Is Bang Camaro Playing Rocklahoma? Or Why the Lineup Needs Rebalanced...Or Fully Announced...Or Something
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 12:01AM Looks like Bang Camaro might be playing Rocklahoma. I mean, it's hard to tell because the festival hasn't put an official release listing all the bands in ages...but the side stage lineup was announced yesterday and Bang Camaro is on it.
Why are Bang Camaro on a side stage?
Let me rephrase: why are any national bands on side stages when the main stage talent is so sparse/random/weak?
Bang Camaro is a national band. Modern? Yes. Famous? Yes. Could they sell tickets? Yes. Move them to the main stage.
Let's review.
Tracii's L.A. Guns are on a side stage. Tracii personally told me this was his choice because he didn't want to play in the midday sun. I respect that as playing Oklahoma in the middle of July is sort of like signing up to walk barefoot on hot coals while already having a sunburn on 100% of your body. Yeah, it ain't fun. Actually, fun and being outside in Oklahoma during July don't really go together period, but whatever. I hope it rains again and the mud people come back. Ah, that would be great. Mud and stink for days. Or not.
Big Cock - also side stage. They are main stage worthy. David Henzerling is my friend, he rocks harder than you and, oh yeah, Robert Mason can sing his ass off. Move them to the main stage.
Dirty Looks - side stage. Seriously? This is a band that has never played Rocklahoma. Die hard Glam fanatics have been asking for this band for ages. Dirty Looks trump Stryper. Move Dirty Looks to the main stage.
Who else is on a side stage that would have previously been main stage caliber? Let's see: D'Molls, Baton Rouge, Faster Pussycat, Britny Fox and about a dozen more.
Damn, son - I don't get it. Here I am, lucky enough to go to Rocklahoma for free but choose to pay to support both the festival and the bands and to keep my bias in check - but somethin' gotta give. By the time it's all said and done, I will have dropped about two grand on the third installment of Rocklahoma. That's money that could have gone to Hawaii, some really fancy Glam stage clothes...or therapy. Perhaps all three.
So, here I am, looking at a credit card bill for two grand in one hand and a bizarre festival lineup in the other. Apparently you can do some weird upgrade experience at Rocklahoma this year meaning you can pay more money and sit on the stage and get access to a fancy lounge. Rock Gone Wild is doing this, but the lounge access is included in your platinum ticket. Let me reiterate that I already paid for a Rocklahoma V.I.P. ticket which is apparently now worthless in the standard "I'm a very important person" sort of fashion. Shame, really, as I was looking forward to being a V.I.P. again.
I dunno. Are there good bands slated for Rockalhoma 09? Hell yes, chiefly Kix, Big Cock, RATT, Lillian Axe and Baton Rouge - in that order. That's five bands...divided by two grand...eh, screw it.
At this point, it is what it is: I will go to Rocklahoma and have fun with my husband Eric, Christian and Kari; won't drink any watered down beer and will attempt to stay out of the sun as much as possible. I won't think of how I could have used that two grand for front row at Aerosmith or even American Idols Live to see Adam Lambert. No, I will go to America's biggest Glam festival, wearing a Bring Back Glam! T-shirt and review the show. Every day I will reiterate that most of the side stage bands should be rocking the main stage and I'll provide photographic evidence of both bands and crowd size.
So help me, I just don't get it.
Are you going to Rocklahoma? Agree? Disagree?
Reader Comments (48)
Regarding this comment: Sorry but I would never go watch a bunch of bands who either whine and/or yell angst-ridden B.S. to a bunch of badly dressed teens. No talent , No fun , No thanks.
If you replace "angst-ridden" with "sophmoric", "meaningless", or "sexist" you could be very easily talking about Motley, Poison, FP, GNR, Ratt, or any of a thousand other bands - big and small - from the glam metal era. Funny that.
Different strokes for different folks. Sam, you've done a great job of getting a lot of good bands on the side stages but you're missing the point. And, with all due respect, your opinion of other genres of music verge on narrow minded. Yes, it's your opinion that certain types of music suck but it's just that - your opinion. And right now, today, in 2009, what's popular and making a buck isn't necessarily what you, me, or most of the posters on this site "like".
