Duran Duran's 'Sing Blue Silver' still a classic

Duran Duran capitalized on its success as both a video and a live band with the concert documentary "Sing Blue Silver."

Directed by Michael Collins, with concert footage by Russell Mulcahy, "Sing Blue Silver" follows the band on its first major U.S. tour.

Now, at a time when reality TV is commonplace, "Sing Blue Silver" is as relevant as it was in 1984.

The press conference early in the film is something one could imagine featuring boy bands today, and it was the same treatment given the Fab Four when The Beatles visited the United States.

At the time of its release, the documentary gave the band's young fans an inside look at the biggest thing since sliced Beatles (to steal a line from the excellent glam-rock film "Velvet Goldmine").

Indeed, "Sing Blue Silver" offered a polished view of the band, some of whose members sometimes enjoyed cocaine and groupies, bassist John Taylor wrote in his memoir, "In the Pleasure Groove." He even said the book is "for people who have never played the Oakland Coliseum ... on drugs."

That's where the closing concert of "Sing Blue Silver" was filmed.

From the opening montage of big rigs in motion, set to the strains of "Tiger Tiger," to those closing scenes, the documentary also shows the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a touring production.

"Sing Blue Silver" is a fan favorite, and it launched its share of tributes. Spy Matthews, tour production manager, inspired a band name, and singer Simon Le Bon's plea of "Gimme a wristband," a website.

Released on DVD in the past decade, copies of "Sing Blue Silver" can still be found on the resale market. It's definitely worth watching again, and again.

Adapted from original post from Nov. 2, 2012

The Buttertones prove they're the next big thing

The Buttertones, a sharp-dressed five-piece with a ton of musical talent, brought their riveting live show to Omaha's Slowdown on Aug. 8.

The Buttertones have a distinct look and sound that's rounded out by saxophone. The members ooze confidence onstage and have adoring female followers, at least in the band's home base of Los Angeles. Does any of this remind you of a certain band in the '80s?

But instead of Duran Duran's amalgam of Chic, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols, The Buttertones' musical style has been described as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates meets The Gun Club.

In Omaha, the Buttertones got an assist from opener Ron Gallo, an afro-coiffed rocker channelling the MC5 and backed by a bassist and drummer (Ron Gallo and the Gallos, as The Buttertones' frontman Richard Araiza called them). Ever wanted to hear a garage rock version of Des'ree's "Love Will Save the Day? Ever wonder what a guitar played with a suitcase sounds like? Then look no further than Ron Gallo.

London Guzman, Dakota Bottcher and Richard Araiza. All photos by Christopher Windle.

But The Buttertones were the main event, playing a slick and energetic set of songs off current album "Gravedigging" as well as tracks from further back in the band's six-year career. Despite an appearance earlier this year on "Last Call With Carson Daly," The Buttertones are largely unknown outside LA. Band members endearingly sell their own merchandise before and after the show, writing the night's set list in lulls between customers. They mill about the crowd, Araiza wearing glasses as a sort of offstage Clark Kent-type disguise. But the buzz around the band's must-see live show and aforementioned TV appearance, especially, are paying off, according to guitarist Dakota Böttcher.

Araiza has proper frontman swagger.

Onstage, The Buttertones wasted no time whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Especially well-received were songs off the new album like "Sadie's a Sadist," "Matador," and "Gravediggin.'" The trio of songs are solid tracks backed by Quentin Tarantino-esque videos.

The band veered from raucous rockabilly and surf to vintage-flavored rock ballads like "Geisha's Gaze." As for the older material, it has more of a doo-wop flavor, as evidenced on ballads like "Baby Doll."

After listening to the band's previous album, "American Brunch," it's clear that The Buttertones have come into their own with "Gravedigging." Whether singing about falling "over in love" ("Geisha's Gaze"), about a bullfighter past his prime ("Matador"), or about a houseguest who overstays his welcome ("Two-Headed Shark") the band covers timeless topics with a sometimes-devious twist.

