FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
For a moment there, I thought I had hit the jackpot. All these attractive young women were adding me on Facebook–and they appeared to be into heavy rock too, what with names like Lilly Rockgrrl and Rocksy Stoner. But then I found out it was all a ruse, perpetrated by the management of an Austrian stoner rock band…
Gruesome Greg tries stand-up tomorrow at Absolute Comedy. Hilarity hopefully ensues. Read on for more info…
Overheard at the bar at the Blood Ceremony gig the other night: “Dude, you know Fu Manchu? Blah blah blah stoner rock blah blah Kyuss … They’re playing Lee’s Palace March 15th, you should check it out.”
In my 7.5 years of living in Toronto, I’ve seen my share of local bands break up, but last night was the first time I saw one pack the Horseshoe Tavern for their farewell gig. The venue couldn’t have been more fitting, as it was there that my relationship with Quest For Fire began five years ago–and almost to the day, at that…
In fact, there used to be two categories, Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, before the academy decided to combine the two last year for the first time since 1989. What was so special about ’89? Well…
Suffice to say, the dudes in Quest For Fire must have a wicked sense of humour. I mean, who breaks up the day after Valentine’s Day? Well, these Toronto heavy-psych stalwarts, apparently.
Suffice to say there’s a lot of crazy shit on Facebook. You don’t hafta go far to find some utter inanities, that’s for sure. Earlier today, I stumbled across something that was nevertheless notable: a page entitled Christians Against Slipknot. It’s a real doozy…
Doom metal, in general, is not summertime music. When the sun’s out, the temperature’s rising and yer sweatin’ balls, you wanna cruise down the blacktop blasting some Kyuss or Fu Manchu, not some slow, melancholic, depressing tunes. Not that I have anything against slow and depressing, mind you–I just don’t have it pumping on the patio.
While I initially joked that the price of the Kyuss Lives New Year’s Eve gig was a joke, I eventually gave in and bought myself a 200-dollar ticket. I don’t normally go out for NYE–frankly, I think it’s a rather pointless holiday–but I figured that for the founding fathers of stoner rock, I could make an exception. And I certainly don’t regret it, especially since a couple months later, Kyuss would live no more…
For the past few years, White Cowbell Oklahoma’s Christmas show has always been an event I’ve marked on my calendar. Toronto’s most outrageous, over-the-top live band usually has something special up their sleeves around this time of year, and this year is no exception. Mind you, they’ve scheduled things a week later this time to coincide with… the end of the world!