Rock Music 4 ALL

Perfect Pairings

November 15, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun

By Bill Garlough

Fall food and wine festivals are an affordable way to experience a wide variety of wines. This helps broaden your palate while discovering your wine preferences. In addition, at many festivals, knowledgeable winemakers are on hand to answer questions, helping you learn more about all aspects of wine. Here’s a great example:

Kohler Food and Wine Experience

These programs were conducted by regionally and nationally acclaimed industry leaders. Chicago’s featured chefs included Rick Tramonto of Tru (and several other restaurants co-founded with Gale Gand) and Adam Siegel of Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro. On the wine side, Andrea Immer Robinson, the first woman ever chosen best sommelier in the U.S., was a headliner along with wine makers and owners of prestigious wineries from around the world.

The first program we signed up for was the Grand Tasting on Oct. 26 ($25 per person). This was held in a large heated tent and offered tastings of over 100 wines from around the world. Oregon’s Domaine Serene’s Pinot Noirs and Port wine from Taylor Fladgate, Croft and Fonseca were all show stoppers. A pleasant surprise was to discover the excellent offerings from local Wisconsin winery Stone’s Throw, located in Door County.

The ticketed events included programs on chocolate, lamb dishes, cheese classes, Italian food, hearty Alsatian stews, savory seafood dishes and amuse-bouche (appetizers). Wines sampled included French Champagne, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, California Zinfandels, Spanish Tempranillo, Italian Brunellos and Canadian Ice Wines. Some spirits were also sampled including programs on tequila, martinis, vodka, beer, cognac and scotch.

 As you can see, there are a multitude of choices making this a fantastic experience. Of course, you should pace yourself and use conveniently provided spit buckets, to ensure a reasonably lucid experience. Mark your calendar for late October next year to attend this event. Information is released in July and the popular programs book fast. Visit www.destinationkohler.com for more info.

Thanksgiving food and wine pairing

When planning to pair wines with your Thanksgiving dinner, it is important to note that this meal has many complex flavors that make pairing a true challenge.

For a soup course, I prefer a Gewurztraminer or Viognier white wine, as they pair well with exotic and flavorful cream soups. With the main turkey entrèe, I am partial to Pinot Noir (the current wine industry’s recommended pairing).

 Pinot Noir’s fruity, low tannin levels and earthy notes pair well with turkey and the deeper flavors of classic savory stuffing recipes.

Bill’s Picks

Hugel (Alsace) Gewurztraminer, $22

Miner Family Vineyards Viognier $20

Rosenblum Viognier $17

Beaulieu Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir $17

Mark West Pinot Noir $10

Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir $13

A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir $18

Jigsaw Oregon Pinot Noir $17

For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.

The exceptionally talented Rock artist Patty Griffin has released her CD entitled Kiss In Time. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Patty Griffin fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Kiss In Time Patty Griffin’s artistic excellence is on full display as Griffin has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be her best work to date.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn’t a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all.

Kiss In Time kicks off with an outstanding track, Long Ride Home, that I suspect will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It really is a very nice track.

Rock music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Griffin on several of the tracks. Artists like Patty Griffin and Others just to name a couple.

Overall Kiss In Time is a solid release. Quite possibly Patty Griffin’s best to date. Really spectacular from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Rock music you’ll enjoy this CD.

While this entire CD is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 6 – Mad Mission, track 11 – Nobody’s Cryin, and track 12 – 10 Million Miles.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Long Ride Home. It’s a great track!

Kiss In Time Release Notes:

Patty Griffin originally released Kiss In Time on October 14, 2003 on the ATO (According To Our) Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Long Ride Home 2. Goodbye 3. Christina 4. Peter Pan 5. Rain 6. Mad Mission 7. Be Careful 8. Tony 9. Mary 10. Fly 11. Nobody’s Cryin 12. 10 Million Miles

By Tom Gilliam, Ph.D.

