It's said you can tell a lot about a country by its music, and while that is true, you can tell just as much about a country's mood at any moment in time through its music. As an extreme example, I'm sure the music of Nazi Germany was far different from that of both before and after Hitler's rule. The history of America is of course not that coarsely divided, but there were still periods of trouble and unrest.The great depression of the twenties and the thirties brought about the first wave of music with conscience, for lack of a better word, that talked about the plight of the poor and working class and strove to articulate a vision of how America's potential as a cradle of modern democracy could be fulfilled. World War Two saw an end to that with an upsurge in patriotic music; propaganda aimed at encouraging the war effort and inspiring nationalism.The 1950s saw the beginnings of the successful marriage between white and black music with musicians Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly mixing country music with black gospel and blues rhythms. While the recording of the music was a statement – white people playing black influenced music marked an unprecedented crossing of the colour line – the music itself did not offer any real social commentary.It wasn't until the 1960s that American musicians broke out of the chill imposed on creativity by McCarthy and his witch-hunt that forced writers and musicians to work under assumed names and risk blacklisting if their material was found inappropriate. It was the successors of writers who wrote during the depression who began singing about social change and offering an alternative view of how America could fulfill its potential.Of course that's only a small slice of history for the landmass that has become known as the United States of America. There were people living there prior to the arrival of the European settlers who had their own musical traditions. It's a testimonial to the efforts of the people behind the new three disc set, Song Of America, to be released on September 18th 2007 that they have opened their extensive collection with a song from that pre-contact period, a Lakota "Dream Song".Song Of America is an exhaustive effort featuring new interpretations of songs dating back to the earliest music through to the 2001. From pre-revolution America's National Anthem, "God Save The King" sung by the band John Wesley Harding up to Shortee Wop updating Grandmaster Flash's breakthrough rap single "The Message", the diverse voices of America are nearly all represented. A troubling part is the omission of Hispanic and Franco American voices that were surely as much a part of the musical spectrum in the early going and in the present as the English/Scott's/Irish music that predominates the first two discs. Surely, it would have been more appropriate to include a Cajun or Hispanic influenced song than the sentimental, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?"The three disc set is divided into three eras; disc one (Red) is for the period covering settlement and colonization up to 1860, disc two (White) is from the Civil War to the end of World War Two, and disc three (Blue) is the post war period until the 2001. (It says until the present, but the most recent song is an adaptation of Alan Jackson's post September 11th 2001 recording "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?"– five or six years ago, which omits any of the music written about Hurricane Katrina and the war in Iraq)Each disc contains songs that will be familiar to almost every American, and some that are slightly more obscure. But even the songs you thought you knew, like "Yankee Doodle Dandy" for instance, might be a surprise. The lyrics of that song are quite a bit more risque and filled with adult double entendres than I had ever heard before, and I doubt are the ones they sing around campfires at scout camps. "Yankee Doodle keep it up/ Yankee Doodle Dandy/ ride the music and the step/ and with the girls be handy" were not lyrics I was taught as a kid.While the first disc contains songs like "Peg And Awl", "The Old Woman Taught Wisdom", and "Let Us Break Bread Together" that are not going to be known by a great deal of people, the same can't be said for discs two. The majority of the music is well known tunes like "John Brown's Body", "Battle Hymn Of The Republic", "Over There", and "Rosie The Riveter". While there has been some attempt to include songs that deal with the harsher realities of life; Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" and "Seven Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat", the majority are patriotic songs from the two World Wars and earlier.A huge body of music that represented the labour movement and the fight for the rights of miners and workers across America has been omitted, and songs dealing with the dustbowl and the other trials faced by people in the twenties and thirties are limited to two in total. There was also a good chunk of America that was singing the Blues during this time, and not including at least one song in this period from that genre is a serious failing. It would have been more representative to include a Robert Johnson song instead of something like "Happy Days are Here Again".Disc three is far more representative of time and place, save for a lack of songs dealing with the Civil Rights movement. "Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)" is less a civil rights song and more a statement of Black Power. It's great that it is included, but if you went by history according to this songbook there wasn't a Civil Rights movement. But the inclusion of songs like "Ohio", "The Times They Are A Changin'", and "The Message" do provide more of a indication of the different peoples and the changes that occurred from the 1960s until the early 1980s. I do wonder about how it was decided to include songs like "Get Together" while not having anything representing Disco or Punk, both of which were significant parts of the musical landscape, but in this the producers are at least consistent in going for the safe pop music over more challenging fare.While I may have disagreements with the some of the choices made in this collection, the interpretations offered by the contemporary performers are without exception quite extraordinary. Highlights for me included Harper Simon's rendition of "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Go Down Moses" by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, "Deportee" by Old Crow Medicine Show, "Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud) by The Dynamites with Charles Walker, Ben Harper's version of Neil Young's "Ohio", and Shortee Wop's take on Grandmaster Flash's "The Message". While each performer found some new way of approaching the song that made it their own, they also kept in mind they were still honouring someone else's material. Each song was done in a manner that was both inventive and respectful, a very difficult thing to accomplish. The performances provide sufficient reason to purchase this disc alone, in spite of what I've perceived as shortcomings in the selection of material.The compilers of Song Of America were faced with the formidable challenge of selecting music from a span of five hundred years. While the music they have selected is wonderfully performed, it gives a very narrow view of American history and her people. The title might be Song Of America, but whose America are they referring to?

