The 411 Music Top 5: Week 3
Posted by Brian Berry on 01.09.2007
411 staffers pick their Top 5 Live Bands in the 3rd edition of the Music Zone's Top 5. From U2 to Radiohead to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, see who made our elite lists of star performers!
Welcome to the 3nd edition of 411 Music's Top 5!
In our last column 411 Mania staffers checked in with their Top 5 Underrated Bands. We listed 40 bands that deserve more attention, ranging from major grunge influencers like the Meat Puppets, to bands that got jerked around by record labels (e.g. The Wrens, Therapy?), and should-be, underground legends like Mission of Burma and Sparks.
We weren't able to list every band overlooked by the mainstream however…and our astute readers let us know exactly who we missed, which brings us to...
***READER MAIL***
-411 reader Tanner Pruitt writes about one of the great proto-punk bands: To start off, these are some great lists, but you guys are missing a hugely under-rated band... The MC5. This band helped kick start the Punk revolution in the United States that was already dominating the British airways. Their first album Kick out the Jams (which is also arguably one of the best live albums to ever be released) gave us an armored-assault of Punk and Psychedelic rock that had (and hasn't since then) been heard. They established what you see in music today, for better or worse, but have received hardly any credit for it. If that doesn't qualify as an under-rated band, than I don't know what does.
-Reader David Pettyjohn checks in with two of his picks: Kings X-a three piece that can pull off what they put on album live. Saigon Kick-Sure they had their power ballad hit, but their song styles went all over the place from hard rock to punk to jazz to Beatle-esque tunes.
-And finally, a complete Top 5 from reader Matt Vilardebo: Just read everybody's selections. I really enjoyed seeing names like Therapy? & Far on the lists but I wanted to list a few suggestions. Hell I'll just give you my own Top 5-
5) Far- Tin Cans With Strings To You is visionary. This band really came out with a new sound at a time when "sceamo" was in no one's vocabulary.
4) Dub War- If you like Skindred then go get a Dub War album. This is Benji's first band.Total regge-metal goodness.
3) Manhole (Tura Satana)- Holy angry woman of metal. Terrie B is the blueprint that Otep and Morgan Lander follow. If anyone has listened to All Is Not Well they have been moved.
2) The Urge- St. Louis ska-metallers had a brief brush with success when lead singer, Steve Ewing, appeared on a 311 album. These dudes could bring it live and Mr. Ewing has an impressive set of pipes. Check out Receiving the Gift of Flavor.
1) One Minute Silence- Another case of a band letting their "cause" interfere with decent overseas promotions. These guys were slightly huge in Europe and played some huge festivals. Regrettably they got no play state side. This is UK's answer to Rage Against the Machine. Heavy rap metal with some master musicians providing the beats.
Wow! Seeing names like MC5, King's X, and The Urge (wow, I completely forgot about that band), endorses my assertion that the smartest music fans on the ‘net are 411 Mania readers! [Ed.]
411 Music writers check in this week with yet another diverse set of lists for the topic…
BEST LIVE BANDS*
*Only active bands were considered for the lists. Thus, The Who would be an acceptable entry but Nirvana would not.
BRIAN BERRY [Music Editor/Top 5 Foreman/Straight Outta Oakland]
Honorable Mention: Getting this list down to five was a heartbreaking chore. Here are my next 20 favorites-Beck, Comets On Fire, Elvis Costello, Deerhoof, DJ Shadow, Lamb of God, Love Songs/This Is My Fist!, Mars Volta, My Morning Jacket, Willie Nelson, New Pornographers, Toys That Kill, Turbonegro, TV On the Radio, Two Gallants, The Walkmen, Ween, Wilco, Brian Wilson, and The Wrens.
5) The Locust - [found in: small clubs] The Locust, who dress up in locust costumes, literally sound like crop destroying insects swarming overhead. This grindcore band have made a living off of trying to clear venues with their abrasive, moog-aided noise rock. It's not uncommon for the band to taunt the audience and provoke fights with their fans. Their in your face approach to music is a rarity and separates them from their less entertaining, like minded followers (e.g. An Albatross, Lightning Bolt).
4) The Rolling Stones - [found in: sports arenas] Stop laughing, I'm serious about this pick. The Stones still have it and they rock harder than just about every band on the planet. Their decadent live shows make other stadium rockers, such as U2 and Green Day, look like the local jam band playing at your neighborhood's watering hold. Jumbo video screen? Check. Eyebrow scorching pyro? Check. Catwalk? Check. Ridiculously expensive tickets that you should sell a kidney for? Check!