The holidays are here in full (fattening) force. And unfortunately for the health conscious, along with the tinsel and the tree comes the onslaught of temptation: the rich turkey gravy, the dressing, the sugar cookies, the eggnog, the pie—all those comfort foods that taste especially comforting during a recession-marred holiday. But as we mentally prepare ourselves to push away from the festively set table, it’s easy to forget we aren’t the only ones facing tempting treats—our kids are too.

That’s right. Between parties at school and stockings stuffed with sugary surprises, our kids are just as susceptible to the guilty pleasures we allow ourselves during the holiday season. The bad news is that the “special occasion” indulgences we allow during the holidays can quickly morph into harmful bad habits for our children—habits that will last long after the gifts have been unwrapped.

A lifetime of fitness always begins at home, and that’s also true when the home is covered in tinsel and lights. Research shows over and over that the only way to combat childhood obesity is to make nutrition and exercise family priorities. And while it’s okay for them to indulge a little bit during the holidays, you should gently steer your kids away from the third buttery dinner roll and the double handful of chocolate candy.”

It’s no surprise that childhood obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that one in three kids is now overweight or obese. This reality has encouraged more and more companies to teach the “family fitness” principle to their employees, helping the “get kids and families healthy together” trend gather momentum.

Kids live what they learn, and parents are their number one source of information. If they see you making unhealthy choices, they will naturally assume it’s okay for them too.

With busy holiday schedules and tightened budgets, it may seem impossible to come up with new and creative ways to help get your family on the fitness bandwagon. Not so. Making just a few simple changes to your family’s daily routine can have a huge impact on everyone’s overall fitness.

Here are some tried and true tips for getting your family in shape—not only during the holidays but at any time of the year:

Find “hidden” exercise in your holiday housekeeping routine. It may seem like a no-brainer, but good old fashioned chores can be one of the best ways to keep in shape. And, luckily, there are many reasons to do chores this time of year. Be sure to involve your kids in any pre-holiday festivities clean-up or just the general tidying up of the house. Vacuuming, dusting, mopping, sweeping, and taking out the trash are all ways your kids can do their part for the family while helping to get in the physical activity they need each day. Crank up the volume on some good music during chore time to get everyone moving and the house will be clean in no time!

Brave the frosty air and enjoy winter workouts. On snowy days, get bundled up and get moving. Go sledding, build snow angels, and have a snowball fight with your kids. If you’re near a city, hit the sidewalks and enjoy the holiday window displays. Or if it’s too cold or rainy, visit an indoor sports facility like a batting cage or an indoor rock climbing center. It certainly beats sitting inside being a couch potato!

Alleviate winter break boredom with a spirited game of Duck, Duck, (Christmas) Goose. Know how restless your kids get when they’re out of school for a few weeks? Add instant entertainment—and sneak in some exercise—by showing them the games you used to love to play when you were a kid. Teach them all about Red Rover; Mother, May I?; Duck, Duck, Goose; and Red Light, Green Light—then spend an hour after dinner playing one of them. It’s a great way to stay active and create some special childhood memories for your own children. Check out www.gameskidsplay.net for a complete listing of instructions plus other suggestions for new games to learn and try together!

Model good “snacking” habits. As mentioned before, your kids learn their eating and exercising habits from you. If they see you make a healthy snack choice like an orange instead of reaching for yet another handful of holiday party mix, they’ll go for the good stuff too. But don’t rely on pure willpower. Try to keep the house low on junk food. Help kids avoid temptation by keeping the house stocked with healthful and delicious snack foods like yogurt, fresh fruit, raisins, and natural peanut butter. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean it’s okay to gorge on sugary and fat-filled foods.

On the other hand, don’t ban all holiday treats. When trying to get the family eating more healthfully, many parents make the mistake of throwing out all of the candy, cookies, juice drinks, and other foods that kids tend to love. That is the wrong approach. Don’t make any food totally off limits. As long as food is consumed in moderate amounts, it’s okay! Making something off limits can cause your child to binge on treats when they are available at school or at Grandma’s. Besides, the holidays just wouldn’t be the holidays without the occasional Christmas cookie or Hanukkah doughnut.

