Year-End Lists and Have a Metal Xmas!

If you haven't yet made your way to Big Shot magazine's revamped site, now is the time. The New York-based dance glossy that I write for on the regular recently went web-only and Big Shot honcho Darren Ressler has given the site a slick makeover that kicks major ass. Check out my year-end list below and read all Big Shot writers' lists here

Dave Wedge
The lines between pop and underground dance music continue to be blurred. Just listen to the latest hits by Usher, Ke$ha or Taio Cruz. Many of these would have been considered straight up house a few years ago. Today they’re on Seacrest’s Top 40 countdown. Is this a bad thing? I don’t know. Frankly, if I’m in the kind of place that’s playing Top 40, I’d much rather hear some decently produced housey-pop than cliché-ridden poser rap or Nickelback. Madonna was the first modern pop star to embrace house but now no pop artist puts out a single without a string of remixes from a who’s who of the dance music glitterati. Shit, superstar DJs like Dave Audé, Jason Nevins and Liam Keegan are making a living off remixing hot new pop tracks. As a result, much of the best electronic music of 2010 has an undeniable pop edge while most of the year’s best blend genres to deliver eclectic dance floor gold.

Here’s my favorites of the year, many of which boldly spit in the face of convention and inspire with bold creativity:

1. Shit Robot / Cradle to the Rave
New York club legend delivers his 10 years-in-the-making debut and smashes it out of the park. The electro-pop glory of “Take ‘Em Up” gets my vote for track of the year.

2. The Glitch Mob / Drink the Sea
Like The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers, these L.A. kids know how to put on a live show and embrace the idea of an electronic-based “band.” And if “Take ‘Em Up” ain’t the song of the year, then “Drive It Like You Stole It” sure as shit is.

3. Skrillex / Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Former hardcore kid Sonny Moore gives us a veritable buffet of electronica hybrids, from house to dubstep to alternative hip-hop to electro. Can’t wait to hear what he comes up with next.

4. Deadmau5 / 4 x 4 = 12
He’s quickly becoming the second most recognizable mouse in entertainment but no sellout here. Deadmau5 brings the heat on instant classics like “A City in Florida,” “Everything Before” and the spine-tingling “Sofi Needs a Ladder.”

5. Chromeo / Business Casual
Speaking of dudes unafraid to inject a little pop into their mix, this Montreal duo brought in La Roux for a track and kept it sexy. “Don’t Turn the Lights On” and “Night by Night” are near-perfect electro-pop party anthems.

6. Uffie / Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans
A disciple of Peaches and Princess Superstar, Uffie combined Miami bottle service swagger with French touch. The result is a sweaty electro-pop orgy.

7. Swedish House Mafia / Until One
Like Rush on turntables, this holy triumvirate of deck demons inspire awe while remixing everyone from Justice to MGMT to Daft Punk to Robyn S.

8. Miami Horror / Illumination
Searching for that perfect mix of disco-house and indie-tronica? Look no further than these Australians, who gave us the gorgeous “Sometimes,” a soul-soothing lounge jam more addictive than that Miley Cyrus salvia smoking video.

9. Holy Ghost! / Static on the Wire EP
The nu-disco-fired title track was one of the tracks of the year while you simply can’t hit the repeat button fast enough every time you hear “Say My Name.”

10. Felix Cartal / Popular Music
Representing Dim Mak, this Vancouver DJ/producer’s latest has power, melody and a thunderous dance floor thump.


And in the spirit of Xmas, here is my list of the best metal Christmas songs from the also newly-revamped DigBoston website . . .

Korn and Mayhem - Boston Herald

Haters revel in sitting in overly snobby judgment of Korn. The asshat-wearing rock journo glitterati just loves to dismiss them.
Me, I recognize and respect them for what they are - a kickass metal band from California that opened a massive new world of possibilities in a genre that had grown painfully stale.
The guys killed it at the Mayhem Festival in Mansfield, Mass. last night. Here's a snippet of a feature I did on them for the Boston Herald. And read my review of Mayhem here.



Korn on the job
Headbangers survive drama, return to raw roots
By Dave Wedge
Monday, July 26, 2010 - Updated 2 days ago

The five dudes in Korn pretty much single-handedly closed the door on grunge and famously ushered in rap-rock and nu-metal.

Only three of the group’s original members remain, but after more than 15 years their passion, angst and fury haven’t waned.

