The Cult

[gnr2k6]

i see what u mean jarmo, especially with the cult?
im surprised they are doing this as cool as it sounds,i just think most fans wanna hear love removal machine,sanctuary etc.
i think doing a new album ,promoting that and playing different "old" songs would be better but....they know more than me so good luck im sure they will make it killer.
i just would hate to think of the cult as a nostralga act(spelling???u know what i mean)

[gnr2k6]

oh yeah and the podcast is now up on billy's site   www.billymorrison.net   really you should check it out.....a GREAT show that is only gonna get better!

[Falcon]

i just would hate to think of the cult as a nostralga act(spelling???u know what i mean)

That is indeed Ian's worst fear. 

He's never embraced The Cult's heritage, always shunning the past in favor of whatever's next.

As I said before, I'm not totally on board for LOVE/LIVE just yet, time will tell if they
make good on the fan friendly elements mentioned in the press release.

[Falcon]

Tickets for the August 22 LA show at the Nokia Theatre go on sale this Thursday, info below.

http://www.ticketmaster.ca/The-Cult-tickets/artist/734847

[gnr2k6]

i would imagine duffy is the brains behind this....maybe to catapult them back into the bigtime for a new album?

[Falcon]

i would imagine duffy is the brains behind this..

Nope, Ian's (and management I suspect) idea all the way - that's why this whole thing is a bit puzzling. 

..maybe to catapult them back into the bigtime for a new album?

They've never really been in the "bigtime" before or beyond "Sonic Temple" - and that was for a brief period of time at best.  Hell, they've only had one release (Beyond Good And Evil) on a major label.

They've always been a indie band for the most part which has probably helped their longevity - never being pidgeonholed into one scene or genre has definitely extended
their existense.

[FunkyMonkey]

The Cult rediscovers 'Love' on the road

Published May 19, 2009

By Tjames Madison / LiveDaily Contributor

Veteran alt-rockers The Cult [ tickets ] will give longtime fans a treat this summer when the band exhumes its 1985 breakthrough album, "Love," and takes it out on the road.

Led by longtime core members Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitar), the band will perform the seminal album in its entirety during the tour, which kicks off Aug. 19 in San Diego and is currently slated to hit 19 cities through mid-September. Dates are below.

"Love," which sold an estimated 2.5 million copies, according to the band, spawned the group's biggest hit, "She Sells Sanctuary," which became a mainstay on MTV and other music-video channels.

The band's latest studio effort surfaced in 2007. Titled "Born Into This," the set--which marked The Cult's first collection of new material since 2001's "Beyond Good and Evil"-- debuted at No. 70 in the US on the The Billboard 200, and features the single "Dirty Little Rockstar."

A deluxe edition of the album is also available, featuring an extra CD with five additional tracks, including two demos, two unreleased studio outtakes and a new full-length original cut.

According to the band's fan club website, The Cult has recently spent time in the studio recording music for a follow-up to "Born Into This," which the band hopes to release late this year on its own New Wilderness label.

http://www.livedaily.com/news/19123.html

[mrlee]

i would imagine duffy is the brains behind this..

Nope, Ian's (and management I suspect) idea all the way - that's why this whole thing is a bit puzzling. 

..maybe to catapult them back into the bigtime for a new album?

They've never really been in the "bigtime" before or beyond "Sonic Temple" - and that was for a brief period of time at best.  Hell, they've only had one release (Beyond Good And Evil) on a major label.

They've always been a indie band for the most part which has probably helped their longevity - never being pidgeonholed into one scene or genre has definitely extended
their existense.

In the sense they are in independent label, i hope. I think it would be pure evil, to compare The Cult to such crap like The Kooks. LOL

[Falcon]

Presale info for the Oct 10, Royal Albert Hall gig in London can be found here:

 http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F0042B3F4499EF2?artistid=734847&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1&did=uklno2ps

[Falcon]

Presale info for the Amsterdam show 10/11 can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/pa7vvg

[Falcon]

Edinburgh and Leeds tcket info:

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?query=search&region=xxx&category=misc&search=the+cult&x=8&y=8

[FunkyMonkey]

Owl Review

date: 05/18/2009

Released: Jan 13, 2009
Genre: Rock, Hard Rock
Label: Overit Records
Number Of Tracks: 14

The Cult?s Chris Wyse takes a more experimental direction with his art rock-meets-psychedelia trio Owl.

