A Skid Row Debacle, Er, Live Review

Today's review is from our friend Brian.

This past Saturday night, I ventured down to the Mohegan Sun Arena for the last minute, unadvertised and private Skid Row/Slaughter show hoping that the stars had aligned.  Skid Row lost their most recent singer last month and hadn't named a replacement, the Guns 'n' Roses summer tour is happening and a reunited Skid Row would be the obvious choice for an opener, and this was one of the rare shows where Skid Row was headlining in an arena.  It was the perfect opportunity for a surprise return show featuring Sebastian Bach (and to a lesser extent, Rob Affuso).

 

The show happened by chance.  Def Leppard was booked to play the arena that night, but the show had been postponed due to Joe Elliot's health issues.  As Mohegan Sun was promoting an 80s weekend, they made the smart move to fill the void with these replacement acts.  Now, the show was not advertised at all and no tickets were sold.  Only those who had Def Leppard tickets were given tickets to this show....and I did not have Def Leppard tickets.  But I figured I'd head down to the casino and see if I could make my way into show, and I was luckily successful.

 

I assumed an 8:00 start time and was wrong.  The show began at 7:00, so all I caught of Slaughter's set was "Up All Night."  They sounded good and the crowd was clearly excited by their set.  Also, to Mark's credit, he did a free meet and greet after the show, and he took pictures and signed autographs for everyone who waited in the line (I opted out, but the line was quite long, so good for him).

 

So the wait began between sets, and you could tell that there was a hopeful sense of excitement in the air.  Then the lights finally went down, the people cheered, and out walked someone that no one knew.  The disappointment was clear.  Skid Row did not opt for the reunion, but instead got ZP Theart, formerly of Dragonforce, to front the band.  The girls sitting to my right asked me if I knew who he was.  The people around me sat back down in their seats, and we watched as Skid Row went through the motions, playing the most popular songs from the first two albums along with a cover of "Psycho Therapy."  As I left my seat a couple of times to have my drink cup refilled, I noticed a fair number of people making their way to the exit doors during their set.  I, however, stayed through to the end.  Honestly, I wanted to like it....but I just couldn't.  The voice was close but not right, and ZP lacked the attitude that would have made it great. 

 

I understand that there is a rift that is about 20 years old between Sebastian and the band, but i was hopeful that, over time, cooler heads would have prevailed and they would have taken advantage of what may be their last great opportunity to reunite.  In our small universe of 80s glam bands, Skid Row ranks pretty high on the hierarchy, as those first two albums are amazing.  Sebastian is willing to come back, Rob has said he is in for the reunion.  The timing with this summer's big tour and Sebastian's known relationship with Axl is the most fortuitous situation imaginable.  Sadly, for me, the last glimmer of hope faded this past weekend.

Classic Electric Boys

Sometimes I just don't understand America. 

I stumbled across this video of the Electric Boys from 1993 performing three songs in support of the Groovus Maximus album, and my God are these guys SOLID. I have been a fan since the first album, and I continue to scratch my head and wonder how they did not become huge in the states. Take the performance from this video and put it up against anything Poison, Ratt or Warrant were doing around the same time. It'll never make sense to me. 

Pick up the Electric Boys latest release, Starflight United.

Red Dragon Cartel Live Review

Jake E. Lee brought his Red Dragon Cartel to the Stafford Palace Theater in Stafford, CT this past Saturday night, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.  By now, everyone has seen and discussed the disastrous first show, where RDC singer Darren Smith performed after a few too many pre-show drinks. He owned up to his mistake and has been working to prove the doubters wrong since that first show. Would he do it in Stafford?

First off, credit must be given where credit is due… the Stafford Palace Theater is the best venue in central Connecticut to see a show.  A nice big stage, great lights and sound, clean bathrooms, and the friendliest staff around.  They just do it right there every time. Local Connecticut band Vengeance opened the show.  They played a solid set that was well received by the crowd.  The guitar player is clearly the standout in the band, and the guy can shred.Demon’s Alley, from Worcester, MA, were next, and they put on a show stealing set.  Fans of L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and Hanoi Rocks will get this band.  A great mix of sleaze, punk, rock and metal with swagger and attitude and the chops to back it all up.  They powered though a great set and won me over as a fan before the first song, Dope City, was over.  A high energy cover of KISS’ Rocket Ride didn’t hurt either. 

Red Dragon Cartel was the next to take the stage, and Darren quickly put all doubters to shame, as he proved right out of the gate that the guy has the chops to front Jake’s band.  Jake himself, was in top form this night, and played like a monster.  As expected, Jake’s legacy preceded him, and the front of the stage was packed with fellow guitarists who could not wait to see Jake play, and they got their money’s worth this night.  Drummer Jonas Fairley and bassist Ronnie Mancuso held down a nice, solid groove all night, and the rest of the band knew to let Jake’s talent shine.  The band played a mix of new RDC songs, and classic Ozzy and Badlands songs (though I was hoping to hear ‘Dreams in the Dark’, which was not present in the set).  They closed with a great version of ‘Bark at the Moon’ and crowd erupted with a “Jake, Jake, Jake” chant.

