To the Extreme

I'm really excited about the Extreme reunion. So excited, I'll bet my next paycheck (including overtime!) on the fact that Extreme will play Rocklahoma 2008. I'm thinking Sunday, July 13th around 5 p.m. I guess we'll learn that line-up when it is officially announced in March.

Back to Extreme.

Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt is awesome. He wrote some great songs with singer Gary Cherone. Quite frankly, I think the band called it quits a little too soon. Anyway, I was researching Extreme on Wikipedia (I know, the source for news!) and the entry classifies Extreme as Funky Metal. What the hell is "Funky Metal?" I always thought Extreme to be glam.

Remember, a long time ago I noted "More than Words" is a personal favorite. It's ironic that Extreme is known for an acoustic song considering Nuno Bettencourt is basically a shredder, but life is funny that way I suppose. Anyway, Extreme got really big in 1990 with their album Pornograffiti. Things started going downhill a few years later...and by 1996 the band was done - because Nuno Bettencourt wanted a different project. I can't tell you the names of his solo records, but we all know that Gary Cherone became the third frontman for Van Halen and most of you didn't like that one bit.

So now it's winter 2008...and a world tour is promised for spring. Will it happen? I don't know about a grand scale, but I do believe the New Englanders will hit the road for a series of special club dates. I also think all those shows will sell fast.

Here's Extreme "Rest In Peace" from the album III Sides to Every Story.

***Here's a question for you: do you just want to see Extreme in concert, or do you also want a new album?

Bengal Tigers

My good friend Christian Graus recently air mailed me a lovely care package from Australia. It included many bags of Caramello koalas (!) plus some music, including  Bengal Tigers Panic Clinic. The EP has six tracks:

Do It!
On the Leash
To the East
Body Heat
Evil Hour
On the Leash (extended)

Melbourne-based Bengal Tigers are classic heavy Metal in the vein of AC/DC or Judas Priest.

They've released seven albums over a very sporadic career and with many different members.

The Panic Clinic album is pretty good, if not uneven. The tracks are true to their form: straight up Metal with glam touches. If you're not familiar with Bengal Tigers, I'm not surprised. There is very little information about the band on the Internet...and American music fans may find it hard to track down the releases. Still, if you come across a Bengal Tigers album in a used bin, pick it up - you won't be sorry!

Give this song a listen: Bengal Tigers "Break & Bend"

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