It’s easy to assume that a book with a title like The Hard Stuff will be just another run-of-the-mill, mindless trip down memory lane by some reckless rock star. But surprisingly, MC5 guitarist/leader Wayne Kramer actually tells his tales of hardships – and accomplishments – through a refreshingly enlightened perspective, rather than simply bragging about rock n’ roll decadence.
Granted, there is plenty of it (decadence); from starting the MC5 in Detroit in the mid-60’s, to heavy drug use/dealing that eventually led him to serving time in prison, Kramer’s trip through rock stardom was unquestionably no walk in the park. But the fact he was able to come through it all not defeated and/or jaded and actually help set up a prison outreach program such as Jail Guitar Doors (along with his wife Margaret Kramer, and English folk hero Billy Bragg), speaks volumes.
I’ve never claimed to be the biggest MC5 fan in the world, but I’ve always held a certain level of respect for them; now after reading Kramer’s book, I have even more for not only the band, but Kramer himself.
Where does one even begin when trying to explain a band with as much history as Raven? Formed in Newcastle, England by brothers John (vocals/bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar) all the way back in 1974, the two have kept the band going since the formative years of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene (or NWOBHM) along with a succession of drummers. So it was truly a thrill to get a chance to pick the the brain of long time front man John Gallagher regarding the band’s upcoming live release, Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live From Aalborg.
When asked how said new recording came about, John tells me; “Well…it was an accident! We had no idea we were being recorded! Back “in the day” as they say, a live recording was a tedious affair with many extra microphones and much checking & testing…nowadays a digital multitrack recording can be made direct off the stage! We came off stage from our show in Aalborg Denmark & the soundman gave Mike a memory stick & said ” here you go!” We never even got to check it until after the tour & we were blown away..this recording really captured the energy of our live show!”
I also had to ask how the band decides on what songs to play live these days, for which he had to say; “That’s a tough one. You always want some continuity and there will be a few songs you will always want to play…and are expected to play! Since Mike has come on board we are changing things up, and did so pretty much immediately by adding some older songs we had not done in ages, such as “Hell Patrol” and ” Hung Drawn & Quartered.” And we have been playing a brand new, unreleased song as well, ” Top of the Mountain,” so it’s a bit of a balancing act!”
In 2017, longtime drummer Joe Hasselvander unfortunately suffered from a career-ending heart attack. I asked John if he knew the status of his former bandmate, for which he said; “I’m assuming he’s doing well, we have not been in touch for some time. He is where he needs to be, and where he wants to be, which is at home with his family. The split was an upcoming thing as he really was done with touring and the heart attack was a wake up call for him to change things…we of course wish him nothing but the best.”
After several fill-in’s, the band finally settled on Fear Factory drummer Mike Heller to take the place behind the drum kit. John informs me,”Mike’s quite a force of nature and has been a real shot in the arm…he brings astounding technical prowess & bags of enthusiasm. He is a lot younger than us old dogs (lol), and although we have some common ground, he has a different set of influences and is bringing a lot of cool ideas to the table!”
And finally, I asked John if the band had plans to get back in to the recording studio in the near future; “Yes! We basically have the new album in the can after a lot of stop/start nonsense over last year. We do need to tweak a few small parts such as an intro here & there and then mix the album. The live album is a great bridge between the last album and the upcoming new one. We really have lifted the bar yet again on this new one in regards to pretty much everything, the songs, the playing, the energy…we are excited!!!! Hopefully this will be out late 2019.”
Last Friday, Sears Holding Company announced the closing of another 80 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide. Among those to close this upcoming March is the Daytona Beach location at the Volusia Mall. It’s easy to see why many of these stores are closing though, after feeling as though stepping back in time from just one visit.
Originally opened in 1975, the store itself shows noticeable signs of aging. Outdated floor and wall patterns, as well as dingy restrooms are just the tip of the iceberg. The store shelves often are wobbly, and at times scattered with random items and/or empty. There’s also a defunct photo studio, now used as a storage space that’s blocked off by a black curtain. Just one lap around the entire store and it’s not hard to see why this location was put on the chopping block.