The Buttertones showed they're a band that could achieve big things. It will be exciting to see what's next.

MTV debuted 36 years ago. Duran Duran was there for the ride

MTV hit the airwaves 36 years ago August 1. Perhaps no band is more synonymous with MTV than Duran Duran.

Original MTV VJ Martha Quinn has described the union of MTV and Duran as "a confluence of fate and meeting each other at the right time."

"Everyone says, 'MTV made Duran Duran,'" Quinn once said. "But you know what, Duran Duran made MTV, too."

From the channel's ban on early video "Girls On Film" to the band's Lifetime Achievement Award, Duran has a storied history with MTV:

• "Girls On Film," directed by Godley & Crème, was banned by MTV in 1981. The move only fueled the success of the band's third single, as well as the racy clip's place in music video lore.

• "Hungry Like the Wolf," along with "Rio," helped change the face of music television in 1982-83. Instead of relying on a soundstage, director Russell Mulcahy took the band on location to Sri Lanka and Antigua. The resulting videos resembled short films and garnered the band a pair of Grammy awards.

• Duran's Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon did a stint as guest VJs on MTV for the first time in 1983, playing videos from the likes of David Bowie and Talking Heads. They returned in 1985, the year John and Andy Taylor also stopped by.

• Live Aid was aired on MTV live, of course, in 1985. The concert featured Duran's final performance as the Fab Five until its reunion in the 2000s, as well as a set by side project The Power Station.

• On "MTV Unplugged," Duran remade its early and current hits with an acoustic flair in a comeback performance on the popular show.

• MTV compiled its definitive list of 100 Greatest Videos of All Time in 1999, playing the clips at a time when the channel had mostly abandoned videos. "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Girls On Film" both made the list.

• MTV surprised the original members of Duran with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. The band had been nominated for several Video Music Awards, in 1984, 1985 and 1993, and won in 1988 for innovation for "All She Wants Is."

Photo by Christopher Windle. Adapted from original post from August 2013.

Echo and the Bunnymen with Violent Femmes

Echo and the Bunnymen, obscured on the darkened stage in Kansas City. Photo by Christopher Windle.

It's a pairing that doesn't quite make sense on paper: the quirky, borderline novelty act Violent Femmes and the dark and brooding Echo and the Bunnymen. But the passage of time means that the two bands have been categorized together as '80s alternative, and in 2017, it somehow works.

The bands brought their co-headlining tour to Kansas City's Crossroads on July 25, with the Bunnymen taking top billing on this particular date. A packed house danced through Femmes hits like "Blister in the Sun," "Gone Daddy Gone," and "Add it Up." And then they all stayed for the Bunnymen.

The set list was short but sweet. Singer Ian McCulloch had taken ill at a previous show in St. Louis, where the temperature had hit 108 degrees. With it again hovering around 100, perhaps the Bunnymen weren't taking any chances this time.

Still, the band hit on most of the highlights of its catalog. "Going Up," "Rescue," and "Do It Clean" was the opening salvo. The Bunnymen later returned to more of its classics from debut album "Crocodiles," with "All That Jazz" and "Villiers Terrace."

The band touched on several other albums, with "Over the Wall" from "Heaven Up Here,"  and "The Cutter," of course, off "Porcupine." Even 1997's superb "Evergreen" was represented, with a version of "Nothing Lasts Forever" that veered into Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and back.

While the show was good, it wasn't nearly as good as the first shows of the band that I caught nearly 18 years ago. Guitarist Will Sergeant's guitar work is as solid as ever. McCulloch still is a mysterious figure in black shades and leather jacket. Though he wasn't chain smoking on stage as he did then, he still lit up from time to time.

McCulloch in 1999 at First Avenue. Photo by Karen Duran.

