The Cult

[Ali]

The Cult and ZZ Top are playing on August 19th in the Bay Area.  I'm not really into ZZ Top and find this an odd pairing, but damn I'm tempted to go after Sunday's show.  Lawn tickets are only $36, so I might just have to go.

Ali

[Falcon]

The Cult and ZZ Top are playing on August 19th in the Bay Area.  I'm not really into ZZ Top and find this an odd pairing, but damn I'm tempted to go after Sunday's show.  Lawn tickets are only $36, so I might just have to go.

Ali

I thinks it's a radio show bill, still odd though.

Billy Gibbons has actually performed with The Cult before, hopped up and did "Love Removal Machine" with them at a gig in 2001.

[Ali]

The Cult and ZZ Top are playing on August 19th in the Bay Area.  I'm not really into ZZ Top and find this an odd pairing, but damn I'm tempted to go after Sunday's show.  Lawn tickets are only $36, so I might just have to go.

Ali

I thinks it's a radio show bill, still odd though.

Billy Gibbons has actually performed with The Cult before, hopped up and did "Love Removal Machine" with them at a gig in 2001.

Very interesting.  I would not have guessed that.

It is a radio show bill, yes.  But, still seems kind of dissimilar in styles/genres of music.

Ali

[Falcon]

The Cult and ZZ Top are playing on August 19th in the Bay Area.  I'm not really into ZZ Top and find this an odd pairing, but damn I'm tempted to go after Sunday's show.  Lawn tickets are only $36, so I might just have to go.

Ali

I thinks it's a radio show bill, still odd though.

Billy Gibbons has actually performed with The Cult before, hopped up and did "Love Removal Machine" with them at a gig in 2001.

Very interesting.  I would not have guessed that.

It is a radio show bill, yes.  But, still seems kind of dissimilar in styles/genres of music.

Ali

Here's a pic from the gig mentioned above:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsorum/2284779549/

I actually saw Billy Duffy and Jerry Cantrell's "Cardboard Vampyres" open for ZZ in OKC in 2004, didn't hang around for ZZ though.

[Falcon]

Ian interview with the Boton Herald:

http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1061135717&srvc=rss

This Cult leader?s been to hell and back

By Dave Wedge / Music

That British rockers The Cult have survived fickle industry trends, lawsuits, personal strife and a revolving door of members has been well documented. Lesser known, though, is the personal hell that shaped the dark soul of the band?s enigmatic frontman Ian Astbury.
 
In a wide-ranging interview with the Herald, the singer revealed painful details of his difficult upbringing in gritty Glasgow and working-class England, his constant battle for ?relevance? with the rock journalism glitterati and how he withdrew into a ?monastic? existence while crafting The Cult?s latest album, ?Choice of Weapon.?
 
Astbury, who has rarely spoken about his past, said his father attempted suicide after his mother died of cancer on his 17th birthday ? an event that launched him on his rock ?n? roll path.

 

?It destroyed my family,? he said. ?We ended up in a Victorian tenement building in Glasgow, which is a pretty oppressive city.?
 
He, his brother and sister were left largely to their own devices, and all were arrested several times for what he called ?petty crimes.?
 
?It was a pretty difficult environment. And we were ostracized at school. You become the object of all the bullies,? he said from his home in Los Angeles.
 
He fled his father?s home, joined the city?s punk rock underground and found himself homeless, working in a bar.
 
?By the time I was hitting the stage at 19, I had been through enough,? he said. ?It was very painful, to be honest with you.?
 
The band, which hits the House of Blues on Tuesday, launched out of the U.K. underground in the early 1980s and struck gold in America with the post-punk, heavy-metal-tinged smashes ?She Sells Sanctuary,? ?Love Removal Machine? and ?Fire Woman.?
 
Astbury, with his dark, flowing hair, ominous stage presence and deep, bluesy voice, drew immediate comparisons to the Doors? Jim Morrison and became an ?80s rock and fashion icon.
 