Local shopper Jason Potter lent his thoughts on the the Daytona location closing it’s doors; “I used to shop at the DeLand location before they closed that one. Now they’re going to close this store and there won’t be any left in the area. It’s sad.”
Still, even with the dim circumstances and knowledge of imminent death, the store associates themselves all seemed humble and optimistic. And there is still hope that Sears chairman Eddie Lampert might actually be able to keep the Sears brand from dying off completely with his recent bid to save the company. Only time will tell if this once giant retail chain will stand the test of time.
Good old black metal giants Venom return for yet another outing, and just in time for the holidays. Sure, the cover art is pretty laughable, and the subject matter can get a bit old. But for the most part, Cronos and company still got “it,” at least as far as heavy riffs go.
Storm the Gates may be slightly more true to the band’s original sound than the efforts of Cronos’ former bandmates (who have gone off to form Venom Inc.), and it does actually contain an admirable moment or two. Tracks like “Notorious” and “100 Miles to Hell” are fairly brutal headbangers. Still, overall it just comes off feeling like that old uncle who’s still trying to prove to the young kids he’s still cool after all these years (few are likely to agree he is in this case).
I still remember the moment I first heard Laura Jane Grace’s music well; it was the summer of 1999, and I was sitting in a hotel parking lot somewhere in southwest, FL when my friend and former band mate Joe popped a tape of Against Me!’s Vivida Vis in the tape deck of the beat up Oldsmobile we were in. Now, nearly 20 years later, I still get the same chills whenever I hear something new from Grace, whether it be with the previously-mentioned Against Me!, or a side project such as this one, dubbed the Devouring Mothers.
Bought to Rot isn’t too far off from what’s expected from Grace at this point, yet still doesn’t become too predictable, either. Tracks like “I Hate the Chicago,” “Apocalypse Now (and Later),” and “Reality Bites” are all cleaver in their own ways. But the main highlight is without a doubt “The Airplane Song;” although it may not offer the best title, it definitely stirs up the most emotions. Once again, Grace has done it again; at the very least, it’d be a shame for one to not give it a try.
Back in 2013, two kids who had been dating for a few months went to Orlando to quench their mutual thirst for ’80s rock by seeing Poison front man Bret Michaels live in concert. It was at that very show they realized they had finally found something special, and by the next weekend, they were engaged. Now married, the two make up not only a great husband and wife couple, but also a writer/photographer duo that occasionally team up to cover local concerts, such as the recent Bret Michaels show in Orlando this past November 3. This time around the two were there with a purpose, covering the show (which this time featured not one, but two ’80s icons as Lita Ford opened) with photo passes in hand. The result was truly a night to remember for all who were there.
Lita Ford has been on my personal list of artists to see live for some time now, and after several missed chances over the years, that wish was finally realized (and with the best seat in the house -the photo pit – nonetheless).
Immediately packing a punch with fan favorite “Gotta Let Go,” Lita indeed got the staged primed for a night full of great old school rock. And with only so much time to spare, Ms. Ford didn’t waste any of it, belting out classics like “Playing with fire,” “Hungry,” and “Back to the Cave,” before rounding things out with her monster hits “Close my Eyes Forever,” and of course, “Kiss Me Deadly.”
And finally, Poison frontman Bret Michaels took over the stage, getting the party started appropriately with the classic “Talk Dirty to Me.” Michaels wasted no time, and quickly followed up with “Ride the Wind” before going into a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” that the crowd ate up completely. And joined by Cinderella bassist Eric Brittingham by his side, there was no denying the ’80s hard rock energy coming from the stage.
