tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17243053313118952282024-03-14T02:14:56.738-04:00Zena Metal's Sound and FuryZena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-32917939282011469122019-12-13T10:19:00.000-05:002019-12-13T11:20:28.054-05:00My Favorite Records of 2019
The Ham photo via @djmlysmn
Simple
as it may seem, early on in the year I started a note on my phone to chronicle
every album that blew me away. Sure enough, I amassed 10 that really
moved and inspired me without much browbeating about rounding out the list.
What’s
notable is that several of the top records were created by politically aware
bands I loved throughout high school and collegeZena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-27080850722917982902018-06-28T09:37:00.000-04:002018-06-28T09:37:04.868-04:00Marilyn Manson Covers '80s Goth ClassicWe interrupt this semi summer hiatus to present '90s icon and Goth granddaddy Marilyn Manson's cover of "Cry Little Sister," the brooding ballad made famous in the 1987 film, The Lost Boys.
Death in June, you say? Thou shalt not kill. But thou shall watch the video below.
Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-73646545739258157122018-03-12T11:22:00.000-04:002018-03-12T11:22:20.921-04:00Exhibit: Mike Mignola at Society of Illustrators
I recently attended the opening of The Art of Mike Mignola: Hellboy and Other Curious Objects at the Society of Illustrators. Here are my thoughts from that evening, along with some favorite images.
The rich complexities of Mike Mignola's art disguised as simplicity in B&W have been a calling card throughout his career. Utilizing few tools beyond pen and ink, he transforms pages into Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-9319811603807413082017-12-11T16:43:00.000-05:002018-06-06T16:42:05.306-04:00Putting DMX in XMas... or How I Created a Viral MomentSome people are lucky enough to create a viral sensation once, but as I listened to DMX’s officially recorded rendition of the Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” for the first time, I couldn’t believe the outlandish idea I had during an iHeartRadio digital department meeting was now in its second life.
Let me backtrack and recount my role in the making of this “modern classic” (Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-5541714811345406832017-10-13T18:53:00.000-04:002018-03-13T13:47:17.587-04:00Another New York Comic Con in the Books
I survived another NYCC! This one actually felt closer to one set in Manila, given that the early October weather clung to the mid 80s with tons of humidity in the air.
Javits Center cosplay; credit: Steve Bunche
Because of the Javits Center's undergoing multi-year construction project, the airy annex that once housed Artist Alley is gone, leaving creators to squish themselves tightly Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-17197222845734781072017-10-02T12:30:00.000-04:002017-10-02T21:28:25.240-04:00I Wrote a Thing for Noisey on L7
L7, l to r: Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks, Dee Plakas, Jennifer Finch
It's been a while since I delved into professional music journalism, but when one of my all-time favorite bands, L7, became the subject of the documentary, L7: Pretend We're Dead, I knew this was the interview and topic I had to explore.
Thanks so much to the patient and gracious Kim Kelly at Vice for letting me to have a Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-91128013148106908252017-07-27T19:48:00.001-04:002017-07-27T19:51:45.473-04:00Free Download: New Afghan Whigs Single
Heads up to all my fellow Afghan Whigs completists: the band has released a free download of the Pleasure Club cover, "You Want Love," in honor of the late Whigs guitarist Dave Rosser.
His longtime favorite song from the New Orleans local legends was recorded with Afghan Whigs and Pleasure Club vocalist, James Hall. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform it live at their European tour Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-16729115372593417752017-07-26T18:00:00.000-04:002017-09-12T21:18:33.945-04:00Gucci Goes Sci-FiAnd the nerds shall inherit the Earth...
Need more proof? Just watch Gucci's campy Star Trek-inspired Fashion Week 2017 film, and be sure to turn up the volume for optimal effect. [All credits included in embed.]
Introducing the #GucciFW17 film campaign. Motifs from sci-fi of the 50s and 60s appear in the video alongside a @StarTrek inspiration and the men’s and women’s collections Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-55981211177940403352017-06-12T21:04:00.000-04:002017-09-12T21:13:45.124-04:00The First-Ever Five Points Festival in (Mostly) PhotosSince I've got upcoming conventions on the brain, I wanted to add this throwback post... A while back I attended the inaugural Five Points Festival in lower Manhattan. Aimed at folks who get down with Supreme more than Superman, 5PF featured plenty of designer toys to drool over, and once again proved that cats are the ultimate muse. And possibly aliens.
I wrote a full report for Comics Beat, Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-71907143646148439622017-05-26T10:34:00.000-04:002017-05-26T12:14:15.043-04:00 My Travel Sabbatical
There's really no other way to put it: 2016 sucked. We lost Prince and Darwyn Cooke, among so very many others. My dad lost a brutally painful battle with lung cancer three days before my birthday. I lost my job after spending the summer alternately building a new website for my former company, and stifling tears while riding the length of an entire subway line — from Astoria to Brighton BeachZena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-90579094850275182962016-12-08T09:59:00.001-05:002016-12-08T10:05:40.212-05:00My Top 8 Records of 2016 & Then Some
Unlike
the last few busy years, I really sought out new music in 2016. Maybe I was
looking for respite from the shit year it’s been, or maybe I took an old
co-worker’s comment to heart.
