TOP 10 DOOM DUOS: 5. Pentagram

Posted by gruesomegreg on November 14, 2012

The two-piece band is has become more of a popular formation recently; not just in lamestream garage rock, but when it comes to the slow ‘n heavy shit as well. Certainly, one of the frontrunners of this formation is OM, who, upon the realizati0n that they weren’t getting Matt Pike back into the fold, decided to continue the legacy of Sleep as a duo shortly after the turn of the century. What with them coming to town next Sunday, I figured it was time to take a look at some of the other artists who’ve taken their torch and meandered along slowly with it. Thus, I’ll be counting down the top doom duos over the next 10 days…

10. Taurus

5. Pentagram

Whether it’s the early 70′s lineup, the Death Row era or their current incarnation, Pentagram is best known as a four-piece. That said, there was a time when the band contained just two members: Bobby Liebling on vocals and Joe Hasselvander on everything else. This twosome recorded two albums: 1999′s Review Your Choices and 2001′s Sub-Basement, with the former widely considered the better of the pair. Here’s the two-piece’s take on the classic cut “Forever My Queen” from said record:

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Betcha didn’t know that the Bobby Liebling/Pentagram doc Last Days Here is screening in Toronto next Thursday…

Posted by gruesomegreg on March 14, 2012

For those of you that first heard they were making a movie about Bobby Liebling back in… oh, 2008 or so, Last Days Here has been a long time coming. The 90-minute doc, directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton, finally hit theatres at the beginning of this month. Mind you, they aren’t showing this film at your local Famous Players. In fact, perhaps the only chance to see it in Toronto, if not anywhere north of the border, is next week at the Bell Lightbox as a part of the Canadian Music Week film fest.

And it’s only screening once, at that–9:15 pm next Thursday (March 22nd), to be precise. Advance tickets cost 14 bucks after taxes and (in)convenience charges, and can only be picked up at the Fairmont Royal York. Mind you, I don’t think showing up and getting a seat should be much of a problem. Last time I checked on Facebook, there were only 12 people going (and 11 maybes), and I know from experience that past screenings at CMW usually played to a less-than-full house. Considering that the focus of the CMW ad campaign is always on the live music, not the film component, I’d hazard a guess that not too many people are even aware of this.

Although I’ve been a frequent attendee of the CMW festivities these past few years, I am taking a pass on this year’s edition. Not only are there not any bands on the bill that blow my mind (though I haven’t researched this thoroughly), but they moved the event back by three weeks this year–putting it in direct conflict with the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. On that note, this blog will be mostly about college basketball for the next four days. You’ve been forewarned.

That being said, I will likely hafta steal away from the non-stop hoops to check this flick out next week–provided that Gonzaga doesn’t advance to the Sweet 16, that is. I have them beating Ohio State in my bracket, but I admit that it’s a bit of a long shot…

GRUESOME GREG’S TOP 10 CONCERTS OF 2011

Posted by gruesomegreg on December 31, 2011

New Year’s Eve, it’s that time of year again where I bust out my old ticket stubs and figure out what the best shows I saw over the last 12 months were. This year’s list includes entries from four cities spanning two states and two Canadian provinces–with the bulk of the gigs being in Toronto, of course. If anything, it seems that I did less traveling to outta-town concerts this year, but the ones I did take off to go see were all quite memorable.

So, with no further ado, let’s get the ball rolling, eh?

10. Blizaro/Blood Ceremony/Castle @ Smiling Buddha, Toronto, August 7th

The best local underground gig I caught this year is worthy of a spot on this list, as it paired two stellar doom bands from the States with our local flute-doom legends. Not too shabby for a Sunday night…

CHOICE WORDS: “John Gallo and co. mesmerized with their haunting horror doom, as The Professor channeled the voice of Bobby Liebling and the vocals/guitars/keys of Paul Chain for an eerie, epic set of crushing riffs and blistering changes. If anything, the keys were a little underutilized in the main set, but John made up for it with a 20-minute Moog solo of a second encore. An awesome way to end the evening!” (THTGIR (RIP) review.)

9. Weedeater/Saviours/Bison B.C./Fight Amp @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto, September 13th

This was the second time Weedeater came through my neck of the woods in 2011 (Lee’s is within walking distance for me, as is the Wreckroom), and while they didn’t bring anybody across the border with ‘em the first time around, they came back in September with arguably the best multi-band touring package to hit Toronto this year.

CHOICE WORDS: “Since I was so close to the stage, I couldn’t squeeze Keko and Dixie into one shot without zooming out quite a bit, thus there are a couple pictures where the latter’s face is obscured by a cymbal. Man, I must say, though, if there’s anybody who can make red eye look good, it’s Dixie! (Reason Number 12, if you’re keeping track at home…)” – Amateur Concert Photgraphy Hour: WEEDEATER, Saviours, Bison B.C.

