RATT, 'Infestation' -- The Bring Back Glam! Album Review

Today is the day, my Glam lovelies! RATT unleashes Infestation, the band's first album of all new material in a decade! I feel like we've been waiting for this day for a long, long time.

I have to admit, I love everything about Infestation. I think the songs are great. The writing is good and the guitar work is even better. I love the addition of guitarist Carlos Cavazo. I think he complements Warren DeMartini well.

All told, there are 11 tracks on Infestation. Each is unique, but oh-so-Glam. I mean, honestly Glam. RATT didn't get together and try to make a concept album or create a bunch of songs to sound "radio-ready modern." Nope. These songs fit with everything else in the band's catalog.

What do I like? "Best of Me," "As Good As It Gets" and "Lost Weekend" for sure but really, this is a front to back album. What do I mean by that? I mean, get in your car, roll down the windows, pop on Infestation and just drive. Don't go forward or skip around. Just enjoy every track in order.

Sure, there are heavier moments, like "Eat Me Up Alive" and that song is a great choice to start the album. "Garden of Eden" is freaking fantastic. I love the bass and Stephen Pearcy's growl. Honestly, I hope RATT does a lot of these songs live this summer. Let's drop some of the old material and bring in new fun.

The bottom line: if you haven't already bought this album, shame on you! RATT is bringing back Glam with Infestation - true party rock with a bite! Get it, love it. It's only April but this record is already in first place for Glam record of the year.

Remembering 'Anybody Listening?'

I wonder why the Queensryche tune "Anybody Listening?" is so underrated? Each time I listen to the track, I'm blown away by the sheer magnitude of the song.

I've mentioned the song a zillion times because it's one of my favorites. I listen to it in all moods - and when it comes on satellite radio, I nearly wreck the car to crank it up.

Feeling particularly blue and exhausted last night, I found myself listening to the song. It's so hard for me to believe the song is from Empire - and that means 1990. For me, "Anybody Listening" is timeless - and just doesn't sound dated. I think "Anybody Listening?" is probably my favorite Geoff Tate/Chris DeGarmo collaboration. The song always gets overshadowed by "Silent Lucidity" and "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" which just isn't fair. Yes, I love those tracks -- all the tracks! -- on Empire, but there's some weird feeling I get from "Anybody Listening."

I came along some old Spin.com article last night talking about the death of hair metal, to which I couldn't help but laugh because, 1) Glam isn't dead and, 2) the article tried to put the blame on Queensryche in a roundabout way.

Please.

The guys in Queensryche are great, by the way. I think - nay, truly believe - Geoff Tate is a genius. He doesn't have time to debase his band or brand by scoffing at other musical acts with which he might someday perform alongside. I've seen Queensryche several times - and each was with a legacy act. I doubt "hair metal" is really dead considering Queensryche sailed right along with RATT and Skid Row on Shiprocked last year.

So anyway, "Anybody Listening?" The song is special to me and the lyrics pure brilliance. What say you?

If Glamster and Hipster Collide

In case any of you are sitting around with bated breath wondering if I'm done with the distractions of my writer's conference, rest easy. The event ended last night and I can now return to the uber-serious world of bringing back glam. That said, I've had a fabulous idea I may be asking you for help with soon, so please stay tuned. You're going to want to be included in my evil (ok, awesome) plot.

That aside, I was thinking about hipsters last night. Mainly because I went to a bookstore after leaving the conference in search of a certain text. Of course, the store didn't have what I wanted but that didn't stop Barnes & Noble from separating me from my $12. Nope. While gazing the shelves, I found perhaps the best book ever written: Look At This F*cking Hipster. Now, the book came from the blog of the same name. I know the blog's been around awhile, but I never paid it much attention. In southern Ohio, we don't have a whole lot of hipsters. The ones we do have are usually part of our local music scene (or college fratboys). Hence my train of thought.

As I was literally crying with hysteria while looking through this book, I couldn't help feel the lightning bolt of fear rush through me: "Are Glam musicians turning hipster?"

I mean, I literally shuddered.

