Philadelphia,PA - Living Colour at the Trocadero Preview
Living Colour
Hard-core progenitors Bad Brains and ska-punks Fishbone lit the fuse for a rock-and-roll culture clash in the early and mid-1980s. But it took Living Colour's 1988 debut, Vivid - a shape-shifting fusion of socially conscious, funkified hard rock and proto rap-metal - to finally bury the notion that hard rock was exclusively a white man's wonderland for frivolous ideas and three-chord fluff. Reunited for its first new album in 10 years, Living Colour inflicts a most righteous pummeling with the 15-track Collideoscope (Sanctuary). The sociopolitical shock treatment of Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On collides with guitarist Vernon Reid's killer-watt shrapnel and some diffuse productions like the techno tremors of "In Your Name" and the lysergic chord patterns of "Operation: Mind Control." It's the sound of a band positively reborn.
- Patrick Berkery
Living Colour, with Tony C & the Truth and Steamroller Picnic, at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Trocadero, 1003 Arch St. Tickets: $19. Phone: 215-922-5483.
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Living Colour - Seattle, WA preview : www.NWSOURCE.com
Living Colour - Tony C and the Truth
The Showbox
1426 First Ave., Seattle
206-628-3151
Saturday, November 29: 9 p.m
DESCRIPTION
Re-forming after an almost 10-year hiatus, Living Colour returns with a new album to promote ("CollideØscope"), and a lot to prove to young hard-rock aficionados who weren't quite old enough to appreciate the band during its heyday. Fortunately, the intervening years haven't changed the fact that Living Colour is as inventive as it is powerful, and the band's legendary live show should be more than nourishing enough for kids weaned on Korn and Limp Bizkit.
By Geoff Carter
Living Colour pics - Bimbo's San Fran, CA
courtesy of zeruch
Living Colour Collideoscope Tour 2003 still going strong
Go see Living Colour live during the remaining dates of the first leg of the N. American Collideoscope tour :
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Living Colour tickets can be purchased by clicking the link
NEW 2004 Living Colour tour dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer or Ticketservice
March 6, Plato, Helmond or ticketservice
March 8, Kade, Zaandam or ticketservice
March 10, Brussels, BEL Ancienne Belgique
Living Colour - Tony C and the Truth
The Showbox
1426 First Ave., Seattle
206-628-3151
Saturday, November 29: 9 p.m
DESCRIPTION
Re-forming after an almost 10-year hiatus, Living Colour returns with a new album to promote ("CollideØscope"), and a lot to prove to young hard-rock aficionados who weren't quite old enough to appreciate the band during its heyday. Fortunately, the intervening years haven't changed the fact that Living Colour is as inventive as it is powerful, and the band's legendary live show should be more than nourishing enough for kids weaned on Korn and Limp Bizkit.
By Geoff Carter
Living Colour pics - Bimbo's San Fran, CA
courtesy of zeruch
Living Colour Collideoscope Tour 2003 still going strong
Go see Living Colour live during the remaining dates of the first leg of the N. American Collideoscope tour :
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Living Colour tickets can be purchased by clicking the link
NEW 2004 Living Colour tour dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer or Ticketservice
March 6, Plato, Helmond or ticketservice
March 8, Kade, Zaandam or ticketservice
March 10, Brussels, BEL Ancienne Belgique
Friday, November 28, 2003
Colouring outside the boxes ( the Oregonian )
11/28/03
MARTY HUGHLEY
Vernon Reid is a fan, an enthusiast. In the course of a short phone interview, when he's not zipping down some intellectual byway about terrorism or corporate radio or the blues, he talks about music he loves -- anything from Radiohead to Alice Coltrane, OutKast to Burt Bacharach.
That enthusiasm and eclecticism are part of the driving force behind Living Colour, the hard-rock band Reid led that earned multiplatinum success in the late 1980s and early '90s, most notably through the hit "Cult of Personality."
Six years after breaking up the band, Reid -- the daring guitarist and trenchant songwriter -- reunited with singer Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish for a tour in 2001 that proved Living Colour's molten mix of metal, funk and jazz was as potent as ever. Now comes a new album, "Collideoscope," and a Friday night visit to the Roseland Theater.
Reid spoke by phone from a recent tour stop in Arizona. Some excerpts follow.
In addition to Living Colour, you also founded the Black Rock Coalition for support and advocacy. Do you feel your earlier success helped that agenda or brought other bands along in your wake?
Every band that makes it in this business -- apart from those that are just massively hyped -- is an inspiration, because they're making it in spite of the business. I think that's what we were. We were a band that wasn't even supposed to exist, much less have any sort of success. Because the conventional rule (about who could play rock) was pretty hard and fast.
Does getting on the radio and into the mainstream consciousness feel like as big a hill to climb now as in '88-'89?
Sure it does. Things have changed, but then they haven't. . . . Every band -- I don't care who you are -- is one tune away from obscurity. You have to carve your own path.
What did you or the others learn from all your projects during the band's break that you've brought back to Living Colour?
I don't want to speak for other folks, but I do want to say that Will became a world-class percussionist. He went off into the deserts and the outbacks of the world and studied and really grew. And Corey grew by leading a band of his own. Doug has always been so in touch with electronic music and so many other things. And for me it's been a gradual journey. I've had a chance to work with choreographers such as Bill T. Jones and Donald Byrd, and got a better sense of the body in space and time. I had a chance to start producing records, and work with Salif Keita and James Blood Ulmer.
When you broke up the band in '95, you said that its "sense of unity and purpose was getting weaker and fuzzier." What does the new album tell us about that unity and purpose now?
"Collideoscope" is the sound of Americans dealing with what America is today. It's also the sound of a band finding common ground to be together again.
Infernal Combustion Reviews Collidescope
LIVING COLOUR - Collideoscope (Sanctuary) (8.0 /10)
After Living Colour disbanded following 1993's excellent Stain, the members drifted off into various directions: bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun took the session route, while vocalist Corey Glover and guitarist Vernon Reid served time in the wonderful world of tribute albums in between solo albums/new projects that inevitably tanked (anyone got that Yohimbe Brothers cd?). That said, it's no surprise that the quartet got back together. Older, wiser, and as pissed off as ever, Living Colour prove with Collideoscope that they still had some things to get off their chests.
I have to say, I had a bit of smile on my face hearing a typically fucked-up intro followed by Glover's distinctive vocals on the opener "Song Without Sin." Has it really been a decade since their last album? There's no trendhopping here, thankfully. No, it pretty much sounds like what would have been the follow-up to Stain had they not broken up. Sarcasm reigns supreme on "Operation Mind Control," which proceeds with the tempo and rhythm of a nursery rhyme. The anti-terrorist anthem "A ? Of When" is Living Colour at their most furious (Glover screams "Can it happen again?/Can it happen again?/Not a question of if/But a question of when"). There's a very strong (and potentially groan-inducing) "post 9/11" vibe throughout ("In Your Name" also deals with the subject), but the band handles it as professionally and intelligently as Queensryche's recent Tribe did. There's a few missteps along the way: the instrumental closer "Nova" is anticlimactic, to say the least, and there's an ill-advised (and straight-faced) cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black" that might have been fine as a hidden track, but it's unavoidable right in the middle of the record (a cover of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" fares somewhat better). Also, "Nightmare City" could have been the best thing Living Colour ever did had Glover not warbled the verses in a faux-Jamaican accent.
Still, despite those sporadic stumbles, Collideoscope is an infectious album—there's enough really good stuff on here (and give it a few listens—it's a grower, for sure) to make you realize what a good band we're dealing with here. Welcome back, boys. You've been missed.
- Mark Tinta
2 Walls review of Living Colour Collideoscope
Living Colour CollideOscope (2003)
The Living Colour brothers sound a little tired and don’t rock it like they used to. LC used to be a soulcore roar, but now Corey spends more time sloganeering than singing, and Vernon has just run out of gas. Explorations of futuristic techno-metal don’t really catch fire, and the band’s cover choices miss the simplicity of “Back In Black” and the head in the clouds psychedelia of “Tomorrow Never Knows”. It’s hard to tell if they’ve outgrown their funk-rock roots, or if every band they inspired caught up and passed them. The glammer boys aren’t so fierce any more and the colors are fading. Oh well.
webmaster note - I like the new Janes Addiction, not a lot, and by no means do I want to show a disrespect towards them, but read how this author praises Jane's, and subsequently disses LC.
Living Colour preview from PortlandMercury.com
LIVING COLOUR WITH TONY C. & THE TRUTH
(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) Unlike the Platters or the Temptations or, say, the Violent Femmes, who are trotted out now and again as revival bands at county fairs, Living Colour has retained their name but smashed the mold that made them famous. With their breakout "Cult of Personality," Living Colour became a brand name for late-'80s political rock. In many ways that overwhelming fame trapped the band, both musically and personality-wise. Just like doo-wop was groundbreaking, garnering a certain gravity for pop music and then floating away into obscurity, Living Colour was soon outdated by its predecessors--many whom they probably and ironically inspired. By the mid-'90s, Living Colour as a commodity was a stale, quaint relic from a tamer era. But a funny thing about fame is that there's usually the public image, and then there's what's happening behind the image. For the past few years, the band's founding members have returned to their stomping grounds, NYC's CBGB, and have been experimenting further with funk sounds. PHIL "CAN'T STOP THIS FEELING" BUSSE
11/28/03
MARTY HUGHLEY
Vernon Reid is a fan, an enthusiast. In the course of a short phone interview, when he's not zipping down some intellectual byway about terrorism or corporate radio or the blues, he talks about music he loves -- anything from Radiohead to Alice Coltrane, OutKast to Burt Bacharach.
That enthusiasm and eclecticism are part of the driving force behind Living Colour, the hard-rock band Reid led that earned multiplatinum success in the late 1980s and early '90s, most notably through the hit "Cult of Personality."
Six years after breaking up the band, Reid -- the daring guitarist and trenchant songwriter -- reunited with singer Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish for a tour in 2001 that proved Living Colour's molten mix of metal, funk and jazz was as potent as ever. Now comes a new album, "Collideoscope," and a Friday night visit to the Roseland Theater.
Reid spoke by phone from a recent tour stop in Arizona. Some excerpts follow.
In addition to Living Colour, you also founded the Black Rock Coalition for support and advocacy. Do you feel your earlier success helped that agenda or brought other bands along in your wake?
Every band that makes it in this business -- apart from those that are just massively hyped -- is an inspiration, because they're making it in spite of the business. I think that's what we were. We were a band that wasn't even supposed to exist, much less have any sort of success. Because the conventional rule (about who could play rock) was pretty hard and fast.
Does getting on the radio and into the mainstream consciousness feel like as big a hill to climb now as in '88-'89?
Sure it does. Things have changed, but then they haven't. . . . Every band -- I don't care who you are -- is one tune away from obscurity. You have to carve your own path.
What did you or the others learn from all your projects during the band's break that you've brought back to Living Colour?
I don't want to speak for other folks, but I do want to say that Will became a world-class percussionist. He went off into the deserts and the outbacks of the world and studied and really grew. And Corey grew by leading a band of his own. Doug has always been so in touch with electronic music and so many other things. And for me it's been a gradual journey. I've had a chance to work with choreographers such as Bill T. Jones and Donald Byrd, and got a better sense of the body in space and time. I had a chance to start producing records, and work with Salif Keita and James Blood Ulmer.
When you broke up the band in '95, you said that its "sense of unity and purpose was getting weaker and fuzzier." What does the new album tell us about that unity and purpose now?
"Collideoscope" is the sound of Americans dealing with what America is today. It's also the sound of a band finding common ground to be together again.
Infernal Combustion Reviews Collidescope
LIVING COLOUR - Collideoscope (Sanctuary) (8.0 /10)
After Living Colour disbanded following 1993's excellent Stain, the members drifted off into various directions: bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun took the session route, while vocalist Corey Glover and guitarist Vernon Reid served time in the wonderful world of tribute albums in between solo albums/new projects that inevitably tanked (anyone got that Yohimbe Brothers cd?). That said, it's no surprise that the quartet got back together. Older, wiser, and as pissed off as ever, Living Colour prove with Collideoscope that they still had some things to get off their chests.
I have to say, I had a bit of smile on my face hearing a typically fucked-up intro followed by Glover's distinctive vocals on the opener "Song Without Sin." Has it really been a decade since their last album? There's no trendhopping here, thankfully. No, it pretty much sounds like what would have been the follow-up to Stain had they not broken up. Sarcasm reigns supreme on "Operation Mind Control," which proceeds with the tempo and rhythm of a nursery rhyme. The anti-terrorist anthem "A ? Of When" is Living Colour at their most furious (Glover screams "Can it happen again?/Can it happen again?/Not a question of if/But a question of when"). There's a very strong (and potentially groan-inducing) "post 9/11" vibe throughout ("In Your Name" also deals with the subject), but the band handles it as professionally and intelligently as Queensryche's recent Tribe did. There's a few missteps along the way: the instrumental closer "Nova" is anticlimactic, to say the least, and there's an ill-advised (and straight-faced) cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black" that might have been fine as a hidden track, but it's unavoidable right in the middle of the record (a cover of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" fares somewhat better). Also, "Nightmare City" could have been the best thing Living Colour ever did had Glover not warbled the verses in a faux-Jamaican accent.
Still, despite those sporadic stumbles, Collideoscope is an infectious album—there's enough really good stuff on here (and give it a few listens—it's a grower, for sure) to make you realize what a good band we're dealing with here. Welcome back, boys. You've been missed.
- Mark Tinta
2 Walls review of Living Colour Collideoscope
Living Colour CollideOscope (2003)
The Living Colour brothers sound a little tired and don’t rock it like they used to. LC used to be a soulcore roar, but now Corey spends more time sloganeering than singing, and Vernon has just run out of gas. Explorations of futuristic techno-metal don’t really catch fire, and the band’s cover choices miss the simplicity of “Back In Black” and the head in the clouds psychedelia of “Tomorrow Never Knows”. It’s hard to tell if they’ve outgrown their funk-rock roots, or if every band they inspired caught up and passed them. The glammer boys aren’t so fierce any more and the colors are fading. Oh well.
webmaster note - I like the new Janes Addiction, not a lot, and by no means do I want to show a disrespect towards them, but read how this author praises Jane's, and subsequently disses LC.
Living Colour preview from PortlandMercury.com
LIVING COLOUR WITH TONY C. & THE TRUTH
(Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside) Unlike the Platters or the Temptations or, say, the Violent Femmes, who are trotted out now and again as revival bands at county fairs, Living Colour has retained their name but smashed the mold that made them famous. With their breakout "Cult of Personality," Living Colour became a brand name for late-'80s political rock. In many ways that overwhelming fame trapped the band, both musically and personality-wise. Just like doo-wop was groundbreaking, garnering a certain gravity for pop music and then floating away into obscurity, Living Colour was soon outdated by its predecessors--many whom they probably and ironically inspired. By the mid-'90s, Living Colour as a commodity was a stale, quaint relic from a tamer era. But a funny thing about fame is that there's usually the public image, and then there's what's happening behind the image. For the past few years, the band's founding members have returned to their stomping grounds, NYC's CBGB, and have been experimenting further with funk sounds. PHIL "CAN'T STOP THIS FEELING" BUSSE
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Living Colour @ Bimbo's - San Fran, CA
Setlist
thanks Mark
Song w/o Sin
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Ignorance is Bliss
In Your name
Flying
Sacred Ground
Middle Man
Moving Through the Shadows-Pocket of Tears*
Nothingness
Love Rears It's Ugly Head
Times Up!