Take the credit when and where it's given and leave it at that, man.
I am the most open-minded guy on the planet but when you can show me ANY amount of talent in these ClearChannel created shoegazers , I will revert my opinion.
Want good bands? Look to the Europeans. They still have it.
And I disagree that the new stuff out there "destroyed" ours. Hey, I was there. I know firsthand what it was like when "Smells like teen spirit" replaced "Cherry Pie" on the radio and I know how it feels to have the label guy that just took you out to dinner the night before with visions of big contracts call to tell you you're now no longer "what the kids want". The bands like Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana are no longer around or viable to "blame" and they didn't actually kill off glam/metal... the LABELS TURNED THEIR BACKS on all the big haired boys because grunge was what they thought was the new big thing. And it was what the public was buying left and right. Hell, how many bands like Poison and Motley threw away their hairspray, got rid of the spandex and leather, and started wearing flannel? KA-CHING goes the cash register and see how they all run to the next big thing!
Come on, you're an intelligent guy, you can see that for yourself. To blame a legion of bands from Seattle for the demise of a genre of music is just off base and erroneous. Metal survived, didn't it - otherwise there would be NO audience for all the festivals promoting this type of music, much less labels like Retrospect.
Put it away, man. If you don't like that kind of music - and I'll be the first to say I don't personally like ALL kinds of music - don't listen to it. But don't fall into the rut of blindly putting down any and all music or bands that slightly resemble vintage grunge.
And I hope nobody thinks this is me being some sort of closet grunge fan or that I secretly have posters of Hinder and Puddle of Mud on my wall next to my Lincoln Park sticker. Hey, I fucking like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Johnny Cash, Sex Pistols, Mahalia Jackson, Seal, AND Roxx Gang, Vain, MC, Aerosmith, VH and Kiss. Wow a well rounded and eclectic palete of musical tastes.
To each his own, you know?
Easy choice for me, Rocklahoma is the place to be for me.
It's pathetic. Even if ROK didn't suck this year, trying to attack ever other fest, would not make it look any better.
And let me make myself absolutely clear - it was the way the PEOPLE , the FANS , and the MEDIA treated the 80s bands during the 90s that I WILL NOT forget. How they said our music sucked and was a joke and blah blah blah. Well I will NOT LET THEM forget how they treated us and I will rub it in their faces how a festival like Rocklahoma can even exist while there are no grunge festivals to be found.
They turned their back on us in 1992 and goddamnit I'm gonna turn my fucking back on them NOW. Your either with me and support the cause or you will support the bullshit THEY created from 1992 til now. It's up to you.
I get pretty fucking pissed about this subject and it's why I'm so passionate about keeping OUR music alive. Nobody else had the BALLS to give some of these bands record deals in 2005 and onwards. This company did.
So , quite honestly , I don't give a RATS ASS about Jocks on the Range. I care about bands that have talent and at least LOOK like Rock Stars.
I'm not stuck in 1985 - but I am stuck in the 'scene' and 'atmosphere' of 1985 and unless these fucking major labels wake up , there will be no music industry left.
'Those Cherry bands' ? Black Stone Cherry are a great band with a 70s vibe, (what have you got against people who play with feel ?), and Buckcherry are a good fun rock band. You turn your back all you want, assume anyone who has any success, sucks. That's pretty narrow, in my book. I hate nu metal, I hate grunge, I remember 1992. I won't hold a young band today to ransom for being popular after 1992, however.
He has put so much hard work into the label AND Rocklahoma, he has given so many bands the opportunity to finally have their music out there...only to be attacked for what he believes in. That's not right. People should be more respectful of others OPINIONS and learn to live with it.
I say keep up the great work Sam and just keep doing what you're doing! All the best to you with everything.
On another note , I'm glad many people like the Rok sidestages , I really appreciate the positivity and have done my best. I don't want to sound negative or ungrateful all the time because I'm not that kind of person. I just will not support ClearChannel's bands. They fucked Iron Maiden , they fucked 80s Metal , they can kiss my ass.