exploremusic

Jeezus, is it August already? Where the hell is the summer going?

If you’re reading this from Canada, it’s the mid-summer long weekend, a time when a lot of people get outta Dodge. However, if you’re stuck behind (or simply chose not to go with the herd), here are a couple of recommendations for your ears and eyes this weekend.

A Good Book: Mustaine by Dave Mustaine
If you’re looking for a book filled with enough drug stories to get you busted for just owning it, this is it. But if you want to know the truth behind the legendary Mustaine-Metallica bust-up (he was a founding member of ‘Tallica), it’s here. I spoke with Dave on Thursday and there’s video of a half-hour interview coming soon to these pages. He tells how he and Megadeth almost came to a tragic end when his hand fell asleep and wouldn’t walk up. Scary.

A Weird CD: Maniac Meat by Tobacco.
Pittsburgh’s/Chicago’s Black Moth Super Rainbow is a little weird. And when I say “weird” I mean “Flaming Lips-grade weird.” It then stands to reason that frontman Tobacco, when left to his own devices, might just try to out-Wayne Coyne Wayne Coyne. Imagine Beck smoking crack and then collaborating with a really, really drunk Trent Reznor and you might be able to imagine what this CD sounds like. (Actually, Beck appears on a couple of songs.) You will not hear another CD like this all year. Here’s a sample of a track called “Sweatmother.”

A Proper Music DVD: Rush-Beyond the Lighted Stage
Outstanding documentary on Canada’s “most popular cult band” (Geddy Lee’s words) by the Banger Films guys (Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal). Informative , funny and highly entertaining. Who knew they had such a sense of humour? Check out the trailer.