Sebastian Bach Wants More Cowbell

After the awesome show at Sweden Rock Festival, I’ve had some huge cravings for more Sebastian Bach. And yes, I have been a bit skeptic toward the album Kicking And Screaming, but I decided it was time to give it a chance. Just like Allyson, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the title song when I first heard it. But it has grown on me and I thought it was time to let the whole album do that as well, so I bought it.

As you all know, the album artwork is a bit odd, but inside the cover I found something that made me laugh even more – Sebastian Bach on cowbell.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there’s a lot of effort behind the cowbell on this record. But giving yourself credit for playing it on your solo album? Is it really necessary? Who else would get the credit if he didn’t write it? And is there even a thing called ”getting credit for playing the cowbell?"

That surely made me laugh for quite a while. And then I even felt a bit sad. Standing next to guitarist Nick Sterling, who plays almost every instrument and also wrote most of the songs, it just looks desperate. At least to me. What do you think? And what do you think of the album?

And also, this past weekend we celebrated ”Midsummer” in Sweden, which of course included ”Små grodorna” (”Small frogs”) – a song that apparently even Sebastian Bach knows. Here’s a clip of him performing with Dee Snider at Sweden Rock Festival, and also surprising the crowd with the midsummer anthem.

Guns n' Roses, Sebastian Bach Together at Gods of Metal Fest

Whenever you attend a show and something out of the ordinary happens, say, a special guest pops on stage and does a duet, it's magic. Imagine how cool it would have been to be in the audience at Italy's Gods of Metal festival when Guns n' Roses performed... and Sebastian Bach hopped up on stage for a rendition of "My Michelle." Going to a metal festival in Milan would be amazing. See the bands on the Gods of Metal bill would be over-the-top.

Some of the other Gods of Metal bands included Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, The Darkness, Ugly Kid Joe, Within Temptation, Black Stone Cherry, Hardcore Superstar and many more!

This Is Metal, Ya'll

Iron Maiden is on our tour and it doesn't get much more metal than that, right? I've been enjoying the live clips as they pop up on YouTube. Like most of the bigger tours this summer, Iron Maiden is bypassing my area. Are you going to see this tour?

Here's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"

"The Number of the Beast"

'Rolling Stone' Readers Pick the Best Hair Metal Songs of All Time

Rolling Stone recently asked readers to choose the best hair metal songs of all time. The songs are all "top of mind" tracks -- there isn't anything obscure here. This means that some really great songs are missing but many of the best are fairly represented. The sad part of this list is that it is unfairly heavy with Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue and Def Leppard. There are many other great Glam bands, but you wouldn't know it by seeing this list. So the top ten songs are below. What do you think?

10. Guns N' Roses, 'Sweet Child o' Mine'

9. Whitesnake, 'Here I Go Again'

8. Poison, 'Nothin' but a Good Time'

7. Motley Crue, 'Girls, Girls, Girls'

6. Warrant, 'Cherry Pie'

5. Motley Crue, 'Home Sweet Home'

4. Guns N' Roses, 'Welcome to the Jungle'

3. Guns N' Roses, 'Paradise City'

2. Def Leppard, 'Photograph'

1. Def Leppard, 'Pour Some Sugar on Me'

First Videos of the Def Leppard/Poison Tour

The Def Leppard/Poison/Lita Ford tour kicked off Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. Videos are popping up online. The Poison setlist is predictable and disappointing.

Look What the Cat Dragged In
Ride the Wind
We're an American Band
Your Mama Don't Dance
Guitar Solo
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Drum Solo
Talk Dirty to Me
Nothin' But A Good Time

The Def Leppard setlist, on the other hand, is pretty amazing.

Undefeated

Rocket
Let It Go
Foolin'
Animal
Love Bites
Gods of War
Acoustic Medley:
Where Does Love Go When It Dies
Now
When Love and Hate Collide
Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
Two Steps Behind (acoustic)
Women
It's All About Believin'
Let's Get Rocked
Bringing on The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock of Ages

It's been years since Def Lep has performed "Where Does Love Go When It Dies" and "Now." "When Love and Hate Collide" is one of my favorite songs, period!

Here are some videos of the opening night of this tour.

Geoff Tate Out of Queensryche

We all saw this coming: Geoff Tate and Queensryche have officially parted ways. This isn't surprising, with the public rift between Tate and the rest of Queensryche... and then the Queensryche band members forming what is basically a QR cover band called Rising West, featuring Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre.

Now, La Torre is the lead singer of Queensryche.

The remaining members of Queensryche released this statement, announcing Tate's departure:

"Over the past few months, there have been growing creative differences within Queensryche. We want our fans to know that we hoped to find a common resolution, but in the end parting ways with Geoff was the best way for everyone to move forward in a positive direction. We wish him the best of luck with all of his future endeavors. We can't wait to bring Queensryche to our fans with Todd behind the microphone."

As you would expect, all previously scheduled Queensryche shows are on hold.

I'm a little surprised that Geoff is walking away from the Queensryche name, but all in all, this is probably best for all concerned. Geoff really wanted a solo career and the rest of 'Ryche wanted to take their music in another direction. So be it. It will be weird going to a Queensryche show without Geoff behind the mic, but I'll keep an open mind.

What do you think about the split?

This Is Why Aerosmith Is Still My Favorite Band

Aerosmith is currently on the road, playing dates on their Global Warming tour. (I still don't get that tour name). Sadly, the band isn't coming anywhere close to me... and this leaves me with YouTube, right? Here are videos from the Minneapolis show earlier this week. The full set:

Draw The Line
Love In An Elevator
Oh Yeah
Walkin The Dog
Livin On The Edge
Cryin
Ragdoll
Last Child
SOS
Combination
What It Takes
Legendary Child
I Dont Want To Miss A Thing
Mama Kin
Sweet Emotion
Walk This Way
Dream On
Train Kept A Rollin

And here's the world premiere of the new song "Oh Yeah"