Make exercise a daily habit. Whether it’s a 30-minute stroll after dinner each night or a weekly trip to the local walking trail, make exercising with your family a consistent routine in your day-to-day lives. Besides being good for you, it can help you alleviate some holiday stress and help your kids burn off some of their excited energy. When it’s a part of your regular schedule, like going to Grandma’s on Sundays or having spaghetti for dinner on Thursday nights, your kids will expect it. And who knows? If you keep up the fitness routine, your kids might even look forward to the additional family time.

Set up a holiday fitness competition. Kids are naturally competitive. Use that quality to their advantage. Buy everyone a pedometer and tell the kids that whoever logs the most miles gets to open the first Christmas or Hanukkah present. Alternately, create a goal that the whole family can work on together. Set a number of miles for the week and chart each family member’s progress at the end of the day. At the end of the week, if the family has achieved their collective goal, then celebrate with a movie night or a special (low-fat!) frozen yogurt treat.

Encourage kids’ culinary curiosity. You should never stand in the way of your child trying something new, even if you suspect she won’t like it. Always encourage their interest in trying new foods and you will be rewarded when they discover they do like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. You might also be surprised by what you can sneak by your kids. The holiday season is a great time for them to try out foods they don’t eat every day that are nutrition powerhouses—pumpkins, cranberries, and spicy teas, for example.

Let them help make the figgy pudding. Kids love to help in the kitchen, and by allowing them to be a part of the food prep process, you can seize a great learning opportunity. And they’ll especially enjoy having a hand in preparing your Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa feast. Explain to them why you use certain foods and techniques to be healthier. Allowing your kids to help in the kitchen gives them a sense of ownership over the meal, and they will be more eager to gobble up a healthy dinner that they had a hand in cooking!

Sneak “fitness” gifts into their stockings. There are lots of great (and inexpensive) resources out there that can help you keep maintaining a healthy lifestyle on your kids’ minds. For older kids a subscription to a fitness magazine might make a good stocking stuffer. You might also throw in a fitness DVD—beginner’s martial arts and beginner’s yoga or pilates are great options. For younger kids, my own series of brightly illustrated children’s books, featuring cartoon characters Heart “E” Heart and friends, is a huge hit and a great way to get them thinking about healthy living. And jump ropes, stretch bands, and dumbbells are appropriate gifts for kids of all ages and can be bought for under $10. While the recession has caused many families to cancel fitness club memberships, the good news is that many, many fitness items are reasonably priced. You don’t have to bust your budget to give your kids the best gift of all—the keys to a healthy life.

Remember, getting fit and healthy is not about going to extremes. It’s about making small, gradual, incremental changes in your day-to-day life. And that’s why the holidays are a good time to help your kids start the process—there’s something valuable about practicing the art of moderation in a season known for the exact opposite.

You know the cliché about New York—if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere? Well, the same is true of the holidays. If you show your kids they can exercise when it’s 20 degrees outside and they can stop with two sugar cookies instead of wolfing down six, think how much easier it will be to make healthful choices when it’s warm outside and there’s no endless supply of treats to tempt them. Get them in the habit now and maintain it all year long; eventually they’ll grow up to be what you want them to be: healthy and happy adults.

# # #

About the Authors:

Thomas B. Gilliam, Ph.D., is the founder and president of T. Gilliam & Associates, coauthor of the book Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.: The Simple Truth About Achieving & Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight, creator of the Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.® wellness program, designed to teach workers how to achieve a healthy body weight, creator of www.moveitloseitlivehealthy.com, and founder and owner of Industrial Physical Capability Services, Inc. (IPCS).

Since 1982, Dr. Gilliam has designed and managed many corporate fitness centers ranging from 500 square feet to 34,000 square feet. He has established a variety of wellness programs to deal with such health issues as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical inactivity, stress, osteoporosis, low back pain, and many more.

