IM-ing WITH KYLE (13 YRS OLD!) ABOUT THE GREEN DAY CONCERT

Over the weekend, I went to see Green Day at PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey with my wife, my cousin, and her son Kyle.  It was Kyle's first rock concert.  I was interested in his impressions of the show and I figured discussing it via IM would be the best way to share the conversation (with the permission of Kyle and his parents of course). I was a bit jealous: I remember how exciting my first concert was (Rush at the Brendan Byrne Arena on the Grace Under Pressure tour in 1985). Anyway, I haven't been to a Green Day concert in about a decade, since the  Warning tour, when they were not as happening as they are now (the next album, American Idiot, changed their fortunes considerably). These days they are bona fide arena headliners and they really embraced it (the show was extremely sold out, meanwhile Live Nation employees were selling discount tickets for a number of upcoming shows). Kyle's next concert will have a hard time living up to this one.  Anyway, our IM conversation:

4:02pm Me: so how did you like your FIRST ROCK CONCERT?

4:02pm Kyle: IT WAS AMAZING

4:03pm Me: what was your favorite part?

4:05pm Kyle: when people were getting pulled up on stage (during "Longview") that was cool

4:06pm Me: what year were you born in again?

4:06pm Kyle: 1997

4:06pm Me: so it doesn't bother you that the songs from "dookie" are older than you are? some kids don't like "old" music, right?

4:06pm Kyle: well...those kids have no taste in music

4:07pm Me: ha ha ha good for you

4:07pm Kyle: it doesn't bother me at all "2000 light years away" is one of my favorite songs

4:07pm Me: wow, that's even older than "dookie" I think

4:07pm Kyle: yeah i think it is from "kerplunk"

4:08pm Me: so you don't buy the full albums though, you just download whichever songs you like?

4:08pm Kyle: well i use only itunes giftcards and i buy the full albums when i have enough

4:09pm Me: but you don't care about owning the actual CD, right?

4:09pm Kyle: when i have the cd i don't buy it. I import it into itunes

4:10pm Me: right, me too. did you know the song "who wrote holden caufield"? that was the one when the singer from AFI (Davey Havok) joined them on stage

4:10pm Kyle: no never heard of it

4:11pm Me: so does that make you want to check for it in the itunes store?

4:11pm Kyle: well now i am curious so i will check it out

4:11pm Me: by the way, do you know who holden caufield is?

4:11pm Kyle: no, am i supposed to?

4:12pm Me: your mom would know - he is the main character in a book called "Catcher In The Rye" that you will probably read in school in the next 2 or 3 years

4:12pm Kyle: oh yeah...she mentioned that during the concert

4:12pm Me: so did you have any expectations for what the show would be like from watching Green Day live DVDs - or even from the scenes in rock band?

4:13pm Kyle: i expected it to be awesome but i also expected it to be adult like

4:13pm Me: what do you mean by that?

4:13pm Kyle: like cursing and such

4:13pm Me: there was a lot of cursing!

4:13pm Kyle: yes yes there was but i dont mind it

4:14pm Me: what did you think of the crowd?

4:14pm Kyle: drunk smoking losers

4:14pm Kyle: but that might be harsh

4:15pm Kyle: but they were drunk and smoking

4:16pm Me: how did you like it, compared to American Idiot the Musical?

4:16pm Kyle: it was more authentic maybe because it was actually green day not actors

4:20pm Me: Green Day used to be considered a "punk rock" band - does "punk rock" mean anything to you?

4:20pm Kyle: no not really i think of green day as an alternative rock band

4:20pm Kyle: unless that is the same thing as "punk rock"

4:21pm Me: what does "alternative rock" mean to you? what rock band is not "alternative"?

4:22pm Kyle: well i look at aerosmith or guns n' roses or ozzy osbourne as rock

4:22pm Me: that's a good observation

4:22pm Kyle: i look at green day as alternative

4:23pm Me: "alternative" generally means that something was influenced by punk rock - punk rock rebelled against rock and roll bands in the '70s and '80s. kids felt that rock and roll had gotten too big. so it was ironic when bands like Nirvana and Green Day started getting just as big

4:23pm Kyle: yeah

4:23pm Me: some bands could not deal with it - like nirvana. billie joe and the green day guys really seem to enjoy playing on a huge stage

4:24pm Kyle: yeah i know as they said "This is the most F***ing fun we have had on this F***ing tour!!"

4:25pm Me: ha ha, that's right. when they started playing all of those rock covers like Satisfaction, how did you know all of those songs?

