Hey everybody, as you may or may not have noticed, it's been a long
time since I've posted a Twenty Questions interview, and I think it's
high time I fixed that. What's that? You agree that I should rectify
this situation? You want to read another e-mail interview as soon as
possible? Well then today's your lucky day!
Today's Twenty Questions were answered by the boys from Salt of the
Chief Cornerstone, an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo I saw open for
Protest the Hero back at the start of November. I dug their sound so
much that I picked up a copy of their demo EP and subsequently singled
them out as my next victims for interrogation. Read on for the results
of my questioning.
Showing posts with label Salt of the Chief Cornerstone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salt of the Chief Cornerstone. Show all posts
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Friday, 20 December 2013
Salt of the Chief Cornerstone - Baptism of Fire
You might be reading today's posts in some order other than what I posted them in, so SPOILER ALERT: today marks the first Twenty Question interview I've posted in a while, conducted with Windsor's Salt of the Chief Cornerstone.
As a refresher for all of you late-comers, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone are a guitar and drums duo cranking out some rocking instrumental prog jams that are flush with head-bobbingly good grooves. I discovered them when they opened for none other than Protest the Hero here in Kingston back at the start of November, and now it's your turn to hear what they're all about.
Your song today is a driving number called "Baptism of Fire" with a chunky, palm-muted "verse" riff that reminds me of classic video game soundtracks, like Tetris or something - not in the sense of sounding like Russian folk music (although their stuff does have some ethnic-sounding flavour in places) but rather in the sense of syncopated, harmonized melodies. It is, however, up to you whether you listen to the song first, read the interview first, or - best of both worlds here - put the song on and then read the interview. Spoiled for choice much? Yeah, I'm too good to you.
As a refresher for all of you late-comers, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone are a guitar and drums duo cranking out some rocking instrumental prog jams that are flush with head-bobbingly good grooves. I discovered them when they opened for none other than Protest the Hero here in Kingston back at the start of November, and now it's your turn to hear what they're all about.
Your song today is a driving number called "Baptism of Fire" with a chunky, palm-muted "verse" riff that reminds me of classic video game soundtracks, like Tetris or something - not in the sense of sounding like Russian folk music (although their stuff does have some ethnic-sounding flavour in places) but rather in the sense of syncopated, harmonized melodies. It is, however, up to you whether you listen to the song first, read the interview first, or - best of both worlds here - put the song on and then read the interview. Spoiled for choice much? Yeah, I'm too good to you.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Pit Report: Protest the Hero
Like seemingly everything else I put my hand it to it took longer than I'd have liked, but I promised a pit report for Tuesday evening's Protest the Hero show and now I'm here to deliver. So read on, and live vicariously through me!
Tuesday's show was one of a few impromptu additions to the Volition tour announced after the main dates but taking place before the bulk of the tour -- some pre-tour warm-ups, or something along those lines, is what I think I recall reading in one of the band's Facebook posts. I would guess that this had something to do with the venue choice of a bar, The Mansions, rather than the comedy club that often hosts shows like this, but honestly, I don't really care. Anything that lets me see Protest in a tiny venue is A-OK in my book.
The first opening act was a local band called Ponderous Chain, but we elected to go out for dinner before the show and as such only caught the second band on the bill, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone. Regular readers will remember that I featured a song of theirs earlier in the week, "Taken by Storm", and this track was just one of several that captivated the whole room with Salt's energetic performance and it's build-and-release style. I dug it enough that I bought a copy of their EP before the night was out.
Also before the night was out, of course, was Protest the Hero. Or at least three-fifths of the Protest I've seen before. Drummer Moe has been officially replaced by The Kindred's Mike Ieradi (the drum work on Volition being handled by Lamb of God's Chris Adler, in case you...somehow... hadn't heard) and bassist Arif is sitting this tour out to work on a stage production he's involved with, his spot being filled by the band's producer Cameron McLellan.
In any event, the boys came on stage to the strains of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers theme song and proceeded to rip through a varied set that included tracks from all four of the band's LPs (even Kezia, which doesn't always get a lot of live love from the guys). There was enough old stuff to please longtime fans such as myself, and enough new stuff to remind everyone that they're touring on a new record.
Highlights of the evening included our close proximity to the barely-elevated stage at all times (thanks to the tiny room at The Mansion) and the crowd's passing Rody crowd-surfing style from the stage to the bar and back for a mid-set brew. Very metal.
And that's about all she (or me) wrote on this one. Head on over to setlist.fm if you're curious about what tunes the band was rocking on Tuesday. Hopefully Protest will be back to town sooner rather than later, and I for one certainly wouldn't be opposed to more stops in small venues like this one. High energy and intensity + an intimate setting = a good time had by all.
