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Sebadoh - Music Hall of Williamsburg 11/12/11 - Like a Sebadoh Album, Weak and Unweak Shows - 11.12.11 |
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It really isn't that bad, but, well, it sort of is. I love to see Lou Barlow playing bass, but the Sebadoh songs where he is singing and playing guitar are just far superior. Honestly, and I don't think these songs annoy me that much on the record, or maybe that's just because you can skip over them....but the Jason Lowenstein (Fiery Furnaces) songs are just annoying. Annoying screaming and annoying guitar playing, they contrast the Barlow songs pretty perfectly and make them really stand out. I don't want to talk too much shit because I like the band and maybe I just wasn't familiar with a bunch of the songs, which can make screaming annoying songs that much more annoying. In Dino Jr fashion, they were real loud too, which doesn't help out a song that already hates your ears and makes them want to hate it right back. So yeah, to sum it up....if you are a big Sebadoh fan, you will love the show and if you are not you will probably love half of it and hate the other half and that depends on what you are into. Here is a video for Two Years and Two Days:
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Ween on Halloween and Jeff Mangum/Neutral Milk Hotel in Jersey City - Both Unweak, and a Little Sample Before the Full Review Shows - 11.9.11 |
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Alright, so full reviews of these shows (Ween on Halloween at the Hammerstein Ballroom and Jeff Mangum at the Loews Theater in Jersey City on 11/5/11) will be coming soon, but we thought we'd throw up some audio/video to whet your whistle.....here we have 2 songs from Ween's 3 song encore which includes Mushroom Festival in Hell and She Fucks Me....I hate to use the word brown, but that is the only way to describe it. For people who have always wondered what Ween means by brown, this is it. Then we have Jeff Mangum doing Oh Comely.....this show was beyond incredible as any fan could guess. People were in complete awe. We will come back with more soon, but for now:
Oh Comely by Jeff Mangum Live Jersey City 11/5/11 by stoptheweakness
As always, we will remove these videos/audio if the bands would like. Go to buy their music, they deserve it and so do you: NMH |
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Nirvana Live Cambridge, MA 1990 - Stream/Download Misc. Download / NIRVANA - 11.3.11 |
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People may have seen this, but it's worth reposting here. Big Nirvana week, so we figured this would go right along. This show was posted by Duane Bruce of WFNX...not sure what WFNX is, but I am guessing it is a Boston station. This show is from 1990 in Cambridge, Mass, and has Chad Channing on drums as Dave Grohl didn't come til later. A few songs from Nevermind but mainly this is pre-Nevermind material. Here is what Duane Bruce has said about the show, "60 people in attendence on a Thursday night. Kurt had long brown hair and was all flanneled up. Krist was his usual silly self and Chad Channing was on drums. Kurt handed me a t-shirt as we headed for the stage. I read the back of it as I introduced them...." And with that, here is the stream and below is the setlist:
School Floyd The Barber Love Buzz [Shocking Blue cover] Dive Scoff About A Girl Spank Thru Breed In Bloom Big Cheese Molly's Lips [Vaselines cover] Been A Son Stain RECORDING ENDS HERE, BUT SUPPOSEDLY THESE SONGS CAME AFTER Negative Creep Blew Stay Away |
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GUNS N' ROSES - Live @ AAA Miami 10/29/11 - Don't Believe the Bullshit, DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR Shows - 11.2.11 |
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People have been talking shit for a few reasons - 1) because they are bitches, 2) because Axl is the only remaining original member, 3) because he "got fat" (or various other comments about his appearance), 4) because his voice sucks (admittedly it wasn't great during the failed 2002 tour but it has been incredible since the 2006 tour), 5) double bitching because Axl is the only remaining member, 6) because people are bitches who bitch about anything they can. Here is what we heard about this show with regards to people's worrying/bitching, "Axl was awesome, sounded incredible. Vintage axl. The whole band was awesome. 1000 times better than in 06 when I saw them. Not sure if it was the bigger arena venue, or the fact that I hadnt eaten just enough mushrooms to feel really really weird, but it was fucking awesome. They played for three straight hours, tons of songs. Absolutely crushed it. DJ Ashba is a total badass. I like him a lot. And no, Bumblefoot was not allowed to play his bumble bee foot shaped guitar. You absolutely must see the tour when it is near you. I want to travel to a show up north. SHIT WAS REAL. I have full faith that if a reunion ever happens they will sound 99% as good as ever if the other guys are on top of their game as Axl. And fuck all the negative press. He didn't look fat or anything. At least not from 20ft away. SIIIICK." While we can't accept that they were better (let alone 100x better) than in 2006 as we love Robin Finck and Brain, who have since departed, we will take this to mean that they are just as good...which was to say incredible.
