TheSpiritofCygnusSawyer

Mike Portnoy explains what happened in Manilla last night Taken from MP’s post on his forum: Not to excuse my actions, but at least to explain the situation: This PSMS tour has been VERY difficult on all of us in terms of gear and production. The only way we have been able to make it to such far away places such as Manila, Russia, Israel, Indonesia, etc (where it is normally VERY expensive to tour unless you are a “name” band that has been around for many years) is we’ve have had to make concessions by using supplied gear and local techs at each show. Granted, WE agreed to these terms and are willing to make it work - however, on at least a half dozen occasions on this tour we have been incredibly frustrated to arrive at the venue only to find the band’s gear requirements were simply blatantly ignored (wrong keyboards, wrong amps, Zildjian cymbals, etc) AND were not setup and ready for us as was supposed to be the case and what the promoters had promised. We have been as patient and understanding as we possibly can be…but when you get 4 guys who haven’t slept more than a couple of hours every night in order to fly to these shows without sleep…sometimes our patience can wear thin. In the case of the Manila show, we arrived hours before the show to find out the drums weren’t setup, cymbals were missing, Billy’s amp was wrong (again) and Tony had a buzz on his gear that would not go away…but we forged ahead because we were VERY excited to play for the fans! At the start of Stratus (where the video on youtube is from) - my snare drum mic fell off and I motioned for the tech to come put it back on the stand/drum…and instead, he comes up to the drum kit and takes the mic away…leaving me playing with NO snare mic!!! (you’ll hear I begin playing the high tom instead of the snare)…realizing he had no idea what was going on or how to fix the situation, I stopped playing and did my little “rap” while they fixed the situation and we wouldn’t have to play the whole song with no snare in the mix. In the video, you can see I was at least making a joke out of it and wasn’t maliciously trying to hurt anybody or storming off in anger. Moral of the story: WE ARE HUMAN! And sometimes frustrating circumstances create frustrated behavior. I’m not saying I was right in stopping the song…but if you see a video from later in the show, you’ll see I explain to the audience that I’ve been waiting my whole career to play in Manila and I wasn’t going to let ANYTHING ruin my night or their show!! And we carried on and everybody had a great night… And I look forward to returning… (although this may be the last time I tour without my own kit and my own drum tech…hahahaha!!!) MP

