Grumpy Old Blogger Meets Dillinger Escape Plan

Among the music industry, Bob Lefsetz is a pretty well-known name. His “Lefsetz Letter” is actually a series of e-mails that’s essentially a blog. An older veteran of the music industry, Lefsetz rages against the industry, writing about how greedy labels are, how the cult of rock stars has turned into a cult of technology. He’s sometimes out of touch, sometimes genius, and never shies away from inserting himself into the story, for better or worse. He’s gotten in e-mail fights with Kid Rock (they’ve since made up) and even had a live debate with Gene Simmons. While he usually talks about the music he grew up with (James Taylor, Steely Dan, etc.), he was at the final Nine Inch Nails show last night, and finally got caught up with some metal.

 

Encore two was performed with the Dillinger Escape Plan. An act I’d never heard of, but I’ll never forget. A complete band, a NIN doppelganger, who took the stage with such energy that you could feel it blasting in your face. The drummer pounded, then they kicked around his big bass drum, threw it in the air. The guitarist twirled his guitar around his body, again and again. And the lead singer jumped into the audience. Rick Mueller said it was the most exciting act he’d seen all year, Jim said he wanted to see them again. All I’ll say is they got my attention!

Rick Mueller is the president of Live Nation California, while Jim is Nine Inch Nails’ manager. We’ve known Dillinger is an amazing band for years now, and it seems like Trent Reznor’s love of the band might, if not bring them to the mainstream, at least introduce them to some of its gatekeepers. Especially since Lefsetz is old enough that he was probably around when Dillinger escaped.

 

 

 

 

Clutch Writes Song Titled “The Amazing Kreskin”, Catches The Real Amazing Kreskin’s Attention

Hey, it’s another one of those random metal band connections! Clutch’s upcoming album, Strange Cousins From The West, features a song titled “The Amazing Kreskin”. The song’s namesake is a famous mentalist best known for his numerous (count ‘em – 56) appearances on The Tonight Show Staring Johnny Carson in the 1970’s.

While the song itself makes no mention of Kreskin, he was extremely excited and pleased to announce his new-found fandom of the Maryland act. “When the song was titled The Amazing Kreskin, it was originally presented and billed as an instrumental… and as such I find it haunting,” says Kreskin, “I honestly think I could read thoughts while the music was heard in the background.”

“By the time it was introduced in the new album, it became a song with lyrics,” he adds, “While it has no reference to yours truly, I have to say it contains an excellent social commentary and it is so well written and provocative that it will inevitably lend itself to the listeners analyzing the messages and giving their own take on such. It’s rare for a song to have a life after it’s heard, but I predict this will.”

Kreskin is so serious, in fact, that he visited the band (photo above) in Atlantic City this past Friday before their performance at the House of Blues! Who knows, maybe he’ll try to keep his title as Clutch’s #1 fan and find his way over to our Clutch Release Day Party in Brooklyn this Tuesday?