Alright, there were a few additional comments (here is a small snippet: "My main takeaways were that axl was on top form, sounded great and seemed to be loving performing, he show was THREE NON-STOP HOURS with a killer set list. 8 songs from Appetite!. If you complain that you had to wait so long between Buckcherry and GNR.... DONT SHOW UP FOR BUCKCHERRY!!!! And know axl will be at least 1.5 hours late. DUH. And DJ ASHBA was a great surprise. He was cool, a nasty guitarist of course, but very good on stage and fit in well.") but let's just get to brass tacks here: this tour is probably coming to a town near you and you should ignore any shitty press and go. It is not old Guns (get the fuck over it), but they play the old songs very well and the new songs are great in their own right. I would love to see the original line-up just as much as the next guy, but this is a sick band.
So buy a copy of Chinese Democracy, throw on the Live Era and Appetite, and get ready to hear some of the best tracks ever live. Here is the set list to get you pumped, and I'd like to point out that Estranged and Don't Cry are being played again which is the first time in a long, long while. IZOD Center, get ready for STW. Set List
Welcome To The Jungle It's So Easy Mr. Brownstone Sorry Better Estranged Riff Raff (AC/DC cover) (with Band intros) Richard Fortus Guitar Solo ("James Bond Theme") Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings cover) This I Love Rocket Queen Shackler's Revenge (First time played in 2011) My Generation (The Who cover) (Tommy Stinson on vocals)
Street Of Dreams You Could Be Mine DJ Ashba Guitar Solo ("Mi Amor") Sweet Child O' Mine Instrumental Jam (Pink Floyd's "Another Brick … more) November Rain Bumblefoot Guitar Solo ("Pink Panther Theme") Don't Cry Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover) Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan cover) Nightrain Encore: Instrumental Jam (Elton John's "Saturday Night'… more), Madagascar, Out Ta Get Me, Patience Paradise City
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Nirvana Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition CD/DVD Set, Especially the Devonshire Mixes - Pretty F-ing Unweak Albums / NIRVANA - 10.28.11 |
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Alright, I already did a review of the vinyl collection so I won't get down to the details as much here. This set is sick though and I really wish that the two were combined - if this had all the vinyl with all the cds/dvds and super packaging it would be incredible. Still this one tops the vinyl which makes sense as it is the limited edition version, hand numbered at 10,000 copies. So what do we have here that the vinyl doesn't - a 60 page hardcover book, a cd and dvd of the 1991 Halloween show, and the full Devonshire Mixes, which are the mixes that proceeded the final copies. The dvd is sick. Really incredible and right up there with the Reading show that was released a year or 2 ago. If you remember the Lithium video, which is also included on the dvd, that contains a lot of video from this show. Also on the DVD from the With the Lights Out boxset you got to see the Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam performed at this show....so hopefully those give you a good idea of what you are getting into. Next up is the Devonshire mixes: these are rough mixes done by producer Butch Vig when he recorded the album (it was ultimately mixed by Andy Wallace). This is where music geekery comes in as most people who either aren't audiophile obsessive or who don't do mixing of their own won't give a fuck or notice anything different. If you are in one of those groups though, it is pretty cool. It is a rougher version of nevermind. Not as polished even though the double tracked vocals are still there. It almost makes you wonder if these guys would have been as big had it not gotten the full polish job that it did. You know how most songs are mixed for various types of radio stations to appeal to the listeners of each? Well labels do/did that. Barely noticeable stuff, but if you pay attention closely you can see how different somethings are and how they stand out. This isn't drastic but it is definitely something cool to check out if you know this album inside and out and are into mixing etc.
Then just for the hell of it I decided to post some pictures of the Nirvana cd collection from way back when dropping $30 on a bootleg was worth it (though sometimes I think it still is):
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Random Unweak Music Stuffs - Unweakified Misc - 10.18.11 |
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In addition to updating our calendar with shows, here are a bunch of random announcements news stuffs that we thought were worth pointing out here: NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL - Jeff Mangum's show at Town Hall on 10/29 has been sold out for months, but an unreleased track has been posted to the Neutral Milk Hotel Website and another show has been announced in Jersey City on 11/5.
