Soundgarden reuniting?

Rolling Stone reports that Soundgarden nearly reunited at one of Tom Morello's Justice Tour stops. Only one member was missing: Chris Cornell. Worthless to say he's definitely a must have for a proper reunion. Maybe after all the negative reviews and opinions about Cornell's latest solo album he may be in for some good old rock! He sure would make me a happy camper. Read more!

Partying Cuban Style

Los Van Van in Paradiso Amsterdam, 9 March 2009 (Ronald says 3 out of 5)

This Cuban band founded by famous Cuban musician Juan Formell is one of the most reknown Cuban bands and maybe one of the most meaningful. It has been around since 1969 and had many different line-ups. Musically is stays close to its Cuban roots playing many Afro-Cuban style songs like salsa, timba, son and cha-cha-cha. As a drummer I'm very interested in Afro-Cuban music because of the great rhythms and percussion but also because its music reflects a country with beautiful people. I've visited the island twice and it has certainly captured my heart. So I was really looking forward to this performance.

The band has a big line-up with three keyboard players, a couple of horns, bass, guitar, violin, three singers, guiro, conga player (or conguero) and a very busy drum player, band leader Samuel Formell the son of Juan Formell, playing drum set, timbales, bongos and some other percussion instruments. As a result the mix (of all the instruments) needs close attention however this unfortunately is not the case. A band like this has many high pitch sounds and few low but this is not balanced properly. The result is a lot of noise and a very chaotic sound and many instruments (like congas and violin) can't be heard at all.

This doesn't matter though. The crowd loves the swinging songs and it doesn't take long to transform the venue into a tropical party. The band seems to enjoy it as well and from time to time people from the audience start dancing the salsa on stage. For a moment it was summer in Amsterdam...
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Eagles Flying High!

Eagles Of Death Metal in Paradiso Amsterdam, 2 March 2009 (Ronald says 3 out of 5)

If you don't know this band don't get fooled by their name. It's only rock 'n roll and I like it or what would music sound like when The Eagles crossed with death metal. I'm not sure if this is it but it's certainly a lot of fun.

Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) and Jesse Hughes write the music and Jesse performs it live with a band. Too bad Josh Homme is never there but it's a fact that Jesse and the rest of the band can do it on their own. Jesse is an (over) enthusiastic front man that sure knows how to have a good time. The way he moves on stage can be really funny and he interacts a lot with the crowd now and then taking off his sunglasses and continuously smoking joints (ain't Holland great?). But this doesn't mean the music is of minor importance. Their last album "Heart On" is actually one of my favourite albums of 2008 and live most of the songs even sound better. This band knows perfectly how to please a crowd and to have fun themselves.
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