BCE Blogs: BC Rocks

Local shows this weekend

Here are some shows happening this weekend:

• At Planet Rock: Tonight, it's the "Take Over Tour," featuring Ill Hollow Chamber, It Lies Within, Killing For Sport and In A Blaze Of Glory; on Saturday: Fifth Day Release, Foreground and Never October.

• At Bell's Eccentric Café: The Mighty Short Bus is on tonight; Who Hit John? is on Saturday.

• At The Corner Bar: FlopHouse, The Bill Clements Group and Thunder Chickens perform tonight; The Toledo Strip, Lay Of The CID, Fidrych and Dubnes are on Saturday.

• At Redrum: Headcase, End Of Reason, Eighth Chakra and Bismuth are on Saturday.

• At The Stagecoach Barn: Zion Lion and D.J. Assane perform Saturday.

For more in local nightlife, click here.

More readers' thoughts on Buckcherry concert

Below is an e-mail from Chris Hubbell and my response. Just for more readers' responses on the Buckcherry-Avenged Sevenfold concert Feb. 21 at Kellogg Arena:

Justin,

Thanks for the reply. I will admit I have a better opinion regarding your article now.

As I am sure you are aware the music scene in this town is less than desirable, so when I first read your article I was clouded by the negativity. I did not take in the point of it being  an objective review for the masses. For that I apologize.

However, I still think you have to admit that it was a rather harsh description of the event. We both agree that said observations are common place at a show such as this. Knowing this town and the residents here I just thought it could have sparked some screwed up opposition to future bands coming to town. Seriously, Look what happened after the girls gone wild thing at planet rock, that was blown SO FAR OUT OF PROPORTION it was disgusting. Typically I read the on-line reviews of shows in the GR and Detroit areas and there is usually no mention of the normal observations of a rock concert. That I guess is what threw me. Either way, I do ultimately agree with you, I guess I would have liked to have seen the observations conveyed as a little less negative is all.

Looking back I may have been a little harsh in my email as well. Fact is the article hit a nerve with me for some reason and I acted on that. I am not a journalist but I am guessing that the point of journalism is to get your readers involved be it good or bad, no? Again I am guessing that to be true so I will commend you on succeeding in at least pissing me off enough to wright you about and then again to explain my position further, normally I would have written this of as someone that is not worth the effort and have been done with it. But, I was compelled to respond.

Anyway, thanks for the response, no hard feelings.

Chris Hubbell

Oh by the way, feel free to tell who ever it was that called me immature and a tool on the blog, yes I freaking love tool so thanks for associating me with them. Thumbs up!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chris —

The job of a reporter is to report, to inform our readers about what’s happening in the community and let them make up their own minds what to do with it. They can get involved positively or negatively or they can do nothing at all. We don’t ask people to get invovled — at least not with news stories. Sometimes we make calls in columns, but those are a separate entity.

What ran Feb. 23 on the Enquirer’s Page 1 was not a review; it was a report. I don’t mix in thoughts, feelings or interpretations with reports. What that means is that I didn’t write what I wrote negatively, I wrote it objectively as an observation. You (and many others) took it as negative; others still took it as positive.

What you read about happening in Grand Rapids or Detroit I can’t say.

And, of course there are no hard feelings. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions and discussion of any kind is good for the community, I think.

OK.

Justin

In today's WOW, multimedia

In today's WOW, you will find:

• This story on 3 Feet To Fall.

• This ROCK COLUMN: The art of the breakup song

• This week's Top 5: Top 5 breakup songs:

5. "Crying Like a Church on Monday," by The New Radicals

4. "Shadowboxer," by Fiona Apple

3. "Pale Green Stars," by Everclear

2. "Let It Die," by The Foo Fighters

1. "Cold Contagious," by Bush

NOTE: Click here for links to hear all of this week's Top 5 songs and for more of my thoughts on them.

Thoughts from the Buckcherry concert

Here are the first responses to my call for those who attended Buckcherry-Avenged Sevenfold concert Saturday at Kellogg Arena to share their thoughts. Click here to read my original call.