Again, my experience with all things hipster is quite limited. I've only been through Brooklyn once and that was in a car and we didn't stop (I was going to Manhattan). Again, no real Brooklyn-type areas in Ohio but Joe Mande, the author of Look At This F*cking Hipster, assures me most hipsters live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. "My AOL editor lives there," was my first thought.

I hope I don't get fired for writing that.

So anyway, all the hipster photos feature people wearing these crazy tight jeans and nutty scarves. Well, glam musicians do like tight pants and scarves...but it's different. It's perfectly correct to collect and wear Steven Tyler-like scarves and tight leather pants. It is not good to wear a pastel colored scarf around one's neck like a train conductor with pencil-slim jeans. You know what I mean.

But bringing back glam means bringing back relevancy and I fear the day I see Joe Leste or Mark Slaughter rocking out wearing an Animal Collective T-shirt. I don't know what it would mean to find a Glam hipster, but I bet some seismic universal shift would certainly occur. Think a big hair - meets eyeliner - meets tight pants - hookah rebellion or something. I think we can all agree we don't want that.

Oh, and basically the entire point of this post was to get you to read the "Look At This F*cking Hipster" blog. My apologies for the salty title. Mande has a potty mouth.

You Should Be the Poster Child for the Fountain of Youth

Being a metal writer around a bunch of humorists can be dangerous.

This weekend, I'm spending some time as a conferee of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton. I'm attending the conference classes solo. No one that lives near me is a writer, so this means I go and routinely plunk myself down beside some unsuspecting soul and 1) either start talking or 2) check my email on my phone depending on the time of day.

So far, I've met a lot of really awesome people. Impressively, the conference has writers from all over America and I ate lunch with people from New York, Indiana, Minnesota, California... Well, you get it.

The conversations between me and the other, more humorous, writers goes something like this:

Writer: Hi, I'm XYZ from Somewhereville. I write a humor column for "Something With a Big Circulation." 

Me: So good to meet you. You traveled a long way. I'm from right here in town.

Writer: Really? That's nice. Are you a humorist?

Me: No. I'm a music writer.

Writer: You write music?

Me: No, a music journalist.

Writer: How cool! Like what, classical, jazz?

Me: Heavy Metal.

Writer: Oh. Really? [This is, after all a humor conference. It's possible I could be joking].

Me: Yep. I interview bands and stuff. Rock bands, hard rock, my niche is 80s glam.

Writer: Excuse me, what?

Me: Glam. You know, hairbands. Um...like Motley Crue. I also write about modern metal.

Writer: You get paid for this? [Incredulous tone].

Me: Yep.

Writer: So you get to go backstage at shows and stuff? That's very glamorous.

Me: Nah, it's a job.

Writer: Wait, did you say you focus on mainly 80s stuff? I love the 80s. How old are you? [Peering at me now, as if I'm still joking].

Me: 30.

Writer: 30?! You don't look your age.

Me: Laughter.

Wash, rinse, repeat. Of course, this is long form. Sometimes I only get a few minutes to chat with these funny people (and most are women, by the way).

--

A shorter, shuttle bus trip:

Writer: Girlfriend, can I sit here?

Me: Yep. [I scoot over by the window and pick up my giant Bring Back Glam! pink purse].

Writer: Did you enjoy your day?

Me: Yes, I learned a lot. I really liked the class on getting an agent.

Writer: Oh, I took that one too!

Me: Are you a humor writer?

Writer: Yes, I write humorous children's books. For boys mainly, grades 5, 6, 7.

Me: It's great to have a niche.

Writer: Yes, it is. Are you old enough to take classes here?

Me: [By this time I'm tired and I think I misunderstood the accomplished writer]. I did my graduate degree here at the University, yes.

Writer: [Screeching] Graduate degree?! You look 12! Girl, you should be the poster child for the fountain of youth!

Me: Thanks. I'll walk around with my chest puffed out the rest of the day. Here's my card.

---

I can't help wondering if that writer from Texas will really keep my card, hit this website and read the exchange. I hope she doesn't get mad. It's not my fault these humor writers are naturally funny! I also love how every person I've come into contact with immediately has a glam related band story. I'm telling you people, it doesn't matter where you go in the world, or what your line of work, Glam lives. Need an ice breaker? Tell someone you love Def Leppard. Have an uncomfortable situation to squirm your way out of? Mention you saw Iron Maiden on tour back in 1988. Chances are the person you're trying to schmooze has a similar memory, and soon you've got a new best friend. Glamtastic.