Sound: If you are ready to hear musical textures that go beyond the usual lead guitars and vocals, you will likely want to check out the self-titled debut from Owl. As the brainchild of bassist Chris Wyse (The Cult), Owl bounces between straightforward rock, art rock, punk, and a good number of other genres. That description might make you think Owl couldn?t possibly be a cohesive project, but somehow the trio manages to make it work. You can certainly pick up on their influences throughout the course of their record and at times that can be distracting, but the record still provides a unique twist on your usual rock material.

The centerpiece of Owl is without a doubt Wyse, who does seem to control the flow of the entire record through a variety of basses and his unique vocal style. In many ways the vocals, which seem to by a hybrid of Axl Rose, Josh Homme, and Scott Weiland, often pull focus because Wyse does have the rock star charisma down pat. Separating the band from being just another groove-driven rock act is what?s going on with the overall arrangements, however. You?ll have a good indication of this from the beginning moments of the CD, during which time a variety of instrumentation, feedback, and effects come through the speakers.

Owl, which is rounded out by guitarist Jason Mezilis and drummer Dan Dinsmore, usually weaves experimental sections into a song rather than letting extravagant solos completely overtake the material. ?Mom On Drugs? represents one of the more extreme examples, thanks to this particular track including a multitude of separate musical sections and tempo changes. At the start it seems to be your average punk tune, but before long you are taken on a completely different ride that goes every which way. The parts don?t always seem to fit, but Owl manages to make the transitions work.

The band?s bio states that the song ?Ghost in the Starlight? recalls the art rock of Pink Floyd, and it does have an epic-type feel to it. However, a better comparison would be ?Degeneration,? which has a similar feel to the vibrant, sonic effects heard on Dark Side of the Moon. On a good deal of the album you can hear somewhat of a Queens of the Stone Age sound, with songs like ?Alive? and ?Apples? working as the best examples. Underneath all the influences is Wyse?s one-of-a-kind approach to both the upright and traditional basses, which are often turned up pretty high in the audio mix ? and it works beautifully. Most of the time the bass takes on almost a guitar-like feel, which does make one wonder the various techniques that Wyse uses throughout the record. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: With the music taking the listener on so many twists and turns, the lyrics tend to be quite secondary. That?s a good thing because the content isn?t necessarily the most unique. The themes tend to sound like plenty of other rock bands throughout the decades with lyrics like, ?No one here gets out alive; trying to survive the unknown? (?Alive?) or ?Oh, there you go; And where you go I follow? (?One Man?s Disaster?). Thankfully, Wyse?s vocal delivery is fascinating enough that you don?t always need to know what he?s singing about. // 6

Impression: Owl takes the best of a lot of popular bands (GN?R, Pink Floyd, Queens of the Stone Age to name a few), which certainly shouldn?t offend your average rock listener. The trio does take things a step up instrumentally speaking, and that becomes evident in the very first moments when the band has a little fun with the effects. Those moments are sprinkled throughout the album, providing it with a bit more depth. You might have to adjust to Wyse?s vocal style at first, but the man does have chops. The debut from Owl can be all over the place at times, but the musicianship and free-thinking arrangements indicate this is a band with promise. // 8

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/owl/owl/index.html

[Falcon]

Official "LOVE/LIVE" tour poster / www.thecult.us splash page courtesy of "edcult" and www.cultcentral.com

[Falcon]

MOre presale info from the artistarena mailing list:

"Hello Cult Fans!

The Cult will be embarking on their very special Love Live Tour 2009 in August
and will be coming to a venue near you!  The band will be performing their 1985
album LOVE in its entirety!  There will be a special fan presale beginning this
Thursday May 28th at 3pm-local time.  To get your presale tickets with service
fees lower than most primary ticketing outlets, go to:

https://tixx1.artistarena.com/thecult/

Presale tickets are limited so get them while they last!

Enjoy the show!!
ArtistArena"

EDIT:

login: thecult
password: tickets

[FunkyMonkey]

Caught in my shadow: 21 unjustly unheralded sidemen

May 29, 2009

6. Billy Duffy, The Cult

There?s nothing low-key about being the guitarist of a globe-trotting rock band. And yet, The Cult?s Billy Duffy has always managed to be an almost entirely invisible force behind the neo-Jim Morrisonism of frontman Ian Astbury. Then again, The Cult has never been a typical hard-rock band, and Duffy has never been a typical over-the-top practitioner of the genre. Rather, Duffy?s guitar playing has always been tasteful, tuneful, and understated?a remnant, perhaps, of his punk-rock past?and his mix of bombast and restraint went on to influence an alternative nation. Or maybe he?s simply the rarest of rock stars: a nice guy who just happens to have sold a few million records.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/caught-in-my-shadow-21-unjustly-unheralded-sidemen,28556/?utm_source=sidebar_most

[FunkyMonkey]

Exclusive Interview: Chris Wyse's OWL Takes Flight!