Type
Cult Of Personality
Solace of You*
*w/ Jaron Lanier
Song Wihtout Sin was the first tune and about halfway through Vern's guitar crapped out and the song came to a halt. They huddled for a sec as Super Diamond came to the rescue and got the prob taken care of, then they resumed mid-song...Jaron Lanier first came on for Pocket of Tears and was blowing his heart out, but the mic was too high and you couldn't hear him. Finally, one of the guy's with a camcorder came over and put it at better angle...Corey said Flying was actually debuted the last time the guys were in San Francisco 1-16-03...Doug was pretty vocal, yelling out San Francisco!!! a few times. He also sang some background...Vernon wore what looked like a hunter's cap for the entire show...seemed like there was debate on whether to do another song (Will was ready!) but they finally left the stage after Solace.
Setlist
thanks Mark
Song w/o Sin
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Ignorance is Bliss
In Your name
Flying
Sacred Ground
Middle Man
Moving Through the Shadows-Pocket of Tears*
Nothingness
Love Rears It's Ugly Head
Times Up!
Type
Cult Of Personality
Solace of You*
*w/ Jaron Lanier
Song Wihtout Sin was the first tune and about halfway through Vern's guitar crapped out and the song came to a halt. They huddled for a sec as Super Diamond came to the rescue and got the prob taken care of, then they resumed mid-song...Jaron Lanier first came on for Pocket of Tears and was blowing his heart out, but the mic was too high and you couldn't hear him. Finally, one of the guy's with a camcorder came over and put it at better angle...Corey said Flying was actually debuted the last time the guys were in San Francisco 1-16-03...Doug was pretty vocal, yelling out San Francisco!!! a few times. He also sang some background...Vernon wore what looked like a hunter's cap for the entire show...seemed like there was debate on whether to do another song (Will was ready!) but they finally left the stage after Solace.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
City Limits - Living Colour Preview
Living Colour's new album showcases progressive sounds
By Rob Bailey
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Living Colour has not faded - it just dropped out of the "Cult of Personality" for a rest.
After breaking down rock's race barriers with back-to-back Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989 and 1990, playing the first, groundbreaking Lollapalooza tour and selling nearly 5 million records, the band split with little fanfare in 1995.
It was for the stock reasons: exhaustion, burnout, disillusionment over becoming a "brand."
But now uber-guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Will Calhoun, bassist Doug Wimbish and singer Corey Glover are back with the "Collideoscope," a vibrant pastiche of funky genres that speaks volumes about what the members explored during their time off.
The new release never would have happened without the constant prodding - for five consecutive years - of legendary Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs.
"He kept coming back and asking, 'Would you guys be interested in getting together for one show?" Calhoun said. "We kind of blew him off for a few years, but then I realized Claude was an important guy, and for him to make that request was pretty powerful."
So then, what took so long?
"We didn't battle with each other, but the hidden battle was, 'Is there any validity now?' " said Calhoun, during a recent phone interview from New York City. "Would the new music be valid today? Would we enjoy working together? It's like running into someone you used to go out with but broke up with. Do you just get back together and do what you did the first time or do you make changes?"
The indecision factor led the superior precursor to nü-metal to ask for a "massive, ridiculous" amount of money. Calhoun said he thought that would sabotage the reunion performance and save them from failing to live up to expectations.
Still, in 2000, the band reunited under a fake name for a single set at New York City's venerable CBGBs - where Mick Jagger discovered them more than a decade before. When Nobs surprised them by agreeing to their hefty payday, Living Colour stole the 2001 Montreux show.
"It had been a few years since we'd sat down and hashed out some music," Calhoun said. "We did a year-and-a-half of gigs - not all of them great - and went through different managers and agents. It was a litmus test for our new music. Living Colour's strongest point is its live show - no album can capture us in championship mode."
It took two years for "Collideoscope" (Sanctuary Records, $18.08) to be born.
"We thought, how do we make this Living Colour project progressive and move in a positive direction?" Calhoun said. "We're not afraid of failure and taking risks. There's nothing to fear when creating art. If we're satisfied with the product, that's where it ends. If people don't dig it, you can ignore it or try to make a record they like."
During the Living Colour hiatus, Reid worked with experimentalists like DJ Logic, Glover fronted various solo funk-soul projects and Wimbush founded the abstract band Jungle Funk.
Calhoun lived with Aborigines in Australia while studying tribal music before moving to Morocco to immerse himself in the trancelike sounds of Gnawan music. His work took him from Russia (with jazz great Wayne Shorter) to the ambient art galleries (with drum and bass outfits Headfake) of the Big Apple.
Vibe's Tony Green said the players' far-flung experiences lend distinctiveness to their new art.
"Most comeback albums explain, one way or another, why the artist left in the first place," Green wrote in his Nov. 13 "Collideoscope" review. "That's especially true of rockers Living Colour, whose new album reveals them as a group that was - and still is - just too damn progressive for its own good.
"For example, the dub-influenced 'Nightmare City' and the junglist romp 'In Your Name' remind us that these cats were melding rock and electronic sounds a decade before it became martini-and-cigar-bar discussion fodder," Green raved. "For a less skilled group, such eclectic awareness might equal incoherence. Instead, 'Collideoscope' embraces all those elements. It's the hard-core thrash of 'Song Without Sin' and a crushing take on AC/DC's 'Back in Black' that pleasantly remind us that Living Colour remains, foremost, a rock group in the classic non-negotiable sense."
Of course, some reviews accused them of cashing in on the current "we're no oldies act" vibe spearheaded by '80s artists like Jane's Addiction, the Bangles and Pat Benatar promoting new CDs.
"Yeah, we've been slagged, too, but I like reading the slag reviews better because they're more entertaining," said Calhoun, laughing. "But we're very satisfied with most of the comments. In this trade today, with all of the things happening in the world and business, the fact that we can still get some press is great."
Living Colour's new album showcases progressive sounds
By Rob Bailey
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Living Colour has not faded - it just dropped out of the "Cult of Personality" for a rest.
After breaking down rock's race barriers with back-to-back Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989 and 1990, playing the first, groundbreaking Lollapalooza tour and selling nearly 5 million records, the band split with little fanfare in 1995.
It was for the stock reasons: exhaustion, burnout, disillusionment over becoming a "brand."
But now uber-guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Will Calhoun, bassist Doug Wimbish and singer Corey Glover are back with the "Collideoscope," a vibrant pastiche of funky genres that speaks volumes about what the members explored during their time off.
The new release never would have happened without the constant prodding - for five consecutive years - of legendary Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs.
"He kept coming back and asking, 'Would you guys be interested in getting together for one show?" Calhoun said. "We kind of blew him off for a few years, but then I realized Claude was an important guy, and for him to make that request was pretty powerful."
So then, what took so long?
"We didn't battle with each other, but the hidden battle was, 'Is there any validity now?' " said Calhoun, during a recent phone interview from New York City. "Would the new music be valid today? Would we enjoy working together? It's like running into someone you used to go out with but broke up with. Do you just get back together and do what you did the first time or do you make changes?"
The indecision factor led the superior precursor to nü-metal to ask for a "massive, ridiculous" amount of money. Calhoun said he thought that would sabotage the reunion performance and save them from failing to live up to expectations.
Still, in 2000, the band reunited under a fake name for a single set at New York City's venerable CBGBs - where Mick Jagger discovered them more than a decade before. When Nobs surprised them by agreeing to their hefty payday, Living Colour stole the 2001 Montreux show.
"It had been a few years since we'd sat down and hashed out some music," Calhoun said. "We did a year-and-a-half of gigs - not all of them great - and went through different managers and agents. It was a litmus test for our new music. Living Colour's strongest point is its live show - no album can capture us in championship mode."
It took two years for "Collideoscope" (Sanctuary Records, $18.08) to be born.
"We thought, how do we make this Living Colour project progressive and move in a positive direction?" Calhoun said. "We're not afraid of failure and taking risks. There's nothing to fear when creating art. If we're satisfied with the product, that's where it ends. If people don't dig it, you can ignore it or try to make a record they like."
During the Living Colour hiatus, Reid worked with experimentalists like DJ Logic, Glover fronted various solo funk-soul projects and Wimbush founded the abstract band Jungle Funk.
Calhoun lived with Aborigines in Australia while studying tribal music before moving to Morocco to immerse himself in the trancelike sounds of Gnawan music. His work took him from Russia (with jazz great Wayne Shorter) to the ambient art galleries (with drum and bass outfits Headfake) of the Big Apple.
Vibe's Tony Green said the players' far-flung experiences lend distinctiveness to their new art.
"Most comeback albums explain, one way or another, why the artist left in the first place," Green wrote in his Nov. 13 "Collideoscope" review. "That's especially true of rockers Living Colour, whose new album reveals them as a group that was - and still is - just too damn progressive for its own good.
"For example, the dub-influenced 'Nightmare City' and the junglist romp 'In Your Name' remind us that these cats were melding rock and electronic sounds a decade before it became martini-and-cigar-bar discussion fodder," Green raved. "For a less skilled group, such eclectic awareness might equal incoherence. Instead, 'Collideoscope' embraces all those elements. It's the hard-core thrash of 'Song Without Sin' and a crushing take on AC/DC's 'Back in Black' that pleasantly remind us that Living Colour remains, foremost, a rock group in the classic non-negotiable sense."
Of course, some reviews accused them of cashing in on the current "we're no oldies act" vibe spearheaded by '80s artists like Jane's Addiction, the Bangles and Pat Benatar promoting new CDs.
"Yeah, we've been slagged, too, but I like reading the slag reviews better because they're more entertaining," said Calhoun, laughing. "But we're very satisfied with most of the comments. In this trade today, with all of the things happening in the world and business, the fact that we can still get some press is great."
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Monday, November 24, 2003
Living Colour Collideoscope - North America Winter 2003 Tour underway
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Living Colour tickets can be purchased by clicking the link
NEW 2004 Living Colour tour dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer or Ticketservice
March 6, Plato, Helmond or ticketservice
March 8, Kade, Zaandam or ticketservice
March 10, Brussels, BEL Ancienne Belgique
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Living Colour tickets can be purchased by clicking the link
NEW 2004 Living Colour tour dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer or Ticketservice
March 6, Plato, Helmond or ticketservice
March 8, Kade, Zaandam or ticketservice
March 10, Brussels, BEL Ancienne Belgique
Review : 11/23/03 - Living Colour - Coach House San Juan Capistrano
thanks PfunkJazz
LC did a really great set. Fully two hours; no break. The sound was really great and sightlines were excellent. However, Coach House has the all-time shittiest seating arrangement: dinner tables right up to the edge of the stage. Best seats go to first reservatons. I was told by one of the managers: "This is our pure money area. We really discourage that behavior." That's uptitey-whitey in OC, y'know. Still, they were all pleasant and polite and laughed at most of my smart-ass remarks....
Can't say I was really pleased with the selectons. CDs available were Doug's TRIPPY NOTES, COLLIDE-O-SCOPE, Will's HOUSEWORK (solo drum) and something else. I got all these anyway so there was nothing to get. T-shirts were disappointing. The short sleeve tour tee is black with white lettering and all tour stops on the back. Just can't figure a LC short with no color. They were $20. They had (an) olive green fishing hats with black logo for $18 and black knit beanies also. Still no color! The hooded sweat pull-over was black with a med-size logo going across the chest. In-freakin' COLOR!!! I went on and copped that cuz I was freezin' my butt off and it'll be great to have when I'm at the gym. (Fishing hats might work out if ya tie-dye them).
I also met up with Dennis, the gutiar-tech, and chatted with him a bit about the tour. I also stupidly wandered up the stairs where the roadie crew was watching the Simpsons. Walked right in behind Vernon and didn't even see Corey on the couch.
The actual set was tight and sweet. ... Lordy! I'm just not used to reserved seating anymore. I wander all about the room singin' and keepin' the groove. Still, it was a blast.
Here's the setlist (verbatim) I copped off Dennis:
Song w/o Sin
Funny Vibe
Middle MAn
? of When
Operation Mind Control
** something scratched out **
Memories
Go Away
In Your Name
Flying
Sacred Ground
Nothingness
Love Rears
Holy Roller
Ignorance
Type
Time's UP
Cult
NOTES:
I was on the Vernon side of the stage. Tuesday I'll be sticking to the Doug side of things.
"Flying" was termed 9-11 love story and was played with a heavier funk accent. Will loads a click track as it fades and leads into "Sacred Ground".
"Type" added reggae flavor with Vern singing on "Police and Thieves".
"Crosstown Traffic" was the encore. Dedicated to the "designated drivers" by Vernon.
We all agree the set was a great mix of songs from their whole repertoire. The crowd was really into it, though they hadn't got up off their ass to much. They did brisk business at the merch table and the guys came out to do autographs.
Living Colour @ the Coach house Review - San Juan Capsitrano
thanks david
... They opened with Song Without Sin and it sounded great!!!! They next went into Funny Vibe!!! It has been a while since I had herd that one. The other tunes were as follows (not in order): Middle Man, Memories Can't Wait, Cult of Personality (the closer), Time's Up, Lover Rears, Type (unbelievable speed on this one.....went into reggae jam featuring Police and Thieves), A ? of When, In your Name (kicked ass), Operation Mind Control (blows the studio version to pieces) Holly Roller, Sacred Ground, Flying(beautiful and haunitng) Go Away, Ignorance is Bliss, Nothingness (majestic) and Cross-town Traffic was the encore.
The guys seemed to be having a good time. They sounded great!!!! They announced that they would stick around and sign cds. I didn't bring mine and we had a bit of a drive ahead of us but I will be hangin' out in Hollywood on Tuesday!!!
ContraCosta Times - Living Colour at Bimbo's Preview
Rap 'n' roll quartet alive, well, touring
By Yoshi Kato
TIMES CORRESPONDENT
Like the saying goes, someone surely would have invented a band like Living Colour had it not come about on its own.
Forming in the mid-'80s, Living Colour featured a charismatic vocalist in Corey Glover; a freethinking guitarist, Vernon Reid, whose considerable playing styles range from abstract to introspective to furious; and the two-headed rhythm core of stealth bass guitarist Doug Wimbish (who replaced founding member Muzz Skillings) and powerhouse drummer Will Calhoun. It was a group that, until it broke up in 1995, was a wholly different sum of its considerable parts -- one based in rock, but with metallic, funk, jazz and avant-garde seasonings.
The New York-based quartet helped establish the foundation for the rap 'n' roll movement of the late-'90s and was one of the rare African-American artists to receive modern-rock radio airplay before Lenny Kravitz and Ben Harper and, more recently, the Roots, Black Eyed Peas and OutKast.
"That's the norm," says Calhoun, about Living Colour laying the foundation for the subsequent commercial successes of others. "You have a lot of people who imitate. But there are artists that create a lot of things, a lot of sounds, a lot of ideas."
Living Colour is back to build on its own legacy, which was helped in the beginning by Mick Jagger, who championed the band by producing its first demo and having it open for the Rolling Stones on the "Steel Wheels" tour in 1989. "CollideOscope," Living Colour's fourth album and first new studio effort in 10 years, was released on Oct. 7. And the group is currently on a 12-city North American tour in support of it, making a stop Wednesday night at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco.
