Billy Corgan for NoiseCreep

I went to visit my parents recently and dusted off my Smashing Pumpkins box set, 'The Aeroplane Flies High.' Was it Christmas 2006 when I got this? The band's cover of the Cars' "You're All I've Got Tonight" has been stuck in my head for days. This had nothing to do with all of the bullshit that went on between Corgan and Courtney last week, which happened around her big show at Terminal 5 in NYC. I didn't go, but I heard the 45-minute set was pure garbage. Either way, this is not about Love, but rather that Billy Corgan still identifies his favorite heavy metal albums and offers up a Top 10 for Music Radar.

You can read the news piece, posted here: Billy Corgan Names the 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Records

Noisecreep Archive Still Going Strong

For the past several months, Noisecreep has been a busy blur of metal, hardcore and punk write-ups. Ronnie Dio got stomach cancer, Rammstein went mega-pr0n, Mayhem destroyed a hotel room and studies show that soldiers in Iraq utilize metal on their iPods to pump them up for war. The news never stops coming in, and while I used to post each published Noisecreep piece up here, it's best to do so in bulk because the resulting adjective for both you and I would be: tedious. Rather, while we now have little blogger bios (see below), I'll work on getting the accompanying photo link fixed. Enjoy...

You can read the archive, posted here: Noisecreep / Vicki Siolos

The Actual Update

I had promised a substantial update after vanishing for the second half of the summer. It should come as no surprise that I've been too busy to update this site, but that's also unfair as lowering the level of urgency to update this "portfolio in progress" goes against its purpose.

The spring was difficult. I held together a worthwhile amount of freelance writing jobs, but the constant struggle to find steady work was taking its toll on me. I was eventually offered a job in fine dining food service on Fire Island, and I couldn't find a reason to say no. The idea of surrounding myself in a routine of manual labor seemed like an incredible break for my spirit and mental health, which were being constantly dragged down by the respective rise and fall of desirable interviews and reluctant rejections. I think everyone hated saying no because it was such a hard time for all of us - the economy, in my opinion, was at its absolute worst and while most of America remained or grew in its unemployment, the relationship between the music industry and the concept of job security was in shambles.

While the experience may not have been exact for everyone, this certainly describes the scenario for myself and many other hardworking artists that I have a personal connection to: editors, DJ/producers, label owners, publicists and [definitely, definitely] writers. By the time my birthday came around in mid-July, I went on official hiatus (if I could even call it that), and ceased to write for about two months.

Terrified of what the freelance world was going to be like when I returned, I am beyond grateful and thrilled to hold two great positions. One is a more involved writing position with NoiseCreep - AOL's metal blog that has been growing like a teenager on steroids - which requires me to be increasingly attached to the happenings in the metal world. Additionally, a very good friend connected me with Forward Management - a booking and management firm that was started by François K and his Wave Music business partner, Aurelie Brambilla. I'm now working part-time alongside Aurelie to book the artists on Forward's roster, which I'm also excited about. Electronic music - like most large and thriving genres - is full of a copious amount of crap, and it's an honor to have the opportunity to work with a particular company that has history, taste and integrity. The few people I've met who are a part of the project are truly genuine, and as far as gut feelings go the green light has been brighter than ever.

There are a few other projects, hopes and ideas on the horizon. I am still writing for Resident Advisor and already have my eye on outlets that I have been waiting for the right time to approach. The time is now!

(P.S. To fellow friends: I discovered the beauty that is Texas Hold 'em this summer, and if you feel like losing some money then bring it on.)

Jeff Mills for Resident Advisor & Fuck The Facts for NoiseCreep

One of my highest priorities is to post my writings right about the time they're published, but from time to time it's difficult to stay on point. I'm still living on a fantasy summer island, but have been keeping myself plugged into my two favorite genres: metal and techno. Before I left for Fire Island, I spent my final, epic weekend with a string of memorable nights. On Wednesday, my friend Mattis and I drove up to Boston for a RBMA Thomas Oberheim workshop and Le Loup at Midweek Techno. Thursday was Raster-Noton at Make It New, and Friday - the day the up button broke on my car stereo's volume - we drove back to Brooklyn with a full car for Bunker, which featured R-N and Insideout (I think Grant is my new hero) and an epic 6hour tagteam between Jan Krueger and Derek Plaslaiko. The following night was Jeff Mills at the Sullivan Room, topped with a Cadenza party on the Bar 13 rooftop the following afternoon. Easily one of the best (and longest) weekends of my life. My review of Mills was a feat - making sense of one night amongst all of that can be difficult when you consider how much one event will blend into another. It was truly a weekend of loving life, and Mills' set (especially when he played "The Bells") was the opposite of a heartbreak.