After
posting that I didn’t like a particular Top 40 single, a now-benched music
industry vet surmised that it was time to give up; that pop music was no
longer being made for my demographic or Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-16834592820552476102016-11-27T12:50:00.000-05:002016-11-27T19:20:45.564-05:00 Help Support Mike IX of Eyehategod
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{Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-40335784418922112412016-10-24T10:12:00.001-04:002016-10-24T10:12:34.588-04:00Halloween Hearkens: A Throwback Viewing Guide
Halloween viewing lists are
the new end-of-year music lists — but far more fun and fluid (mostly, the shiny red kind).
It's validating to see that so many more of my cohorts celebrate this
fall tradition than, say, fawning over the latest pumpkin-spiced
food-stuff creations. Taking into consideration several genres of TV and film, plus decades of biting fodder to
choose from, it's easy Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-69441124703088295832014-12-21T15:24:00.000-05:002014-12-21T15:27:03.886-05:00Winter SolsticeAt least it's the shortest day of the year; 2015 can't come and wipe the slate clean soon enough.
Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-27996190561464331182014-12-18T15:36:00.002-05:002014-12-25T23:37:00.337-05:00Who Gives a S#!t?: My Music Picks for 2014
Too exhausted for pithy intros.
For most of the year I was still wrapped up in a pop wonderland, so I'm sure there are some gems that've been missed. But as someone who habitually shuffles through 24,000+ songs on an iPod Classic (what of it? they're worth money now), it's seldom that I become obsessed with hearing a record in its entirety. Over and over again.
That's pretty much the only Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-6081853834236217232014-12-08T22:07:00.000-05:002014-12-08T22:47:40.819-05:00A Decade Without Dimebag
Hard to believe it's been a full 10 years since "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot to death as he performed onstage with his band, Damageplan, at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, OH. The result is my almost-exact recollection of what occurred that day—a rarity for me. Probably the only other date and time this could be said for is September 11, 2001 in New York City.
A decade ago on this day, I Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-584559934566286952014-11-09T15:43:00.001-05:002014-11-09T15:44:13.048-05:00Heavy Hearts and Black CloudsSeems like the news is true at this point, and the thought of losing another member of our metal family this year is too much to handle. Sympathy and love go out to the friends and family of Black Tusk's Jonathan Athon, who died today from injuries he sustained in a collision while on a motorcycle.
Black Tusk were always such a great band to see live, and he was their driving force. Athon will Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-74351356246450219152014-11-04T17:28:00.002-05:002014-11-04T19:40:12.971-05:00 The Leaving Song After putting in almost five years of work there, I recently left a job at a very mainstream and very corporate media company.
To say I was burned out and frustrated is an understatement. Sure, I got to work with tons of incredible entertainers and colleagues, I learned a bunch about digital marketing (and the world of social media) and had some unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences that made Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-10197550257757324032014-10-29T13:15:00.000-04:002014-10-29T13:15:01.390-04:00 Mastodon Bring the Motherload The Atlanta homeboys in Mastodon keep making me proud, and since this was their second appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, I really love that Brent decided to take a piss out of it by dressing up. More cowbell, forever!
Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-91330768747949202482014-08-14T22:13:00.000-04:002014-08-14T22:13:17.064-04:00Head to The Meadows with Red FangAnd the winner for the most far-flung hard music tour of the year is... Communion of Sirens, featuring Opeth, In Flames and Red Fang. Should be interesting to see how the melodic, straight-forward rockers will fare with the more traditional metal-loving audience their Swedish cohorts attract. The package will be coming through New York City this December to perform at the horrendous Terminal 5, Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-25709243397631520932014-05-04T23:45:00.002-04:002014-05-04T23:45:35.170-04:00Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Beacon TheatreThis past Saturday, I was lucky enough to catch guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela live during their three-night run at the historic Beacon Theatre from probably the best vantage point I've ever had at the venue - if not anywhere - thanks to Thorns.
Naturally, I had to take tons of pictures. All of which were taken with my iPhone, largely without zoom (all without filters). Below are a few Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-26339651280317895852014-05-02T11:00:00.000-04:002014-05-02T11:23:20.472-04:00Jeff Hanneman: One Year Gone
Photo: Andrew Stuart/Google Images
Rest in Power [1964-2013]
Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-63386762274790639432014-05-01T22:53:00.000-04:002014-05-01T22:53:55.904-04:00A Place Called Home
Shortly after I moved into my Manhattan apartment in 2001, I discovered the building next door served as a halfway house for LGBT minority youths. Needless to say, the experience has been entertaining, colorful and extremely loud - especially during the summer when they raged all night their stoop-side torch songs. Sometimes in ass-less jeans.
Walking by this past week, I realized they movedZena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-34354447873044401352014-04-22T10:12:00.000-04:002014-04-22T10:12:24.611-04:00Machine Head Cover IgniteNot the first cover I would have thought of, but this is kind of dope - Machine Head covering latter-day Ignite. Check out their cover of "Our Darkest Days."
Zena Metalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621011684459507569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724305331311895228.post-11457450750879309942014-04-21T16:44:00.005-04:002014-04-21T17:12:24.278-04:00Death Angel's Rob Cavestany on His Signature Riff, Latest Album & That Damn Burger Ad<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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