The two-time Grammy-winning band's restart began with Calhoun and Wimbish. The duo have a drum & bass unit called Headfake and were working on an album with guest vocalists. One was Glover, who also participated in some live Headfake dates. Headfake played with him at New York's famed CBGB club in December and brought Reid on board as a surprise special guest.
So almost three years ago, a reunited Living Colour played four of the group's songs, including its signature number "Cult of Personality." The audience was overjoyed, and the former bandmates agreed it was time to collaborate once more.
"It was a process working together again as Living Colour. Not a grueling one, but it was a process, because our heads were in a lot of places" with all the members' individual music projects, Calhoun says, during a phone call from New York. "We went through a sort of writing curve where we wrote maybe four record's worth of material before getting to 'CollideOscope' stuff. ... We had to get back into a team concept, which is what Living Colour is."
"CollideOscope" features two recognizable covers among its 15 tracks -- AC/DC's "Back in Black" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." Along with Aerosmith's "Walk This Way., The AC/DC classic was an unlikely fixture in the Harlem of Calhoun's youth.
"Outside of the early hip-hop or the inner-city communities, a lot of people don't realize that when the DJ thing just starting to take off, there wasn't a party where 'Walk This Way' and 'Back in Black' weren't spun," he says. "So we have an older, '70s connection with that song, outside of being fans of the band."
PREVIEW
• WHO: Living Colour, with Tony C and the Truth
• WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday
• WHERE: Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave., S.F.
• HOW MUCH: $20
• CONTACT: 762-BASS, www.tickets.com
Bimbo's Website
FW Weekly : Collideoscope Review
Living Colour
Collideoscope
(Sanctuary Records)
By Ken Shimamoto
When the members of Living Colour rip into AC/DC's "Back in Black" in the middle of their new c.d., Collideoscope, the effect is jarring. Almost as jarring, maybe as the times toward the end of their initial run when they shared stages with the Rolling Stones and Guns 'N Roses. Here were these NYC brothas with sensibilities broad enough to encompass rock, jazz, funk, and hip-hop, proudly playing the shit out of metallic rock like they owned it. This was metal, but with a difference. The wildest flights by guitarist Vernon Reid (from Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society) could veer into the out-of-control atonality of Sonny Sharrock, Corey Glover's voice was more melodic than your average metalhead's shriek or growl, and the supple interaction between the riddim section -- drummer Will Calhoun (a Berklee alum) and bassist Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Records' house four-stringer) -- was about roll as much as rock. Living Colour with mainstreamers like the Stones and GNR? What the funk?
These guys have specialized in socially conscious roar and thump since their breakthrough Clear Channel/MTV hit "Cult of Personality" (although their sophomore c.d. Time's Up was a
stronger statement), and they continue in that vein here with tunes like "Operation Mind Control" ("It's the battle for America's soul") and "Nightmare City." The shadow of 9/11 hangs over Collideoscope like a pall. "Flying" trumps every other song inspired by that day, eschewing jingoistic claptrap and focusing instead on the human dimension of the tragedy.
"? Of When" addresses "homeland security" paranoia, while "In Your Name" calls out the makers of the "war on terrorism" with more subtlety than either Dylan's "Masters of War" or Ozzy's "War Pigs."
More to the point, Living Colour can still deliver the musical goods. Reid takes a back seat to nobody in the shred sweepstakes, Glover's lost none of his impressive range or leather-lunged power, and the Calhoun-Wimbish engine room alternately pounds like a jackhammer and careens like a runaway locomotive. As Glover sings on "Choices Mash Up," "This is what you want, this is what you get."
HearSay - Living Colour Collideoscope Review
What set Living Colour apart from other rockers of the early ’90s wasn't their skin color, but their smarts. Both lyrically and musically, they crammed more ideas into their best songs than most bands ever had, period. At times, though, the end result buckled under the weight of all those jazz, hip-hop and experimental flourishes. Collideoscope, their first CD in eight years, is a clean, focused distillation of everything Living Colour does best. The dabbling in non-rock influences is present, but doesn't get in the way of the fresh, crisp rocking going on.
The 9/11 attacks still weigh heavily on their minds, giving their social consciousness a platform. "Operation Mind Control" and "Choices Mash Up" (the latter quoting Public Image Ltd.) torch mass media, while "? of When" and "In Your Name" do the same to militaristic foreign policy. In the middle of all those big statements, however, comes "Flying," a deeply felt ballad about two lives lost on that day that steers clear of sappiness or simple-minded sentiment. The two covers make sense for the band, but for different reasons. On one level, four black rockers doing AC/DC's "Back in Black" seems like an obvious choice, but where a band like Fishbone might play it for irony, Living Colour plays it straight, virtually note-for-note at that (and proving for any doubters that they can still rock out). Their take on the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a vehicle for guitarist Vernon Reid and bassist/beats and ambiance guy Doug Wimbish to dig deep into their bags of sonic tricks. They still get a little preachy and melodramatic here and there, but if this is any indication, the other volumes of stuff they recorded at their reunion sessions ought to be well worth the wait. --
Grade: B
By Mark Reynolds
thanks PfunkJazz
LC did a really great set. Fully two hours; no break. The sound was really great and sightlines were excellent. However, Coach House has the all-time shittiest seating arrangement: dinner tables right up to the edge of the stage. Best seats go to first reservatons. I was told by one of the managers: "This is our pure money area. We really discourage that behavior." That's uptitey-whitey in OC, y'know. Still, they were all pleasant and polite and laughed at most of my smart-ass remarks....
Can't say I was really pleased with the selectons. CDs available were Doug's TRIPPY NOTES, COLLIDE-O-SCOPE, Will's HOUSEWORK (solo drum) and something else. I got all these anyway so there was nothing to get. T-shirts were disappointing. The short sleeve tour tee is black with white lettering and all tour stops on the back. Just can't figure a LC short with no color. They were $20. They had (an) olive green fishing hats with black logo for $18 and black knit beanies also. Still no color! The hooded sweat pull-over was black with a med-size logo going across the chest. In-freakin' COLOR!!! I went on and copped that cuz I was freezin' my butt off and it'll be great to have when I'm at the gym. (Fishing hats might work out if ya tie-dye them).
I also met up with Dennis, the gutiar-tech, and chatted with him a bit about the tour. I also stupidly wandered up the stairs where the roadie crew was watching the Simpsons. Walked right in behind Vernon and didn't even see Corey on the couch.
The actual set was tight and sweet. ... Lordy! I'm just not used to reserved seating anymore. I wander all about the room singin' and keepin' the groove. Still, it was a blast.
Here's the setlist (verbatim) I copped off Dennis:
Song w/o Sin
Funny Vibe
Middle MAn
? of When
Operation Mind Control
** something scratched out **
Memories
Go Away
In Your Name
Flying
Sacred Ground
Nothingness
Love Rears
Holy Roller
Ignorance
Type
Time's UP
Cult
NOTES:
I was on the Vernon side of the stage. Tuesday I'll be sticking to the Doug side of things.
"Flying" was termed 9-11 love story and was played with a heavier funk accent. Will loads a click track as it fades and leads into "Sacred Ground".
"Type" added reggae flavor with Vern singing on "Police and Thieves".
"Crosstown Traffic" was the encore. Dedicated to the "designated drivers" by Vernon.
We all agree the set was a great mix of songs from their whole repertoire. The crowd was really into it, though they hadn't got up off their ass to much. They did brisk business at the merch table and the guys came out to do autographs.
Living Colour @ the Coach house Review - San Juan Capsitrano
thanks david
... They opened with Song Without Sin and it sounded great!!!! They next went into Funny Vibe!!! It has been a while since I had herd that one. The other tunes were as follows (not in order): Middle Man, Memories Can't Wait, Cult of Personality (the closer), Time's Up, Lover Rears, Type (unbelievable speed on this one.....went into reggae jam featuring Police and Thieves), A ? of When, In your Name (kicked ass), Operation Mind Control (blows the studio version to pieces) Holly Roller, Sacred Ground, Flying(beautiful and haunitng) Go Away, Ignorance is Bliss, Nothingness (majestic) and Cross-town Traffic was the encore.
The guys seemed to be having a good time. They sounded great!!!! They announced that they would stick around and sign cds. I didn't bring mine and we had a bit of a drive ahead of us but I will be hangin' out in Hollywood on Tuesday!!!
ContraCosta Times - Living Colour at Bimbo's Preview
Rap 'n' roll quartet alive, well, touring
By Yoshi Kato
TIMES CORRESPONDENT
Like the saying goes, someone surely would have invented a band like Living Colour had it not come about on its own.
Forming in the mid-'80s, Living Colour featured a charismatic vocalist in Corey Glover; a freethinking guitarist, Vernon Reid, whose considerable playing styles range from abstract to introspective to furious; and the two-headed rhythm core of stealth bass guitarist Doug Wimbish (who replaced founding member Muzz Skillings) and powerhouse drummer Will Calhoun. It was a group that, until it broke up in 1995, was a wholly different sum of its considerable parts -- one based in rock, but with metallic, funk, jazz and avant-garde seasonings.
The New York-based quartet helped establish the foundation for the rap 'n' roll movement of the late-'90s and was one of the rare African-American artists to receive modern-rock radio airplay before Lenny Kravitz and Ben Harper and, more recently, the Roots, Black Eyed Peas and OutKast.
"That's the norm," says Calhoun, about Living Colour laying the foundation for the subsequent commercial successes of others. "You have a lot of people who imitate. But there are artists that create a lot of things, a lot of sounds, a lot of ideas."
Living Colour is back to build on its own legacy, which was helped in the beginning by Mick Jagger, who championed the band by producing its first demo and having it open for the Rolling Stones on the "Steel Wheels" tour in 1989. "CollideOscope," Living Colour's fourth album and first new studio effort in 10 years, was released on Oct. 7. And the group is currently on a 12-city North American tour in support of it, making a stop Wednesday night at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco.
The two-time Grammy-winning band's restart began with Calhoun and Wimbish. The duo have a drum & bass unit called Headfake and were working on an album with guest vocalists. One was Glover, who also participated in some live Headfake dates. Headfake played with him at New York's famed CBGB club in December and brought Reid on board as a surprise special guest.
So almost three years ago, a reunited Living Colour played four of the group's songs, including its signature number "Cult of Personality." The audience was overjoyed, and the former bandmates agreed it was time to collaborate once more.
"It was a process working together again as Living Colour. Not a grueling one, but it was a process, because our heads were in a lot of places" with all the members' individual music projects, Calhoun says, during a phone call from New York. "We went through a sort of writing curve where we wrote maybe four record's worth of material before getting to 'CollideOscope' stuff. ... We had to get back into a team concept, which is what Living Colour is."
"CollideOscope" features two recognizable covers among its 15 tracks -- AC/DC's "Back in Black" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." Along with Aerosmith's "Walk This Way., The AC/DC classic was an unlikely fixture in the Harlem of Calhoun's youth.
"Outside of the early hip-hop or the inner-city communities, a lot of people don't realize that when the DJ thing just starting to take off, there wasn't a party where 'Walk This Way' and 'Back in Black' weren't spun," he says. "So we have an older, '70s connection with that song, outside of being fans of the band."
PREVIEW
• WHO: Living Colour, with Tony C and the Truth
• WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday
• WHERE: Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave., S.F.
• HOW MUCH: $20
• CONTACT: 762-BASS, www.tickets.com
Bimbo's Website
FW Weekly : Collideoscope Review
Living Colour
Collideoscope
(Sanctuary Records)
By Ken Shimamoto
When the members of Living Colour rip into AC/DC's "Back in Black" in the middle of their new c.d., Collideoscope, the effect is jarring. Almost as jarring, maybe as the times toward the end of their initial run when they shared stages with the Rolling Stones and Guns 'N Roses. Here were these NYC brothas with sensibilities broad enough to encompass rock, jazz, funk, and hip-hop, proudly playing the shit out of metallic rock like they owned it. This was metal, but with a difference. The wildest flights by guitarist Vernon Reid (from Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society) could veer into the out-of-control atonality of Sonny Sharrock, Corey Glover's voice was more melodic than your average metalhead's shriek or growl, and the supple interaction between the riddim section -- drummer Will Calhoun (a Berklee alum) and bassist Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Records' house four-stringer) -- was about roll as much as rock. Living Colour with mainstreamers like the Stones and GNR? What the funk?
These guys have specialized in socially conscious roar and thump since their breakthrough Clear Channel/MTV hit "Cult of Personality" (although their sophomore c.d. Time's Up was a
stronger statement), and they continue in that vein here with tunes like "Operation Mind Control" ("It's the battle for America's soul") and "Nightmare City." The shadow of 9/11 hangs over Collideoscope like a pall. "Flying" trumps every other song inspired by that day, eschewing jingoistic claptrap and focusing instead on the human dimension of the tragedy.
"? Of When" addresses "homeland security" paranoia, while "In Your Name" calls out the makers of the "war on terrorism" with more subtlety than either Dylan's "Masters of War" or Ozzy's "War Pigs."
More to the point, Living Colour can still deliver the musical goods. Reid takes a back seat to nobody in the shred sweepstakes, Glover's lost none of his impressive range or leather-lunged power, and the Calhoun-Wimbish engine room alternately pounds like a jackhammer and careens like a runaway locomotive. As Glover sings on "Choices Mash Up," "This is what you want, this is what you get."
HearSay - Living Colour Collideoscope Review
What set Living Colour apart from other rockers of the early ’90s wasn't their skin color, but their smarts. Both lyrically and musically, they crammed more ideas into their best songs than most bands ever had, period. At times, though, the end result buckled under the weight of all those jazz, hip-hop and experimental flourishes. Collideoscope, their first CD in eight years, is a clean, focused distillation of everything Living Colour does best. The dabbling in non-rock influences is present, but doesn't get in the way of the fresh, crisp rocking going on.
The 9/11 attacks still weigh heavily on their minds, giving their social consciousness a platform. "Operation Mind Control" and "Choices Mash Up" (the latter quoting Public Image Ltd.) torch mass media, while "? of When" and "In Your Name" do the same to militaristic foreign policy. In the middle of all those big statements, however, comes "Flying," a deeply felt ballad about two lives lost on that day that steers clear of sappiness or simple-minded sentiment. The two covers make sense for the band, but for different reasons. On one level, four black rockers doing AC/DC's "Back in Black" seems like an obvious choice, but where a band like Fishbone might play it for irony, Living Colour plays it straight, virtually note-for-note at that (and proving for any doubters that they can still rock out). Their take on the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a vehicle for guitarist Vernon Reid and bassist/beats and ambiance guy Doug Wimbish to dig deep into their bags of sonic tricks. They still get a little preachy and melodramatic here and there, but if this is any indication, the other volumes of stuff they recorded at their reunion sessions ought to be well worth the wait. --
Grade: B
By Mark Reynolds
Friday, November 21, 2003
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Living Colour Store NOW OPEN!
Order Collideoscope, or pick up an official Living Colour beanie or floppy hat!
Show 'em that Living Colour is back!
Holiday season is right around the corner.
Order Collideoscope, or pick up an official Living Colour beanie or floppy hat!
Show 'em that Living Colour is back!
Holiday season is right around the corner.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Living Colour Collideoscope Tour 2003 - North America
On Sale NOW!
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House or click here.
