Picks of the week
for May 15
By Matthew Singer 05/15/2008
Apocalyptica The cello has always been the most metal of all classical instruments, its deep, sonorous tones comparable to the growls of a hairy Scandinavian man-beast. Leave it to a group of Fins to figure that one out. Apocalyptica, a Helsinki-based band of university-trained headbangers, employ four cellos and a drum set, and somehow this setup comes out heavy as a dump truck full of bricks. Their first record, the self-explanatory Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, was a surprising international success when it was released in 1996. Anyone who thought of it as simply a novelty, however, must have been shocked when their proceeding albums, featuring mostly original material, went on to sell over 2 million units worldwide. Even if you are not a metal enthusiast, Apocalyptica’s show at the Ventura Theater on May 18 is sure to interesting, to say the least.
Foghat At a time when disco ruled the airwaves, Britain’s Foghat continued to wave the flag for gritty, blues-based rock, releasing five gold records and maintaining an audience through the era’s schmaltz and disingenuousness. Of course, the band drifted toward New Wave pop at the birth of the ’80s, but through the ’70s the group was an unstoppable boogie machine. The original lineup disintegrated over the usual “creative differences,” but in 1993, uber-hip producer Rick Rubin urged them to get back together. They did, released a few albums (none of which were produced by Rubin, oddly), then, sadly, founding members Dave Peverett and Rod Price died in 2000. But the band continues to carry of their legacy, and they’ll carry it into the Canyon on May 16.
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