I was lucky enough to make my way backstage and talked with all of the guys in the band, and they are all really nice guys who are just having a great time touring and playing.  Jake did appease the crowd by making his way to the merch table and signed autographs for the LONG line of fans who have been waiting years for this opportunity to arise. On a side note, there were a couple of other well-known musicians in the audience that night, who were just there to see Jake, and were not necessarily trying to be recognized.  Specifically, Oni Herbert from All That Remains and Frank Novinec from Hatebreed were both in attendance.  I was standing near them during the RDC set and again, credit where credit is due, both guys were super friendly and welcoming to the fans that recognized them, and they were taking pictures all night long.  I’m not overly familiar with either band, but it is always good to see when band members are actually cool to their fans.

Best of 2013 -- Brian's Take

Allyson asked me for my opinion on the five best albums of the year. Here's my list!

1.    Built to F***, Born to Kill by Bile - OK, I get that this is a glam site, but if this is my top 5 list of 2013, this album is FAR AND AWAY my No. 1 album of the year.  For those that do not know, Bile is an underground techno hardcore band who have been around for over 20 years, and quite honestly, are amazing.  This new album is, perhaps, their greatest album since 1996's Teknowhore album.  'Robots Ate My Baby' is one of my new favorites, but the album is strong from beginning to end.  I have listened to this album consistently since its release in January, and it is angry perfection. 

2.    Start @ One by Killer Dwarfs - Since this album was officially released in 2013, it can be included here. I LOVE the classic 80s Dwarf sound on this album.  The guitar tone, the sound of Russ' voice and the general feel of this album are all solid 80s glam, and this is the perfect follow-up album to Dirty Weapons and Method to the Madness. 

3.    No More Hell To Pay by Stryper - What else can be said about Stryper? They are a band that have found new life over the past eight or 10 years, and are one of only a few bands that sound as good, if not better, than they did in their prime.  This album is, in my opinion, their strongest since To Hell With The Devil.  Michael Sweet can still hit all the high notes and the band sounds as tight as ever.

4.    Blackout the Sun by Sevendust - One of my favorite bands.  Morgan Rose's drumming along with the staccato guitar/bass and Lajon's powerful voice never disappoint. While it was almost an impossible task to follow-up the previous album Cold Day Memory, this was as strong an effort as imaginable.  Now I'm anxiously awaiting the acoustic album the band is currently in the process of recording.

5.    Second Coming by Stryper - Cannot believe that this band is making a second appearance on a listing of only five albums, but they deserve to be on here twice.  Second Coming is re-recorded versions of songs up through To Hell With The Devil. There are some tweaks and differences to the songs (changes that the band has made to the songs while playing live) that give the songs some new life.  Again, the band sounds great on these versions, and this does not come across as an easy way to put out a new product for fans to buy, but rather seems to really pay homage to the songs that helped them build their career.

So, what do you think? Like my list or hate it? Let me know in the comments below.

Rock Star Etiquette?

Help me out BBG! readers... am I being too sensitive?

A few months ago, I attended a show on the Tom Keifer/John Corabi tour. The show was amazing and both guys really 'brought it' that night.

Now, I have seen Keifer several times (all previously with Cinderella), but this time was something different, as Keifer had a renewed energy playing his solo material. I had seen Corabi once before, but he was solid as well, and quite simply has an amazing and powerful voice.

My issue was with the merch table. Now we all know many of these bands largely support themselves on tour by the money they make off of the merch table. Specifically, John Corabi was selling his acoustic CD for $15 at the table. I pulled out my iPhone and logged onto iTunes and saw that I could purchase the same album for $9.99. However, I was impressed with his performance and thought to myself, "I'll pick one up when he comes out and get it signed." I kept an eye on the table throughout Keifer's set, and even hung around for a while after the show was over, but John never appeared at the merch table, or anywhere else. As such, I left without purchasing the CD, and in all honesty, I never got around to purchasing it otherwise.

What offended me was how the CD was MORE expensive when buying it at the show as opposed to ordering it, when there was no added value in doing so. It seemed like a way an artist was attempting to take advantage of fans in attendance. If you want to sell your product to your fans at a premium, I think there should be some added value to the purchase. Come out with a sharpie, shake some hands and meet the fans. I wouldn't have taken that long (as there were maybe 300 total in attendance and about 200 or so of those left immediately after Keifer's set). But instead, he stayed in the backstage area and offered for sale a product that was available for $5 cheaper with no incentive to spend the extra money. I would have been happy to have purchased if he was out there greeting fans (like L.A. Guns does after every show), but there was nothing.

