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Friday Release # 108 A new single by the duo Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, their first in about 13 years! The album to be called "Raise The Roof" is due out on November 19, 2021 and it comes 13 years after the duo's previous and excellent album "Raising Sand". The single "Can't Let Go" is a cover version of Lucinda Williams' song from 1998. The album will feature additional cover versions for artists such as: "Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint," the Everly Brothers" and Bert Jancsh, as well as an original song called "High and Lonesome ”. Krauss & Planet's backing band will include Jay Bellerose on drums, guitarists Marc Ribot, David Hidalgo, Bill Frisell, and Buddy Miller, bassists Dennis Crouch and Viktor Krauss and on steel guitar Russ Pahl. Song list: 1. Quattro (World Drifts In) 2. The Price of Love 3. Go Your Way 4. Trouble With My Lover 5. Searching for My Love 6. Can’t Let Go 7. It Don’t Bother Me 8. You Led Me to the Wrong 9. Last Kind Words Blues 10. High and Lonesome 11. Going Where the Lonely Go 12. Somebody Was Watching Over Me For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to the website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Radio show, Sundays at 11:00

On April 18, 1994, "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds" released their eighth studio album "Let Love In", without a doubt one of the perfect albums in Nick Cave's rich career. It's an album from which songs have been covered by various talented artists over the musical spectrum, from "Metallica" and Iggy Pop, through "Arctic Monkeys" and PJ Harvey to Martin Gore from "Depeche Mode" and even Snoop Dogg. An album whose music adorned a variety of films and TV series such as "The X-Files", "Scream", "Dumb and Dumber" and "Peaky Blinders". We must admit that when we purchased the disc we were puzzled by the choice Nick Cave made in naming the album. After albums with titles such as "The Firstborn Is Dead", "Kicking Against the Pricks" and "Your Funeral ... My Trial", we wondered if the choice of "Let Love In" is related to the romance and musical process that Cave went through during the creation of "The Good Son" and if we get from the punk and goth rooted Cave an album that will include a collection of optimistic love songs. A quick scan of the song titles only added to the confusion. The album opens and closes with the two parts of the song "Do You Love Me?" and songs with titles like "Loverman", "I Let Love In" or "Nobody's Baby Now" scattered in the middle. But as those who have been well acquainted with Nick Cave's music over the years, we have realized that there is probably something much more creepy and vicious hiding beneath the beautiful title. And indeed it was. We very well remember the moment when we pushed play and the disc started playing "Do You Love Me?", With Martyn P. Casey's heavy bass line accompanied by Thomas Wydler's whispering cymbals. The dark and macabre atmosphere enveloped the song and the second Thomas struck his snare drum and Nick Cave's gothic organ kicked in, we first tasted the amazing sound this album has to offer, which only got better in the face of Cave's clear piano playing and the sounds of Blixa Bargeld and Mick Harvey's dirty guitars sound. It was hard to ignore the amazing production of the album, which to this day sounds clean, clear, and up to date, just as it was three decades ago. The tension built up from the beginning of the song intensified as it was enveloped in the tormented and despairing voice of Cave singing to us, of course, about a lack of trust in a romantic relationship. "Nobody's Baby Now" comes right after and takes us to a completely different place. The piano on which Conway Savage plays in perfect melody, leads this complex ballad to other districts. Real sorrow and pain permeate Cave's voice, with the piano and drums hovering gently around the lyrics. The melancholy cries out from every note in this song and the Hammond sounds only reinforce the conclusion implied by Cave's clever words. The object of his love will be "nobody's baby" because he killed her ... Nick Cave originally wrote this song for Johnny Cash, but finally decided he wanted to record the song himself. After the melancholy ballad that eventually turned out to be Requiem, comes the powerful “Loverman”. A song that alternates between recited speech sentences and blown-up and violent screams. A song whose title does not reveal its content. It tells of a morbid relationship, in which the protagonist, among other things, details what he stands for for the object of his love, with each letter in the word L-O-V-E-R-M-A-N describing the protagonist's evil desires, including "Rape" and "Murder." The whispers during the verses only add to the creepy and scary atmosphere that culminates in the ringing of the bells that end the song. This song won interesting cover versions, including "Metallica" on the album "Garage Inc." and Martin Gore's on the album "Counterfeit". "Jangling Jack" continues with the wild line of the chorus from the previous song and introduces us to the familiar Nick Cave from his post-punk era, with fast and loud music, and almost cacophony that intensifies with Cave's angry singing and screaming. "Red Right Hand" is without a doubt one of the most special and interesting songs in Nick Cave's career. A mysterious and sweeping piece, whose first note is an ominous bell sound. This song can easily be used as part of a horror movie soundtrack. Strange and dark magic with jazz touches, which takes care of putting you "on the edge" throughout. The sounds of the oscillator, the shaker, and the dramatic organ serve as the perfect playback for Cave's ominous voice, with alternating bells or drums sounding like thunder vibrating our souls. It is no wonder that this song has been used for 9 years as the theme tune of the excellent series "Peaky Blinders" and has been part of the soundtrack of other series and movies like "The X-Files". The name of the song comes from a line from John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" and started from a jam session in the studio, after Nick Cave asked Mick Harvey to play something on a slightly different scale. "I Let Love In" opens the second half of the album dramatically to the sounds of the melancholy but catchy guitar line and the monotonous piano touches that