Big Break?

Why do some bands hit it big and others just sort of get passed over by the label machine? Right now, you're probably thinking "Allyson, why are you still so naive? Why do you believe bands are signed based on merit and not luck and connections?"

Well, I'm a romantic.

So there.

I still believe true talent rises to the top of just about every industry and eventually it's that skill that separates the wheat from the chaff.

In all seriousness, I always wonder why certain Glam bands got major deals and why others were sort of passed over despite having a good sound, cool look and great songs.

Since Glam is back in style these days, a few labels are popping up to promote classic 80s bands that never really got a fair shake at the big time. We already know a lot of these bands are slated for side stages at both Rocklahoma and the South Texas Rock Fest...and most likely Rock the Bayou. The fact that a promoter wishes to book such bands tells me there is a definite market for Glam talent. So, why can a band like Blue Tiger play a side stage at a major festival now...but couldn't break big back in the day when the genre was huge?

So, was it truly a case of right place, right time for bands like Winger and Warrant or was it just a sign of the times? Sure, bands like Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and W.A.S.P. most definitely came first, but they presented a unique sound that the second wave of Glam manipulated and turned into almost a new subgenre. Most would agree you can cut classic Glam into three waves, starting with the early 80s and going through '85 and then to '88 and finally ending with the early '90s bands to about 1992. In each case, the bands were Glam but had a distinct sound...presumably label sharks were looking to replicate that sound to cash in big.

Ok, fine. Replicate the sound, therefore we've got a genre we all know and love. The guitar tone of Glam bands is so recognizable, it takes just a few bars of music to determine the genre. The same is true of grunge, thrash and alternative Metal just as it is for rap and country. So, why are certain bands signed and others unfairly passed over for no seemingly good reason?

Alleycat Scratch and Big Bang Babies are good examples of talented bands being ignored. Perhaps it was just the time they hit the scene, but I still think there's some mystical factor between bands and the machine. Hell, maybe it is luck. I just wonder if a band like Nickelback would have landed a deal in 1988? Would they have been as successful as they are today?

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Picture it: it's 11:15 p.m. I've been up for many, many, many hours. Do I go to sleep? No. There's no time for sleep. Quite frankly, I spent a very large part of my day getting ready to leave for Rocklahoma. I'm a packing perfectionist. Ask my husband - he loves to travel with me but my Glam goodness, he hates when it's time to pack for the trip. I pack and unpack several times until things are just "so" and I typically drive myself bonkers in the process. I digress. The point is that I was utterly and totally swamped yesterday. Instead of sleeping...I decided to pop in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (Warner Brothers 2005).

I've written about Metal: A Headbanger's Journey before. After all, it is my favorite rockumentary. I think anthropologist Sam Dunn is a damn genius. True academic studies about Metal music - and the fans of the genre - truly fascinate me. As we all know, Metal fans stick together and tend be to diehard to the genre. Metal: A Headbanger's Journey effortlessly illustrates this point. In short, it doesn't matter how many times I've watched this film: I'm always entertained. 

I would be lying if I said I didn't want to sit down and have a nice long chat with anthropologist Sam Dunn. I swear, that man truly fascinates me. I'd love to ask him why he turned from Glam to heavier bands so early in his life and what it is about those heavier bands that have held him for nearly two decades. Of course, that's a tricky question to answer. I'm not sure I could easily explain my love affair with Glam - it's a complex sum of all the parts I suppose.

I think Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is "stacked" perfectly, to borrow a television production term. Again, the story is effortless, but Dunn is genius because he truly starts at the beginning of Metal and unfolds the story to modern bands. Yes, Dunn connects the dots from Classical to Metal music - but the landscape is so much more. I suppose that's why I get sucked in every time: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey provides a tangible explanation for the need of Metal and how it affects everyone in society - even those who don't consider themselves fans.

Of course, the rockumentary addresses anger and Metal fan as the outsider. I've never considered myself a "weird kid" as Rob Zombie says in the film, but I do think I'm definitely different. I'd venture there are not many 28 year old female Glam fans that would consider Wacken Open Air the trip of a lifetime, but hey, that's me. Actually, if I may wax poetic for ten seconds, I suppose that's the reason festivals work: the diehard, living a culture to the max.

I truly wish there were more movies like Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. My friend Sam Dunn has another film due out any second called Global Metal. I cannot wait to see that film. I think it is important the world learn Metal fans are not an uneducated mass. Rather, we are a truly passionate group of regularly dismissed people.

Here's the trailer and there are many clips of the film on YouTube.

Want the New Night Ranger CD?

Would you like a copy of the new Night Ranger disc Hole in the Sun? I have a few copies to give away - all you need to do is answer a simple trivia question.