In addition, Dr. Gilliam is a pioneer and acknowledged expert in the field of dynamic strength testing for industry based on the sports medicine model. Since 1982, he has provided isokinetic physical capability assessments for Fortune 1000 companies through his company Industrial Physical Capability Services, Inc. (IPCS) (www.ipcs-inc.com). Dr. Gilliam’s programs have dramatically reduced workers’ compensation costs and decreased injury incidence and severity rates for major industrial clients. In addition, Dr. Gilliam has been instrumental in identifying and presenting to industry the higher risk for injury and disease caused by obesity in the workplace.

Dr. Gilliam is the creator of the Heart “E” Heart program, which is a healthy lifestyle program for children and their families. He was the principal investigator in a National Institutes of Health research study investigating the impact of physical activity and nutritional habits on heart disease risk in young children. Conducted in the late 1970s, this research resulted in numerous scholarly publications and television and radio interviews throughout the world, including NBC’s Today Show and NBC’s Nightly News with its science editor, Robert Basel.

In 1973, Dr. Gilliam earned a doctorate degree in exercise physiology with a minor in graduate statistics and research design from Michigan State University. From 1974 to 1982, Dr. Gilliam was a tenured faculty member at the University of Michigan. Before resigning from his tenured faculty position, he was involved with numerous funded research projects (i.e., N.I.H., Kellogg Foundation, State of Michigan, and others) that resulted in twenty-nine refereed scholarly publications.

Jane C. Neill, R.D., L.D., is the 2004 recipient of the Nutritionist of the Year Award for the State of Alabama Public Health. She is an active member of the American Dietetic Association and currently employed by the Alabama Department of Public Health, where she works with the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program as a WIC coordinator and a licensed dietitian. She has worked in the WIC program for over ten years, providing daily nutrition counseling for women, infants, and children.

While on the staff as a registered dietitian at the University of Michigan Health System in the late 1970s, Jane was instrumental in working with Dr. Gilliam as an investigator on the National Institutes of Health research study to investigate the impact of physical activity and nutritional habits on heart disease risk in children ages six to eight years.

Ms. Neill is a member of the team that developed and wrote the Heart “E” Heart program for children and their families.

She received her bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Alabama in 1977 in food, nutrition, and institutional management. Ms. Neill has been working as a registered dietitian for over twenty-seven years.

About the Book:

Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.: The Simple Truth About Achieving & Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight (Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy., LLC, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0-9762703-5-5, ISBN-10: 0-9762703-5-8, $19.95) is available in bookstores nationwide and through all major online booksellers.

For more information, visit www.moveitloseitlivehealthy.com.

Superjoint Ritual released their most recent CD entitled Use Once And Destroy.

Use Once And Destroy literally grabs your attention right from the outset with Oblivious Maximus and doesn’t let go until the very last note of the very last song Little H, which is another great track by the way.

Use Once And Destroy has a nicely varied, mix of 18 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly talented musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

Overall Use Once And Destroy is a solid release. Quite possibly Superjoint Ritual’s best to date. Really spectacular from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Rock music you’ll enjoy this CD.

While this entire CD is outstanding some of my favorites are track 2 – It Takes No Guts, track 9 – All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired, and track 18 – Little H

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Oblivious Maximus. Great track!

Use Once And Destroy Release Notes:

Superjoint Ritual originally released Use Once And Destroy on May 21, 2002 on the Sanctuary label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Oblivious Maximus 2. It Takes No Guts 3. Everyone Hates Everyone 4. Introvert, The 5. Alcoholik, The 6. F**k Your Enemies 7. 4 Songs 8. Messages 9. All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired 10. Antifaith 11. Ozena 12. Drug Your Love 13. Haunted Hated 14. Stupid, Stupid Man 15. Creepy Crawl 16. Superjoint Ritual 17. Starvation Trip – (demo, bonus track) 18. Little H – (demo, bonus track)

Superjoint Ritual: Philip Anselmo (vocals, guitar); Jimmy Bower, Kevin Bond (guitar); Joe Fazzio (drums). Additional personnel: Michael Haaga (bass, background vocals). Recorded at Balance Recording Studios, Mandeville, Louisiana.

