Kasabian predicts madness in their shows of planet Terra - Terra Argentina

Tom Meighan, lead vocalist of Kasabian, is excited about his return to Latin America.
Photo: Getty Images

With good humor and his characteristic accent, the leader of the band from Leicester, England, spoke with Terra on the new tour in Latin America and the return of his band to Brazil. In 2007, Kasabian was responsible, along with Lily Allen, Rapture and devotion of the success of the first edition of the planet Terra.

The leader of Kasabian, who will play in planet Terra Lima and Sao Paulo on 13 and 20 October, respectively, spoke about his career, his albums and expectations for this tour in Latin America.

Terra: You came to Brazil in 2007 to present in the first edition of planet Terra. What the difference with the current Kasabian who now returns with the Velociraptor tour!
Tom: All have children now. We are parents. We are more fat.  Before we were much going on a spree, and now no more. We are older, but still living and doing the same rock n' roll.

Terra: is mature good or bad for a rocker?
Tom: We have survived. We are with 31 years. It is different.

Terra: how will the spinning? They feel more animated with South America?
Tom: To me, a concert is always a concert. In some countries people are more mad, as in the case of South America. You are as well, some South Americans are crazy. If you arrive with a rock band, treat you as if you were royalty. Europeans are more reserved. I do not know. It is different in every corner of the planet.

Terra - Say Americans go crazy in rock concerts...
Tom - Yes, crazy. You are the major suppliers of drugs in the world. (Laughs)

Terra - Velociraptor is the fourth album of Kssabian. Does that mean this disc for you?

Tom - We wrote a long time ago. We produced over the past year and the disc was only launching at the end of the year. It is an excellent album and tracks dream very well in concert. If you no advantage them when you're on the stage, there is no reason to continue.

Terra - You recently made a tour in North America. How was it?
Tom - Was exhaustive. A full agenda for eight weeks. We ended up exhausted.

Terra: A "different approach" was needed to captivate the Americans?
Tom - Rock is no more the same in United States. Everything has changed. It is difficult for us, beyond is as if we were starting our career. It is as a setback to go beyond. We already have our drive, our achievements, and even so we have to start from scratch, with disclosure, acoustic songs and other things. But we survived.

Terra: not like that process?
Tom - Yes I like it, it is interesting, but it is also an obstacle, because we have already done all that. In addition, eight weeks with a band without a break is a challenge, but it went well.

Terra - Some time ago also said something about the success of "boy bands", as it is the case of their compatriots in One Direction. What is the difference of the notoriety achieved by them and you?
Tom - what you can say? It is what everyone already knows. They compose music for children. Children creating music for children.

Terra - In 2011, Liam Gallagher was presented in Brazil with his new band, Beady Eye, and his brother, Noel Gallagher, performed a concert of his new solo project. The two praised Kasabian. What do you think about this? You liked the discs produced by the pos-Oasis brothers?
Tom - We are very good friends. I like the two brothers. On the discs, they are very good. I love both of them.
Terra - You're a fanatic for football as well as the Gallagher brothers?
Tom - Yes, of course. It is in our genes. I am a fan of Leicester City.

On planet Terra

Since its inception, in São Paulo, the headliners of the festival has had big names of rock as to Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Phoenix, Mika, Of Montreal, The Strokes, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip and Passion Pit, which has earned him recognition from critics and the public, and has become it a mandatory appointment for some of the most acclaimed bands of the international music scene. Last year the tickets sold out in just 14 hours and more than 4.6 million people followed the coverage and retransmission by Terra. This is the first year that the Festival comes from the city of São Paulo: will have versions in Lima and Bogota.

Peru
Date: 13 October.
Place: Park of the exposition, Lima.

Brazil
Date: 20 October
Place: Jockey Club, São Paulo.

Colombia
Date: 27 October.
Place: Parque Jaime Duque, Tocancipá.

Stick Shift Autos On Their Way Toward Extinction

Guaranteed to add a sporty edge to even the most Spartan of vehicles, stick shifts have long been preferred by drivers looking for more control and more fun when tooling around town.

But those loyal to manual transmissions are fast becoming a dying breed and now it seems car companies are starting to take notice. Twenty years ago, a quarter of all cars sold in the United States had manual transmissions. By last year, that figure dropped off to a measly 3 percent.

Though sales of cars equipped with stick shifts saw a jump this year—automotive industry information firm Edmunds.com recently reported that 7 percent of vehicles sold this year had 'four on the floor'—over the next 15 to 20 years, analysts say sticks shifts will be all but obsolete.

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Among other things, stick-shift snobs can blame increasingly efficient automatic transmissions and the onset of more hybrid and electric cars for the death of manual transmissions. According to Edmunds.com Industry Analyst Ivan Drury there's only one hybrid vehicle on the market, the Honda Civic, that offers a stick shift option.

"As more vehicles become hybridized or fully electric, there's just no purpose [for manual transmissions]," he says.

It also has to do with the dwindling number of drivers who even know how to drive stick, he adds. Comparatively fewer new drivers are taught the tricks of the trade when it comes to manual transmissions these days and automatic transmissions are arguably easier to drive.

So what explains the recent jump in purchases of vehicles with manual transmissions?

"We've just had the perfect storm," Drury says, pointing to the increasing number of drivers trading in significantly older cars for newer models. "We had the right segment, the right buyer, and price-wise these stick shifts are still cheaper for some automakers."

But while stick-shift loyalists vehemently defend the appeal and benefits of manual transmissions, many of their arguments against automatic transmissions don't hold water anymore.

["Honey-Do" Lists Making a Comeback: Home Remodeling on the Rise.]

For starters, while manual transmissions generally get better gas mileage than automatics, that isn't always the case. Some compact automatic cars such as the 2012 Ford Focus and 2012 Honda Fit, perform better than their manual siblings when it comes to fuel efficiency.

Another boon for stick-shift drivers has been the price break. Traditionally, cars with automatic transmissions were pricier than their manual transmission counterparts, but again, that's not always the case anymore. Many GM models price automatic and manual transmissions the same.

With automatic transmissions leveling the price and gas mileage playing fields, stick-shifts are decreasingly relevant alternatives for budget conscious car buyers. And so, the temporary uptick in purchase of vehicles with manual transmissions this year is just that, temporary.

One shred of good news for stick-shift diehards? Drury says some of the sportier models will likely keep a manual transmission option for nostalgia's sake.

Meg Handley is a business reporter for U.S. News & World Report. You can reach her at mhandley@usnews.com and follow her on Twitter.

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