Ween/Butthole Surfers/Solo Gene Ween - Alright, so Ween is playing Hammerstein on Halloween and it was just announced that Gibby Haynes (of the Butthole Surfers) is DJing a Rocks Off Boat Cruise leading up to the show - INFO HERE. Kind of sucks that it starts so early, but it is worth getting to it I think. Also, Gene Ween announced a solo show at Brooklyn Bowl on 12/3 - INFO HERE. Guns N' Roses - In case you suck and didn't realize Guns is on tour, we are telling you just that. And yes it is new Guns, and yes it will be awesome even if Axl has gotten fat. Here is an article we just came across about Axl from his last tour in 2006 - it is interesting if you haven't read it - READ HERE. |
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Random Unweak Covers Selected by fakery - October 18, 2011 Top 10 - 10.18.11 |
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We are doing these through Spotify now, so...not sure if you will like that or not, but that is the way we are doing it. Getting all hip to technology. Here is the link with the track list below: LISTEN HERE
1) The Passenger - Siouxsie and the Banshees (Iggy Pop) 2) Starman - Mates of State (David Bowie) 3) Bring the Noise - Anthrax (Public Enemy) 4) Have a Cigar - Primus (Pink Floyd) 5) Maggot Brain - Mike Watt/J Mascis/Bernie Worrell (Funkadelic) 6) Dead Souls - Nine Inch Nails (Joy Division) 7) Ain't Nothing To Do - Green River (Dead Boys) 8) Queen Bitch - Green River (Bowie) 9) Touch Me I'm Sick - Sonic Youth (Mudhoney) 10) Mushaboom - Bright Eyes (Feist) 11) Rock & Roll - Jane's Addiction (Velvet Underground) |
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Nirvana Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition on Vinyl - Eh, Unweak but nothing spectacular Albums / NIRVANA - 10.17.11 |
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Alright, so this collection is pretty sweet, but it could be better. I remember being a little annoyed when the Bleach deluxe edition came out and it was the album plus a full show, as I wished they'd put out demos or something. Fact of the matter is, they have released a lot of demos and if you are a Nirvana nerd, you have probably heard so many unreleased tracks. There are some new ones here and the Boombox recordings are cool (Teen Spirit, Verse Chorus Verse, Territorial Pissings, Lounge Act, Come As You Are, Old Age, Something in the Way, On a Plain), and though I am making it seem slightly lackluster, that is probably due to the fact that I also ordered the Super Deluxe edition which comes with 4 CDs (which is available would have been issued on 8 LPs) and a DVD. The vinyl version shown here is the same as the 2 CD deluxe version.
For those of you that don't know what's on here, I suggest just going to wikipedia and checking it out (CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK), but here is a quick rundown of what you've got: the original album, B-sides, recordings from the original Smart Sessions when the band still had Chad Channing and were not yet signed to DGC, boombox rehearsal recordings, and BBC sessions.
Then just for the hell of it I decided to post some more pictures of Nirvana vinyl...not everything but most of the good stuff:
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Workout - Bottom Barrel Boys Music Video and Show at Mercury Lounge - Both Unweak Shows / WORKOUT - 10.12.11 |
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Alright 2 things here: first we went to the music video premier for Bottom Barrel Boys by Workout at K&M in Williamsburg last Wednesday and second we went to see them the following evening at Mercury Lounge. Both were pretty unweak, though the video premier was probably more fun as I think people may have been hurting on Thursday from the night before. The crowd was smaller and more tame. So here we go - if you have yet to watch the video for Bottom Barrel Boys, watch it now. The video is completely unweak and they played it twice back to back at the premier as everyone loved it. We were discussing afterward whether or not most people would like/get this band as we really think they should become huge. At the same time we can see how some people may not get the band. Is it a joke? And even if people get that it is serious in a Ween/Zappa way, will they care to listen to 70s epic rock songs? I really hope people get it and like it. I think the video should help show people what these guys are about but it could also fuel the joke band idea. The video is pretty hilarious but these guys aren't a joke. Bottom Barrel Boys is one of, if not the, best track on the album:
Bottom Barrel Boys from Workout on Vimeo. Alright, so after saying how awesome the video is, we will say that the concert the following night was pretty sweet but also probably the most tame Workout show we've been to. They also only played from 10:15 to 10:50 or so. But those 35 mins were the sweetness. We took some video of Man of the Year so check that out. If you want to hear us ramble on about their awesomeness, just read the reviews below where we S their D's more than one publication ever should.