Paramore was the second and latest band I reviewed. Now all my band reviews will be up-to-date, if I have the patience to do another one eventually Band History Hayley Williams met brothers Josh and Zac Farro in Frankin Tennessee when they were in their young teens. The two guys and Hayley's band with Jeremy Davis and her neighbor Jason Bynum eventually merged to form Paramore. Hayley was the lone one signed on to Atlantic records, with management wanting to make her a Top 40 pop vocalist. She resisted and said she wanted to go into alternative rock and have a band behind her. They agreed to her wishes. The band played shows while still going to high school, and began writing and recording for their first album. Jeremy Davis, not dealing well with rising success, quit the band, but later rejoined during this time. All We Know Is Falling was released on the Fueled By Ramen label over the summer of 2005, and they toured with Warped and had their first U.S. tour. During the touring before the album was released, Davis was replaced by John Hembree. After the album was released, Jason Bynum was replaced with Hunter Lamb, who left before the recording of their next album. Their sophmore album Riot!, released two years later, really broke them into the mainstream. Taylor York did not appear on the album, but was given membership in time to tour in support of the album. During the European leg of the tour, the band cancelled a handful of shows due to personal issues, the main catalyst being that Hayley was becoming the center of attention. Her and Josh also had a relationship going on that ended as well. The band regrouped and finished the tour. Paramore's hit it big when they recorded two songs for the Twilight soundtrack, an association that they still carry to this day. Their third album, Brand New Eyes, was released in September of 2009. The writing process was a healing process for the band members, mainly Hayley as the songs reflected the band's internal stuggles that they eventually worked through. They toured supporting No Doubt and eventually headlined a tour throught the U.S. and in Europe, with a South American tour on its way. But on December 18, 2010, a statement was released by Hayley, Jeremy, and Taylor on Paramore's website stating that the Farro brothers had left Paramore, making the claim that they hadn't seemed to want to be around for the past year or so. A few days later, Josh released a reponse on his blog, claiming that the band was "a manufactured product" and that the band was just "riding on the coattails of Hayley's dreams." Controversy of course ensued, with no real conclusion. The remaining members of the band are currently completing their South American tour with Josh Freese filling in on drums and Justin York on guitar, however they are not to be the permanent members in the band. Josh and Zac both have other projects in the works. My History With the Band I first heard Paramore when I played "That's What You Get" on Rockband at a friend's house, probably around winter 2008. Looking further, I purchased that song and later "Crushcrushcrush." Eventually I found a place to download the first two albums for free over the summer. This past summer, I listened to Brand New Eyes through YouTube postings, but not being impressed I didn't get the album. A few months later I gave it another try and ripped all the songs off YouTube. I finally downloaded a higher quality version of the album when I came home for Thanksgiving break. All We Know Is Falling - 2005 Lineup: Hayley Williams: vocals Josh Farro: lead guitar, backing vocals Jason Bynum: rhythm guitar, backing vocals Zac Farro: drums Lucio Rubino: bass guitar on everything except "Here We Go Again" Jeremy Caldwell: bass guitar on "Here We Go Again" Paramore's debut album was obviously written by a group of teenagers just getting their foot in the water. That being said, there's alot of positive things to find. The main high point of the album is of course Hayley Williams, belting our notes with the best of them at just the mere age of sixteen. Josh Farro's crunchy guitar riffs are what make most of the better songs on the album, like "All We Know", "Pressure", and "Emergency". The anthematic "Whoa" breaks up what was a string of just average or slightly-above-average songs starting from about the fourth track, and this unfortunately continues through to the end of the album. Most of the songs gave me a hard time deciding whether they were 3 or 4-star material, so there was really not that much exceptional material. But the dark edginess is an aspect of the band that is never seen again, and to me is what makes this album more interesting than it really should be. Highlights: All We Know, Pressure, Emergency, Here We Go Again, Whoa Lowlights: Conspiracy, Franklin, My Heart Overall Album Rating: 5.5/10 Riot! - 2007 Lineup: Hayley Williams - vocals Josh Farro - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals Jeremy Davis - bass guitar Zac Farro - drums Riot! is no sophmore slump for Paramore. Taking out the emo and putting in the pop, the band created an album that has the catchiness of a pop album but still rocks enough to be considered punk or alternative. Paramore didn't go totally soft, as the first track "For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" packs an aggressive punch right from the start, as do a couple other songs. "That's What You Get" is a typical single- catchy, short, and to the point. One thing about the song that really caught my ear was the rhythm guitar part during the chorus (it's just a simple chord progression that's nothing fancy at all, I don't know why I enjoy it that much), but listening for that part gave the song a new perspective. There's a number of uplifting, inspirational songs such as "Miracle" and "Hallelujah" that just make your heart soar. The most popular song from the album, "Misery Business" somehow does nothing for me. I acknowledge it's a good song, but it's not one I could ever get into. The album produces enough hooks to make it a guilty pleasure for me, although its overall effectiveness dropped drastically for me after hearing their third album. Highlights: That's What You Get, Hallelujah, Miracle, Born For This Lowlights: Misery Business, Let The Flames Begin, Fences Overall Album Rating: 7.5/10 Brand New Eyes - 2009 Lineup: Hayley Williams: lead vocals, keyboards Josh Farro: lead guitar, backing vocals Jeremy Davis: bass guitar Taylor York: rhythm and lead guitar Zac Farro: drums, percussion Brand New Eyes was written in the wake of the band needing to heal, and it's very apparent in the lyrical content. Almost every song gives some instance of a broken heart or a breakup. But the songwritng on this album is more mature. It feels like the band took a step back, toned it down, and focus on writing real music, instead of simple riffs to slap on with a catchy melody. As they did on Riot!, Paramore makes sure to cover many bases throughout the course of the album. "The Only Exception" and "Misguided Ghosts" are the ballads (with the latter being the first album-released acoustic track), "Careful" and "All I Wanted" are the dark, dramatic, aggressive songs, and everything else finds a place somewhere in the middle. Not much can be said on an individual basis as much as before, because while there may not be something amazingly special about each of the songs, most of them are just plain great. I can find something to like in each one of them, as I'm sure everyone else could too. The one complaint I have is even though the music got a little darker, Hayley's voice did not, and it times it can be noticably whiny. But this album represents a band growing and healing, and it was a huge step in a direction I really like. Highlights: Careful, Brick By Boring Brick, Where the Lines Overlap Lowlights (but not really): Playing God, Looking Up Overall Album Rating: 9/10 Band Wrapup Paramore. My, my, there's alot to say about them. For starters, I should say that I have a huge obsessive celebrity crush on Hayley Williams. But the bonus to that is that she's actually talented, and while she may sometimes steal the spotlight, it is well-deserved and not because she's searching for attention. In response to the controversy with the Farro brothers, I don't believe that one party is at fault here. After watching and reading itnerviews and soaking up everything I can about all that happened, I'll say this: I do not believe that Hayley runs the band as her project. She is the only one signed to Atlantic Records because they signed her wanting to turn her into a solo pop vocalist, but from day one she has demanded that the band be there behind her and has always, ALWAYS referred to Paramore being a band. As for the Farros, because Zac has not said a word to the public about any of this, I believe he left following Josh because he is a good brother and supported Josh in his decision. Why Josh left, I can't really say for sure, but I think it may have to do again with Hayley getting more attention than the rest of the band. But onto the music. Paramore has evolved quite nicely over the years. Seeing their songwriting go from emo-alternative to punk-pop to almost straight alternative rock has been an enjoyable thing to see, mainly in the fact that they are one of the few of today's band that haven't really "sold out". Hayley Wiliiams is indisputably one of rock's greatest vocalists, and the third album really put Zac on my list as one of the better drummers in today's music. Now as for Josh, alot of the combinations of lead and rhythm include a really high lead part which I really do not like. It sounds too light and too twinkly. The band caters to its fans. Paramore always releases blogs, videos, pictures online and keeps in contact with their fans. They have a handful of tracks that do not appear on albums, such as the Twlight songs and others such as "Decoy", "Oh Star", and covers of "My Hero" and "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". It's unfortunate that the band is changing personnel because they had a good thing going, at least musically. Their sound will definately change, and I can't really say yet whether I would go see them when they come around next tour. I know that bands are always changing members. We'll just have to see what happens with them. But overall, they are definately one of my favorites. I will be keeping all three of their albums in full, along with "Decode", "I Caught Myself", "Decoy", and an electronic cover of "My Hero". Overall Band Rating: 8/10

