‘No Air Guitar Allowed’ is painfully funny guide for concertgoing metalheads

 

Written by James Wall

Steve Weinberger with Sarah Torribio

No Air Guitar Allowed

I am of the firm belief that the only people who should write about heavy metal are metalheads themselves. Like horror films, metal is a genre that isn’t penetrable by critics, especially the elitist mindset that many of them subscribe to. We want to be entertained; we’re not looking for the meaning of life. Although he doesn’t explicitly say it, first-time author Steve Weinberger is a metalhead. His true colors are plasted everywhere on the LOL concert tutorial, No Air Guitar Allowed. In his introduction already, Weinberger talks about seeing Ted Nugent and KISS concerts. No legitimate music reviewer will ever confess to watching Nugent and KISS. From that point on, Weinberger has our attention and an instant approval; he carries our badge with pride.

The tone of Weinberger’s writing – tongue firmly in cheek yet incredibly insightful – is reminiscent of the beer-soaked gonzo days of Creem magazine in the ’70s. For those who aren’t familiar with the long-gone Boy Howdy period, Creem was Rolling Stone‘s bastard classmate, unruly, sarcastic, and funny as hell. No Air Guitar Allowed is definitely unruly, sarcastic, and funny as hell. Weinberger looks fondly back at three decades of going to concerts and describes the wild and wacky people who attend them, creating names for them (i.e., the Beer Whoo Crew, the Supportive Girlfriend, the Indie Guru, etc) and describing their features and antics. One of my favorites is the Rastafari Man, who is so high that he is oblivious to James Hetfield’s guitar prowess at a Metallica show: “Fueled by medical grade marijuana, he is having visions of old James bedecked with a halo and angel wings, while a blown-away Jimi Hendrix keeps whispering ‘Wow!’ in his ears.”

What had me cracking up so much about No Air Guitar Allowed is how true it all is. And nobody should take offense at the less-than-flattering representations here. Face the truth, folks, because Weinberger does so himself. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we are denying ourselves one of life’s greatest treasures.

http://www.noairguitarallowed.com

Canada’s Sterr deliver melodic hooks in post-grunge sound

Written by James Wall

Sterr

Better Now

Sterr occupy the more melodic side of the post-grunge population, less edgy and dissonant than their Emerald City ancestors (I feel like I’m a dinosaur now having lived through that era in my twenties) but far better than poseurs such as Nickelback. Hailing from Canada, Sterr specialize in straightforward, radio-friendly guitar rock; if you like their compatriots Our Lady Peace, then you will dig these chaps, too. Lead singer Kris Dueck aims for hard-rock oomph while also channeling Radiohead’s Thom Yorke’s yearning croon when he hits a few of the stadium-made choruses.

“Wishing Well” and “It’s Ok” offer hook-heavy alternative pop/rock with pristine production and catchy, toe-tapping riffs. If they’re not blasting from Canadian rock stations already, then they should be. “In All of This” cranks it up a notch with Dueck’s vocals thrust to the front along with the raging guitars and pounding drums. Oddly, “Ever Done Before” recalls British shoegazers Catherine Wheel with its blistering wall of riffs. Readers of this site will probably gravitate to the metallic clang of “Still Waiting” before learning to appreciate the rest of this very good album.

http://www.sterr.ca

Ken Snyder CD booms with ‘tremendous, Earth-shattering power’

Written by James Wall

Ken Snyder

Progressive by Nature

Ken Snyder doesn’t need Harry Potter’s knowledge of magic because his wizardry requires physical skill and intellectual depth, not mumbo-jumbo witchcraft. And while he can’t make people morph into spiders (unless you’re on some funny substances while listening to this record), Snyder can easily throw you under his spell. I hear the influences of four decades of rock & roll on Progressive by Nature. Besides the obvious spiritual fingerprints left by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Snyder plumbs the nearly the entire history of whup-ass rock, from the pile-driving stomp of Metallica (“Pitch Black”) to the downbeat grunge of Alice in Chains (“Time Passages”) to the space worship of Dark Side of the Moon-period Pink Floyd (“Equinox”). It’s quite breathtaking.

The energy of Snyder’s performances is awe-inspiring. The opening KO of “Pitch Black” and “From the Shadows” explode with tremendous, Earth-shattering power. Snyder’s solos are never excessive, which is shockingly rare in this genre; he gradually builds up to them, making these instrumentals feel like real songs and not just exercises in shredding. One of the best tracks is the title cut, which opens with moody, dreamy acoustics until the electric riffs coming storming in. It’s a deliciously thrilling moment, among many on this remarkable disc.

Rating: 10/10

http://www.ken-snyder.com