Music's 3R's 12.28.09: 3R’s of the Year Special – Albums, Concerts, Music News, 2010 Preview, Karaoke, More

Posted by Aaron Titan on 12.28.2009

From Kanye's crazyness, Steven Tyler's weirdness, and Dr. Dre's tardiness to Michael Jackson's death and more, 411's Aaron Titan brings you all the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the 2009 music world in this week’s Music 3R’s!



Greetings

Well holy hell, we're finally past all that holly jolly melee of the Christmas season and back to normal. I love the holidays and all, but the overemphasis on commercialism and possessions just kind of gets to me after a while.

Wait…I love getting presents! On the music-related front, I received the remastered version of Eric B. & Rakim's classic album Follow the Leader. I also now own a physical copy of Muse's The Resistance.

Also, for those who frequent our wrestling section – as I do daily – you'll appreciate the WWE-related gifts I received. I got the DVD/T-shirt combo pack of WWE's Judgment Day 2009 PPV, an event I was in attendance for. I also received the Smackdown Tenth Anniversary DVD set and the new John Cena shirt. I'm not a Cena die-hard, but I dug the look of the shirt.

Oh, and if you read the column last week, you'll know I wrote it early so I could head to Chicago's United Center with my friend for the weekend. We were able to see the Bulls play the Hawks one night and the Blackhawks play the Red Wings the next night from a lower bowl executive skybox suite. Here's a shot from each game. The seats were nothing less than DOPE!!!

The Bulls franchise player, #1: Derek Rose


Two of the Hawks' best puck-handlers, #s 88 and 81 respectively: Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa


So it's almost 2010, and that can only mean one thing: we've arrived to the first annual – unless the staffer who had this column before my tenure did it first – 3R's of the Year special. In this edition of the Music 3R's, I will be detailing all that was Right, wRong, and Ridiculous in the music fan-life of this columnist. That will include music news, concerts, and 2009 albums. Let's get started first, with the noob-friendly disclaimer.

The Column

For those unfamiliar with the 3R's concept, here's the breakdown. I will be reporting and commenting on happenings in the music world and categorizing all the hoopla into three sections: the Right, the wRong, and the Ridiculous. The Right will feature news, albums, and announcements music-related that I'm personally stoked about. The wRong will be the bad versions of all three of the aforementioned. The Ridiculous is the worst of it all, that which makes good ol' Mr. Titan shake his head in perplexing amazement.

The Right



Crack the Skye: Mastodon's Crack the Skye was by far and away my favorite album of the year. I say this as a fan of the band since I saw them on the second stage at Ozzfest 2005. I managed to see them a second time on Slayer's Unholy Alliance Tour in 2006. I dug the riffs, energy, and musical "different-ness" of Mastodon, but always thought they had much better start-to-finish album in them. It finally came to fruition on Crack the Skye and was an album I came back to time and time again this year. The journey in the album's concept truly grips me not just on the literal lyrical front, but also the musical front. Everyone sounds at the top of their game and I just get a sense of "epicness" and importance when I listen to Skye.

More Great Tunes in 2009: Having graduated from college in May and kind of having less friends around to recommend tunes for me, I spent the better part of the year finding new music on my own in addition to welcoming new albums from some long-time favorite artists. I'll touch on this more later in the column, but just a few words about some of the favorite albums I added to my collection this year, some released in the calendar year and others from the past.



Lamb of God: Wrath - Michael Melchior and I both wrote up blurbs for this one on 411's Top 50 Albums of 2009 countdown, and I think he hit the nail on the head when he described them as "the second coming of Pantera." These guys are just pumping out one amazing album after another. Wrath is a return to the form exhibited on As the Palaces Burn with the growth and songwriting grace they've picked up over the years since then. "Contractor" is my official 2009 Song of the Year if anybody's keeping score.







The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Yes, yes, I know! But better late than never, right? Here's the story on my discovery of one of my new favorite bands for life.

So I'd owned that 1 compilation disc they put out way back when, but I'd never gotten obsessive over The Beatles's catalogue the way everybody else around me was. The opportunity presented itself during my final semester of college to take a history course as an elective…about the Beatles! I couldn't pass up getting college credit to read up on rock history, one of my favorite topics to read and write about. Part of the homework in the class was of course reading several texts, writing papers and presentations, watching films - A Hard Day's Night and the Beatles Anthology set being among them – and listening to the catalogue.

