Monday, September 5, 2011 at 12:01AM
Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 12:01AM I first learned of the Texas Hippie Coalition because of Rocklahoma. I was pleasantly surprised at the band and their live performance skills. I also just really like their songs (they sound like Pantera). I've interviewed THC in the past and now I'm happy to learn they've got quite a tour planned for the fall. Here's the information - some of the dates are as support for Black Label Society!
The Texas Hippie Coalition will hit the road to unleash their brutal fury of hard driven Southern Fried Metal across the U.S. – THC will start their journey in Las Vegas, September 12th at the Crown Theater in the RIO Hotel.
Asked whether THC are rock 'n' roll, heavy metal or southern rock - or a bastardization of the three, the band will tell you one thing, they are a wrecking crew of BRUTALITY! “We’re as southern as southern can be,” says ‘Big Dad’ Ritch, the behemoth front man and driving force behind Texas Hippie Coalition. “Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, ZZ Top, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson – we’re as outlaw as we can get, while at the same time having the power of that Texas groove, like Pantera. We’re metal with a southern rock and roll spirit. We are a band of outlaws.” Big Dad Ritch (vocals) leads this driving force along with Randy Cooper (lead guitar), Wes Wallace (rhythm guitar), John Exhall (bass) and Tim Braun (drums).
THC will join the much anticipated BLACK LABEL SOCIETY select shows dates while they trek the U.S. with their guns blazing across the U.S. – THC will have latest release available “Rollin” on Carved Records.
TOUR DATES:
SEPTEMBER
MON, SEPT 12 Las Vegas, NV
THURS, SEPT 15 Davenport, IA
FRI, SEPT 16 Merriam, KS
SAT, SEPT 17 Glendale Heights, IL
SUN, SEPT 18 Covington, KY
TUES, SEPT 20 Fredricksburgh, VA
WED, SEPT 21 Sarver, PA
THURS, SEPT 22 Watertown, NY
FRI, SEPT 23 Rochester, NY
SAT, SEPT 24 Tupper Lake, NY
WED, SEPT 28 Worcester, MA
THURS, SEPT 29 Seabrook, NH
FRI, SEPT 30 Auburn, ME
OCTOBER
SAT, OCT 1 Poughkeepsie, NY
SUN, OCT 2 Clifton, NJ
TUES, OCT 4 Morgantown, WV
WEDS, OCT 5 Reading, PA
FRI, OCT 7 Oklahoma City, OK**
SAT, OCT 8 Memphis, TN **
SUN, OCT 9 New Orleans, LA**
FRI, OCT 14 San Antonio, TX
SAT, OCT 15 Houston, TX
THURS, OCT 20 Tempe, AZ
FRI, OCT 21 Gallup, NM
FRI, OCT 28 Georgetown, OH
NOVEMBER
FRI, NOV 4 Rochester, MN
SAT, NOV 5 Mankato, MN
WED, NOV 9 Kearney, NE
THURS, NOV 10 Omaha, NE
FRI, NOV 11 Waterloo, IA
SAT, NOV 12 Illiopolis, IL
MON, NOV 14 Urbana, IL
WEDS, NOV 16 Fargo, ND
** Denotes date with BLS
THC plan to go back in studio after this extensive tour and record their new material for a 2012 follow up release, yet to be titled. For more information on THC go to www.thcoutlaw.com or www.carvedrecordds.com.
Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 12:01AM
Of course I had to start digging.
You know how Walmart has those giant cardboard bins of "stuff" in the aisles? Well, this CD bin was huge and I was folded over the top, just pawing through. I kept coming across tons of Glam, all of it called Ten Great Songs. There was Slaughter, KISS, RATT, Queensryche... I also came across some other random greatest hits (Great White, Journey) and then just straight albums from the likes of Van Halen and Aerosmith.
I had most everything I came across, so I did not take home any of the Ten Great Songs compilations. I mean, true fans already have the hit songs. For example, the Queensryche disc features "Empire" and "Jet City Woman."