accompany us throughout the song, non-stop. This is another typical Cave song about lost love, immersed in a Country and Blues style. It's without a doubt one of the band's most powerful songs and it's really surprising that Nick Cave initially did not want it on the album. Guitarist Mick Harvey said that Nick wrote it in five minutes, but he did not feel anything for it, as if it did not matter to him because he did not have a hard time writing it. Cave's bandmates simply insisted that the song will be included on the album. "Thirsty Dog" takes us back to the fast post-punk rhythm reminiscent of the beginning of Cave's career, but it is soon replaced by the slow sadness of "Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore". A song that marks Cave's first collaboration with Warren Ellis, who was a fan of the band for years and adorns The song in his violin playing. The melancholy line accompanies us until the end of the album with "Lay Me Low", with the sound of Hammond and the weeping and whining voice of Cave, and "Do You Love Me? (Part 2)" which is the absolute negative of his twin brother who opens the album. A slow, atmospheric and abstract section that, together with the opening track, envelops the album and gives it a sense of a complete and perfect musical work. "Let Love In" was undoubtedly a turning point for "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds". It was able to make their music more accessible, while maintaining the DNA and basic style of the band. With this album, Nick Cave completed what he had started two albums earlier with "The Good Son" and established his affair with the mainstream. Today, after 40 years of activity and about twenty studio albums, it can be said with certainty that "Let Love In" was and remains one of the pick points in Nick Cave's marvelous career. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

On April 16, 2021 "Liquid Tension Experiment" released their third album "LTE3". This anticipated album from "Liquid Tension Experiment", was the first in almost 22 years. The wait was long, but the first three singles released from the album proved that it was definitely worth the wait. On January 22, 2020, we received the first single in the form of "The Passage Of Time", which just exploded with an energetic virtuoso show of the four old friends doing it for the first time in over two decades. The superstar lineup includes guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess (both from Dream Theater), bassist Tony Levin ("King Crimson" and others), and drummer Mike Portnoy who is having his second collaboration with Petrucci since leaving "Dream Theater" in 2010. Beginning in the early 1970s progressive rock provided us once every few years with a worthy supergroup, shedding between the great and good of the genre. It started in 1970 with "Emerson, Lake & Palmer", "801" and "U.K." And it continued into the 80s with "Asia" and "GTR". The early 90s belonged to grunge and alternative and there seemed to be no place in the musical landscape for a supergroup with progressive roots. But towards the end of the decade, in 1998 we got the Liquid Tension Experiment which was the first to "restore the crown to its glory". It was followed by a flood of collaborations and "super-assemblies" that not only did not embarrass the roots from which they came, but in some cases even surpassed them. However, the lineup that started it all in the 90s did not survive much, as with Jordan Rudess joining Dream Theater there was no point in continuing to maintain it. Today, however, 22 years after they first cooperated, and 11 years after Portnoy left Dream, the time has come for the long-awaited reunion of the four meteors. We have already written about it quite a bit. Covid-19 struck the music industry and especially concerts, but it led to a "baby boom" of interesting singles, albums, and collaborations. In this case, too, covid seems to have helped these four very busy musicians to play together again, as the cancellations of the performances left them free time to finish working on the album, and so it turned out that we fans lost performances, but on the other hand we gained a lot of new material. This album is one of them. It includes 8 tracks that prove that even though the four members are not on stage they are still in top shape. The second single "Beating the Odds" is very different from its predecessor. It is melodic, symphonic, and happy. Petrucci who brought the lead reef from which the piece was born crowned it as prog-pop. The third single "Hypersonic" is a completely psychic piece. Is the last to be written for the album. Towards the end of the recordings the band felt like it was going to be a fast, energetic, and exploding piece, something reminiscent of "Paradigm Shift" from the first album or "Acid Rain" from the second album, and that's how this piece came about. There are two different and special tracks here. The first, is "Chris & Kevin's Amazing Odyssey" which is a kind of duet, drum bass. An exceptional experimental piece. The second, "Shades of Hope" is a guitar piano duet and completes the previous duet. Another interesting piece is "Rhapsody in Blue", which is an interesting cover version of George Gershwin's melody that originated a century ago, in the early 1920s. For Listening: Spotify. Track List: 1. "Hypersonic" (8:22) 2. "Beating The Odds" (6:09) 3. "Liquid Evolution" (3:23) 4. "The Passage Of Time" (7:32) 5. "Chris & Kevin’s Amazing Odyssey" (5:04) 6. "Rhapsody In Blue" (13:16) 7. "Shades Of Hope" (4:42) 8. "Key To The Imagination" (13:14) Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

