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February 24, 2010
High Voltage Show Set To Showcase Classic And Contemporary Rock Acts
The only problem with the upcoming “High Voltage Festival” is that it’s set to take place in London, England. Great for U.K. fans, but not so much for those of us located an ocean away. Unless you are in the habit of dropping hefty sums of money on live shows, the “High Voltage Festival” is probably out of reach.
It’s obviously silly to complain about the location of any given event, and that’s not the my intention. It would be more accurate to say something like: This sounds like a pretty cool event, but I wish it was closer to home since I think a lot of fans here in the U.S. would love to be there.
Even so, I suppose we have our fair share of events here at home to choose from, and as big as this country is, it is possible to bypass the airport and save some cash by driving just about anywhere you want to, if you want to see a show badly enough.
For those fortunate enough to making their plans to attend, the festival sounds like it will be a unique experience, with special attention given to pleasing rock fans of various stripes. It will feature a classic rock stage, a prog rock stage, and a heavy metal stage.
It appears that new acts are still signing up for the event, with Dweezil Zappa signing on just yesterday for his slot on prog rock stage. Zappa has been showcasing the music of his legendary dad, Frank Zappa, in a show that the younger Zappa calls “Zappa Plays Zappa.” Although this act undoubtedly belongs on the progressive rock stage, reflecting on the music of Frank Zappa makes me wonder if they should consider adding a “progressive prog rock” stage to the event.
Zappa will be sharing the prog rock stage with other well-known groups like Asia, Argent and Uriah Heep.
The classic rock stage will feature their own collection of big name rockers from decades past, and will include ZZ Top, Bachman and Turner, Foreigner, Emerson Lake and Palmer and more. It’s looking like the event may mean double duty for drummer Carl Palmer, who, as far as I can tell, will be on stage with ELP and Asia for this event.
With Aerosmith recently announcing new European dates for the 2010 summer concert season, one wonders whether they might end up on the roster for this show as well. They’re scheduled for the “Download 2010” event in the U.K. during June, so maybe sticking around for another month or so might be an option. I have no inside information about Aerosmith’s plans or summer schedule, so this is just random speculation on my part.
For more information and updates on the “High Voltage Festival,” you can visit the event’s official website.
December 27, 2008
Australian Researchers Warn About The Dangers of Headbanging
OK metal heads, listen up. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in the land down under have been setting their scientific sites on the phenomenon known as headbanging, and the conclusions they have reached don’t bode well for the physical well-being of the overzealous headbanger.
According to Dr. Andrew McIntosh, an average head-banging song with a tempo of 146 beats a minute could cause mild head injury when the head’s range of motion is greater than 75 degrees and the researchers say higher tempos which encourage greater ranges of motion carry a higher risk of injury.
Now I’ll be the first one to admit that I never understood headbanging and still do not. As one who has always been content to tap my foot on the floor or fingers on the table, just the thought of headbanging gives me a headache and probably a neck ache as well. Even in my younger days, the idea of whipping my head around like that made me fearful of permanent injury. Then there’s the fact that I never once felt the urge to try it.
Lord knows how guys like this can move their heads in such a fashion and continue to successfully produce music. It’s certainly something that is beyond my abilities. I’m all for headbanging or any other non-violent activity that helps music fans get into their favorite music, but be careful out there, headbangers!
For more on this research, check out News-Medical.
September 10, 2008
Metal And Mullahs: Rocking The Middle East
Once in a while a story comes along that reveals some surprising cultural similarities between our culture here in the U.S. and another one in some far-flung location on our planet. In this case, we’re talking about young people in places like Iran, Lebanon and Egypt, who appear to be as dedicated to their love of heavy metal rock music as any fan in the world.
A new book entitled Heavy Metal Islam by Professor Mark LeVine from the University of California, Irvine reveals some surprising facts about the heavy metal scene in the Middle East. Just the phrase "heavy metal scene in the Middle East" doesn’t sound like it makes sense from what most of us know about that part of the world.
The images we see from that region of the world would probably not compel one to imagine that there is a growing
movement among the young people there that finds them gathering in large numbers to attend concerts featuring home-grown heavy metal rock bands.
As one might expect, metal fans are more free to indulge in the consumption of the music they love in certain countries of that region more freely than in others. While a group may be free to perform for 100,00 fans in Lebanon, and rock the house with Pink Floyd cover tunes, the situation in Iran is very different where the basij, otherwise known as the "morality police" (I’m still trying to get my head around that one) are on the lookout for those who are caught acting in a way that is not in line with the rules imposed upon them by their Islamic leaders.
LeVine’s book also reveals some incidents that have taken place that would shock the people of most western cultures, such as the jailing of children as young as 13, when photos surfaced of fans at a concert who appeared to be holding crosses upside-down, which was perceived as "devil worship" by the authorities.
There’s no doubt that the religious leaders in some of the countries in the region see the popularity of western music as a threat to their way of life, or more specifically, their iron-fisted control of the citizens who are unfortunate enough to live beneath the shadow of these fanatical regimes.
It would appear that things might be starting to change in that troubled region of the world. It will no doubt be a slow process, but wouldn’t the sight of Arab and Israeli kids all rocking together at the same show be something to see?
The mullahs and their puppet regimes will not release their grip on power easily, but nobody lives forever, and this up-and-coming generation may be poised to change the character of that region of the world, where conflict has virtually been a way of life for a very long time.
For more on this, click on over to Slate.
