Bret Michaels Says Poison’s Fights Were Always About Music

 

Bret Michaels has insisted that even though he regularly fought with his Poison bandmates in the '80s and '90s, the disagreements were always about their music, and were never personal.

The original lineup — featuring Michaels, guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett — is currently touring with Def Leppard. It's their first U.S. road trip since 2012, after Michaels' solo career interests had made it seem as if a reunion couldn't be arranged.

And now that all four men are in their fifties, the fighting is behind them. "We've all knocked the s— out of each other – but a day later we're in the same room, working this s— out," Michaels told Rolling Stone. "Our arguments were never about whose bus is closer to backstage. They were always over songs in the set and stuff like that. Except for one big one with C.C., where we were belligerent drunk and I was smelling of whiskey and bad decisions."

Poison remain on the road until the end of June, but not even the band members know what's in store afterward. "If it takes me four years to get Bret to agree to play a tour, you never know if there's going to be another one," Dall said. "It's gotten so hard to just get it done."

Dall admitted that Michaels had upset his colleagues when he began performing Posion songs as part of his solo sets. "If I'm being honest, I think it would bother anybody," the bassist said. "And if anybody in the band tells you otherwise, I'd think they're lying."

"There's no malicious reason I do it," Michaels countered. "It's just in addition to what I do with Poison. You don't get to stay here for 30 years by accident. I'm comfortable in my own skin."

Annual showcase celebrates local music

It will be a reunion and a showcase of area talent on Saturday when The State Theatre’s Return of the Native Sons & Daughters show returns. The event features an array of local artists representing the best in State College independent music.

“This is a very close knit, incestuous music community and there is some amazing original music being produced here,” said local music fixture Ted McCloskey. “Unfortunately, most people don’t get to see and hear a lot of it. Well, here’s an incredible opportunity to see a prime sampler of that songwriting at a beautiful venue.”

McCloskey said he’s grateful for the opportunity to view his peers in their natural state, even if the chance doesn’t come around very often.

“I really look forward to seeing everyone,” he said. “One of the downfalls of playing six nights a week is that I don’t get to see other the artists as much as I like to.”

Natty Lou Race, of Raven and the Wren, agrees with McCloskey.

“Due to similar schedules in the entertainment business, it is not often to have a night off to go and listen to another band,” Race said. “Nights like this are most fun for musicians because we all get to enjoy each other’s performances.”

Race think that this area is conducive to independent musicians.

“The musicians in the area have a wonderful web of support seemingly ‘built in.’ Whether you’re fresh on the scene or a veteran of 40-plus years, all are welcomed, encouraged and befriended,” Race said. “I have personal relationships with many of the musicians on the Native Sons and Daughters bill.”

Noah Figlin, singer and guitarist for The Unbanned, has been a perennial part of the State College music scene for more than a decade and said he feels at home as a “native son.”

“The first show of this kind was in 2007 and it was a blast,” Figlin said. “It was an original showcase and album release party for The Nightcrawlers, The Rustlanders and Ted & the Hi-Fi’s. I believe each band played their entire record to a really appreciative and diverse audience. We all had a great time.”

Beyond being friendly, Figlin believes the local scene is packed with serious talent.

“The State College music scene is pretty multifaceted,” Figlin said. “There are a lot of really talented players and good bands who play a lot of different styles. The cool part is that among players who have been around for a while, almost everyone knows each other and is supportive of each other’s music. There are a fair number of serious artists here who really care about the music they make, and we all have a lot of mutual respect for one another.”

Nate Cushall, of The Tommy Roberts, agrees about the high quality of musical talent in Happy Valley.

“(It’s) a small, but very talented and supportive scene,” Cushall said. “We’ve got world class players here. Somebody good is playing somewhere most nights of the week.”