3) Andrew W.K. - [found in: large clubs] Any man who can headbang with a fan sitting on his shoulders deserves mad props as a worthy live act. It doesn't hurt that his backing band, featuring former members of Obituary, rocks ultra hard to. Bonus points to AWK for punching himself in the face during shows, and allowing half of his crowd on stage to get animalistic on his level. Party hard indeed.
2) The Arcade Fire - [found in: theatres] One of the most passionate, emotionally charged bands around. Songs are often acted out on stage and all eight or so band members scream the lyrics, with or without the aid of a microphone…and they're just getting started!
1) Radiohead - [found in: amphitheatres] Seeing Radiohead live is an otherwordly experience, which gives 2 hours of goosebumps to the toughest human beings. Amazing light shows and spot on musicianship…and, in my opinion, the most important rock band of the past twenty years.
JAMES MUNSON [Album & Concert Reviews/411's Top Iowa Writer]
HM:
-Deftones - I've seen these guys seven times and all I can say is, when they're on, nothing else matters. They can cause irreversable hearing loss in a club of 1000 or an arena of 10000.
-The Decemberists - Never before have I heard the sound of a few thousand hearts beating in unison (and no, not in the same manner as you might experience at a Dashboard Confessional show). Colin & co. can work a crowd into a fist-pumping frenzy and even take time out to re-enact light saber fights and Tolkien battles.
5) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Karen O. is fascinating as hell to watch prance around a stage like a grade-schooler who just won a spelling bee. If that grade schooler wore black tape around her index fingers, kabuki make-up, and yellowish-red handmade dresses. [Yeah Yeah Yeahs]
4) Tool - Proving why they're the metal Pink Floyd of our lifetime, this band is a balls-to-the-wall machine. The stage show is mesmerizing with an incorporation of everything from pulsating strobes and grandiose video projections to contortionists and lasers. Awesome.
3) U2 - One of few who have been around for years and not teetered into the dinosaur-rock category. Bono's voice still sounds freshly preserved and youthful and I will never tire of hearing Edge's minimalist guitar technique.
2) Radiohead - Even winning over crowds with material that won't be released for another year, this band is highly capable of turning an amphitheatre of thousands into an intimate setting with their highly energetic stage presence and Thom Yorke's eager pixie-dancing.
1) Nine Inch Nails - Hands down, best live band this year and last. Their newest line-up is sublime, with ex-Icarus Line guitarist Aaron North bringing back the chaos and flair that was seldom seen from former NIN guitarist Robin Finck. The production values are high (with acetate screens projecting images of the war, animals engaging in combat, and micro-organisms) but never bordering on cheesy. Anyone wanting to see and hear a band who is miles better live than on record look no further. Reznor knows exactly how to bring the noise, so to speak.
JES TONES [Concert Reviewer/The Hardest Lady Reppin' Brooklyn]
HM: Rancid, Bouncing Souls, Dropkick Murphys. If you can't tell, I have somewhat of a bias for the punk shows. You just can't beat that energy. But to be fair, some of my favorite shows have also been The Roots, Common and Outkast (circa Stankonia).
5) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - I almost didn't want to put these guys on my list because I'm getting so sick of hearing about them. But that just wouldn't be fair. I saw them twice this year and, as everyone says, Karen O really does steal the show and perform like a maniac. And the music doesn't suck either.
4) Ryan Adams - I've heard Ryan can be a whiny little bitch or at least sometimes erratic and unpredictable at his shows, but in my experience, it felt like every member of the audience had the impression that he or she was Ryan's BFF, and he returned the favor. Also, the production is incredible and the man has about a bazillion good songs to pluck from his arsenal. From the man himself to every detail of lighting and sound, those offstage are well taken care of.
3) Flogging Molly -- What an incredible band. The only thing that sucks about a FM show is that it seems like the audience is always too stinking drunk to appreciate the crazy show going on in front of them. Guitars, fiddle, accordian, drums, and hell, sometimes even banjos, spoons, whistles, mandolins and pipes, all amidst crafted lyrics and the energy of a true punk show. Good times.
2) Gogol Bordello -- I think I beat this point to death already in the review I just posted of their show a few weeks ago, so I'll be brief. NYC's finest gypsy punks just might not even be human. I don't know where they get their energy -- or their balance, standing on top of bass drums they've thrown out onto the audience -- but a show with GB is two hours of guaranteed nonstop madness.
1) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- Seeing this band live made me want to run straight home and throw out all of their albums. Hearing it on my 'phones was no longer good enough. And I hadn't really even had any expectations --just thought "Howl" kicked ass and was a huge improvement from their early stuff, so I showed up to check it out live. Yikes. I'm more of a punk rock, energy freak kind of showing-going lass, but this band slowed me down and made me want to stay.