I suppose a $5 CD is a good introduction to Glam for a lot of fans. I mean, if someone is completely clueless to RATT, then $5 isn't much of an investment into their hits. Still, it's all a cash grab for Capitol Records, but it is what it is - labels are in business to make money. Oh, there was even a Ten Great Songs from Poison - which means they officially have ANOTHER greatest hits compilation floating around. I suppose my favorite part of the Ten Great Songs series is that the title explicitly states what you get: just awesome music. For someone in a position to replace music, the songs are a steal. And for teenagers, the price is especially great for library building. I wish there was such a collection for $5 when I was a kid. I spent a ton on music and a price break sure would have helped.
Do you own any of the Ten Great Songs series?
Friday, September 2, 2011 at 12:01AM Happy Friday! I received this press alert and thought I would pass along for all the Crashdiet fans. I know a lot of Crashdiet lovers read this site and we all respect Dave Lepard's vision in creating the band.
You can now pre-order Reborn In Sleaze: A Tribute To Dave Lepard, which is to be released on the October 1st via www.streetsymphonies.com.
There will be just 200 numbered copies of the album available, 150 of which sold by Street Symphonies and the other 50 copies by Lepard Store of Uppsala, Sweden (the shop managed by Dave’s mother, Lisbeth Hellman).
Part of the earnings will be given to the “Dave Lepard Memorial Fund” to support young musicians.
Here's the track list:
01. Knokk 'Em Down - MIDNITE SUN
02. Riot In Everyone - SPEED STROKE
03. Queen Obscene / 69 Shots - SKULL DAZE
04. Breakin' The Chainz - PEEP SHOW
05. Needle In Your Eye - SUPERHORRORFUCK
06. Tikket - RAGDOLLS
07. Out Of Line - CYANIDE 4
08. It's A Miracle - DNR
09. Straight Outta Hell - HELL IN THE CLUB
10. Back On Trakk - SHINING LINE
11. Lost Horizons (bonus track) - BLACKRAIN
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 12:00AM
Friday night I chose to go see BUCKCHERRY at the ROXY (instead of the Doors at the Whisky) – little problematic with our VIP passes (regular ticket holders were honored before VIP ticket holders, YES, you are reading this correctly) – so backwards and so not what we were promised when we bought our VIP passes. Taddy Porter sounded pretty cool as I waited outside, and then alas I was able to get in about 10 minutes before Buckcherry went on. Fell in love with this venue as soon as I walked in. Loved the intimacy of the place and how the stage is on an angle with the beautiful, heavy drapes. Buckcherry sounded Great! Looked Great! The band had a ton of energy and ROCKED as they always do. I think they were even happy to be there. Highlight for me was when they did a cover of "Whipping Post" at the end of the night. (Oh yeah, and being that I was standing right at the rail of the back section, something must have gone down because literally about 15 cops pranced through there like it was nobody’s business). No actual idea what went down, though.
Saturday – Day of the Street Festival
I had to be there on time because there was NO WAY I was going to miss hearing Black Veil Brides. There has been quite a buzz circulating on the 'net over this band. Well... they DID NOT DISAPPOINT! (Sidebar: being that I’m from New Orleans and we have festivals of all types, all year round, the first thing I wanted was a cold beer at 2:00 in the afternoon. I quickly learned you could only drink in the designated “beer” gardens and there was free Vitamin Water for those walking on the street. Little cooky in my world and a lot of opportunity for profitability lost, but hey, its not my rules. That VIP pass paid off later that’s for sure).
OK, back to the fest…
Black Veil Brides had a killer glam look, glam attitude and just ROCKED the S**T outta the place. I’ll be finding out more about them thanks to this festival! (Note: Sebastian Bach has gone nuts for this band and was hoping to tour with them but apparently promoters shot the idea down, per Baz). You will be hearing about this band quite a bit I think.