First, this e-mail:

I was at the concert on Saturday. I have seen these bands before, never did I think that they would come to Battle Creek. I was so pumped! I enjoyed singing along and feeling all of the energy that the bands exuded. Yeah people were there drinking and having a good time, but in reading your article, I felt like you portrayed it as dirty or shameful. I mean vomit, weed, and junkies in need of a fix?

I was excited to see the coverage in the paper and was disappointed by what I read. Maybe some people got too carried away with their “good time” but with the things that are going on here in our own backyard with people losing their houses and getting laid off of let go from their job, we need this. A time to relax, have fun with friends and for a few hours forget about our troubles.

You also didn’t point out any of the awesome performances that went on there. Like when Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach climbed up on the 2nd level of the arena sang from there. You should have put more focus on the excellent performances and the great energy that they brought into the arena.  That concert was awesome and we need things like that here in our little town.
 
 
Courtney Rainey
Battle Creek, MI

Then, these photos, courtesy of Michael Waidelich:

 

 

 

 

 

Were you at the Buckcherry concert?

I've really enjoyed reading the differing responses on my Monday story about the Saturday concert at Kellogg Arena. The fact that some people thought I was promoting the behavior and others thought I was knocking it down and trying to make live rock 'n' roll too taboo for Battle Creek (the latter must not be Rock Column readers) tells me I did a good job maintaining objectivity. It's unclear how I felt about the thing.

But the differing perspectives is also an interesting statement on the human mind, I think. More than once, I received an e-mail that said somewhere in it: "What concert were you at?" And in each of those e-mails was a different take on what ulterior motive the missive writer that I had.

While this frequently happens to us journalists, it's never been so starkly contrasted for me.

So, I want to get more perspectives. If you were at Saturday's concert, send me an e-mail and tell me what you thought of it. Tell me what you thought of my story and how the show was depicted.

My e-mail is jhinkley@battlecr.gannett.com. Write "Buckcherry" in the subject lines and make sure to put in your name and hometown. I'll share your comments here on this blog. Keep it short.

Also, if you have any photos, send them along, too. Let's keep the conversation going.

In the meantime, here's an e-mail from an C.J. Hubbell. It's unedited:

Mr. Hinkley,

WOW, What a great article to to encourage future rock bands to come to Battle Creek. Are you Kidding me???? Have you actually been to a concert in the last ten years?

Yes, what you described about the events of the Saturday show at Kellogg arena are consistent with ANY typical rock concert, yes, it maybe unfortunate but hey, that is part of the rock concert culture. Do I necessarily condone it, no. I have been to more concerts in my 35 years of age than I can remember. Yep, I enjoy a great concert with a beer in hand, that's part of the experience!!! I am sure there were many other people doing the same.  Yes, there are people using Marijuana, yes, you see people that over indulge.  Anyone that has ever been to a rock concert would have to conceded these truths.

However, you have singled out a SMALL majority of the typical concert goer.


My problem with your article is this..............  You must not be a rock music fan, or at least don't want it in Battle Creek because I am guessing any parent in this town would not allow there 17 year old child to ever go to a show in this town again after reading your article.

Once again, I understand journalism is to try and bring the reader into the event but, you portrayed one single rock show in Battle Creek as a drunken, drug induced may lay.  WTF?

Seriously, and I quote "The smell of sweat, beer and marijuana perfumed the air. Arena crews were dispatched here and there to mop up vomit."

What ever happened to a reporter reporting the positives of a show?

"The Bands where electric"  "The crowd was energized" "What a great night for the Kellogg arena to host some big named acts"

No you chose to high light the absolute worst of a good thing to come to downtown in the midst of it needing night life entertainment the most. 

Sad. Very sad.

I will also say this, I am sure the promoter of this past show has/will read your article and is most likely thinking, Hhmm Guess we won't be coming back to Battle Creek next year. I will check with them because if they haven't read I will make sure they do.


C.J. Hubbell

Photos from Buckcherry concert

Freelancer Al Lassen didn't have these processed last night, but they came in this afternoon. Here are some shots from last night's concert at Kellogg Arena. For more on the show, click here.

 

 

 

Big rock in the little city; concert news

Just walked in from a noisy night at Kellogg Arena.