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limitsor City Limits tix site
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
(to purchase tickets, click on the links)
NEW 2004 Netherland dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer tickets
www.ticketservice.nl
March 6, Plato, Helmond
March 8, Kade, Zaandam www.ticketservice.nl
Living Colour Collideoscope DVD-audio
This special DVD feature includes 24 bit/96 kHz DVD-Audio and 24 bit/48 kHz Dolby Digital 5.1 options, 5.1 Surround sound, exclusive behind the scenes Bonus Video footage, photo gallery, lyrics and more.
On Sale NOW!
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House or click here.
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limitsor City Limits tix site
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom and ticketweb
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
(to purchase tickets, click on the links)
NEW 2004 Netherland dates
March 4, Hedon, Zwolle no tickets yet
March 5, Boerderij, Zoetermeer tickets
www.ticketservice.nl
March 6, Plato, Helmond
March 8, Kade, Zaandam www.ticketservice.nl
Living Colour Collideoscope DVD-audio
This special DVD feature includes 24 bit/96 kHz DVD-Audio and 24 bit/48 kHz Dolby Digital 5.1 options, 5.1 Surround sound, exclusive behind the scenes Bonus Video footage, photo gallery, lyrics and more.
2 tickets for the price of 1
Tuesday Only - 10am to 10pm
If you haven't bought your tix for the LA show, here's your chance....
House of Blues and Coors Light Live present this special offer available on Tuesdays only, from 10am - 10pm. Buy one ticket to any of the shows listed below and receive the second ticket free. (subject to availability, while supplies last) Questions? Read the FAQ.
Living Colour
with Tony C and the Truth and Scenic
$22.50
House of Blues Sunset Strip
West Hollywood, CA
Tuesday Only - 10am to 10pm
If you haven't bought your tix for the LA show, here's your chance....
House of Blues and Coors Light Live present this special offer available on Tuesdays only, from 10am - 10pm. Buy one ticket to any of the shows listed below and receive the second ticket free. (subject to availability, while supplies last) Questions? Read the FAQ.
Living Colour
with Tony C and the Truth and Scenic
$22.50
House of Blues Sunset Strip
West Hollywood, CA
Monday, November 17, 2003
Amplified-online Artist of the Month - Living Colour (article)
Welcome back to London, it's been 10 long years since 'Stain' was released!
What's been happening since?
"Thanks it's good to be back! Well after 1994 we've decided to take a short break from the band and do things that we wanted to do but previously didn't have the time. Will went travelling around the world while Doug and Vernon were busy with their own projects...two years ago we finally decided to get back together and see what we could come up with. We are not getting any younger ha ha so we thought we better not waste any more time..."
'Collideoscope' is a very fresh yet dark sounding album - when did the actual writing process start?
"We started writing about two years ago, then we did a short tour and came up with a substantial amount of new material, but for this record we wanted to stay focused and go for a specific type of sound so we had to leave few songs out."
Musically, what would you say were your influences, if any, for this album? Any new bands you've been listening to?
"There's a lot of good stuff out there now, but to be honest I think we mainly influenced each other, as we are all into different things. We would come into the studio and listen to each others' little ideas and songs...we would then take a little bit of this and a bit of that, so it developed into our own unique sound."
You are famous for bringing more intellectual and heavier themes to rock music. Listening to the album it seems to follow the same tradition - lyrically, what was the main inspiration behind it?
"We just looked around at the stuff that's happening around us now, the issues in the world and how it is changing. There are songs on there like 'Great Expectations' and 'Pocket Of Tears' that deal with the fact that world moves on without you and there's not much you can do about it..."
Was September 11th an influence?
"Oh most definitely! It had a very big influence on the mood of the album and the lyrical content."
Back In Black is a very famous rock song, why did you decide to include it on the album?
"We've been playing around with the idea for some time but never got round doing it until now. It's a great rock song and I think with our version it sort of took up a different, more ironic meaning; we sort of made it our own."
Are you pleased with the way the album came out then?
"Yeah we're very proud it! But I don't think it should be looked at as the be all and end all of Living Colour albums. You should take it as an album that just continues on where we left - another piece for the Living Colour collage so to speak. It shows where we are as a band right now..."
How do you see Living Colour fitting in the music scene today?
"well we have never been part of any scene before, we always did our own thing. When we started playing, people tried to categorise us into different groups such as Black
Metal Funk but I don't think you can really do that, as one minute we could be playing funk, next minute it could be hard rock and then who knows? Wherever the musical journey takes us...people should just take us for who we are..."
Was it hard to choose what songs to play on the new tour?
"We tried to balance it out. Obviously we would like to play a fair bit of the new material, but we've also kept in the classic Living Colour songs. It's kinda interesting with Doug being in the band... There are songs that we've never played together live before such as Information Overload and Which way to America that we'll be playing on this tour. Generally we have kept the songs in their original format and only changed few arrangements here and there."
Are you still on good terms with Muzz?
"Yeah very much so, I have actually spoken to him about 7 months ago and he's doing really well and still playing occasionally..."
Any chance of a reunion at some point?
"You never know...we always keep an open mind"
Ok so you've recorded a new album and doing a tour, will this be the end of Living Colour yet again or have you got plans to go on?
"We are in the middle of a European tour right now after which we get few days rest and then do the tour around the States. Then the plan is to go to South America and come back to Europe around March. We're planning to tour this album for a year after which we hopefully get back into the studio and start the whole process again..."
Living Colour never had a live album released before - is there a chance we get to see or hear one in the near future?
"Yeah, we'll be making a live DVD with our best stuff in the very near future, hopefully next year featuring footage from our current tour... We are trying to compile something that will represent the band and the music that we have created over the years..."
Any messages you would like to give to the Living Colour fans?
"Thanks for being out there and just come down and check us out!"
(20-10-03 By Lenny Kalcic)
Welcome back to London, it's been 10 long years since 'Stain' was released!
What's been happening since?
"Thanks it's good to be back! Well after 1994 we've decided to take a short break from the band and do things that we wanted to do but previously didn't have the time. Will went travelling around the world while Doug and Vernon were busy with their own projects...two years ago we finally decided to get back together and see what we could come up with. We are not getting any younger ha ha so we thought we better not waste any more time..."
'Collideoscope' is a very fresh yet dark sounding album - when did the actual writing process start?
"We started writing about two years ago, then we did a short tour and came up with a substantial amount of new material, but for this record we wanted to stay focused and go for a specific type of sound so we had to leave few songs out."
Musically, what would you say were your influences, if any, for this album? Any new bands you've been listening to?
"There's a lot of good stuff out there now, but to be honest I think we mainly influenced each other, as we are all into different things. We would come into the studio and listen to each others' little ideas and songs...we would then take a little bit of this and a bit of that, so it developed into our own unique sound."
You are famous for bringing more intellectual and heavier themes to rock music. Listening to the album it seems to follow the same tradition - lyrically, what was the main inspiration behind it?
"We just looked around at the stuff that's happening around us now, the issues in the world and how it is changing. There are songs on there like 'Great Expectations' and 'Pocket Of Tears' that deal with the fact that world moves on without you and there's not much you can do about it..."
Was September 11th an influence?
"Oh most definitely! It had a very big influence on the mood of the album and the lyrical content."
Back In Black is a very famous rock song, why did you decide to include it on the album?
"We've been playing around with the idea for some time but never got round doing it until now. It's a great rock song and I think with our version it sort of took up a different, more ironic meaning; we sort of made it our own."
Are you pleased with the way the album came out then?
"Yeah we're very proud it! But I don't think it should be looked at as the be all and end all of Living Colour albums. You should take it as an album that just continues on where we left - another piece for the Living Colour collage so to speak. It shows where we are as a band right now..."
How do you see Living Colour fitting in the music scene today?
"well we have never been part of any scene before, we always did our own thing. When we started playing, people tried to categorise us into different groups such as Black
Metal Funk but I don't think you can really do that, as one minute we could be playing funk, next minute it could be hard rock and then who knows? Wherever the musical journey takes us...people should just take us for who we are..."
Was it hard to choose what songs to play on the new tour?
"We tried to balance it out. Obviously we would like to play a fair bit of the new material, but we've also kept in the classic Living Colour songs. It's kinda interesting with Doug being in the band... There are songs that we've never played together live before such as Information Overload and Which way to America that we'll be playing on this tour. Generally we have kept the songs in their original format and only changed few arrangements here and there."
Are you still on good terms with Muzz?
"Yeah very much so, I have actually spoken to him about 7 months ago and he's doing really well and still playing occasionally..."
Any chance of a reunion at some point?
"You never know...we always keep an open mind"
Ok so you've recorded a new album and doing a tour, will this be the end of Living Colour yet again or have you got plans to go on?
"We are in the middle of a European tour right now after which we get few days rest and then do the tour around the States. Then the plan is to go to South America and come back to Europe around March. We're planning to tour this album for a year after which we hopefully get back into the studio and start the whole process again..."
Living Colour never had a live album released before - is there a chance we get to see or hear one in the near future?
"Yeah, we'll be making a live DVD with our best stuff in the very near future, hopefully next year featuring footage from our current tour... We are trying to compile something that will represent the band and the music that we have created over the years..."
Any messages you would like to give to the Living Colour fans?
"Thanks for being out there and just come down and check us out!"
(20-10-03 By Lenny Kalcic)
Saturday, November 15, 2003
2004 Living Colour concert dates
Thanks Ferd!
March 4 2003: venue: Hedon, city: Zwolle
March 6, 2004: Plato , Helmond, The Netherlands - € 22,00
Ticketservice.nl
March 8, 2004: Kade, Zaandam, The Netherlands - € 22,00
(presale starts Nov 20)
Fufkin interview w/ Corey Glover
Robert Pally:
November 2003
The Living Colour Interview
After a break of 10 years Living Colour return with a new album. In this interview singer Corey Glover talks about 9.11, being influential, fear and black rock bands.
Robert Pally: Obvious question: Why did Living Colour reform?
Corey Glover: Because we thought it was time. Its always been something that a sort of hang over our heads, the idea of Living Colour. And what Living Colour meant to people and what it meant to us. So we had to address that in some way. We did it and it turned better than we expected it to be.
RP: "Collideoscope" is a mixture of many styles. There is rock, funk, jazz, reggae, drum'n'bass. I read somewhere you split up because you couldn't agree on the musical direction. The new album sounds like a mixture of Living Colour & the solo work from the single members.
CG: I think that is what we did on our last record "Times up". "Staind" was like that too.
RP: I agree, but "Collideoscope" is more diverse.
CG: We didn't break up because we couldn't find a musical direction. We broke up because we couldn't speak to one and another. That was it more than anything else. We couldn't communicate on musical ideas to one an other. Which made it difficult to do this kind of music. Because there are so many styles and there are so many things we want to say. Personally I think it was necessary for us to take a break. We needed to explore our own ideas. And figure out what was happening with us. And take our own musical steps on our own. In that time Will and Doug I have never stop playing together. Vernon went out to explore his musical life. I went out an had a solo career. I tried to make sense of my myself. So when I came back to this whole it would be a little more concise, a lot more concise.
RP: How important is Living Colour for the band? Considering that all of you are involved in other projects?
CG:. Living Colour is our collective voice. It is our collective experiences. Our individual experiences / voices are something slightly different. They are not what Living Colour is. This is at my estimation a little more powerful because it is a combination of voices and ideas. At this point Living Colour is our main gig / thing. This is the gig that sustains us at this point. That doesn't mean that we are going to stop. As a matter of fact when we get back we gonna tour the States. After that Will and Doug will come back here to Europe and tour with Head Fake. Vernon will go out and do some stuff on his own and with DJ Logic. And I am going to do some stuff with my band. What is different now is that we gonna make a concerned effort not to let our lives individual, personal and collective interfere with each other.
RP:. "Collideoscope" doesn't sound like safe playing. Was it a conscious thing to leave out the poppy side of your old albums?
CG:. No, we are not a Pop-Metal band.
RP: But you had songs like that. For example "Ignorance is bliss", "Leave it alone", "Nothingness", "Someone like you" or "Ology".
CG: We could have done songs like that but that wouldn't have been us. "Times up" for example has a songs on it like "Times up" or "Information overload". Also has "Love rears its ugly head" which is obviously a sort of bluesy R'n'B thing. It has "Elvis is dead" which a sort of an homage to James Brown. We are not a Pop-Metal band. We never were. We are a Hardrock band.
RP: What you do now is more diverse, experimental and raw compared to earlier material. For example I don't see a single
CG: If you listen to a System Of A Down record you probably wouldn't hear a single either. The same with the albums of POD. Pop music is what people make of it. Pop stands for popular music. What people dig and what people don't dig. We always had a hard road to home. We fought hard for our audience. When people heard "Vivid" they thought that it doesn't make any sense. For the time, it was 1989, it was different. Same thing with "Times up" and "Staind". Its has always been slow burn with us. And I am sure this time it's the same. We were never a band that people immediately loved.
RP: It is written that you paved the way for bands like Rage Against The Machine, Sevendust and others. Where do you actually see your influences today?
CG: For me we are a part of a long line of bands that go way back to the beginning of rock music. We came on the heels of P-Funk, Mothers Finest and obviously the Band Brains (now Soul Brains). We came along, Fishbone came along, 24-7 Spyz came along and Pantera came along. We are part of continuum. It's a line. We wouldn't be here if P-Funk wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here if Red Hot Chilli Peppers were not here. We are a part of a line that continues on with Sevendust, Rage Against The Machine, POD, Incubus and other bands. We were not the first to start it and definitely won't be the last.
RP: Many young people that listen to music now will not go further back than maybe you. And they say, well this band must be influenced by you. They don't see that there is Jimi Hendrix or even further back, Link Wray.
CG:. There is a whole bunch of people that you can go back to. People only see things that go back 10 to 15 years. If you look back 30 years you will see where we came from.
RP: 11. of September is important topic on "Collideoscope". What has this terrorist attack changed in Living Colour?
CG: Its not really as much about 11. of September than it is about 10. of September, 12. of September or the 13. of September. It's the day before and the day after. That day has its own singularity. We are talking about the days, years, decades and millennium after that. Those are our concerns. 11. of September happened, its gone. The effects from that day are still influencing the world. Its almost like that was our welcoming into the new millennium. We are dealing more with that than anything else. Since then we live in a constant state of apprehension and fear because of how somebody looks like. We have been told that there is something over there that is gonna get you. And that it is gonna get you if you stay here too. To get ride of that you have to look inside yourself and say: I don't live in that place and I don't feel that way. I don't feel that I have to fear that place. That fears is an internal organism, not an external one. If you deal with it that way you transcend a lot of that stuff. We are trying to tell the people: yeah, they are watching you. Ultimately, what is it gonna do? A song like "A ? of when" talks about the fear. A song like "Pocket of tears" says that tomorrow is not promised to you. The sun is gonna shine, its gonna rain on a rainy day, its gonna be cold in the winter time. Either you are here or not here. So you might as well keep going. You are gonna be here whether you are black, white, yellow or brown….just keep going.
RP: You are covering "Back in Black" by AC-DC. The Australian band is pretty sexist. Something that really does not fit into the world of Living Colour. Was there irony involved when you decided to cover it?
CG: Obviously there is some irony in it. Just think of the title "Back in black". We are happen to be black. There are mentions about lynching in the song. Of course it's a little tongue and cheek but we always thought about this song. We first had the idea to cover it when we put out the EP "Biscuits".
RP: Is the Black Rock Coalition still active or reactivated?