Again, I'm wondering if I was simply being over sensitive, or was John wrong? Should he have lowered the price of the CD to match the cost elsewhere, or should he have come out and helped 'sell' the more expensive CDs?

Killer Dwarfs, 'Start @ One' -- Album Review

Killer Dwarfs Start @ One finally gets released... and I simply can not stop listening!!!

Start @ One, the newly released album by Canada's own Killer Dwarfs is amazing. The story behind the album is that the nine tracks were recorded back in 1993 as a follow-up to the Method to the Madness album. Unfortunately, due to changes in the music landscape that took place around that period of time, the album was shelved and never saw the light of day. I have read of bootleg copies that were circulated, but I never came across one. Fast forward to 2013, and Russ Dwarf and his bandmates, after remixing and remastering, decide to give the album a proper release.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the prior Killer Dwarfs releases, Dirty Weapons and Method to the Madness. (Stand Tall was never one of my favorites). Start @ One picks up EXACTLY where these other albums left off. The songwriting, the singing, the whole feel of the album, is classic Dwarfs. I have always considered this band to be one of the most critically underrated from back in the day. In my opinion, they were standout performers who delivered a couple of incredibly solid albums. They were still following that trend when Start @ One was recorded, and this album exemplifies everything that was great about the circa 1993 Dwarfs. I only wish there were more than nine tracks on the album.

I think what also makes Start @ One an instant top release of 2013 to me is that the album just feels like a classic album from back in the period of time that we are all guilty of being stuck in. Because this album was actually recorded back then, and this is not simply an attempt by a band to record a new album that has that 1993 sound (such as Ratt's Infestation, which is close, but still falls a little short), the resulting difference is apparent. If you are at all a fan of the Dwarfs, you owe it to yourself to order or (legally) download a copy. I can't say enough good things about this album to drive the point home... so just trust me! Get yourself a copy and then thank me later.

Tom Keifer Really Is Rock Royalty

If there is one single artist that emerged from the 1980s glam music scene that never ceases to amaze, it is Tom Keifer.  Artistically, he never seems content to settle, and throughout his career, it is clear to see how he has grown and changed musically.  He is a multi-talented musician, singer and showman.  For this reason, I think most of us were eagerly awaiting the release of his first ever solo album, "The Way Life Goes" earlier this year. Personally, I was a bit worried though... not about Tom and his ability to craft and record brilliant songs, but because this album took about 10 years to be recorded and released. I was afraid that it would suffer from "Chinese Democracy" Syndrome, meaning that over the years of waiting, expectations were built up so high that no matter how great the end product was, it could never live up to what we all had in our minds. However, when the beginning of the opening track "Solid Ground" really kicks in and Tom hits that amazing scream, all seems right with this album.

To be clear, this is NOT a Cinderella album, but that should not scare longtime fans of Tom from purchasing this album.  "The Way Life Goes" is a solid album of well written and produced songs. Personally, I am a huge fan of Tom's "clean" voice and and glad he uses it more on this release,  His grainy rock voice (more closely associated with the classic Cinderella tunes) is on the album too, but overall it is perfect blend of both styles. "Thick and Thin" has to be one of my favorite tracks, and it is perfectly followed up by "Ask Me Yesterday."  "The Flower Song" and "Cold Day In Hell" are also both stand out tracks. However, in my humble opinion, "Solid Ground" is, by far, the strongest track on the album and is a near perfect song.

The kicker is I was lucky enough to get one of the tour dates in my area, and was able to see Tom perform in support of this album. The show took place at the Palace Theater in Stafford Springs, CT (by far the best venue to open in the area in ages... big stage, great sound, friendly staff, reasonable prices). John Corabi opened the show playing some acoustic songs and did a fine job. He is funny, personable and extremely talented.  Unfortunately for Corabi, his set was completely overshadowed when Tom Keifer and his band took the stage. I have seen Cinderella many times in the past (they are one of the bands I'll actually travel to see, as I never leave a show disappointed), but Tom seems to have a renewed energy playing the new songs with the new band.  He seems entirely comfortable in his new skin, and it was apparent on stage, from his energy level to the smile that was present most of the night. Sure he played some Cinderella classics (he is no dummy and knows that everyone wants to hear them), but he added twists to many of them and had his wife join him on vocals on others. But he also played a number of songs off the new album and a cover or two as well. Tom was smiling and telling stories, and seemed genuinely appreciative of the fact that so many people were there supporting him that night.  I imagine, as much as he must love Cinderella, playing the same songs for so many years must get tiresome at times. This project seems to have awoken something up inside Tom, which is evident both live and listening to "The Way Life Goes."  I bought the album immediately upon its release and still play it regularly to this day, and if the tour comes within two hours of my home again, rest assured I will be there singing along. 

 

To this day, Tom Keifer still has never let me down.