A Sneak Peek... And this time. the Grunge godfather falls and raises! (Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns) On February 7, 1993 Neil Young arrives at Universal Studios Los Angeles, with the "Stray Gators", the backing band that recorded masterpiece album "Harvest" with him. This time they came to accompany him during the performance and recording of an unplugged show, as part of the "MTV Unplugged" series. This was Young's second attempt to record the show, after the first attempt ended when Young left right in the middle of it. The first performance was about three months earlier, in December 1992, at Ed Sullivan Hall in New York. It is not clear what exactly went wrong that night, but things did not flow very well for young, there were glitches, mistakes, songs were stopped in the middle and played again, and to the small audience present at the venue it was very clear that Neil Young was completely unhappy with the results. At one point Neil Young even left the stage and the concert hall and went out wandering the streets of Manhattan, walking behind him where the stunned production crew members. Neil Young finally relented and returned to perform another two songs, before finally ending the show, but given the circumstances he refused to allow the MTV channel to broadcast it. About two months after that failed show, on February 7, 1993, Neil Young tried to do it again. This time at the Universal Studios Los Angeles. This time it worked! And in a big way! The recording made that day was released four months later as the masterpiece album "Unplugged", released on June 15, 1993, without a doubt one of the greatest unplugged albums ever released. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

A Sneak Peek... On February 7, 1980, Bon Scott made his last appearance with "AC/DC" at the "Top Of The Pops" TV show on "BBC One" in the United Kingdom. (Photo: https://erenow.net/biographies) The band performed the song "A Touch Too Much" from the masterpiece album "Highway To Hell". Just twelve days after that television appearance, on February 19, 1980, the drunken Scott would lose consciousness in the vehicle of his friend, Alistair Keener, who was parked outside that friend's house, after a night of drunkenness and debauchery, his death was determined a day later, when the official cause of death was determined to be alcohol poisoning, but he apparently suffocated in his sleep. This unnecessary death comes precisely after the band released their meteoric breakthrough album that earned them international recognition. The band will be devastated following the death of its charismatic singer, but will succeed against all odds to pick itself up and return a year later with the all-time great comeback album "Back In Black". Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Band Members: Pavel Mityanin: Guitars Eyal Ben Shoshan: Bass Ilya Badrov: Vocals The Beginning... The roots of "The Fading" are planted in Tel Aviv at the beginning of the current millennium, in the thrash-death metal group "Excessum" which included, among others, the vocalist Ilya Bedrov and the drummer Shaked Forman. After several years of searching, performing, and changing members, "Excessum" entered the studio in 2007 and recorded a demo album with the Swedish musician and producer Jonas Kjellgren. The purpose of the demo was to get the band a recording contract with major labels. When they finished recording the demo, the final result sounded so good to them that they decided to release it as an EP called "Chaos in Flesh". They even managed to sell the number of units printed from that mini-album pretty quickly. Shortly after the release of the demo, the guitarist Pavel Mityanin joined the band, which set out to tour the country length and breadth. They closed shows by themselves almost everywhere that had a sound system playing. North, South, East, and West, every possible place in the small country of Israel that will bring them to as many audiences as possible. The demo received exposure not only in Israel but also abroad, in light of the fact that a Swedish band bearing the same name - contacted the Israeli "Excessum" and demanded that they change it. The band members started receiving hateful anti-Semitic messages from the Swedish band. They weren't really moved by the threats and didn't really care what the band in Sweden claimed or thought, but in the end, they decided to change the name, mainly because they liked the new name: "The Fading" (by the way, the poetic justice was done when the same Swedish band disbanded after a few months). The Big Breakthrough... At the beginning of 2008, "The Fading" participated in the "Wacken Metal Battle" competition in Israel and won first place. The band members started to feel more confident in themselves and their music, among other things following the victory in that competition and following the joining of Pavel. They boarded the plane with high hopes on the way to the big "Wacken Metal Battle" competition at the legendary "Wacken Open Air" festival in Germany. The dream came true and became a reality when on August 1, 2008, the band won first place in the competition and secured a recording contract for an album with the "Wacken Records" label. Pavel said that when they were behind the scenes of the big stage at that festival, they found themselves watching the performance of "Killswitch Engage" together with Jordan Mancino from the band "As I Lay Dying". At that moment, at the age of 23, they felt on top of the world and that they were going to be at least the next "Metallica". In 2009, the band entered "Abyss Studios" in Sweden together with producer Pelle Saether and on July 31, 2009, they released their debut album: "In Sin We'll Find Salvation". The album was released during the "Wacken Open Air" festival that celebrated its 20th anniversary that year. The band came to the festival as one of the official bands of the line-up and performed on the "Wet Stage". Allow us to add a note here: absolutely insannnnnnnnnnnnne!! At the same festival, they also held a special performance for members of the media hosted by "Wacken", in order to promote their debut album. From there, the metallic "plane" of "The Fading" took off with tremendous power. In 2010 the label organized a tour for the band. The young guys from Israel went on tour with the bands "Warbringer" and "Evile". The tour included no less than 33 performances. It lasted two weeks in England and another month in Europe and included 13 countries!! It is the dream of every musician (including ours still!) to wake up day after day in a different country, with a different language and a different culture. To get on stage every day in different parts of the world and perform in front of an audience that paid money to see you perform with your music while moving and roaring your songs. The band members said that this is one of the main catalysts that move them forward, pushing them to create music and be a band! They didn't dream that winning the Metal Battle in Israel would bring them to such a crazy tour in Europe, but already at their first show in "Wacken" in 2008, the band members admitted that they felt they had something good in their