Whole Lotta DILANA...An Angel Camouflaged Inside Out

Back in the summer of 2006, I went to the CBS Studios lot to check out a taping of Rock Star Supernova, a reality television sing-off staged to find a lead singer for a "supergroup" consisting of drummer Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), bassist Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica) and guitarist Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses). Produced by Mark Burnett, RSS was hosted by Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke and showcased 15 aspiring "rock stars".

A diminutive singer hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa easily stood head and shoulders above the rest. Ms Dilana Jansen VanVüren had the "look," the "attitude," a powerful voice and a commanding stage presence. All the necessary ingredients to front a trio of tenured rock stars as a backing band.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately since the band ceased fairly immediately), Dilana ended up as the runner-up to Lukas Rossi. Most likely gender bias since she would have fit the band like a latex glove.

On Friday night, I made the rain-filled journey down to the Redondo Beach Pier to see Dilana perform at The Dive at Brixton South Bay. Aside from the CBS TV taping, it would be my first time seeing/hearing her live.

Going on 45 minutes late just past 11pm, Dilana came strutting out of a "coat-closet" turned make-shift dressing room. Replete with a black & white striped top hat, black and white striped thigh-high stockings and a bullhorn with a siren, she saddled the audience with the tempestuous "Sexaholic," a titillating taste of things to come. We were all in for a rebellious rock 'n' roll ride.

For the next 75 minutes, Dilana's playful brand of "pay-attention-to-me" pomp & circumstance was on full display; singing, dancing and prancing while playing assorted instruments including a black Les Paul, a harmonica and a tambourine.

She even banged out some percussion during an impromptu "drum circle" as an intro to "Solid Gold" that featured guest drummers Adrian Young of No Doubt and Troy Patrick Farrell of White Lion.

The majority of her high-energy set featured music from her 2009 release INSIDE OUT as well as music from the movie ANGEL CAMOUFLAGED in which she played the lead role.



For her portrayal of character Scottie Ballantyne in ANGEL CAMOUFLAGED, Dilana won awards for Best Actress and Best Music in Film at the 2010 Action On Film International Film Festival. Midway during her set, she received an Award plaque further recognizing her work on this indie flick.



Hearing all of her original music for the first time, songs that stood out were "Airplane" and "Somebody Else," both of which were lacquered with melodic CHR choruses but her true shining moment came during her raspy Linda Perry-esque vocal intoxication of the epic "The Question" which had a Led Zep III meets Badlands "Voodoo Highway" feel to it.

This was soon followed by a ball-busting personification of a young sex-soaked Robert Plant during a mesmerizing cover of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". Gargantuan riffs beget gyrating hips and wide open lips.

Having just seen Roger Waters perform The Wall three days prior, my classic rock week was now complete.

Over the course of her kaleidoscopic set, it occurred to me that although she's capable of singing any song in any style, listening to Dilana effortlessly emulate Robert Plant in his bluesy prime (his female doppelgänger?) makes one want to hear her focus her creative energies and explore this side of her soul more.
In fact, now that John Paul Jones is firmly entrenched in the new grass / bluegrass scene, it would be really interesting to hear JPJ produce a side or two of Dilana digging deep over a heavy heap of Appalachian Stomp & Circumstance.

Or perhaps Burnett could resuscitate his Rock Star TV show. Season 3 would allow America to choose the next female to join Robert Plant's Band of Joy.

Move over Alison Krauss & Patty Griffin, it's time for a new girl to unleash some Welsh golden hill stompin', Bron-Y-Aur style.

Either pairing might provide this South African angel a chance to strip away the superfluous "rock star" camouflage and allow herself to truly soar from the inside out.
DILANA
THE DIVE @ BRIXTON
REDONDO BEACH, CA
12/17/10
SET LIST
Sexaholic
Hate U
Holiday
Airplane
SuperSoul
Somebody Else
Ice
Zombie (Cranberries cover)
The Question
My Drug
(Drum circle intro)
Solid Gold
Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)


INSIDE OUT @ AMAZON
INSIDE OUT @ ITUNES



DILANA OFFICIAL
DILANA FACEBOOK
DILANA TWITTER

Fav Five Christmas Videos To Imbibe

What would the Holidaze be without off-key inebriated Christmas caroling, radio station jingle balls, Chipmunks, Benedictine Monks and Hallmark cards that blast a song snippet in mono? Whatever your musical preference, the Holiday season will always be equated with music to Santa-suit all kinds. Enjoy our fav-five; presented in speed-dial format:

"Raining Christmas Lights" (set to SLAYER "RAINING BLOOD")


DAVID BOWIE (Will Ferrell) visits BING CROSBY (John C. Reilly) To Sing "PEACE ON EARTH" & "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" (QOTV: 'And it's Bing "F'in" Crosby pal')

VERSAEMERGE "YOU'RE A MEAN ONE MR. GRINCH"

(Sierra Kusterbeck & Blake Harnage)

SCOTT MILLER "OLD TOY TRAINS" (from CHRISTMAS GIFT)


Lights set to TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA "WIZARDS IN WINTER"

FLYLEAF: Memento Vivere And Memento Mori Bookends

"A flyleaf is a blank page at the beginning of a book and at the end of a book where people take notes and write dedications and stuff. It's that moment of clarity just before the story begins and that moment of clarity just after it ends. So it's just like before you're born, and just after you die." - Sameer Bhattacharya

Therefore, a flyleaf could be a metaphysical bookend of clarity for the mind's eye and an integral prelude and postlude to allow for individual assimilation within a greater context.

Book or Band. Take your pick.