Akon, ‘Konvicted’After selling 2.4 million records, Akon releases this reissue with new tracks and a DVD.Yung Joc, ‘Hustlenomic$’The Grammy-nominated Atlanta rapper releases his highly-anticipated sophomore album. Ben Harper, ‘Lifetime’The prolific guitarist releases yet another stunning album recorded in and inspired by the city of Paris. Sly & the Family Stone, ‘Greatest Hits’This remastered greatest hits compilation was originally released in 1970, but 30 years later it’s still a classic. Collective Soul, ‘Afterwords’The seasoned rockers are back with their seventh studio album.

"I can’t remember if I criedWhen I read about his widowed bride,But something touched me deep insideThe day the music died." – Don McLean, "American Pie"If nothing else rang loud and clear as I listened to the ten discs contained in the Flower Power box set, it was that the music of the sixties and seventies was simply different. The melodies, the harmonies, and the messages were delivered in a way you won't hear when you turn the radio on these days. Don't worry, I'm not going to opine about how corporate owned radio is destroying the music industry. What I am going to do is give you a sneak peek at this classic music from a hipper and cooler generation.Flower Power: The Music of the Love Generation is a box set containing five themed double discs brought to you by Time Life, the company well known for bringing the listening public genre-based music compilations. The five double CDs are titled Time of the Season, Born to Be Wild, Age of Aquarius, Summer of Love, and Groovin'. Each disc has in the neighborhood of 20 tracks, so what you get with this box is nearly 200 songs from the decade of peace and love by artists too numerous to list in their entirety.Known as the generation of peace, love, and rock 'n' roll, there are songs protesting war, songs of love, and songs of passion. For someone who came of age in that decade, or even if you’re a little younger but found yourself migrating toward this music like me, this collection will quickly become a treasured possession, and the songs will find themselves in high rotation on your iPod, if for nothing else than the memories you associate with them.Time Of The Season This is probably the double-disc collection I've spent the most time listening to since receiving the set. Disc one has such favorites as The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin," Lobo's "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend," and Aretha Franklin's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." But it's not all about passion. Alice Cooper's "School's Out" and The New Seeker's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" demonstrate the two opposite extremes of '70s rock included here.Disc two combines the reflective, contemplative sounds of Don McLean's "American Pie" and Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now is Love," with the protest songs so prevalent at the time such as "We Shall Overcome" by Joan Baez. In between are songs of discontent. Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs" is just one example.One of the main reasons I've found myself drawn to compilations like this box set is the familiarity. There are no surprises and no filler. Even though not every song in this massive collection rates high with me, I was aware of them enough to know what to expect going in, and the Time of the Season CDs didn't disappoint.Born To Be Wild Though I'm not sure if the teenagers of the '60s have a monopoly on discontent and hunger for change, it was the music of this generation that expressed it the loudest. Many of those songs are contained on this two-disc set, 32 of them to be exact. Whether it's Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" or The Mamas & The Papa's "California Dreaming" of disc one, or Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" or The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown's "Fire" of disc two, the songs ring of a hunger and passion for change.The two CDs bundled under the title Born to be Wild contain the hardest sounding songs, the ones I would label classic rock. They are songs that I remember as ones I latched on to as I was coming of age and trying to identify who I was and who I was becoming.Age of Aquarius Or course, you couldn't title a dis Age of Aquarius without including the song. It is probably the song to best reflect the hope for change that came out of this decade of music and appears on disc one. What remains are the songs from the folk side of sixties rock, artists like Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and The Byrds.Highlights from disc one include Big Brother & the Holding Company's "Piece of My Heart" (featuring vocals by Janis Joplin), and the Byrds' two biggest hits "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Eight Mile High." Disc two features another hit from The Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn" as well as Bob Dylan's "Subterraenean Homesick Blues" and The 5th Dimension's "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In."Summer of Love As with many other compilations released this year, Flower Power: The Summer of Love celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the musical phenomenon. All these songs were playing on the airwaves during the summer of 1967, and there is a wide and varied collection of them in the two disc set. From Van Morrison ("Brown Eyed Girl") to Jefferson Airplane ("Somebody to Love") the collection documents the time that is most often cited as the beginning of the 'hippie movement' and the summer 100,000 people embraced the idea of free love and free drugs in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Groovin' It's pretty obvious a CD set called Groovin' would have its share of dance songs, but they are not the high energy, rock-out dance numbers. Instead the two discs have a mellow vibe, good for slow dancing with that special someone, like on Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" from disc one. Disc two contains the slow moving Tommy James and the Shondells "Crimson and Clover" and Lobo's "Me and You and A Dog Named Boo."It's not all about the slow groove, though. There is a selection of mid-tempo tunes, but overall these would be the two mellowest discs in the set.  And as Don McLean sings in "American Pie," "And I know that you're in love with him / cause I saw you dancing in the gym / you both kicked off you shoes / dig those rhythm and blues…" The music on the Flower Power box set has just that sort of energy. It can pull you to your feet, remind you of the simpler times of youth, or the complicated times of a country trying to escape a war. Comprehensive, it will provide hours and hours of memories and listening pleasure.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office received a tip more than a week ago about dogs being kept in inhumane conditions at the Phoenix-area home, said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Detectives visited the home and then called one of the rapper’s lawyers and told him that the conditions for the animals at the property needed to be improved or deputies would take action, Arpaio said. The dogs were not being fed or given water. Authorities returned to the home Friday. The 36-year-old musician and actor, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was not at home during the raid. Simmons’ lawyer, Murray Richman, said Simmons hasn’t been in Arizona for at least two months and was “extremely disturbed” to hear the animals weren’t being cared for properly. “We had a caretaker that wasn’t taking care, that’s what happened,” Richman said. “He loves dogs — he loves these animals. Those dogs are practically his family.” Richman said he hadn’t been notified of problems at the property until he learned of the raid Friday. Sheriff’s officials said they had contacted another lawyer who works for DMX. Arpaio said the deputies who served a search warrant at the home Friday seized 12 pit bulls tied up on the property and took them to an old jail that has been converted into an animal shelter. Deputies found the buried dogs when they dug up the back yard. One had apparently been burned and the cause of death on the others was unknown because the bodies were decomposing. Deputies also found a variety of firearms, Arpaio said. Authorities sought additional warrants so they could check the guns to determine if they were legal. DMX’s albums include “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” and “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” and “Year of the Dog … Again.”

Released in 2001, The Mother and The Enemy is the fifth release by the Polish black metal band Lux Occulta. The album, released by Metal Minds Poland, contains ten tracks that are hardcore, earsplitting, and somewhat — scary. This album is harder than Matt Hughes in a tub full of cocaine! At first this album was what I thought was a stereotypical black metal album. The lyrics are done in a shrieking manner — so much so in fact, that they are damn hard to understand. It is a good thing the lyrics are printed in the jacket. The mix is very tight though, and I have to admit the recording was clean. That is not what struck me however. As I listened to the album I was shocked when suddenly trip hop was blended in. Hardcore metal mixing in trip hop? What the hell? It’s like Portishead winning a Mixed Martial Arts match with a full on knockout! Wow, I thought. And it’s not like it was done once. No, these guys mixed it in throughout the whole album. It truly gives the dark metal heads an introduction into another style of music. The artwork of the album is every bit as twisted as the music. Mixing nudity with dark disturbing themes makes the jacket one that is not for the faint of heart. I would definitely not recommend leaving it out for the children to see. This album is truly a treat for anyone wanting to delve into the world of black metal, but still maintain some hint of “control” with the trip hop mixed in. Or maybe not. Perhaps this is black metal finally going over the edge? Is that possible? Either way, I may not be a fan of this style of music (trip hop), but I am definitely intrigued enough to give this a chance by listening to the album a few more times. It’s an interesting enough mix of two genres to be worthy of a listen by hardcore fans of either of these seemingly opposite styles.