hands. They received strong positive feedback from the audience, but also from the production staff of "Wacken". The plane of "The Fading" continued with wide open throttles and the year 2011 became a record year of the band, which appeared and gained exposure in many places in the world. The band members said that they felt like "rock stars". They performed with the band "In Flames" in Kyiv, Ukraine. A short time later they appeared in Israel as an opening act for "Children of Bodom" and a few months later they appeared with "Arch Enemy" in St. Petersburg and in Moscow. Just writing the names of the bands here made us sweat, so try to imagine what it's like to share the same stage with these big names and stand in front of an audience of this size??? Huge chills all over the body!!! In 2012, after their tremendous achievements in the previous two years, the band returned to Israel and started working on new material for the next album. The beginning was difficult, but very quickly things began to deteriorate at a rapid pace. At first, the writing did not flow, then came the conflicts and later the disagreement between the members regarding the musical direction and future of the band. As a result, some members of the band decided to leave, leaving Pavel, Ilya, and Shaked Furman (the drummer) to decide what they do next. It was clear to the remaining trio that they were not going to give up this great thing called "Metal", which they love so much. With renewed strength, they added guitarist Alex Zebulon and bassist Eyal Ben Shoshan to the band and went to record the next album. Eyal Ben Shoshan said that his joining the band was the closing of a circle for him because as a teenager he adored "The Fading". He especially remembers how at the "Wacken" festival, three years before (when his band at the time, "Ferium", won the Metal Battle), he managed to sneak into an empty area that was really close to the stage during the "In Flames" concert. During the performance of the song "My Sweet Shadow," he noticed Pavel standing next to him, and in one defining moment of intense excitement that enveloped them, he formed a connection that years later would introduce Eyal to the band. By the way, a small amusing anecdote: despite the exciting story, Eyal's start in the band almost went awry, when in his first rehearsal with the band he dropped Pavel's beloved guitar on the floor and almost smashed it. Let's go back to the album. Some of the materials were already written before the band started recording and some were written together with Eyal and Alex. After the recordings were finished, the band sent the album to Jens Borgen (who worked with "Amon Amarth", "Opeth", "Kreator") for mixing and mastering. At the same time, they started receiving many offers and promises from various managers and labels in the industry to promote the album, but time passed and nothing happened. For a year and a half they experienced frustration and disappointment and in the end decided to release the album on their own, without the push or promotion of any label. Despite the fact that so much time had passed and that the creative process was very difficult for them, they did not want to shelve it, but they wanted to close this chapter and move forward. After severe birth defects, the band's second album, "Till Life Do Us Part", was released on December 29, 2015. Over the next two years, the band rediscovered its power on stage. It held several of the biggest shows in its career, sharing the stage with bands like "Bring Me The Horizon" and "Five Finger Death Punch". They felt on top of the world again (by the way, they even ate cheese and drank wine in the jacuzzi with Oliver and his gang). And yes, there were also exciting moments of a different and no less important kind. Eyal said that he will never forget their performance with "Bring Me The Horizon" in Russia when the band's manager made him a surprise and brought his father (who lives in China) to watch the performance. Out of the sea of people in the audience Eyal recognized his father and during the whole show, he felt that he was performing only for him. The whole huge crowd suddenly disappeared and only he and his father remained. In the same year, they also released a music video for the song "A Moment Of Insight" with the Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen ("The Gathering"), a huge budget and production music video that was filmed in Ukraine with the production company that also produced "Jinjer" and other big bands!! The band continued to write, create and record new material. The dynamics and chemistry between the three are so strong that they manage to get the most out of themselves. There is a perfect synchronization between them, with each giving his part. Each of them has their own opinion but still, together they manage to find the balance. Eyal, the engine of creation, is an abundant iron mine that never stops creating new things. Pavel is a cruel blacksmith who knows how to powerfully sharpen the iron that hires Eyal and Ilya wraps it all up in rough and aggressive lyrics. And again, all that time that they were working on new materials they received offers and promises of a bright future. The big disappointment came in 2017 when during an impromptu meeting that took place between Pavel and Eyal with the manager of a public relations company from London who happened to be in Israel, they discovered that the promises and offers they received were without any basis. Pavel, Eyal, and Ilya were heartbroken and decided to end the pain and put the band on a hiatus. Ilya said that this was the "cursed" year when "The Fading" was not in a good place and he within the band didn't feel complete either. Back From The Dead... After three years of silence, when they still maintained a friendly relationship, the three felt that it was difficult for them without the stages, without the music, and without the energy. They decided to go back to playing together. Without any plans, commitment, or goal whatsoever. The three returned to playing together just for fun, but then what happens to many bands in the world happened to them. If you've read our reviews, you probably know that as soon as the "spark" returns, the fire ignites quickly and powerfully, and that's what happened to the members of "The Fading". Very quickly they realized that just playing for fun is not an option. Either they do it all the way