but was fun, and gave a good energy.

First Opener--Taking Dawn (3/5) Front man, Chris Babbitt's rocker attitude, and the fact that they had major technical difficulties gave them a very slightly higher score in my book.  Taking Dawn has A fun sound reminiscent of 80s hair metal, lots of audience engagement, despite being the first of four bands on the docket. Very energetic, great for an opener.  Sadly we only heard three songs.

Second Opener--Adelitas Way (3/5): Adelitas Way was a very pleasant surprise to both me and the rest of the crowd. Despite being the second band of four, they supercharged the audience. Performing with the same energy and professionalism as a headlining band. Many opening bands try to get the audience to respond without success, but with the momentum gained by Taking Dawn, Adelitas Way kept a strong energy going.  Front man Ricky DeJesus was not only easy on the eyes, but preformed very strongly and had a surprising voice. The music was bold, energetic, and fun. There was also a nice verity in the songs, ranging from the angry  "My Derailment," to the pining "Last Stand" by way of the unrepentant "Dirty Little Thing."   Good work on their part, however, i don't know that they've hit their stride yet.  I'm very much looking forward to seeing them headline  in the future.

Third Opener-- Halestorm  (4/5)  As with my previous review of Halestorm, I have nothing but good things to say about this little band.  Lzzy Hale has a bold, fierce presence and  a voice like nothing I've ever heard  before. I don't think that her recorded work does it justice.  Her live rendition of It's Not You is, frankly, one of the sexiest things I've seen in a very long time.   Despite the fact that the majority of their songs are breakup numbers,  this band is not a one trick pony, we go from  this bold rejection song, to  the bittersweet, Familiar Taste of Poison.  I won't neglect the rest of the band, who has improved immensely since last show . Well balanced and  clear sounding guitar work, is complemented by intense drum work.  Drummer Arejay  Hale played a mind blowing solo about 3/4 through the set.
  Even with this bitter anger on stage, in person Lzzy is  the most gracious woman I've ever met. Genuine, and kind, she took a moment to speak directly with every fan at the signing.  The rest of her band, were also very freidnly,  one of them even recognized me which was a nice touch.  Halestorm contunes to improve, and has once again given the show their all.

Main Act-- Theory of A Deadman (3/5).  A band that makes you want to grab a beer and chill with friends, TOAD as they are called by fans, has a solid sound.   Having only heard a handful of their songs, all from their 2005 album Gasoline I was interested to see what they'd done since 2005.  They haven't  changed  at all.  Good music, rather relaxing for a rock show. Front man, Tyler Connely has a  pleasantly gravely voice, that brings forward a consistent series predominantly breakup songs(or alternatly, the "I got broken up with" songs) with a consistent sound,  lots of fun and a decent energy.

However, there was a lot of predictability in their sound. Many of the songs sounded the very similar weather they came from the first album (self titled, 2001) or their  newest (Scars and Souvenirs, 2009) While  Scars and Souvenirs is a little more cleaned up, it honestly isn't anything new.  While a dececnt band,  they do not seem to push to improve.

Upcoming reviews:
The Academy is...
(album) Adelita's way (self titled)
(album) Halestorm (self-titled)

Staind with Shinedown, Chavelle and Halestorm

The Venue (Congress Theater, Chicago IL; (3/5)— A little out of the way of where most concerts are, my friend and I wound up taking a cab for fear of getting lost. Though it’s only a few blocks from a blue line stop.
Upon entering, it feels like you’ve stepped into a theater, rather than a concert venue. While the first “seating tier” has been gutted to accommodate a dance floor/pit area, the rest of the building still looks and feels very much like a theater complete with marble floors and a huge domed ceiling reminiscent of the pantheon in Rome. The balcony levels even still have red carpet. The stage also has some odd left over aspects of its theater days including the lighting system, which could be lowered after the show for easy adjustment/ clean up.

One thing that, I felt was interesting and kind of nice is that both the seated areas (balconies and what would be the “second tier”)and the dance floor were covered by “general admission” price (40$) so that if you want a place to sit or stash your merch, you can do so without shelling out extra money.
The floor itself is a little less nice than other places. It consists concrete floors and a shoddily carpeted sound booth made of untreated wood and duct taped in places.
The bars while lower contents than some of the concert hall bars I’ve seen they were clean and the tender friendly. I never buy more than water and often that comes in an awkward plastic cup, which you still have to pay four bucks for, or a small bottle. I was pleasantly surprised when I got two nice twenty-ounce bottles for fewer than five dollars.

The sound system, oh, the sound system. The first thing I noticed was it was nice and loud, which is quite frankly a must for a metal show (or any rock show for that matter) and the volume had little if any effect on the sound quality. There was still a little trouble with the voice to music ratio but not as much so as at the Vic.
I did not get to the bathrooms at this place, no report there. This was largely due to the fact that I did not want to leave the floor (see reviews below)
The crowd: (2/5 for most of the show 3/5 for Staind itself). This show illustrated the problem of being an opener, or going to a show explicitly for one of the openers—bored crowds. There’s a certain kind of attitude that happens in many concertgoers, which I find rather rude. They still and emanate boredom while very clearly thinking “Oh god, when is my band/ song coming on.” It’s an understandable, even forgivable, occurrence when the band is not that great, or it’s a band that truthfully has only one or two good songs. Despite understanding, I find it obnoxious that people don’t at least put a little effort forward for someone who is putting their life’s work out there and exposing raw nerves, for your entertainment.
However, the crowd seemed to slowly wake up as the night progressed, despite the first opener being far better than the second. When it came time for Staind, as is typical of the main act coming out, the crowd lit up substantially.
Which brings us to the acts themselves.