He laid the blueprint for Lollapalooza with his 1990 Gathering of the Tribes festival, while The Cult spent the late-?80s and early ?90s touring with Guns N? Roses, Aerosmith and Metallica. A pair of breakups and reunions followed in the ?90s and early 2000s as the band struggled commercially.
 
?I reached a crossroads where I was struggling ... questioning my relevance, questioning the band?s relevance and questioning our place in the world,? he said. ?It really forced me inward ? deeper than I?d ever gone.?
 
He embarked on a soul-searching journey to Tibet and the Middle East before settling in New York. With longtime songwriting partner and founding guitarist Billy Duffy by his side, Astbury emerged with what many critics have hailed as the band?s finest work in decades. ?Choice of Weapon? is a dense, driving, inspired slab of hard rock that tackles themes of war, drugs, self-discovery and death. ?Lucifer? is as hard-hitting, groove-laden and gloriously dark as anything in the band?s vast catalog, while ?Life > Death? is simply epic. ?For the Animals? and ?Honey From a Knife,? among other cuts, provide the occult-ish rock thunder for which the band has become known.
 
?This band has been ostracized, marginalized, dragged through the streets,? he said. ?Apparently we?re not supposed to be here ... But this was a long time coming, this record. We?re here for the long haul. This is my life.?

[Ali]

The Cult and ZZ Top are playing on August 19th in the Bay Area.  I'm not really into ZZ Top and find this an odd pairing, but damn I'm tempted to go after Sunday's show.  Lawn tickets are only $36, so I might just have to go.

Ali

I thinks it's a radio show bill, still odd though.

Billy Gibbons has actually performed with The Cult before, hopped up and did "Love Removal Machine" with them at a gig in 2001.

Very interesting.  I would not have guessed that.

It is a radio show bill, yes.  But, still seems kind of dissimilar in styles/genres of music.

Ali

Here's a pic from the gig mentioned above:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsorum/2284779549/

I actually saw Billy Duffy and Jerry Cantrell's "Cardboard Vampyres" open for ZZ in OKC in 2004, didn't hang around for ZZ though.

Interesting.  I see Mr. Sorum there as well.

Ali

[Falcon]

Interesting.  I see Mr. Sorum there as well.
Ali

Indeed you do, that was in the middle of Matt's second stint with The Cult, also pictured in cowboy hat is long time Cult touring guitarist Mike "The Serb" Dimkich who doubles as a professional cyclist and ultra marathoner in his down time when not touring.

[Falcon]

A Duffy interview from PowerLine Mag, lotsa info:

http://www.powerlinemag.com/2012/06/01/interview-billy-duffy-of-the-cult/

[Falcon]

A very long interview with Ian from The Boston Phoenix, covers tons of territory:

http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2012/05/31/q-amp-a-the-cult-s-ian-astbury-on-life-death-the-void-the-cult-the-doors-existential-dread-and-the-bhagavad-gita.aspx#.T8tp_usVT8s.twitter

[Falcon]

Pittsburgh preview and article with IA:

http://www.timesonline.com/entertainment/local_entertainment/the-cult-s-following-to-converge-at-stage-ae/article_4ed19301-770d-5d08-baad-4403fb3ea60e.html

The Cult's following to converge at Stage AE

The Cult, from left to right, Billy Duffy, Chris Wyse, Ian Astbury and John Tempesta, will perform Sunday at Stage AE.

By Scott Tady

PITTSBURGH -- The Cult's singer, Ian Astbury, didn't fear any backlash for licensing one of his band's best-known songs for a Super Bowl beer ad.

That particular song, "She Sells Sanctuary," is surely to be heard this Sunday in all its unadulterated glory when the British hard-rockers headline an indoor show at Stage AE.

"They (Budweiser) presented the idea to us. They said 'we want to do a smash-up with your song and Flo Rida that will be seen by 150 million people domestically with potential for close to 1 billion people worldwide,'" Astbury said. "For a song that's more than 25 years old and we'd get paid for it? Since we weren't going to get that kind of exposure any other way, we were like, 'OK.'"

"Not to sound too cynical, but you take any opportunity you can get, as long as it's not harming any children or animals," Astbury said.