There was more flesh in there than I've ever seen in that place. No room to move without touching somebody somewhere. Arena spokeswoman Lindsay Taylor told me the capacity was about 8,000; there were probably far more than that inside. The temperature inside the vacant, chilly arena hall rose at least 10 degrees as it began to fill up. By the time the second band was halfway through its set, the place thoroughly wreaked of sweat and stale beer. Not smoke; people had to walk outside to smoke.

Four bands on tonight, in this order: Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry. With each band, the stage setup got a little bigger, the music a little louder, the lights a little brighter. And consequently, the crowd packed together together against the barricades in front of the stage. By the time Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd took the microphone, the floor of the arena was one living organism, swooning and swaying and breathing and fists pumping.

With the smell of sweat and herb, the scene reminded me one of those single-cell, asexual things you see on the Discovery Channel in the midst of procreation. It was spawning happiness and glee and energy.

The crowd -- mostly blue-collar, hot blooded rock enthusiasts, along with the depressed, long-banged teenie types -- was this way because of withdrawal from a good rock concert in their hometown. The last big rock show was in 2006, when Disturbed performed. And now they were getting their fix, and they were getting high.

Some other observations from tonight.

• According to Al Lassen, the freelance photographer working with me tonight, there were at least three people taken away by ambulance. I saw a stretcher move through the back halls, but didn't see anyone taken out. If there were indeed three, that's more than I've ever seen taken in my long history of attending concerts. There was a lot of crowd-surfing happening tonight, and that's always likely to cause injury.

• There was also more puke than I'd ever seen at a concert. At least four times, and once before the first band even began, arena crews were dispatched to clean up the bio-hazard. I also saw several (assumed) boyfriends carrying their (assumed) girlfriends out of the crowd. The girls looked pale, thin and on the verge of throwing up, passing out or dying. I have no explanation for this other than how tightly packed the audience was.It's possible the girls were suffering from heat stroke or dehydration.

There will be more on this in Monday's Enquirer, but one more bit of information before I sign off: Taylor told me that Disturbed is coming to the arena again with its "Music as a Weapon" tour on April 30. Also on the bill are: Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil and Chimaira.

Interview with Ghosts Of The Great Lakes

Because of time conflicts between and the band members, my interview with Ghosts Of The Great Lakes happened via MySpace. Frontman Benny West handled all of the answers.

The following was copied and pasted from the Web:

TELL A BRIEF STORY ABOUT HOW THE BAND GOT TOGETHER? HOW LONG AGO DID IT FORM?

Ghosts formed in July of 2008 when Jeff and I left the band we were in. We had plans for GHOSTS long before we left designer virus. Creativly that band was not what we wanted despite it being a fairly well recieved band. We knew we could make better music. We recruited Mike Snyder for bass. He was our only choice. Mike had played in a band with Jeff years ago. We knew creativly he was the best choice. We didnt really hunt for a drummer. We worked with Dane and became quickly clued into the fact that the kid was a drumming phenom. We tried him out once and that was it

HOW WOULD YOU GUYS DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC? HOW DO YOU THINK IT COMPARES TO THE REST OF THE BATTLE CREEK/KALAMAZOO SCENE?

Our style of music is tough to describe as all atmospheric type bands are. We write songs and most of them have a usual structure for the most part but we really focus on making the songs have a very spooky, spacey, dreamy quality. Something from a dream or a distant memory. Music for movies. We dont think we are alone in our sound but dont feel like we sound like any other local bands. If you broke certain parts down you may be able to make some comparisons but nothing as a generalization. We are confident we have our own thing going on.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT WRITING SONGS? ARE YOU A JAM BAND, OR IS THERE ONE SONGWRITER, OR IS WORKED ON COLLECTIVELY?

We are absolutly not a jam band. Ghosts write music collectivly. Each song is differant in its birth. Usually Mike or Jefff have a riff they think is special then it is developed and structure the song with dane. Once a basic form is made we will make work on making it more complex. When it is farly solid in its structure we will finalize lyrics. We are not a jam band. Any of the musical segments that may last a while are completely rehearsed and never improvised live. We spend a lot of time writing these segways.