CG: They have never stopped. They are doing a lot more stuff locally. Within the context of helping local bands, doing seminars and educating local musicians on what is going on in that community. If would suggest that you go to the website but unfortunately it is down. It will be re launched soon.
RP: It is still not very common for a black band to play rock. Black people are still connected to styles like Hip Hop or R'n'B.
CG: That is not true. There are lots of black artist playing Rock music.
RP: Maybe in the US but not here in Europe.
CG: (smiles) There are many more bands here in Europe.
RP: I tell you a story that the English singer Roachford once told me. He was in America on a record company party. A guy from a label asked him what kind of music he plays. He said: I play rock music. The guy said then: You will never make it. As a black artist you have to play Rap or R'n'B.
And how many known black rock bands are there? Bad Brains, Fishbone, 24-7 Spys, Mothers Finest and you. Not more.
CG: It's a process. What we are trying to get to really is a point were race is not a issue. Unfortunately, race is still an issue in almost anything. We are trying to get to a point where it doesn't matter. Where it is about context. But there are tons of bands out there. I mentioned POD or Pantera. Both have colored members. The issue of race often clouds the issue of content. We want the people to talk about the song or the music. This issues of race are irrelevant in emotional content of where it comes from. Their experiences based on their particular ethic background doesn't affect how they deal with it. Its funny that they don't bring that up when they talk about Carlos Santana. He is a rock artist. His beginnings in Mexico are not relevant in the context of him because its gone beyond that idea. We raised that issue almost 13 years and people are still talking about it. Living Colour has stopped talking about it long ago.
A Private Lesson w/ Vernon Reid - from Guitar Player 1991
*requires Adobe Reader
Will Calhoun and Jaron Lanier : Techniscules mp3 LIVE @ NYC Knitting Factory
Thanks Ferd!
March 4 2003: venue: Hedon, city: Zwolle
March 6, 2004: Plato , Helmond, The Netherlands - € 22,00
Ticketservice.nl
March 8, 2004: Kade, Zaandam, The Netherlands - € 22,00
(presale starts Nov 20)
Fufkin interview w/ Corey Glover
Robert Pally:
November 2003
The Living Colour Interview
After a break of 10 years Living Colour return with a new album. In this interview singer Corey Glover talks about 9.11, being influential, fear and black rock bands.
Robert Pally: Obvious question: Why did Living Colour reform?
Corey Glover: Because we thought it was time. Its always been something that a sort of hang over our heads, the idea of Living Colour. And what Living Colour meant to people and what it meant to us. So we had to address that in some way. We did it and it turned better than we expected it to be.
RP: "Collideoscope" is a mixture of many styles. There is rock, funk, jazz, reggae, drum'n'bass. I read somewhere you split up because you couldn't agree on the musical direction. The new album sounds like a mixture of Living Colour & the solo work from the single members.
CG: I think that is what we did on our last record "Times up". "Staind" was like that too.
RP: I agree, but "Collideoscope" is more diverse.
CG: We didn't break up because we couldn't find a musical direction. We broke up because we couldn't speak to one and another. That was it more than anything else. We couldn't communicate on musical ideas to one an other. Which made it difficult to do this kind of music. Because there are so many styles and there are so many things we want to say. Personally I think it was necessary for us to take a break. We needed to explore our own ideas. And figure out what was happening with us. And take our own musical steps on our own. In that time Will and Doug I have never stop playing together. Vernon went out to explore his musical life. I went out an had a solo career. I tried to make sense of my myself. So when I came back to this whole it would be a little more concise, a lot more concise.
RP: How important is Living Colour for the band? Considering that all of you are involved in other projects?
CG:. Living Colour is our collective voice. It is our collective experiences. Our individual experiences / voices are something slightly different. They are not what Living Colour is. This is at my estimation a little more powerful because it is a combination of voices and ideas. At this point Living Colour is our main gig / thing. This is the gig that sustains us at this point. That doesn't mean that we are going to stop. As a matter of fact when we get back we gonna tour the States. After that Will and Doug will come back here to Europe and tour with Head Fake. Vernon will go out and do some stuff on his own and with DJ Logic. And I am going to do some stuff with my band. What is different now is that we gonna make a concerned effort not to let our lives individual, personal and collective interfere with each other.
RP:. "Collideoscope" doesn't sound like safe playing. Was it a conscious thing to leave out the poppy side of your old albums?
CG:. No, we are not a Pop-Metal band.
RP: But you had songs like that. For example "Ignorance is bliss", "Leave it alone", "Nothingness", "Someone like you" or "Ology".
CG: We could have done songs like that but that wouldn't have been us. "Times up" for example has a songs on it like "Times up" or "Information overload". Also has "Love rears its ugly head" which is obviously a sort of bluesy R'n'B thing. It has "Elvis is dead" which a sort of an homage to James Brown. We are not a Pop-Metal band. We never were. We are a Hardrock band.
RP: What you do now is more diverse, experimental and raw compared to earlier material. For example I don't see a single
CG: If you listen to a System Of A Down record you probably wouldn't hear a single either. The same with the albums of POD. Pop music is what people make of it. Pop stands for popular music. What people dig and what people don't dig. We always had a hard road to home. We fought hard for our audience. When people heard "Vivid" they thought that it doesn't make any sense. For the time, it was 1989, it was different. Same thing with "Times up" and "Staind". Its has always been slow burn with us. And I am sure this time it's the same. We were never a band that people immediately loved.
RP: It is written that you paved the way for bands like Rage Against The Machine, Sevendust and others. Where do you actually see your influences today?
CG: For me we are a part of a long line of bands that go way back to the beginning of rock music. We came on the heels of P-Funk, Mothers Finest and obviously the Band Brains (now Soul Brains). We came along, Fishbone came along, 24-7 Spyz came along and Pantera came along. We are part of continuum. It's a line. We wouldn't be here if P-Funk wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here if Red Hot Chilli Peppers were not here. We are a part of a line that continues on with Sevendust, Rage Against The Machine, POD, Incubus and other bands. We were not the first to start it and definitely won't be the last.
RP: Many young people that listen to music now will not go further back than maybe you. And they say, well this band must be influenced by you. They don't see that there is Jimi Hendrix or even further back, Link Wray.
CG:. There is a whole bunch of people that you can go back to. People only see things that go back 10 to 15 years. If you look back 30 years you will see where we came from.
RP: 11. of September is important topic on "Collideoscope". What has this terrorist attack changed in Living Colour?
CG: Its not really as much about 11. of September than it is about 10. of September, 12. of September or the 13. of September. It's the day before and the day after. That day has its own singularity. We are talking about the days, years, decades and millennium after that. Those are our concerns. 11. of September happened, its gone. The effects from that day are still influencing the world. Its almost like that was our welcoming into the new millennium. We are dealing more with that than anything else. Since then we live in a constant state of apprehension and fear because of how somebody looks like. We have been told that there is something over there that is gonna get you. And that it is gonna get you if you stay here too. To get ride of that you have to look inside yourself and say: I don't live in that place and I don't feel that way. I don't feel that I have to fear that place. That fears is an internal organism, not an external one. If you deal with it that way you transcend a lot of that stuff. We are trying to tell the people: yeah, they are watching you. Ultimately, what is it gonna do? A song like "A ? of when" talks about the fear. A song like "Pocket of tears" says that tomorrow is not promised to you. The sun is gonna shine, its gonna rain on a rainy day, its gonna be cold in the winter time. Either you are here or not here. So you might as well keep going. You are gonna be here whether you are black, white, yellow or brown….just keep going.
RP: You are covering "Back in Black" by AC-DC. The Australian band is pretty sexist. Something that really does not fit into the world of Living Colour. Was there irony involved when you decided to cover it?
CG: Obviously there is some irony in it. Just think of the title "Back in black". We are happen to be black. There are mentions about lynching in the song. Of course it's a little tongue and cheek but we always thought about this song. We first had the idea to cover it when we put out the EP "Biscuits".
RP: Is the Black Rock Coalition still active or reactivated?
CG: They have never stopped. They are doing a lot more stuff locally. Within the context of helping local bands, doing seminars and educating local musicians on what is going on in that community. If would suggest that you go to the website but unfortunately it is down. It will be re launched soon.
RP: It is still not very common for a black band to play rock. Black people are still connected to styles like Hip Hop or R'n'B.
CG: That is not true. There are lots of black artist playing Rock music.
RP: Maybe in the US but not here in Europe.
CG: (smiles) There are many more bands here in Europe.
RP: I tell you a story that the English singer Roachford once told me. He was in America on a record company party. A guy from a label asked him what kind of music he plays. He said: I play rock music. The guy said then: You will never make it. As a black artist you have to play Rap or R'n'B.
And how many known black rock bands are there? Bad Brains, Fishbone, 24-7 Spys, Mothers Finest and you. Not more.
CG: It's a process. What we are trying to get to really is a point were race is not a issue. Unfortunately, race is still an issue in almost anything. We are trying to get to a point where it doesn't matter. Where it is about context. But there are tons of bands out there. I mentioned POD or Pantera. Both have colored members. The issue of race often clouds the issue of content. We want the people to talk about the song or the music. This issues of race are irrelevant in emotional content of where it comes from. Their experiences based on their particular ethic background doesn't affect how they deal with it. Its funny that they don't bring that up when they talk about Carlos Santana. He is a rock artist. His beginnings in Mexico are not relevant in the context of him because its gone beyond that idea. We raised that issue almost 13 years and people are still talking about it. Living Colour has stopped talking about it long ago.
A Private Lesson w/ Vernon Reid - from Guitar Player 1991
*requires Adobe Reader
Will Calhoun and Jaron Lanier : Techniscules mp3 LIVE @ NYC Knitting Factory
Thursday, November 13, 2003
11/12/03 Avalon - Boston,MA setlist
-Auslander (excuse lack of umlauts!)
-('Song w/o Sin' and 'Funny Vibe' listed as next 2 but neither played)
-A ? of When
-Operation Mind Control
-Go Away
-In Your Name
-Ignorance Is Bliss
-Times Up
-Flying
-Sacred Ground
-Nothingness
-Type
-Cult
-('Tommorrow Never Knows' listed last but not played, maybe as encore but they
didn't do one- there was a fairly reasonable call for
same but they brought up the houselights and music anyway. Oh well)
The Magic Bag Monthly mp3's
Download Living Colour's Song Without Sin mp3
(right click and 'save target as')
A Living Colour radio promo mp3 and small poster
-Auslander (excuse lack of umlauts!)
-('Song w/o Sin' and 'Funny Vibe' listed as next 2 but neither played)
-A ? of When
-Operation Mind Control
-Go Away
-In Your Name
-Ignorance Is Bliss
-Times Up
-Flying
-Sacred Ground
-Nothingness
-Type
-Cult
-('Tommorrow Never Knows' listed last but not played, maybe as encore but they
didn't do one- there was a fairly reasonable call for
same but they brought up the houselights and music anyway. Oh well)
The Magic Bag Monthly mp3's
Download Living Colour's Song Without Sin mp3
(right click and 'save target as')
A Living Colour radio promo mp3 and small poster
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Cape Code Times Preview for Living Colour @ Avalon - Boston, MA
Reunited and ready to rock
Living Colour returns, with plenty on their minds
By KEN CAPOBIANCO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For the members of Living Colour, it wasn't a matter of when they were going to get back together; it was a matter of why they should.
After nearly 10 years apart, singer Corey Glover, bassist Doug Wimbish, guitarist Vernon Reid and drummer Will Calhoun began to realize that they thrived as a group. But they didn't want to regroup one of hard rock's most vital bands merely to make money or to relive old glories. They had to have a purpose.
"We really felt that our search was to find something to say," says Glover from his home in New York. "We wanted to look at what has been happening in the world and in rock music and come out with a record that meant something and addressed the state of things as we saw them.
"The four of us spent one and a half years recording and writing the new record. We wanted to put out something that didn't sound like anything else and talk about issues no one else seems to be talking about."
That record is "Collideoscope" (released by Sanctuary Records), a dazzling, diverse set of songs that digs deeply into Living Colour's past while sending the band into directions it hasn't traveled before. The big rock riffs are in place - wait until you hear some of the things Reid pulls out of his bag of tricks - but they delve into funk, soul, fusion and metal without losing focus.
It's clear that the time apart gave them a better sense of space and there's much less overkill here than on some of their earlier records like "Vivid" or "Time's Up." The music breathes, there's nuance and the arrangements are less unwieldly.
The lyrics are as socially conscious as ever and they are clearly marked by a post-9/11 consciousness as the band addresses media manipulation, government surveillance, paranoia, global unrest and military misdeeds, as well as Native American rights and a Bush-whacked economy. One song, "Flying," is a personal account of one man's leap from the World Trade Center on that tragic September day two years ago.
But it isn't all hand-wringing angst. There is also an explosive cover of "Back in Black" (pun fully intended) as well as an evocative take on the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows."
"The songs simply address the world as we know it at this point," says Glover. "It really would be a lot easier on us all if we just saw the world for what it is and made decisions that are informed and fully conscious. What we wanted to do was to take things from the macro and into the micro. We watch CNN every day, but we are so bombarded by images and words that we don't process things completely.
"Here, we wanted to slow things down and look at issues on both the political and human level. That's why there's the song 'Flying' on the record, because it is a personal story about one of the most tragic moments in our lifetime. But we couldn't look at 9/11 as an event. It's too great, beyond us all. There was this tragedy, we gave it a catchphrase and we saw all the surrounding elements. But it was something that happened to real people and altered lives completely. Here, by personalizing it, you get a different perspective."
A 'Vivid' beginning
Living Colour burst onto the hard rock scene in 1988 with their record "Vivid." They were the first black rock band to move into the mainstream with commercial success and invaded rock radio with the hits "Cult of Personality" and "Glamour Boys." They fused the breakneck punk/metal of influences like Bad Brains with the plundering stomp of Led Zeppelin and a funk underbelly of Sly Stone.
They found themselves selling out large concert halls and opening up for the Rolling Stones. For eight years they toured and made some good records ("Time's Up") and some weak ones ("Stain"). After Lollapaloooza ' 91, they replaced original bassist Muzz Skillings with Wimbish, who leaned the band into a more jazzy direction.
But in 1994, they decided to quit as a group, apparently having said what they needed to and desiring to go in different directions.
"We had to figure out what we wanted," says Glover. "At the time, being a band, wasn't one of those things."
One of the elements that led to the band's demise was creative tension, a dynamic Glover says is still there.
"It's a relationship," he says. "The things I don't like about Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish are the things I love about Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish. Vernon Reid is playing his life, his pain, his joys. I have to understand them and work with them and only by taking the good with the bad can we come to an understanding. It also heightens our creativity and gives us the electricity and that's something that was easy for us to recapture immediately."
Ten years is a long time in rock and the musical climate has shifted many times since the band split, but Glover says that what Living Colour does should not be limited by what seems to be popular at the moment.
"We will never sell as many records as we once did. We know that, but that doesn't concern us. You know we're not nu-metal, funk, rap/metal whatever that has been popular over the last decade. We are a rock band; take us as we are. That we do a whole bunch of styles and love to experiment - expect that.
"But when push comes to shove, bottom line, Living Colour is a rock band and we think that we're pretty good at being just that."