4:25pm Kyle: well

4:25pm Kyle:guitar hero

4:25pm Kyle: :)

4:25pm Kyle: but i knew about the stones before gh

4:26pm Me: I am a big fan of guitar hero even though I don't have it! if it turns people on to those songs (satisfaction was a hit like six years before I was born!)

4:26pm Kyle: wow

4:26pm Me: anyway, thanks for IMing with me. what other bands do you want to see in concert, maybe we can go with you and your mom to another one

4:27pm Kyle: i like aerosmith,

4:27pm Kyle: i like bruce springsteen

4:27pm Kyle: pretty much rock in general

4:28pm Me: those are both great. Bruce isn't touring this year - too bad you'll be away during that aerosmith concert.  what about KISS?  are they on rock band or guitar hero?

4:28pm Kyle: oooooh i like kiss as well and yes

4:28pm Kyle: I WANNA ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT

4:28pm Kyle: AND PARTY EVERYDAY

4:29pm Me: any last thoughts on the green day concert?

4:29pm Kyle: IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME AND BOSTON CAN'T BEAT THE NJ, NY AND SURROUNDING AREAS' CROWD!!!!

4:30pm Me:  ha ha great. OK, thanks for IMing with me and tell your mom I said hi.
4:31pm Kyle: ok

4:31pm Kyle: bye

AN APPRECIATION: TOM PETTY'S "THE LAST DJ"

I've been listening to a lot of Tom Petty's music lately.  The Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilburys, Mudcrutch and his solo stuff too. I'm going to see him in concert later this month, and I can't wait. I haven't missed a Petty tour in... I don't know how long. He is one of my favorite artists ever.  When he sings, I believe him.  I believe that what he's singing about matters.  To him and to me.  And I like to believe that most of his fans feel the same way.  Which is why I have always been puzzled at the reaction that his 2002 album, The Last DJ got.

I guess, on the surface, it came off like a millionaire rock star complaining about how things aren't as good as they used to be. That was certainly the cynical view of the album. Fine. But Petty's music deserves better than a cursory listen and it isn't really for cynics anyway.

The album is really about the breakdown of values.  It's about how money buys everything, damn all the consequences, and damn what's right. People wrote it off as Tom complaining about the music industry, but he just used the industry as a sort of example: having been a professional musician for over a quarter of a century at that point, I think that makes sense. He doesn't know as much about the car industry, or the food industry.

I can accept that it may be a bit naive: the idea that "money becomes king" certainly wasn't novel in 2002 when the album came out, and certainly not in the music industry. You don't need me to tell you about greed in the music industry.  But did you know that at Woodstock in 1969, no swag was sold? It just hadn't occurred to the powers-that-be that you could make tons of music off of music-related merchandise. Decades later, record labels want a piece of an artist's merchandise sales as part of the deal when they sign them. One of the reasons that the music industry has failed (in my opinon) is that music fans had felt ripped off by them for years, when they had a way to "get back" (by illegally downloading music for free) they had no problem with doing so. I've been at concerts this summer where Live Nation was selling discounted tickets for future shows - $10 for tickets by major, multiplatinum artists. Also known as "chickens coming home to roost."

Looking outside of music, when you see what banks and investment firms and oil companies have gotten away with in the past few years... the damage they've caused, the lives they've destroyed, and the slaps on the wrist that they've recieved: the head of BP did lose his job... albiet with a $18 million severance. BP will supposedly be able to write off their gulf clean up efforts on their taxes. And how many of millionaries in the banking and finance industry are experiencing the financial difficulties that their victims are suffering through? I wonder what will happen when these chickens come home to roost.

I think it's kind of a bummer that this album isn't celebrated as one of Tom's finest. He's never been really big on social commentary, and it's no surprise that he's backed away from it since The Last DJ (on his solo album Highway Companion, the Mudcrutch reunion/debut album and the recent Heartbreakers effort Mojo). I listen to the album pretty frequently, and shudder at how much of what he was singing about was true.  And  I love how he ends the album with "Can't Stop The sun," which has the lines "and you may think you control things, but there'll be more just like me, who won't give in, who'll rise again." 

TODAY ON OUTQ: HIP-HOP: THE ROOTS, EMINEM, BIG BOI AND MORE

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am-ish, I am a guest on the SIRIUS XM Channel OutQ; I talk about new music on The Morning Jolt With Larry Flick. Today, I'll be talking about some recent hip-hop releases.