The First Front Act (Halestorm): (4/5). They had a hard slot to play the first of four bands the opener for the people opening for the opener; it’s no easy task to wake up the audience. As if that wasn’t enough, they are a female lead band in a genre that is still largely male dominated. It takes a very strong, often brazen, woman to get to break the genderwall and really rock out like she did. From the first second Lzzy (sic) Hale opened her mouth I was struck by her powerful chest voice which I am convinced , had it not been for the loud guitars, would have been able to reach the backmost section of the balconies without a microphone. Her appearance gave no indication that she possessed this capability; Hale had a slight frame, and a childlike face. The phrase that came to mind was from an old Meat Loaf number: She had “a heart of chrome and a voice like a horny angel.” Metal needs more women like Hale. While the band behind her was still a little green, I have confidence that they will grow into a very good band. I look forward to seeing them headline.
The Second Front Act (Chavelle): (3/5) Another hard slot to play for these guys. An avrage metal band. Chavelle was what I’d call a good opener, but not worthy of buying the CD (even if it was only 10 dollars) but a fun listen. A little more of the traditional “cookie-monster” voice and thrash guitar. However I felt they needed fewer seizure lights and more talent.

The third front act (Shinedown): (4/5) I had the same potential problem with Shinedown as I did with Our Lady Peace. I had been previously blown away by their performance when I saw them in July and had very high expectations. Shinedown was my impetus for attending so , in fact. Despite the crowd’s general ennui, front man Brent Smith brought a commanding performance and even got the majority of the crowd moving.
Smith’s graciousness and almost regal presence isn’t all he brings to the stage. He engages the audience constantly with direct crowd interaction and commanding vocals. Smith puts a lot of power behind his work and you can tell that this isn’t just for show. Genuine emotion comes through in his music despite his professional behavior. Smith also clearly loves his fans like his own family and, while he oozes confidence from every pore, he also is very sincere when thanking his fans. Unlike many metal vocalists, he is also incredibly articulate both in his performing and when speaking between numbers.
In addition to how the treatment of the fans, I feel you can tell a lot about a performer by how they treat their band mates. Smith’s dynamic with his band mates was very strong both in sound and in physical interaction. He often sang face to face with his guitarist or bassist. The strong relationships on that stage were nearly palpable in the audience. Equal parts bond and talent these interactions were as powerful as the show itself.

Smith’s lyrics are hard edged, and emotionally charged while still eloquent and sincere. Instead of using his music as a vent for depression as many artsist do, Smith's uses his songs to inspire confidence. Instead of licking wounds, he encourages listeners to take the grievances visited upon them and use that pain to push forward and become stronger. This is particularly notable in “Sin With a Grin” and “Devour.” However, Shinedown is not a one trick pony, Smith’s slower(including "45" and "Second Chance") songs evoke genuine pain and a vulnerability not common in metal.

The Main Act (Staind) (3.5/5): I confess, going in I did not have high expectations for Staind. I hadn’t heard more than one or two songs of theirs since their 2001 album “Break the Cycle” They have always been in my head a touch whiney and “teenager music” for lack of other descriptor. However, I positively adore their slower songs, and Halestorm was signing afterward so I stayed. With a low bar, set I was pleasantly surprised when Staind brought a decidedly more metal edge to the stage than anticipated. They grew up from a whining, but marginally talented band to a genuinely good metal band. I was very tired at this point having been jumping and head banging for approximately 3 hours prior, so many of the songs I wasn’t as familiar with blended together so parts of the show felt a little hazy. Then towards the end of the show, something snapped into place and the crowd sparked with a new life hitherto unseen. (It didn’t hurt that it was catalyzed by one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs entitled “For You,” whose lyrics, I think, prove that front man Aaron Lewis has some severe mommy/daddy issues to work out.) The crowd was on fire.
Then for two of the last three numbers Lewis moved from the front stage to a “stage” in the sound booth, which was right behind where my friend and I stood. From here he talked about, and sang the two songs that put stained on the map (“Outside” and “It's Been a While”) With just him and his guitar I was able to see what I had mistaken for simple whininess was, in fact, genuine emotion. Every single person in that room was singing along during those two numbers. It was almost like it was a different show—it was very powerful. Lewis’ face also showed a genuine surprise and gratitude at the amount of love coming from the fans. That kind of reaction goes far for me, proving that you haven’t, in your climb to fame, forgotten who put you there.

Good show on Staind’s half, however, I have to agree with the analysis of a fellow fan, Shinedown belonged in the front line space at this show, with Staind as an opener. Not the other way around.