The Killers plan to release an album of b-ides and rarities before the end of the year because lead singer Brandon Flowers claims their American fans have not heard them. Despite online file sharing, Flowers told Billboard that fans have not heard the likes of ‘All the Pretty Faces’ and ‘Move Away’ because the band do not release singles in America. Other tracks set to be included are the band cover version of Joy Division’s ‘Shadowplay’, a cover of Mel Tillis’ ‘Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town’ along with one or two new ones. The band are also going to release another festive single for Red Campaign called ‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’ with Flowers explaining that “Last year we were able to raise over $100,000 from the one song (’A Great Big Sled’), and hopefully we’ll be able to do it again.”24-August-2007 13:05:19

I once had an author friend tell me that when people find out you have written a book, you suddenly discover that everyone is writing a book. And it gets worse; they want to tell you all about it, in excruciating detail. I can tell you the same applies to being a music writer. When people find out what you do, you quickly discover that they, or someone near and dear to them, play in a band of some description – and that description is usually something like “blech”.So when new neighbours moved in – two very hot looking, twenty–something guys – and my daughter let it drop that her mummy was a music writer, it was no surprise to me that one of them turned out to be in a band called Yoshi. He told me however they had nothing recorded yet but they were working on it. And by working on it I mean starting their own record label, Fwoosh Records and accompanying clothing line – as one does.A friendship grew between my daughter and I and the neighbour boys, based on proximity, we share a landing and hall, the boys youthful, gregarious exuberance and our openness, humour, and constant willingness to participate in their silliness. They baby-sit occasionally, get me drunk when necessary, and look after us like big brothers when we really need it. They are good neighbours, so it was with some trepidation – fear of it being crap and that I would have to say so — that I listened to Yoshi’s debut single “Headphones” and was absolutely delighted to hear something I really liked. Their eclectic mixture of hip-hop, powerpop, punk, ska, and maybe a bit of electronica is fun, youthful, intelligent, and utterly refreshing. I found myself very quickly addicted to the track. When I sat down and talked to some of the guys in Yoshi I learned more about their concept. Think the Gorillaz without Damon Albarn; a virtual band, no names, no photos, just music, concept, and animation. If it weren’t for their talent and drive it would probably fall flat, but already they have drawn attention from BBC Scotland’s, Radio One DJ, Vic Galloway, along with the various print media, these boys are on their way up. And up they deserve to go. “Headphones” is just the beginning, the rest of the album is under construction and there are more fun, funky t-shirts to come too. Yoshi is on its way up… I just hope that the neighbour boy fixes the hall light before he makes it big and moves out.And after hearing what they had to offer I just had to ask them to be my Band of the Week. So here they are, in interview format, for your pleasure.What is Yoshi? Is it a concept? Are you a real band or DJs? Who's in Yoshi?Yoshi formed in 2006, as a group of friends we played in various bands for a number of years. In an effort to create something new and distinctive we decided to start a new project, where the music would extract influences from a range of different genres. Yoshi’s music is an unusual mix of Disco, Rock, Hip Hop, Punk and Indie. The Yoshi album is being written in the studio at the moment and is being constructed much like a lot of dance and hip-hop music is produced. That means working with a lot of loops, samples, drum machines, and keyboard parts. The concept behind the band and the material has purposely been intertwined with video gaming, as we want our music to reflect the massive influence video gaming has had on us and on popular culture. Once we had the bulk of the album written, we started to work on recreating the songs with a live band. After a lot of rehearsing we played our first live gig in Edinburgh in late July 2007 to coincide with the official launch of our debut single ‘Headphones’. Where does the the name Yoshi come from?Yoshi is the name of the bass player’s dog. Who writes your songs? Tell us about your debut single "Headphone". The songs are written as a collaboration between the different members of the band. We record a lot of stuff, try things out, keep what works and get rid off what doesn’t. We use a lot of samplers and computers as well as old analog synths. Our intent is to create up-beat, feel-good party music. The band’s song writing and live performance feature three part harmonies over analog synth and drum breaks, mixed together with dirty guitar and 8-bit computer game samples. The single was released digitally and as a limited edition CD and 7” Vinyl through Fwoosh Records on the 20th of August 2007.The single “Headphones” is a pretty straightforward guitar riff over a percussive drum break, which deliberately sounds pretty nineties. We used a squelchy filter sound on the bass. The vocals are really dry and in your face. The B-Side, “Demo Style”, is more full-on than “Headphones”. It has a much higher tempo and is definitely reminiscent of drum-n-bass in its production. When does your album come out and where will we be able to pick it up?Although most of the songs are written for the album we are currently finishing off the songs in the studio. We hope to release it next summer through our own label Fwoosh Records. In the meantime though, we plan to release one more single this year and then another early next year, so this is plenty to look forward to! Tell us about your art work, record label, and clothing line.For the single we designed original artwork, commissioned from freelance illustrator Emma Geary and based on Japanese video-game cartridges known as Hu-Cards. We decided to form a record label to release our own material; this allows us to keep full control over all the creative aspects and direction of the project. From the start we have done things completely independently; from recording the bass guitar to deciding what kind of cardboard would be used for the 7” sleeve. After we began working with Emma Geary and designing the artwork for the single it became clear that we had the basis to create some really cool clothing and merchandise. So working closely with Emma we designed a range of t-shirts which expanded on the characters that were created previously for the single artwork. We wanted to put as much time and effort into the design and manufacture the t-shirts as we had with the recording and production of the music. What can we expect from Yoshi in the future?As we said before there will be another single before the end of the year and will be playing plenty of live gigs throughout the UK. Apart from that, we will be in the studio finishing the album and hopefully designing more clothing as well as a few other surprises. Don’t believe me about Yoshi? Check them out yourself. You can hear “Headphones”, along with a few other tracks by simply visiting their MySpace space. You can also buy their single and their funky merchandise while you’re there.

