Kick?

Ever get on a "kick?"

Recently, I've been listening to a ton of Michael Jackson (for obvious reasons). I'll also go through spurts where I will only listen to Kix or Slipknot or whatever band has my attention at the moment.

Sometimes the "kicks" are prompted by crazy media coverage, as in the case with Jackson. Hearing his music on the news constantly got me interested in him again. Then I decided to read a book (or five) about him as well. It's been all MJ all the time at my house the past couple of weeks (ok, month).

Whenever I get ready for a big show, I'll get on a kick. I have Steel Panther and Crue Fest at the end of this week, so I've been listening to all the bands involved. Before Rocklahoma I listened to way more Saxon than normal...and before Rock on the Range, it was all Alice in Chains, all the time.

Sometimes I find the kicks to be..."comforting." There are days when it is honestly too much to scroll through my iPod and find something I haven't listened to in awhile. And forget about reviewing new bands! On those super exhaustion days, I'll just listen to the same thing as the previous seven days and be content. I am not sure if anyone else does this - but it's definitely part of my DNA to listen to the same album over and over. I mean, how else will I learn every word to every song?

Agreeance?

This Video Irks Me

Here's a video with a bunch of thrash bands mocking our Glam heroes. Screw that...and while we're on the subject, Glam bands have better guitarists than trash acts, too. So there.

Steel Panther: "Community Property" Video

Steel Panther ranks high on my list of fave bands. The songs are ridiculous and the videos and live shows even more so - but that's half the fun! "Community Property" is the latest single from the album Feel the Steel. Right now, that album is only out in the UK - the US date was pushed back to November (you can still buy as an import).

No more discussion is needed. Just watch the clip for "Community Property." I wish Lexxi Foxx got more face time - he's my favorite band member. So excited I'm seeing Steel Panther again Friday night in Vegas!

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On!

The L.A. Times' Culture Monster just made one hell of a discovery: a Shakespearean troupe that sets all their works...to metal.

Be still, my Brit lit lovin' heart. I always knew Shakespeare was Metal. After all, the Bard did whatever he wanted, used iambic pentameter better than anyone else (ever!) and did it all looking awesome in man-tights. His plays are wickedly funny, insightful to the human condition - and amazingly applicable to the world around us even today. He writes about witches and brooding princes, moors and ungrateful daughters. There is love and lust, intrigue and music.

The Metal Shakespeare Company of Portland, Oregon owns you. Just watch the video below for proof. The Company performs scenes from "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth" and "Measure for Measure." The band writes their own tunes to match the essence of Shakespeare. The band, er, Company does tour. Check their Myspace page for dates! (If you pay close attention to the Myspace page, you'll notice the Company lists Dio, Iron Maiden and Manowar.

Whitesnake/Judas Priest Live in Cincinnati

Tuesday night, Pop Evil, Whitesnake and Judas Priest played the PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati. I've been to many shows at Riverbend, but this was my first time at the smaller PNC Pavilion and I really liked the venue.

Much to my chagrin I missed Pop Evil because my husband got us lost (I mean, we've only lived in southern Ohio for...our entire lives!) but I digress.

Whitesnake played all the songs you would expect - but it's all good because this was my first time seeing them live. I thought the sound sucked for the first two songs, but after that the issues got worked out and the show was much better. I laughed my way through the set, cracking up at the amount of hair flipping. Bassist Uriah Duffy flips his hair more than any other person I've ever seen on stage. Each time Uriah flipped his hair, Reb Beach and Dough Aldrich followed suit. I kept wishing I was in the pit because all three of them were very generous with their picks. Toward the end of the set, Doug, Reb and Uriah were just handing picks to fans that asked for them - I've never seen artists do that as much as those three!

David Coverdale seemed happy. He said "Cincinnati" a lot and jumped around to the best of his abilities. He sang fairly well, too. No, he can't hit all the high notes like the glory days - but he didn't sound rough or fake, either. I am glad the band ended their set with "Still of the Night" - my favorite Whitesnake song. It's especially heavy live! I also really enjoyed the Reb/Doug dueling guitar solos. 

I've never seen Judas Priest live either. I probably would have enjoyed their set a little more if I wasn't fighting a massive migraine by the time the band walked on stage. To make matters worse, Priest has some crazy strobe lights that forced me to look at my feet the entire first song off British Steel. After that, things got a little better for me except the sound was brutally loud. It all just sounded so distorted and there were lots of timesI couldn't understand any of Rob Halford's words. I did enjoy hearing British Steel in full and it was cool seeing Halford ride out on his motorcycle. I also liked that the band changed their backdrop to match the song/album. I left right after Halford drove out on his hog. My head was pounding pretty hard by that point. Truth be told, the sound was awesome just outside the venue so I listened there a bit. It was less distorted and actually sounded as clear as a CD.

