Rock news

After Channel 104.9 became a Spanish station, the new modern rock station for those in teh Santa Cruz/Monterey area became KMBY-FM "X 103.9". Their website is x1039fm.com, still under construction, they have a link for there myspace page there. However, those living in Santa Clara County south of the Coyote Creek Golf Course in south San Jose are now left with a crappy signal of Live 105 to listen to. True. I was coming back home from the southwest on vacation back 12/30, and Live 105's signal started showing up on my MP3 player radio when the bus got to Gilroy. For some reason, the Coyote Creek Golf Course in south SJ serves as the "border" begween the reception area of the stations of the SF Bay and the stations of the Monterey Bay. Cool, huh?

Also, a few days ago i was reading the 2007 in music article on Wikipedia. It lists all the new preditions and music releases for 2007. It reported that on Feb. 20, Virgin Records, the new record lable for Korn since their horendous 2005 CD See You on the Other Side, will release an MTV Unplugged album for Korn. The article stated: "Their performance took set in MTV studios in Times Square, New York City on December 9, 2006 to a crowd of literally, 60 people ^{[citation needed]}. It marks Korn's second ever televised acoustic performance, with the first being on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live in July." Wow...either no one relly likes an acoustic performance of a heavy metal band or maybe MTV provided a tiny studio for Korn to perform in. I mean, it coudn't have been an arena or formal concert hall, as Alicia Keys recorded her Unplugged album in the Brooklyn Academy of Music in July 2005 (to be televised & released to CD in September) that has a capacity of about 2,000. Thus, don't expect too much "audience noise" in the album.

Now, what's my view on a hard rock band releasing an acoustic album? Well, it depends if they do it right and not like a pop-rock cd like Maroon 5's Songs About Jane. I've heard the Unplugged albums of Nirvana and Alice in Chains. They sound pretty good, with some execptions in Nirvana's, as Kurt Cobain's vocals in the acoustic rendition of "Come as you Are" were a bit off-key. Also, some songs sound better acoustic then electric. Compare the two versions of "All Apologies"...notice how the Unplugged version sounds so much cleaner? Alice in Chains' Unplugged album is pretty solid as far as I've heard. Godsmack's 2004 studio (not live) acoustic album, The Other Side, was a bit tad disapointing. They were better in the ages of Godsmack and Awake.

Meanwhile, on the WIkipedia article for Korn's unplugged album, it mentioned that Amy Lee, lead singer for poser goth metal band Evanescence, performed with Korn for the acoustic version of "Freak on a Leash". I've seen the video online several times and heard it on the radio, and the electric version kicks hella ass, but I'm gonna puke if I ever hear that song performed ACOUSTIC WITH A SELLOUT POSER VOCALIST!!! GRR!! It was bad enough that Korn sold out with Issues back in 1999 and now with See You on the Other Side! I've heard their acoustic vers. of "Coming Undone" on iTunes, and it wasn't that great. Sometimes, electric guitar bands wern't meant for acoustic. Given that most of Korn's musical spirit comes off the electric guitar, as a majority of their songs are fast-paced and brutal, chances are pretty slim that I'm even gonna listen to the Unplugged CD or watch it (I don't even get cable TV). I'm sorry Korn. You've disappointed me enough. I'm not buying any merchandise from you sellouts anymore, instead I'll buy stuff from GOOD bands like Shadows Fall, Napalm Death, Fear Factory, Hatebreed, and other under-rated hard rock bands. You have enough money already. So if you don't want to disapoint us REAL metal fans, come up with something new already. We don't need to hear the same nu-metal sound in every single one of your albums from 1994 to now. Sorry.