True love?

Secondly, I'm on the verge of digging into new metal, and I have big plans with NoiseCreep that hit on a very personal level in the near future. Still, we wanted to know what Fuck The Facts couldn't leave home without - aside from, of course, instruments and merch - because they are just an awesome band. Please go see them if they're coming to your town.

You can read the reviews, posted here:
Jeff Mills @ Sullivan Room for Resident Advisor
Fuck the Facts Hit the Road With Five Essential Items

Mumakil & Linkin Park for NoiseCreep

Mumakil + Linkin Park = probably two of the most unexpected pairings of bands you'd think to see in a blog title, but in this case it's catch up for me and my recently postings. I really feel that Mumakil - the Swiss "blastcore" band that named themselves after the large elephant-like creatures in The Two Towers (so cool, I'm such a nerd) - lives up to its brutal declarations, and their live footage from Le Romandie further the point. As for Linkin Park, I'm going to bare all: I saw the second Transformers movie with a motley crew yesterday, and between writing about the video and then seeing the film - in which Jablonsky definitely borrows heavily from the LP single to compose the score during explosive peaks - the song has officially grown on me. It's definitely better than some of their singles from the past, despite how big it grew their nu-metal empire.

You can read the reviews, posted here:
Mumakil -- Video Footage From Le Romandie
Linkin Park 'New Divide' -- Video

Spinal Tap for NoiseCreep

Holy christ am I busy! While there are countless grammatical errors in that statement, it is wildly appropriate. The added stress of getting flu symptoms on Day 1 of my new full-time dayjob - one which is completely unrelated to music journalism and for the next three months - certainly didn't help, but to be posting about a piece that went up well over 2 days ago just seems so...late. Nevertheless, I'm happy to be writing more and more about the forthcoming Spinal Tap relaunch. The band is at it again and in such a meta-world it's nice to see some of the pioneers of entertaining, tongue-in-cheek genius give it another go.

You can read the review, posted here: Spinal Tap 'Back From The Dead' -- Full Album Stream

Incubus for NoiseCreep

"Pardon Me" is a great song. There's so much music from the late 90s that I'd rather forget, but this one stays afloat. You might not hear me cranking this from my car stereo at all times (lately, it's been the Cassy Resident Advisor podcast from way back), but it's a definitive piece that captures the mainstream progress of nu-metal moving away from aggro/anti-parent whining and towards a much wider audience. Brandon Boyd also impresses me very much - he can be a good lyricist and is a strong singer, visual/fine artist and author. It's difficult enough to be good in any of those fields, let alone three. I'm also looking forward to checking out this yet-to-be titled documentary because the clip of "Pardon Me's" history is told really well. Overall, I think this greatest hits collection has very good timing.

You can read the review, posted here: Incubus Set to Release 'Monuments and Melodies' and Documentary

Vanna & PsyOpus for NoiseCreep

During my wonderful time spent in Detroit for Movement, there was plenty of action still going on at NoiseCreep. Vanna, who hail from my former city of Boston, and PsyOpus had videos posted. The latter can really put on one hell of a show, and is one of my MetalBlade favorites. They're on tour, of course, and will be in New York on July 12th. Can you wait until then? There's a new song up on their MySpace page.

You can read the reviews, posted here:
Vanna 'Safe To Say' -- Video
PsyOpus 'The Burning Halo' -- Video

Headbanger Favorites for NoiseCreep

After coming across the "Headbanging while making a fire" video on YouTube, I showed it to my editor and we were inspired to create a 10 Favorite WTF Headbanger Video list. I scrounged up some serious gems...be sure to check out grandma loving Toxic Bonkers and the Opeth bang-a-long.

