Remember Southgang?

This week has turned out to be one of the most stressful of my entire life. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I wish it was Friday instead of Thursday.

I was going through my archive, trying to find an obscure band that doesn't get much love around here. I've determined we all need to give Southgang a little attention.

Southgang was one of those bands that came on the scene at the tail end of the glam phenomenon. You know what I mean: the boys in the band had long hair and wore jeans and flannel in addition to their spandex. Southgang released two albums, Tainted Angel and Group Therapy. Neither were huge hits, but singles and video play did earn the band a little traction.

The most famous member of Southgang is probably guitarist Butch Walker. He's written music for a slew of artists, including Tommy Lee, Rockstar Supernova and the Donnas. You might remember Butch Walker from Rockstar Supernova, although that show was never as good as American Idol: that's a fact!

Anyway, I'm awfully tired so I hope you'll accept this short entry today.

Here's Southgang's video for their song "Tainted Angel" from the debut album of the same name. As always, give me your opinion.

Kingdom Come

What do you think of Kingdom Come?

The band released a self-titled debut (on Polygram) in 1988 and received a lot of flack for their sound. In truth, Kingdom Come sound pretty similar to Led Zeppelin, but I think allegations of theft and fraud are a bit too harsh and certainly unfair.

Someone recently posted on Metal Sludge that Kingdom Come will be at Rocklahoma 2008. This seems like a long-shot to me, but I suppose anything can happen.

These days, band members include founder and vocalist/guitarist Lenny Wolf, guitarist Eric Foerster, bassist Frank Binke, and drummer H. Thiesbrummel.

I've always liked the song "Get It On." Since it's initial release in 1988, it has remained Kingdom Come's most famous tune.

Like every good glam band (yes, I'm calling them glam!) Kingdom Come had some incestuous tendencies. Original drummer James Kottak left the band not long after achieving a little success. He went on for a brief stint with Warrant and joined the Scorpions for awhile. (If you've read Tommyland then you know Kottak is married to Tommy Lee's sister).

You might also be surprised to learn that Kingdom Come has released several albums over the years.

Here's another fun fact: Kingdom Come teamed up with Dokken for the Defenders of Rock 2007 tour. That's only a little ironic I suppose because some critics say Kingdom Come sound not only like Led Zeppelin but also Dokken.

In case you don't know (or don't remember, or are trying to forget!) here's a couple of clips of Kingdom Come. The first is "Get It On."

Here's the video for "Do You Like It."

The comments under both videos - especially for "Get It On" - are pretty humorous.

So, do you like Kingdom Come?

Kingdom Come on Myspace

Para Siempre

Last night, my promo copy of the Gypsy Pistoleros disc Para Siempre (Bad Reputation) arrived. We'll consider the release an improved Wild, Beautiful, Damned which you might recall is on my list of the best albums of 2007.

Here's the track listing:

* Shotgun Kiss Is Ay Que Dolor
* Un Hombre Sin Rostro, Pistolero
* Forever is Para Siempre
* Senor Mangi Acqui
* What's It Like to be A Girl in a House of a 1000 Dolls?
* Jet, Jet, Jet Boyz
* Una Para Todo es Bandido
* Livin' La Vida Loca
* Chicas Peligrosa
* Moonchild
* Switchblade Kiss Comes Close
* The Crazy Loco Loquito
* 1-2-3-4 Kiss Me Then I'm Damned For Sure

If you own Wild, Beautiful, Damned a lot of the songs will be familiar. The differences here are "Livin' La Vida Loca" (with a shout out to Rocklahoma no less!), "Chica's Peligrosa," and "1-2-3-4 Kiss Me Then I'm Damned For Sure." The good news is that both these tracks are top notch - and a ton of fun.

Of these three new songs, I think my favorite is "Livin' La Vida Loca." No, I'm not a Ricky Martin fan (although I do think Life is underrated for a pop album, but I digress) and I don't necessarily dig cover tunes, but this version is executed really well. The guitars are crunchy and all-in-all the Gypsy Pistoleros have improved upon an overplayed song. Actually, I'd say the Gypsy Pistoleros know a sight more about living a crazy life than Ricky Martin anyway!

The Gypsy Pistoleros just changed bass players, so the person you hear on the recording is not who you will be seeing on stage. At any rate, all the musicianship on Para Siempre is absolutely top notch. For the life of me, I haven't been able to figure out how Lee Pistolero can sing Spanish...without his British accent. I guess that's just one of the wonders of the world.

Para Siempre has a release date of January 24, 2008. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy...and find out why the Gypsy Pistoleros are the single most inventive band of the last decade.

Gypsy Pistoleros on Myspace

The Disregard of Timekeeping

I've wanted Bonham's The Disregard of Timekeeping for a long time - and now the album is finally available on iTunes! Thanks to a gift card, the album is now on my iPod.

