Warm Memories

Saw this post and it filled my heart with joy. "I Remember You" is my favorite Skid Row song - and one of my fave tracks of all time, period!

Pre-Order A Signed Copy Of 'Brothers' By Alex Van Halen

Brothers by Alex Van Halen is due October 22. The autobiography is an account of Alex's family life and of his close relationship to brother Eddie and their wild ride in Van Halen. The book has been available for pre-order for awhile now... and now you can also order a signed copy by Alex himself. I'm a little confused as to why the signed version is only $32. Van Halen's online store has the books, too.

At any rate, I'll be reading this one - but probably just the Kindle version. I have too many physical books as it is and I'm trying to ween them out.

Jack Russell Tribute Concert Announced For Friday

Jack Russell's Great White was originally scheduled to perform a show with Vixen at Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois on Friday, August 23. Instead of cancelling, the show will now become a tribute to Jack Russell. Russell's band is now performing gigs under the name "Once Bitten: Celebrating the Music of Great White." Terry Ilous is on vocals. He once held the frontman role for Great White.

Vixen will still perform in their headline spot during this show.

It will be interesting to see if more tribute shows are planned in the future.

David Coverdale Announces 'Into The Light: The Solo Albums'

The other day, Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale posted a bunch of cryptic messages on social media. Now we know why: he is set to release Into The Light: The Solo Albums on October 25 via Rhino. The set is a remastering / remix of three of his solo albums WhiteSnake (1977), NorthWinds (1978) and Into The Light (2000).

The Light package is a six-CD boxset and also available on vinyl. The remixed version of "Midnight Blue" is part of this new package and it is below. You can pre-order now via Rhino - the CD version is about $70.

Farewell Jack Russell

I feel like I'm writing farewell posts all the time now. We lost our beloved Great White frontman Jack Russell yesterday. He was recently diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and retired from music.

The news of Jack's passing was still shocking to lots of folks, me included. According to a statement from his family, Jack died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. He was 63.

It didn't take long for condolences to come rolling in and that includes and official statement by his former Great White bandmates. It's a classy and concise tribute:

Other statements came from fellow musicians who shared the stage with Jack over the years:

I'm Totally Reading This 'Cheap Trick' Book

For our beloved Metalboy!

American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond by Ross Warner is due next month. The new book promises an in-depth look at how Cheap Trick got famous. Mike McCready of Pearl Jam provides the foreword.

I always love these sorts of books for the stories about other artists, too. Obviously Cheap Trick has played with just about every rocker over the years so you know there must be some tea spilled here! Amazon has the book up now for pre-order.

I Wish I Was Going To RockTember Music Fest

Anyone here going to RockTember in Minnesota next month? I wish I was going because the lineup looks so fun. Rhino Bucket guitarist Brian Forsythe shared the lineup on Facebook this morning. The fest is set for September 6 and 7 in Hinckley, MN (looks like 90 minutes from Minneapolis).

Tickets are still available. Link in second post below.