or they don't do it at all, especially if the three are metalheads of a rare breed who have survived the hardships the band went through until now. They felt that this triangle was the strong and cohesive nucleus that would be able to move "The Fading" forward once more. But then the coronavirus came and slammed the door in their faces, just like it did to the entire music industry. During the entire Corona period, they were "cooking slowly", when every now and then they sharpened the materials they wrote, built plans, and recorded materials. But they still didn't feel that it was something real since the whole industry was at that time on hold and they didn't know what the future held. Eyal described the period as "limbo" where they did not know how it would end and if it was worth investing in or not. But as we always come back and write here, the music is stronger than anything and the band members found creative solutions and managed to record new material even though Eyal has been living in the USA for the last few years. The guitars and vocals were recorded at the home of each of the band members and the drums were recorded in a studio in Israel by Shaked Forman (yes yes, the same Shaked who started the journey with Ilya in "Excessum"). On August 24, the band released the first single from the upcoming album: "The Great Reset". According to the way, it sounds (and also looks) their energies and powers are higher than ever and we can't wait for more new songs!!! After 6 years of not playing together, the band members felt that they had to release their energies on stage and decided to hold a festive performance on 4.2.23 at the "Gagarin" club. This powerful celebration is joined by "DPS", "Her Last Sight" and "Ferium", which is also making a comeback. This is undoubted "Back from the Dead" as the name chosen for the show !! On a personal note... The band members work for the music. This is their passion and they work to satisfy that passion. Despite their tremendous success in Israeli terms (but also relatively international), they never saw the financial aspect as a motive. From the beginning and all along, they had no intention of making money, but only doing what they love so much - music. The shows they held abroad and in Israel didn't bring them any money, but luckily they didn't cause them any losses either. They feel it's mainly because they give everything all the way, in their creations, music, and performances!! So do yourself a favor and do not miss this show at the Gagarin on 4.2.23. "The Fading" - Instagram / Bandcamp / Facebook Listen to the band's second album on: Spotify, Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Today we want to tell you some interesting facts about Michael Stipe - the guy who made us "lose our religion": (Photo: Paul Underhill) 1. He was born on January 4, 1960, as John Michael Stipe. 2. As often as the English look, and even its accent, is misleading, the 100% American guy was born in a town on the outskirts of Atlanta Georgia, USA. 3. In view of his father's occupation as a full-time soldier in the U.S. Army, Michael grew up into a family that traveled the world very often, including in several European countries. 4. During his studies at the University of Georgia in 1980, he frequently visited the "Wuxtry Records" record store and purchased "weird" records, which one of the employees kept for himself. 5. The same employee at the store, a guitarist named Peter Buck, did not like the fact that Michael buys the records he keeps to himself, but liked the fact that they both have similar and special taste in music. 6. The two quickly became friends and decided to form a band, which forced Stipe to leave the local Gangster band, of which he was a member at the time. 7. They teamed up with drummer Bill Berry and bassist Mike Mills thus completing the lineup of R.E.M. Stipe was the youngest member of the band. (Photo: Tom Sheehan) 8. The band's name was randomly chosen by Michael from the dictionary, the acronyms express the concept: Rapid Eye Movement - the stage where you start dreaming during sleep. 9. Other names considered were Cans of Piss and Negro Wives. 10. In 1980 all four members of the band dropped out of school to concentrate on music. (Photo: LAURA LEVINE) 11. The beginning was very difficult and the band had to struggle to get recognition on stage and on the road. At the time, the daily "Allowance" budget of each of the four members was $2 a day. 12. The band's first opportunity came in 1981 when they released their first single "Radio Free Europe". The song immediately became a hit on student radio stations in the area. 13. The local success caught the attention of record label I.R.S. Records, which rushed to sign R.E.M. On a record deal contract. 14. A year later, in 1982, the band released the EP. "Chronic Town", and in 1983 its debut album "Murmur" was released, which was praised by critics and even won a Rolling Stone Magazine critique of the year as Album of the Year, bypassing Michael Jackson's "Thriller". 15. And if you, too, felt that it was sometimes difficult for you to understand what Michael Stipe sang on the two albums "Chronic Town" and "Murmur", then you are not alone, Stipe admitted that he was just making up words at that stage in his career. 16. They recorded their most "American" album in England. This is their third album "Fables of the Reconstruction", a concept album that deals with the American Civil War and southern Gothic themes. 17. It was a particularly difficult time for Michael and the band which was on the verge of disbanding. Stipe later admitted that at the time he was close to "losing it" he also shaved his head like a monk and gained a lot of weight. 18. The first success of Stipe and his band in the mainstream was achieved with the hit "The One I Love" in 1987. 19. Next came the albums "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" which brought Stipe and his friend's meteoric success on a global scale. 20. To this day the band is considered one of the pioneers of alternative rock, thanks in no small part to the unique style of each of the four members, with Michael leading the writing style and his different and unique voice. 21. The music video for the song "Losing My Religion" is the first time Stipe has agreed to lip-sync to the band's video. 22. The music video will become one of the most popular and watched on MTV, not least thanks to the appearance of Stipe. 