Basically This

I am so glad it is the weekend.

Somehow I managed to successfully make it through a cardio pilates class which includes lots of reformer jumping. By the time I made it to my car, the headache that was just a nag before class became a full-on scream, complete with stabbing pains in my left ear for extra joy. Your girl is staying in bed the rest of the day, house chores be damned. Not even classic hair metal can fix this level of headache. Bleh.

Rich, Famous and Sober Family Man

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx is out here living his best life and I'm here for it. This is a totally wholesome post and the comments are basically great, too. Surprising to see since Facebook is basically a dumpster fire now. Happy Friday!

Drummer Frank Ferrer Leaves Guns n' Roses

Frank Ferrer served as drummer for Guns n' Roses for the past 19 years. His departure was announced yesterday via official band social media channels. Apparently, the exit was amicable so that is good news I guess. Will be interesting to see who gets to sit behind the kit for Gn'R next (and no it won't be Steven Adler, sadly. I just don't think it would be physically possible). Any ideas?

Update on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 06:24PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Well, that didn't take long! The new GnR drummer is Isaac Carpenter. You might know him from his drum work with Duff McKagan's side project, Loaded.

Meanwhile, Back In The (Dutch) 80s

Picture it: The Netherlands. Local boys Golden Earring are enjoying the success of their track "Twilight Zone." Time to hit the shows and do some live performances!

Every day at work, I pick a song of the day. Today, "Twilight Zone" won the honor. Things really are nuts at work these days, so the theme fits for sure. Golden Earring is definitely underrated.

'Alligator Pants' -- New David Lee Roth

Old Diamond Dave likes to surprise us.

David Lee Roth posted the track "Alligator Pants" online yesterday with no explanation or fanfare. He just dropped the track and took off! No clue if the song is related to a larger project, but enjoy nonetheless. It's catchy as hell.

Scrap That Recent Van Halen Album News

Ok so now the news is that Toto guitarist Steve Lukather won't be playing on a new Van Halen album.

Apparently Steve's quote to a Dutch newspaper was taken out of context. Lukather says he will never play guitar on a Van Halen song, ever. He did help Alex Van Halen go through unfinished recordings between the two brothers. Seems like that is all there is to Lukather working on music with Alex Van Halen.

Remember, the Van Halen brothers and Lukather are all great friends and go way back, so the idea of an album collaboration wasn't that far fetched.

So now who knows if we will ever get new Van Halen music. Just don't hold your breath.

Another Deadly Nightclub Fire - Pyro Devices To Blame

Tragedy in North Macedonia overnight - a fire broke out at Club Pulse, killing 59 and injuring 155. There were apparently 500 people in the club when the fire began.

A local pop group named DNA was performing at the club in Kocani. So far, 20 people have been arrested including the club owner. Apparently the Club Pulse didn't have a license to operate as a music venue. Band members were also arrested.

From NPR (bold mine):

The blaze broke out around 2:30 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group at Club Pulse, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. He said 39 of the dead had so far been identified.

He said, following an initial assessment, pyrotechnics likely caused the roof to catch fire. Videos showed chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.

Less than two million people live in Macedonia and this is a massive tragedy for the small nation. You have to wonder why clubs keep allowing indoor pyro, especially after The Station nightclub fire (22 years ago now). My required reminder: always check the exist points when you enter a concert venue. Be aware of your surroundings and how the crowd is acting. If there is pyro and you are inside, it is time to get out - period.