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Primus Sucks? - Like, Weakness For Real - Live @ Roseland 9/30/11 Shows / Primus - 10.4.11 |
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This show didn't suck, but it did for a Primus show. I have probably seen Claypool more than any other artist but he lost me around 2007. I stopped seeing his solo acts. They lacked focus, the hard driving basslines, were just spacey and....last but not least...thought it was cool to ditch guitars all together for a sitar. Fuck that noise. So Primus was always my one saving grace as it didn't seem the Frog Brigade was coming back. 2003 shows were awesome, high energy though a little jammy, and the new album, though only a few songs, was good Primus. I haven't gotten into this new album enough, and the whole second set was this album in its entirety, so maybe that was the problem.....but Les bass was effect laden and low. And I don't mean with the heavy synth effect that blows you away, I mean spacey effects that bury the instrument. It didn't drive the songs and, well, nothing did really. Les just seemed to be going through the motions too. Putting on the pig mask, or any mask for that matter just doesn't do it anymore. It wasn't in indication that things were about to get loud and weird. I am not going to sit here and tell you it was all bad. The old songs were great, and though I missed the first few songs of the show, including my favorite Southbound Pachyderm, the first set and encore were awesome. Those songs are so good/heavy/strong that even when Les is going through the motions, they slay. Harold on the Rocks, Over the Electric Grapevine, Jerry Was a Racecar Driver.....those are tough songs to not get into when being played right in front of you. I will wrap it up to say that this is depressing to write. I will hold out hope and see Primus/Les again. I mean, he is one of my all time favorite musicians to see play, and I am hoping this was just an off night....maybe it was an off night for me too, I mean as you can see for the pics I stood in the back for a good deal of the show....maybe it was an off night for both of us. I like Primus because they are weird and hard.....but the hard rock energy needs to be there. |
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Top 100 Wu Songs from Complex - Weak/Unweak, Interesting Nonetheless Misc. / WU TANG - 9.29.11 |
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 Wu. If I had to select the top 10 rap albums ever, it would probably be littered with multiple Wu albums. This is list is.....interesting. Interesting because they go for deep cuts and include The Sun and the original Flowers from Bulletproof Wallets, but also interesting in where some of my favorite tracks fall. Some things really pissed me off, but at the end of the day it just goes to show how incredible the Wu catalogue is. Without further ado, check out the list HERE. |
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Lots of New Unweak Records, This is Not Even Half of Them Albums - 9.27.11 |
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Alright, so no secret that we love J Mascis around here. Picked up this 180 gram reissue of Where You Been and it sounds pretty fantastic. This honestly may be my favorite Dino Jr record. While London Calling is not my favorite Clash record (I much prefer their self titled debut) this is still fantastic.
Alright, this rounds out my Talking Heads collection except for Naked and other random releases. Everyone loves Remain in the Light and says its the best, but I actually like Little Creatures more...and Fear of Music way more than that. Fear of Music is the tops. There is a review somewhere here that I would link up to if I had more time. It is some cheesey thing I wrote when drunk blabbing on about the greatness of it, so maybe that has something to do with why I don't want to seek it out for you all.
Ok, so I haven't listened to all of the Shea Stadium Clash show, but it is a damn nice package and it from what I have heard it seems pretty damn awesome. The track list is great. Red Hot Chili Peppers are a very tough band for me. I love them and hate them, though I don't think I really hate any of their stuff as much as I just get disappointed by their direction sometimes. Oh well. Freaky Styley is a great record if you like pre-Blood Sugar RHCP. Sorry for the blurry photo, but I didn't want to get them out and retake it. RHCP especially was a great find. As I said, this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of cool records that I got, so....well, yeah hopefully I will be posting them soon. |
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Primus - Green Naugahyde - NOT LIKE FRIZZLE FRY Albums - 9.16.11 |
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I have been unhappy with Les and while I used to see every show and buy every solo album, he lost me at Whale and Woe and when he replaced the guitar with Gabby Fucking LALA on sitar. I hated Gabby LaLa when she opened for Bucket of Bernie Brains and my desire to see Les sadly died the last time I saw the Fancy Band...well, I mean in any new outfit or with the Fancy band beause I love Primus and the Frog Brigade and CCBBB prior to them recording their album at least. So yeah, this is no Frizzle Fry. It is tough to explain how it sounds because, well, it just is. I can't decide if it is too Fancy Band or if it is just good old weird Primus. I am thinking the later and looking forward to the shows coming up soon.