Obscure: Who Remembers TSA? Rarest Album?

Here's one for the memory bank. Who remembers TSA from Poland? The band formed right at the dawn of the 80s and was actually an instrumental act. In short time, the band snagged a singer and started releasing albums and to date has released several studio works. I think their most famous work is Heavy Metal World (English version released in 1985). The band is active and is currently playing gigs, but the website doesn't have an English translation so I'm not confident posting what I could make out (and believe me, I couldn't understand much). Maybe some of our friends in Poland can fill us in as TSA is one of the biggest bands from that part of the world.  If you haven't guessed, I think it's cool to post about bands from all ends of the earth.

Here's the band doing "Heavy Metal World" in 2005 (in English).

Writing about TSA sort of got me wondering: what is the most obscure glam or metal band out there that people just rave over? You always hear stories of people spending a couple hundred bucks on a rare vinyl or CD, but I've never been able to peg the most sought-after rarity. Just something to ponder.

Rocklahoma Daily Band Lineup Announced

 Pryor, OK – The daily performance lineup for Rocklahoma 2010 has been revealed, and single day tickets for the Memorial Day Weekend event will go on sale Monday, April 19 at 10:00 AM CST.  Rocklahoma 2010 features an all-star roster of top rock artists from the past three decades, including ZZ Top, Godsmack, Tesla, Buckcherry, Cinderella, Chevelle, Theory of a Deadman, Saliva, Saving Abel, Fuel, Sevendust and one additional Main Stage band to be announced on May 10 (see below for the full line-up listed by day).

Single day tickets will be available for $45 plus service fees.  Three-day general admission tickets are still available for $110 and three-day VIP tickets start at $292.  The multi-day destination camping rock festival takes place May 28-30, 2010 at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. 

The daily lineup is as follows:

FRIDAY, MAY 28

Godsmack

Special Guest Band to be announced May 10

Buckcherry

Saving Abel

Adelitas Way

Richy Nix

The Veer Union

Brookroyal

New Medicine

Bad Things

Krank

Firstryke

O’Dette

Mad Max

New Cool World

Black Tora

SATURDAY, MAY 29

ZZ Top

Cinderella

Saliva

Fuel

Janus

Shaman’s Harvest

Burn Halo

Like A Storm

Taking Dawn

Gypsy Pistoleros

The Last Vegas

Problem Child

The Glitter Boys

Wildstreet

O’Dette – Set #2

Krank – Set #2

Bad Things

SUNDAY, MAY 30

Tesla

Chevelle

Theory of a Deadman

Sevendust

Aranda

Lacuna Coil

Taddy Porter

Nigel Dupree Band

Year Long Disaster

Within Reason

Bad Things

Wildstreet – Set #2

Problem Child – Set #2

The Glitter Boys – Set #2

Firstryke – Set #2

Mad Max – Set #2

New Cool World – Set #2

Established in 2007 as a classic rock destination festival with the motto “life, liberty and the pursuit of rock,” Rocklahoma was revamped for 2010 as organizers teamed with AEG LIVE to create an event encompassing a much broader mix of classic, current and up-and-coming rock artists. 

Rocklahoma is located just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK.  The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premiere destination for a multi-day festival and includes on-site camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas & much more.

Confession: I'd Choose Death to Hearing Loss

Yesterday was incredibly frustrating and downright exhausting. In the end, I popped on some music and just sat on the couch for awhile and calmed down. In that moment I realized I would rather die than lose my hearing.

Of course, it's not all about music. I can't imagine not being able to easily talk to my husband or chat on the phone or enjoy my beloved Everybody Loves Raymond reruns. Most importantly, I can't imagine summers without concerts. Not being able to hear new songs by my favorite bands is just too much to consider.

Basically, it comes down to this: I could lose all sorts of other things I love or take for granted, but hearing just isn't one of them. Yes, I honestly think I'd choose death over deaf. Was that cheesy? Whatever. What do you think?