MATT CLIFFORD [Rock ‘N Roll Reviewer/Promotes Anarchy in the UK]
HM: Weezer – OK, so their last few records have been pretty pants, Rivers and co. still manage to put on a killer live show and they are worth going to see (if only for pre-Maladroit material). I saw them in the UK in 2002 and still rate it as one of my favourite gigs ever.
5) Rancid – A fine example of a band that are still going strong and their live shows undoubtedly reflect this. Now with Branden Steineckert replacing the less than inspirational Brett Reed behind the kit, they are going to continue to get better and better.
4) Deftones – You never quite know what you are going to get at a Deftones show. The band always seems to mix it up in a live setting by choosing an interesting and unpredictable setlist. They also have the advantage of being fronted by a highly charismatic individual, doing a good job of whipping the crowd into a frenzy while still managing to sing as on record.
3) Lamb Of God – One of the tightest and most accomplished live metal bands around today. With a drummer as mechanically precise as Chris Adler and two guitarists with phenomenal live playing ability, it is almost a statistical fact that this band will slaughter any venue they play. Go see them and prepare to be blown away. [Lamb of God]
2) Mogwai - Even though their music is complex, the Scottish prog-rock outfit somehow manage to put on a flawless live performance. Their loud/quiet wall of noise is accompanied by a spectacular light show which makes for one of the most mesmerising shows you are ever likely to see.
1) Green Day – I grew up on a steady diet of Green Day and have managed to catch their unstoppable touring monster 3 times. Even though they seem to have a whole rock god-complex thing going on at the moment, (calling American Idiot a rock-opera and collaborating with U2 for example), Green Day are still the most impressive live unit around at the moment. And yes, the setlists may have reached a point of becoming overly predictable but the band still manages to put on a hell of a show and the fact remains that Billie Joe is one of the greatest front-men of all time.
5) Butch Walker - This guy really knows how to entertain an audience. As the former lead man for Marvelous 3, Walker has taken his solo act on the road all over the world in the past couple of years. I've seen him twice, and both times, he never let me down. He's totally into his songs and really works the crowd. The man's sweat production alone is enough to show you how hard he works at it.
4) Panic! At The Disco - These kids jump all over the stage and use theatrics to perform their songs. Crowd enthusiasm and participation is highly encouraged and always apparent.
3) The Academy Is... - I loooove this band. One of my guilty pleasures, for sure. William Beckett is uncanny as a younger version of Mick Jagger with his thin physique and moves that ooze with sex. They don't get nearly the credit they deserve.
2) Better Than Ezra - I've been following this band for years, and I've seen them more times than I can count. I'm always impressed at how this band can make a show so personal and intimate despite the large venues they play in. They toss around jokes, and always bring an audience member up on stage. Great show all around.
1) Depeche Mode - One of the best productions I've personally seen in my life…by far. Dave Gahan knows how to work the stage, and does so for at least two hours. Lights and sounds that are otherworldly are a staple in this show. Their live show just explains why they're still around.
TOLLAH [Legendary Forumer/Music Writer on Hiatus/Friend of Paul Hogan]
HM: Whitesnake, Blind Guardian, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers
5) Guns N' Roses - Axl's voice struggles a bit these days and of course the rest of the new band being lame brings them down a few notches, but c'mon. It's GnR, for fuck's sake.
4) Steve Vai - Can't listen to any of his studio stuff without getting bored within about 60 seconds, but he puts on a hell of a show live. Much more fun that Satch.
3) Avril Lavigne - Probably the most fun concert I've been to. Unsurprisinly given how much she tours, Avril is a consummate live act.
2) Muse - They bring a new dimension to their songs with their energetic and bombastic shows, and Matt Bellamy is an extraordinary live guitarist.
1) Prince - About as good as you can get. Brilliant at everything, basically.
EVOCATOR MANES [Heavy Music Reviews/Omni-411 Zone Contributor/Vegas Hustler]
5) KISS - Nothing exceeds like excess and nothing succeeds like success, two mottos that defined the band to a "T". The only rock act to successfully meld a circus with a rock act. KISS homepage
4) Dropkick Murphys - This is somewhat dependent on what night you catch them. You will either get a good show or magic. Dropkick Murphys homepage [Dropkick Murphys]
3) Dresden Dolls - Quite frankly, they are re-inventing live shows as we know it. Dresden Dolls homepage
2) Alice Cooper - Rock show as theatre and rock show as entertainment, rather than rock show as live music. Brilliant, innovative and worlds ahead of everyone else. Alice Cooper homepage
1) Abba - I don't care if they're not doing live shows anymore and that they hated playing live. They set the standard and are still the benchmark. Abba homepage