MINK's self-titled debut album is one of the best new sounds I've heard in a while. I was a little dubious about them when I first listened to them, but the more I listened  the more I liked them. No, scratch that. The more I listened, the more I loved them. More than once I thought it would be great to let the rest of my band listen to the album so we could jam to their songs. MINK is so full of energy that they just make me want to be a part of it. Our drummer constantly complains that a lot of the songs we play are boring, but I'm absolutely certain once he listens to MINK, he will be a huge fan too, especially since MINK's drummer, Stella Mozgawa, is a force to be reckon with. I have the utmost respect for her power and creativity, and her talent has definitely brought a very unique sound to the band. I'm actually the vocalist in my band, and I tend to focus more on voice and melodies rather than bass and drums, but both the drums by Stella Mozgawa and bass by Grant Fitzpatrick have caught my attention in this album. Their sounds are very tightly knit, and bring a lot of depth to their music. That's not to say I don't like their vocals and melodies though. Lead singer, Neal Carlson, is my new idol. I don't know what it is about his voice I like, perhaps it is because it is so changeable and smooth and raspy all at once. Or perhaps because you can feel his complete engagement in the music. He has a certain 'Suede-ish' sound to his voice that I find irresistible. While the bass and drums caught my attention in the faster songs on MINK, the guitar sounds stand out more to me in the slower (which aren't exactly all that slow) songs like "Will Not Let You Down", "Sweeter", "Crazy World", "Dematerialize" and the bonus track "Look Into Each Other".  Incidentally, these are also my favorite songs on the album. Perhaps, with the exception of "Dematerialize", all these songs appeal to my romantic nature and I can't help but be partial to them. I especially love the guitar sounds in "Dematerialize" though. Lead guitarist, Nick Maybury, and rhythm guitarist, David Lowy are no slouches. I don't usually make predictions and it might be presumptuous for me to say this, but I'm certain that MINK will be the next big thing in music, to the proportions of Guns N' Roses, Queen, and the like. Every radio station will play their music, everyone will know them, and every musician will study them. Or maybe I'm just bias, but you know, MINK is good enough that they just might prove me right.

Justin Timberlake has joined the cast of the new Mike Myers comedy “The Love Guru,” which also stars Jessica Alba, Romany Malco and Verne Troyer. The Paramount Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment film opens June 20, 2008, and will begin shooting next month in Toronto. Timberlake previously teamed with Myers as part of the voice ensemble for “Shrek the Third.” In “The Love Guru,” he will play a professional hockey player named Jacques Grande. Myers will play Pitka, an American who was left at the gates of an Indian ashram as a child and raised by gurus. After moving back to the U.S., he gains fame in the world self-help and spirituality, specializing in settling intimacy issues between couples. Pitka winds up attempting to settle a dispute between hockey Darren Roanoke (Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke’s wife starts dating Grande (Timberlake), threatening her husband’s career. Alba plays Jane Bullard, the team’s owner, while Troyer plays Coach Cherkov.