“It’s unfortunate, but those things kind of taught us some lessons as far as trying to make each other happy and how delicate the relationships are,” said guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, who comes with Korn to headline the Mayhem Fest at Comcast Center on Tuesday on a bill that includes Rob Zombie and Lamb of God.

Read on here . . .

RIP Paul Gray of Slipknot

Tough few weeks for metal heads. Here's a roundup of some of the sad stories of Paul Gray, the bassist from Slipknot who died yesterday:

Blabbermouth.net, which is run by Slipknot's label, Roadrunner Records, has a bunch of info, including an interview with Hail!, the side project Gray was working on with ex-Judas Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens.

Slipknot's hometown newspaper, the Des Moines Register, has the nuts and bolts of what happened, as well as a timeline of the band's rise out of Iowa to becoming Grammy winners and one of the best-selling acts in metal.

And for posterity's sake, here's a review I wrote last year for the Weekly Dig of Slipknot's show in Lowell, Mass.

RIP Ronnie James Dio - Hoist the Devil Horns in his Honor

Anyone who has ever hoisted the devil horn in the air in their life should be paying deep respects today to Ronnie James Dio, who is credited with bringing the hand gesture now synonymous with rocking to the metal world.
In the great documentary, "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey," Dio explains how he brought the gesture to Black Sabbath and ultimately made it as important to metal as guitars, bass, drums, Satan, blow, leather and groupies. Love how he calls Gene Simmons a liar too:



I had the opportunity to cover Dio a few times in Boston, including when he played with Heaven and Hell in 2007 on the Loco Fest with Queensryche. Dio, who hailed from Portsmouth, N.H., cut a diminutive figure physically but was a massive voice, a trailblazer and a metal icon who will be greatly missed.

Poor guy went through seven rounds of chemo for stomach cancer but just couldn't beat it. RIP bro . . .

This from the Boston Herald:


Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67

By Associated Press
Sunday, May 16, 2010 - Updated 1h ago
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Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67.

Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.

"Today my heart is broken," Wendy Dio wrote on the singer’s site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.


"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all," Wendy Dio continued. "We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

The statement was confirmed by Los Angeles publicist Maureen O’Connor. Dio was being treated at a Houston hospital, according to his site.

Read the rest here . . .

Sick Of It All's Fake Clash with Boston Cops

New York hardcore kings Sick Of It All filmed their latest video, for the song "Death or Jail," in Boston and as a publicity stunt claimed they had a run-in with Boston cops on the shoot.

Check out more here

RIP Peter Steele - My 2003 Boston Herald Interview

Peter Steele was a lot of things but dishonest was not one of them. This interview below gives just a small snapshot into the complex, tortured Type O Negative frontman. RIP dude . . .


THE EDGE
Music; This isn't a Type O - he really is that Negative
DAVE WEDGE
737 words
25 July 2003
Boston Herald
BHLD
All Editions
E08
English
© 2003 Boston Herald Library. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights reserved.

The rock star dream apparently faded long ago for Pete Steele.

"I just wanted to have enough money to have a house, wife, maybe four kids. I'm not at that place right now and I really don't see things changing very much," said Steele, the hulking, vampiric frontman for Brooklyn goth metallers Type O Negative.

"That's the main problem, is what am I doing here? I'm 41 years old, and rock is for youth."

While many bands spend interviews gushing about their latest albums, praising their bandmates as their best pals or thanking their lucky stars to be playing music for a living, Steele is brutally disenchanted and blatantly depressed. A former New York City Parks Department worker, he said he rues the day he gave up the salaried job to front the brooding metal outfit.

Now 10 years and five albums into the Type O experiment, he still lives in the same basement apartment, has no girlfriend and describes his life as one of disappointment and frustration. He claims he stays in the band only because of contracts and because he made a promise to the rest of the group: keyboardist Josh Silver, guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly.

"I do it because I made a commitment to my so-called friends in this band that we would see this through to the end. I didn't realize it would be a life sentence," he deadpanned.

Formed in the bowels of Brooklyn's early 1990s goth scene, the group slithered out of the shadows and made its mark on the black- metal underground with 1993's "Bloody Kisses," a spine-tingling offering that went platinum. The group, which headlines the Worcester Palladium tonight, followed up with 1996's "October Rust" and 1999's "World Coming Down," neither of which lived up to "Bloody Kisses" commercially or in the eyes of fans.

Their latest, however, the aptly titled "Life Is Killing Me," is an instant classic, bursting with hypnotic, melodic hard rock, tongue-in-cheek potty-mouth speed punk and their signature dead-to- the-world metal. Brimming with bleakness and unflinching honesty, the album is burning up college radio and metal charts, but Steele isn't impressed.