In Concert :
Who: Living Colour and King Crimson
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston
Tickets: $30.25
Information: 617-262-2424
Daily Camera preview for Fillmore Auditorium
Groundbreaking act is 'back in black'
By Matt Sebastian, Camera Music Writer
October 31, 2003
When Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" exploded all over MTV in 1988, the hard-rocking quartet generated as much buzz for its racial makeup as it did for virtuoso guitarist Vernon Reid's ear-shredding riffs.
At the time, the band was viewed as such an oddity — black men trying to barge into the lily-white world of hard rock — that the music industry had trouble categorizing Living Colour. While primarily a straight-on rock act, the band often was labeled "alternative"; not only did Living Colour open for the Rolling Stones, it also helped lead the alt-rock revolution on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour.
Fifteen years have passed since Living Colour's debut, a span that saw the group record two more albums, disband, then reform in late 2000. And yet the members of Living Colour — who open for King Crimson on Wednesday at the Fillmore Auditorium — know that some things haven't changed: They're still the odd men out in a highly segregated hard-rock scene.
"Well, you know, we're still abnormal after all these years," jokes Reid from his Staten Island home. "But I think it's great. We are a reminder, and we represent a true alternative and hidden history of rock 'n' roll, which includes Arthur Lee and Love, which includes Automatic Man and Mother Night, which includes the Basement 5 ... in the timeline of rock, so much is not included.
"To me," Reid adds, "the Isley Brothers are as important a rock 'n' roll band as an R&B band. They're as important, in my mind, as the Rolling Stones and the Who. Maybe that's revisionist, but my timeline is not the recognized, whitewashed timeline of rock 'n' roll."
Despite its initial success, Living Colour likely will remain a part of that underground history of rock. The band's first album in a decade, CollideOscope, is more akin to 1993's dark Stain than the band's first two albums, which have a lighter sound. Reid and his cohorts aren't trying to recreate the poppy sounds of past hits like "Glamour Boys" and "Love Rears Its Ugly Head."
Reid describes the sometimes grim CollideOscope as "about being an American in these days and times." The record clearly is influenced by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which hit home for Reid, who watched the World Trade Center's twin towers burn, and, particularly, for singer Corey Glover, who watched live news coverage of the tragedy from an airplane seat while his flight into New York City that morning was diverted.
"CollideOscope talks about — sometimes in a broad-brush kind of way, like with the song 'Operation: Mind Control' — how the debate about freedom in this country has been commandeered by the right wing," Reid says. "Even the material that was written before Sept. 11 seems to address that. 'A ? of When' was written before Sept. 11, but after afterward, it seemed like it suddenly took on this whole other meaning, you know, it goes 'Who will be next/Who will it be.' Kind of a philosophical thing."
Musically, the band is as diverse as ever, dabbling in crushing hard-rock, dub, slight electronica, quasi-industrial sounds and, on the most obvious Sept. 11 song, "Flying" (a deceptively lighthearted tune about someone who leaped to his death from the twin towers), light, soulful funk. There even are a couple of unexpected covers, AC/DC's "Back in Black" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows."
"'Back in Black' feels really odd where it is on this record," Reid says, "but, if you think about it, it's really just a different way of looking at that unfailing optimism that animates the American spirit. It's saying, 'This thing can't be killed.'"
The band reunited in late 2000, after five years apart, when Reid sat in with Headfake, a band comprised of Glover and Living Colour's rhythm section, bassist Doug Wimbish — who replaced founding member Muzz Skillings in 1992 — and drummer Will Calhoun.
"Enough time had passed to let the old wounds heal," Reid says, although he admits that the first reunion show, at CBGB's in New York, as well as a 2001 club tour, "had really great moments, and moments of 'What the hell am I doing here?'"
"Breaking up a band is not something you do lightly," Reid says. "It's like when you hear about a divorce and they say, 'Oh, it's amicable,' nudge-nudge, wink-wink. There's always a lot of bruised egos and feelings, but we've worked that out now.
"When people see the four of us on stage now, they should know that each one of us is really taking it on, and is being responsible," Reid adds. "It's not just happening to be happening. I'd refuse to be a part of that, you know, to do it just for the sake of doing it.
"If there's nothing to say, there's not point in doing this. Obviously, we've still got things to say."
Contact Matt Sebastian at (303) 473-1498 or sebastianm@dailycamera.com
Get Ready To Rock Review - Living Colour Collideoscope
can recall seeing Living Colour on what must have been their first tour of the UK in the late eighties, supporting Dan Reed Network. Now Dan and his men were shit-hot but Living Colour damn near blew them away in best time-honoured support-good-as-headliner tradition. Poor Dan.
I bought the band's highly rated second album but in truth never really played it once the initial euphoria wore off. Now, after a ten year lay-off, the band are back and I sense this new album might similarly be consigned to the "great-when-first-heard, never-listened-to-later category".
You see Living Colour are a fine contemporary funk rock metal band and in a post 9/11 situation they have plenty to say, always being the more politically aware amongst their peers. But in truth a lot of CollideØscope is recycled classic rock material with a metal edge. Imagine what Cream would have sounded like with a political conscience and computers and you get Living Colour. And on the new album this feeling is confirmed by two covers: the classic AC/DC 'Back In Black' and The Beatles 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. The standout slowie on the album "Flying' also steals Bowie's riff on 'Ashes To Ashes'.
Vernon Reid is already feted as one of the guitar innovators and there are some wonderful off-the-wall sounds on this album. 'Lost Halo', 'Pocket Of Tears' and 'Sacred Ground' are standouts. Metal and hard rock fans should lap this up.
Review by David Randall
Reunited and ready to rock
Living Colour returns, with plenty on their minds
By KEN CAPOBIANCO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For the members of Living Colour, it wasn't a matter of when they were going to get back together; it was a matter of why they should.
After nearly 10 years apart, singer Corey Glover, bassist Doug Wimbish, guitarist Vernon Reid and drummer Will Calhoun began to realize that they thrived as a group. But they didn't want to regroup one of hard rock's most vital bands merely to make money or to relive old glories. They had to have a purpose.
"We really felt that our search was to find something to say," says Glover from his home in New York. "We wanted to look at what has been happening in the world and in rock music and come out with a record that meant something and addressed the state of things as we saw them.
"The four of us spent one and a half years recording and writing the new record. We wanted to put out something that didn't sound like anything else and talk about issues no one else seems to be talking about."
That record is "Collideoscope" (released by Sanctuary Records), a dazzling, diverse set of songs that digs deeply into Living Colour's past while sending the band into directions it hasn't traveled before. The big rock riffs are in place - wait until you hear some of the things Reid pulls out of his bag of tricks - but they delve into funk, soul, fusion and metal without losing focus.
It's clear that the time apart gave them a better sense of space and there's much less overkill here than on some of their earlier records like "Vivid" or "Time's Up." The music breathes, there's nuance and the arrangements are less unwieldly.
The lyrics are as socially conscious as ever and they are clearly marked by a post-9/11 consciousness as the band addresses media manipulation, government surveillance, paranoia, global unrest and military misdeeds, as well as Native American rights and a Bush-whacked economy. One song, "Flying," is a personal account of one man's leap from the World Trade Center on that tragic September day two years ago.
But it isn't all hand-wringing angst. There is also an explosive cover of "Back in Black" (pun fully intended) as well as an evocative take on the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows."
"The songs simply address the world as we know it at this point," says Glover. "It really would be a lot easier on us all if we just saw the world for what it is and made decisions that are informed and fully conscious. What we wanted to do was to take things from the macro and into the micro. We watch CNN every day, but we are so bombarded by images and words that we don't process things completely.
"Here, we wanted to slow things down and look at issues on both the political and human level. That's why there's the song 'Flying' on the record, because it is a personal story about one of the most tragic moments in our lifetime. But we couldn't look at 9/11 as an event. It's too great, beyond us all. There was this tragedy, we gave it a catchphrase and we saw all the surrounding elements. But it was something that happened to real people and altered lives completely. Here, by personalizing it, you get a different perspective."
A 'Vivid' beginning
Living Colour burst onto the hard rock scene in 1988 with their record "Vivid." They were the first black rock band to move into the mainstream with commercial success and invaded rock radio with the hits "Cult of Personality" and "Glamour Boys." They fused the breakneck punk/metal of influences like Bad Brains with the plundering stomp of Led Zeppelin and a funk underbelly of Sly Stone.
They found themselves selling out large concert halls and opening up for the Rolling Stones. For eight years they toured and made some good records ("Time's Up") and some weak ones ("Stain"). After Lollapaloooza ' 91, they replaced original bassist Muzz Skillings with Wimbish, who leaned the band into a more jazzy direction.
But in 1994, they decided to quit as a group, apparently having said what they needed to and desiring to go in different directions.
"We had to figure out what we wanted," says Glover. "At the time, being a band, wasn't one of those things."
One of the elements that led to the band's demise was creative tension, a dynamic Glover says is still there.
"It's a relationship," he says. "The things I don't like about Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish are the things I love about Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish. Vernon Reid is playing his life, his pain, his joys. I have to understand them and work with them and only by taking the good with the bad can we come to an understanding. It also heightens our creativity and gives us the electricity and that's something that was easy for us to recapture immediately."
Ten years is a long time in rock and the musical climate has shifted many times since the band split, but Glover says that what Living Colour does should not be limited by what seems to be popular at the moment.
"We will never sell as many records as we once did. We know that, but that doesn't concern us. You know we're not nu-metal, funk, rap/metal whatever that has been popular over the last decade. We are a rock band; take us as we are. That we do a whole bunch of styles and love to experiment - expect that.
"But when push comes to shove, bottom line, Living Colour is a rock band and we think that we're pretty good at being just that."
In Concert :
Who: Living Colour and King Crimson
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston
Tickets: $30.25
Information: 617-262-2424
Daily Camera preview for Fillmore Auditorium
Groundbreaking act is 'back in black'
By Matt Sebastian, Camera Music Writer
October 31, 2003
When Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" exploded all over MTV in 1988, the hard-rocking quartet generated as much buzz for its racial makeup as it did for virtuoso guitarist Vernon Reid's ear-shredding riffs.
At the time, the band was viewed as such an oddity — black men trying to barge into the lily-white world of hard rock — that the music industry had trouble categorizing Living Colour. While primarily a straight-on rock act, the band often was labeled "alternative"; not only did Living Colour open for the Rolling Stones, it also helped lead the alt-rock revolution on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour.
Fifteen years have passed since Living Colour's debut, a span that saw the group record two more albums, disband, then reform in late 2000. And yet the members of Living Colour — who open for King Crimson on Wednesday at the Fillmore Auditorium — know that some things haven't changed: They're still the odd men out in a highly segregated hard-rock scene.
"Well, you know, we're still abnormal after all these years," jokes Reid from his Staten Island home. "But I think it's great. We are a reminder, and we represent a true alternative and hidden history of rock 'n' roll, which includes Arthur Lee and Love, which includes Automatic Man and Mother Night, which includes the Basement 5 ... in the timeline of rock, so much is not included.
"To me," Reid adds, "the Isley Brothers are as important a rock 'n' roll band as an R&B band. They're as important, in my mind, as the Rolling Stones and the Who. Maybe that's revisionist, but my timeline is not the recognized, whitewashed timeline of rock 'n' roll."
Despite its initial success, Living Colour likely will remain a part of that underground history of rock. The band's first album in a decade, CollideOscope, is more akin to 1993's dark Stain than the band's first two albums, which have a lighter sound. Reid and his cohorts aren't trying to recreate the poppy sounds of past hits like "Glamour Boys" and "Love Rears Its Ugly Head."
Reid describes the sometimes grim CollideOscope as "about being an American in these days and times." The record clearly is influenced by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which hit home for Reid, who watched the World Trade Center's twin towers burn, and, particularly, for singer Corey Glover, who watched live news coverage of the tragedy from an airplane seat while his flight into New York City that morning was diverted.
"CollideOscope talks about — sometimes in a broad-brush kind of way, like with the song 'Operation: Mind Control' — how the debate about freedom in this country has been commandeered by the right wing," Reid says. "Even the material that was written before Sept. 11 seems to address that. 'A ? of When' was written before Sept. 11, but after afterward, it seemed like it suddenly took on this whole other meaning, you know, it goes 'Who will be next/Who will it be.' Kind of a philosophical thing."
Musically, the band is as diverse as ever, dabbling in crushing hard-rock, dub, slight electronica, quasi-industrial sounds and, on the most obvious Sept. 11 song, "Flying" (a deceptively lighthearted tune about someone who leaped to his death from the twin towers), light, soulful funk. There even are a couple of unexpected covers, AC/DC's "Back in Black" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows."
"'Back in Black' feels really odd where it is on this record," Reid says, "but, if you think about it, it's really just a different way of looking at that unfailing optimism that animates the American spirit. It's saying, 'This thing can't be killed.'"
The band reunited in late 2000, after five years apart, when Reid sat in with Headfake, a band comprised of Glover and Living Colour's rhythm section, bassist Doug Wimbish — who replaced founding member Muzz Skillings in 1992 — and drummer Will Calhoun.
"Enough time had passed to let the old wounds heal," Reid says, although he admits that the first reunion show, at CBGB's in New York, as well as a 2001 club tour, "had really great moments, and moments of 'What the hell am I doing here?'"
"Breaking up a band is not something you do lightly," Reid says. "It's like when you hear about a divorce and they say, 'Oh, it's amicable,' nudge-nudge, wink-wink. There's always a lot of bruised egos and feelings, but we've worked that out now.
"When people see the four of us on stage now, they should know that each one of us is really taking it on, and is being responsible," Reid adds. "It's not just happening to be happening. I'd refuse to be a part of that, you know, to do it just for the sake of doing it.
"If there's nothing to say, there's not point in doing this. Obviously, we've still got things to say."
Contact Matt Sebastian at (303) 473-1498 or sebastianm@dailycamera.com
Get Ready To Rock Review - Living Colour Collideoscope
can recall seeing Living Colour on what must have been their first tour of the UK in the late eighties, supporting Dan Reed Network. Now Dan and his men were shit-hot but Living Colour damn near blew them away in best time-honoured support-good-as-headliner tradition. Poor Dan.
I bought the band's highly rated second album but in truth never really played it once the initial euphoria wore off. Now, after a ten year lay-off, the band are back and I sense this new album might similarly be consigned to the "great-when-first-heard, never-listened-to-later category".
You see Living Colour are a fine contemporary funk rock metal band and in a post 9/11 situation they have plenty to say, always being the more politically aware amongst their peers. But in truth a lot of CollideØscope is recycled classic rock material with a metal edge. Imagine what Cream would have sounded like with a political conscience and computers and you get Living Colour. And on the new album this feeling is confirmed by two covers: the classic AC/DC 'Back In Black' and The Beatles 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. The standout slowie on the album "Flying' also steals Bowie's riff on 'Ashes To Ashes'.
Vernon Reid is already feted as one of the guitar innovators and there are some wonderful off-the-wall sounds on this album. 'Lost Halo', 'Pocket Of Tears' and 'Sacred Ground' are standouts. Metal and hard rock fans should lap this up.
Review by David Randall
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
News From Dennis Diamond (in Montreal)
Hello Folks,
Today we're in Montreal at the Theatre St. Denis with King Crimson. So far, all has been well.
A couple of quick things; some of you may have seen that there are signed picks for sale and may ask what that's about. What happens is that when you buy a pick (which is personally signed, not stamped and numbered), you will sign a registry with your name, email and pick number. When all (only 1 gross) are sold, the names and numbers will be posted on the band's website. This makes the pick extremely collectable and therefore valuable.