8. Fu Manchu/Honky/The Shrine @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, November 11th

Man, it was pretty cool to see the Kings of the Road back in town again, playing In Search Of… in its entirety. While there’s a lotta mileage on ‘er, the Fu’s still a well-oiled machine. And hats off to Honky for being one of the most amusingly entertaining bands I’ve seen in a while. I was definitely laughing with them, not at them, that evening.

CHOICE WORDS: “I gotta say, it was pretty cool to hear tunes like “Regal Beagle,” “Solid Hex” and “The Falcon Has Landed,” which they probably haven’t done live in a little while. I mean, this record’s so old that it had Ruben Romano and Eddie Glass on it, and a kid born the day it came out would be taking their driver’s license test in a coupla months. But still, some tunes are timeless, y’know?” – Fu Manchu – Still Kings of the Road! (Hellbound.ca)

Psst… More pics here!

7. Judas Priest/Black Label Society/Thin Lizzy @ ACC, Toronto, November 22nd

This was supposed to be Priest’s farewell tour, though I think they’ve since softened their stance. In any case, we were treated to at least one song from every Halford-era album, along with a solid stage show, complete with lasers! The supporting acts were nothing to sneeze at, either, although the putative Thin Liz took the stage bright and early at 6 pm, meaning most people missed ‘em.

CHOICE WORDS: “The stage setup was equally immaculate, a chain-adorned platform with props like tridents and disco balls, and a video screen showing past album covers as well as some specific animated backdrops for certain tunes, such as an evil eyeball on “Electric Eye”. Most impressive was the laser show, seemingly on loan from The Pink Floyd Experience. Not many bands use lasers anymore–but they should, cuz laser beams are freakin’ sweet!” – Farewell to Judas Priest! – Epitaph tour @ the ACC

6. YOB/Dark Castle/Sons of OTIS @ The Courthouse, Toronto, July 15th

Oddly enough, the best local doom gig of 2011 was held at an upscale downtown dance club, though The Courthouse, with its high ceilings and medieval motif, only added to the ambiance of the evening. YOB were pretty rad when I saw ‘em open for Sleep in Portland last September, but they excelled in a more intimate setting–and OTIS opening was the sticky-sweet cherry on top!

CHOICE WORDS: “YOB was simply crushing. I’m almost at a loss for words. Yes, this isn’t the YOB of old, Mike Scheidt was obviously stoned on something–and the dude’s a dead ringer for Jim Gustafson of 70′s rockers Poobah nowadays–but so what?” – YOB, Dark Castle and OTIS–Oh my! (Hellbound.ca)

5. Pentagram @ Montage Music Hall, Rochester, NY, August 20th

I’d seen Bobby and the Pentagrams about a year and a half beforehand, but having Victor Griffin back in the band gave this gig an added air of authenticity that their prior performance had lacked. However, I do hafta give their Cleveland 2010 concert the edge when it comes to opening acts: Argus, Keelhaul, Midnight and The Gates of Slumber, to be precise. Local doom titans Orodruin opened the Rochester show, but it was all downhill from there–until the screams came, that is.

CHOICE WORDS: “From where I stood, Turley’s double Laney attack made my knees shake, whereas Griffin, on the other stage of the stage, was a little low in the mix. I also got up close and personal with Bobby Liebling, whose wild-man antics are the stuff of legend. The man is truly a unique talent!” – Amateur Concert Photograpy Hour: PENTAGRAM, Valiant Thorr, Orodruin

4. Accept @ Mod Club, Toronto, 4/20!

Coincidentally, I also caught Accept for the first time in Cleveland, on the first leg of their North American tour last October. At the time, I didn’t know that they’d be adding any Canadian dates, so I was pretty stoked when I first heard about this gig. They really couldn’t have picked a better day, either…

CHOICE WORDS: “The nineteen-song set had a couple more new tunes than the last time around, but they also dusted off a few deep cuts that I didn’t hear in Cleveland (“Losers and Winners,” “Aiming High,” “Burning”) to go with all the title tracks (“Breaker,” “Restless and Wild,” “Balls to the Wall,” “Metal Heart”) and other anthems like “Son of a Bitch,” “Fast as a Shark” and “Princess of the Dawn”. My only complaint was that I didn’t procure one of those Accept picks that were flying around, despite being directly in front of the stage.” – Accept: Just as good the second time around (if not better)! (Hellbound.ca)