What a fun journey that was, discovering several new favorite albums of all time! My favorite from front-to-back had to be Pepper's, though that's certainly an obvious choice. I just love the mood, creativity, and songs as a collective album over the rest of the Beatles' releases. Paul's idea for a fictional band of circus-like proportions was just such a fun idea and "A Day in the Life" makes most metal songs I listen to seem far less hardcore in comparison.

Also, I just started listening to Let It Be and Abbey Road fairly recently, as I got really involved in the band's story through the class and didn't want to admit my Beatles journey was over. I've gotten over that now and "I've Got A Feeling" is one of my new favorite songs. Studying the band as I listened to the music really gave me an interesting perspective of where the music was coming from in its place in history.

Alright, that's enough good albums talk, as we've certainly debated that enough on the Music Section's 2009 albums countdown. If you're interested in finding out my top 30 albums of 2009, you can check that out
herealong with the rest of the staff's top 30 lists.

Mayhem Festival: Well, as I've mentioned in several of my own columns and in a few of the collaborative staff specials to cap the year off, I attended the Rockstar Mayhem Tour. The day was pretty cool, but didn't quite match up to my past experiences at the godfather of the whole day-long metal festival deal: Ozzfest. The lineup wasn't terribly stellar on all fronts, but nevertheless, this was one of my favorite concert experiences of the year.

I actually had an awesome time seeing several bands at the Mayhem Tour, especially some that I'd seen before once or twice. I'll just kind of start off with the beginning part of our day there and move on to the headliners.



The first band I really enjoyed were God Forbid. They've been doing it for about as long as I started attending concerts, and I've seen them like, two or three times I think. I remember seeing them back in 2004 at Ozzfest when they opened up the day at 9 o' clock in the fuckin' morning. I don't have a bunch of their tunes and really, I'm not gonna' go out of my way because I'm just not super into what they do. That said, I loved their energy and had a lot of fun during their short set on one of the second stages.



The Black Dahlia Murder were also pretty sweet. I listened to their set whilst watching some of the Metal Mulisha's motocross bike jump performance. They rock pretty hard and bring it to a whole ‘nuther level of straight up silliness at times, but really, they had a fun set. I enjoyed the lead singer's potbelly stomach tattoo that says HEARTBURN. If that's not metal, I'm not sure what is.

There were many other second stage bands that were pretty decent, but those two were my favorites. I'm a Trivium fan, but we skipped out on them to go get food and sit for a while. I like Trivium and have seen them live twice, once on Ozzfest and once opening for Lamb of God. The set with LOG was much longer and I was standing pretty closely to the stage for that, so I felt I'd seen what I needed to see from them and all…for now. The sound quality on that stage was shit too, so I just listened from afar.



Killswitch Engage, oh what can I say about thee? Thy antics are silly and thy squealing guitar harmonics are a tad excessive at times, but overall, thy set rocked quite diligently. Really though, I was just happy to have a band do some singing at this point that I could participate a little more easily with. I was far more familiar with KsE's catalogue than I was with most of the other bands that day, so I really enjoyed their set a lot. Also, guitarist Adam D. is extremely hilarious onstage.



AND THEN…



…FUCKIN' SLAYER! Slayer kicks ass live, no matter if you're seeing them in a club, amphitheater, or arena. I've never experienced arena-Slayer personally, but I'm assuming it kicks ass. The other two options I can totally vouch for though. They opened with "Disciple" and ran through many other great songs such as "Hell Awaits," "Mandatory Suicide," "Jihad," "Angel of Death," "South of Heaven," "Reign in Blood," "War Ensemble," and two new tracks from World Painted Blood: "Hate Worldwide" and "Psychopathy Red." Easily my favorite performance of the day.

Music Documentaries!: I'm a huge fan of rock docs, as I've said in past articles. Two music documentaries really scratched me where I itched this year, one of which I saw a mere two days ago thanks to a friend having it available a tad early.



