Editorial Reviews Much of Chinese Fire Drill was done in a project studio in LA's San Fernando Valley, with Grant playing and singing as many of the parts as possible. "The idea was to take all the technology and try to make a fun, organic record. The approach was very lo-fi. If a truck rumbled by while cutting a vocal and the take was good, I kept it, rumble and all." Grant's calling card has always been his biting lyrics and Chinese Fire Drill continues the tradition. Whether waxing romantic about LA's famous strip joint Jumbo's Clown Room or creating a guide for martial bliss("Everyday I take a tab of Ecstacy with my coffee, just so I can smile at you.") Chinese Fire Drill is guaranteed to offend, annoy and entertain.
Chinese Fire Drill
~ Tony Ware, Creating Loafing, November 2000
Grant Langston plays Americana-inflected rock the way Cake or Barenaked Ladies would play country.
About the Artist
Alternately scathing and sentimental, ironic and achingly authentic, Grant Langston's combination of southern-fried urban cynicism hits the right spot. The Alabama-born singer-songwriter took his political science degree and unique perspective to the west coast, despite the fact that he grew up two hours from Nashville. He knew his combination of outrageous stories and biting satire wouldn't find favor in the conservative country music Mecca. He needed a home where the audiences were unflappable... read more
Album Description
Grant Langston's second solo release, Chinese Fire Drill is the follow-up to his 2000 LP All This and Pecan Pie. Both discs explore his "unique" urbanized, southern boy outlook on women, booze, sex, heartache and modern angst. But whereas All This and Pecan Pie was a lavish project, using a host of players and participants from established acts like Sheryl Crow and The Wallflowers, Chinese Fire Drill takes a different path. The irreverence is still there, along with the stories of tough times and tough choices, but the style is more intimate, more personal.
Average customer rating: 
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Chinese Fire Drill
Grant Langston Manufacturer: MSG ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
General
| Country
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B00005UCB7 Release Date: 2001-10-16 |
Tracks:
Album Description
Grant Langston's second solo release, Chinese Fire Drill is the follow-up to his 2000 LP All This and Pecan Pie. Both discs explore his "unique" urbanized, southern boy outlook on women, booze, sex, heartache and modern angst. But whereas All This and Pecan Pie was a lavish project, using a host of players and participants from established acts like Sheryl Crow and The Wallflowers, Chinese Fire Drill takes a different path. The irreverence is still there, along with the stories of tough times and tough choices, but the style is more intimate, more personal.Much of Chinese Fire Drill was done in a project studio in LA's San Fernando Valley, with Grant playing and singing as many of the parts as possible. "The idea was to take all the technology and try to make a fun, organic record. The approach was very lo-fi. If a truck rumbled by while cutting a vocal and the take was good, I kept it, rumble and all." Grant's calling card has always been his biting lyrics and Chinese Fire Drill continues the tradition. Whether waxing romantic about LA's famous strip joint Jumbo's Clown Room or creating a guide for martial bliss("Everyday I take a tab of Ecstacy with my coffee, just so I can smile at you.") Chinese Fire Drill is guaranteed to offend, annoy and entertain.
Customer Reviews:
Hot Carryout ..........2002-09-03
The songs on this self produced disc provide ample evidence of his skill as a guitarist ("The Word"), his ironic humor ("Land Of Love"), and his ability to capture deep and intimate emotions ("Smile"). I've also got to say that I've seen hundreds of musical acts and own over a thousand records, and "Heavyweight Champ Of The World" is flat out one of the best songs I've heard. It captures perfectly what might be termed `Childhood's End' in a man's life.
If you've seen Grant perform and wonder whether his records measure up to his live charisma, don't worry because you can't go wrong with this one. If you're looking for an interesting new songwriter, this is the guy. If you want music more substantial than the slop played on the radio these days, here it is. In short, if you're a music fan looking for something really worth hearing, `Chinese Fire Drill' will fit the bill.
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Circles
A Chinese Fire Drill ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000PGCXBS |
Product Description
A Chinese Firedrill circles is a solo project from veteran bassist Joey Vera. Joey has been in the music business since 1981 having been involved in many groups including Armored Saint, Fates Warning (both of which he is still a current member), Anthrax, OSI, Tribe After Tribe, Seven Witches, Engine and Chroma Key to name a few. A Chinese Firedrill circles was written, recorded and performed by Joey from May 2005 June 2006. Truly a solo project, Joey performs all of the instruments and vocals with the exception of the drum tracks performed by a local friend. The music on circles was conceived out of a desire to pull influences from the past and subject the writing process to an experiment in arrangements and instrumentation. To put the necessary label on the type of music on this record, Joey is calling it Prog/Art Hard Rock. The record draws from his early influences such as Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Rush, and from more recent influences such as Tool, Porcupine Tree, Kings X and OSI. 1 Circles 2 Automatic Fantasy 3 Insane 4 Siucra 5 Never Say Never 6 Grass and Stone (Etheral) 7 Rock, Paper, ScissorsMusic:
Music
Brahms: The 21 Hungarian Dances for Piano Four-Hands
Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers
Bruch: Trio in C Minor, Op. 5/8 Pieces, Op. 83