Pay it Forward

It's time to pay it forward and share some of my favorite music blogs.

Each are exceptionally well written and feature diverse, new content on a daily basis.

First, http://glam-metal.com/features interviews with big name rock stars plus album and concert reviews.

I also really like reading www.hairmetalblog.blogspot.com. That site has recurring features such as the obscure metal song of the week and Album O' The Week. The boys at hairmetal dig deep into their music archives and usually remind me of tracks I've long since forgotten.

The sites I hit most during the day are www.metalmark.blogspot.com and www.hardrockhideout.wordpress.com. If you read the comments on this blog, you'll notice that Metal Mark and Hard Rock Hideout are always well represented with great stories and opinions.

Finally, the syndicated Hairball John radio show features several blogs over at www.hairballjohnradioshow.com. Also, there's a completely different Bring Back Glam blog penned by yours truly. Hairball John and the Acid Chimp really know how to put on a good radio show, and you can listen from anywhere in the world thanks to Internet technology. This week's featured guest is Jack Blades from Night Ranger.

Get Your Kix...

Editor's Note: This article was penned by Heater, the ever-present co-conspirator in bringing back glam. She's helping me out today while I tend to some out of town family business. Be nice to her, glam readers...and enjoy!

As I was getting ready to go out last night I was listening to the Arena Rock channel and "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Kix came on.  I had forgotten about this band, and how much I enjoyed their music back in the day.  Immediately I went to my computer to check out their MySpace page and see what they're doing now...but there was no such page to be found.  It was then that I realized how much I rely on the Internet - and that site in particular - to keep up with the bands I like. This prompted a little research.

Right now, some 31 million bands have MySpace profiles.  The site is a great way for fans to keep up with their favorite musicians and feel a little closer to the action.  After all, who wouldn't want to call Motley Crue a "friend?"   It's also a great way for bands to get their image and music out there and reach new audiences.  As always, with the good comes the bad.

When I am looking for something to do for the weekend, I check out the paper to see what local bands are playing and if I see something that interests me, I go to their MySpace page and check them out.  If I don't like what I see and hear, I move on.  It occurs to me now that I may be missing out on some great experiences.  Many of the songs I like now are not "cover" songs, so who's to say that if I went to a live show, I wouldn't hear something I liked that may not be on their page?  That also means that bands are losing money from people like me who simply log on, rather than go check them out live.

I think overall, MySpace has been good for the music industry, especially local bands who are just starting. And who knows? Some of the one-hit-wonders may still be around today if they'd had this kind of exposure.   Just some food for thought.

By the way, I finally found the info I was seeking about Kix on www.wikipedia.com

Steve Whiteman and Jimmy Chalfant are now with Baltimore based "Funny Money."  Ronnie Younkins started "The Blues Vultures"... and continues as their lead singer. Brian Forsythe plays guitar for "The Snakehandlers" and "Rhino Bucket."  They have teamed up a few times over the years for reunion shows...but to this date, bassist Ronnie Purnell has refused to take part.

Thrift, Thrift Young Horatio

You ever notice commercial images in some of your favorite glam videos?

The best example that comes to mind is in Slaughter's "Up All Night" video.

On the drum kit, the skin reads "This Space for Rent."

During the song, Mark Slaughter sings into a gold microphone. The subtle image brings to mind thoughts of success, money, and decadence.

At one point in the video there's a one second frame of Mark rubbing his fingers together, mimicking the international symbol of money.

Later, many quick images strung together illustrate life in big city America. There's also a quick shot of a woman walking a dog while talking on a cell phone. Remember, this video was shot before every person in the world owned a mobile phone. I'm pretty sure the dog is probably not a mut.

As a side note, bassist Dana Strum and Vinnie Vincent teamed up to host a video show on MTV.

Before forming Slaughter, Mark and bassist Dana Strum were band mates in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Dana Strum and Vinnie Vincent were partners and VJs of sorts for MTV. I think it's less than coincidental that future members of Slaughter were involved in one of America's most commercial creations.

Baby...One More Time

I think we need to revisit a recent blog. "A Town Called Hypocrisy" sparked more conversation - and traffic- than any other entry in the history of Bring Back Glam.

So far, every comment agrees that censoring musicians is completely wrong. One person even noted that it is illegal for performers to swear while performing on stage in Cincinnati. This sounded like a ludicrous law to me so I did a little research.

According to Ohio Revised Code - Municipal code of Cincinnati, Chapter 819 defines the rules pertaining to a cabaret. It reads as follows:

Chapter 819 CABARET

Sec. 819-11. Revocation of License.

"If the city manager or designee finds that the further maintenance of any cabaret is injurious to the public welfare and morals, or is a disturbance to the peace and quiet of a neighborhood within 300 feet of the cabaret property, the city manager shall revoke the license of such cabaret without refunder."

(C.O. 716-10; renumbered to C.M.C. 819-11, eff. Jan. 1, 1972; a. Ord. No. 92-1977, eff. March 23, 1977).

As you can see, the law is open to interpretation. Last night, I spent nearly two hours reading Cincinnati laws pertaining to cabarets, hotels, entertainment districts, adult venues, movie houses and bowling alleys. I figure a nightclub, such as Rhinos, falls under the distinction of cabaret which is defined as "a place regularly and habitually operated for profit, where food and beverages are served for consumption on the premises, and where one or more forms of entertainment are provided by others for the patrons thereof after 9 p.m."