I'm of course talking about It Might Get Loud, a film focusing on how three masters of the electric guitar use this instrument in true original, creative, passionate form as more of a lifestyle than a craft. We've got three generations represented here with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's The Edge, and White Stripes/The Raconteurs/Dead Weather main-man Jack White. What I love about this is just seeing the three on a soundstage sharing techniques, secrets, and ideas. How often would these three be in the same room doing this and jamming out together on The Band's "The Weight?" Fuckin' never man, which is where the intrigue to this film lies. It came out on DVD last week, and I think I'll get around to picking it up at some point.



And the other one rock doc that just exuded awesomeness was of course Anvil: The Story of Anvil. My first genre of music I ever fell in love with was heavy metal, so I completely identify with these guys' undying loyalty to producing metal music and holding on to their dream of one day "making it." This movie follows that dream as the band is well into their 50s and still not quite as successful as they'd like to be. They work shit blue-collar jobs while playing shows on the side and trying to find money to fund their thirteenth studio effort, aptly entitled This Is Thirteen. Hilarious, heartwarming, and most importantly metal to the core, Anvil's big-screen debut is just a great movie that I still can't believe the Academy snubbed from a Best Documentary nod at the upcoming Oscars (it didn't make the "short list," which is what they will whittle down into the final nominees).

Aaron Titan Grows Up: I've made no secret of the fact that shortly before I started writing for 411Mania, I graduated college, got my career started, and moved out of mommy and daddy's house and am now on my own, as it were. While I've gone through a lot of changes both personally and professionally, one change that I found interesting was my taste in music. I was primarily a hard rock and hip-hop type of guy for the better part of high school and college. However, 2009 brought on some more openness to my musical horizons and I've started delving into several genres in an all-over-the-place type of degree.



For example, I'm currently streaming This Is War, the new 30 Seconds to Mars album. It's poppy, layered, and laden with music that makes one want to apply guy-liner and nail polish to oneself, and really, it's not too shabby. This isn't the type of album I would've listened to with as open of ears in 2008 and I am now. I'm not saying that listening to 30 Seconds to Mars makes me more mature or cool or whatever. It's just a point of me being more open, that's all.

I've gotten into many other artists this year from the past, such as Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Jill Scott, Lady Gaga, and Vampire Weekend while still copping those new Lamb of God and Slayer albums. Not trying to toot my own horn here, but rather, just pointing out that I'm including many other artists outside my previous musical comfort zone into what is now a more well-rounded and fun iTunes cornucopia full of goodies. If you have any other recommendations for this music fan, please let me know at any time in the comments section below. If you recommend it in the "you're a fucking retard for not mentioning this artist/band which is my favorite and you're stupid and dumb and don't know what you're talking about"-kind-of-way, I'll probably be less likely to consider your opinion though. Be respectful and I will in turn respect your recommendation.

The wRong

Not Enough Concerts: Part of graduating and striking out on one's own is just not having enough money and time to go to concerts. I used to go to about 10 concerts a year, or thereabouts. This year, I find myself unimpressed and disappointed with my concertgoing.

Below is my concert resume; I've kept a typed record this entire decade:



2000:
-Kid Rock & Sevendust



2002:
-The Pop Disaster Tour - Green Day, Blink-182, Saves the Day, and Simple Plan
-Ted Nugent



2003:
-Ozzfest 2003 - Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Disturbed (featuring guest appearances from Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott), Marilyn Manson, Chevelle, Voivod, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Endo, Chimaira, Sworn Enemy,...



2004:
-Linkin Park, P.O.D., Hoobastank, & Story of the Year
-Incubus & Sparta
-Ozzfest 2004 - Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Superjoint Ritual, Black Label Society, Slipknot, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Atreyu, Lacuna Coil, Otep, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, God Forbid,...
-Metallica & Godsmack
-Deftones & Dredg
-Trans-Siberian Orchestra



2005:
-Green Day & My Chemical Romance
-Ozzfest 2005 - Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Shadows Fall, Black Label Society, Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Mastodon, A Dozen Furies, The Haunted, Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Bury Your Dead, Trivium, Wicked Wisdom,...
-Foo Fighters, Weezer, & Kaiser Chiefs
-Slipknot, As I Lay Dying, & Unearth
-Trans-Siberian Orchestra