Tuesday's show was one of a few impromptu additions to the Volition tour announced after the main dates but taking place before the bulk of the tour -- some pre-tour warm-ups, or something along those lines, is what I think I recall reading in one of the band's Facebook posts. I would guess that this had something to do with the venue choice of a bar, The Mansions, rather than the comedy club that often hosts shows like this, but honestly, I don't really care. Anything that lets me see Protest in a tiny venue is A-OK in my book.
The first opening act was a local band called Ponderous Chain, but we elected to go out for dinner before the show and as such only caught the second band on the bill, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone. Regular readers will remember that I featured a song of theirs earlier in the week, "Taken by Storm", and this track was just one of several that captivated the whole room with Salt's energetic performance and it's build-and-release style. I dug it enough that I bought a copy of their EP before the night was out.
Also before the night was out, of course, was Protest the Hero. Or at least three-fifths of the Protest I've seen before. Drummer Moe has been officially replaced by The Kindred's Mike Ieradi (the drum work on Volition being handled by Lamb of God's Chris Adler, in case you...somehow... hadn't heard) and bassist Arif is sitting this tour out to work on a stage production he's involved with, his spot being filled by the band's producer Cameron McLellan.
In any event, the boys came on stage to the strains of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers theme song and proceeded to rip through a varied set that included tracks from all four of the band's LPs (even Kezia, which doesn't always get a lot of live love from the guys). There was enough old stuff to please longtime fans such as myself, and enough new stuff to remind everyone that they're touring on a new record.
Highlights of the evening included our close proximity to the barely-elevated stage at all times (thanks to the tiny room at The Mansion) and the crowd's passing Rody crowd-surfing style from the stage to the bar and back for a mid-set brew. Very metal.
And that's about all she (or me) wrote on this one. Head on over to setlist.fm if you're curious about what tunes the band was rocking on Tuesday. Hopefully Protest will be back to town sooner rather than later, and I for one certainly wouldn't be opposed to more stops in small venues like this one. High energy and intensity + an intimate setting = a good time had by all.
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Russian Circles - Youngblood
With Instrumental Week continuing this evening, I figured it's only fitting to feature a band that I mentioned yesterday in my description of Salt of the Chief Cornerstone. They're kinda trendy in instrumental metal circles right now, but there's still probably lots of you out there who don't know them, so tonight we're going with a song by Russian Circles.
Your song tonight is "Youngblood" from the 2008 album Station, which happens to be the song by which I discovered this instrumental three-piece. I think I dig 2009's Geneva better, but Station is still a great example of Russian Circles' style, and "Youngblood" is one of my favourite cuts from the latter record. So enjoy it as another reminder of just how powerful music can be, even without those clumsy word thingies.
Your song tonight is "Youngblood" from the 2008 album Station, which happens to be the song by which I discovered this instrumental three-piece. I think I dig 2009's Geneva better, but Station is still a great example of Russian Circles' style, and "Youngblood" is one of my favourite cuts from the latter record. So enjoy it as another reminder of just how powerful music can be, even without those clumsy word thingies.
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Salt of the Chief Cornerstone - Taken By Storm
Two pigs with one bird in tonight's quickie post: marking the occasion of tonight's Protest the Hero show here in Kingston (pit report coming in the next day or two...) and continuing the impromptu Instrumental theme week.
Yes, I figured it's been too long since we've done a theme week,so why not capitalize on the momentum of the rad instrumental posts of the last two days and just make a whole week of it. Sound good? Good. Now for the Protest the Hero show bit.
One of the opening bands, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, happens to be an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo from Windsor, Ontario. Vaguely jam-bandy at times, Salt overcome this with an ebbing and flowing style that honestly felt a little Tool-esque to me. The same kind of build and release, except done instrumentally a la Russian Circles or something. Except that there's only two of them, making the interplay of both instruments that much more important.
Have a listen to "Taken by Storm" from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone's first EP of demos, and turn it up loud (maybe even close your eyes?) if you want to come close to simulating the energy of being about ten feet away from a performance of this monster.
Yes, I figured it's been too long since we've done a theme week,so why not capitalize on the momentum of the rad instrumental posts of the last two days and just make a whole week of it. Sound good? Good. Now for the Protest the Hero show bit.
One of the opening bands, Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, happens to be an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo from Windsor, Ontario. Vaguely jam-bandy at times, Salt overcome this with an ebbing and flowing style that honestly felt a little Tool-esque to me. The same kind of build and release, except done instrumentally a la Russian Circles or something. Except that there's only two of them, making the interplay of both instruments that much more important.
Have a listen to "Taken by Storm" from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone's first EP of demos, and turn it up loud (maybe even close your eyes?) if you want to come close to simulating the energy of being about ten feet away from a performance of this monster.
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