QUOTE (Scars @ Jun 8 2011, 12:06 AM) You certainly must have the record for most Rush references in a single username Re-welcome! I thought it was clever Thanks a bunch, guys!

QUOTE (ColdFireYYZ @ Jun 7 2011, 11:46 PM) I love the first 2 albums and I agree that they went downhill. Walk On is decent but Corporate America is horrible except for a couple tracks. That first album though is one of the greatest debuts ever. I will never get tired of those songs. Overall, I agree with most of this. Yeah, the quality of music definitely went downhill after the first two. I rated Corporate America how I did more for being interesting and presenting a different Boston, instead of the same recycled sound that was on the previous four albums that happened to be spread over eighteen years.

I know everyone will not read the whole thing, so that's perfectly understandable

So, a few months ago I decided to start a series of blogs that dove deep into a band's catalogue and gave a thorough review that was a combination of my musical opinion/personal opinion. Boston was the first band I did, so here it is. It's long, but I believe it is a good guide that gives the casual listener a better idea of the band and a direction as to where they should go if they want to further explore the band. Band History Boston is an interesting case. The band is actually a one-man show in Tom Scholz, the group's mastermind guitarist, bassist, organist, songwriter, producer, and engineer. He started out writing and recording songs in his basement in Massachusetts, attempting to send demos of his songs to record companies and promote his music by performing live in a band that included future Boston members Brad Delp (vocals) and Jim Masdea (drums). Eventually the music was picked up, but the record company insisted that Jim Masdea not be part of the record (I tried to look up why this happened, still can't find any answer). Scholz assembled his band and re-recorded his songs which became Boston's self-titled debut album, released in 1976. This album became the second-fastest selling debut album of all time in the U.S., and is regarded as the band's greatest album, spitting out classic such as "More Than A Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", and "Rock and Roll Band". Boston released, it's second album, Don't Look Back two years later, much to the dismay of Scholz, who felt that the record company has rushed him to release the record and that he needed more time to work on it (note that the time was 1978 and bands generally cranked out albums every 1-3 years). This began the legal battle between Scholz and Epic Records that he eventually won, about six years later. The album sold well, though of course not as well as the 17 million that Boston sold. Since Scholz was now able to work on his music at his pace,Third Stage did not come out for another eight years, and produce Boston's only #1 single, "Amanda". It was the first Boston album to not feature original members Barry Godreau, Sib Hashian, and Fran Sheehan. The next album, Walk On, released in 1994, signaled the departure of Brad Delp from the band. A Greatest Hits was released in 1997, including three previously unreleased songs, " Tell Me", "Higher Power", and "The Star-Spangled Banner/4th of July Reprise." The band's fifth and latest studio album, Corporate America came out in 2002 and featured the return of Brad Delp. Brad Delp committed suicude on March 9th, 2007. A tribute concert was held that included acts such as Godsmack, Extreme, Beatlejuice, and the current lineup of Boston, among others. Tommy DeCarlo, a home depot manager from Utica, was chosen by Scholz to sing after seeing Tommy's covers of Boston songs on his Myspace page. As of today, Scholz is working on a new Boston album that has no end in sight, in what he describes as a "painstakingly slow process." My History With the Band I've been hearing Boston classics on the radio since I started listening to the Loop and the Drive, but it only came to my attention a few years ago that Boston was responsible for all these songs. I went out and bought their Greatest Hits CD (which I think was the last CD I purchased physically) around freshman year of high school. Two years ago, I realized just how many of these songs were on their debut album, so I went and completed that on iTunes. This past summer I bought Don't Look Back on iTunes, and finally completed the discography over Thanksgiving Break. Boston - 1976 Lineup: Brad Delp - lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar Tom Scholz - lead guitars, rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars, clavinet, organ, bass guitar Sib Hashian - drums Jim Masdea - drums (on Rock and Roll Band) Barry Goudreau - lead and rhythm guitars Fran Sheehan - bass guitar What more can I say about Boston? Just look at the songs, there's not one on there that's still not played on the radio. "More Than A Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", and "Smokin'" all deserve the hype that they get. I have to admit though, I was and still am not the biggest fan of "Rock and Roll Band". "Hitch a Ride" delivers several swelling instrumental solos in the midst of an average chorus that I'm not too fond of. Tom Scholz gets the writing credits for all songs except "Let Me Take You Home Tonight", written by Brad Delp (he also gets credit for "Smokin'" along with Scholz). That is also the only song in which all five members of the band played, all the others songs are mainly Scholz except for spotty contributions from Goudreau and Sheehan, and Delp and Hashian playing on overy song. This is a great party album, a great guitar showcase, and an album that will serve as one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. It