3. Metalliance Tour (feat. Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa) @ Peabody’s, Cleveland, OH, March 26th

Ah Cleveland, The Mistake by the Lake. Home of the Cavs, the Browns, the Agora, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and Rocket from the Tombs (look ‘em up!). I’ve seen a few great gigs in this city, which is often the closest stop on many US-only tours–like Metalliance, which featured the one-two punch of Saint Vitus and Crowbar with solid support from Kylesa, Red Fang and The Atlas Moth, to name a few. Sure, Helmet was headlining, but I didn’t bother to stick around. There was only one bus outta town on Sunday that would get me back to Toronto before dusk, and it left some time around 8 am…

CHOICE WORDS: “Vocals were too low, I was almost singing as loud as Wino–but that mighta had as much to do with him as it did with the sound guy. He looked pretty hammered. Dave Chandler was really great to see live, stole the show IMO. He even went into the crowd during “Born Too Late” and rubbed his guitar’s neck against other people’s heads, haha.” (a post I made on the Hellride Music Forum)

I actually took a few pics at this gig, although my camera ran out of batteries, or memory, or something. Anyways, here are a coupla shots that I haven’t posted anywhere yet:

2. Sleep/The Sword/Buzzcocks/Bison B.C. @ Olympic Plaza, Calgary, AB, June 24th

When I heard that Sleep was only playing three gigs this year–and one of them was in Calgary!–I immediately purchased a plane ticket back to the old country. This Sled Island festival was a pretty sweet setup. I had lunch at a pub where I saw Dead Meadow play in the middle of the afternoon, then moseyed on down to Olympic Plaza where they’d assembled a decent supporting lineup for the Weedians’ performance. One thing they didn’t do, however, was purchase a powerful-enough PA system, as we couldn’t hear Al Cisneros’ vocals for shit. That said, it was still quite the weekend. (I caught The Sword, Red Fang and a coupla cool Canadian bands in a club the following evening…)

CHOICE WORDS: “It probably didn’t help that I was standing right in front of Matt Pike–and his twin Marshall stacks–on the opposite side of the stage. Pike’s approach to both this, and last year’s reunion gigs, is the same as he takes to High On Fire, where he’s the stalking, menacing centre of attention–Cisneros is much calmer and Zen-like by comparison. And since I couldn’t hear the vocals at all, it was great to be able to see the fingering that Matt uses on those classic riffs.” – Just got back from Calgary–and boy, is my wallet tired! (Hellbound.ca)

1. Kyuss Lives! @ Sound Academy, Toronto, September 16th

Sure, the Sound Academy’s a shitty place to see a show. It’s a ways outta the way, down on the waterfront–and for a place with “Sound” in its name, you’d think they could get a better live mix. Nevertheless, this was still the best gig of the year, in my books. Had you told me I’d see Kyuss live–twice–in 2011 some five, ten years ago, Ida asked ya for a hit offa yer Green Machine. Even without Josh Homme, the new (old) lineup still shines–especially with Scott “Hurricane” Reeder on bass for the Canadian dates. And yes, I paid my 200 bucks to see ‘em again tonite. Better make that 1 and 1A…

CHOICE WORDS: “Suits me just fine, since Sky Valley is my favourite Kyuss record. I think it branches out into psychedelic territory more than their other releases–and the band took full advantage of that, playing some longer, drawn-out versions of a few tunes. Man, I would probably pay just to watch these guys jam for an hour, it’s really that good.” – Kyuss Lives! Long Live Kyuss! (Hellbound.ca)

…

And there you have it. I gotta say, I’ve got no idea which gigs will be in my Top 10 for 2012, as there haven’t been a lotta exciting tour announcements made to date. Looking back, though, I think this past year will be pretty hard to beat. See ya in the pit!

P.S.: I’ll be putting out my list of Top 10 albums tomorrow. There may or may not be a radio tie-in with Gruesome Tunes, as well. Okay fine, there will be. Stay tuned…

Bobby Liebling’s Wife 1, Raging Punk Rocker 0

Posted by gruesomegreg on October 17, 2011

For those of you who weren’t aware, the Pentagram frontman is married to a 25-year-old fashion designer, whose company produces metal/punk inspired fashion and accessories. Apparently, that makes her a juggalo, at least according to this guy:

Killing ‘em with kindness. I love it. Let’s hope the rest of this exchange sees the light of day.

EDIT: Apologies for this spilling over into the right nav, but I think you get the gist of it.

Amateur Concert Photograpy Hour: PENTAGRAM, Valiant Thorr, Orodruin @ Montage Music Hall, August 20th

Posted by gruesomegreg on August 27, 2011

Last weekend, I made my third annual summertime trip down to Rochester Rock City. I had previously attended the Born Too Late II doomfest in ’09, and caught Eyehategod at the Bug Jar last June. This time around, twas Pentagram who came to town, and a venue I’d never been to before: the Montage Music Hall. (Sadly, there were no clips from Rocky playing in the background. Tis a bit of a misnomer, I suppose.)