It’s been thirteen months since Texas-based FLYLEAF released their critically acclaimed sophomore album Memento Mori (a Latin phrase meaning “Be mindful of Death” or literally “Remember Death”). Today saw the release of its preface; a 7-song Ep entitled Remember To Live (Memento Vivere).

“Remember to Live” is an apropos phrase for the band at this juncture in their career. Having toured under the mission of ‘Unite & Fight’ incessantly for an entire year and with an impending break while singer Lacey Sturm welcomes her first child (a baby boy named Joshua Lewis, after her husband and her favorite writer, “Chronicles Of Narnia” author C.S. Lewis), FLYLEAF decided to give back to their faithful with this special Ep that contains freshly recorded versions of demos/songs fans have long been clamoring for.

Conceptually, Memento Vivere represents a companion bookend to Memento Mori though musically showcases more of a stripped down sound. Songs including “Dear My Closest Friend,” “Amy Says” and “Believe In Dreams” have been in existence since FLYLEAF was called Passerby (now the current name of the band’s fan club) with the song “Okay” often played in concert as a prelude to “Tina,” another non-album track previously issued on their Much Like Falling Ep.

Standing ankle-deep in my nonsensical Remember to Bookend analogy, the RTL Ep binds itself with alternate mixes of the lead and closing tracks, both of which have been previously released. One is a Violent Love Version of “Justice & Mercy,” a song FLYLEAF wrote for military troops stationed around the world and a Ben Moody (Evanescence, We Are The Fallen) nu metal remix of the band’s latest single “Arise” from Memento Mori.

As I wade knee-deep in allegorical bookends, it should be noted that the liner notes of Memento Vivere contain a continuation of “Letters From The Commander” that first appeared in the liner notes of Memento Mori, though this time written from the perspective of The Commander’s daughter. I prefer to suggest Counterpoint.

Getting back to the music. Standouts of Remember To Live are “Light In Your Eyes,” the singular brand new song and, ironically for those of us that have delved waist-deep, a sonic bookend to the forlorn yet soaring “Dear My Closest Friend” with its lilting melody reminiscent of the atmospheric soundscapes of U2 & Coldplay. The vocals on DMCF actually remind me of Thom Yorke on “Fake Plastic Trees”. Lacey’s emotional vocal delivery commands one’s attention…I guess being The Commander’s daughter can have that effect.

Ms Sturm’s majestic voice has always been FLYLEAF’s not-so-secret weapon and considering her recent vocal contributions on Apocalyptica’s “Broken Pieces” and Orianthi’s “Courage,” I’m hoping it’s only a matter of time before the A&R / management gurus can lock down a home-run match-up with Lacey and either Chris Martin or Bono. If that’s not in the realm of reality, at the very least, consider having Daniel Lanois produce the next FLYLEAF opus.

In the meantime, while I continue to Believe in Daydreams, bookend your Holidays with Memento Vivere, Memento Do (Remember To Live, Remember to Give).

FLYLEAF
REMEMBER TO LIVE
1. Justice & Mercy (Violent Love Version)
2. Okay
3. Amy Says
4. Dear My Closest Friend
5. Light In Your Eyes
6. Believe In Dreams
7. Arise (Ben Moody Mix)

Epilogue: The other fan favorite that was not included on the RTL Ep is “How He Loves,” a John Mark McMillan cover song that closed FLYLEAF’s ‘Unite & Fight’ set each night.

Fans can now rejoice as their prayers for an official version have been answered. Tying in to the real meaning of Christmas and the spirituality of the song’s lyrics, the band will digitally release a live version of “How He Loves” (recorded during the Unite & Fight tour) on December 21.

However, “Guilty” and “Penholder” remain on the proverbial shelf. Hopefully, these songs are not just passerbys in the night…

But I don't have anything good enough to say.
I did not make myself this way

I'll show you what he did but I won't take the credit.
It's not mine anyway I just held the pen that day.

If they both get released at the same time, they’d make a perfect musical bookend…

Neck-deep.

Adding Deadmau5 4x4=12 On 12-7-10 Is Easy Math

Dropping 12/7/10 (via Ultra Records in the the U.S.), 4x4=12 is the third production compilation album by Canadian DJ DEADMAU5.

4x4=12 contains some tracks which have been previously issued on Mau5trap Recordings including "Some Chords," "I Said," "Sofi Needs a Ladder" and the Wolfgang Gartner collaboration "Animal Rights" while others like "Cthulhu Sleeps" and "Raise Your Weapons" have been staples of his legendary live sets.

DEADMAU5
4x4=12
1. Some Chords 7:24
2. Sofi Needs A Ladder (ft. SOFI) 6:43
3. A City In Florida 5:40
4. Bad Selection 5:31
5. Animal Rights (ft. Wolfgang Gartner) 6:16
6. I Said (Michael Woods Remix) (ft. Chris Lake) 7:05
7. Cthulhu Sleeps 10:34
8. Right This Second 7:49
9. Raise Your Weapon (ft. Greta Svabo Bech) 8:22
10. One Trick Pony (ft. SOFI) 3:59
11. Everything Before 6:35



TOUR DATES
12/04 : Zurich, Switzerland – Swiss Nightlife Awards
12/08 : Bournemouth – o2 Academy
12/09 : Leeds – o2 Academy
12/10 : Manchester – Manchester Central
12/11 : Coventry – Ricoh Arena
12/14 : Dublin, Republic of Ireland - o2
12/17 : Glasgow – Braehead Arena
12/18 : London – Earls Court
12/26 : Toronto, Canada - Guvernment

DEADMAU5.COM