There’s a few Kiwi bands I like but one I have followed for a number of years and seen live many, many times is Shihad. They used to play at the local bar in my hometown and we would rock along and go have a few drinks, headbang and sing our hearts out. The same mates, arm in arm, enjoying the music and the solidarity of friendship. Jon Toogood, the lead singer, had this beautiful long black hair back then he would swish about hehe. The band was one of the only more known metal/grunge type band playing in NZ at the time and had a small following of kiwi fans. They are now in their 22nd/23rd year together now which is freakin awesome and still rockin out sweet tunes.

Shihad opened their Love Is the New Hate album tour with a free concert in Auckland’s Aotea Square, and an extensive tour of Australia and New Zealand, including a spot on the main stage at Splendour In The Grass in front of an audience of approximately 20,000. The band has also toured with Cog, the Datsuns, and opened for Evanescence on part of their 2006/2007 world tour. They also played at the Big Day Out here in Auckland in 2008 and supported ACDC in their downunder tour here earlier last year as well as a multitude of concerts throughout NZ and Australia over the last few years.

(spring chickens … this is showing my age)

There was a wee bit of a drama with the bands name ‘Shihad’ after the September 11 terroist attacks and they changed their name to Pacifier. Lots of people at home thought this idea was shit as the band had never been looked at as anything to do with a holy war overseas, it was a metal band, a band we all grew up with and loved.  The bands name was actually inspired after members of the band saw David Lynch’s 1984 film, Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel of the same name.

Quote from an interview in Opus Issue 7 – 2003 (Newcastle University student magazine) Interview: Pacifier – By John Grayson.

“

John Grayson: How did the name Shihad come about anyway?Tom Larkin: Well, see that’s the biggest cock-up out. When we were 15 we were all into this sci-fi movie Dune. See, Dune uses all these Arabic words throughout the movie and the end battle is a Jihad. We were stupid and thought it’d be a great name for a band so we called ourselves Shihad cause we couldn’t even spell it.

”

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the band decided to change their name due to the similarity between the band’s name Shihad and the Arabic word jihad. At the 2002 Big Day Out music festival in Auckland, New Zealand they released t-shirts with ‘Shihad’ on them, and ‘Remote’ printed below, indicating that ‘Remote’ was to be the new name. However, due to this name being taken already, they settled on “Pacifier”, which was a successful single from their album The General Electric. They released an album, Pacifier, under this name in 2002.

On 17 September 2004, the band announced to the world that they would change their name back to Shihad. To quote the band, “The events surrounding the name change and our choice to be known as Pacifier are well documented. As much as we believed in what we were doing, and the reasons for doing it at the time – the truth is we were wrong.”

I’m kinda glad they did change it back because I always referred to them as Shihad and not Pacifier, it just didn’t fit with the band or their music. And I still enjoy turning up the noise to LOUD and having a good old headbang. I just might have to go put my neck back in afterwards …

(this is them now)

Anyhoo, this is one of their latest songs … enjoy xx

If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to Sully Erna’s new solo album ‘Avalon’ please do.
It’s beautiful, it’s soulful. It is pure music for the muse inside…

“It is very eclectic and intellectual. It is something that you will want to put on when you’re in the mood to lie on your couch, dim the lights, and light all your candles and incense,” he wrote. “Just vibe out to this hypnotic variety of music, and enjoy the pictures that will be painted in your mind. This is a very visual record, so for sure the visuals will come. Don’t be surprised if it triggers some deep emotions within you based on your own life situations. Either way, enjoy the ride, it’s a beautiful one!“

Sully Erna ~ Godsmack

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
~Maya Angelou

She wraps those hands around that pole,
She licks those lips and off we go,
She takes it off nice and slow,
‘Cause that’s PORNSTAR DANCIN’!

She don’t play nice, she makes me beg,
She drops that dress around her legs,
And I’m sittin’ right by the stage for this,
PORNSTAR DANCIN’!

‘goes off to find a pole’ .. that damn mohawk made me horny ‘grins’

Opheliac: To be abnormally obsessed (with someone)

In reference to the character Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Opheliac is a noun meaning one who has delved into madness. The source of this word comes from Emilie Autumn’s new album, titled Opheliac, along with a song sharing the title name. The album Opheliac debuted in 2006. Labeled a mix of gothic, industrial, and classical, it is by far one of the more unique blends of music available today. Emilie Autumn has put out a series of albums prior to Opheliac, and is based out of Chicago.