MUSIC PREVIEW: Which side are you on?
We can’t ignore the connection – and friendship – between Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal. Hughes got into hot water recently because of some things that he said.
Homme and Hughes co-founded Eagles of Death Metal in 1998. After QOTSA got big, Homme played with them only occasionally. Since the 2015 terrorist attack at the Eagles of Death Metal show at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris that killed 90 people, including their merchandise manager, Hughes’ various angry comments – first concerning Muslims, and later school shooting victims – did not go over very well with many alternative rock fans. Shocker: A lot of American hard rock musicians are conservative.
Homme wasn’t at that Paris show – but has since told the press that the attack affected him deeply, and he says it comes across on QOTSA’s new album, Villains. It obviously hit Jesse Hughes very hard, too. He later apologized for some of his comments.
So how far do we take this “guilt by association” thing when we choose which sort of entertainment to consume? You like the Beatles? Sorry. At least one of them allegedly had sex with underage girls.
Homme – who calls himself a “failed libertarian” (P.J. O’Rourke defined libertarian as “a conservative with an acknowledged vice”) – has a few blemishes on his record, mainly due to losing his temper with random idiots in the crowd, an occupational hazard. His musical legacy, however, is formidable. Way back in 1987, he formed a band called Kyuss, synonymous with the burgeoning “stoner rock” genre. Among several experimental and fun bands since, plus animation voice work, and other projects, QOTSA came almost 10 years later – and have rarely looked back; they’ve released seven studio albums that did very well despite having no actual hit singles on the radio – OK, one – and also happen to be playing Edmonton’s big building, Rogers Place, on Friday night.
Such are the perks of “cult” stardom.
Royal Blood opens the concert bowl show (with general admission floor) at 8 pm. Tickets from $39.
Friday 18
Royal Wood – Unlike a lot of oddly-named Canadian indie stars, Royal Wood is his real name (actually his two middle names). Not such an odd name for not such an odd Ontarian singer-songwriter whose captivating melodies and vocal tone conspire to create melancholy masterpieces. He’s touring to support his latest album, Ever After the Farewell. Fionn opens the show at 8 pm, at the Winspear Centre. Tickets from $28.
Cantoo – Rock ‘n’ roll for tree faeries. Quirky to a Q, these locals go for a new wave slacker sort of pop sound that draws you irresistibly into their low-fi world: filled with colourful chiming synth melodies and resonant vocals expressing gentle philosophical thoughts: Like White Was the Sun – included on the band’s new EP, called “2.” Was?! Release show at the Aviary, with Jom Comyn (who sings on the aforementioned track) and Baby Jey. Advance tickets $8.
Saturday 19
Display of Decay – Art in Mutilation is the title of this local band’s new CD – expected to be a continuation of their take on the art form that has come to be known as “death metal.” Distinctive, this one: Fast with lots of lurching gear changes, shredding double guitars, thundering doublekicksmanship, and delightfully topped by vocals that sound like Cookie Monster on a very bad day, perhaps when he accidentally ate one of the human children on Sesame Street. That would fit well with Display of Decay’s general raison d’être, no? Release show at the Forge, with Eye of Horus, Remnants, and Vile Insignia. 7 pm, $10 advance
Yung Heazy – Speaking of chilly slacker pop, what we have here sounds like Lounge Lizards (remember them?) meets Mac DeMarco (remember him?) – and all from one guy (Jordan Heazy) from Vancouver, who wrote and recorded a sloppy soppy Valentine’s Day song for his girlfriend called Cuz You’re My Girl that became an unexpected YouTube hit. Now from his 3 million views online, he’s performing live at a small basement club in Edmonton – sort of a disconnect there, huh? The Sewing Machine Factory – with the warm-up acts Marlaena Moore, Shukov and Slight Brain. 8 pm, $10 advance
Sunday 20
Slayer – If, back in the day, you were to have predicted which of the “big four” thrash metal titans would be the first to call it quits, it probably wouldn’t have been this band. With fellow remaining horsemen of the apocalypse Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax still rockin’, Slayer is playing its “farewell tour,” this night at the Shaw Conference Centre. Incidentally, singer Tom Araya got roasted for calling America “a nation of crybabies” following criticism that he appeared to support Trump – and we’re getting political again. Whatever. This will be a long night of metal: With Anthrax (speak of the devil), Lamb of God, Behemoth and Testament opening. Doors at 4 pm, regular tickets SOLD OUT (“verified” resellers start at $261).
David Byrne – Singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, author, baker, candlestick maker, the poster boy for the intelligent new wave movement is back in Edmonton, on tour to support his new solo album, American Utopia – which we can safely assume is sarcastic. Pointed lyric (from a song called Dog’s Mind): “The judge was all hung over, when the president took the stand, so he didn’t really notice, when things got out of hand.” Oh, you can see which side this guy is on! He plays the Jubilee Auditorium, with opener Benjamin Clementine. 8 pm, advance tickets still available, from $71