So you are an excellent musician, you love your music and the notion of performing excites you. From the time you first discovered that music was your life, there has been some hollow feeling deep down inside, this feeling like a part of you has not been born yet, something is incomplete perhaps. It is very likely that this very real feeling exists because there is something incomplete after all, the rest of your band!

Ok, maybe your desire to form a band is not as romantically fantastic as this. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, your goal of forming a band may even be a very logical and calculating move with the intention of making a living. The truth is that many people make quite good livings from their hobbies. Some may continue to be content financially making ends meet while doing something they enjoy. For others, the whole concept snowballs and with seemingly little effort they go from playing at parties and weddings to the big game where they become the hottest thing in music this side of the sun.

It’s important to remember that starting a band is not very different to launching any other business. You will need market branding, and an intended consumer, a marketing plan, advertising and even financial planning. The fun part of starting a band is that you have all the artistic details to tend to also, and certainly the rewards are endless.

So, like any other business we need a plan. We need musicians for a start. Perhaps you already have a bunch of friends in mind for the part. Often this can be successful, but the truth is most of us don’t have the perfect people on our right hand and we do have to search for them. Once you have established your brand of music and what positions you will need to fill to establish your band you can start looking.

Now art is a very personal thing, I cannot possibly tell you what you should be looking for, but I can offer my advice and direct you to some great advertising ideas. You must know in your heart what “flavor” your music is and find the right ingredients. You are a musician, an artist, only you know what this is. I do suggest that the people you eventually select to be members of your band although must be trustworthy and dependable, passionate and talented of course. You should be looking for someone with whom you find a certain dynamics with. This does not mean that this person should be just like you; on the contrary, very often a character quite unlike you may be just the one to compliment and complete your band.

Advertising and auditioning serious musicians is not a small task but certainly this may be one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life. This is an opportunity to meet so many different characters and connect with folk you may never otherwise have met. Just like any other business you must advertise in all the right places where there folk are that you want to attract. There is no reason a general advertisement in the local newspaper won’t attract the musicians you are looking for wont work, but be clear in your advertisement of what you are looking for. A simple add that reads “wanted drummer” is likely to bring all sorts out of the closest. Explain your genre, is it rock, pop, indie, or swing. You should direct your advertisement towards the popular magazines and websites that people interested in your genre of music are likely to read and visit.

The auditions are another game again. You really should not have to audition everyone that applies for the position; if someone does not sound suitable in their application, you don’t have to listen to them perform. Although you might miss out on a rare gem, you’re the artist use your creative instinct here and go with that “gut” feeling.

Certainly the music is important, that perfect person making the application might just make your flesh crawl when you hear them audition for you. Stay strong and say “no” when you really want to say no. Sure you will disappoint a few, but you should rather disappoint them now than yourself latter.

Once you have the people together it’s time to plan your musical repertoire. Generally new bands will begin with established cover numbers, but you really should build your own songs. If you are not a writer you might consider looking for a writer to work with you. Cover songs are great, but do yourselves a favor and bring your own style to the stage. This is a part of you market branding.

Once you have your people together you become a team. You should now spend many hours together brainstorming ideas and suggestions and discussing your future together. Most importantly make sure that everyone is on the same page. There is a long interesting road ahead of you.

Finally I would just like to be the first to say congratulations, where ever you and your band end up, no matter what you have dared to live a life and follow your heart. The funny thing is, once you got moving it really wasn’t that scary was it! Just know what you are doing, and look to where you are going, and one day you will find yourself there.

I got ‘Cure For Pain’ as soon as it came out and it still finds its way to my cd player. Every time I listen to this album I get the feeling of a dark, smoky, almost underground Boston atmosphere, full of Sandman’s distinctive, deep vocals, anchored by two string slide bass, baritone sax and a drum kit. Morphine intertwines a sound that cannot be easily categorized as rock or blues. Instead, they call to mind lounge jazz elements mingled with the grind of blues, inviting me gradually into a dark alcove of sound, while maintaining rock & roll provisions.