Cushall, much like his peers, is excited to see the other acts.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone, but I love Miss Melanie and the Valley Rats, and Raven and the Wren,” he said. “Also, I haven’t seen Lemont play under their new name yet, so I’m looking forward to hearing their new stuff. Mark Ross has been a mentor to both Brian (Cleary) and myself. He produced our first album, helped us get into the scene and is constantly after our wallets to buy new amps and guitars.”

The young musician think that anyone who attends the show will have a positive experience and become more interested in the local music scene.

“If you want to have a good time, and get hip to some of the best bands/musicians in State College, this is your all inclusive ticket,” Cushall said. “If you’ve never been to one of these local shows before, or aren’t super familiar with the scene, you will be educated by the time the show is over.”

Ambient pioneer Midori Takada: 'Everything on this earth has a sound'

As minimalism and ambient music grew and developed from the subtle piano of Erik Satie to the more avant garde work of Terry Riley and John Cage, moving from the fringes to mainstream respectability or at least airport lounges, the best known names have been mostly male, and mainly from the west.

Midori Takada, a composer and percussionist in Japan who released a string of mindblowing records beginning in the 1980s, challenges that order. Many call her work minimalism; her interlocking patterns bring to mind Steve Reich, in particular. Her layers of rich textures and atmospheres are sometimes reminiscent of Brian Eno’s classic ambient work. Through it all, she created a sound that is uniquely her own.

Takada was part of the Mkwaju Ensemble, a short-lived Japanese group comprised of Takada and fellow Japanese musicians Joe Hisaishi, Yoji Sadanari, Junko Arase and Hideki Matsutake, which released two dynamite records, Mkwaju and Ki-Motion, on the Better Days label in Japan in 1981. Their hypnotic music feels inspired by Reich and Terry Riley, and by various forms of African drumming (the word “mkwaju” comes from Swahili). At times, their music sounds like early techno, possibly due to the involvement of Matsutake, better known for his work in Logic System and as a “secret member” of Yellow Magic Orchestra. (The first Mkwaju Ensemble album would not be out of place mixed into a DJ set today.)

What I wanted to compose was impossible to notate, and each sound was painted like on a sound canvas
Takada then broke out into a solo career. Her mesmerizing debut Through the Looking Glass, released in Japan in 1983, has become something of a holy grail for collectors – original pressings have fetched as much as $750 on Discogs. For years, her albums were exceedingly difficult to find. But Through the Looking Glass is now in print again thanks to a new reissue, released this month.

Through the Looking Glass was recorded in only two days, with Takada playing an enormous range of different instruments and found objects including marimbas, reed organs, gongs, ocarinas, bells and Coca-Cola bottles, using them to create her own “band” with layers of overdubs. “Through the Looking Glass is an album that could only be created in the studio, says Takada by email from Japan, via a translator. “What I wanted to compose was impossible to notate, and each sound was painted like on a sound canvas.”

Takada put a good deal of thought into selecting the various sounds on Through the Looking Glass; some of the sounds on the album hold deeper symbolic meaning in Japanese culture. “A reed organ is a small foot pedal organ that was a regulation instrument in pre-war Japanese elementary schools,” she explains. “The children would sing along with this instrument and learn new music. It continued to be used after the war for a while, but afterwards, it was changed to a piano, so I used it for nostalgia’s sake. Here we see a process where Japanese children’s ears adapted to western equal temperament.”

“The Coca-Cola bottle is something I played with like a flute when I was a child,” she continues. “I remember it being a perfect tool to make miniature breezes. Before the actual recording, I tried using large sake bottles, but they were too big and it made me feel dizzy. In the end, I put some water into the Coke bottle and made a pitch which when I blew into it, fit perfectly with the music that I was trying to create. I do not discriminate whether it is a sound coming from a musical instrument or noise.”

Her ideas on ambient music are intriguing; much of it, she says, is calming and soothing when it could be more reflective of nature and society. “As environmental music, it had a capacity and purpose to contribute positively to society,” she says. “I listened to Brian Eno’s Music For Airports. I remember thinking it to be a new sensibility that was being honed in an urban environment. And furthermore, a feeling of solitude as well.”