WHO WRITES THE LYRICS? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MOST OF THE SONGS ARE ABOUT?

I write all the lyrics. They are all very personal and emotional. I could say that any of the songs are mostly about one subject. But they do all come from personal experiences in one form or another. I dont write about this and that. I write about things I feel people can relate and bond to.

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF GHOSTS OF THE GREAT LAKES? IF YOU TOOK THE COLLECTIVE MESSAGE OF ALL THE SONGS AND LUMPED IT INTO ONE THEME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

There is no collective message. Our songs revolve around a metroploitan lifestyle and the ups and downs of such a lifestyle. There are no specifics. Its Lifestyle music. Thats it. Its fashion, parties,relationships,addiction, love, hurt, death, life.

WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO YOU HOPE TO HAVE ON A LISTENER?

We hope to develop an emotional personal bond with the listener. We want people to feel what we are doing. People have experienced what we touch on in our songs. We want them to be able to relate to our lives.

WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS AS A BAND? HOW FAR DO YOU HOPE TO TAKE GOTGL AND HOW DO YOU HOPE TO GET THERE?

We want our music out there. We have just finished our first album as a band. We want to get it to people. We are going to tour and work hard and continue to progress. We are very proud of our creation "death of the party". We are gonna just work our buts off and see where it akes us. honestly we want it all and everyone knows it. We will see if we can get it.

In today's WOW, multimedia

In today's WOW, you will find:

• This story on Buckcherry. The group will perform Saturday at Kellogg Arena with Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach and Saving Abel. Click here to read a transcript of my interview with Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd.

• This story on Ghosts Of The Great Lakes.

• This ROCK COLUMN: Dear readers

• This week's Top 5: Top 5 songs about friends

5. "Friends in Low Places," by Garth Brooks

4. "Local God," by Everclear

3. "Glory Days," by Bruce Springsteen

2. "With a Little Help from My Friends," by The Beatles

1. "A Friend Is a Friend," by Pete Townshend

Top 5 breakup songs

In my last post, I gave you my top 5 love songs.

Now that the Valentine's Day honeymoon is over, why don't we do the Top 5 breakup songs, for all of those out there hurting? Here we go:

5. “Crying Like a Church on Monday,” by The New Radicals

I like the music in this song, very classic R&B bluesy, with a pop tempo. Love the piano. I'm more for nontraditional music, being a nontraditionalist myself. And the composition of this song and basic premise of the lyrics are very old-school. But Gregg Alexander has a knack for taking the ordinary of a genre and tweaking it just enough to make it interesting. The simile of "crying like a church on Monday" is fantastic. Best line: "Now I don't light candles, cuz they make me see the light."

4. “Shadowboxer,” by Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple is one of the best piano songwriters of my generation. And among the best lyricists. She has a deep understanding of evil and paints the picture of her former lover's head games as bleak as they often are. And the confusion of being pulled between lover and friend can make a person feel like a shadowboxer. Best line: "So I'll be sure to stay wary of you, love/To save the pain of once my flame and twice my burn."

3. “Pale Green Stars,” by Everclear

A story told about how a breakup impacts the children. And, like Art Alexakis always does, he tells it with such vivid imagery and clearly explained emotion. That's why they're my favorite band. Best line: "Climb up the stairs, close the door/Doesn't wanna hear us fighting anymore/Better call it a day."

2. “Let It Die,” by The Foo Fighters

I think Dave Grohl wrote this song about Courtney Love and what role he thinks she played in Kurt Cobain's death. But it could very easily be turned into an angry song blaming a former lover for letting a good thing fall apart. At least that's how I hear it. The very last note in the song, where all the music stop and Grohl's still screaming, makes my skin tingle every time. Great. Best line: "A simple man and his blushin' bride/Interveinious intertwined/Why'd you have to go and let it die?"

1.  “Cold Contagious,” by Bush

Pure anger and sadness and trying to find yourself. That's the hardest part about breaking up: learning how to go from two to one. And this song describes that struggle very well. Distorted and weird guitars play as big a role in telling the story as do the off-color lyrics. Best line: "You have no right to calm me down/You were never that around/And I missed."