‘Cure For Pain’ is a fearless, energetic album with blasting saxophone-riffs and resounding bass. Morphine’s sounds are smooth, with bluesy sax tunes flirting around deep basslines. Sandman’s songwriting is deceivingly simple, yet craftily performed, his voice a lyrical sensibility, a gloomy mournful bass that echoes despair, confusion, and melancholy. Colley’s sax is at times raw, at times refined; Conway’s drums drive the music alongside Sandman’s groovy basslines. What makes the album a classic is that, although the Boston trio doesn’t uncover much versatility in its instruments, still it produces an unremitting depth on its sound, nothing like the agreeable state of unconsciousness associated with their namesake drug.

It’s pretty much impossible for an album to have nothing but great songs on it. ‘Cure For Pain’, however, is full of great tracks that switch from sad to blues and upbeat jazz, always reflecting an extraordinary chemistry between Sandman, Conway and Colley. Mixing jazz elements with grunge sounds, admittedly, the album’s highlights are the title track ‘Cure For Pain’, ‘Buena’, ‘Candy’ and ‘Thursday’. Yet, the album has other great tracks such as ‘Dawna’, the haunting opening of the album; ‘In Spite of Me’ with Sandman’s whispering voice drifting over reverb drenched mandolins; ‘Miles Davis Funeral’, the atmospheric album’s finale.

Mark Sandman is deeply missed. And Morphine that disbanded immediately after Sandman’s untimely death from heart attack, are deeply missed too from the low rock scene for their jazz and blues conventions that sculptured their own world of gloomy rock beauty. However, the genius of the Boston trio is not lost. It still remains on their moodiness that drips out of ‘Cure For Pain’ mostly from Sandman’s slow-burning passion for the women he writes and sings about. With his velvet, deep voice makes cold, rainy nights fearful, but also savoury. This is the genius of Morphine.

‘Cure for Pain’ is, without any doubt, one of the best and most progressive rock albums of the ’90s.

Away From The Sun is the latest release from Rock Sensation 3 Doors Down, and I can only think of one word to describe it, and that word is AWESOME!

This is the groups 2nd album and follows their spectacular debut album The Better Life. I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical of this album because of the success of their first release as it is very difficult to follow such a huge success like that. A lot of times there is just that let down because the expectations are so high. I have to say though Away Form The Sun definitely lives up to the expectations.

Unfortunately, it is not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just cannot force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Away From The Sun. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you have one of 3 Doors Downs most impressive releases ever.

If you are not a 3 Doors Down fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you do not even have to be a fan of 3 Doors Down, or even Rock to know is good. This is just good music. Period.

While the entire CD is really very good the truly standout tracks are When I’m Gone – track 1, The Road I’m On – track 3, and I Feel You track 7.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5, Running Out Of Days. This is a great track!

Away From The Sun Release Notes:

3 Doors Down originally released Away From The Sun on Nov 12, 2002 on the Universal Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. When I’m Gone 2. Away From The Sun 3. The Road I’m On 4. Ticket To Heaven 5. Running Out Of Days 6. Here Without You 7. I Feel You 8. Dangerous Game 9. Changes 10. Going Down In Flames 11. Sarah Yellin’ 12. untitled – (hidden track)

3 Doors Down: Brad Arnold (vocals); Matt Roberts, Chris Henderson (guitar); Todd Harrell (bass). Additional personnel includes: Josh Freese (drums). Recorded at London Bridge, Seattle, Washington; Greenhouse, Burnaby, Canada and Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood, California.

I can describe the latest release from Rock super group Black Sabbath for you with just one word… Outstanding!

Unfortunately, it’s not everyday that I get a CD for review that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Sabotage. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Sabotage is a pleasantly varied, mix of 8 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly outstanding musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

If you’re even mildly into Rock music you’ll enjoy this album. Overall Sabotage is an outstanding release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.

While this entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 3 – Symptom Of The Universe, track 5 – The Thrill Of It All, and track 8 – The Writ.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Hole In The Sky. This is a great track!