McCulloch now sounds best in his lower register. And during the "Pretty in Pink" hit "Bring on the Dancing Horses," the echo of his vocals seemed to throw him off altogether. Only the crowd singing along to the song kept the band from having to restart it.

The lower-register portions of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" and "Lips Like Sugar" off the band's self-titled 1987 release sounded great. So did "Seven Seas" and The Killing Moon" off "Ocean Rain" (though the title track was notably absent).

Still, anybody who hadn't seen the band in its earlier days would be impressed. The Bunnymen know how to put on a show that satisfies.

Blondie and Garbage at Stir Cove

Blondie and Garbage, two bands that helped define music over four decades with their fierce, age-defying female singers, came to a steamy Stir Cove in Council Bluffs on July 19.

Opening up the show were John and Exene from seminal punk band X. With only a guitar and two voices, the pair played an unlikely but enjoyable mix of punk and bluegrass. John Doe announced that he'd be signing items by the merch booth, pulling several die-hard fans up and away from the stage, which Garbage seemingly took in record time.

Exene shielded herself from the sun with an umbrella during the "blast-furnace" conditions. Photos by Christopher Windle.

Garbage has remained intact as its original four-piece and as a formidable live force since its debut in the 1990s. The band played 15 songs, paying tribute to the ground broke by Blondie and Debbie Harry during the banter in between songs. Though the crowd was clearly there to hear Garbage's hits from its self-titled debut album, tracks off "Version 2.0" were especially strong. "I Think I'm Paranoid" and "Push It" were highlights.

Shirley Manson, with Steve Marker and Butch Vig, commands the stage.

As far as the band's pair of soundtrack hits, a version of "#1 Crush" was somehow better than the original, and "The World is Not Enough," perhaps the second-best Bond theme song, was another high point. The low was the disrespect the crowd showed by chattering through between-song banter and newer songs like the David Lynch-inspired "Night Drive Loneliness," as well as better-known tracks.

Harry and Clem Burke.

Harry and Stein.

Blondie took the stage to great aplomb, Harry decked out in a "Pollinator"-inspired outfit of black legging-like pants, top, headdress, and cape with the words, "Stop f---ing our planet," clearly visible on the back. The new album employs a lot of guest songwriters, and it's a theme that Blondie cleverly embraced in the set list. Although Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, especially, have proved their writing chops time and again over the years, there are many covers the band is known for as well. Here, they were sprinkled throughout the set list: "Hanging on the Telephone" (the Nerves), "Rainy Day Women #12 & #35" (Bob Dylan), "Fragments" (Unkindness), and "The Tide is High" (the Paragons).

Of the new tracks, "Fun," co-written by David Sitek of TV on the Radio, fit right in with the band's pristine pop tracks like "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me," that one famously co-written by Giorgio Moroder. Other highlights among the new songs included the Johnny Marr-penned "My Monster."

A rapt audience enjoys Blondie.

But the reason to see Blondie live are the timeless originals: "One Way or Another," covered and used in commercials to the point that it's forever in the public consciousness. "Dreaming," a slice of '50s-inspired pop perfection. "Atomic," a keyboard-driven opus that helped inspire new wavers like Duran Duran. And "Rapture," a tour de force live, during which Harry hit the high notes and strutted to the front of the stage for the first and best female-led rap.

At 72, it's clear that Harry, and Blondie, have still got it.

In honor of JT's birthday

To my knowledge, I was the first journalist to review John Taylor's autobiography. I contacted his publisher, received the book in the mail weeks before its release date, and read it in a day and a half. It wasn't long after that that I was inspired to write and post my review as the Duran Duran correspondent for a news website. In honor of JT's birthday, here is that review:

Duran Duran's John Taylor recounts the story of one of pop music's most extraordinary bands while sharing his compelling personal journey in his new autobiography, "In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran."

Taylor, Duran's bassist, famously co-founded the band with keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and that back story set in Birmingham, England, is one of the most engaging parts of Taylor's book.

