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.

Trouble and Debris available now!

That’s right kids, my long anticipated (at least by me) debut CD Trouble and Debris is finally available!

Phew.

It's about &#@% time.

I don’t know about you, but I was sick of waiting.

But, alas, we needn't wait any longer.

So buy it for you, buy it for your family, buy it for your friends; put it in your car, on your computer, on your iPod, under your pillow, in strangers’ mail boxes….....the options are limitless.

To purchase the CD go here and click the PayPal link under the cover photo, and hopefully it all works out in the end.

Give Me One Last Try

Keeping up with the recent trend, "Last Try" has been added to my music player at DaveCarducci.com and will be available as a free download for a limited time.

Though many of the songs on Trouble and Debris are spread out in time, "Last Try" is by far the oldest track on the record. This song was written in the summer of 2001 while I was attending Michigan State Univ. and had recently become band-less. I think it's a far cry from the stuff that I'm currently writing, but I think that it still stands up alright. Besides, that's really the point isn't it? If I were writing at 26/27 the same as I was at 21 I'd be pretty worried.

Though I didn't really realize it until I started writing this little bit here, perhaps the song is about the aforementioned experience......I didn't really write a lost love song to my old band did I?

I don't know.............maybe I did..........

Reap What You Sow

I have just added "Reap What You Sow" (the 6th song from Trouble and Debris) to the music player on DaveCarducci.com where it is available for streaming. The song will also be available as a free download for a limited time.

Originally recorded in late 2005, "Reap What You Sow" is a raw, stripped down recording that was completed in late 2006 with Brian Brodie adding bass to the guitar and vocal tracks.

Like "Paper Knives," the song was written by Rob Robinson.

"Leave Your Blues" available at DaveCarducci.com

"Leave Your Blues" (the 5th song off of Trouble and Debris) is now available for streaming and as a free download.

The song was tracked the same day as "Miles Away" and Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" in October 2005, and features myself along with Derek Dixie on the drum kit.

Like last week, you'll be able to download the song until midnight on Tuesday, at which point it will only be available for streaming.

"Paper Knives" available at DaveCarducci.com

Each week or so I will be adding a new song to the music player on DaveCarducci.com in preparation for the release of Trouble and Debris. This weeks song is "Paper Knives" which was written by my friend Rob Robinson of Nashville roots rock band Ollie Fox.

"Paper Knives" was originally tracked in Fall 2005 with Rob on acoustic guitar, bass, keyboard and harmonica, while I supplied the electric guitar, vocals, drums and additional keyboard. Unfortunately, the audio files for that session were accidentally deleted and the song had to be re-tracked in early 2006. The current recording features myself along with Heath West on drums.

"Paper Knives" will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD until the stroke of midnight on Tuesday. Once the twelfth bell rings it can no longer be downloaded, however it will continue to be available for streaming.

Act fast and make this song a part of your music library!

Enjoy!

The times they are a-changin'

KLOS-FM, "Southern California's Only Classic Rock Station," just played "Lithium" by Nirvana. This came in between Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles. I don't know about you, but something about Nirvana being "classic rock" doesn't sit well with me. I guess I must be getting old.

DaveCarducci.com

I am pleased to announce the creation of the brand spankin' new DaveCarducci.com. This site will serve as my hub on the Internets and will soon include my debut record Trouble and Debris in its entirety, complete with lyrics.

Currently there are only four songs on the site (the same that are on here), but each week will feature a new song until the entire album is available.

I hope you'll visit the site and also sign up for the mailing list. It's a bit short on content at present, but more will be added all the time.

Thanks!

Necrosnort

"It's like, I don't care about nothin man, roll another blunt."


I can't really write anything witty about this.
It pretty much just speaks for itself.



KEITH RICHARDS: 'I SNORTED MY FATHER':

Keith Richards has acknowledged consuming a raft of illegal substances in his time, but this may top them all.

In comments published Tuesday, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said he had snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine.

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," Richards was quoted as saying by British music magazine NME.

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he said. "… It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.