The Super Bowl is a valuable social platform for musicians, "and in our lives, commercials are cultural milestones," Astbury said.

Culture and materialism are prime lyrical influences on the Cult's new album, "Choice of Weapon," which critics are hailing as the band's best since 1989's platinum-selling "Sonic Temple" which featured the rock-radio smash "Fire Woman."

With Astbury on vocals and fellow founding Cult member Billy Duffy on guitars, "Choice of Weapons" bursts from the speakers, a compilation of raw, riled up and at times cinematic songs that also touch upon narcissism, economic and ecological destruction, and the disconnect in a social media-linked world.

Sprinkled among such modern concerns is imagery of swords, knives, witches and devils imparted with a vocal urgency from Astbury, who on the song "Amnesia" describes himself as "born of the underground/orphan of Altamont."

Reached on the morning of his 50th birthday -- he had no big party plans later -- Astbury spoke frankly on a wide range of topics.

Lyrical inspirations for the new album?

"Just life, you know. A culmination of events, experiences, observations," Astbury said.

But why so much heaviness?

"Well, it's the same old story, right? Humankind trying to control everything, with the elite ruling class subjugating everyone else."

The working class might care more if it weren't so distracted by cheap entertainment on their flat-screen TVs, Astbury said.

"The generation coming up has to be thinking, 'Hey, we were ripped off. Where's mine?"' Astbury said. "Yet a lot of people don't care. They're lost in a fantasy world that's not very nutritious for the spirit.

"But there's some light at the end of the tunnel," Astbury said.

He shines some optimistic rays on "Elemental Light," one of the new songs that pinpoints simple beauty amid the radiant glow of the wilderness.

"We're born in light, we die in light -- whenever spirituality or an epiphany is portrayed there's usually a light surrounding that," Astbury said.

It's hard to see the elemental light with your eyes fixed on a computer or smartphone screen, not that the Cult is immune to social media.

"I think we've embraced it in a sense," Astbury said. "We're connected with fans and engaged to a degree, but I wouldn't say we're immersed into it. It hasn't changed our core beliefs. It hasn't changed our foundation.

"One thing I like about it is the ability to communicate simultaneously with a whole lot of people," Astbury said.

Though he frowns upon the money-grabbing propensities of the Web that have pushed aside the Web's original purpose of free and open dialogue and information sharing.

"The Internet has been chopped up and decimated and turned into a cynical place," Astbury said. "It's more about your profile, and how many hits you can get."

He hopes social media devotees "see it for what it is, and use it for what it is, but maybe explore life more. Time is precious; this life is finite," Astbury said. "We, in the West, attempt to define and critique everything. We're documenting everything in our lives rather than living them."

The Cult, rounded out by drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse, began their latest life adventure May 25 with a tour-launching San Diego show featuring four new songs and the hits "She Sells Sanctuary," "Love Removal Machine" and "Fire Woman."

That latter song, a WDVE-FM staple, was Astbury's post-punk, part-metal take on vintage blues themes of smoldering passion.

The Cult didn't need much rehearsal time for this tour because "We haven't really stopped. The Cult has been on the road the past six years," said Astbury, who also has found the time for film projects and the creation of a military-inspired clothing label, LAMF.

Music remains his driving force.

"I've been doing this since I was 19; I don't know anything else," Astbury said.

He was the guy bold enough to fill Jim Morrison's shoes for a 2002 tour by the surviving members of The Doors. It was an incredible experience, said Astbury, who ranks the Doors as America's greatest band.

He likes to debate Yanks on that topic, challenging them to come up with a more timeless and vital U.S. rock band, trying not to snicker if the answer is Pearl Jam.

Though he knows times are tricky for touring bands.

"More people are trying out for 'American Idol' than are going to shows," Astbury said.

He appreciates young singers' "Idol" aspirations, but frets about what reality TV has done to music.

"There has to be a cultural black hole if it's sucked up so much attention," Astbury said. "It's brought out the cynical end of the industry with the goal to create a product for the masses. But when you do that, the quality decreases. It's more about how it looks."

