2 More Shows Confirmed

I'm pleased to announce two more shows for my upcoming trip back to the Midwest:


* Tuesday July 3, the Modern Exchange (Southgate, MI), Doors 8p, Cover $7

* Thursday July 12, Frankie's Inner City (Toledo, OH), Doors 9p, Cover $5

These shows are in addition to the following:

* Saturday June 30, Cafe Classics (Monroe, MI), Doors 7p
* Thursday July 5, Downtown Monroe Auto Show (Monroe, MI), 6p-8p
* Thursday July 14, the Berkley Front (Berkley, MI), Doors 9p, Cover $5

I don't know about you, but it sounds like fun to me.
I hope you'll be able to come on out and show your support.

Pillow Of Your Bones

When I logged in to MySpace earlier today they recommended that I listen to Chris Cornell's new solo album, Carry On, in it's entirety "before it hits stores." Even though I wasn't a fan of Audioslave I like quite a few Soundgarden songs and thought that his first solo effort, Euphoria Morning, was aces so I thought I'd give this one a shot. In fact, I was kind of excited to hear what he could do on his own again to sort of redeem the Audioslave situation and I expected nothing but the best.

Unfortunately I was deeply disappointed in the 14 songs that this album has to offer. The entire record sounds very producer/major label driven and it doesn't have the edge or emotion that made his solo debut such a great album. It also sounds like he over sings everything and it's obvious that he doesn't have the voice that he used to. There was a time when Cornell was one of my favorite rock singers, but as I listened to this record I found myself getting very tired of his voice. It's just not there.

Chris Cornell was steeped in credibility. He was at the fore of a musical revolution, was in the first Seattle "grunge" band to get signed to a major deal (2 years before Nirvana), his roommate and best friend Andy Wood of Mother Love Bone died of a heroin overdose and he formed the band Temple of the Dog as a tribute....he couldn't have had any more cred if he tried. He was a rock star without trying to be a rock star, and that's the way that it should be.

It looks like drummer Matt Cameron made the right choice by joining with contemporaries Pearl Jam and avoiding the trap that his former Soundgarden frontman fell into. Sure Pearl Jam put out some shit albums, but they've always been true to themselves and are bigger and have more staying power than most bands ever do. They may not sell a lot of records anymore, but they sell out every single show they play, at large arenas to boot. I hate to say it, but I just don't think that Cornell has that kind of fan loyalty or cred anymore. It's a shame too. I saw Cornell solo in '99 in Columbus, OH and he was absolutely amazing. I hope he proves me wrong, but I don't think he can deliver like that anymore.

Is this album really a total waste? Well, not completely. There is some alright stuff on it. He still has the ability to write some interesting melodies and there are a few nice moments, but as a whole it's just not there. The best song on the album is a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," but even that song is only great during the verses. It seems like in the middle of recording they said, "Oh, this song needs a break-down now" or "let's change the instrumentation....now!" Everything feels over calculated and the songs as a whole simply don't flow well. As for the lyrical content, I get it. You're older, wiser, married, happy and have a child that you adore. I'm not saying that every song has to be depressing as hell, but if the 20 or 30-year-old Cornell could have heard some of the lyrics that he'd be writing on the verge of his 43rd birthday he wouldn't have believed it. I don't mean to imply that I'm a great lyricist either (in fact I'm pretty critical of my own lyrics and think I've got a ways to go) but he was.

I'm listening to Euphoria Morning as I write this and there just is no "Preaching the End of the World" or "Sweet Euphoria" on the new record. Listen to "When I'm Down" and then you 'll know what this man can deliver with his voice...or at least what he used to be able to deliver. There's so much soul and emotion in those vocals that you can feel it. The same can be said for the aforementioned tracks. That is what makes music great. And that is what made Chris Cornell great.

Where is the Chris Cornell that I know and love? Where is the Chris Cornell that is one of the most influential musicians of his generation? He's on Euphoria Morning, not Carry On.