After tonight’s Mastodwho/Defwhats/AIC show at MSG, I’m feeling inspired to dust off an oldie-but-goodie…

Back when I was a 16 year-old pothead growing up in New York Fucking City, I used to put on this song, lean out my bedroom window, puff the fattest of bowls, and wonder what heroin felt like. I guess it had a lot to do with Layne Staley’s infamous addiction to the drug, and a little to do with my own self-destructive leanings, but more than all that, the song itself reeked of smack. And not just snorting or smoking heroin, but some serious needle-jabbin’ hijinx.

Now I ain’t never shot nothin’ into my veins, but after revisiting this song for the first time in over a decade, I would still put it on my perfect heroin mixtape (along with “Venus In Furs” by The Velvet Underground, “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors, and “My Favorite Things” by Coltrane). Y’know — if it ever comes to that.

Keep yr fingers crossed for me!

…and while I’m hyping this album, I find it very hard not to post its fiery opening track:

Okay, fine — let’s just go for the hat trick with Dirt closer “Would?” (although th’old-school among us may better remember this one from the Singles soundtrack…)

-KW

With a close sect of the Wingerschmidt clan having settled years ago out in Seattle, I have spent a week or two out in (coffee)Beantown almost every Summer for as long as I can remember. And this week or two is always in August, and I never stick around town long enough to experience this “amazing outdoor music festival, brah” known simply as Bumbershoot.

Each year I peruse the schedule, and each year there are plenty of bands I would love to see, especially all in one place. But alas no — clearly I’m a masochist to some extent — I never allow myself the scheduling openness to get my B-shoot on.

This year is no different. I recently spent a week in the rainy city (and brought the sunshine with me from NYC to boot), and noticed that the lineup for this year’s fest included such greats as soulfunkafrobeatposse The Budos Band, Portland emo-punksters The Thermals, countrified poppy sweetie-pants Neko Case, world-music party brigade Ozomatli, plenty of unexpected legends (Bob Dylan, Solomon Burke, Meat Puppets), and…..BARONESS????? Those dudes gon stick out like a dismembered thumb.

I would imagine it’s quite the double-edged sword to be the only heavy band on such a lineup — on one hand, it’s amazing to reach a whole new audience. On the other hand, it must be frustrating to play to a crowd that surely doesn’t wanna hear yr man-scream. And on a third hand (!) any opposition or wincing due to heaviness/volume/RAWK can also stir up feelings of indignation, which might make for a powerful set. (i.e., “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!”)

In any case, if you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to check out some of these bands and more (movies too!); Bumbershoot runs from 9/4-9/6 at the Seattle Center.

More info on their website.

-KW

Okay, so Vince may have beaten me to the punch in reminding y’all bout the strength of seminal Soundgarden in light of recent/impending poop from lead singer Chris Cornell, but I simply cannot remain mum on the subject given just how f’n AWESOME the band was — here’s a fistful-o-tunes to get yr weekend started…

I still can’t get enough of this band. What a milestone and a treat it has been to experience the magic of Soundgarden; who else is writing songs with this much dynamic and range that r-o-c-k so fucking hard? This is some of the smartest and most heartfelt aggressive songwriting EVER.

And there’s no question that Chris Cornell was the 90s Robert Plant — a title that Cedric from The Mars Volta rightfully earns (so far) for the 21st century — similarly, Cornell can wail and sustain for so goddamn long, at such a high register, that from time to time it’s hard not to wonder if he is indeed a castrati. Girl can sang!

SOUNDGARDEN – “Hands All Over”, from Louder Than Love (1989)

**SOUNDGARDEN – “Birth Ritual”, from Singles Soundtrack (1992)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Rusty Cage”, from Badmotorfinger (1991)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Jesus Christ Pose”, from Badmotorfinger (1991)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Mind Riot”, from Badmotorfinger (1991)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Holy Water”, from Badmotorfinger (1991)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Let Me Drown”, from Superunknown (1994)

SOUNDGARDEN – “Fell On Black Days”, from Superunknown (1994)

SOUNDGARDEN – “The Day I Tried To Live”, from Superunknown (1994)

Enjoy — but leave the frickin flannel in the back of the closet, fer chrissakes!

-KW

BONUS!!

Checkacheckout Soundgarden’s first-ever music video, for “Flower”, from Ultramega OK (1990):

I thankfully got to see the Seattle power trio Akimbo play earlier this year in Austin, TX, at SXSW 2007 and they did not disappoint. Their prolific back catalog is filled with pulsating, punk-tinged metal and occasionally Motorhead-ish aggression throughout, but their sound has certainly evolved over the last seven years and so therefore it may take checking out tracks from a few different albums to find an appropriate match that will not disappoint you and your discerning taste. Luckily, Akimbo has downloadable cuts from each of their five albums up on their website for your listening pleasure.

As for their new album, Navigating The Bronze, I can’t say much about it as I’ve only heard a few tracks thus far, but the band sounds way stonier than ever before, which is usually a good thing.

If you’re in the MetalSucks European contingent (or simply on holiday overseas, you rich bastard!), go see this band tear it up; they’ll be touring across the pond for a few weeks beginning at the end of October.

-KW

Visit Akimbo’s website: here

Visit Akimbo on myspace: here