Q: What two modern bands does Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy have in his CD collection? (hint: the answer is somewhere on Bring Back Glam!)

Email your answers to allyson@bringbackglam.com. You have until Monday, July 7 at 11:59 p.m. E.S.T. to enter. Good luck.

Learning to Love Armored Saint

I've never had the chance to see Armored Saint in concert - but that will change this Friday when I see the band at Rocklahoma.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge Armored Saint fan. They might be an L.A. based band, but they have a heavier sound that many of their Glam counterparts. This isn't to say Armored Saint is bad - just different. 

As we all know by now, the L.A. Metal scene in the 80s was a force to be reckoned with - after all, so many great bands made it to the top out of the sleazy L.A. clubs. I often wonder if there was any animosity between bands like Armored Saint and Warrant? There are plenty of interviews with a very young Metallica where Lars Ulrich continually says "We hate Motley Crue. We hate Poison. We hate those guys." I wonder if Armored Saint shared the same emotions?

Not that any of those old emotions matter these days. The bottom line is I do enjoy Armored Saint from time to time and from what everyone tells me, I'm in for quite a show come Friday.

I think it's interesting Armored Saint has connections to so many bands - and many of those acts are also playing Rocklahoma. Jeff Duncan plays guitars for Armored Saint...as well as for Odin and DC4. He's going to have quite the workout next weekend! Of course, singer John Bush even joined Anthrax for quite awhile. I know a few people were lobbying for Anthrax at Rocklahoma...

So, for the next few days I am going to buckle down and learn some Armored Saint songs in preparation for Rocklahoma. So far, the ones I like best are posted below. I know some of you (and Joe, this means you) are big Armored Saint fans - so if you have advice on a particular album I should hunt down, please let me know.

Here is "Can You Deliver"

Here's a live clip of the song "Madhouse." You can see people moshing, so I guess this proves that craze really did pre-date grunge.

All American Bands

Today is Independence Day in America. What better way to celebrate than choosing the best solo acts and bands from all across the U.S.A.? The Phoenix Boston recently ranked the best band from every state in the union.

I'll admit, I have never heard the winners for Ohio - and the choice for best solo artist in California left my stunned. Click here for the list. Happy July 4th!

Spiders & Snakes on Motley Crue Tribute

There's a new Motley Crue tribute album in the works. Crue Believers is currently in production and will ship under the Deadline/Cleopatra Records imprint.  

Just who is slated to appear on Crue Believers? It looks like L.A. Guns (I'm not sure which version), Bulletboys, Enuff Z' Nuff, Gilby Clarke, Jack Russell, Stevie Rachelle, Spiders & Snakes and more.  

Spiders & Snakes provide their version of "Public Enemy #1" for Crue Believers. The album is slated for a fall release.

Spiders & Snakes will play both Rocklahoma and the South Texas Rock Fest next week before heading back to Hollywood to play a string of Sunset Strip shows. Lizzie Grey is probably the most famous member of Spiders & Snakes...and perhaps the most knowledgeable person to be included on a Motley tribute album. After all, Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx performed in the band London together before Nikki hit it big.  Plus, there's the small detail of Lizzie helping Nikki write "Public Enemy #1."

I never understood why London failed to land a record deal. Throughout the late 70s and early 80s there were a slew of musicians in and out of the band. Most of those members went on to stardom, hitting the big time in Motley Crue,
Guns n' Roses and Cinderella.  

I'm not sure if this is a new recording of "Public Enemy #1" for Spiders & Snakes. If memory serves, the band provided the song for a Motley tribute album a few years back.

Here's Spiders & Snakes in a very odd recycling commercial.

More music at Spiders & Snakes on Myspace.

Want a Billy Idol CD?

Do you have the new Billy Idol greatest hits CD/DVD Idolize Yourself (EMI)? A career-spanning retrospective, all the best songs are here including my favorites "Rebel Yell," White Wedding" and "Don't Need A Gun."

Idolize Yourself also includes two new tracks "John Wayne" and "New Future Weapon." Both are pretty cool and definitely have that signature Steve Stevens sound. That's no surprise considering Mr. Stevens wrote the songs!

I'm giving away a copy of Idolize Yourself along with a litho of the album artwork created by Frank Shepard Fairey. 

Want the prize? Simply send me an email explaining why you think Billy Idol and/or Steve Stevens are Glam. Keep your message limited to 50 words, and write "Billy Idol" in the subject line. Send the email to allyson@bringbackglam.com. The contest ends tonight (July 3, 2008) at 11:59 p.m. E.S.T.

Here's Billy Idol and Steve Stevens recently performing "John Wayne."