Today 2:05 PM PDT , by Gregory Burkart

Not too long ago, Chris decided to form his own group ? a platform based on pure love of music, free from corporate restraints ? and established what he calls ?the kind of band I would want to hear.? To achieve that dream, Wyse invited drummer Dan Dinsmore (of horror-inspired act The Clay People) and esteemed ?dirt-rock? guitarist Jason Mezilis into the club, and OWL soon spread their dark wings. Their self-titled debut CD hit the market earlier this year to wide critical praise for its exotic, surreal and dreamlike sound ? which often ventures into dark thematic territory ? as Wyse explains, ?unveiling places you might not want to go.?

Well, as you might expect, we happen to love going to those kinds of places. So I decided to check in with all three members of OWL to ask about their various journeys into the world of darkness ? through music, movies and even real-life supernatural experiences ? and it?s all below the fold, so jump on through!

Chris, what inspired you to put this group together?

CHRIS: The thing that most inspired OWL?s formation was all the inventive kind of music from the classics like Zep, Floyd, Hendrix, Sabbath and many others. I love how those bands broke boundaries musically and still wrote songs? Eddie Van Halen's magic sounds are a great example ? he would weave in sounds and techniques into the tunes he wrote.

What are your own favorite techniques?

CHRIS: I  think some of the sound effects I play on my upright electric have to be pretty up there. In the middle of ''Pusher'' there are examples of wah/bow/overdrive/ and harmonics. That?s always fun. The end of ''Waves," I do some tricky bits on bass guitar where I slap paradiddles [a rhythmic four-note pattern ? GB] in 5 and do wah/filter over it with a delay. Either instrument ? bass guitar or upright ? I like mixing up techniques with or without FX, and create new ones. My overdrive tones have been a big centerpiece for me too. Check out ?Degeneration? ? that?s a straight-up bass guitar solo with lots of tapping tricks. I did that bass solo on Duff?s [Velvet Revolver/GNR] Fender bass. We did the album at Matt Sorum?s studio in LA and my basses were in transit with The Cult touring gear.

You?ve also said your music isn't overtly "dark," but for me it seems to create a mysterious, almost supernatural world.

CHRIS: I guess that fantasy element would be some of the ?soundscaping? we do as a band, with little bass tricks and guitar sounds with tribal drums, etc.

What would you say was the key to creating that mood?

CHRIS: Well? to me, dissonant chords and melodies are great up against pretty harmonies and parts. That?s part of the fun and the moodiness, when you?re trying to sway emotions in music. ?Violent Center? is a great example of a mixture of nasty and pretty, for mood mixed with lyrics... It?s like taking the listener on a journey with musicality, similar to a scene from a movie. The end of ''Waves'' can take you on a trip like that.

Speaking of movies? Jason, I was told you're seriously into horror flicks.

JASON: Yeah, I'm a big fan.

What are some of your favorite films and filmmakers?

JASON: My tastes tend to gravitate more towards the melancholy, mysterious nature of certain films which touch base in the horror genre. I enjoy the discovery process of a story, being led down an interesting path but not really knowing where you're heading... and of course, there's an obvious tie-in towards the idea of really nasty things potentially happening to you, which blends well with horror. Films like Alien, Jacob's Ladder, The Dead Zone, Exorcist III? yes, that's actually a really good movie!

I agree! That flick totally got a bum rap, but people are coming back around to it now.

JASON: And George C. Scott is amazing! I suppose you could technically refer to some of those as "cross-over horror" films, but those are my favorites. I'm not as much into hack n' slash flicks, although I have to say the first Nightmare On Elm Street definitely gave me the creeps. The whole 'body bag in the hallway' shot is creepy as hell. But generally I prefer the psychological horror, with the shocking and gruesome thrown in when necessary to make the point of the story.

