Tenacious D, the self-proclaimed “Greatest Band On Earth,” is back with a new album, ‘Rize Of The Fenix.’ It will be released on May 15, six years after the latest studio album ‘The Pick of Destiny’. The rock duo, composed of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, uses the ironic approach, in this album, that has always characterized Tenacious D.

Black and Gass demonstrate with this album that they can make fun of pretty much everything, themselves included, nevertheless playing some very serious and solid rock ‘n’ roll. Furthermore, the drumming of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), who serves as drummer for the studio recordings of this album, is unmistakable. After all, Grohl is one of the best drummers in the world.

The album opens with the song ‘Rize of the Fenix’, which re-establishes the presence of Tenacious D in the music scene. The listener will move in the album within funny lyrics, roaring guitars, and blooming drumming. Everything is enriched by the presence of a couple of skits, which give a strong sense of rock opera, recalled by the entire structure of the album. Every track, as well as the album cover (it features a penis), is full of sexual references which have to be taken for what they are: not offensive, just classically silly.

The best songs of the record are ‘Rize Of The Fenix,’ ‘Roadie,’ ‘Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage,’ ‘Throw Down’ and ‘Rock Is Dead,’  capturing and enhancing the whole approach used by”The D”, both musically and in terms of attitude.

The album is really enjoyable, easy to listen to, goes on smoothly, and does not get boring after few listens. It catches the listeners with great rock sonorities, and entertains them with comedy. Black’s voice sounds rougher than in the previous records, more old-school-rock and blues-style oriented.

The message that Tenacious D sends is a genuine one: don’t take everything so seriously. This does not prevent them from addressing, in the song ‘Rock Is Dead,’ one of the main issues of the current state of music and rock ‘n’ roll.

When Peter Travers, of Rolling Stones, asked about the thoughts behind the song, Jack Black said that he feels like the only great rock acts left in the industry are the Foo Fighters, Jack White, and the Black Keys.

“When you think about rock, at its origin, you think of the Beatles and millions of kids screaming as loud as they can and running as fast as they can toward the Beatles. There is no one that is that kind of lightning rod. I contend that the last band to really have that kind of power was Nirvana,” says Black.

Rize of The Fenix is probably the best work by Tenacious D so far, with a sound that is completely mature, and an attitude that never matured instead.

Rating:
SUPERB 4.5/5

Image Courtesy of    Tenacious D

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In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town’s most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune.

Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs. Marjorie quickly became fully dependant on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands. Bernie continued to handle her affairs, and the townspeople went months without seeing Marjorie.

The people of Carthage were shocked when it was reported that Marjorie Nugent had been dead for some time, and Bernie Tiede was being charged with the murder.

The dark comedy ‘Bernie’, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey is set for a limited release on April 27. In a statement, the director Richard Linklater said the following:

Back in December of 1998, I read Skip Hollandsworth’s Texas Monthly story about Bernie Tiede, Marjorie Nugent, and the town of Carthage and something just clicked. It’s hard to articulate what exactly draws one to a particular story, and what would compel one to undertake the often lengthy and often fruitless task of trying to make a movie out of a real life story.

Maybe it was my being a native East Texan and feeling like I knew everyone involved. Maybe it was Bernie’s unique character and the complex relationship between him and Marjorie. He played roles in her life from chauffer to chef to best friend and confidant. Maybe it was the interesting legal proceedings that were playing out at that time. Maybe it was what I saw as the dark humor surrounding the entire story.

I called Skip and we started talking about how it might work as a movie. I optioned the rights, and not long after we were attending some of the trial, where I would first see the real Bernie, Danny Buck, Scrappy, the many visitors from Carthage and the jurors from San Augustine where the trial had been moved.

It all ended for Bernie in the opposite way it felt it was going at the time of the article. In the movie, it is overly apparent during the trial that those on Bernie’s side truly believed that he had done nothing wrong and didn’t deserve to be punished. One witness even says “It’s not as bad as people say; he only shot her four times, not five.”

Early on, Skip gave me all his journalistic notes and the treasure was revealed: with Marjorie now gone and Bernie sitting in jail, unable to give interviews; it was what the many townspeople were saying about them that would be the record. Whether you like it or not, on a perception level, you ARE what they say you are, especially in a small town.

The majority of the story is told through townspeople’s accounts of what happened and their feelings of Bernie and Marjorie. They are the narrators. I’d never seen a movie told from the perspective of a group of gossips, but in this case it seemed like the proper narrative technique that would reveal everything you could ever really know about the town and the people involved.

And what characters! There’s no storytelling like that of a townsperson from East Texas with that deep southern drawl. It was also this unconventional storytelling device that almost kept the movie from ever getting made. But eventually, ten years later, once Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey had come aboard, Bernie, Marjorie, and Carthage’s story could finally be told.

The article Dark Comedy ‘Bernie’ – Director’s Statement on Choice of Subject appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Twenty-time Grammy winner Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have been added to the stellar lineup for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Actor and recording artist Jack Black, six-time Grammy winner and current three-time nominee Fergie, three-time Grammy winner and current nominee Amir “?uestlove” Thompson (The Roots), and nine-time Grammy winner Ringo Starr will appear as presenters.

Music’s Biggest Night — hosted by two-time Grammy winner LL CooL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at Grammy.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For Grammy coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards include  Adele  (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry; and Taylor Swift. Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the Grammy telecast for the first time.

Previously announced presenters are Dierks Bentley, Drake, Miranda Lambert, and Gwyneth Paltrow. LL CooL J has hosted “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual Grammy Awards telecast.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

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