From there on out, it was one Poison hit after another; their version of “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” followed by “Something to Believe In,” “Unskinny Bop,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” and of course, the party anthem “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” Although his set may have been cut slightly shorter this time due to a shared bill, the energy was still undeniable. It’s hard to imagine anyone in attendance that night went home unsatisfied.
Lita Ford opening the show (photo by Jesse Striewski).
The last time I caught former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach live, he was the supporting act for Guns N’ Roses back in 2006. Last Friday night’s show at The Plaza Live in Orlando somewhat paled in comparison to that of the larger, arena-sized production I saw him on years earlier. But despite this, those in attendance seemed to at the very least be having a hell of a time.
Young Canadians One Bad Son kicked off the night, ushering themselves onstage with the theme from “Rocky” before ripping into their set. Their style ranged from traditional heavy metal (“Scarecrows,” “Lost All Control”), to mainstream mediocrity (“It Ain’t Right”). Despite some of the most awkward silence I’ve ever witnessed at a live show in between songs, the band truly got it right towards the end of their set with a cover of the Talking Head’s “Psycho Killer.”
Prong/Madonna (yes, you read that right) guitarist Monte Pittman (who the band gets its namesake from) was up next. It wasn’t until about halfway through their set I realized Pittman had devised a super-group of sorts, featuring Holy Grail bassist Eli Santana, as well as former Slayer/Testament drummer John Dette.
Pittman offered a wide range of various rock genres; from metal numbers worth banging your head to (“Changing of the Guard,” “Everything Undone,” “Skeleton Key,” etc..) to even acoustic numbers like “Depth of Perception.” All in all, Pittman’s set was one of the surprising highlights of the evening.
Finally, former (though not “original” – die hard fans will remember that title actually belongs to Matt Fallon) voice of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach, took stage some time after the 11 o’clock hour, appropriately kicking off his set with one from his ex-band’s glory days, “Slave to the Grind.”
The current lineup Bach has assembled for his band offers its own rock royalty as well, with Spread Eagle/UFO bassist Rob De Luca and Riot/Fates Warning drummer Bobby Jarzombek rounding out the rhythm section. Newcomer Brent Woods handled guitar duties admirably (though at one point he threw handfuls of guitar picks into the crowd in what appeared to be a fit of anger).
More tracks from both his work with Skid Row, as well as his solo catalog, quickly followed, including “Piece of Me,” “Dance on Your Grave,” “18 and Life,” “Here I Am,” and “The Threat” (a personal favorite of mine that I don’t recall him playing the last time I saw him, and was definitely not expecting to hear this time around, either!) before getting into the “big guns” (literally).
Once Bach and his band went into the massive 1989 hit “I Remember You,” fans were screaming for more. Which they quickly received, as he then broke out with a couple more from Skid Row’s debut album in the form of “Big Guns” and “Sweet Little Sister.” Bach somewhat lost the crowd for a second with a less-than-stellar joke (the punchline, “Motordead,” should give you an idea of what it entailed) before introducing the song “All My Friends Are Dead.”
Thankfully he was able to recover with the hard-hitting “American Metalhead” before lashing out some more classic Skid Row cuts in the form of “Monkey Business” (in which the band briefly segued into a nice cover of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” mid-way through), “Rattlesnake Shake,” and the classic anthem “Youth Gone Wild,” which would have made for more than a perfect ending to the night. But Bach hit the already-exhausted crowd with one last solo song (which the name of completely escapes me at the moment) before finally calling it a night.
Unfortunately this time around any and all material from Skid Row’s Subhuman Race album was completely omitted from his set list (if memory serves me right, he at least played “Breakin’ Down” that first time I caught him back in ’06). Even so, I’m glad to see he’s still out there giving it his all, night after night.
Bassist Eli Santana (also of Holy Grail) opening the show on stage with Monte Pittman.
This latest offering from rising metalcore giants Ice Nine Kills (their fifth overall) finds the band following many a Hollywood slasher flick (hence the title), and just in time for Halloween. Initially it seems like an interesting concept; write a song about everyone’s favorite horror films (even cult favorites like Silent Night, Deadly Night get touched upon), but unfortunately, things do get rather cheesy along the way.
