Hard Rock Annual 2007 w.t.f. 2006 If you’re thinking this is the most bizarre collection of artists you’ve ever seen, and some of the selections make you mad and some happy and some make you scratch your fuzzy head, then we’ve done our jobs. This is not a story about taste. Not yours. Not ours. It’s a story about rock ‘n’ roll this year in all its magnificently myriad manifestations. 2006. Anybody says it wasn’t a good year for new music gets their ears revoked. Like 2005 (see the first Hard Rock Annual), there’s tons of fresh, fun and totally compelling stuff out there no matter your taste. Even if your taste sucks. So after you get past our defiantly disparate Artists of the Year combo, dig around in the Hello section, where we put the newest of the new. And don’t forget to check out our trippy Artists of the Year for Life trio – country meets metal meets avant garde?!? Then again, isn’t that rock ‘n’ roll? (The big, weird, wonderful mutt.) One more thing: when you’re done reading, head down to see some of these guys at your friendly local Hard Rock. Check out the stuff on the walls – guaranteed something’ll make you shiver (those hand-scrawled lyrics, sequined jacket and busted Strat are all 100% real). Eat, if you’re hungry. And hoist a fancy beverage to the future of this weird mutt of a music we celebrate here, just as we have always honored its magnificently myriad ma’s and pa’s. The Annual continues online, with mp3’s, more pictures, more words and, every month, a profile of a new artist who just might turn up on the cover of next year’s Annual. Check it: hardrockannual.com Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists of the year Citizen Cope In rock, it’s simply undeniable: all roads lead to Memphis. Elvis. Johnny Cash. BB King. Stax Records. Alex Chilton. And now: Clarence Greenwood. Which is what Citizen Cope’s mama called him when he was born in legendary Mtown. Not sure what he has to do with any of his illustrious homey forebearers – except that in his smoky, slow-boil stew of Southern-flavored, folk-soul-rock-reggae-hip-hop he has something to do with just about all of them. And more. Including the Beatles, as evidenced in the darkly dreamy “John Lennon,” a musical (a la “I Want You”) and socio-historical tribute to the rock martyr. As a latter-day protest song, “Lennon” stands out on Every Waking Moment, Clarence’s third released album (a first was shamefully shitcanned by Capitol in ‘97) and marks a move inward for this engaged artist. There are love songs. Well, Cope-style love songs. And they’re not exactly pop confections – though with its infectious “woo-woo” chorus “Back Together” comes close. Kinda. Likewise, “More Than It Seems” is a Cope-style rock anthem. Kinda. But touching base with his base, he closes the album with a live cut of his cult classic “Bullet and a Target,” complete with adoring crowd singalong. It’s clear that, in 2006, Cope was bound and determined to get what’s been too long coming. But in going for the brass ring of commercial success (kinda), he wound up with a whole new level of art. Then again, ever since Elvis and Johnny chased fame and fortune through the doors of Sun Studios – in Memphis, Tennessee – that’s exactly what the finest rock has always done: walk the line. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists of the year Wolfmother The new thunder from Down Under. You get the feeling these Aussie power trio pups are not so much looking to re-create the sound of Cream or Mountain, as to re-create the monumental daze and confusion in their own just-post-teenage psyches. So who cares if they do it by time-traveling to the original Dazed and Confused era? Equal measures mushrooms and metallic KO, their admirably ambitious, self-titled debut quotes a pantheon of latepsychedelic, heavy rock – Led Zep, Sabbath, Stooges (the lead-off scream is patented Iggy), Barrett-period Floyd, Hendrix, Yardbirds, early Traffic, late Doors (literally quoting “Riders on the Storm” in “White Unicorn”), Delta blues (“Vagabond”), Nuggets garage rock, Jethro Tull (flute on “Witchcraft”), even early Allman Brothers. And, yes, Cream and Mountain. Their more recent sonic debt, to Jack White, can’t be ignored – you could drop “Joker & The Thief” on a White Stripes album and no one would be the wiser. But Wolfmother is at once more formal – more about structures, arrangements and group interplay, than virtuosity – and, for all their undisguised influences, more winningly naive. Uncalculating. Unironic. And utterly authentic. And that is confirmed in spades by the frenetically impassioned live shows that make this big, fat, juicy rock album sound, by comparison, like e-z listening and that are serving to convert global audiences – including this one – into stark, raving disciples. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists of the year for life Ozzy Osbourne Reform-school teen turns high priest of satanic rock turns TV dad (turns t-shirt designer, by the way, for Hard Rock). Talk about WTF. On the strength of that twisted trajectory alone he deserves some kind of pop culture Nobel. But add that this is the bloke who – along with his indispensable Black Sab cohorts – wrote the heavy metal rule book, and you’ve got yourself an indisputable Artist of the Year for Life. If he seems like a cartoon now, the truth is he always was. Black Sabbath and its lead singer (not to mention the genre they sketched out) were always about over-acting, over-loud and over-the-top, about unbridled melodrama, comic books and D&D fantasy. The parody of Spinal Tap was not actually far from the truth. But if Ozzy was and is a cartoon, the stunning revelation of recent years, evident in the very existence of his reality-based pseudo-sitcom, is that he knows it. And The Osbournes is his unmistakable wink-and-a-nudge. You never would have imagined that the man who bit the head off a bat would even live to grow old gracefully. You never, ever, ever, would have imagined that the caterwauling, besotted, Limey maniac who birthed “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” would become the very model of post-modern pater familias, that the madman (self-described) who once thundered down the walls of radio pop would turn into “Pops,” Kelly and Jack’s doddering old dad, the lovable old acid-casualty in eyeliner that makes all America go “Aww.” Now that is genius. Or black magic. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists of the year for life Willie Nelson Anybody wants to argue with this one – get ready for a West Texas-style barroom brawl. Who is cooler at 73 (73!)? And who is more rock ‘n’ roll – whether spitting country, pop, gospel or rock? And who has carved a more singular path through life and art? Plus, who in his eighth decade, in 2006, got busted for weed and ‘shrooms like a goofy teenager? Willie Nelson has been keeping it real since before anyone knew what that was (and, by the way, what is it?). He wrote country classics (“Hello Walls”), gospel standards (“Family Bible”), and crossover hits for others (“Night Life”), including Frank Sinatra. And he did a little singing himself (“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” for one). And that reedy, nasally voice wasn’t exactly a slam dunk in the bland-out music marketplace of the early sixties. And his determinedly behind-the-beat phrasing and eccentric vocal dynamics will never be mistaken for pandering to the lowest common denominator. And that crazy ponytail didn’t exactly earn him a lot of gigs in the reactionary Nashville of the late sixties. But, truly, in spite of it all and because of it all, he made it. Made it in the most conventional sense of earning a ton of money – and then losing it all (and then getting it back). But, more significantly, made it by earning the affection of a nation – the whole, pathologically divided nation, red and blue states alike. We forget, after 30 or 40 years of familiarity, what a weirdo Willie is. So we forget how impossible it is that a guy like this would ever become an honest-to-goodness American icon. And, in doing so, make it a little bit safer for the desperately needed American weirdos that may follow. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists of the year for life Sonic Youth We’ll resist the temptation to riff off their name. Because what they aren’t chronologically any more, they certainly remain in spirit. Experimental, passionate, whimsical, perennially youthful, indisputably sonic, and pretty damn cool – without being a pain in the ass about it. And that last may be part of why they’ve now lasted for a full quarter of a century. In stark contrast to a lot of their compadres on the avant-rock fringe, they’ve got a sense of humor about it. So over time, their outright noise has edged perilously close to songcraft – and no more dramatically than on their experimentally tuneful and rightfully acclaimed 2006 release, Rather Ripped. Don’t get us wrong, with their sundry side projects and SYR label they’re still dishing up plenty of that nasty New York noise. But for the last 15 or so years – certainly since the brilliant synthesis of Daydream Nation – the official band releases see them pursuing the most complex and volatile experiment of all: trying to get Sonic Youth to crack the mainstream. Complex – because they’re still trying to maintain the integrity of their (by-definition) anti-mainstream sound. Volatile – because they’re still trying to maintain the integrity of their impeccable downtown cred. Truly a post-modern conundrum for these post-punk avatars. But one they may have solved once and for all by simply surviving for 25 years. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Artists that are new, kinda new or pitifully overlooked. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Alice Smith Calling someone a throwback connotes being a thing of the past. Not so here. Alice brings Tina Turner’s funk and Aretha Franklin’s soul to the cutting edge with a voice that’s both modern and timeless. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Family Force 5 Roll the Beasties together in a roman candle with Linkin Park and Kid Rock. Lightly sprinkle with the path of righteousness. Then light a match and stand back for a pseudo-Christian, crunk-rock explosion. Pat Robertson beware. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Tapes ‘n Tapes Sorting through a scrap heap of tossed influences, instruments and beats, they’ve managed to cobble together an album worthy of a Junkyard Wars win – as hosted by Stephen Malkmus. A rickety masterpiece. Hard Rock Annual 2007, San Quinn “When I spit, your ear’s baptized.” And there you have it – embrace his rhymes or burn in hell. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Big City Rock Playing unabashedly bright-eyed and upbeat pop (think U2 minus the politicking), these guys could soundtrack a John Hughes movie – especially the prom scene. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Editors If you believe in an afterlife, this band is Ian Curtis’s. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Toby Lightman Mixing the soul of Mary J. Blige with the blues of Bonnie Raitt, she makes them pop. And that’s in no way meant to sound frivolous. Hard Rock Annual 2007, css (Cansei De Ser Sexy) Why is it that songs about Paris Hilton are so much better than songs by Paris Hilton? CSS makes club-hoppy electronica that the simple heiress could only dream of. In fact, they’re so hot, they’re tired of being sexy. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Paramore Lyrically deeper than your average fare about sk8ter boys, this young, angsty, alt. punk quintet is more than just another shade of Avril Lavigne and Co. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Band of Horses Mercury Rev kissing the Flaming Lips. Soaring. Transcendent. Made for a beautiful rainy day. No contrived, hyphenated label necessary. Just straight-up loveliness. (Yes, we realize the irony.) Hard Rock Annual 2007, Red Jumpsuit apparatus Ohhh, the sadness. Ohhh, the sweet sweet pain. But what’s that? A glimmer of hope shining through the waterfall of tears? Emo-core teens with asymmetrical haircuts have found their uniting voice. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Sons of William The kind of music that makes girls in jean cut-offs swoon. Part southern rock, part mainstream pop, call it hominy grits washed down by a tall glass of sweet tea. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Rose Hill Drive Homegrown Led Zep for the millennium generation. Nu-metal be damned; they’re bringing the RAWK. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Lupe Fiasco If music and fashion are inextricably bound, then Lupe Fiasco’s “Pressure, Featuring Jay-Z” is like a pastel sportcoat (sleeves pushed up) coupled with a pair of Timberlands and some serious ice. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Cold War Kids Secret progeny of a Gorbachev-Reagan liaison? They do seem to have quite a few weapons in their arsenal – mostly of the swamp-funk, postpunk, blues-pop variety. Now that’s a force to be reckoned with. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Damone Like Guns N’ Roses with a female Axl. If that isn’t too much of a stretch. The only thing missing is the economy size can of Aqua Net Extra Hold. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Plus, also, etc. Comebacks, follow-ups and not-exactly-new bands we just have to mention. Film School You can’t mistake the musical ancestors here – whether it’s the words that evoke ‘80’s British mope-rock, the vocals that echo Robert Smith or the sonic swirl that recalls early ‘70s psychedelia. Still, Film School remain their own unique recombination – and one that you and all your friends and family should take pains to know. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Blue October OK. They’ve been around since ’98, so they’re definitely not new. But until this year’s breakout single, “Hate Me,” we didn’t know who they were either. Look at it like a gift – eight years of post-grunge, hard-core back catalogue to discover. Hard Rock Annual 2007, The Knife Never before has a stage costume been so apropos. Weird, cryptic, slightly frightening – they’re like vultures picking the best pieces from the carcasses of electro, indie and goth. And, for dessert, the dark meat of suicidal singer-songwriters. Occasionally you can hear echoes from meals past – whisperings of Björk and blips of Kraftwerk. A scavenger’s dream; the mainstream’s nightmare. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Natasha Bedingfield Yes, “Comebacks” is a strange place for this 25-year-old with only one recent album under her belt. “Underappreciated” isn’t right either, considering the commercial success and strong airplay of her album’s title track, “Unwritten.” But that, my friends, is the rub – everyone has picked up on the wrong song. Sure, “Unwritten” is radio-friendly, but Bedingfield is at her best when she leaves the bubblegum behind and puts her impressive pipes to use in the more challenging and grown-up grooves of R&B. And while we’re on the topic of growing up, we just gotta say it – hyperbole is NOT pronounced hyperbowl. It’s ok, Natasha, we forgive you. This time, anyway. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Lucero It’s funny how the term alt. country brings to mind scruffy, indie rockers hijacking a musical genre from their Southern, good-ole-boy counterparts. And while they are a million miles away from most of the steaming piles that Nashville regularly churns out (“Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”?!), Lucero is as corn-fed, gritty and down-home as they come. Ben Nichols’ voice is all heartfelt, rough gravel that, when put to stories-in-song worthy of early Springsteen, is enough to leave you crying and bleeding on the side of a dirt road. But popularity is a fickle beast, and the Wilcos and Whiskeytowns of just a few years ago are no longer the darlings of the media. Which is probably just as well for Lucero since their DIY approach to music has been keeping food on the table for years. And that’s what real country should be. There’s no alt. about it. Hard Rock Annual 2007, Teitur What Chris Martin was before he became blinded by stadium lighting. Humble, honest and heartbreakingly beautiful, Teitur’s second album rectifies any of the pop-inspired mistakes he may have made in his first. His cover of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” is like the spirit of Jeff Buckley floating by on a soft, melancholy breeze. But don’t be fooled – it’ll still blow you away. Hard Rock Annual 2007, 2006 Philanthropy “Love All, Serve All” are not just words on the wall of every single Hard Rock Cafe, Hotel and Casino around the world. They’re our commitment, going back to day one, to doing things differently. After all, rock ‘n’ roll has always been about standing up for the underdog, whether it’s for peace or AIDS relief or a new fire engine for your little town. Where there’s a need, there’s always a rock band there to help. And a Hard Rock. Again, in 2006, Hard Rock peeps all over the world helped out in ways large and small, from the major charity donations that were a key part of the Ambassadors of Rock tour to the bike-a-thon fundraisers put on by your friendly, local cafe. Hard Rock Annual 2007, 2006 “love all, serve all” award to Marc Broussard He’s been called a modern-day soul singer. But it’s not just his amazing Stevie Wonder pipes. Marc Broussard showed the depth of his soul again and again in 2006, tirelessly helping his native Louisiana recover from the mortal wounds of Katrina. Whether it was a benefit for Habitat for Humanity at the just re-opened Hard Rock Cafe in New Orleans or a fundraiser for the American Red Cross and Toys for Tots at the Hard Rock Baltimore, Carencro’s favorite son was there, on a moment’s notice, to sing his heart out. And that’s what we call real soul. And why this year’s Love All, Serve All Award is all his. High school pay-back: O.A.R.’s acoustic gig at the revamped Hard Rock Cleveland benefitted the music program at Liberty High in Youngstown, Jerry DePizzo’s alma mater. Inside the demon of metal beats a heart of gold. And Oz proved it again by designing our 22nd Signature Series t-shirt. Proceeds go to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai. Alexa Ray Joel knows how to show the love. Proceeds from her performances around the country as part of Hard Rock’s annual Rocktoberfest went to benefit the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and support breast cancer research. DMC raised the roof at Hard Rock Boston – with a little help from PM Dawn – to raise more than $50,000 for Peace Games, an innovative antiviolence group. Stairway to heaven? Intrepid Hard Rock staffers overcame heat, humidity and fear of heights to help Habitat for Humanity build Musicians’ Village in New Orleans, new homes for Katrinadisplaced Big Easy musicmakers. Where there’s smoke, there’s firefighters – and on July 11 we invited them to eat free all across North America and Europe to thank them for their service and celebrate our new Smokehouse menu items. Collective Soul collected for March of Dimes when they played for 500 guests at the newly re-decorated Myrtle Beach Hard Rock. Magic bus: the idea was to fill up this bus with donated school supplies at every stop of the Hootie and the Blowfish tour, which was kicked off with a mini-concert at the Hard Rock Nashville. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Ambassadors of Rock Tour Hard Rock’s global concert tour. Spreading the universal language. Of rock. The Who played our thirty-fifth birthday party. And so did Roger Waters and Nick Mason, performing the entire Dark Side of the Moon. So did Starsailor. The Zutons. And Texas. And so did 15 other bands, under a perfect summer sky in London’s Hyde Park. While a real princess watched backstage, alongside a real Red Hot Chili Pepper, and 80,000 of our friends partied out front. And that was only the beginning of the first annual Ambassadors of Rock world tour. Next stop: New Yawk City and the new Hard Rock Cafe at Times Square, for a special show for 700 of our nearest and dearest by the unstoppable Mötley Crüe – joined for an encore of “Helter Skelter” by tour-mate Steven Tyler. Then on to Blondie in Singapore. Cheap Trick in Japan. And more. And, more importantly, at every gig, in every town, in the spirit of “Love All, Serve All,” our longtime company motto, in the spirit of the guitar-slinging goodwill ambassadors who made it all possible, Hard Rock raised thousands and thousands of dollars for deserving charities. Rock stars psyched to see other rock stars. That’s one measure of how much fun it was to be around the Ambassadors of Rock tour. Young bands like LaRocca and Rose Hill Drive freaking out about sharing a stage with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Or vets like Chad Smith totally jazzed to be standing on the side of the stage during Dark Side. There was Zak Starkey – now brilliantly channeling the ghost of Keith Moon as drummer for the Who – hugging Rita Gilligan, the original Hard Rock waitress, who knew him from when dad Ringo used to stop by for a burger. There was guitar god Jimmy Page paying respects to Rita and then turning to the cameras to wish Hard Rock a happy birthday. There were the Misshapes on the wheels of steel, warming up a VIP Big Apple crowd for the Crue – as Aerosmith watched. There were dozens of stars autographing dozens of guitars – not to mention, the occasional body part. There were big checks to charity and thousands upon thousands of burgers and beers and a couple of adorable grand-prize winners from Russia and Hard Rock staffers flown in from around the world and, above all – from London to Singapore, New York to Venezuela to Japan – the universal language. Of rock. Hard Rock Annual 2007 Memorabilia. Enough is enough? Hell, no. Even when you’ve already got the world’s largest, most valuable, most mind-bogglingly cool rock memorabilia collection in the known universe, you still want more. First of all, there’s new artists you’ve just got to get a piece of. And there’s old artists that want to give you something so insanely rare that you’d be crazy to say no. So our 69,000- piece treasure chest of rock history grew again this year. And again this year, here’s a sampling for your delectation. Billie Joe Armstrong, Dave Grohl and Fergie were just some of the dozens of stars who signed this back seat – now the only Rolls Royce sofa in the world – donated to Hard Rock in return for a $25,000 donation to the AIDS charity Staying Alive. Crüe collection All the guitars, jumpsuits and Tommy Lee’s kit from the Crue’s recent world tour were donated, at the close of the tour, to our collection. Dimebag guitar Dimebag wanted it that way: that’s why brother and bandmate Vinnie Paul generously awarded us three of the slain guitarist’s axes, including this metal (literally) model. Dave navarro guitar After Panic Channel rocked the Chicago Cafe, Dave handed over one of his favorite tools of the trade from his Jane’s Addiction days. Joe perry guitar Joe Perry told us it was an honor to be on the Hard Rock walls. With the gift of this custom Gibson – and nine others discovered in the Aerosmith warehouse – he’s honored again. Ian scott guitar Anthrax’s Ian Scott knows how to bring the fire – and now he’s brought it, for safekeeping, to Hard Rock. Shakira costumes We could start a clothing store with the 35 stage outfits donated by Shakira. Instead, with a donation of $82,000, we’re helping her start schools in Columbia. Taste of Chaos More than a taste: actually, we got just about everything that wasn’t nailed down from the ’06 Taste of Chaos tour and would fit in our semi – instruments, clothes, drums, etc. Matt Sorum drum kit Matt Sorum’s Velvet Revolver touring kit. After playing the NY Cafe opening – and seeing the choice memorabilia – he decided to leave it.