Takada is a deep thinker on sound, and some of her sonic explanations verge on the mystical. “Everything that exists on this earth has a sound,” she says. “Even if humans don’t call it an instrument, on this earth, there exists a significant vibrancy.”

Glastonbury Festival 2017: Foo Fighters announced as Saturday night headliner

The Foo Fighters will headline Saturday night at Glastonbury Festival this summer, the event's organisers have announced.

The American rock band, who will take over the Pyramid stage on Saturday 24 June, revealed the news during a free concert in Frome, Somerset, on Friday evening.

The announcement was made via a live stream from the site at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

Video showed Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis introducing the group before their headline slot was confirmed.

Foo Fighters were forced to cancel their Glastonbury 2015 appearance after the band’s front man Dave Grohl fell and injured himself during a gig in Sweden earlier in June of that year.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis said: “We’re incredibly lucky to have the Foo Fighters headlining on the Saturday night this year.

“It was obviously devastating when they had to pull out in 2015 - and the thought, effort and generosity they’ve put into this announcement is just unbelievable.”

Earlier this week London Grammar confirmed their appearance at this summer’s festival.

Other confirmed acts include headliners Radiohead as well as Wiley and The Avalanches.

Ed Sheeran is also rumoured to complete the headline bill with Michael and Emily Eavis confirming that a full lineup announcement will be made next month.

The organisers also revealed a new area that will launch at this year's festival.

Glastonbury 2017 will be the last until 2019 due to the planned fallow year.

Spin-off event the Variety Bazaar will take place in a different location in 2021.

Eurosonic Noorderslag 2017: Portugal theme will see artists including The Gift, Holy Nothing and Best Youth perform

The 30th year of Eurosonic Nooderslag Festival takes place in next week - the annual exchange and networking event for new music in Europe - and it's a chance to check out some of the artists you'll likely be hearing a lot more from later on in the year.

Each year the festival, held in Groningen highlights talent from a different country and this year it's Portugal - whose local artists will perform on the same stages as the best new talent from Britain, Ireland and Scandanavia.

The theme means a number of diverse, up and coming acts from the country featured that year are provided with a space to perform to figures from the music industry - similar to The Great Escape Festival held in Brighton.

21 Portuguese acts will perform at the January showcase: papercutz, Batida presents the Almost Perfect DJ, Best Youth, DJ Firmeza, DJ Ride, First Breath After Coma, Gisela Joao, Glockenwise, Holy Nothing, Marta Ren & the Groovelvets, Memoria de Peize, Moonshinersw, NEEV, Noiserv, Octa Push, Rodrigo Leao, Sam Alone and the Gravediggers, The Gift, The Happy Mess, Throes + The Shine and We Bless This Mess.

Nuno Saraiva of WHY Portugal said: "With Eurosonic Noorderslag as a platform for European music, we are excited to present new Portuguese music.

"There are so many great artists in present-day Portugal that it is no doubt a tough job for the Eurosonic team to pick which ones to invite, in order to offer the music business professionals and European audiences the very best talents from Portugal in this important year."

Peter Smidt, Creative Director of Eurosonic Noorderslag told The Independent: "We always do careful research about music developments in Europe; last year we did a focus on the whole central eastern Europe to show what is happening in that part of Europe which was an eyeopener for a lot of people.

"Eurosonic is the main platform for new European music and our aim is to provide press and professionals in the music sector as well as audiences an overview of the diverse an high quality of music that is made everywhere in Europe.

"Currently we are impressed by the amount and the quality of new talents that is coming out of Portugal so we want to present and show that. We feel not everyone is aware that Portugal has not only a very large amount of great summer festivals but also a lot of great new talent to offer."

Also among the line-up are rising British pop star Anne-Marie, Scottish electronic act Be Charlotte, Black Foxxes, Bonzai, Dan Owen, Declan McKenna, Era Istrefi, Lets Eat Grandma, Nils Bech, Seramic and Ward Thomas.