As far as directors, I think the strongest example of good direction strengthening a horror film would be [Kubrick?s] The Shining, and John Carpenter's remake of The Thing. As a general favorite though, I would probably argue David Cronenberg seems to ?get it? pretty consistently.

Are you into any other macabre media (books, games, etc)?

JASON: My single biggest love [from] horror media is actually comic books & graphic novels.  My biggest (and still my favorite) introduction to the genre stemmed from issue #1 of the Cry For Dawn series. I still remember the day I saw that on the shelf: it was beautiful, stunning in its presentation and wholly original? I bought two copies! Since then, of course, that series has come to reach legendary appeal and status among horror comics.

Does your love of horror influence your music in any way?

JASON: My love of movies in general has definitely had a big influence on my musical sensibilities. Music for me is a very visual art. I tend to "see" music, rather than hear it, and the medium of filmmaking naturally translates the marriage of musical and visual in a beautiful way.

One thing the horror genre does particularly well in regards to films is the use of sound.  Some of my favorite horror films are virtually devoid of a ?soundtrack? per se, but rather rely on sonic emptiness to really create an uncomfortable place, and then employ creative sound design to really make your skin crawl (or whatever the intended effect). It exists solely and purposefully to put you in a specific emotional place, for the rest of the material to do its job ? be that to scare or excite, make you sweat, or simply entertain.

A great example of this is the opening vignette of The Exorcist, when the snarling dogs give rise to an undercurrent of screaming... that sneaks up on you and really makes your skin crawl. OWL employs similar effects to create a ?sonic landscape? during a few instrumental passages on our record. Check out the tail end of "Ghost In The Starlight" for a great example... it's not exactly "horrific", but definitely intended to transport you someplace. A lot of what the band does towards the end of that song ceases to be about the notes we're playing and more about the sonic effects. It works relatively seamlessly, because we simply employ the instrumentation already at hand (Chris's bow work, for example) instead of ?dropping in? too many musical non-sequiturs or sampled effects? although there is a repetitive musical "Easter egg" in that passage.

Is it true that particular song is based your own supernatural experiences?

CHRIS: It's about a ghostly figure in a Hollywood Hills home I lived in. People would describe what they saw and I'd finish their description and they would turn white. I would always go, ''We have all seen her." I always felt as though her Hollywood dreams got shattered, and maybe more. She seemed very sad, and lights would flicker when the band would play the song in the studio? she also knocked on the door during the first demo of ''More on Drugs'' and I was so excited because my engineer was there and said, "What the hell was that?''

Have you figured out her true identity yet?

CHRIS: We speculated on many Hollywood actresses, but never figured it out. There are lots of stories [about her] up on Wonderland Avenue, where I wrote the song and lived.

Dan, you've also been the drummer for The Clay People, whose music is likened to the sound of a horror movie, and you?ve actually worked in the horror genre directly before. Do you enjoy exploring darker musical themes?

DAN: I love exploring many and any types of themes musically. Darker themes really are so much fun to explore; you get to convey emotions that you?re not supposed to have. I?ve had the chance to actually write for a few horror movies with the Clays, and that was great fun. I did one song for Dee Snyder's movie Strangeland and one for Death Sentence.

It?s obvious you guys are pretty comfortable on the dark side? so we want to know what really scares you. What?s your greatest fear?

CHRIS: My greatest fear in life is going on stage with my upright bass and I can?t hear it. That makes me sweat like I?m in the gym!

DAN: My greatest fear is hitting someone while I?m driving? just tweaks me out. Sometimes I can [just] envision it and get chills.

JASON: My consistent plaguing fear throughout my life has been heights, vertigo, falling dreams, that sort of thing. I actually get shaky knees looking up at tall buildings! Strangely enough, I went skydiving once and it completely removed this fear, mentally and physiologically... for about 3 months. Unfortunately the fear is back now.

Many thanks to the OWL team for their awesome input... and for putting together a wicked cool album that's one of the best I've heard this year. Be sure to check out the band?s official site for some sample tracks and you'll see what I mean? but first, dig this awesome anime teaser (featuring excerpts from ?Pusher?):

http://www.fearnet.com/news/b15696_exclusive_interview_chris_wyses_owl.html

[Falcon]

Unconfirmed reports at www.cultcentral.com have Ian Astbury guest hosting on Sirius/XM's "First Wave" Channel starting 6/1 at 3pm est for the entire week.

The Cure's Robert Smith did it last week, some really interesting listening...