If you don't remember, the track listing looks like this:

The Disregard of Timekeeping
Wait for You
Bringing Me Down Guilty
Holding On Forever
Dreams
Don't Walk Away
Playing to Win
Cross Me and See
Just Another Day
Room For Us All

Basically, this albums owns you. I love the song "Guilty" and the entire album seems to hold up really well, nearly two decades after its initial release. Furthermore, if you like Led Zeppelin, you'll probably really dig Bonham. Jason got his dad's drumming genes and sense of song construction. The last I read, MacMaster was working on a solo project and a new album. I'd love to hear his new stuff.

Even better, Daniel MacMaster can actually sing. His voice could easily overpower The Disregard of Timekeeping, but excellent production means that doesn't happen.

If you don't remember Bonham, don't fret. Here's the video for "Wait for You."

So, do you own The Disregard of Timekeeping? The critics loved this band - but they just didn't last long enough to create a complete catalog.

Destination Unknown

There’s a new melodic rock band making some waves in Italy these days. Knyght features five guys hoping to make it big with album oriented rock.

Since I’m an English nerd, I’m going to interrupt this review right now and talk about the band name. The word “knyght” has evolved over time to become “knight.” In Middle English – and Geoffrey Chaucer’s time – the word was spelled knyght. In early phonics, that would be pronounced “ka nick” with a heavy emphasis on the second syllable of the word. Look up The Canterbury Tales and you’ll know what I’m talking about here.

Back to the band Knyght and their EP Destination Unknown. The disc features these songs:

Stop Me
Neverland
The Believer
I’ll Live In Your Shadow
Destination Unknown

The music is there but the boys who formed Knyght are awfully young. The biggest obstacle facing Knyght is a language barrier. Destination Unknown is recorded in English, but Tommy Forni’s vocals are thick with an Italian accent. Still, the band can progress with a little more practice and perhaps a vocal coach.

Not surprising, Knyght looks up to music luminaries like Queen and Bon Jovi. It’s especially easy to hear the Queen influences as Knyght likes keyboards and seem to be edging toward big scale production.

Give them a few years and watch out. 

Knyght on Myspace

Bang Camaro

Do you know Bang Camaro? They are getting buzz thanks to the popular video game Rock Band. Don't worry, I'm trying to learn how to really play bass, so I don't know much about Rock Band (or Guitar Hero for that matter).

So anyway, Bang Camaro just might be glam. They've got three guitar players, a bassist, a drummer and about 15 singers! Yes, 15! Their self-titled debut is full of arena rock anthems - I guess that's not a surprise considering you need an arena so the entire band can fit onto the stage!

Here are a couple Bang Camaro videos. The first is of "Push Push (Lady Lightning)."

Now here's a promotional video for the band. The song is "Rock Rebellion" and it's a little heavier than "Push Push."

If you can hear the blatant touches of KISS, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue and Poison - good for you! This band lists just about every 80s Metal act as an influence. That can only mean good things for us. Yes, I think it's safe to say Bang Camaro is bringing back glam!

Bang Camaro on Myspace

Return of the Mother Head's Family Reunion

One of the best albums of 2007 is easily Return of the Mother Head’s Family Reunion by Richie Kotzen. Featuring eclectic styles, great songwriting and Richie’s melodic voice, this album has everything a fan of blues-based rock could want or need.

The track “You Know That” is one of the album’s best - and my personal favorite. It is half rock, half funk and completely fantastic. Many parts of this song are a throwback to classic rock of the 1960s. “You Know That” is a song with great guitar work that makes you want to move. Think Parliament Funkadelic meets The 5th Dimension meets the Rolling Stones.

A little slower is “You’re Crazy.” As per usual Kotzen, the guitar work album-wide is phenomenal, but exceptionally good on this track. The emotional lyrics help Kotzen and his band seem more human, thus the songs more believable. Piano work adds an extra layer to this melodic rock track.

If you like mellow, you’ll probably dig “Faith,” with its slow tempo and passionate vocals. While Return of the Mother Head’s Family Reunion is a decidedly rock album, “Faith” has an (unsurprising) gospel feel. Kotzen pours his heart out for his listeners, and we win. Even if you don’t like religious music, “Faith” is surprisingly approachable and exceptionally enjoyable.

Back to the rock. “Drift” helps pick up the pace, and illustrates many of Kotzen’s many guitar techniques, including sweeping. In America, Return of the Mother Head’s Family Reunion is actually called Go Faster, and that’s another track on the album. “Go Faster” is the hardest and fastest track on the release and it also features a big chorus. This is also the most commercial track on the album, meaning a great opportunity for radio play.

Here's the track listing:

Go Faster
Feed My Head
Fooled Again
Can You Feel It
You're Crazy
Chase It
Bad Things
Do It To Yourself
Dust
Faith
You Know That

Here's Richie performing "Fooled Again" live. The sound quality doesn't do the song justice.

Hear a few more songs at Richie Kotzen on Myspace.