2006:
-Nine Inch Nails
-Taste of Chaos Tour 2006 - Deftones, Thrice, Story of the Year, Atreyu, As I Lay Dying, Dredg
-Rob Zombie & Lacuna Coil
-The Unholy Alliance Tour 2006 - Slayer, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Mastodon, & Thine Eyes Bleed
-Rob Zombie & Anthrax
-Ozzfest 2006 - Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Hatebreed, Lacuna Coil, Dragonforce, Black Label Society, Atreyu, Unearth, Bleeding Through, Walls of Jericho, Norma Jean, All That Remains, The Red Chord,...
-Lollapalooza 2006
***DAY 1 - Ween, The Raconteurs, Umphrey's Magee, Editors, eels, Aqualung, Blue October, deadboy & the Elephantmen
***DAY 2 - Kanye West, The Flaming Lips, The Dresden Dolls, Gnarls Barkley, Wolfmother, Coheed & Cambria, Nada Surf
***DAY 3 - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Broken Social Scene, Queens of the Stone Age, She Wants Revenge, Matisyahu, Ben Kweller, The Redwalls
-The Family Values Tour 2006 - Korn, Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, Dir En Grey, 10 Years, Bury Your Dead, Deadsy, Bullets & Octane (The Mark of the Quad Cities; Moline, IL)
-Primus & Drums and Tuba
-Wolfmother
-Trans-Siberian Orchestra



2007:
-Lamb of God, Trivium, Machine Head, & Gojira
-The Spring 2007 Jagermeister Music Tour - Stone Sour, Shadows Fall, & Lacuna Coil
-Nas & Flowklorikos (Sala Apolo; Barcelona, Spain)
-Tool & Melt Banana
-Kansas
-Ozzfest 2007 - Ozzy Osbourne, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Static-X, Lordi, The Black Tide, Behemeth, Devildriver, Nile, Chthonic, In This Moment, Daath, & The Showdown
-Rage Against the Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, & The Coup
-The Smashing Pumpkins & The Bravery



2008:
-Trans-Siberian Orchestra
-Down
-Les Claypool & Tim Fite
-The Roots
-The Mars Volta
-Rush
-Buckethead & That One Guy
-Rock The Bells 2008 - A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip headline set basically), Nas, Mos Def, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Rakim, Method Man & Redman, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs, Jay Electronica, B.O.B., Kidz in the Hall
-Lollapalooza 2008
***DAY 1 - Radiohead, The Raconteurs, Cat Power, The Black Keys, Duffy, Jeff Tweedy, The Terrible Twos, & Bang Camaro
***DAY 2 - Rage Against the Machine; Lupe Fiasco; Jamie Lidell; Perry Ferrell w/ Samantha Ronson and Slash; Manchester Orchestra; Does It Offend You, Yeah?; Krista
***DAY 3 - Nine Inch Nails, Girl Talk, Saul Williams, Blues Traveler, G. Love & Special Sauce, John Butler Trio, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Ha Ha Tonka, & Homemade Blues Jamz Band
-Stone Temple Pilots & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
-The Jones Experience Tour: Nas, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, & DJ Green Lantern
-Metallica, Down, & The Sword
-Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry, Shinedown, & Saving Abel
-Mudvayne, 10 Years, & Snot



2009
-Les Claypool, Devotchka, Saul Williams, & Secret Chiefs 3
-Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival 2009 - Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Cannibal Corpse, Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder, All that Remains, Behemoth, God Forbid, Job For A Cowboy
-Pedal to the Metal Tour: Mudvayne, Black Label Society, Static-X, Suicide Silence, & Bury Your Dead
-Trans-Siberian Orchestra
-Girl Talk (New Year's Eve Show) – COMING UP THURSDAY NIGHT BABY!!!

I really think that my goal of ten a year is a little far-sighted given I'm not relying on my parents for financial support anymore, so here's my concert new year's resolution to myself:

1) I will attend a major festival this summer, whether it be a day-long one or a weekend one. I'd love to attend Lollapalooza again, so hopefully that lineup and set-times scheduling shape up to my liking this year more so than last. I hear Phoenix and The Flaming Lips are pretty much confirmed for it this year so that's good news already. Also, Ozzfest is returning!
2) I will try to enter a mosh pit once again. I retired from mosh pits after my glasses were broken in 2006 when I was moshing to Anthrax (who were opening for Rob Zombie). This was the classic lineup with Joey Belladonna on vocals, so I had to enter the fray. Luckily, a local jeweler was able to solder the frames back together for me. I'm sure the half a fifth of Southern Comfort before the show didn't help matters either though, right?
3) I will try to get front row at a concert on the floor section. It's hard, especially battling through all the die-hards and then braving the heat, sweat, and pushing. I've only managed this feat once, and that was for Les Claypool, the first time I saw him. Watching that man play bass from just a couple of feet away was an experience I'll cherish forever.

