Black Star K-OS Widespread Panic
I have had the black bar put over my face not to block my vision or to suggest blindness but to obscure my identity and warn those with no stomach for negative reviews. Think about the faces who’s identity was obscured by the black bar over the eyes back in the mid last century. The Chicago vice police burst in and right behind them the intrepid crime photographer lifts his camera and bangs off a huge flash from a nine inch aluminums reflector. POW ! The lights are on the prostitute and her john and when the picture appears in the news paper it has these black bars to obscure the identity to avoid the terrible shame or exposure of prohibited body parts or staring out from negative reviews. My first Live Rock Critic reviews were reviews of performers who appeared on Saturday Night Live. I wonder sometimes how the decision is made to have a band such as “Foster The People” on Saturday Night Live. At the end of their second song, Kenny G. sat in on clarinet. Now that we’ve gotten over the good parts on with the trashing.
Am I dated or is posing a huge industry. I thought the music was mediocre, both songs schmaltzy light pop. Vocalist Mark Foster scoots around stage wiggling his fat little girlish ass with the ugh handles in between bouts of crooning in a weak amateurish voice. Foster dances about and then poses at playing keyboard pressing two pre-programmed keys. Mark has developed some form of foot noodling procedure in lieu of dancing. Its not cute.
The song “Pumped Up Kicks” has a catchy hook which is repeated so many times that I begin to get ill at the thought of hearing it again. I am astounded to hear that the song, the band and the video seem to get work, get nominated and get 29 million hits on Youtube. I found the music video to be boring, not related in any way to kicks.
The second song “Houdini” added a three man horn section and instrument changes all around as if it mattered. The audience which follows “Foster the People” looks like it could be composed of mostly teenyboppers and I do not see how this really crosses over and connects with the audience of Saturday Night Live.
The preceding Saturday Night Live featured music guest “Lady Antebellum”, another dammed poseur fest with auto tune. There is nothing to say but that Lady A produces schmaltz, the Laurence Welk of Country.
Last week was a great week for lousy performances on HDTV. Long-time leader of the pack of musical mediocrity on HDTV, Steven Colbert hosted a crap rap performance by the former rap icon “Mos Deff”, or whatever, now trafficking his hasty rhymes as “Yasiin Bey” and “Talib Kweli” whoever he is joined him to deliver perhaps the most amateurish self serving and weak rap performance I have ever seen. Yas and Tal claim that we are getting their Black Star stuff right from them without a corporate intermediary. Guys there is all kinds of crap available without corporate intermediary, just head for the nearest dog park. 
When are we going to get real about the worthless music genre rap. Imitating the supposedly main stream sport jacket and tie white man is this supposed to indicate some change has come over rap. If it has it is just more lameness. In my opinion Black Star, Black Star, Black Star only you think you are. What ever they have to say but look sharp slim down so what the lyrics appear to be the first rhyme that comes to mind. I am going to watch and review Tom Petty in Live Rock Critic Eighteen to Yasiin Bey Talib Kweli and Steven Colbert know that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are here on this same earth as “Black Star”.
While I am trashing rap I will deal with “K-OS” I caught K-OS performance on George Stroumboulopoulos. Ridiculous getup, historical references to Dylan Markley and Krs-One for whatever that means. He claims Kanon and Drake are his sons. And then out he comes with the same old so what lyrics. Tries to get audience participation, fails. Then K-OS sings, bad idea, weak. More weak with acoustic guitar lead. George loves him he loves George.
I am told that I should listen to the lyrics, “I have it easy” over and over, in between the usual to the beat of kitchen utensil rhythm rap.
Widespread Panic played live at the Georgia Theatre in Athens Georgia. It took a bit of consideration before I decided that this band was destined for a negative review. Perhaps if the performance had included only a couple of songs I would not have viewed the band as lacking.
The Georgia Theatre in Athens Georgia has great laser light show. Jimmy Herring has a great guitar sound, starts out with an old Sunburst Telecaster but it’s a bit to much like blues jam guitar for me. I find it gets boring soon.
There is a lack on continuity to the bands work while there is an unstimulating sameness. Especially later in the performance where the same highly sustained guitar sound dominates, a warbling and whistling and then predictably toughens up but not much to quickly resume highly sustained sameness and grim of visage as a headsman is Jimmy Herring. He does not seem to be enjoying himself, looks like stage fright.
Good drums by Tod Nance, Dominigo Cortez provides percussion. If you watch closely, similarly to some of the percussive moves made by members of Foster, you can see the percussion but you can’t hear it. Particularly note worthy is the Dominigo effort on a series of graduated tube chimes, inaudible but he does it more than once.
John Bell has a very nice Rickenbacker which he uses to form a framework that keeps the band together as much as it is. His voice wears on me very quickly. Sounds like the voice rednecks use when their calling cops or complaining. The reedy hillbilly vocals go on and on from one song to the next with little change. Dave Schools has an interesting six string bass.
There was a lot of noodling on piano Jo Jo Herman along with some very good twarbling, but noodling still by lead guitar player Jimmy Herring. A band that is not well rehearsed will lag and start, I think, and become unsynchronized at times. Watch the audience dancing. If they are stumbling and bumping there is a flaw in the music. Check out the HDNET Foreigner concert and see how the dancing by the audience goes. Jimmy Herring brings out his PRS or B3. The wonderful sounds and the great licks could be used to compose dramatic imagery. I don not think that Herring handles being on stage very well he is his shell spraying out wonder sound, but its getting more and more the same.
The organ in Widespread Panic has its moments, Jo Jo Herman; during a song about a sleepy monkey the band plays together and has a really good point. I wonder what the audience thinks. Are they aware of the sameness or are they lost in the moment of the live performance enjoying the good sounds as they happen. There was not a lot of applause at the Georgia Theatre. 
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