I've already written about The Roots' How I Got Over.  It's one of my favorite albums of the year, and the title track is up there as one of my favorite songs this year.  I also have a track from the Roots' upcoming collaborative album with John Legend, Wake Up, which I'll be writing more about.  It's covers of socially conscious soul tunes from the '60s and '70s.   Another one of my favorite albums this year is Big Boi's long awaited solo debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty.   It's amazing that Jive Records thought that this didn't have any commercial potential: Big Boi signed to Def Jam for the album (which is also odd, as they don't seem to be able to handle more "adult" or "arty" releases, such as How I Got Over. I'll also be talking about one of Larry Flick's favorite albums of the year, Eminem's Recovery. I've never been a huge fan of Eminem's (although I enjoy his SIRIUS XM channel Shade 45), but I definitely recognize the man's skills.  And there are some great songs on Recovery.

Kanye West has a crazy new song called "Power," which samples King Crimson's "21st Century Schitzoid Man." Amazing song, and I have that one. Also a new song from T.I., one of his first since leaving prison.  Also, music from two newer artists -- neither of whom I really "get," I confess -- B.o.B. and Drake. Tune in (SIRIUS 109, XM 98), call in (866-305-6887) and tell us what you think!

THE DEAD WEATHER IN BROOKLYN - EPIC

The other day I was looking in the Village Voice, and I saw an ad for The Dead Weather's album.  It was a full page ad, and it was a picture of frontwoman Allison Mosshart giving 110% in front of a huge crowd.    That's exactly right.  The band gets a lot of attention, of course, because of drummer and leader Jack White, but it is Allison Mosshart who makes the band awesome.  No one else can steal the spotlight from Jack: not Meg White, not Brendan Benson. But with The Dead Weather, you mainly watch Mosshart.

And don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, as any reader of No Expiration knows.  And it's not even because I have a thing for Mosshart: in fact, if I saw her on the street, I don't know that I'd recognize her.  On stage, she's mainly a blur, she reminds me of a combination of Iggy and Morrison.  She just has such presence, and, judging by the Voice ad, the band is fine with her getting the attention.  Hopefully, this will lead to more people discovering her other band, The Kills.

Anyway, the show was incredible.  When I last saw The White Stripes, I felt like they weren't as good as their records.  The Dead Weather is just the opposite.  I think they made good records, but they really come alive on stage. I thought they were really powerful.  It was fun watching Jack hammer away at the drums - he was clearly the band's leader, even though he's not the frontman (he did come out front to play guitar a few times). They played songs from their two albums, plus a few extras (like a cover of Pentagram's "Forever My Queen," which is also on their iTunes live EP).  The highlights were their cover of Bob Dylan's "New Pony," "60 Ft. Tall," "Treat Me Like Your Mother," "I Cut Like A Buffalo," "Hustle And Cuss," "Die By The Drop," "Will There Be Enough Water" and "Die By The Drop."

I gotta mention, it's not just about Jack and Allison.  Watching The Dead Weather live, you see that it is a band, and not just a side project.  Dean Fertita is a monster guitarist, and Jack Lawrence (who also plays in The Raconteurs) holds it down on bass. The fact that they have done two albums in a row, two albums in a year, speaks to how serious Jack is about the band. I look forward to hearing more from them.

TODAY ON OUTQ: ROCK, FROM PUNK TO INDIE

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am (ish), I go on the SIRIUS XM Channel OutQ, on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick and talk about music. Normally, I write about what I'll be talking about the night before: however, last night I was rocked by The Dead Weather who played Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  Review coming soon!  Anyway, today, I'll be talking about a number of different rock bands.  One of the most anticipated albums of the year, Gaslight Anthem's very important third album, American Slang - they've recently gone from playing clubs to larger halls (they are playing Radio City Music Hall in the fall). Another of the most anticipated albums of the year, Arcade Fire's very important third album, The Suburbs, has the indie fans going crazy.  I'm not going crazy for it, but they are one of the only bands that the indie set has hyped in the past few years that I like - and unlike most of those bands, Arcade Fire will have a career (they are playing two nights at Madison Square Garden later this year!!). Trent Reznor's new post-Nine Inch Nails project is How To Destroy Angels, and they just released their debut EP.  I like it, but it sounds a bit like NIN with a different singer.

I'm also talking about the recent album by punk rockers Against Me!, new music by The Smashing Pumpkins (which is basically Billy Corgan and whoever he hires), and one of my least favorite '90s bands, Stone Temple Pilots.

SOCIAL DISTORTION IN SAYREVILLE

(this photo courtesy of my beautiful and talented wife and her Leica camera)

I often hear people asking "whatever happened to good old rock and roll?" 