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?: Lots of people leaving bands, forming new groups, or just forgetting who the fuck they were in the first place and putting out some real stinky shit or acting a damn fool in public. Here's some of my more notable disappointments in 2009's music world. I'll be brief with each, as dirty laundry certainly doesn't smell to great:



Shadows Fall: I had high hopes for Retribution, but you guys have gone around this block one too many times. Let's try to put down the joints and Jagermeister for a bit and remember why you guys used to be neck-and-neck with Killswitch's progress, but now your Massachusetts brethren are passing you by.



Atreyu: Many of my friends make fun of me for liking you, but I've always stuck up for you guys. Your album this year, Congregation of the Damned was just not my cup of tea and now you're stuck touring with Hollywood Undead. Am I the one making the mistakes here, or are your steps away from your metalcore roots starting to soften you up to the point of unlistenability? Hell, I'm liking this 30 Seconds to Mars album better than the last two albums you've turned out.



Mudvayne: I just previewed your new, self-titled album. It's OK, and I may come around on it enough to buy it, but I think we need to evolve or die here guys. I dug The New Game a lot, but I'm just not sure if you're keeping my interest. You're doing what you do well still, but I've starting to wonder if you guys have lost the itch, the motivation. Take one of those "indefinite hiatuses" and let Greg and Chad do the Hellyeah gig for a while. Regroup, drop some acid, and see what happens.



Les Claypool: I dig Of Fungi and Foe, but can we please get back together with Larry and Tim finally and crank out another Primus album. Please! You guys were so awesome when I saw you on your greatest hits tour in 2006!



Andre 3000: GET TO WORK ON SOME NEW MUSIC! The game ain't the same without you!



Steven Tyler: Stepping into rehab was a step in the right direction. I hope you get well, as your band is going to leave you behind before too long and I don't want you to be one of 2010's tragedies. Take care of yourself man!



John Frusciante: I hope you are happy doing the solo thing, but do think about coming back to the Chili Peppers sooner than later. The band is better when you're around man!



Axl Rose: Shame on you for not playing any U.S. shows yet. Many of us bought Chinese Democracy and would love to hear some of those songs live in the states. 2010? Our calendars are wide open brother!



Slash: I'm glad you've finally realized your absolute terrible luck with lead singers and are going with the whole solo album thing. However, I kind of hope you leave that rendition of "Paradise City" you did with Cypress Hill and Fergie off of the album proper. Bonus track it or exclude it altogether please!



Kanye West: You used to be a voice of positivity and heart when you first came out. Then, you released Graduation, and while that's most definitely my favorite album out of your discography by far, your success inflated your ego. You're not a genius! You're a talented producer and performer, but not a genius.
Please come back with a RAP album in 2010 and stay away from all live televised events please.



Trent Reznor: Please keep creating music. You spoiled us by not making us wait for 5-6 year spans for new music from NIN between releases over the last decade. I'm fine with you retiring from touring for now as I've seen you live twice and have the Beside You In Time DVD to keep me occupied. Can we get an EP or something in 2010? How about some B-sides?



Dr. Dre: I know you've had a fucked up year, but I know that when the time is right, you'll drop The Detox for us. Hopefully, that time is 2010.



50 Cent: Shut the fuck up! How many MCs does one need to beef with in their career? Is it to divert people's attention from your tired ass music? Jay-Z had a number 1 single and number 1 album this year. What did you do that makes you so entitled and confident that you need to talk a ton of shit about him? Let Beanie Segal fight his own battles, but your involvement made me stop coming around on your after I dug that "Psycho" track you did with Eminem.



Corey Tayor: I wasn't very impressed with your last Slipknot record, nor most of the goofball videos I saw of you online in 2009. Get the melodic, radio stuff – which is good too – out of your system with Stone Sour in 2010 and get back to having Slipknot sound as loud and heavy as a 9-piece outfit should when that record cycle is through.



Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin reunion! We want it and would pay you lots of money to do it in 2010. C'mon man, Jason's a good enough drummer!

Rihanna: More leaked pics please!

Kim Kardashian : See above!

OK, now I'm just getting out of control here. My bad guys! Let's move on, shall we, before this becomes ridiculous. Oh wait!

The Ridiculous



The Man in the Mirror: Would I be remiss if I didn't mention Michael Jackson? We won't be able to look back at 2009 and not talk about him, so let me be brief on this.

Michael Jackson's death was a bummer for a few reasons, no question:

1) He left children behind who genuinely seemed to care about him.
2) He had some awesome concerts lined up, with the possibility of me attending potential future editions of the "This Is It" shows across the pond here in the U.S., and with me not being able to see an artist I was such a fan of growing up is tragic, though not as much as the whole kids losing their dad thing.
3) He was talented beyond belief, and that talent can no longer create and perform. That talent passing on prematurely, so yeah, that sucks too.

That said, I feel that in 2010, the music world's press love affair with Michael Jackson should end following the release of the This Is It DVD. It's going to make us look rather silly in the future, given how MJ was redeemed from financial despair and public shame only through his sudden death. I mean, dying really is the ultimate way to save one's legacy. Would the millions of people who went out after Jackson's death and bought his albums and DVDs and apparel have done so on their own accord given the average public perception of his before he died? Maybe at some point, but maybe not man. Now, it's being cashed in on with the aforementioned concert film and accompanying soundtrack, books, family reality shows, etc… Just feels like we should let the corpse get cold once and for all man.

The Most Insane Stage Show of the Year: I fucking love the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and will make no apologies for that whatsoever. They are so cheesy, corny, and just fun and I rock their stuff on repeat throughout November and December every year. I'm a proud own of their The Christmas Trilogy box set as well as their other non-holiday stuff such as 2009's long-awaited Night Castle double-album. I saw them live last month for my fifth time and the show was more insane than ever. Here's a vid I found of their finale song and is evidence of why you should lose some of your corneas' functions next go-around if you can afford it. They're supposedly touring next spring:




Aaron Titan Retires from Karaoke…For Now: Well, as I said before, I graduated college back in May and with graduating comes the retirement of many activities one participated in during college that may no longer be appropriate for a working professional. OK, karaoke will always have its place, but I can honestly say that outside of the occasional Rock Band session, I have not done any karaoke singing since I left school. I had some awesome performances to some awesome, and not so awesome songs.

What were my favorite songs to karaoke to during 2009? Good question! I figure there's no better way to end the last 3R's for the year than by rocking out just ONE MORE top ‘whatever' list, as if you haven't had enough of those yet. Here we are:

10 – Billy Joel – "Piano Man" – Definitely more appropriate for group participation than a solo, "Piano Man" is a great one especially if the bar is low on energy or patrons for really getting shit started off the right way.
9 – Garth Broks – "Friends in Low Places" – I preferred this one in group singings as well, especially when we'd had plenty o' whiskey beforehand.
8 – The Doors – "L.A. Woman" – This is one I prefer to solo. During the one of the long musical breaks, I liked to bring the microphone to the bar and order a whiskey and coke, sometimes over the microphone.
7 – Dr. Dre f/ Eminem – "Forgot About Dre" – Only did this song once with my friend John. I believe he was Dre and I was Em, but I can't really recall for certain, which is quite indicative of just how fun yet awful our rendition of "Forgot About Dre" was.
6 – Metallica – "Seek and Destroy" – FUCK…YES! This song was great when the bar was packed and lots of sorority girls in groups were singing a lot of 80s songs and country. Nothing better to ruin the mood of the party than with "Seek and Destroy."
5 – Stone Temple Pilots – "Plush" – Easy to croon to, especially when you've been singing for a while and have partially blown out your voice.
4 – The Beatles – "I Saw Her Standing There" – Easy to blow your voice out to if you sing it later in the evening. The "WOOOOOOO" part sounds terrible when sang to closely to the microphone, as I hurt a lot of eardrums than evening.
3 – Beck – "Loser" – I used to do this song just to impress people, as the karaoke machine they had at the bar had the lyrics scroll way behind the actual song, so I had to do it from memory, which was no problem for this singer.
2 – Journey – "Don't Stop Believing" – Best sang if you have about ten people sharing two microphones. Or the whole bar…whatever!
1 – Molly Hatchet – "Flirtin' With Disaster" – There's nothing more metal than some fuckin' Molly Hatchet man! Easy to trade off on vocals with a partner or just do it yourself at the top of your lungs. "Flirtin' With Disaster" was a regular song for me at the end of my college career and it was just a ton of fun to sing.