23. Stipe admitted in 1995 that he no longer tolerated the song "Shiny Happy People", the fans probably a little less. This is the band's third most-played song on Spotify. 24. When drummer Bill Berry left R.E.M. in 1997, Stipe and his bandmates decided they were not even going to try to find a replacement to get into Bill's shoes and they continued to function for several years without a drummer leaning on session players and drum machines. 25. From 1988 until the dissolution of R.E.M. In 2012, Stipe used to release a special Christmas song with the band every year. 26. In light of his love of photography and visual art, Stipe was also in charge of R.E.M.'s visual field, both in the context of record covers and directing some of the band's music videos. 27. In 2007 Stipe and the band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 28. Michael served as the godfather of Frances Bean Cobain the daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain. 29. In 1994 Stipe was supposed to work and record with Cobain, it was his attempt to pull Cobain away from home, habits, and drugs, but unfortunately the project did not eventually materialize due to Cobain's death. 30. The song "Let Me In" from the album "Monster" was written by Stipe as a tribute to Cobain. Courtney Love gave the band one of Kurt's Fender guitars that Mills played in the recording of the song. Mills had to turn the strings so he could play it since Kurt was left-handed. 31. Stipe was also the one who inducted Nirvana into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. It happened in April 2014. 32. Stipe was a close friend of Natalie Merchant from the band 10,000 Maniacs and even recorded a few songs with her, including "Photograph" which was recorded along with all the members of the band and appears in the "Born to Choose" collection. 33. Although Stipe has not developed a solo career so far, he has been involved in many projects as a producer and singer and has created collaborations with many artists such as: New York Dolls, Tori Amos, Neneh Cherry, Patti Smith, Placebo, and more and more and more... 34. In addition, Stipe recorded with Chris Martin of Coldplay the song "In the Sun" in 2006, and with Courtney Love the song "Rio Grande" in 2013. 35. Beyond the music, Stipe is a partner in the establishment and management of two studio companies for film production, C-00 and Single Cell Pictures, studios designed to promote independent and alternative films. 36. In addition, he was also an actual producer on films: "Being John Malkovich", "Velvet Goldmine" and "Man on the Moon". 37. In 1994 Stipe confirmed that he had relationships with both men and women, and in 2001 he was interviewed by Time magazine and stated that he had been in a relationship with a man for three years. 38. Stipe is known as an activist and among other things went public against U.S. gun policy, following a proliferation of mass shootings. 39. The latest album released by Stipe along with R.E.M. is the "Collapse into Now" since 2011. In 2012 the band disbanded and a union is not visible at the moment. (Photo: R.E.M PR) 40. Stipe released with the band 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and a considerable number of EPs, collections, and singles, which have sold over 85 million copies. 41. In May 2019, Stipe appeared with the song "Your Capricious Soul" as a warm-up for a performance by Pati Smith. It was his first solo song ever. The song was released for download on the site bearing the same name in October 2019. 42. Later that year another song "Drive to the Ocean" was released which can be downloaded directly from Stipe's website. 43. At the end of 2019, Stipe began collaborating with Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon of the indie band Big Red Machine. The collaboration spawned the song "No Time For Love Like Now" whose music video was released in June 2020. 44. In 2021 he participated in the tribute album to The Velvet Underground and recorded the song "Sunday Morning" for an album titled "I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico". Hoping these latest releases will finally spawn the man and legend's first solo album. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

On December 28, 1982, Cliff Burton held his first rehearsal with "Metallica". (Photo: Brian Lew, Official Metallica Website) Singer and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich formed "Metallica" in Los Angeles on October 28, 1981. On this day James Hetfield responded to an ad in the "LA Recycler" newspaper published by Lars Ulrich and the two began playing together, after adding Hetfield's friend and roommate - bassist Ron McGovney and guitarist Dave Mustaine. However, in a short time Ron McGovney's musical faults were revealed, to which were added the arguments and personal frictions he had with his bandmates. This led the three remaining members to start looking for a new bassist. Not far from there, about 30 km outside of "San Francisco", Cliff Burton took his first steps with the band "Trauma", which he joined in 1982. He even recorded the song "Such a Shame" which became a hit and was included in the compilation album " Metal Massacre II" by the record company "Metal Blade Records". The one who recommended Cliff Burton to the members of "Metallica" was Brian Slagel - the founder of "Metal Blade Records", who was also responsible for the release of the first ever recording of "Metallica" in the collection "Metal Massacre I". In late October 1982, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich went to see Cliff Burton play with his band. They immediately realized that they had found the replacement for Ron McGovney. Cliff played the solo part that would later become the instrumental part "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)". James and Lars were stunned by his playing. His wild stage presence and bare-fingered bass guitar soloing, as if it were a lead guitar ,made their jaws drop to the floor. They were sure he is playing the solo on a guitar and count the strings over and over as they refuse to believe that the solo is played on a bass guitar. They knew this was the man they needed in the band and began persuading him to join them. Fortunately, Cliff was getting a little fed up with his band "Trauma" but he had one condition. That the band will move from Los Angeles to San Francisco, his hometown. It suited the