A tour with name like Family Values should bring up images of kids playing in a park, a big picnic with plenty of food, and someone breaking out a guitar and crooning some folk songs. Nowadays, it means something completely different. Think more along the lines of a massive pit of rowdy music fans, plenty of bad food from the concession stand, and enough heavy music to make any fan happy.   Nu-Metal godfathers Korn embarked on their infamous tour yet again, bringing along an assortment of bands from every corner of the heavy. Joining the trek this year on the main stage was Evanescence, Atreyu, Flyleaf, Hellyeah, Trivium, Neurosonic, and The Vanished. While the tour did have a second stage for up and coming bands, I concentrated on the main stage to see what the trek had to offer. Opening the stage were Dallas locals The Vanished, the radio-friendly rock band that played as the fans began to trickle in. I’m not sure what to make of them but I do know they would be much better suited for a show with Nickelback than any metal band.   Canadian exports Neurosonic were brave to say the least. Wearing dark suits in the blistering Texas heat, they came and delivered a System of A Down-meets-311 combo that would have been great if it was still 2001. Having heard them online a few days before, I was looking forward to their set but what we got was a lackluster show instead. It was apparent they needed to do more touring down south of the Yukon before they can get the crowd going.   Metallica er, I mean Trivium was up next. Having seen them previously in the year, I knew what to expect and will say I wasn’t disappointed. The same show, different day. I am never going to downplay their musicianship as it is tighter than the majority of bands out there but I just don’t get anything out their live show. Some of their faithful few were very vocal in supporting but nothing to make their set anymore special.   Hellyeah hit the stage like a angry bull on fight night, welcoming one of Texas’ native sons Vinnie Paul (of Pantera/Damageplan fame) back to Smirnoff. While the music goes the route of somewhat southern metal n’ roll, the crowd didn’t care as they came alive during their set. With the first sing along of the day for sure, Hellyeah spent more time interacting with the crowd than playing. When they did get a song going, it didn’t sound bad at all as their current “Alcoholin’ Ass” prove to sound better live. Not my cup of tea musically but definitely good summertime concert music. The ties to Texas on the tour continued as Temple, TX-based Christian melodic rockers Flyleaf hit the stage to much crowd anticipation. A sincere display of faith as they opened their show with an excerpt of well-known worship song that only a few caught. They played a shorten set as singer Lacey Mosley was having some vocal problems but it didn’t deter the rest of the band from playing with plenty of energy. With crowd-pleasers such as “Fully Alive” and “I’m So Sick”, the band got their biggest response with their current radio single “All Around Me”. I was able to sit down with bassist Pat Seals. Look for that interview in the coming days. As the storms began to move in and the skies turned dark, it set the tone for Atreyu to come on and deliver one of the best sets of the day. The band sounded tighter than their previous Dallas stops and even played a couple of new songs from their upcoming new record, Lead Sails Paper Anchor. The highlight had to be their cover of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” which they managed to make their own. After cutting their ties with Victory Records, they are now among the many who have made the leap towards the majors with Hollywood Records. I definitely see big things are ahead for this California quintet.   Evanescence task as main support was to get the crowd ready for Korn but quite honestly, they could have headlined just as well. As the rain continued, they put on a show worthy of any stadium or arena. Vocally, Amy Lee sounded invigorated, singing their hits “Going Under” and “Bring Me Back to Life” (sans the already played out rap) The biggest crowd as Amy Lee got behind her piano and went into “Call Me When You’re Sober.” They also deliver a nice rendition of the Doors classic “People Are Strange.” Overall, a great set that could have closed the show nicely.   That is until the headliners Korn came on stage promptly for their 90-minute set. Opening with “Here to Stay”, they brought the crowd a nice dose of 7-string goodness. With adding Joey Jordison (of Slipknot) and Clint Lowery (of Sevendust/Dark New Day fame) they turned up the volume on their live show even more. The setlist included old favorites such as “Faggot” and “Dead Bodies Everywhere”, the show itself was great but I had a slight problem with someone on stage.   A certain blonde backup vocalist/percussionist was singing on every song and running around like a mad man. Now, in most cases this may not be a bad thing but why does Jonathan Davis need a backup like this? Can he not do it by himself anymore? Either way, I didn’t like it and that in a way ruin their set for me. While I didn’t stick around for the encore, I’m sure they played “Blind” which if it was anything like the last time I saw them, they delivered it with fury and ease and made all the fans happy. Bottom Line: Korn played it smart in sticking to the heavier side of things with the bands they selected. While Ozzfest may have been free this year and had a decent lineup of their own, the Family Values tour proved it could be a great tour of it own. Definitely worth checking out if it comes through your town.