oh and the packaging is sick. Green vinyl, gatefold, inserts, and a CD copy....for cheap:
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Panda Bear - Tomboy - Fuck Panda Bear, Weak, VERY Weak Albums - 9.15.11 |
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You want to know why we don't do this....because at first impression the new Panda Bear sucks a fucking dick. And I want to give it attention an album deserves....but who needs chanting over a beat and everything so drenched in reverb that you don't even know what the fuck is going on. Here's my thing though and this is why I haven't reviewed it yet..... Because I could really like this album one day and am actually getting close to liking some songs but....Panda Bear and Animal Collective remind me of when I was 11 and bought Flipper albums and old school Sonic Youth records (like Confusion is Sex) just because Kurt Cobain supported both and wore a Flipper shirt. Many years later I love Flipper but if some 11 year old tells you they love Flipper, they are full of shit just like everyone sucking Panda dick. I love Strawberry Jam and I love Feels and some other stuff (fuck Merriweather Post) but it's so hit or miss. So yeah that's why we don't review albums right away because I know I may love this album one day but for now it sucks. Oh and fuck Confusion is Sex too.
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Wu Tang Killa Bees, We On the Swarm - Wu Belt - Unweak Misc. / WU TANG - 9.8.11 |
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Jealous? I would be too. Especially if you remembered my Ween belt as well: A God Ween Satan belt. What else could be cooler? Maybe a Wu belt? That is all in the eye of the beholder. Here, take a look at the Wu belt again:
It is so cool we have been thinking about opening these up so you all can order them. It all started a couple years ago when my mom kept asking me if she could make me a needle point belt. I had one already and it was kind of enough for me. She loves needle pointing though and would keep asking, so one day I had the idea of designing my own. Being the coolest mom around, she was more than happy to bring my dreams of a God Ween Satan belt to life. At the time I bought enough blank canvas to make 2 of them, the other to be a Slayer belt, but I dropped that idea for some reason. A couple years later, the Wu belt seemed like a much better idea. I am sort of serious about getting these made for people, so shoot us an email (tweak at stoptheweakness.com) and let me know what you are thinking about, maybe some colors, and then we can take it from there. I will design it up, with input from you of course, and my mother will do the heavy lifting. Here, watch GZA play Liquid Swords on some TV show:
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I am a big Dinosaur Jr fan, and I thought I was a bigger Sebadoh fan until I went and saw them the other night. Don't get me wrong, they have songs that are incredible and that is really what this show highlighted - the fact that some songs are incredible while the others are almost equal opposites. 
So we almost flew down to Miami to catch the GnR show this past weekend, but ultimately it did not work out on our end which is quite a shame. As our Miami correspondant, whose opinion on all things Guns we hold dear to our hearts, tells us, "I have an anxious stressed out feeling that people will miss this tour and believe the negative press."
Chinese Democracy 
Instrumental Jam Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (The Who's "Baba O'Reilly") 
Alright, here are a collection of covers selected by fakery. These aren't the top 10 best covers or anything, just a unweak list of unweak bands covering unweak songs.
It pains me to say this, but....could I be over anything new from Les Claypool? The old Primus slogan - Primus Sucks - which they eagerly adapted from their early shows when people hated them but they new their awesomeness, may have come true. 
Ok, I know I just said that I don't review stuff right away because I want it to sink in for a little, but I am a huge Primus fan and need to get this off my chest. I heard this album was just like Frizzle Fry. Jay Lane is on drums (the original Primus drummer pre-Herb) and I heard that is where they were going with this. This is not true. Frizzle Fry is my favorite, and I love it because it is the most straight forward, metal, funk without being as pop as Anti-Pop. 
You know what.....I don't fucking get it sometimes. To us it is so obvious that we have the best taste in music and can provide you with everything you'd ever need (sort of) for a lifetime, yet some of our favorite bands are still completely unknown and stupid shit like this is praised by all. Sorry we didn't jump on the bandwagon and review the new Panda Bear album immediately upon it's release just so we can be the first. 