Taylor hailed from a working-class family in Birmingham's Hollywood, while there was something more magical about Rhodes, whose mum owned a toy shop nearby. The musically like-minded individuals also shared the common bond of both being only children.

Taylor and Rhodes started out as glam-rock fanboys, their shared love of Bowie and Roxy Music inspiring them to become brothers in musical arms. The two would create the Duran concept before any of the other players came on board.

Taylor and Rhodes were happy to remain left of the spotlight, Taylor writes. Soon, Roger Taylor would join on drums, followed by guitarist Andy Taylor, and finally, singer Simon Le Bon would bring the poetry.

Together, the band would ride a new wave into the 1980s, writing and recording some of the biggest hits of that decade and beyond.

Along the way, John Taylor shares his run-ins with various celebrities who crossed Duran's path, including a hilarious exchange with Sting.

Augmenting Taylor's memories from those whirlwind early days are his own diary, postcards he sent to his parents and fan club dispatches. Throughout the book, Taylor's voice truly shines through.

Duran always has been a "divine diplomacy," but Taylor shares few details of the inner workings and inevitable disagreements that come when band members gather to write and record — and share credit equally for the ensuing material.

But on a personal level, Taylor writes more freely. As Duran grew increasing successful so, too, did Taylor become more reliant on drink and drugs. It all nearly spun out of control. But he eventually found his way to rehab, and here he shares stories of recovery, loss and learning to love.

"Pleasure Groove" is, by design, an unfinished story. Four out of five original members continue to make viable new music and perform live as Duran Duran.

As for Taylor, the reader comes away with the sense that he is in the best place he's ever been.

Instead of the trivial tiny seductions, it's all about the music now.

Originally posted September 14, 2012. Photo by Christopher Windle.

A birthday look back at Nick Rhodes' side projects

A happy 55th birthday to Nick Rhodes!

Nick Rhodes is notorious for staying busy on breaks from Duran Duran. The British band's co-founder and keyboardist fills his downtime with producer gigs and side projects, including Arcadia, TV Mania, and the Devils.

The long-shelved TV Mania saw the light of day in 2013. TV Mania became prolific on Twitter, posting several tweets per day, including such nuggets as: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

Fans speculated whether Rhodes, who doesn't have a known Twitter or Facebook account, was tweeting for TV Mania.

Said @TVManiaMusic: "Ssh. There is more than one TV Mania."

Before TV Mania, Rhodes' biggest project outside Duran Duran undoubtedly was Arcadia, the platinum-selling group he formed with Duran vocalist Simon Le Bon and drummer Roger Taylor. Arcadia's only album, "So Red the Rose" (1985), boasted such guest musicians as Sting, David Gilmour, and Grace Jones.

As far back as 1983, Rhodes was working as a producer. He co-produced Kajagoogoo's hit "Too Shy" and had discovered the band as well.

Almost two decades later, he joined forces with the Dandy Warhols, producing most of the Portland, Oregon, band's album "Welcome to the Monkey House" (2003) and helping bulk up the alt-rock group's synthesizer arsenal.

Also during the time that Rhodes and the rest of the Fab Five were regrouping for reunion album "Astronaut," the keyboardist teamed up with original Duran singer Stephen Duffy for side project the Devils. The album "Dark Circles" featured re-recordings of original Duran songs as well as hauntingly beautiful tracks looking back on earlier days, like "Newhaven-Dieppe."

TV Mania was the brainchild of Rhodes and former Duran guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Its album, "Bored with Prozac and The Internet?" looked decidedly toward the future, or at least a view of the future as envisioned in the mid-1990s: a culture obsessed with reality television and the Internet.

More recently, Rhodes produced the Bloom Twins and has been in the studio of late with bassist John Taylor and a host of performers working on the TSP (Top Secret Project), rumored to be the Duran musical. Stay tuned.

Adapted from original post from February 2013