[FunkyMonkey]

Ian Astbury In 'Love' With Film, Theater, Music Projects

June 01, 2009 12:38 PM ET

Wes Orshoski, N.Y.

In between gigs with the Cult and recent studio collaborations with the likes of Lupe Fiasco, the Cult's Ian Astbury is in the process of adding the titles of theater producer and filmmaker to his resume.

The singer is donating his time and talents to help raise funds for a production of John Patrick Shanley's "Savage in Limbo" at downtown Manhattan nightclub/venue The Bowery Electric. On June 12, the club will host an acoustic performance by his new ensemble the Soft Revolt.

"We're really a shop front, a guerilla-styled acoustic incarnation," he tells Billboard.com. "It's not like a fully blown production, with a four-piece band and lights. It's really just acoustic guitars?every now and then we'll bring an amp. It's just a floating group of musicians, whoever's around at the time. We'll play seven to nine songs, whatever we want to play, we might play a Television song, a Led Zeppelin song, Patti Smith, Bowie, Doors songs, Cult songs, whatever we feel like playing." The show will be the band's second for the production; the first was in April.

"I think one of the last bastions of real craft is in the theater, and writers like Shanley," explained Astbury, who notes that a recent return to New York helped inspire him to get involved: "New York just kicks you in the ass. You see these things and you just want to do something. Even though the city has become gentrified, there's still a lot of diversity and progressive culture in NY. It's about the only place I could live right now."

Also keeping him busy are a string of independent film projects, including a documentary based on Nobel Peace Prize-nominated author Andrea Smith's "Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide." "It's to do with matricide," Astbury said, "and how our culture destroys women, and how society still isn't working for the woman.

"We haven't been in a place where women have been in charge for thousands of years. That's one of the underlying things of the documentary. It's great that Obama is the president, but he's not a woman. I think Michelle would make a much better president, personally. It's amazing that he's the president, but I think his wife could do a much better job. I think a woman could do a much better job. Men just fuck things up."

Currently "in development," Astbury is working on the film with Mona Lavelle, wife of James Lavelle of UNKLE, with whom the singer has collaborated. It was through Lavelle that he recently teamed up with Lupe Fiasco, a fellow UNKLE collaborator. "It's a work in progress based on a mutual affection of Japanese street culture."

Long fascinated and moved by Native American culture, Astbury is also working on two shorts films called "We Defy" and "Ruins," the latter of which he describes as "almost a ?Romeo and Juliet' story set on a reservation."

"I'm finding myself more in a role as a producer/writer/behind-the-scenes kind of guy, more like a cultural savant as opposed to a frontman, although I still enjoy getting up onstage and performing," he says.

Astbury will do just that when he rejoins Cult partner Billy Duffy in July to kick off an international tour on which the band will play its seminal, 1985 "Love" album from start to finish.

Featuring modern rock staples "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain," the album, Astbury says, "came off the back end of punk rock, and was one of the first MTV generation records?1985, it was on point. The Cult got away from the post-modern thing a little bit, when we got sort of lost in production, and made records like ?Sonic Temple' and ?Ceremony,' but the ?Love' album was made with 100 percent pure earnestness. It's a pure album and it's so much more in harmony with where I'm at right now. I feel more connected to that record than probably any other record the Cult made.

"[Playing the album live] gives some context to what the Cult are, in terms of what we do have a claim to?building this post-modern world. We're one of the principal architects to that world, in a way. For me, it's kind of like, ?Hey, wait a minute, I don't want my legacy to be ?Sonic Temple.' It's amazing how many people come up and say, ?Hey dude, where's the cowboy hat and long hair?' I haven't looked like that in like 16 years," he said.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/ian-astbury-in-love-with-film-theater-music-1003978260.story

[Falcon]

A very insightful interview with former Cult bassist Billy Morrison for SUBvert magazine
can be read here:

http://www.subvertmagazine.com/blog/billy-morrison/

Also, "Sunset and Vine" (Billy's internet radio show) has changed times. 

It will now go live Monday's 7pm-9pm pst on www.spreadradiolive.com

Paul - looks like you won't be up as late tonight!

Thanks to www.billymorrison.net for all the above.

[Falcon]

A new LOVE/LIVE tourdate has been added to the Euro leg:

Oct. 03, 2009 Theater Am Marientor - Duisburg, Germany

Thanks to sacredsoul and www.cultcentral.com for the above.