It's still here, and doing fine, thank you.  You just have to look for it a bit. When I mentioned that my wife and I were going to see Social Distortion, I got a few people saying "They're still around?"  That's the problem!  It's true, they aren't the most prolific band in the world, never were, but people really slept on their last album, 2004's Sex, Love & Rock 'n' Roll.  It was a great album, and I was glad that they played two songs from it, "Reach For The Sky" and "Nickels and Dimes." They hit all of their eras, actually, doing the early hardcore stuff ("Prison Bound," "Another State Of Mind," "The Creeps"), their major label stuff that approached "hit single" status ("Bad Luck," "Ball and Chain") and some of thier excellent covers (The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb," Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire," the country standard "Making Believe").

Seeing Social D. is inspiring.  Mike Ness has been through a lot of life, and you believe him when he sings about hard times (whether he is playing rock with Social D, or country music as a solo artist).  He reminds me of Tom Petty.  Years ago, I asked Tom Petty why he thinks there are so many young kids at his concerts.  He said "Because we don't pander to them."  Plus, his shows were relatively affordable. I think it's the same deal with Ness (and sadly, Petty's shows are now probably too expensive for kids, unless they are die-hards). The show was filled with greying (myself included), balding (thankfuly not) people who have been fans for decades (my first Social D. show was seeing them open for Neil Young & Crazy Horse in 1990 and that's when I became a fan).  But lots of younger kids too. Ness has played these songs so many times, but he puts so much heart and soul into them, and he still seems to believe in punk rock as much as he did back in the day. He really means a lot to people. I'm so glad Social D. are still around. In fact, Ness mentioned that they signed to Epitaph Records, and have a new album out in November.  I can't wait to hear it. I think rock and roll has many decades left in it.  But I can tell you one thing: as long as Ness is walking this earth and carrying a guitar with him, rock and roll is in fine shape.  You just won't hear about him on the radio (too busy with nickelback) and you won't read about him in the press (too busy with animal collective and the like).  But if you love Social D, you haven't been using radio or the media to decide what you like anyway.

PRIMUS IN BROOKLYN: THEY STILL SUCK! (in a good way)

Picture at the right courtesy of my DROID!  For those of you who aren't familiar with Primus: fans enthusiastically chant "Primus sucks!" at their shows.  In reality, they are one of the best, most creative, weirdest, heaviest bands you'll ever see.  They aren't for everyone.  But they are for me, and the thousands of other people who showed up to the waterfront in Williamsburg on Friday night.

This was the first time most of us saw this particular lineup of Primus: of course leader Les Claypool was playing bass and doing vocals and Larry "Ler" LaLonde is still on guitar. But drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander left the band for the second time, and, as I mentioned a few months back, Jay Lane is back in the band. Jay was in Primus before they ever recorded an album, and in the years since, has played with Les in Sausage, as well as many of his other solo projects. But mainly, he's been Bob Weir's drummer, playing in his band Ratdog, as well as in Furthur, which which featured Weir and another Grateful Dead alumni, Phil Lesh.

When Primus reunited a few years back, they got a bit jammier due to the time Les had spent in the jam band community: his band Oysterhead featured Trey Anastasio of Phish, and his solo band toured with Lesh, did Bonnaroo and other jam band festivals, and Les played a bit with Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule. But with Lane back in the band, they got a bit jammier, but I had no problem with that. They were still as heavy, and as weird, as ever.  And one cool thing about Lane being back in the band is that they now have more material to choose from. "Herb" quit the band in 1996 and they replaced him with Brian "Brain" Mantia, but when Primus reunited in 2003 with "Herb," they didn't do any of the "Brain" material. Since Lane wasn't on any of the Primus albums, now they can do anything from any period. The third song they did was "Golden Boy" from 1997's Brown Album, which they hadn't played in over a decade. They also did "Over The Falls" from that album. Personally, I would have loved to hear some stuff from 1999's Antipop, maybe that will come on their next tour.

The show seemed a bit short: there were two opening bands: The Dead Kenny G's and Gogol Bordello (we caught the end of them). Primus seemed to play a short set, and I read that they were forced off stage 15 minutes before curfew for some reason. They only played 13 songs, plus a drum solo and a "whamola" jam.  But the songs were extended a bit (not ridiculously long, thankfully) and there were lots of classics: "Pudding Time," "Here Come The Bastards," "Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers," "Sgt. Baker," "American Life," "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" and "Tommy The Cat." I think the band are just warming up for a new album and a bigger tour, and they are getting used to this particular combination. The band were powerful as ever, and Les had his usual charisma.  He doesn't even remind you of anyone, he is a total original, from his songwriting to his bass playing to his on-stage banter. That's why he doesn't "suck," and why so many of us will be there every time he decides to reactivate the band (and many of us check out all of his great solo projects as well).  They are apparently playing in Montclair, New Jersey in the fall: I know I'll be there!