Anvil Is Going On Tour

Anvil continues to extend their 15 minutes of fame - the band released a new album last month called Pounding The Pavement. You can see the Canadians at the cities below. I saw them once at Rocklahoma. They played very early. I'll admit I wasn't very impressed but I do know Anvil has a cult following. So enjoy. 

May 02 - Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works
May 03 - New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
May 04 - Boston, MA @ Middle East
May 05 - Portland, ME @ Genos
May 06 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
May 12 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
May 13 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
May 18 - Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
May 19 - Dallas, TX @ Rack Daddy's
May 20 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
May 24 - Portland, OR @ Bossanova
May 26 - Seattle, WA @ Highline
May 27 - Eugene, OR @ Old Nick's 
May 30 - Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater
May 31 - Las Vegas, NV @ Vamp'd
Jun. 01 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
Jun. 02 - Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar
Jun. 03 - Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy
Jun. 06 - Denver, CO @ Streets Of London
Jun. 07 - Lincoln, NE @ Duffy's Tavern
Jun. 08 - Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co.
Jun. 09 - Chicago, IL @ Reggies
Jun. 10 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
Jun. 14 - Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie's
Jun. 15 - Indianapolis, IN @ Indiana City Brewing Co.
Jun. 16 - Canton, OH @ Buzzbin

Rocklahoma Band Splits Announced

Rocklahoma just announced the daily lineups for the festival at the end of May. The lineup is pretty darn good... but still not strong enough for me to travel to Oklahoma again for the show. I actually don't know anyone who is going to Rocklahoma this year, which is a first for me.

'The Dirt' Is Really Happening (Finally!)

Nikki Sixx put a short update on Motley Crue's Facebook page yesterday. The filming of The Dirt is beginning and all the members of the Crue are involved. I'm so ready to see this movie on the big screen. Right next to The Big Short and Liars Poker (both by Michael Lewis) and Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides), The Dirt ranks right up there as one of my favorite books.

Another KISS Rumor

KISS has apparently filed to trademark the phrase "End of the Road." Does this mean a real final tour is coming? We'll see.

The Most Mileage From One Song?

Do you think Poison has gotten more mileage out of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" than any other band or song in history? The track was their biggest hit and they still milk it, which is fine. Money is money so good for them.

I was trying to think of comparable examples but it's hard. Bands like Def Leppard and Aerosmith had way more "big" hits than Poison, so you can't pin just one song on them exactly. The same is true of Motley Crue and of course Guns n' Roses. Poison was (is) in that special camp of Glam bands that were almost right toward the top of the pack... but maybe just one notch below. They were definitely bigger than Cinderella and nowhere near as huge as Bon Jovi.

So here we are, 30ish years later, pumping shirts with the lyrics to "Rose." The amazing thing is that most people on the street would probably immediately get the reference! That's success in my book and something few artists of today can expect 30 years from now.

Just like every night has its dawn... shop: https://t.co/nQmVF0ViqB pic.twitter.com/YL0flWLoed

— Poison (@Poison) February 16, 2018

Super Stroke Update

George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown and Robert Mason have formed a new supergroup called, of course, Super Stroke. Remember, Mason was once a member of Lynch Mob. I chatted with Robert Mason recently about Warrant but had to ask how the Super Stroke project was progressing. Here's a little tidbit:

"Super Stroke... who knows what that band will be called, that was a working title of a song. It’s whenever opportunities come at you, you have two choices. So I say no a lot, I’m flattered and really fortunate through hard work and making some of the right friends – that I get asked to do things other than Warrant. I do say no a lot. I also do sessions and writing and I fit whatever I can in… when George and I started talking – Jeff Pilson was the producer for [new Warrant album] Louder Harder Faster – so we all got along so well. I was in a band with George and Mick and Jeff is a close friend now, so it was a natural thing for the record company to say 'Hey do a record, it will have the essential DNA from Lynch Mob and Dokken and it’s kind of interesting to see where everyone is now.' It offers us all closure. We were set to do a third Lynch Mob record once upon a time that never really happened. We’re not finished with the Super Stroke record. We’re all fitting it in on spare time as a side project."

I never thought about closure through the lens of a musician before, but I get it. It's just like anything else in life. A band is an intimate relationship. You spend a lot of time with the same core group of people, working and laughing and fighting. You have goals and plans for the future. When all that abruptly ends... well, it would be jarring to say the least. The rest of my interview with Robert Mason will run soon in the Dayton City Paper and I'll post that here.

Tommy Lee Is Getting Married (Again)

Tommy Lee is engaged to "Internet star" Brittany Furlan. I have no idea who Furlan is, but I wish them well. I really just wanted to post this because of the ring photo below. Holy cow, it's huge. Guys, all those Motley Crue albums and T-shirts we bought over the years helped pay for this!

Best day of my life!!!! I can’t wait to get to spend forever with my best friend ❤️ #engaged 💍 pic.twitter.com/b8FSbF9eBS

— @BrittanyFurlan (@BrittanyFurlan) February 14, 2018