There are some authentic new artists he admires, citing Adele and Lady Gaga, "who is cooler than these cynical, post-modern indie s*** bands.

"They're like, 'Oh, Lady Gaga,' but she's probably worked harder than all of them," Astbury said. "They're the laziest bunch of people who think they're entitled because they've got a cool haircut and tight trousers. She's probably worked smarter than them, too."

Put out an album these days and you're automatically called an artist.

 "Did you ever notice everyone is an artist now?" Astbury said. "Who decided that? The term artist is thrown around really loosely."

Astbury tries to use it judiciously though is forced to concede it applies to someone like him, who takes an active role in all presentations of his band's music.

He usually meets with a lighting director to plan visual effects and video projections for shows.

"That's very important. It's an elemental part of the show," Astbury said. "I really love the process. It's an important connection to what the band represents.

"There is nothing casual about the Cult."

[Ali]

Interesting.  I see Mr. Sorum there as well.
Ali

Indeed you do, that was in the middle of Matt's second stint with The Cult, also pictured in cowboy hat is long time Cult touring guitarist Mike "The Serb" Dimkich who doubles as a professional cyclist and ultra marathoner in his down time when not touring.

I see now.  I misread your previous comment as tying 2004 to that picture, when in actuality you were referring to two separate things.  The comeback album they made with Sorum came out in 2001.  I remember Dimkich from the show last week, although the focus for me was either on Ian Astbury or Billy Duffy primarily.

Ali

[Falcon]

IA interview from Drowned In Sound:


"Not that many bands seem to give a shit but we do. We always have" : DiS meets Ian Astbury of The Cult

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4144968-not-that-many-bands-seem-to-give-a-shit-but-we-do-we-always-have---dis-meets-ian-astbury-of-the-cult

[Falcon]

http://www.shortandsweetnyc.com/2012/06/the-cults-ian-astbury-on-their-new-album-choice-of-weapon-the-doors-buddhism-and-more/

The Cult?s Ian Astbury on their new album Choice of Weapon, The Doors, Buddhism, and more

[Falcon]

Are you read Burninghills?

A few days and counting before a Cult virgin is sacrificed, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRhAoY9drD8&list=UUG1RExp_liOhXYSijlkfzHw&index=7&feature=plcp

[BurningHills]

Are you read Burninghills?

A few days and counting before a Cult virgin is sacrificed, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRhAoY9drD8&list=UUG1RExp_liOhXYSijlkfzHw&index=7&feature=plcp

5 days and the anticipation is driving me crazy!

[Falcon]

Chicago review from Guitar International:

http://guitarinternational.com/2012/06/05/the-cult-support-your-local-cult-live-in-chicago/
By: Rob Cavuoto

 All the Chicago hipsters were in attendance at the Congress Theater this past Friday night to see The Cult who are out in support of their long awaited new CD, Choice of Weapon. It?s been five years since we heard new music from the band and this CD is truly worth the wait.
 
Choice of Weapon strikes a perfect balance of the band signature rock sound coupled with a raw, honest, and gritty view of the world and the state of affairs that we are currently living in. It?s the band at its best and the perfect follow-up to their 2007 release, Born into This.
 
Being only four shows deep into their US tour, the band performed like a well oiled machine opening the set with ?Lil? Devil,? a perfect song to put the crowd into frenzy and prepare them for the assault that lay ahead.
 
In this old semi-abandon, stripped down, concrete structure, they call the Congress Theater; the band destroyed the crowd with a 90 minute set and managed to weave a nice mix of hits, classics, and new songs.
 
The band included the heaviest tunes off Choice of Weapon to perform live like ?Honey from the Knife,? ?Lucifer,? ?For the Animals? and ?The Wolf.? These songs provided an air of familiarity yet didn?t change the mood or flow of the show as sometimes new songs do.
 
I was surprised to see that most fans were singing along to them, considering the CD has only been out about 10 days! As far as the hits go, ?Fire Woman,? ?She Sells Sanctuary,? ?Wild Flower? and the encore ?Love Remove Machine? were the stand out songs of the evening and brought down the house multiple times.
 