The other thing, which I'm sure will make you happy, is that the band is now allowing audio recordings for trade only. If any recordings are found on Ebay, this will cease. However, I know that's not the case here! I do encourage you to report any and all recordings sold on Ebay immediately; we appreciate it!
Please remember that it's audio recording and still pictures w/o flash ONLY! Any video cameras found will be confiscated without prior clearance. I probably won't be in front of a computer for a couple more days, so I'll see you then!
Peace, Diamond
(from the Sacred Ground board)
Rocky Mountain News preview of Living Colour @ the Fillmore
Band's Colour is returning
Funk-metal-rap pioneers storm back from 10-year hiatus
By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
November 4, 2003
Living Colour was ready to take over the world in 1988 with its blend of funk, metal, rap and political consciousness.
The CD Vivid and the timely hit Cult of Personality inspired countless bands, such as Rage Against the Machine. But five short years later, the members pulled the plug and went their separate ways.
And they've had plenty to do. Bassist Doug Wimbish, who joined the band after its debut, is one of the most in-demand session men in modern music, having played with everyone from the Rolling Stones to early rap pioneers the Sugarhill Gang. Guitarist Vernon Reid is constantly busy, as are singer Corey Glover and drummer Will Calhoun.
Yet suddenly they're back with a blasting new album, Collide0scope, as if they'd never gone away. It has the classic Living Colour sound with cutting-edge political lyrics.
Why now?
"Life, time and love, I guess," Wimbish says. "The band broke up, really, in 1993. We fronted like we were trying to do something for another two years, but after the Stain tour is when the band hit the shank.
"It was abrupt, in a sense. It wasn't like we got dropped. The band decided to disband. That was an interesting period of time."
They still kept in musical touch over the years in various combinations, guesting on one another's projects and the like. And as their egos settled down, they looked at their music in a new way.
"It's like a couple breaking up and they have kids. Our albums were our kids. Life goes on, the kids get older. Some things don't go away, but other ideas grow, other possibilities," Wimbish says.
Improbably, it all came down to a storage locker where Living Colour had kept equipment for years. The situation changed and the members had to find a new place to put their stuff. That led to a band meeting, which led to a live gig, which led to the reunion. They went into a rehearsal studio to see whether it was still there and, after a couple of songs, just stopped.
"It was so frightening. It was like we'd never stopped playing. Scared me to death. Scared the whole band. It was so scary we didn't play the rest of the evening," Wimbish says, laughing.
Wimbish ended up being executive producer to keep the project on track. "I'm in Connecticut. I have a studio up here, a great crew of engineers," he says. "It's a great environment for cats to come up and get their groove on. . . . It's like a treehouse studio out in the woods."
Flying is a song written as the protagonist in the story is plunging to his death out of the burning World Trade Center, choosing to jump as the flames get closer.
"We're a New York band. One thing I gotta mention that really got us back together was 9-11. You realize where everybody's at. We did an Irving Plaza gig the Thanksgiving after 9-11. That alone changed the direction of the band," Wimbish says. "That song Flying is our vibe about what went down. . . . We're from New York City, and it's real."
They raised eyebrows for their cover of AC/DC's Back in Black - for the racial overtones if nothing else. But that song was one of the most-sampled pieces of music in rap's early days, Wimbish explains.
"It's such a classic song from such a classic band. We did that based on our roots. Anybody in the community from 20 years ago knows that's one of the grooves," he says. "Plus, we're back."
The band realizes there's a lot of work ahead to make the world aware of its music after a decadelong hiatus. This tour with label mates King Crimson is a good start, says Wimbish.
"We're on the campaign trail. It's a rebuilding process. I'm looking forward to the next record. Living Colour hasn't been out for 10 years, and we've got a lot of work to do."
Mark Brown is the popular music critic. Brownm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2674
Hello Folks,
Today we're in Montreal at the Theatre St. Denis with King Crimson. So far, all has been well.
A couple of quick things; some of you may have seen that there are signed picks for sale and may ask what that's about. What happens is that when you buy a pick (which is personally signed, not stamped and numbered), you will sign a registry with your name, email and pick number. When all (only 1 gross) are sold, the names and numbers will be posted on the band's website. This makes the pick extremely collectable and therefore valuable.
The other thing, which I'm sure will make you happy, is that the band is now allowing audio recordings for trade only. If any recordings are found on Ebay, this will cease. However, I know that's not the case here! I do encourage you to report any and all recordings sold on Ebay immediately; we appreciate it!
Please remember that it's audio recording and still pictures w/o flash ONLY! Any video cameras found will be confiscated without prior clearance. I probably won't be in front of a computer for a couple more days, so I'll see you then!
Peace, Diamond
(from the Sacred Ground board)
Rocky Mountain News preview of Living Colour @ the Fillmore
Band's Colour is returning
Funk-metal-rap pioneers storm back from 10-year hiatus
By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
November 4, 2003
Living Colour was ready to take over the world in 1988 with its blend of funk, metal, rap and political consciousness.
The CD Vivid and the timely hit Cult of Personality inspired countless bands, such as Rage Against the Machine. But five short years later, the members pulled the plug and went their separate ways.
And they've had plenty to do. Bassist Doug Wimbish, who joined the band after its debut, is one of the most in-demand session men in modern music, having played with everyone from the Rolling Stones to early rap pioneers the Sugarhill Gang. Guitarist Vernon Reid is constantly busy, as are singer Corey Glover and drummer Will Calhoun.
Yet suddenly they're back with a blasting new album, Collide0scope, as if they'd never gone away. It has the classic Living Colour sound with cutting-edge political lyrics.
Why now?
"Life, time and love, I guess," Wimbish says. "The band broke up, really, in 1993. We fronted like we were trying to do something for another two years, but after the Stain tour is when the band hit the shank.
"It was abrupt, in a sense. It wasn't like we got dropped. The band decided to disband. That was an interesting period of time."
They still kept in musical touch over the years in various combinations, guesting on one another's projects and the like. And as their egos settled down, they looked at their music in a new way.
"It's like a couple breaking up and they have kids. Our albums were our kids. Life goes on, the kids get older. Some things don't go away, but other ideas grow, other possibilities," Wimbish says.
Improbably, it all came down to a storage locker where Living Colour had kept equipment for years. The situation changed and the members had to find a new place to put their stuff. That led to a band meeting, which led to a live gig, which led to the reunion. They went into a rehearsal studio to see whether it was still there and, after a couple of songs, just stopped.
"It was so frightening. It was like we'd never stopped playing. Scared me to death. Scared the whole band. It was so scary we didn't play the rest of the evening," Wimbish says, laughing.
Wimbish ended up being executive producer to keep the project on track. "I'm in Connecticut. I have a studio up here, a great crew of engineers," he says. "It's a great environment for cats to come up and get their groove on. . . . It's like a treehouse studio out in the woods."
Flying is a song written as the protagonist in the story is plunging to his death out of the burning World Trade Center, choosing to jump as the flames get closer.
"We're a New York band. One thing I gotta mention that really got us back together was 9-11. You realize where everybody's at. We did an Irving Plaza gig the Thanksgiving after 9-11. That alone changed the direction of the band," Wimbish says. "That song Flying is our vibe about what went down. . . . We're from New York City, and it's real."
They raised eyebrows for their cover of AC/DC's Back in Black - for the racial overtones if nothing else. But that song was one of the most-sampled pieces of music in rap's early days, Wimbish explains.
"It's such a classic song from such a classic band. We did that based on our roots. Anybody in the community from 20 years ago knows that's one of the grooves," he says. "Plus, we're back."
The band realizes there's a lot of work ahead to make the world aware of its music after a decadelong hiatus. This tour with label mates King Crimson is a good start, says Wimbish.
"We're on the campaign trail. It's a rebuilding process. I'm looking forward to the next record. Living Colour hasn't been out for 10 years, and we've got a lot of work to do."
Mark Brown is the popular music critic. Brownm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2674
Monday, November 10, 2003
Fan Reviews and setlists for Living Colour 2003 Collideoscope Tour
from the Living Colour Network messageboard
11/08/03 Canopy Club - Urbana,Illinois
Local band Temple of Low Men opened this earlier than usual show promptly at 7:30. I hadn't seen them before,and I was moderately impressed.
Living Colour started soon after at around 8:30 or so, to a smallish crowd of around 300. (My wild guess.) Here is the set, to the best of my memory. My apologies for the unknowns, I don't have Collideoscope yet, so I was unclear on a couple of the new songs. (I know, I know, boo hiss on me.)
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Go Away
In Your Name
(Ignorance is Bliss)
Cult of Personality
Flying
Sacred Ground
(Nothingness)
Type
This is the Life
Times Up
Love Rears Its Ugly Head
I think they had planned on playing another song after Love Rears Its Ugly Head, but the club shut them down due to time constraints. I didn't get a glimpse of the written set list, so I don't know what the last song would have been.
This was the first time I had seen Living Colour since seeing them open for the Stones in St. Louis in 1989. It's rather hard comparing this performance to that one, with the circumastances being so different. Naturally, I preferred the more intimate atmosphere. I thought the band sounded really tight last night, and the acoustics in the Canopy Club are decent. It would have been nice for the band's sake if more people had shown up, but from a fan's point of view it was nice being able to get close to the stage without any trouble.
I was able to get autographs from Corey, Vernon and Will after the show out by the bus. It was nice of them to stop in the freezing cold to briefly chat with fans.
*thanks Double T and SG Jeremaya
11/9/2003 Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
Simply put, this was a great concert. Vernon Reid's guitar work was as good as I've ever seen him play--notes showered down on the audience with the intensity of a severe hail storm. When he was in the midst of the fury of his guitar solos, Vernon seemed to reach an almost trance-like state--it was very intense to watch. The rest of the band was excellent too, of course. Will and Doug each had their moments for solos and improvisation; the rest of the time they provided the rock-solid foundation for the music we know as Living Colour. Corey's singing was great as always.
This concert reaffirmed why I love Living Colour. I think part of why it really affected me was the venue that they played in--a small hole-in-the-wall club known as the Magic Bag. This was by far the smallest venue I've seen them in. Even people in the back row were not that far from the stage. Since they doors opened at 8:00 on a Sunday night, the attendance was a bit lower than it could have been--however, this was great for those of us who did show up because it made it easier to see the band in the standing-room-only conditions. All of this made it a really intimate, personal concert.
I was glad to see them again--I haven't seen them for over a decade, and I've never seen Doug Wimbish live in concert. After this evening I can't understand why people haven't been more positive about the new album and some of the concert reviews have been a little less than glowing. This is a really, really great, fantastic, awesome band. If you have never seen them in concert, you really owe it to yourself to go see them. I ran into several casual Living Colour fans at the concert who told me that they were there because LC was hands down the best concert band they've seen, and this is coming from people who AREN'T die-hard fans. (Why they weren't bigger fans is a bit beyone me, however.)
setlist:
Song Without Sin
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Go Away
In Your Name
Ignorance is Bliss
Time's Up
Flying
Sacred Ground (with drum solos)
Nothingness
Type
Love Rears its Ugly Head
Cult of Personality
This is the Life
Memories Can't Wait
Between the songs they had electronic beats, sound bites, scratching and other sound effects. Vernon and Doug each had laptops with various gear attached to them and they would scratch and make electronic noises with them between songs.
*thanks DoranS
Living Colour -11/09/03 Magic Bag Review
thanks auragreg
The opening band was cool. "Scratch Track" I think was their name. A weird three piece (1 Acoustic guitar, 2 rappers/singers/beat boxers). They came on and won over the croud. Definately different and talented.
LC ... All I have to say is HOLY CRAP! I saw them at the same place two years ago and they were GREAT (which Corey made reference to - "I thought this place melted down last time we were here" - it was VERY hot that day). But last night .... they blew me away. Totally
exceeded my already high expectations. A perfect mix of new and old. Speaking of which. I know that most poeple have said that it took a couple listens to get into the new album. But when they play the new stuff live, it's SOOOOOOOOOO much better. So much more emotion. It's too bad that someone can't capture their live energy onto their albums.
The guys seemed more "together" this time. They all played incredible. I could sence a better vibe between them all. Doug seemed a little disconnected - but actually looked kinda under the weather. All of them were VERY appreciative and thanked the audience for being
there many times and staying fans. They rocked so hard. If anyone has a recording of that show, I'd love to have it!
BTW - they are selling autographed pics by Vernon. $8. They are numbered and I guess Vernon requested that everyone that buys one puts their name and email on a list. Cool! Their new merchandise is really nice. A couple diferent shirts, hats, stickers.
Living Colour - Collideoscope 2003 Tour
Nov 11 Montreal Theatre St Denis *
Nov 12 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom *
Nov 14 Kingston, NY U.P.A.C. *
Nov 15 New York Beacon Theater*
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limits
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (not on sale yet)
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
from the Living Colour Network messageboard
11/08/03 Canopy Club - Urbana,Illinois
Local band Temple of Low Men opened this earlier than usual show promptly at 7:30. I hadn't seen them before,and I was moderately impressed.
Living Colour started soon after at around 8:30 or so, to a smallish crowd of around 300. (My wild guess.) Here is the set, to the best of my memory. My apologies for the unknowns, I don't have Collideoscope yet, so I was unclear on a couple of the new songs. (I know, I know, boo hiss on me.)
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Go Away
In Your Name
(Ignorance is Bliss)
Cult of Personality
Flying
Sacred Ground
(Nothingness)
Type
This is the Life
Times Up
Love Rears Its Ugly Head
I think they had planned on playing another song after Love Rears Its Ugly Head, but the club shut them down due to time constraints. I didn't get a glimpse of the written set list, so I don't know what the last song would have been.
This was the first time I had seen Living Colour since seeing them open for the Stones in St. Louis in 1989. It's rather hard comparing this performance to that one, with the circumastances being so different. Naturally, I preferred the more intimate atmosphere. I thought the band sounded really tight last night, and the acoustics in the Canopy Club are decent. It would have been nice for the band's sake if more people had shown up, but from a fan's point of view it was nice being able to get close to the stage without any trouble.
I was able to get autographs from Corey, Vernon and Will after the show out by the bus. It was nice of them to stop in the freezing cold to briefly chat with fans.
*thanks Double T and SG Jeremaya
11/9/2003 Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
Simply put, this was a great concert. Vernon Reid's guitar work was as good as I've ever seen him play--notes showered down on the audience with the intensity of a severe hail storm. When he was in the midst of the fury of his guitar solos, Vernon seemed to reach an almost trance-like state--it was very intense to watch. The rest of the band was excellent too, of course. Will and Doug each had their moments for solos and improvisation; the rest of the time they provided the rock-solid foundation for the music we know as Living Colour. Corey's singing was great as always.
This concert reaffirmed why I love Living Colour. I think part of why it really affected me was the venue that they played in--a small hole-in-the-wall club known as the Magic Bag. This was by far the smallest venue I've seen them in. Even people in the back row were not that far from the stage. Since they doors opened at 8:00 on a Sunday night, the attendance was a bit lower than it could have been--however, this was great for those of us who did show up because it made it easier to see the band in the standing-room-only conditions. All of this made it a really intimate, personal concert.
