Two weeks ago, I asked Vu if he wanted to post the news that The Verve had reunited. He encouraged me to do it. I then suggested that he do it. Do you remember either of us posting anything about The Verve? Yeah.
So, guess what, solo-Ashcroft haters? ThE vErVe Is BaCk!
The Verve, minus Simon Tong of The Good, The Bad & The Queen, recently regrouped to record a new album and tour. So far, only six UK dates have been confirmed. All are now sold out.
That's it. Let's see how long this lasts.
They're not the only ones making drippy dreams come true.
On Valentine's Day, Spanish über-rock band, Héroes del Silencio, announced that, after over a decade of pleading, fans would finally be appeased with a meager 10-date reunion tour in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of their first recordings and the tenth anniversary of their break-up.
Héroes was my first introduction to energetic (Hard) Rock music that melded well with Spanish-language lyrics, instead of sounding awkward or awful. Lead singer Enrique Bunbury doesn't waste his words on posturing, tits, or disingenuous panty-wetters. Layered in metaphors, the lyrics often deal with social ills, the human condition, or painful love. And, that's what gets you in the end. The guy is an angry, raspy-voiced romantic. He fiercely emotes, and growls like a wounded animal. Pretty sexy stuff. (Who knew that scrawny-assed vegans could be this hot?!)
Besides the disappointing lack of shows, the other topic of interest is the mystery of lead guitarist Juan Valdivia's hand managing to sucker-punch rhythm guitarist Alan Boguslavsky into submission. Apparently, Valdivia's manus has been "weakened" by an accident, tendonitis, or a muscle-mushiness of some kind. (All I know is that no one seems to be sure what it is, but they - journalists, bloggers, fans - all refer to it as the "lesión".) This has resulted in Boguslavsky, who was added to the line-up in 1993, being replaced by Valdivia's brother for the tour. BUT, it is all in the name of moral support, folks. No hard feelings. They let him know in an email.
Anyway, all tour dates are, of course, sold out. Tickets for the September 28th LA show are up on Ebay, starting at about a $100 a piece. You should really go, if you can make it. If not, don't worry. They're one of the most bootlegged bands in Latin America. We'll see them up on Youtube soon enough.
My friggin' dreams have been smacked, flipped, rubbed down! Soda Stereo returns!
Emerging in the early 80s (with an insignificant, any-band album), Soda Stereo beautifully glided through fifteen years of New Wave, Rock, Dream Pop, Space Rock, and other genres to become one of the most beloved and influential bands in Latin America. If they'd sung in English, you'd definitely have them in your collection alongside Duran Duran, U2, Depeche Mode, The Police, etc.
This June, Soda confirmed that reunion rumors were true. They would briefly reform for twelve shows in seven countries to commemorate their last concert, which took place at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires in 1997. They are, however, already at eleven shows in only four countries. Me Verás Volver could very fortunately turn out to be a slightly longer tour than we could've imagined.
In addition to NYC and LA, Chicago and Miami will supposedly be on the itinerary. (No Hispanic left behind... except for those in Texas. But, you know what my man Danzig says.)
I will keep you guys posted. I promise to make you love them.
I'd heard. I'd read. But, I hadn't imagined that it would be this soon. Knoxville's bittersweet, Power Pop darlings Superdrag, are together once more and coming to six US cities (possibly not) near you this Fall.
I always assume that most people, who were of double-digit age in the mid-90s, will probably remember Superdrag's oft-played, MTV Buzz Bin hit "Sucked Out". You know, the "Who Sucked Out the Feeliiiiin?!" song. Yes? No? Well, whether you remember it or not, if you don't at least own one cd, you're missing out on some pleasantly pessimistic, reflexive, fun, endearing music.
After "Sucked Out" climbed Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart to number 17, everything quickly turned sour for Superdrag. The second single and full-length follow-up went nowhere; Their label dropped them; And, the bassist left to work on his own project. Still, the quality of their music never suffered. John Davis and co. consistently put out great albums till they called it quits in 2003.
Presale tickets became available last week. You can try to get them here: http://superdrag.ducatking.com/
Oh, did I forget to mention that it's the original lineup of John Davis, Brandon Fisher, Tom Pappas, and Don Coffey, Jr.? Yup, it's 1996 again and I'm miserably happy.
One more: Last week, Digital posted a Myspace bulletin with a link to a Shed Seven reunion story. The whole band, except for Fraser Smith, will reunite for a 14-gig Greatest Hits tour that starts at the end of November and ends mid-December. Tickets went on sale today, though the Wikipedia entry claims that MySpace fans had access to presale tickets on the 7th.
In all my years of loving Britpop, I've never paid attention to this band. While researching them, I've found that they're not bad at all. (Although, I'm pretty sure that I read an interview where one of them badmouthed Catherine Wheel while touring Canada with them years ago. Um. That's a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned.)
Consumed by tedium, Cristina