The bill was jam-packed with no less than four opening bands; two touring, two locals, with the doors opening at 8. And I had good reason not to be late, since Rochesterian true doom titans Orodruin opened things up, going on at a quarter past the hour. These guys can’t come up here anymore due to a legal matter involving one of their members, so I was pretty stoked to see ‘em again. While I do dig me some Blizaro, I gotta say that I missed the passionate intensity with which they delivered their crushing doom metal. Professor John Gallo, enjoying his last day of non-married life, was in especially fine form!

The next two bands were previously unknown to me, and both delivered something a little different. Velvet Elvis was up next, and while I didn’t catch their name at first, they caught my ear right away with their brand of female-fronted, stoner-fuzz sludge. I actually bought their CD afterwards, opting for the digital format over a similarly priced cassette tape. There are five songs in total; two that I really like, two not so much, and a weird acoustic country thing at the end. For five bucks, I can’t complain.

Jeff the Brotherhood, meanwhile, was not your typical band of brothers; a two-piece band featuring drums and a three-string bass run through enough distortion and effects to make it sound like a guitar. A little weird, not too bad, but not really my thing.

Valiant Thorr was a bit of a strange choice as the main touring support. Not the most talented band–nor the most original, by any means–but definitely one of the hairiest buncha rednecks this side of ZZ Top. They might not have a lot in common with Pentagram, but they’re quite good at getting the crowd going with their on-stage energy.

And finally, Pentagram. I saw these guys in Cleveland last January, but since then, the lineup surrounding Bobby Liebling has completely evolved, bringing three new musicians into the fold. Well, some of them aren’t so new. Bassist Greg Turley played with the band in the mid 90′s, and of course, Victor Griffin is the seminal Pentagram guitarist, whose face appears along with Bobby’s–and no one else’s–on one of their new t-shirts. (Drummer Tim Tomaselli also plays with Griffin in Place of Skulls.)

From where I stood, Turley’s double Laney attack made my knees shake, whereas Griffin, on the other stage of the stage, was a little low in the mix. I also got up close and personal with Bobby Liebling, whose wild-man antics are the stuff of legend. The man is truly a unique talent!

After the gig, I went straight to the bus station, where I caught a red-eye coach to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I’ll post those pics tomorrow.

Peace,

Greg

Out with the old, in with the new…

Posted by gruesomegreg on August 24, 2011

If you’re reading this, you obviously got the memo: On Saturday, August 20th, I cancelled my old domain, TooHighToGetItRight.com, which had been online for four years. A big factor in this decision was the effective cancellation of my radio show, Smokin’ Green, when CKLN was taken off the air. Some chose to stay with the station as it became an online-only identity, but I did not. (They’re now in the process of evacuating from the Ryerson campus and moving to Regent Park, having been evicted by management. Truly the end of an era…)

Although the site gained some momentum as it neared the end of its life cycle, I sometimes felt that the primary use of the domain was as a storage space for archived episodes of my show. Nothing against my old hosting company; I’m grateful that they gave me a fuckton of storage space and the ability to make large file uploads, but let’s face it, THTGIR wasn’t pretty to look at–or easy to navigate. I took a single HTML course a dozen or so years ago, and didn’t bother brushing up on my CSS or XHTML when the new languages came around. Let’s face it, I’m a writer, not a programmer. Not only does WordPress handle the layout for me, it also saves me 100 bucks a year versus hosting my own site, and it helps that I’ve been using it for a couple years already with Hellbound.

As for the writing on this site, well, you can expect something closer to my Hellbound blog rather than the local rah-rah reviews I’d written for THTGIR. I am keeping “Gruesome Greg’s Gig List” on the right nav as a nod to the latter, but with the caveat that I’m only including shows I can see myself attending, as opposed to listing every heavy rock gig in Southern Ontario. Keeping tabs on bands is a lot harder now that no one uses Myspace anymore.

I don’t plan on limiting myself to writing about music, either. My Hellbound ramblings sometimes touched on topics ranging from KFC to the NFL and from chicken wing bars to federal politics in Quebec, but I plan on sticking to music-related topics over there from now on. All that other stuff will go here–along with anything music-related that doesn’t happen on a Saturday, heh heh. In case you were wondering, I spent last weekend in Upstate NY, where I caught Pentagram in concert, then took an overnite bus to Cooperstown to kneel before Robbie Alomar’s plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pictures of both events will be posted here this weekend, so stick around for that.

One final note: I’ve still got three Too High To Get It Right t-shirts (two Large, one Medium) sitting around in my closet, and I don’t plan on wearing all of them. If you’re in the GTA, I can deliver ‘em to your doorstep, or if not, I’m sure we can work out some kinda trade or Paypal arrangement. Drop me a line at my new email addy, or leave me a comment below.