members of Metallica, who said they always felt like "outsiders" in Los Angeles, while their shows in the Bay Area in San Francisco were praised. The band agreed. The only thing left was to tell McGovney that he was out of the band. The opportunity came when Mustaine accidentally spilled beer on the pickups of McGovney's bass guitar. After a violent and stormy argument Ron McGovney kicked the band out of their rehearsal room owned by his parents and that was the "last straw". McGovney played Metallica's last show on November 30, 1982 in San Francisco. After a show, he still managed to see his bandmates hanging out with Cliff. Less than a month later, Hatfield, Ulrich and Mustaine loaded their gear into a trailer and headed north to San Francisco. They settled in a house that was given the nickname "MetalliMansion" where the band's first rehearsal with Burton was also held on December 28, 1982. It was the home of their friend Mark Whitaker who also managed "Exodus" and it also served as the band's headquarters for the next three and a half years. Cliff Burton 1st Show with Metallica was held about three months later on March 5, 1983. The rest is history. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

This year too they indulge us with a special performance in honor of Hanukkah!!! And this time it is not a studio performance but a live performance with special guests!! This is the third year in a row that the two musicians, Jewish producer, and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin and his non-Jewish but also multi-instrumentalist friend Dave Grohl, have teamed up for a special Hanukkah session. It started in 2020, continued into 2021, and again this year they are joining together, and instead of Christmas songs, they are performing special covers of songs by Jewish artists for every Hanukkah candle. Here is the first song... First Candle: Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat & Tears The Jewish comedian Judd Apatow joins the two to perform the song!! Second Candle: Pink - Let's get Ths Party Started Performing her own song, Pink the famous pop star who is also Jewish. Third Candle: 10cc - The Things We Do For Love Preformed by the Jewish musician Inara George who is well known as the half of "The Birds and the Bees". Fourth Candle: Janis Ian - At Seventeen Preformed with Dave's daughter, Violet Grohl. Fifth Candle: Beck - E-Pro This time is the famous musician Beck which have Jewish roots Sixth Candle: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll Preformed by Karen O, the only non-Jewish member of the band "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Seventh Candle: Rush - The Spirit of the Radio One of the three ribs of the band "Rush" is Geddy Lee whose Jewish mother was the biggest fan of the band, performed by the Jewish multi-talent Jack Black. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

What????? It's unbelievable! with no teasers, no preparation, "Metallica" released a new song, it's first in 6 years (!!), taken from a new album that is on the way, which should be released on April 14, 2023, and will be titled "72 Seasons". The metal giants have announced a new album, their first since 2016's "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct". The album is 77 minutes long, it includes 12 tracks and it was produced by Greg Fidelman, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich. Fidelman previously worked with the band on the 2008 album "Death Magnetic", 2011's Lulu (with Lou Reed), "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" and their live album "S&M2" from 2020 Hetfield described the concept of the album's title as a reflection on the first 18 years (or 72 seasons) of one person's life. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. At the same time, the band announced a concert tour called "M72 TOUR" which will be held in Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024. The band will perform twice in each city on the tour with the promise of a completely different setlist each night. The names of the songs: 1. 72 Seasons 2. Shadows Follow 3. Screaming Suicide 4. Sleepwalk My Life Away 5. You Must Burn! 6. Lux Æterna 7. Crown of Barbed Wire 8. Chasing Light 9. If Darkness Had a Son 10. Too Far Gone? 11. Room of Mirrors 12. Inamorata For Listening: Spotify, Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Friday Release #99 And his name shall be called "Senjutsu". Please open your calendars and mark September 3rd as the day when the 17th album of the "Iron Maiden" will be released. It will happen exactly 6 years (less than a day but who's counting) after the release of the previous album "The Book of Souls". The date is not the only connection of the "Senjutsu" album to "The Book of Souls". The band chose to record the sub-album in the "Guillaume Tell" studio in France where the previous album was also recorded. The writing and recording process was also the same in both cases. The band wrote a song, rehearsed it, and immediately recorded It, when everything was still fresh. Steve Harris noted that the album has some very complex songs that took the band a long time to work on and make them sound exactly the way they wanted, so the process was very challenging. Bruce Dickinson noted that the album was recorded in early 2019 during the break in the "Legacy" tour. Of course, the corona epidemic delayed things. Bruce added that the songs are very varied with one or two songs that sound quite different from Maiden's usual style. As you can see, Steve Harris is also this time the main co-writer for the creation of most of the songs, but there is also a respectable representation here for the Dickenson/Smith duo who are responsible for writing 3 of the ten songs on the album, including the single "The Writing On The Wall" a song that already stands out as nothing less than the anthem !!! which was released on July 15 after a long mask of teasers and hints on the web and social media. "The Writing On The Wall" refers to the story of the "Belshazzar Feast," told in the book of Daniel, during which an inscription appears on the wall, and Daniel interprets it as a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon. Belshazzar the king of Babylon made a great feast for a thousand of his ministers and his concubines in which they drank wine from the vessels of the destroyed great temple. At that time, a hand was seen writing on the Western Wall against the "menorah" the words "Mana Mana Tekel and Persin." The king was frightened and ordered to bring the sages of Babylon, but only Daniel could interpret the "writing on the wall" as the fall of the Belshazzar kingdom and the destruction of Babylon. At night King Belshazzar was killed and Darius took his place. All that is left is to hope that "The Inscription on the Wall" is the first hint of a completely new Iron Maiden album. For Listening: Spotify. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Weekly album review By: אביב בורנשטיין/Aviv Borenstein Fashion Club - Scrutiny This band consisting of one musician, Pascal Stevenson, did not at all think it would reach the center of the stage, she moved between indie bands in the LA area, and only at a later stage did she start recording herself. The style goes between electronic indie and indie rock and it is very difficult to define them. after a few hearings, I also did not really formulate a solid opinion. Some songs sound like they were taken from the synthesizer days of the eighties. This is not a big album, it fits the indie definition. For Listening: Spotify Cola - Deep in View This punk trio, originated in Montreal. The band was formed from the remains of another band, which I did not know and most likely this album will not make me know them better. I have no idea what they were thinking when they chose the name (cola)? This Canadian indie band, moving away from electronics and staying true to guitars. There's some punk here, some alternative. They sound to me too similar to "Arcade Fire" and even "The Strokes" at times. Yes, I know you are now thinking they must be good. But in the few times, I listened to the album it just didn’t catch me. There are dozens of bands that sound similar. I did not find anything special about them. For Listening: Spotify TV Priest - My Other People This British rock band, which is generally defined as post-punk, is releasing a second album. It's a pretty nice achievement for a band formed in 2019. I Must mention that when I was listening to them for the first time, I thought I was listening to an old Nick Cave album. It sounds very old Nick Cave. It's even pretty good. But still, this is not Nick Cave anyway. Finally, it is a better album than the previous two (Fashion Club and Cola). For Listening: Spotify Perfume Genius - Ugly Season "Perfume Genius" is not really a band, it is the stage name of Michael Eldan Adras. They are defined as indie rock / rock and all sorts of other genres. But basically, this is an album, suitable for cold weather, when you sit in front of the fire and look for atmospheric music. There are some better tracks here. But in the Israeli heat and humidity of mid-June, I do not know.... It's a bit problematic, especially at first listening that happened at noon. For Listening: Spotify Nova Twins - Supernova How fun is it to come up with no expectations and then discover a pleasant surprise. So these two lovable Brits, are not sisters in reality. Looking at the picture I really thought I would get a dance album. But it's rock, punk and it's just catchy and charming. What a pleasant surprise this was. An album without self-importance, just created to make fun and it does it. Finally. Listen to them, you will not regret it. There's everything here. But mostly fun. For Listening: Spotify Foals - Life Is Yours The known British rock band, with album number 7. A good album, it might have been hard to listen to it right after the "Nova Twins". But this is a good album. It's a lot more electronic than I thought. In some arts, the drums sound as if they are electronic. But it is still a likable album. For Listening: Spotify Flasher - Love Is Yours This is an indie-pop band from Washington DC. They were formed by two friends from school. But a lot of the bands were formed that way, so there is nothing really new here. I do not have much to say. The album has a combination of electronics and again there is a feeling that there is nothing new and interesting enough here. It's not that it's bad. But in reality, there are so many similar bands. Again, I did not find anything particularly noticeable here. For Listening: Spotify Dan Reed Network - Let's Hear It for the King This American rock band has been active since 1984 and strangely enough, they have not really succeeded. The band was formed by two "Dan". Dan Reed and Dan Fred. I must point out that I've never heard of them and the truth is it's a little sad. Because this is an excellent album. It really sounds like 1980s rock, a bit of "Bon Jovi" and a bit of a lot of bands that corresponded with rock that is accessible to the audience. Just a great album and a fun one. Highly recommend it for nostalgia lovers. For Listening: Spotify Calum Scott - Bridges I did not hear of him until this week. According to his number of followers on Spotify, I'm probably living in a bubble. I listened to the album and it sounded very familiar. A singer with a very strong voice, mostly accompanied by keyboards, but not only. Then I listened to the lyrics and just loved it. The man has insane power in his voice and his songs come from places within the soul. One of the songs and I will put a link to his song first, is probably coming from a real place of pain. He is declared gay and apparently, his family did not accept it. This is one of the creepiest songs I've ever heard. In my opinion, the potential for a crazy hit, is even greater than "Hozier". Listen to it. Let it seep. He is truly amazing. For Listening: Spotify Alice Merton - S.I.D.E.S. This is the singer's second album. She was born in Germany, but she is English, Irish, Canadian... to tell you the truth, I got lost there ...but it does not really matter. It's rock, pop and this it's an excellent album by a singer who can make it big. It is catchy. Admittedly a bit poppy. But pop does not necessarily mean bad. I like it. For Listening: Spotify Bartees Strange - Farm to Table This is a British musician, that combines hip hop with rock, pop, and folk. There is everything from everything here. I did not manage to listen to it enough times, but, it's a good album, with great potential. For Listening: Spotify Final words... I was looking forward to Alanis Morissette's album. I started listening to it. It's not really an album, it's just atmospheric yoga music. Therefore it is not on the list. 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