Wines That Rock: Could I get you another glass of Dark Side of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon?

Or perhaps some Forty Licks Merlot? I have no idea if winemaker Mark Beaman and the Mendocino Wine Co. get swell juice outta their grapes, but I gotta say, this is a pretty savvy product launch. Can't think of a gift to bring to your 58-year-old boss's holiday party? How about Woodstock Chardonnay ($17 bottle)? It'll have him thinking you're both hip and considerate. Same goes with the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd-labeled vino. (The Stones' business managers are behind this too; no word on whether Mick and Keith are stomping fruit.) And who cares if it tastes like crap! No one is actually going to open this wine. This is the sorta thing that sits on living-room shelves and delights the lookee-loos. And if someone does manage to open your bottle of Dark Side, it'll be at, like, 3 a.m. when all the other wine is gone and the party's still raging. For more on Wines That Rock, DRINK UP RIGHT HERE.

Get your Weezer Snuggie (or 'Wuggie') now!

 

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is a total whackjob, but man, is he one funny dude. To help promote badass new album Raditude, the power-pop band is selling "Wuggies." Yep, Snuggies -- the blanket with sleeves (one of which, maroon if you must know, is collecting dust in my closet) -- now come with the Weezer logo across the chest. They even made a commercial for them, and word is that the (barely) straight-faced spot has been running on the NHL Network. You can WATCH THE COMMERCIAL HERE. Then you can ORDER YOUR WUGGIE HERE. My favorite part of the ad? The tattooed arm showing off the variety of colors.

Questions for David Cook?

 

American Idol champ David Cook is coming to St. Pete's illustrious Mahaffey Theater on Nov. 27. (TICKETS) I'll be there with a swollen post-Thanksgiving belly, trying to make pretty word magic. But before all that, I get to chat with Cook this Thursday. I've already been berated by coworkers hoping to get close to the 26-year-old singer, who is admittedly one cool dude under pressure. If you're also a fan, let's hear it:

QUESTIONS FOR DAVID COOK?
 

Whither Eddie Money? Morningwood, Jet kick off Friday's Ribfest bacchanal in St. Pete

Morningwood |MTV Music

For years, the annual Ribfest pork orgy at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg has been soundtracked by a cavalcade of '70s and '80s acts. Think Eddie Money, Night Ranger, Asia, Pat Benatar. But lookee here, boys and girls: This year's beeftacular will be kicked off by the sexed-up art-pop of Morningwood (up there is the video for new song Sugarbaby) and the cocksure Aussie brigade of neo-Stonesian rockers JET. How cool is that?! Don't worry: George Thorogood and Blue Oyster Cult will be there Saturday. And everybody will get their country fix on Sunday with the Zac Brown Band and my pal Suite Caroline . But I'll be there Friday to cheer on the changes. Here's the full Ribfest schedule.

Of Norway, Wolfmother and the Naked Bicycle

 

When I was 17, I spent a foreign-exchange summer in Norway. I signed up for the Scandinavian jaunt mainly for a fantasized processional of hot, topless Norse women. Imagine my delight when, lo and behold, that teen-sex-comedy trope turned out to be somewhat accurate. Someday I’ll tell you about the native pastime of the Naked Bicycle. But alas, this is a music column.

Two pivotal things occurred in the Land of the Midnight Sun that would help convince me, 22 grownup years later, that Wolfmother (yes, Wolfmother) is the greatest band of the 21st century. While lodging with a host family in the Oslo suburb of Grorud, I refused to get my hair cut. At the end of three months, I owned a phenomenal mushroom-cloud ’fro. My wee ballcap no longer fit; instead, it merely perched on my head like a ceremonial beanie.

Man, I loved that hair.

During that time, I roomed with my host brother, Tor, whose primary indulgence was great greasy slabs of ’70s rock ’n’ roll. I was raised on Elton John and Billy Joel, so the crunchy guitar scrum was ear-opening for me. Tor’s curvaceous older sister was named Trine, who slept in the bedroom next door. Trine was vavoomish and, it should be noted, adept at the Naked Bicycle. Her hairy, scrawny boyfriend, Fruta, loved AC/DC -- probably more than he loved Trine. So the poor lass could only roll her eyes as these three goofy hirsutes headbanged their mighty coifs to testosterrific thunder.

Man, I loved that summer.

Which brings us, ultimately, to Wolfmother, a young, furry Australian quartet that has no interest in (1) subtlety, (2) modesty, or (3) anything created after 1973 — or whenever Zeppelin made that deal with the devil. Tor and Fruta would have loved ’em!

Wolfmother’s 2005 self-titled debut, featuring the hit Woman, was one of the best albums of that year; sophomore disc Cosmic Egg, released just this week, might be even better. It’s heavy, metallic and utterly ridiculous, but it has more shimmery sheen than the inaugural disc. The layered (and layered again) guitar parts come in industrial sizes. A stoner organ swells with B-movie drama. And the drums go from hard to harder — even on the ballads. First single New Moon Rising is a howler’s delight, with cascading power riffs, schizoid rhythm and lyrics that revolve around busty mystics, a favorite Wolfmother topic (“She don’t mind / She got the time / I see the new moon rising”).