I watched a little of the next act on the east side stage and was unimpressed – some synthesized act that just didn’t catch my attention. Off to check out the VIP areas. I preferred VIP next to the Key Club (as opposed to the VIP area on the rooftop of the bank next to the Key Club). I didn’t bother seeing a bunch of other acts in the clubs and east stage. Escape the Fate weren’t bad, nothing that really stood out about them in my opinion and the lead singer had a bit of LSD going on. He totally freaked out because he couldn’t hear his in-ear monitors and let everyone know – whatever! Skipped a few more bands and then next up was Bush on the West Stage... I was NEVER a fan of theirs, do not own one song, CD and personally thought no one actually gave a lick about this band anymore, but let me tell you... I was DEAD WRONG! The street was insanely packed by the time they hit the stage. They came out guns-a-blazing and rocked it! I was impressed with how great hey sounded and surprised how much I enjoyed them (except "Glycerine" as I will NEVER EVER like that song no matter how well they play it). KUDOS to them!
Next up was probably the most surprising highlight for me. I was a bit fearful I wasn’t going to be able to leave my sweet spot in the VIP section to get down to the east stage for Public Enemy but after Bush, the crowd started moving so I made a mad dash. Talk about FUN, FUN, FUN... After some little technical difficulties, out comes Chuck D and Flavor Flav and they TORE IT UP! Kickin’ it back old school and the crowd ate it up (as a matter of fact, Taime Down and Riki Rachtman both stood behind me for a song or two – little ironic for me, yes, but I wasn’t paying attention to them, I was there to see how scary Flavor Flav is in person, haha). Scott Ian had announced earlier in the day that he was going to come out and jam with PE and JAM he did! The crowd went NUTS as soon as they went into the Anthrax/PE version of "Bring the Noise." I then went back to my VIP spot because I knew my travel window was closing.
CRUE finally take the stage and the crowd was READY! When I tell you the energy on that street was nothing short of insanity, let me explain: about two songs in there was a small tree on the street in front of the Key Club and I guess it was hindering some people’s view because the people standing by the tree actually managed to take it down, limbs and all. CLASSIC! Crue’s set wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, little shorter than their regular set, but yes, I think this tour has had a great energy all summer long. Watching CRUE ON the Sunset Strip underneath the evening sky was something I never thought I’d see, so it made my trip out to L.A. completely worth it!
Next up after the CRUE I had to go to the Whisky to see Motochrist and... LONDON! That’s right BBG! readers! I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed Motochrist. I have a CD that was given to me a few years back, but live they are much better than on the record (in my opinion).
I enjoyed Motochrist but honestly, I was so excited and anxious for London to take the stage because again, never in a million years did I EVER think I’d see this band perform on the Sunset Strip after all this time! The club bands were only playing 25 minute sets so it was like dangling the bait and LONDON left me wanting more, that’s for sure! Nadir D'Priest's pipes are still as strong as they were back in the day. I just closed my eyes at one point and had to take it all in. For the life of me WHY did this band just go nowhere? Sure they had success on the Strip and of course, thanks to the cult classic, Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: THE METAL YEARS, and D’Priest (formerly London) had some mild success in the early 90s but it just hit me how much I loved their music. Now they are back under the name London and I think they are better than some of the scab bands touring regularly. Anyway, it is what it is and you better believe I’ll figure out a way to see these guys play again! HELLO M3 ROCK FEST, I THINK YOU NEED TO JUMP ON THIS ONE FOR THE SIDE STAGE PRONTO!
I do prefer my festivals to include a lot of the same genre of bands, especially if I’m traveling a long way from home, however I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the Sunset Strip Music Fest. Anxious to see how they top CRUE next year and I can’t wait to return to THE SUNSET STRIP!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 12:01AM This review is provided courtesy of fabulous Bring Back Glam! reader Melissa Thompson.
