Aural Fixations
ROLLINS BAND
Nice
Yellow Blues
A Clockwork Orange Stage
(2.13.61/Sanctuary)
Having extricated himself from the tentacles of the major label machine, alternative rock poet/spokesmodel/loudmouth Henry Rollins has entered a period of productivity he hasn't enjoyed since his former band Black Flag was releasing two or three records a year in the 80s. At least part of the credit must go, of course, to the latest hardworking version of the Rollins Band, a trio of musicians who somehow find time for their own career as Mother Superior in between Rollins tours and records. The spate of recordings was kicked off by last year's incredible Get Some Go Again, probably the best balls-to-the-wall rock record Henry's ever made. He's followed up that milestone with not one, not two, but three albums in the last year, solidifying the status of the Rollins Band as one of the greatest hard rock combos going. (more)
Stagestruck
BEN FOLDS
@La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX; September 22, 2001
The hotly-anticipated return of Ben Folds to Austin drew a full crowd to La Zona Rosa on one of the first evenings in the river city to actually feel like autumn. After warming up the audience with the theme from the cult TV show The Avengers, the ivory-tinkling tunesmith and his three-piece band went directly into "Not the Same," an acidly amusing story of friends growing apart that comes from his excellent new album (and first without his former band Ben Folds Five) Rockin' the Suburbs. Immediately on its heels was "Zak & Sara," the song from the new record that's most likely to become a hit. Unbeknownst to the adoring crowd, it was also a sign of things to come. There would be no songs from the BF5 era, at least not in the concert proper—the set list consisted mainly of tunes from Suburbs. The only exceptions were a couple of unrecorded pieces, the sardonically poignant "Karaoke Supernova," about a Japanese businessman going through a mid-life crisis, and "Make Me, Mommy," a silly joke obviously created for the new band.
This was fine with the fans, who, true to form, had already committed the new record to memory, singing along with most of the songs. The ultra-pop friendly "Annie Waits" got a huge ovation as soon as the piano chords rang out, with the kids providing the recording's handclaps. The growing pains power ballad "Still Fighting It," the classically inclined aging hippie study "The Ascent of Stan" and the moving retiree portrait "Fred Jones Part II" also deservedly drew enthusiastic applause. Folds and band closed out the main set with the title track of the new disk. With Folds wielding a portable synthesizer, the nü-metal parody not only rocked hard but was even funnier onstage than it is on record. For the inevitable encore Folds returned alone, pounding out first album favorites "Best Imitation of Myself" and "Philosophy," as well as a lovely version, by request, of the new album's heartfelt ballad "The Luckiest." (more)
