Helmet / Silver Cord Sessions

It was back in the mid-90s, on the irreverant US adult cartoon Bevis and Butthead that I first encountered Helmet. The song was “Wilma’s Rainbow” and I was hooked.

The eponymous hosts were commenting on how ordinary the band members looked, and that if you saw them walking down the street, you wouldn’t realise how cool they were. Cos they’re in a band.

Ladies and gentlemen – and Betty… and Wilma – Helmet live at Silver Cord Studio, New York in March 2025.

Track listing

00:00 Wilma’s Rainbow
04:15 I Know
08:04 Milquetoast

Band

  • Page Hamilton—Vocals and guitar
  • Dan Beeman—Rythm guitar and backing vocals
  • Dave Case—Bass and backing vocals
  • Kyle Stevenson—Drums and backing vocals

Happy 40th birthday Anthrax

L–R: Frank Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), Charlie Benante (drums), Scott Ian (guitar)

This year, the New York-based thrash metal band Anthrax turns 40.

Over the last two months on their YouTube channel they’ve been releasing a retrospective on their career with interviews with band members, producers, friends and metalheads across the globe. As I understand it they have 40 of these in the pipeline. So far we’ve reached episode 22 which has taken us to 2003 and probably my favourite Anthrax albums, We’ve Come For You All. I saw them live twice on that tour.

This evening (morning UK-time), they celebrated the event with a live stream event with a nearly 2 hours 15 minutes concert spanning most of their entire 40-year, 12-studio album career. (Typically, their John Bush era material was disappointingly missing.)

Continue reading Happy 40th birthday Anthrax

Metallica: S&M2

Metallica play their S&M2 concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra this Friday and Sunday.

Then on Wednesday 9 October, the show will be shown at various cinemas across the world. I have a ticket to see the show in Dundee.

Continue reading Metallica: S&M2

The Fab Faux playing side two of Abbey Road

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/11237479 w=600&h=338]

The first time I heard The Beatles—Abbey Road was in Healdsburg, California in July 1989. The album still holds a special place in my musical heart.

This is brilliant. A one-take live performance of side two of Abbey Road by The Beatles tribute act The Fab Faux.

Oh I am a spaceman, a song by Reuben

This afternoon Reuben (5) told me that he wanted to write a song called “Oh I am a spaceman”. Who was I to say no?

We had such fun coming up with this song and then recording this demo on my phone. The lyric ideas were mostly Reuben’s and I wish that I had recorded the writing process because I can still hear his laughter as I read through the lyrics.

We demoed this song about six times. We chose this version not because it was the most pitch-perfect but because of Reuben’s enthusiastic drumming, his joining in with the singing, and his lovely laughter.

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OH I AM A SPACEMAN

by Reuben J M Saunders (5) and Gareth J M Saunders (42)

Oh I am a spaceman
Standing on the moon
Looking down at planet Earth
I’m glad I’ve brought my spoon

Cos back there in the spaceship
Is my best friend Bert
He’s guarding the fridge from aliens
He’s protecting my yoghurt

My favourite flavour’s strawberry
And Bert’s favourite is lime
But when I bounced back to HQ
I discovered he’d eaten mine

So I opened up the space hatch
And pulled with all my might
Bert’s floating out in space now
He’s a yoghurt-y satellite

Oh I am a spaceman
Standing on the moon
Looking down at planet Earth
I’m now sad I brought my spoon

Written on a Sunday afternoon (4 May 2014) by Reuben J M Saunders (aged 5) and Gareth J M Saunders (aged 42). Lyrical ideas from Reuben, musical ideas from Gareth.

Recorded on a Google Nexus 4 using J4T Multitracker for Android.