mourn the music lost
Like him or not, Trent Reznor changed music.
The same can and will be said for Perry Ferrel and Jane's Addiction.
I happen to love them both. Trent Reznor changed me through his music. I was classically trained on the piano. Keyboards were funny to me - and though I liked electronic music from a young age ( a la Adam and the Ants and Aha, thank you very much) it was not until a much later age that I had any real appreciation for the skills it took to create. For me, the piano was an instrument and the keyboard was a cheater way to push a button and make a song. Good songs in some cases but still disdained in my head. I know, I know. I'm a snob.
Anyway, Trent Reznor changed that for me. The sounds he could force out of the machinery were awe-inspiring. The combinations of so many layers and programs that somehow didn't muddy everything up or get lost along the way was and still is magic in my ears. I devoured his music and he actually got me interested enough through his records that I played keyboards for many years and even tried my hand at programming sounds. I failed for the most part, but I still have a Kurzweil in my house and still enjoy playing - on a piano and a keyboard equally.I shouldn't forget to mention the fact that I have always been a lyric whore too - I'll listen to almost anything if it has good lyrics, whether I like the music or not - and Trent took that to a whole new level for me as well. For the angsty death rock kid I was they were the perfect mantras and as I grew up, so did they. One of the best shows I've been lucky enough to see was Trent Reznor on a grand piano with a String Quartet to accompany him. Mind blowing. Just as amazing as the first Lollapalooza was.
Which brings us to Jane's Addiction. Lollapalooza was Perry Ferrel's first lovechild - and it was glorious. So were they as a matter of fact. My highschool years would never have been complete without sitting in my best friend's van during lunch sneaking cigarettes and blasting Jane's Addiction and the Sister's of Mercy...which I still do pretty frequently. Jane's Addiction changed the concert going experience, first with Lollapalooza and then the Enid Festival and the face of rock and roll itself as well. 'The Gift' was a tragically beautiful film. 'Nothing Shocking' was brilliant and 'Three Days' remains forever as one of the top 5 songs in the entire world. No one can deny the talent there. To have been at the first Lollapalooza is STILL part of conversation today. As one who was lucky enough to be there twice - I can truthfully say that it was an amazing and mindblowing thing to see Perry Ferrel sing with Ice-T. To watch Trent Reznor scream, Siouxsie croon and Rollins rant. It was incredible.
So today when I saw this, I actually got a little teary. Choked up even. And it had to be acknowledged here because music is such a wonderful gift and avenue of expression. Because people who love music tend appreciate even those they cannot stand to one extent or another if the talent is there and because it is - no matter how you feel about Reznor - a sad day in the music world.
from Trent :
Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction
. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.
Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.
Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.
In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope.
Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does.
Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.
Trent
The consolation here is that it will be one monster fuck of a show. The bad news is the giant black hole that is the music business has sucked another piece of soul away from the world.
Damn it all.
I didn't want to 'wave goodbye'.
The same can and will be said for Perry Ferrel and Jane's Addiction.
I happen to love them both. Trent Reznor changed me through his music. I was classically trained on the piano. Keyboards were funny to me - and though I liked electronic music from a young age ( a la Adam and the Ants and Aha, thank you very much) it was not until a much later age that I had any real appreciation for the skills it took to create. For me, the piano was an instrument and the keyboard was a cheater way to push a button and make a song. Good songs in some cases but still disdained in my head. I know, I know. I'm a snob.
Anyway, Trent Reznor changed that for me. The sounds he could force out of the machinery were awe-inspiring. The combinations of so many layers and programs that somehow didn't muddy everything up or get lost along the way was and still is magic in my ears. I devoured his music and he actually got me interested enough through his records that I played keyboards for many years and even tried my hand at programming sounds. I failed for the most part, but I still have a Kurzweil in my house and still enjoy playing - on a piano and a keyboard equally.I shouldn't forget to mention the fact that I have always been a lyric whore too - I'll listen to almost anything if it has good lyrics, whether I like the music or not - and Trent took that to a whole new level for me as well. For the angsty death rock kid I was they were the perfect mantras and as I grew up, so did they. One of the best shows I've been lucky enough to see was Trent Reznor on a grand piano with a String Quartet to accompany him. Mind blowing. Just as amazing as the first Lollapalooza was.
Which brings us to Jane's Addiction. Lollapalooza was Perry Ferrel's first lovechild - and it was glorious. So were they as a matter of fact. My highschool years would never have been complete without sitting in my best friend's van during lunch sneaking cigarettes and blasting Jane's Addiction and the Sister's of Mercy...which I still do pretty frequently. Jane's Addiction changed the concert going experience, first with Lollapalooza and then the Enid Festival and the face of rock and roll itself as well. 'The Gift' was a tragically beautiful film. 'Nothing Shocking' was brilliant and 'Three Days' remains forever as one of the top 5 songs in the entire world. No one can deny the talent there. To have been at the first Lollapalooza is STILL part of conversation today. As one who was lucky enough to be there twice - I can truthfully say that it was an amazing and mindblowing thing to see Perry Ferrel sing with Ice-T. To watch Trent Reznor scream, Siouxsie croon and Rollins rant. It was incredible.
So today when I saw this, I actually got a little teary. Choked up even. And it had to be acknowledged here because music is such a wonderful gift and avenue of expression. Because people who love music tend appreciate even those they cannot stand to one extent or another if the talent is there and because it is - no matter how you feel about Reznor - a sad day in the music world.
from Trent :
Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction
. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.
Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.
Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.
In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope.
Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does.
Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.
Trent
The consolation here is that it will be one monster fuck of a show. The bad news is the giant black hole that is the music business has sucked another piece of soul away from the world.
Damn it all.
I didn't want to 'wave goodbye'.