Now wasn't that better than some rant about how Kanye West was the douche-bag of the year? Wait, I kinda already did that, didn't I? Shit.

Hasta Luego: Well, that's a wrap on my last Music 3R's of 2009, but before we go, what am I looking forward to in 2010? A lot actually!

I look forward – first and foremost – to dancing my way into 2010 at Girl Talk's New Year's Eve concert this Thursday. Here's a vid of his last New Years performance in Chi-city a while back:





Should be fun. We've got a hotel downtown and will be finishing off a fifth of vodka before heading to the show. Liquor's expensive when you're out and about in a big city after all isn't it?

I'm also looking forward to some new music this year. Vampire Weekend's new album Contra will probably be the first new release I cop. Also looking forward to new music from The Dead Weather, White Strips (hopefully), Linkin Park, Eminem, Soulfly, Radiohead, and who the fuck knows what else. Limp Bizkit's Gold Cobra is coming out, so really, all bets are off in 2010.

Above all, I look forward to another great year of writing for 411Mania. I appreciate all who read my shit regardless of your opinions about my opinions. I'm just happy people are reading. Be safe as we close our 2009 and I'll see you here same time next year. Cheers!

Soundtrack to the 3R's this week was played by the following artists…
Beastie Boys – "Railroad Blues"
Ella Fitzgerald – "You're Laughing at Me"
Ella Fitzgerald – "Let Yourself Go"
Lipps Inc – "Funky Town"
Rage Against the Machine – "Take the Power Back"
The Ramones – "She Talks to Rainbows"
Gnarls Barkley – "Feng Shui"
Lupe Fiasco – "Gold Watch"
U2 – "The Ocean"
U2 – "A Day Without Me"
Andrew Bird – "Anonanimal"
David Lee Roth – "Medley: Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"
H.I.M. – "Soul On Fire"
Insane Clown Posse – "How Many Times?"
Lamb of God – "In Your Words"
Mastodon – "Oblivion"
Down – "Three Suns and One Star"
Moby – "Bodyrock"
Gorillaz – "O Green World"
Kasz and Beal – "Theme from Mortal Kombat [Chicken Dust Mix]"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Escape"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Night of the Hunter"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Kings and Queens"
30 Seconds to Mars – "This Is War"
30 Seconds to Mars – "100 Suns"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Hurricane"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Closer to the Edge"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Vox Populi"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Search and Destroy"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Alibi"
30 Seconds to Mars – "Stranger in a Strange Land"
30 Seconds to Mars – "L490"
Brother Ali – "Brothers and Sisters"
Brother Ali – "The Preacher"
Brother Ali – "Crown Jewel"
Brother Ali – "Us"
Brother Ali – "Bad Mufucker, Pt. II"
Kiss – "Christine Sixteen"
Led Zeppelin – "Out on the Tiles"
Deftones – "Engine Number 9"
Bob Dylan – "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
Bob Dylan – "Like A Rolling Stone"
Girl Talk – "That's My D.J."
Girl Talk – "Hold Up"
Girl Talk – "Too Deep"
Girl Talk "Smash Your Head"
Godsmack – "Greed"
Slipknot – "The Heretic Anthem"
Them Crooked Vultures – "Mind Eraser, No Chaser"
Tim Fite – "Place Your Bets"
C + C Music Factory – "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
Cake – "Opera Singer"
Blink-182 – "Voyeur"
Blink-182 – "Dammit"
Blink-182 – "Boring"
Nas – "America"
Eric B. & Rakim – "Microphone Fiend"
Aerosmith – "Mama Kin"
Aerosmith – "Dream On"
Atreyu – "Ex's and Oh's"
Killswitch Engage – "My Curse"
Shadows Fall – "Teasn', Pleasn'"
Molly Hatchet – "Flirtin' With Disaster (live)"