PA Bold Ray
Indigo Girl Puts Passion To Music
By Nancy Dunham

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that Amy Ray's latest CD, "Didn't It Feel Kinder" is crammed full of catchy, intelligent lyrics and hard-to-get-out-of-your-head tunes.
After all Ray and her co-hort Emily Sailers have been creating memorable music together for almost two decades as the Indigo Girls. Although other bands may lose their edge - or at least some of their passion -- as they move toward the 20-year mark, that hasn't been the case for the Girls even as they changed labels. Their 2006 album "Despite Our

Differences" won critical acclaim for the disc which was labeled an "Instant Classic."
What's different in the latest Ray solo project that is scheduled to be released July 22 is that she's blunter, more aggressive, and harder driving in both her lyrics and her songs than she is as part of the duo. It's no secret that both Ray and Sailers are political activists and Ray's beliefs are boldly proclaimed throughout this 11-track CD.

"Who Sold the Gun," about the Virginia Tech Killings and "Blame is a Killer," are two of the most obvious samples of Ray at her boldest, backed by blistering electric guitar. The difference between Ray and some other artists is that she's passionate without being offensive or preachy.

There's no doubt she feels strongly on topics that range from censorship to violence and isn't shy about using raw language to express such emotion, but she's never crude for shock value. As trite as it may sound, Ray is a believer in letting music speak through throbbing drums, bold strings and solid lyrics.

What's just as exciting is that Ray's husky voice is never overpowered by the music. She knows how to modulate her singing so that vocals are in almost perfect harmony with the tone and feeling of her music. In this day of whispery singers (not to mention Pussycat Dolls) it's a true relief to hear an intelligent woman singer/songwriter to fully use her art to express her beliefs.

Love Psychedelico
“This is Love Psychedelico”
By Nancy Dunham

Sometimes just the artwork on a CD jewel case makes on believe the music inside will be extraordinary.

I happily report that "This Is" by the Japanese duo Love Psychedelico is comprised of a poppy/arty/rock sounds that are even cooler than the red-and-white graphic that labels it. The upbeat songs on this brand-new release - think updated 1960s/1970s style pop/rock with just the right amount of cool - are perfect for sunny days on the beach or cruisin' around town with the top down.

What's different about this band is that they keep their music in check. It's never so hard charging that it loses its way and delves into "message" music; on the other hand, it's never so poppy that it becomes a parody.

The lyrics, often sung in both English and Japanese, are charming, sophisticated, and never pretentious. The duo hits just the right balance in combining infectious melodies and solid vocals (think a young Michelle Phillips). Add the insistent, yet muted, guitar-based sound and you have some critics comparing Love Psychedelico with the groundbreaking Japanese pop-art duo Ciba Matto.

It's easy to understand why. Both groups have the easy, casual feel of friends and the simple sound of great musicians. Think of the Beach Boys or The Mamas and the Papas and you have an idea.

But there's something - let's just call it purer -- about the sound Love Psychedelico produces on its 13 tracks than what I have heard from Ciba Matto. Love Psych-edelico will likely join the now defunct Ciba Matto as a darling of the latte and croissant crowd, but my bet is that the accessibility of the duo's music will likely give it a much broader appeal.

Destroying Instruments
By Staff Writer

The destruction of musical instruments, a decades-old tradition in pop and rock music, is normally carried out by band members during a live performance, particularly at the end of the gig. The most famous of these acts is smashing one's electric
guitar.

Early years

Jerry Lee Lewis may be the first rock artist to destroy his equipment on stage, with several, possibly erroneous, stories of him destroying and burning pianos in the 1950s.

In the mid 1960s, guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who was the first guitar smashing rock artist. Rolling Stone magazine included his smashing of a Rickenbacker guitar at the Railway Hotel in September of 1964 in their list of the "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll". He saw his guitar smashing as a kind of auto-destructive art.
Keith Moon, The Who's drummer, was also known for destroying his drum set. The most spectacular episode of this occurred during The Who's debut on U.S. television on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. Moon overloaded his bass drum with explosive charges which were detonated during the finale of the song, "My Generation." The explosion caused guest Bette Davis to faint, set Pete Townshend's hair on fire and, according to legend, contributed to his later partial deafness and tinnitus. Moon was also injured in the explosion when shrapnel from the cymbals cut his arm.VH1 later placed this event in the top ten of their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Moments on Television.

Jeff Beck, then a member of the Yardbirds, reluctantly destroyed a guitar in the 1966 film Blowup after being told to emulate The Who by director Michelangelo Antonioni. Jimi Hendrix is also famous for burning two guitars at three shows, most notably the Monterey Pop Festival. He also would drive the guitar like a lance through the grill cloth of his amp's speaker cabinets, but this was replaced after the show and did not actually destroy the amp.

Later instrument destruction

Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Rainbow smashed guitars in performance through the seventies.

Paul Simonon of The Clash famously destroyed his bass on stage, with a photograph of the event becoming the iconic cover to their London Calling album.

Kurt Cobain would frequently smash guitars at the end of Nirvana shows, but they were often Mex-ican Stratocasters that were brought on stage simply for the purpose of destruction. Kurt and his band mainly shocked people with instrument destruction in their early career, as they came from poor town Aberdeen, Washington and could barely afford to replace them. Krist Novoselic once threw his bass guitar high into the air, seemingly to smash it, but did not move out of the way quickly enough and was concussed by the falling bass.

Paul Stanley, the rhythm guitarist from KISS, would frequently smash his signature Ibanez Iceman guitars, at the end throwing the halves into the crowd. These were specially prepared guitars, modified so as to be easy to smash, and to destruct in a consistent and controlled manner.

Marilyn Manson have been known to frequently destroy their instruments at the end of shows. They have often done so in such an aggressive manner that they have injured themselves, most famously when drummer Ginger Fish suffered a fractured skull. This destruction has been captured in their music videos as well in live recordings such as Guns, God and Government

Nikki Sixx, bassist of Mötley Crüe, also smashes basses at the end of concerts, usually a Precision copy, but sometimes a Gibson Thunderbird.

Trent Reznor, lead singer of Nine Inch Nails, was known for smashing his guitar out of frustration in the early years of his band. Later on, his band mates destroyed their guitars for the end of a show. Throughout the years, the band has been known for destroying most of their equipment, notably keyboards; this destructive rampage was chronicled on the VHS Closure.

Ryan Key, lead singer and guitarist of Yellowcard, has often smashed his most notable guitar, the Gibson Les Paul, to end many of Yellowcard's performances and has also thrown the halves into the audience.

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have become known for regularly smashing their instruments on stage.

Big Black ended their final show by smashing all of their equipment.

Die Sektor frequently smashes their custom keyboards called "beasts" at the end of their performances.

Guy Pratt, Pink Floyd bass player (on their latest years), destroyed his bass at the end of the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour (1989) and Division Bell tour (1994). At the latter show the pyrotechnic team placed a large firework to the back which failed to ignite. The bass was never destroyed and merely chucked at a security guard due to its weight and the distance between the audience and stage.

Peter Criss, the drummer from KISS, destroyed his drum kit in 2000 on the last US performance of KISS' Farewell tour.

Greg Hill of Mute Math uses drum mallets to smash the body of his guitar during live performances. He often drums along with the band as he smashes the body.

Win Butler of Arcade Fire destroyed an acoustic guitar at the end of a live performance on Saturday Night Live, after a string had broke during the performance.

Craig Nicholls of The Vines destroyed his Fender Stratocaster at a show at The Corner Hotel In Melbourne in 2006.

Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes smashed a guitar he described as "very expensive" after performing "Road to Joy" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.