You'll also notice that the law was last revised in 1977, a full 30 years ago. As time goes by, a person's perception of vulgarity changes. To most young children, saying a swear word is just about as bad as killing someone. As children become teenagers, and those teens grow into adults we learn the boundaries between right and wrong are more gray. Adults know they won't be condemned for swearing during a fit of rage, panic or normal conversation. Still, there are places where swearing just isn't allowed, as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If a journalist drops the "F" bomb while filing a report, that's the end of a career. A celebrity has to watch their words, too. Consider all the hate speech that got comedian Michael Richards in trouble a few weeks ago. His words were harsh and painful...but they were still just words. Nikki Sixx got in trouble for hate speech during a concert a few years ago. He was defending a woman in the front row who was being beaten-up by a man twice her size. The man happened to be black, the woman white. Nikki said words he shouldn't have. He was trying to save the woman, instead he ended up having to explain himself to an angry media mob.

So, how is it that words, certain words...become banned vocabulary, especially for rock stars? Who defines good words versus bad? In graduate school, I took a class on the history of rhetoric. The entire semester we did nothing but try to answer this question. Not surprisingly, we never found a concrete solution to this problem of literary evil.

So, where does this leave rock stars and fans alike? I know that when I pay good money to see a show, I expect to hear lyrics as they were originally intended. There's a reason I refuse to buy albums edited by record companies just so the artist can sell in more conservative stores.

This is an open forum for discussion on music. Please leave your thoughts, concerns and suggestions. 

Rumours...

It's off.

That's the word from various media outlets about the proposed Van Halen reunion featuring Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang plus original frontman David Lee Roth.

This line-up caused controversy with die-hard fans wondering how a 15 year old Wolfgang Van Halen could fill the shoes of original bassist Michael Anthony.

www.pollstar.com is reporting the tour is postponed indefinitely. This just weeks after the reunion was "officially" announced on www.rollingstone.com

Next month, the legendary band will be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The band is slated to perform two songs, and now sources close to the band say this performance is also in jeopardy.

As soon as the news hit the Internet, fans started lamenting their loss.

Of course, most people were taking the promised tour with a grain of salt. Most people expected a complete train wreck. Some were just hoping for the good old days.

Whatever the case, it seems the entire 40 city tour was just a rumour built on a shaky house of cards. Life is uncertain and nothing is guaranteed.

I still hope the boys can get it together and hit the road.

On the Road to Judgement Day

Today is the four year anniversary of the Station Nightclub fire. The tragic fire claimed the lives of 100 people and injured more than 200.

The fire started just seconds after Great White took the stage the night of February 20, 2003. Like most 1980s bands, Great White used pyrotechnics and fog as part of their act.

Among the casualties of the night was Great White guitarist Ty Longley. Even with their personal loss, Great White has been continually criticized for not doing enough to raise money for victims and their surviving family members.

Sunday, family members of the victims gathered at the former site of The Station. They laid wreaths and other mementos in honor of their lost loved ones.

At just after 10 this morning, the band's official website, www.mistabone.com, made no reference to the tragedy. I don't know how I feel about this. I'm a big believer in picking up the pieces and moving on. After all, the world still turns. Still, I feel if you have the ability to raise money through celebrity, you should do your part to help. I think the surviving members of Great White should have done more in the immediate weeks following the tragedy. I think they should have called upon their other musician friends and held one big benefit concert. (To be fair, they did continue their 2003 tour dedicating each show to the victims of the nightclub fire. Some of the proceeds went to the families).

The tragedy brings back questions of fairness in the legal system. In 2006, three men (the club owners and Great White's tour manager) were charged, and two reached plea agreements. Two are serving time behind bars for their involvement in the blaze.

So, were the members of Great White negligent? Surely, they knew there would be pyro in their show, just like every night before. (After the tragedy, the band vowed to never again use pyro or other dangerous effects in their stage shows). I don't know the answer to the question, nor is it my place to judge. I suppose condemning Great White would be a little like forever judging The Who for the 1979 concert stampede that killed 11 innocent fans.

For what it's worth, Great White is in the studio working on a new album.

Turn the Page

While watching Metal Mania over the weekend, I came across a very obscure video. The band was Heavy Bones and the song "4 A.M. T.M."

I would say it was a fairly low-budget affair, just four guys performing on an empty stage. The first time I watched, I dismissed the quartet as less than impressive. One day later I re-watched the video through the power of TiVo. On second glance, I decided the band was pretty talented and probably went by the wayside as depressing dirge-like music became the order of the day in the early 1990s.

Heavy Bones was vocalist Joel Ellis and guitarist Gary Hoey. Bassist Rex Tennyson and Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali rounded out the lineup, producing a very mature metal sound.

Banali's physical appearance in the video baffles me. Actually, his metamorphosis as a whole amazes me. His facial features seemed to change with every album and every band. It's my humble opinion that he looks better today than he did two decades ago, but I digress.

Now, Quiet Riot is coming to my neck of the woods soon. They are booked to perform at Rhinos Live on March 9. This is the sister club to the Rhinos I wrote about yesterday. I can only assume the same policies exist for this club, but it will be interesting to see if the mayhem that is Quiet Riot is reigned in by all-too conservative ownership.

If you own a rock club, are you conservative? I'm pretty sure the dichotomies don't mesh. Maybe it's the geographical climate? Cincinnati - Ohio's Queen City - is one of the most conservative in the immensely important political bellwether state.

I hope to attend the Quiet Riot show, and I want to meet Frankie Banali in person.  For whatever reason, he's always fascinated me and I think he might be a genius. Hopefully, I'll get a quote to post with my review of the show.