I wore my new Whitesnake "Slide It In" shirt to work under my blazer. I mean, why not? Another show on my list and yes, life is good.

I Remember You Two: An Odd Cover

Why did Johnny Solinger – and therefore Skid Row – record “I Remember You Two?” I heard the song on Hair Nation yesterday and totally ran into the grass while backing out of my driveway on the way to work.

I suppose the band wanted to cash in on one of their biggest hits and prove their new singer had chops way back in 1999 when Solinger came aboard...but still.

“I Remember You Two” is a weird cover. First, I don’t know many bands that make cover songs...of their own tunes. Second, Jonny’s voice isn’t great on the song – he even sounds a little scary. This isn’t true of Johnny at all, though. I actually think he does an amazing job with Skid Row. Think about it: here’s this country boy, selected to fill one of the biggest voids in Metal. Skid Row had some of the biggest hits of the early 90s...and Sebastian Bach is regarded as having one of the best voices in Metal – period. So here we are, Johnny is in the band, the Skids want to forge ahead and make some new tunes. I think that’s great! Why shouldn’t they continue to earn a living? So, the band records Thickskin and adds “I Remember You Two” to the mix. To me, adding a punky-grunge-odd mix of “I Remember You” is just saying to fans “Hey, we know you like Bach a lot but this other guy can sing the song too...except he doesn’t. At least not on the album.” I should say I’ve seen Skid Row lots of times with Jonny Solinger and every single time the crowd response is bonkers. People still love this band! That aside, the band sure as hell as never performed “I Remember You Two” live – at least not when I’ve been in the crowd!

I wish the band would hurry up and make a new album...and actually play some fresh tunes live! Bach hasn’t been in Skid Row for a decade so it’s ok for the band to swap songs in the set. At this point, none of us is getting any younger and I highly doubt a Skid Row/Bach reunion will happen anytime soon.

A grammar note: I do want to add I think the title of “I Remember You Two” is subtly brilliant. At first glance, a listener would assume the band made a simple grammar error, meaning to use the word “too” as in “also.” By selecting the numeric derivative of the word, the band is slyly referencing some sort of relationship triangle. It isn’t clear if this is romantic or platonic.

RATT Joins Shiprocked!

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (July 21, 2009) - Get ready to Ratt n' Roll on the high seas! Sunset Strip superheroes Ratt will sail the Caribbean this November as part of ShipRocked, a multi-day floating festival. ShipRocked sails from Ft. Lauderdale on November 15 and returns you to reality five days later. Along the way, ShipRocked ports in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Queensryche, Tesla, Skid Row, Lynam, Endeverafter, Broken Teeth, Stereoside, Stonerider and the Niki Barr Band will join Ratt for the wet n' wild vacation of lifetime.

Ratt are known for mega glam metal hits like "Round and Round," "Lay It Down" and "Back for More." Ratt will rock your face off and party hard with fans aboard ShipRocked. Who knows? You might even hear a choice cut or two from the band's new album, due sometime this fall.

On ShipRocked, it's all about the music - but other activities abound like exclusive meet and greets with the artists, theme nights, heavy metal karaoke, contests, charity auctions and maybe even a few all-star jam sessions!

"The biggest advantages ShipRocked has over other land-based festivals are intimacy and access," says ShipRocked promoter Alan Koenig. "The venue and audience size are smaller, so the performances are much more up close and personal than they would be otherwise. Plus it is substantially easier for the bands to meet and greet all of their fans onboard, versus just a few people before or after a show. Add to that a number of other unique interactive events hosted by the artists and our guests will have plenty of opportunities to spend some quality time with their idols."

ShipRocked sails November 15 -20, 2009 on the beautiful MSC Poesia. The Poesia is the third vessel in the MSC Cruise Line's "Musica" family of ships. This ship features MSC Cruise Line's signature Italian inspired decor, impeccable service, sumptuous cuisine in multiple restaurants, beautiful swimming pools, hot tubs plus a full-service spa and fitness center. Nearly two-thirds of the ship's staterooms include private balconies! Pricing varies by cabin and is subject to availability, but starts at only $749 (per person, double occupancy) for an interior stateroom. The prices include your cruise (room and board), all the concerts, meet and greets and other exclusive events during the trip. For booking and more information, please visit www.getshiprocked.com, or call 877-855-5502.

ShipRocked will truly be the ultimate rock and roll vacation and backstage pass!

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