is no doubt my favorite Boston album. Highlights: Peace of Mind, Foreplay/Long Time, Smokin', Hitch A Ride Lowlight: Rock and Roll Band Overall album rating: 9.5/10 Don't Look Back - 1978 Brad Delp - lead and harmony vocals Tom Scholz - lead guitars, rhythm guitars, piano, organ, bass guitar, percussion Sib Hashian - drums, percussion Barry Goudreau - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, slide guitar Fran Sheehan - bass guitar, percussion Don't Look Back has the same exact style of Boston's previous album, but touches on a little darker music and subjects (not to say it's a dark album, it's just no party album). It boasts the band's first ballad, "A Man I'll Never Be", and a couple soft-rockers in "It's Easy" and "Used to Bad News". These two are very melodic and are two of my favorites. "Don't Look Back" and "Feeling Satisfied" are the two big hits from the album, and rightfully so. "Party" recaptures the mood of the first album, and "The Journey" is a short instrumental that sets the mood, and is a song that Scholz has started he listens to every night before he goes to bed. Overall, the album is a continuation of Boston, and while it comes nowhere near it, is still a pretty good album. Highlights: Don't Look Back, It's Easy, Feeling Satisfied Lowlight: Don't Be Afraid Overall album rating: 7.5/10 Third Stage - 1986 Lineup: Brad Delp - lead vocals, harmony vocals Tom Scholz - guitars, organs, piano, bass, drums, percussion Jim Masdea - drums, percussion Fran Sheehan - bass guitar Gary Pihl - guitar on "I Think I Like It" This album is a mess. First of all it starts of with a ballad, "Amanda". Yes, it was their highest-charting hit, but a hard rock band leading off an album with a ballad is just a no-no. There's two instrumentals on the album, both of which seem to serve no purpose at all. The second one, "A New World", is only 36 seconds long. "My Destination" is also a reprise of "Amanda". Pointless. The rest of the album is filled with a bunch of average tracks that continue to do nothing for me after continuous listens, with a couple exceptions. However, the electric snare sound is not something I particularly enjoy either, and lessens the entire sound of the band by a ton. I also miss the organs, something that seemed to be an integral part of the Boston sound. This is my least favorite Boston album by far. Highlights: We're Ready, Cool the Engines Lowlights: The Launch, My Destination, A New World, To Be A Man Overall album rating: 4/10 Walk On - 1994 Lineup: Fran Cosmo - lead vocals Tom Scholz - guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, piano, organ, clavinet Gary Pihl - guitar David Sikes - bass guitar, backing vocals Doug Huffman - drums Bob Cedro - rhythm guitar, special effects Tommy Funderbunk - backing vocals Walk On, thankfully, is better than Third Stage, both in sound quality and the fact that it recaptures of of the old Boston sound that was missing on the last release. The only sad thing is that Brad Delp is not featured on the album, leaving to work on other projects. Fran Cosmo does a decent job of trying to replicate Delp's vocals, but of course no one can truly replace Brad. This album, more so than the others, functions as a unit and while it doesn't contain an overwhelmingly about of great songs, is still a pretty good album. What does stand out above the rest is the "Walk On Medley", the middle four tracks of the album that are part of one larger song. The "Walk On Medley" features the return of high-energy instrumental jams and the organ, a sound that I enthusiastically welcome back. Highlights: Livin' for You, Walk On Medley (Walkin' at Night, Walk On, Get Organ-ized, and Walk On (Some More)) Lowlights: Magdelene Overall album rating: 6/10 Corporate America - 2002 Lineup: Brad Delp - vocals Tom Scholz - guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, vocals Fran Cosmo - vocals Gary Pihl - guitar, keyboard Anthony Cosmo - guitar, vocals Kimberley Dahme- vocals, guitar on "With You" David Sikes - bass Curly Smith - drums Charlie Farren - vocals Beth Cohen - flute and vocals Bill Carman - bass Tom Moonan - drums/percussion Frank Talerico - percussion loop Sean Tierney - keyboards Corporate America marks the first time Boston has really changed its sound to blend with the times. It's also the first time Scholz has released this many songs an an album not written by him at all. "With You" is song written by new member Kimberley Dahme, a country artist (why she's in the band I have no idea), and while it is not a bad song, it has no place on a Boston album. Same goes for "Cryin'", a ballad written by Anthony Cosmo which sounds like it could have been released by a modern band, and "Stare Out Your Window". The rest of the songs on here are surprisingly average, with a live version of "Livin' for You" that pretty much replicates the studio version. Highlights: Corporate America, Cryin' Lowlight: I Had A Good Time, Turn It Off Overall album rating: 5.5/10 Wrapup Boston was overall disappointing. Their early material is as good as ever, but it seems as if Scholz' creative genius that created the first two albums began whithering away. When you combine their weaker material with the low number of albums they have, it's amazing that they're still touring and making music. It looks like I'll be keeping Boston, Don't Look Back, and possibly Walk On in my library and getting rid of the other two albums while keeping the better songs. Brad Delp is definitely one of my favorite vocalist and Scholz, while he seems like a dick, has to be one of my favorite guitarists. It'll be interesting to see what the new album is like, although I wouldn't necessarily expect anything good. Overall band rating: 7/10