"I wouldn't buy it," he barked.

While some songs, such as the mind-numbing "Anesthesia" and the crushing title track, portray Steele as a tortured intellectual on the brink of suicide, others, like the homophobic "I Like Goils," use black humor as a weapon. Musically, the disc sounds like Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath unleashed at an Irish wake. Lyrically, shrinks could write volumes analyzing the subject matter. Fresh off a miserable, if slightly profitable, European tour, Steele is candidly unexcited about heading out in a bus with his three brethren for a U.S. tour.

"It's like four people being married and all of them having their period all the time," he said of the band. "There's an old saying about husbands and wives getting on each other's nerves, like fighting about stupid things, like leaving the cap off the toothpaste. Well, let's just say the cap is always off the toothpaste."

Beyond the bus, he said, he detests playing the same songs every night: "I can't imagine how Ozzy (Osbourne) does it. I mean, how many times has he had to play `Paranoid'?

"I really hate being onstage," he continued. "It's usually a balmy 130 degrees onstage and I've got these french fry lights burning on my back. I don't like traveling. I just don't get anything out of it."

Fed up and angry? Yes. Giving up? Never. In fact, there's a clear, revenge-driven method to Steele's madness.

"I feel like I've been disillusioned," he explained matter-of- factly. "But it's no one's fault but mine. No one made me do this. Now my goal is to complain, annoy and irritate everyone around me until I get out of this band, die or someone kills me. My motivation is aggravation."

And check out a live performance for "Anesthesia" from 2003's Life Is Killing Me:

Killswitch Engage Singer Howard Jones Bolts

Anyone who was at the sold-out Killswitch Engage show at House of Blues in Boston a few weeks ago will be shocked to learn that vocalist Howard Jones has left the band. Howard was on fire that night and appeared to be having fun. Anyone who knows him, knows this is not due to drugs or booze, as he's straight edge.
But this is too bad because KsE is at the top of its game right now and is really one of the biggest bands in metal.
My sources tell me it's unclear if Howard will return or if he's quit the band for good. For now, Phil Labonte from All That Remains is filling in but there are rumors that Jesse Leach - KsE's original singer - could come back into the fold. Jesse and KsE guitarist Adam D are close friends and have been working on a side project in recent months.
We'll see what happens but here's hoping these Massachusetts metal warriors keep battling . . . Here's my latest report on this from the Boston Herald:

Killswitch Engage vocalist abruptly replaced for Westfield band’s tour

By Dave Wedge

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones has abruptly and unexpectedly left the Westfield-based band’s current headlining tour to deal with “personal” issues, thrusting the metal kings’ future into turmoil.

Jones has been temporarily replaced by All That Remains singer Phil Labonte, another western Massachusetts-bred headbanger who formerly sang for fellow Bay Staters Shadows Fall.

In a statement, the band said: “It became overwhelmingly obvious to all of us around Howard that he is in no condition to be on tour right now and that he needed to get off the road and get himself better. It’s a personal matter and while we understand everyone’s curiosity and concern for Howard and the band, we appreciate everyone respecting Howard’s privacy at this time.”

Read the rest here . . .

Ozzy could write "four fucking books, y'know" - My Boston Herald interview

Since the Herald is a family newspaper, the "fucks" had to be replaced with "(expletive)". But trust me, Ozzy is one of those dudes who uses the word "fuck" like a comma - in every sentence.

Diary of a madman

Ozzy Osbourne takes readers for a ride on the crazy train

By Dave Wedge
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Updated 1h ago
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Any rock book worth its weight in groupies is littered with sordid tales of sex, drugs and excess.

But few rock star tales can measure up to the war stories of the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.

“I could sit down and write four fucking books, y’know,” said the 61-year-old heavy metal icon, who will be signing copies of his new autobiography, “I Am Ozzy,” at the Kenmore Square Barnes & Noble Thursday at 7 p.m.. “At the end of it, I said (to ghost writer Chris Ayres), ‘You think you’ve got enough?’ He said, ‘I’ve got enough for two books.’ ”

Ozzy’s long-anticipated tome is chock-full of tales of death-defying drug binges, STD-transmitting groupies, deadly road incidents and other madness.

“They said I would never write this book,” “I Am Ozzy” begins. “Well fuck them. All I have to do now is remember something.”

Read the rest here . . .