The only member of Wolfmother you really need to know is Andrew Stockdale, 33, who's maniacal, randy and topped by an enormous shag of hair that generates gravitional pull. He’s chasing that great, groovy endless summer, too. As well as writing and playing, Stockdale takes the lead vocals, banshee-wailing not unlike Robert Plant’s snotty kid brother. The randy fantasy White Feather (presumably about having sex with a busty mystic) and In the Morning (presumably about having breakfast with a busty mystic) lean closer to “radio ready” than Wolfmother’s last batch of complex sludge — that is, if you could consider the Beatles’ Me and My Monkey “radio ready.”

Cosmic Egg reminds me of the hazy old days, of Norwegian summers and beyond, when our hair was long and our libidos were going full tilt boogie. It reminds me of Trine and Tor and Fruta and that awesomely expanding head of curly locks I grew in the summer of ’87. I’m not sure if I can still muster a killer ’do like that, but I’ll say this: The new Wolfmother album makes me want to try.

Weezer: New album 'Raditude' packed with roller-rink rock and NBA-arena timeout jams

 

Weezer
Album: Raditude (Geffen)
In stores: Nov. 3 
When Weezy met Weezer: Rivers Cuomo likes to play the shlub, the social misfit, and his power-pop band’s best albums (Pinkerton, Maladroit) revolve around his perversions. At the same time, the Weezer frontman is famous for lugging around a notebook with which he searches for the Ultimate Hit Formula, a sad sack in search of hap-hap-happiness. New album Raditude lets us know that Cuomo is growing out of his insecurities — and getting closer to that magical pairing of notes and beats. It also means that any sort of emotional complexity has been abandoned for an exclusive assault of roller-rink rock and Fonzie fantasies. This is, by far, the band’s most ecstatic offering, 10 tracks and 34 minutes of verse-hook-verse that rarely goes dark. Instead, it’s delirious, as Cuomo reaches out to R&B producer Jermaine Dupri and rap star Lil Wayne for the funky-white-boy strut of Can’t Stop Partying. On Love Is the Answer, Weezer incorporates traditional Indian instruments into an uplifting message. And there’s plenty of classic jangle-pop fun, from the NBA-arena stomp of The Girl Got Hot to the nerd-pop drive of (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To. The album has all the nutritional content of a Drake's Cake, and you know the bespectacled frontman can write this stuff in his sleep. Then again, is there anyone with catchier dreams that Rivers Cuomo?
Reminds us of: Amid all the thrusty drums and “Whoa-oh-oh” shout-outs on The Girl Got Hot, Cuomo sneaks in a great Kiki Dee reference. You think Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is mentioned in his magical notebook? I bet it is.
Download these: The Girl Got Hot, I Don’t Want to Let You Go and I’m Your Daddy
Grade: A

Wolfmother: New album, new song, new giant 'fro for head shredder Andrew Stockdale

Wolfmother |MTV Music

Man, I love this band. The return of Wolfmother makes me want to resurface my entire home in fake-wood-paneling and make a bong out of a lava lamp. The hirsute quartet (but really just singer-guitarist Andrew Stockdale and replaceable dudes) released sophomore disc Cosmic Egg this week. It's awesomely stuck in the shaggy '70s or wherever corduroy slacks are sold. Badass first single is New Moon Rising. Have fun and howl almighty.

Review: Kiss at the St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Oct. 21, 2009

 

Behold, the unfurled Loch Nessian tongue of Gene Simmons! If you want more, come lick it up RIGHT HERE. There's also a kickass photo gallery RIGHT HERE.

Photo by calm, cool, collected Times star Dirk Shadd

Hate Mail (sealed with a KISS)

 

Today's letter comes from a gentleman in Odessa, Fla. He wasn't a big fan of my interview with KISS. (READ) Oh well. At the very least, I really could use some divine mercy.

Mr. Daly:

It is shameful how music columnists such as yourself either naively or corruptly endorse the tired old act of knights in satan's service band.  It is hard to gauge the amount of corrupted children and adults left in the wake of these demons, and apparently, you are included. 

Yes, evil has been a force in many media outlets for many years, it is just so much easier in the form of dark rock and roll, which this vulgar group viciously displays.  How sad that you must promote this profane garbage to the readers of this paper.

May God have mercy on your soul.

Photo: Getty Images

Foo Fighters: New song "Wheels"

Foo Fighters |MTV Music

My interest in the Foo Fighters comes and goes; I think they peaked with 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose. But I'm digging "Wheels," the first single off their upcoming greatest hits comp, due Nov. 3. The song has a slightly stoned autumn-circa-'78 vibe to it. Or maybe I'm just feeling old and nostalgic these days.