You can see the glory here: Our 10 Favorite WTF Headbanger Videos

Blue October for NoiseCreep

I'm genuinely pleased with this video and song. When I worked as a publicist at Planetary, the radio department did a great deal of work with Blue October. There, I was first exposed to them, but something didn't exactly click. Two things this song reminded me of were slam poetry and Placebo, and yet this band isn't directly associated with either. Something about these two bits, which are near and dear to my heart, were prevalent throughout the whole video, which goes just under four minutes. While Rolling Stone gave their album two stars, I have to say this particular single is really goddamn good.

You can read the review, posted here: Blue October 'Say It' -- Video

Saving Abel for NoiseCreep

I really mean it about NASCAR becoming a big part of alternative culture. At first it was ironic when my most hipster of Williamsburg-residing friends got into it for the sheer "redneck chic" factor. It was also a great reason to have a BBQ! The fanaticism has magnetized a small handful of them, and it's safe to say that I officially have friends that are into NASCAR. It's bold enough that I love the Red Sox and might watch a Celtics or Knicks game or two, but there are some sports that I haven't had much exposure to. Or at all. I couldn't even begin to fathom if I would make a good NASCAR fan. First off, I'm vegan - how would I fair with the concession stand?

You can read the review, posted here: Saving Abel 'Drowning (Face Down)' -- Video

Slipknot Video for NoiseCreep

When I was in high school, my town (Deer Park, Long Island) didn't have a record store, book store or really anything outside a plethora of fast food chains. While I can't recall the name I remember the small, strip mall-embedded record shop that opened for a solid year or two near my house. I spent more allowance and work money there than any other Tower or Sam Goody to keep that place afloat, and I remember the day my friend Paul pulled out the Slipknot self-titled album and said, "Vicki, you have to buy this. Trust me. Just do it."

I listened, and I'm glad to have done so because the record was a jigsaw puzzle in the growing relationship between metal and mainstream, but Slipknot stayed on the outskirts of the nu-metal phenomenon (thank god). Slipknot's metal sound is so far from what I listen to on a daily basis that I was hoping a write-up for their latest efforts would plunge me back into the memory pool of the late 90s. Also notable was the art installation in Des Moines, Iowa - their hometown - from where they got the inspiration for the "Sulfur" video. Good for them for still being around - even if they're not your cup of tea, their tracks are a cut above most of what is out there today, seeing as they've been at it for so long.

You can read the review, posted here: Joey Jordison Comments on Slipknot 'Sulfur' Video

A New England Recharge + Upcoming Projects

I'm happy to announce that since the review of DJ Hell in Brooklyn went live on Resident Advisor, Hell himself released Teufelswerk on his own International Deejay Gigolos label as of this week. Furthermore, his website got a complete makeover, and the overall design moved away from the N. Y. Muscle theme to something more suited for the new record. The RA review is featured on the front page, and you can imagine the audible gasp of joy when I saw my own name in large font on his website. No matter how long I do this, that sort of recognition never gets old. The man is a legend, and this album just happens to be contending for my favorite of the year. Succinctly put, it's an honor.

In other news, I traveled to Boston last weekend for the first time in quite a while. I saw sQuare Production's Speaking In Code documentary in a proper theater, heard some of my favorite local DJs at Make It New, Solid!, Circus, Bassic and the Basstown monthly residency, which featured Lazer Sword. On the dubstep front, Clouds' DJ Tommy did a beautiful set on Sunday, but I was most impressed by Moldy - a Portland DJ I'd heard about in my time living with Pandai'a as one of the best East coast producers of the genre. It's absolutely true. His presence and his mixing and some of the original tracks he dropped were just perfect. All of the elements were in place, and with the Good Life's soundsystem I left with proper cerebral vibrations.

Being back in my old haunts encouraged all of us at Basstown to light a mighty flame under our collective asses with the website. For weeks, we've been doing a great job of keeping it up to date, but my personal goal is to have more community involvement, more mp3's & album reviews and more news that would be useful to both DJs and intrigued techno lovers. In three weeks, I'll be headed to Detroit with Volvox for our first foray into DEMF and all that Detroit - the closest I can get to Berlin - has to offer, and Resident Advisor will be the outlet for all of my reactions and musings.

Lastly, the wheels are picking up at NoiseCreep, where I'm thrilled to have joined on. You can expect to see more of my words there in the coming weeks, and I hope that everyone enjoys my rambles on metal as much as they do techno. Cheers!