kevin barnett

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I was just listening to Led Zeppelin - Dancing Days

Check it out.*

*I was part of a team that built this.

I was just listening to Mark Knopfler - Hill Farmer’s Blues

Why does this bit on the Late Show With David Letterman never get old? That maybe as much of a sad and bitter observation on the state of things as it is hilarious but I’m running with the latter. I am posting this for my own occasional daily need to laugh hysterically at our President. Cheers, GWB.

The Houston, TX legendary TV news journalist Marvin Zindler died from cancer today, two weeks before his 86th birthday. For most who have heard of him, he spread the gospel about “Slime In The Ice Machine“ and other violations of Houston’s food/health codes in local restaurants. For those of us who grew up with him, he might as well be another Murrow or Jennings; a permanent fixture of nostalgia and memory of our televised evening news.

I was just listening to Feist - My Moon My Man

Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine (Photo: ryandombal)

A large group of us made the trek out to Randall’s Island in the East River for Rock The Bells, an all-day hip hop festival. I am not going to get into the other performances, only because I didn’t see enough of them (The Roots) or because they’re washed up and I didn’t care (Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan). Cypress Hill did perform a great set, however their call to arms for marijuana didn’t quite move me as much as it did…in high school. B-Real, Sen Dog and Bobo all took the opportunity of NYC’s lax marijuana laws to smoke a joint on stage - and take a rip from a 5ft bong. My thought was, “Wow. Groundbreaking. You’re joining the crowd.”

While I did enjoy their music, as I always have, they’re performance may have been tied to how each performer is looking these days: not exactly fresh.

So let’s skip over Public Enemy’s performance which I only heard, did not see – The Roots which the 20 minutes that I did catch was fantastic – and Wu-Tang Clan which I was never a fan of before and still remain ambievelant towards. Maybe that’s because they were missing Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP).

My crew decided to infiltrate the packed crowd of 15,000 in front of the stage just before RATM’s performance. I’m not sure how far they made it in - I fell back, and while reamaining in the front crowd section, found a spot that wasn’t quite so…claustrophobic. This probably had more to do with temperature and humidity as the people in the front had most likely been there all day, jumping around, squeezing together and sweating. I’m not ready to claim “I’m too old for this shit” because I was never into experiencing a concert in that environment.

The lights go down and just as the red harvest moon had rose from the East, a banner with a large red star rises on stage. The crowd goes wild. A spotlight hits the stage with Zach de la Rocha introducing the band “We are Rage Against The Machine from Los Angeles, California”. And then, perhaps the greatest rock show in my live music experience begins.

RATM’s performance was mind-blowing. Zach de la Rocha was jumping all over the stage and quite literally had rage in his prescence. Commerford and Wilk had, exaggerations aside, the best groove I’ve ever heard in live music. And Morello not only did his unconventional guitar licks spot on, but was improvising and creating sounds that at times, I didn’t understand how he was doing it. Clearly, the 35,000+ who showed up were there for Rage and, as I had, forgotten about the other performances. I’ve never had such a good time crushed in a crowd jumping up and down for 80+ minutes.

An alternate album cover comp for The Battle of Los Angeles

When I see a band perform life, it serves to remind me why I either like or loathe a band. The studio production is stripped away and the crowd is left with the energy and musical talent the band has to give. RATM hits both marks out of the park. I was reminded of what made me fall in love with this band 13 years ago when a girl I fancied in high school played me something her college-age brother had just gotten into. The rolling hip hop over the hard groove bass lines, precision percussion and the MENSA-level execution of the guitar. In short, it’s something that I had never heard before and still today, albeit with cheap knock-offs from bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, have not heard anything like it.

More importantly, and what makes Rage rage is the content of their music. The whole concept of political revolution was difficult for me to understand growing up because I was living with my middle-class family without much concern other than girls, high school politics, sports and why my friends were doing on the weekends. Now that I am an adult living in the real world with all responsibilities to bear and have invested much of my interests into politics, de la Rocha’s lyrics had a different meaning for me. But I can’t but wonder if it’s a pure political agenda or just good rock n’ roll?

Which brings us to de la Rocha’s expected words during Wake Up.

Brilliant words now that just about everyone is on board with criticizing the Bush administration. Had this band not broken up seven years ago, the past 6 years might have been a little bit more interesting.

After the closing of Wake Up, Rage returns for a solid encore ending on Killing In the Name Of. Zach improvised on the lyrics: Some of those who burn crosses, are the same who hold office. If I ever had a Hendrix performing the Star-Spangled Banner moment, I guess that was it. In these days of a weakened Constitution and uber-pacifism where speech has been cheapened, I guess it will have to do.

My only complaints: at a hip-hop festival, they didn’t think to play any covers off of Renegades, specifically How I Could Just Kill A Man considering Cypress Hill was “in the house”. Also, don’t go see a show on Randall’s Island unless you really, really like the band. It’s hard moving 35,000+ people off of a small island with only a bridge, buses and cars.

Testify
Bulls On Parade
People Of The Sun
Know Your Enemy
Vietnow
Bullet In The Head
Down Rodeo
Tire Me
Guerilla Radio
Calm Like a Bomb
Sleep Now In The Fire
Wake Up

Freedom
Township Rebellion (outro)
Killing In The Name Of

I was just listening to Rage Against The Machine - Pistol Grip Pump

Why are 1500+ inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Cebu, Philippines performing an awesome dance routine to Thiller?

*Update: A Filipino friend explains, “My people are funny and strange. And they’re into dancing. A lot.”