![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The “fascist-killing” Guthrie really begins to emerge in “Ten Times More,” a spit-in-your-eye, pro-union call-and-response that was largely recorded in one take, as raw and aggressive as the workers that inspired Guthrie to write it. First track and lead single “Two 6’s Upside Down” is a hard-luck gambler’s recitation of losses and mistakes, driven forward by chugging acoustic guitars, that lands the protagonist in the only place that it could – “It’s a long old time` laid in jail/And I still got 99.” “Talking Jukebox,” propelled by slide guitar and low-end thump, has lead singer Ken Casey shouting out the thoughts of an old-school, all-knowing 45-spinner – “Who’d have ever believed that one of these days or nights/You’d put a nickel in me and hear every single truth about yourself” – confirming that all we ever really need to know comes from a three-minute record. But even with all of the care, reverence and forsaking of electric instruments, Nora Guthrie gets the screaming that she asked for – this record hits HARD. Guthrie’s daughter Nora was intimately involved in This Machine Still Kills Fascists, including collecting lyrics from her father that, in her words, “seemed to be needed to be said – or screamed – today.” And the band and longtime producer Ted Hutt took great pains to be close to Guthrie’s life and legacy, opting to record at The Church Studio in Tulsa, a legendary venue in its own right which also happens to be located in Guthrie’s home state. This Machine Still Kills Fascists is a fierce reminder that much of what troubled the world in Guthrie’s heyday still exists in 2022. Turns out, the Boston boys’ connection to the Oklahoma bard runs long and deep, from a blistering, siren-filled cover of “Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight” in 2003 to a brand new album of Guthrie-penned lyrics paired with a stripped-down version of the band. You can read more from Wolfgang Van Halen in an upcoming issue of Classic Rock magazine.Confession – I didn’t know until a few months ago that the Dropkick Murphys’ whiskey and clover-engorged banger “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” was based on a scrap of a poem by…Woody Guthrie. No… I feel that I’ve said my piece, and if the Taylor concerts are all that happens then I’m happy with that." "He said that, but he also said he wouldn’t" says Van Halen. Their camp is very dysfunctional – everyone! – hell, it was difficult to make plans even when the band was active."ĭave Ling also asks Wolfgang about Hagar's recent comments in the aforementioned Rolling Stone interview, in which he admits that he'd "love to play those songs again”. So my playing at the Taylor shows delivered that catharsis without the stresses of dealing with the Van Halen camp, and the players involved. "I don’t know what it is with some bands but certain personalities just can’t get over themselves to work collectively for one purpose – that’s been the curse of Van Halen for its entire career. "When it comes to Van Halen and entities surrounding the band it’s unfortunate, certainly compared to Foo Fighters who have their shit together with inter-personal relationships" he says. In Classic Rock, Wolfgang goes on to say that the Van Halen camp is "dysfunctional", and therefore difficult to organise any large projects with. I feel a lot of closure because my part of the show was a tribute to my father."Īcross the two shows, in London and Los Angeles, Wolfgang VH played three Van Halen classics - On Fire, Hot For Teacher and Panama - alongside Dave Grohl on bass, Josh Freese on drums and The Darkness’s Justin Hawkins on vocals. When asked by Classic Rock's Dave Ling to clarify the rumours and the reunion's yo-yo-ing likelihood (WVH previously said he didn't "see it happening" but later machinations were detailed involving the guitarist in the press, suggesting that he was going to be involved) he replies: "I think I already did it with the Taylor Hawkins tributes. ![]()
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