Hey, everyone I don't know if any of you remember me, I joined a few years back and posted a small bit, fell out of the habit but still have visited this board on a daily basis. I thought I'd give this another try, seeing as it's summer and I have not much to do. I look forward to talking Rush and music in general, and hopefully will not experience another trollfest like the one that occurred a few weeks ago So, that's it for now, talk to you all soon! Dale

L4S = BUDDY RICH SONG It's Neil's solo.

To everyone complaining about hearing Presto... I've always thought the song was just mediocre. But we have never heard it in a live setting. Think of how the heavy live sound will be, replacing the paper thin sound of the album? THAT makes me excited, because I see myself liking this song ALOT more after experiencing it live. Just a small thought... However on the entire setlist I will also say that upon a first look, I was really dissapointed. But after some reflection, I know that this show will rock. We get some rarities, some really kick-ass songs, and don't forget Neil's new drum set, Geddy's orange amps, andthe giant video screen!! The song list is only a portion of the entire show, the performance and setting is still there to make up for poor song choices...maybe

I haven't seen How It Is...that song always gets my spirits up.

Hey so Rush is a band...they make music....let's get back to talking about that, shall we?

I'm 15, I feel like a baby here!

Moving Pictures...every song is amazing.

Heart Full of Soul. Hearing the studio after the R30 version was amazing.

Leave that Thing Alone, followed by Cut to the Chase, and Nobody's Hero.