Monday night family, friends, fellow musicians and hundreds of fans paid tribute to Jani Lane, late singer, songwriter and former front man of Warrant. It was an amazing night filled with emotion, laughter, memories, and most of all, great music! In attendance to honor Jani were his family, including brother Eric Oswald and sister Micky Robinson. Also there to pay tribute to their fallen friend were members of Enuff Z'Nuff, Slammin Gladys, Kingdom Come, Sweet, LA Guns, Quiet Riot and Great White. The evening was hosted by Jani's manager and friend Obi Steinman, who told stories of his years with Jani and introduced the bands there to remember him. During the entire evening, three large video screens were showing family photos of Jani, from a child growing up in Akron, Ohio, to stage performances, and moments with his daughters, Madison and Taylar.
First up was Enuff Z'Nuff. Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff took the stage and performed their hit "Fly High Michelle" as well as a heartwarming cover of one of Jani's favorite songs, "Let it Be" by the Beatles.
Next were old friends, Slammin' Gladys, whose first album was produced by Jani Lane in 1992. SG members Dave Brooks, Steve Deboard and JJ Farris performed the songs "Stronger Now" and the Warrant song "Sad Theresa" (Dog Eat Dog). Between songs, singer Dave Brooks dedicated the night to Jani.
Many friends came in from touring to honor Lane in song, including James Kottak (Kingdom Come, Scorpions) who did "Time to Say Goodbye" and Sweet members Joe Retta and Stuart Smith, who did an amazing rendition of "I Saw Red."
Next to come on stage were Jani's family. Older brother Eric Oswald told some great stories about growing up with Jani and sister Micky tearfully read a poem to Jani entitled "If tomorrow starts without me." Eric and Dave Brooks, along with some of the other musicians, dedicated and emotional performance of "Blind Faith," with the entire crowd singing along.
The second half of the show started with LA Guns' Phil Lewis and Steve Riley. Lewis told a great story about how different, as bands, Warrant and LA Guns were, but that the minute he met Jani they were not only fans, but friends. LA Guns then performed "Electric Gypsy" and "The Ballad of Jayne", which for the night was re-named "The Ballad of Lane." Quiet Riot, with members Frankie Banali and Sean McNabb then took the stage to perform "Thunderbird," a song the band has long dedicated to founding member Randy Rhoads, and more recently to lead singer Kevin DuBrow, who passed away in 2007. Last night they dedicated it to their friend Jani Lane.
Last but not least was Great White. Jani toured with Great White last year when singer Jack Russell fell ill and was on the verge of having to cancel 31 dates. Lane stepped up to complete the tour for Russell and the remaining dates were a huge success. A still-recovering Russell came to the mic to remember and honor Jani Lane, then turning it over to the band, with singer Terry Ilous (XYZ) handling vocals on "Mr. Bone," "Save Your Love", and "Rock Me."
All the bands gave great performances, but what followed was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen at show. Jani's most recent touring band took the stage, with Joe Retta (Sweet) on vocals, to perform the most rockin' tribute to Jani with "Down Boys," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and "Cherry Pie." On "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Jani's brother Eric performed the guitar intro, just as he had done on the original recording. The final number was the most emotional of the evening. An empty stool and microphone stood onstage while Jani's band played "Heaven" with 350-plus people in attendance all singing, lighters held high. There was not a dry eye in the house.
The evening ended with all the musicians on stage for a jam session of some of Jani's favorite songs. All in all it was a great evening and a beautiful tribute to Jani Lane. If he didn't know before how many people loved and respected him, I'm quite sure he does now.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 12:01AM One of my favorite guitarists, Orianthi Panagaris, is now playing for Alice Cooper! Orianthi replaces Damon Johnson on the lead guitar duties for the Coop. If you don't know Orianthi, be sure to check her out - she's absolutely amazing.
I saw Alice Cooper live for the first time at Rock the Bayou something like four years ago. Alice's show was my favorite of the entire fest and I made it a point to see him live again as many times as possible. I can't even imagine the new energy Orianthi will bring to the band and the live show. I bet the addition of Orianthi - famous for playing in the Michael Jackson movie This Is It - will draw more people to the Cooper shows, too.
I wonder how long the Cooper-Orianthi pairing has been in the works? After all, the two shared a stage a couple years ago on American Idol.