Songs about The Crow and It are forgettable at best. But the real highlights are the coinciding music videos (sans the mediocre acting, anyway) of tracks like “The American Nightmare” (A Nightmare on Elm Street), “Thank God It’s Friday” (Friday the 13th), and “Stabbing in the Dark” (Halloween), which all loosely follow the storylines of their respective films, filled with mild gore and scantly-clad females the way any good ’80s slasher film should be. If brutal breakdowns layered on top of lyrics about your favorite fright flicks is your thing, than this album’s for you. The rest may grow bored quickly.
Everyone’s favorite spaceman is back for yet another solo outing (his 3rd in 4 years), and although it may not feature the most original title (just 2 albums back he released SpaceInvader in 2014), he seems to have tapped into the cosmos just right this time.
Some might argue tracks like “Bronx Boy” and first single “Rockin’ with the Boys” sound a tad dated, but they’re actually quite effective (though a cover of Eddie Money’s “I Wanna Go Back” does come off a bit forced).
Gene Simmons has a couple of songwriting credits here, and even lends his bass playing on one track (“Without You I’m Nothing”), and longtime Ace Frehley/Kiss contributor Anton Fig even makes an appearance or two. But the song that hits the mark best hands down is “Mission to Mars;” layered with throwback guitar riffs that echo straight from a ’70s-era Kiss record, it’s the definite highlight found here. Leave it to the Spaceman not to let down.
In the ’80s, Canada produced a number of notable metal acts (Exciter, Annihilator, Anvil, etc…), each admirable in their own right. Now a new breed of bands have slowly taken over as the kings of the Great White North, including Striker, Cauldron, and Skull Fist (among others). I was recently able to speak with Skull Fist singer/guitarist Zach Slaughter, who was more than just a little stoked about the band’s upcoming 3rd album, Way of the Road about to be released later this month after nearly a 4 year gap in between albums; “Dude. seriously right?! It’s almost weird to have this album coming out now, although the songs were written some time ago, I am already bored of them and have gotten the 4th album written.. so…forget this one everyone? (Laughs). We spent a lot of time just waiting to see if my voice would heal (almost 3 years), so in the meantime I was always writing a lot more music.”
When asked where Way of the Road was recorded and if the songwriting was a group effort, Zach says, “Well a lot of the songs I had already written a while back. The album was supposed to be released almost 3 years ago but because of all the voice surgery issues I had, I was forced to keep waiting. We recorded it at the same place we did the 2nd album, with Eric Ratz at Vespa Studio in Toronto. He’s real good at this stuff man, any sound you’re looking for he can nail it. I’m really happy with how he got this stuff going. I usually write the tunes but the boys are always around to give some input. “Witch Hunt” was actually a riff from Jonny, and it was JJ’s idea to write a swing song on this record. You can thank Casey for the title of the album as well.”
The band is also about to take Way of the Road on the road. Regarding it, Zach informs me, “Yeah man, going to do that whole worldwide crap again. That sounds lame when I say it like that (laughs), but basically we will go out to all the places we have gone in the past. Right now we will do the Euro thing with Striker from Canada as well. That’ll be in November, the dates should be out by the time people read this. After that we’ll get a South American tour going, after that North America, then after that, I’ll probably break another bone skateboarding? (Laughs).
When it comes to playing the new songs live, Zach says the tracks he is most looking forward to playing include “No More Running,” Stay True,” and “Way of the Road.” “I think those ones are a bit more enjoyable for me playing live, but its hard to say what songs will wind up as live staple tracks, you know? Just gotta play ’em out for a while and see what happens. I’m still stoked on a few of the old tracks as well, “Ride On” always feels right when I’m playing it live. I never know which songs people will like the most though, my predictions for the 1st and 2nd album were wayyyyy off (Laughs)!
