Tighter than a pair of leather pants!
|
Love him or hate him, Canada’s most notorious media whore (next to Jian Gomeshi) is back with his second full-length album Instant Classic. While some may shy (OK, flinch) away from the Boy George-meets-Alice Cooper look that Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rockstars have chosen, there’s no denying that he gives good interview.
"Riff-laden, arena-style rock music is our big thing and when we started out nobody else was doing it. By now we’re getting pretty damn good at it. Inside I’m just a 14-year-old rock ’n’ roller. And what I love best is going out on the town and flirting with girls," says Black. "After hearing a lot of the new stuff that’s out there, I’ve come to the conclusion that rock music is a really lowbrow form of entertainment – like comic books. It entertains all kinds of people and it’s all based on fun… and on the groin!"
Strutting his stuff with fellow glam rockers "Killer" Ky Anto (lead guitar-vocals), Starboy (guitar-keyboard-vocals), John "The Creep" Kerns (bass), and percussionist Chris "The Kid" Kidd, Black and company have already made a name for themselves with their unbelievably loud, pyrotechnic-filled stage performances. Adhering to all that is cheap and smutty about their preferred musical genre, they extol the virtues of sex, drugs and the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures of every description – a common thread, which has ensured that despite the passage of time this quintet has remained as tight as a well-worn pair of leather pants.
* MMA commentator and practitioner of Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Robin Black returned to the cage in November of 2012 after a 2-year hiatus. He brought his professional fighting record to 4-5 (W-L) with his second-round Kimura armlock submission of vetted opponent Derek Charbonneau at the inaugural SLAMM: Tristar Fights event.
"I’m proud of the five of us," Black says. "I have the pleasure of playing with four really talented guys. We wouldn’t have survived for 10 years otherwise…. Our skills have developed around one another and we’re working harder now than ever before in our lives. We write, play, tour and try to improve. I think it’s very admirable and noble trying to be the best rock band in the world. It’s all about drinkin’ beer, smokin’ pot and playing rock ’n’ roll… and I get to bang a lot of pretty girls!"
Making an album with the dude who produced Pink Floyd’s The Wall and KISS’s Destroyer is a dream come true for any aspiring rocker and Black is no exception. Hammering out the final details of Instant Classic with legendary producers Bob Ezrin and GGGarth Richardson was definitely a highlight of a career that has put the Winnipeg-born Black and his band on the fast track to (increased) notoriety. Already well known for their onstage antics, glamorous makeup and bravado, Black sees Instant Classic as a timeless tribute to all the things he loves most about good old rock ’n’ roll.
"We’re so used to touring all the time, people know us as a super exciting live act," he says. "But we wanted to go beyond being the drunkest band in Canada, so we decided to take a huge leap forward and make a great record."
The band minted Instant Classic in the hopes of capturing that essence of joie de vivre and distilling it for purely commercial purposes. The technically polished version of their manic mayhem may be one side of the story, but Black admits he and his bandmates just love driving around with the tunes cranked and needed a "special" new disc for the ol’ Trans Am. Instant Classic delivers everything we’ve come to expect from the larger-than-life Robin Black.
"People go nuts at our shows," says Black. "If you love MuchMusic, Elvis Costello and introverted indie-rock bands who sing sad songs about their parents – don’t come to our show. If you love KISS, Aerosmith, pounding beers, smoking joints, beating your chest, wearing low-cut tops and tight pants – we’re the band for you."
Originally published March 2005 in FFWD Weekly Magazine
By Christine Leonard @Nocturntable
|
Tuesday 15 March 2005
ROBIN BLACK : Interviewed by Christine Leonard-Cripps
Wednesday 9 March 2005
Habib Koité : Global Griot
Malian magic
Musical storyteller Habib Koité makes a Big Noise for impoverished countrymen
Known for his technical precision and flair for blending diverse musical styles, Malian guitarist Habib Koité has a rich personal history to draw upon when it comes to his art. Tuning his modern day instrument to the pentatonic scale and playing with open strings, he consciously echoes the sound of the ancient African harp known as kora. Originally from Senegal, Koité continues to pay tribute to the popular rhythms of his native city of Keyes. While studying under the legendary Kahlilou Traore, of the Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali, Koité quickly learned to incorporate elements of flamenco and the blues into his repertoire. Now an accomplished instructor at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako, Mali, Koité strives to bring together the most powerful aspects of the old and the new, developing a truly pan-Malian approach that reflects his innovative spirit as well as his reverence for the past.
"My family name is Khassongke griot. A griot is a storyteller, someone who keeps the stories in their mind and tells them to others. Griots perform ceremonies for marriages and deaths, and in times of war, and at other times they carry messages between villages. Griots are a bridge between the people and the musicians. It was easy for me to take up guitar in my family," says Koité. "My brothers play guitar, and my parents have always been involved with making music. What I play is not exactly the music I was brought up on, but it’s close." Ultimately he takes his musical inspiration from the many different languages of Mali. "Everywhere you go people are speaking in different tongues," he says.
Discovering that his multi-album international success as a musician gave him access to a universal language and a larger global audience, Koité has keenly focused his efforts to help alleviate the economic hardships that have impacted many of his countrymen. Using his influence to bring attention to the plight of Malian cotton farmers, he has organized with artists such as Colin Firth, Michael Stipe, Alanis Morrisette, Chris Martin, Minnie Driver and Youssou N’Dour in joining with Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair: The Big Noise movement to protest U.S. and developed national policies that dump commodities on poor countries that depend on fair competition to make a living from their basic commercial crops.
"My country has grown some of the best quality cotton in the world," says Koité "But Malian farmers are finding that they cannot sell their crops because they are too expensive. Our government has too many things to do in such a poor country. That’s why it’s expensive, because people from outside of Africa can supply the same product for so much less. Our people cannot stay in poverty. We have to do something to equal out the prices in the world market so that consumers can choose quality. This money is very important to Malian farmers – it means being able to feed and shelter their families. I don’t know why people would want to keep them down."
After 20 years of raising spirits and awareness with his deeply intimate singing style and mesmerizing guitar work, Koité looks to the future with the knowledge that anything is possible. Gearing up his earthy rhythm section, Bamada, for a grand 34-city North American tour, he eagerly anticipates the opportunity to bring the sounds of his beloved homeland to new ears.
"I don’t teach like I play. I’m not the put-your-arm-like-this-and-your-fingers-there kind of instructor. I listen when I teach," says Koité. "I believe in co-operation in music. I don’t know what people hear when they listen to my music, but I hope that they gain some understanding of where I’m coming from in my expression. That’s what drives me as an artist to say ‘Yes, I can improve.’"
Habib Koité performs at Eric Harvie Theatre (The Banff Centre) and Jack Singer Concert Hall March 11-13, 2005
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)