I was glad to see them again--I haven't seen them for over a decade, and I've never seen Doug Wimbish live in concert. After this evening I can't understand why people haven't been more positive about the new album and some of the concert reviews have been a little less than glowing. This is a really, really great, fantastic, awesome band. If you have never seen them in concert, you really owe it to yourself to go see them. I ran into several casual Living Colour fans at the concert who told me that they were there because LC was hands down the best concert band they've seen, and this is coming from people who AREN'T die-hard fans. (Why they weren't bigger fans is a bit beyone me, however.)
setlist:
Song Without Sin
Funny Vibe
A ? of When
Operation Mind Control
Go Away
In Your Name
Ignorance is Bliss
Time's Up
Flying
Sacred Ground (with drum solos)
Nothingness
Type
Love Rears its Ugly Head
Cult of Personality
This is the Life
Memories Can't Wait
Between the songs they had electronic beats, sound bites, scratching and other sound effects. Vernon and Doug each had laptops with various gear attached to them and they would scratch and make electronic noises with them between songs.
*thanks DoranS
Living Colour -11/09/03 Magic Bag Review
thanks auragreg
The opening band was cool. "Scratch Track" I think was their name. A weird three piece (1 Acoustic guitar, 2 rappers/singers/beat boxers). They came on and won over the croud. Definately different and talented.
LC ... All I have to say is HOLY CRAP! I saw them at the same place two years ago and they were GREAT (which Corey made reference to - "I thought this place melted down last time we were here" - it was VERY hot that day). But last night .... they blew me away. Totally
exceeded my already high expectations. A perfect mix of new and old. Speaking of which. I know that most poeple have said that it took a couple listens to get into the new album. But when they play the new stuff live, it's SOOOOOOOOOO much better. So much more emotion. It's too bad that someone can't capture their live energy onto their albums.
The guys seemed more "together" this time. They all played incredible. I could sence a better vibe between them all. Doug seemed a little disconnected - but actually looked kinda under the weather. All of them were VERY appreciative and thanked the audience for being
there many times and staying fans. They rocked so hard. If anyone has a recording of that show, I'd love to have it!
BTW - they are selling autographed pics by Vernon. $8. They are numbered and I guess Vernon requested that everyone that buys one puts their name and email on a list. Cool! Their new merchandise is really nice. A couple diferent shirts, hats, stickers.
Living Colour - Collideoscope 2003 Tour
Nov 11 Montreal Theatre St Denis *
Nov 12 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom *
Nov 14 Kingston, NY U.P.A.C. *
Nov 15 New York Beacon Theater*
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limits
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (not on sale yet)
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Happy Birthday Corey Glover!!!
Have a great time on this leg of the North American tour!
Tix on sale now for Living Colour @ Toad's Place - December 7th, 2003
Boston.com Review
Living Colour: Collideoscope
By Renee Graham, Globe Staff, 10/24/2003
When Living Colour first broke in 1988 with their hit, "Cult of Personality," the fact that it was an all-black hard rock band obscured something far more noteworthy -- they were a really great hard rock band. Corey Glover's charging voice -- equal parts heavy metal howl and sweet Stax soul -- perfectly matched Vernon Reid's blistering guitar. They toured with the Rolling Stones, won a few Grammys, and even if they didn't sustain the promise of their debut "Vivid," there was still reason for sadness when they finally called it quits in the mid-1990s. So it's nice to see the New York-based band back together. All the original members -- including drummer Will Calhoun -- are back, save for bassist Muzz Skillings, who was replaced by Doug Wimbish in 1992. They get the old fires burning again, and there's an ear-thugging spark to such standouts as the deceptively gentle "Flying," told from the viewpoint of one doomed man in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, and the anti-war "In Your Name," which pounds along in a manic cacophony of drum-n-bass electronica. All the components are there -- Reid's guitar attack still goes for the throat, Glover's voice has lost none of its power or pathos.
Living Colour performs at Avalon on Nov. 12, with King Crimson.
Have a great time on this leg of the North American tour!
Tix on sale now for Living Colour @ Toad's Place - December 7th, 2003
Boston.com Review
Living Colour: Collideoscope
By Renee Graham, Globe Staff, 10/24/2003
When Living Colour first broke in 1988 with their hit, "Cult of Personality," the fact that it was an all-black hard rock band obscured something far more noteworthy -- they were a really great hard rock band. Corey Glover's charging voice -- equal parts heavy metal howl and sweet Stax soul -- perfectly matched Vernon Reid's blistering guitar. They toured with the Rolling Stones, won a few Grammys, and even if they didn't sustain the promise of their debut "Vivid," there was still reason for sadness when they finally called it quits in the mid-1990s. So it's nice to see the New York-based band back together. All the original members -- including drummer Will Calhoun -- are back, save for bassist Muzz Skillings, who was replaced by Doug Wimbish in 1992. They get the old fires burning again, and there's an ear-thugging spark to such standouts as the deceptively gentle "Flying," told from the viewpoint of one doomed man in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, and the anti-war "In Your Name," which pounds along in a manic cacophony of drum-n-bass electronica. All the components are there -- Reid's guitar attack still goes for the throat, Glover's voice has lost none of its power or pathos.
Living Colour performs at Avalon on Nov. 12, with King Crimson.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Living Colour US Tour dates update
Nov 5 Denver, CO Fillmore *
Nov 7 St Louis, MO The Pageant *
Nov 8 Urbana, IL Canopy Club
Nov 9 Ann Arbor, MI Magic Bag
Nov 11 Montreal Theatre St Denis *
Nov 12 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom *
Nov 14 Kingston, NY U.P.A.C. *
Nov 15 New York Beacon Theater*
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limits
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (not on sale yet)
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Who's opening for Living Colour?
from November 20 - December 5
Tony C and the Truth
Glide Magazine Review of Collideoscope
Living Colour
Collideoscope
by Shane Handler
It’s been eight years since black-rock pioneers Living Colour decided to break things up. Sad to say, for many they were one of the best things to come out of the 80’s aside from the machine that helped make their pristine musicianship accessible – MTV.
With guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid on board, how could anything possibly go wrong? Lucky for chief shriller Corey Glover, bass man Doug Wimbish, and drummer William Calhoun, there's no sign of clear and present danger. Collideoscope leaves off where Living Colour's prior release, 1993’s Stain left us alone to hang in a pile of grunge and the birth of Alternative Nation.
This ten year in the making affair treats us with "A of When," a riveting rap meets metal assault, reminding us the Glover’s voice is still as distinguishing as when he hollered about "Ghandi and Kennedy" fifteen years ago in the landmark hit "Cult of Personality." Reid continues to mold the six-string into a sandbox of experimentation , as every song pours with inventive leads. "Flying" drifts over funk flavored mellow grooves that echo like one of Faith No More’s adventurous ballads. It’s of course not a Living Colour album without a rush of political angst, and "In Your Name," does the job, catapulting with firearm sound effects against the right wing. " Lost Halo" sounds quite 1990, with its arena rock triumphs, but with the recent rap-metal pretenders that have invaded our mainstream consciousness, Living Colour has never been so welcome. Even their funky cover of AC/DC’s " Back in Black" is overly predictable, yet preferably inviting. Fred Durst please leave the radio, Living Colour, the real deal, is back.
PunitiveArt Review : Collideoscope
I never expected to see another Living Colour album after the breakup. The contractual obligation greatest hits collection just seemed to solidify that. Surprise surprise surprise, they have hit the ground with an album that reminds bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park who blazed the trail that they are following. The tightest rhythm section this side of serious jazz? Check. Powerhouse vocals? Check. Strong social commentary? Check. Insane guitar? Check. The flat out cover of Back in Black is as forgetable as the stunning cover of Tomorrow Never Knows is possibly better than the original. From raging funk-rock (there's a term I haven't heard in a decade) to droning marches about the mechanisation of society to quiet odes to true humanity, the album makes up for the delay very nicely.
Hot Spots: Song Without Sin, A Question of When, Nightmare City, Great Expectations, Tomorrow Never Knows.
NewBeats.com Review
Living Colour's previous hiatus between albums hasn't dulled the edge of; rather they sound more aggressive and vital than ever. On their new album, the group come off swinging on tracks like "Operation Mind Control," "A ? of When," and "Song without Sin." Those hard rocking, apocalyptic and social commentary tunes recall their metal/Zeppelin swagger from their brilliant debut. Yet the band also shows a reflective soulful side on the Flying. They also introduce a wicked cover of AC/DC's classic rocker "Back in Black" and trippy, dramatic rendition of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." No question guitarist Vernon Reid is still one of the best guitar players of the last 15 years with his slab of sound, and Corey Glover's gospel vocals wreaks convincing angst. This record should lay to rest claims this band had already used up their 15 minutes.
Nov 5 Denver, CO Fillmore *
Nov 7 St Louis, MO The Pageant *
Nov 8 Urbana, IL Canopy Club
Nov 9 Ann Arbor, MI Magic Bag
Nov 11 Montreal Theatre St Denis *
Nov 12 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom *
Nov 14 Kingston, NY U.P.A.C. *
Nov 15 New York Beacon Theater*
Nov 20 Scottsdale, AZ Cajan House
Nov 21 Tuscon, AZ City Limits
Nov 23 San Juan Capistrano Coach House
Nov 24 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House North
Nov 25 W. Hollywood House of Blues
Nov 26 San Francisco Bimbo's
Nov 28 Portland, OR Roseland
Nov 29 Seattle, WA Showbox
Dec 2 Chicago, IL Park West
Dec 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Dec 5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (not on sale yet)
Dec 6 Farmingdale, NY The Downtown
Dec 7 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Who's opening for Living Colour?
from November 20 - December 5
Tony C and the Truth
Glide Magazine Review of Collideoscope
Living Colour
Collideoscope
by Shane Handler
It’s been eight years since black-rock pioneers Living Colour decided to break things up. Sad to say, for many they were one of the best things to come out of the 80’s aside from the machine that helped make their pristine musicianship accessible – MTV.
With guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid on board, how could anything possibly go wrong? Lucky for chief shriller Corey Glover, bass man Doug Wimbish, and drummer William Calhoun, there's no sign of clear and present danger. Collideoscope leaves off where Living Colour's prior release, 1993’s Stain left us alone to hang in a pile of grunge and the birth of Alternative Nation.
This ten year in the making affair treats us with "A of When," a riveting rap meets metal assault, reminding us the Glover’s voice is still as distinguishing as when he hollered about "Ghandi and Kennedy" fifteen years ago in the landmark hit "Cult of Personality." Reid continues to mold the six-string into a sandbox of experimentation , as every song pours with inventive leads. "Flying" drifts over funk flavored mellow grooves that echo like one of Faith No More’s adventurous ballads. It’s of course not a Living Colour album without a rush of political angst, and "In Your Name," does the job, catapulting with firearm sound effects against the right wing. " Lost Halo" sounds quite 1990, with its arena rock triumphs, but with the recent rap-metal pretenders that have invaded our mainstream consciousness, Living Colour has never been so welcome. Even their funky cover of AC/DC’s " Back in Black" is overly predictable, yet preferably inviting. Fred Durst please leave the radio, Living Colour, the real deal, is back.
PunitiveArt Review : Collideoscope
I never expected to see another Living Colour album after the breakup. The contractual obligation greatest hits collection just seemed to solidify that. Surprise surprise surprise, they have hit the ground with an album that reminds bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park who blazed the trail that they are following. The tightest rhythm section this side of serious jazz? Check. Powerhouse vocals? Check. Strong social commentary? Check. Insane guitar? Check. The flat out cover of Back in Black is as forgetable as the stunning cover of Tomorrow Never Knows is possibly better than the original. From raging funk-rock (there's a term I haven't heard in a decade) to droning marches about the mechanisation of society to quiet odes to true humanity, the album makes up for the delay very nicely.
Hot Spots: Song Without Sin, A Question of When, Nightmare City, Great Expectations, Tomorrow Never Knows.
NewBeats.com Review
Living Colour's previous hiatus between albums hasn't dulled the edge of; rather they sound more aggressive and vital than ever. On their new album, the group come off swinging on tracks like "Operation Mind Control," "A ? of When," and "Song without Sin." Those hard rocking, apocalyptic and social commentary tunes recall their metal/Zeppelin swagger from their brilliant debut. Yet the band also shows a reflective soulful side on the Flying. They also introduce a wicked cover of AC/DC's classic rocker "Back in Black" and trippy, dramatic rendition of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." No question guitarist Vernon Reid is still one of the best guitar players of the last 15 years with his slab of sound, and Corey Glover's gospel vocals wreaks convincing angst. This record should lay to rest claims this band had already used up their 15 minutes.
Sunday, November 02, 2003
Tour Update
12/07/03 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
(courtesy of www.LIVINGCOLOUR.com )
Review: Living Colour - Collideoscope
October 27, 2003
By ROB CLARK / The Dallas Morning News
Grade B
A hearty "welcome back" is in order for Living Colour. The New York quartet instantly makes the often ho-hum hard-rock landscape better. And much more interesting than the usual Puddle-of-Nickel-Smack.
Collideoscope is the group's first disc since it broke up after the under-appreciated Stain in 1993. The band hasn't missed a beat. Vernon Reid is, as always, a guitar terror, and his crunchy riffs lead the way. Lead singer Corey Glover can wail with the best of them but scores highest on the slightly mild tunes, such as "Flying" and "Pocket of Tears." The soul in his voice has a better chance to emerge when he's not screaming his lungs out. Other highlights include the lead track, "Song Without Sin," and the trippy "Operation: Mind Control."
Really, the only major slip is a cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black." Seems like an unnecessary attempt to get attention. Living Colour's music can do that on its own.
Philadelphia Daily News Review
DON'T ADJUST YOUR SET: Living Colour returns from the missing with "Collideoscope" (Sanctuary), enriched with a heady collage of styles, from the funkified challenge of "A ? of When" to the slinky, trippy "Flying" and the techno/metallic-edged protest "In Your Name." Likewise juicy are the reggae-fied "Nightmare City," blues-scorched "Holy Roller" and a slashing cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black." A real headphone trip. A-
12/07/03 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
(courtesy of www.LIVINGCOLOUR.com )
Review: Living Colour - Collideoscope
October 27, 2003
By ROB CLARK / The Dallas Morning News
Grade B
A hearty "welcome back" is in order for Living Colour. The New York quartet instantly makes the often ho-hum hard-rock landscape better. And much more interesting than the usual Puddle-of-Nickel-Smack.
Collideoscope is the group's first disc since it broke up after the under-appreciated Stain in 1993. The band hasn't missed a beat. Vernon Reid is, as always, a guitar terror, and his crunchy riffs lead the way. Lead singer Corey Glover can wail with the best of them but scores highest on the slightly mild tunes, such as "Flying" and "Pocket of Tears." The soul in his voice has a better chance to emerge when he's not screaming his lungs out. Other highlights include the lead track, "Song Without Sin," and the trippy "Operation: Mind Control."
Really, the only major slip is a cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black." Seems like an unnecessary attempt to get attention. Living Colour's music can do that on its own.
Philadelphia Daily News Review
DON'T ADJUST YOUR SET: Living Colour returns from the missing with "Collideoscope" (Sanctuary), enriched with a heady collage of styles, from the funkified challenge of "A ? of When" to the slinky, trippy "Flying" and the techno/metallic-edged protest "In Your Name." Likewise juicy are the reggae-fied "Nightmare City," blues-scorched "Holy Roller" and a slashing cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black." A real headphone trip. A-
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