Being a powerhouse vocalist, Ian Astbury managed to push thought the walls of this old concrete palace and overcome its vast echo to deliver a stellar performance while entertained the crowd with anecdotes about life and its hidden secrets.  All along, dancing and shuffling to the rhythmic pulses of the song?s tribal beat.
 
Guitarist Billy Duffy was flawless and a show on to himself, giving us his rockstar poses and teasing us with his vast arsenal of weapons like his trademark Gretsch White Falcon (which he used for most of the show) along with his blue Fender Telecaster, and his unfinished Gibson Les Paul.
 
These were the weapons that contribute to The Cult?s signature sound live and in the studio. Even before Ian sings a note and you hear Billy?s guitar you know its The Cult. Most guitarists in the audience also got schooled on how an expert musician navigates his pedal board and Cry Baby Wah Wah effortlessly and with surgical precision.
 
Support your local Cult while they are out touring the US this summer, you won?t be disappointed.

[Falcon]

All Music Guide review of Choice Of Weapon:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/choice-of-weapon-mw0002308536

It's been five years since the Cult released the Youth-produced Born Into This. While it was plain that Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy -- with the newly hired rhythm section of bassist Chris Wyse and drummer John Tempesta -- were attempting to reach back to the hard rock attack of Electric and Sonic Temple, the impact of Duffy's guitar sound was blunted by their producer. By contrast, Choice of Weapon, co-produced by Chris Goss and Bob Rock, is urgent, militant, and pissed off. Tempesta and Wyse are no longer hired guns, but the most enduring, tightest rhythm section in the Cult's history. Astbury's youthful wail has been replaced by a deeper, smoother delivery; he's in excellent form and an iconic rock & roll singer. Duffy's guitar roars up front where it belongs. He's as canny as ever in his ability to coax enormous yet infectious ringing riffs from his strings. (Check his rework of his vamp from "She Sells Sanctuary" on "The Wolf," and his pedal to the metal blast on the first single "For the Animals.") As usual, Astbury's lyrics are filled with shamanistic imagery from Native American religion to tantric Tibetan Buddhism (the inner sleeve features photographs of a hunting knife in union with a double vajra), married to political, social, and environmental indignation; throughout his conviction rings true. Even when his lyrics are overly metaphorical, as in "Pale Horse," his delivery is fierce and cuts through the excess. "Honey from a Knife" features a gigantic, distorted chug by Duffy, Wyse, and Tempesta, pushing Astbury to the breaking point, but he's buoyed by a backing vocal chorus and James Edwards' pumping piano (think the Stooges' Raw Power album), and he soars. As a rhythm section, Tempesta and Wyse are buck solid; they provide the proper throb and crunch for Duffy and Astbury to climb atop. Given the pulse of this set, even when a synthetic keyboard is used to introduce "Lucifer," it merely becomes part of the aggressive (yet always accessible) attack. Choice of Weapon is the Cult's finest moment in 23 years; it's the true swaggering heir to the period that birthed Electric and Sonic Temple, and proof that contrary to even Astbury's stated belief in 2009 that the album is far from dead. [As a bonus, the Cult has included a bonus CD with four tracks from 2010's Capture EPs.

[Falcon]

A must read for those into specifics of song meanings/origins of The Cult, IA goes in depth on many here:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-cults-ian-astbury-talks-about-songs-ignoring-t,79785/

[Chief]

Thank you! good stuff!!

A very long interview with Ian from The Boston Phoenix, covers tons of territory:

http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2012/05/31/q-amp-a-the-cult-s-ian-astbury-on-life-death-the-void-the-cult-the-doors-existential-dread-and-the-bhagavad-gita.aspx#.T8tp_usVT8s.twitter

[Falcon]

Ian will be live lon the eastvilliageradio.com live tomorrow at noon EST talking about their NYC gig at Terminal 5 tomorrow night and his love for NYC.

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/content/content.php?id=3942