Sabotage Release Notes:

Black Sabbath originally released Sabotage on October 25, 1990 on the Warner Bros. Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Hole In The Sky 2. Don’t Start (Too Late) 3. Symptom Of The Universe 4. Megalomania 5. Thrill Of It All, The 6. Supertzar 7. Am I Going Insane (Radio) 8. Writ, The

Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Tony Iommi (guitar); Geezer Butler (bass); Bill Ward (drums).

Additional personnel: English Chamber Choir (background vocals).

Principally recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England.

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A variety of explanations have been put forward including the traditional Glastonbury mud-bath caused by repeated bad weather, the festivals uncharacteristically lack lustre 2008 line-up, the sharp rise in British festivalgoers defecting to European festivals and the surge in smaller, more intimate festivals popping up across the UK.

It is certainly possible that repeated bad weather could be to blame for Glastonbury’s dip in popularity but it seems highly unlikely. The mud is, in my opinion, an accepted part of the festivals appeal. In previous years the BBC’s advertising for the festival has even featured mud streaked revellers cavorting in puddles of grime. The festival has always had a strong link with the muddy, carefree “back to nature” vibe and to blame this for a downturn in ticket sales seems odd to say the least. It is far more likely that the festivals problems come from far closer to home.

A truly disappointing line-up headlined by U.S rapper Jay-Z and a heavy reliance on bands very much in the now rather than those with a wide-reaching appeal is far more likely to have impacted ticket sales than the public’s fear of mud. In previous years acts like The Who, Bjork and Oasis drew in a mixed crowd but this years decidedly trendy line-up may have left a good portion of the festivals older regulars slightly alienated. The controversial choice of a rap act as the headliner at what is widely considered to be a rock festival may have also negatively effected ticket sales.

A factor often looked over when trying to figure out why ticket sales have been so slow this year is Glastonbury’s pre-registration system. Unlike other festivals where tickets are easily available through online booking engines and telephone lines, Glastonbury demands people who want a ticket register with them. Registration requires a passport photograph and personal information.

This process was implemented largely to prevent ticket touting and for that it should be commended. The astronomical prices demanded for festival tickets on eBay is reason enough for any fair-minded organiser to investigate ways to prevent unscrupulous individuals profiting from a event which is heavily charity focussed. With this kept in mind it is understandable that Glastonbury organisers felt the need to do something but the clunky pre-registration process and the demand for a passport photograph is enough to put many potential festival fans off. The Orwellian undertone caused by the festival collecting such personal information from its attendees is only heightened by the presence of police surveillance cameras, dampening the free and easy atmosphere.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Glastonbury is the rapid rise of the small UK festival, often called a “boutique festival”. The small UK festival used to be the reserve of the painfully cool, a small gathering of like-minded people enjoying niche bands that were of no threat to giants like Glastonbury. In the past few years these small festivals have grown in number, stepped into the media spotlight and gathered an impressive band of devotees which in turn allowed organisers to spend more money and increase the standard of the facilities and the acts.

The massive choice of small festivals has allowed music fans to find a festival which has the particular line up they will enjoy. Festivals like Kent’s Lounge on the Farm offer an eclectic mix of small bands, typically the sort of acts with a large online following but little presence in the charts. The Isle of Wight’s Bestival offers a similar lineup featuring many of the same bands as Lounge on the Farm but with some big names with wide appeal such as 80s legends Gary Numan and the Human League thrown into the mix. It is this eclectic mix that Glastonbury seems to have forgotten.

Anyone who has been to a large festival in the UK recently has probably noticed the rampant commercialisation of outdoor music events. The choice of music is leaning more and more towards whatever band is enjoying favour in the charts and as the festivals gain sponsorship and expand they loose the intimacy and gain vast amounts of advertising. The few weekends a year the British public gets to spend in the sunshine enjoying live music is not the place for shameless advertising campaigns. That place is after Coronation Street.

Having attended both major festivals and their smaller, more civilised cousins I for one am a happy convert to the boutique festival. Cheaper, smaller and with increasingly pleasing headliners they are the future of the UK music festival scene.