Musical Serendipity

I interview a lot of musicians. The interviews are basically routine, consisting of a few questions surrounding a new album, song or tour and maybe something personal if the interview subject is so inclined.

It’s very rare that something either goes completely wrong or totally hilarious. Last night I was talking to drummer Herman Rarebell. He’s got a new album out and I’m going to feature him on Noisecreep. In the middle of the conversation, he casually mentions that Pete Way is sitting on his couch.

As in, Pete Way of Fastway and UFO and a slew of other bands.

Me: "Excuse me, did you just say Pete Way is on your couch?"

Herman: "Oh yeah, you want to talk to him?"

Um...yeah.

So, for five minutes I chatted up Pete Way. He had a bad case of the hiccups and he has a thick accent, so understanding him was interesting to say the least. He mentioned couch surfing despite owning a couple homes, being separated from his wife and working on new music with Rarebell and a chance meeting with Phil Mogg. It turns out Rarebell and Way saw Phil Mogg walking his dog! Neither Rarebell or Way knew Mogg was around so the meeting was completely chance. Of course, the musicians got together. Perhaps something new will come of that...who knows?

The incidence of Way running into Mogg was serendipitous. Me talking to Rarebell and getting hooked in with Way was also serendipitous.

So,this got me thinking: do you have any serendipitous stories as they relate to music? I’d love to hear them and I know you do. Some of you have amazing stories of meeting your music heroes while simply hanging out, going about your own business.

Are you following Bring Back Glam! on Twitter?

Enough Already! Cover Album Cop Out

I admit it! I am tired of the "album of cover songs" trend that bands have established over the past few years. Vince Neil's latest Tattoos & Tequila is just the most recent example of this, but off the top of my head, there is also Poison's Poison'd, Def Leppard's Yeah!, (Phil Lewis') L.A. Guns put out both Rips the Covers Off and Covered in Guns, and Stryper and Pretty Boy Floyd have both announced that their next efforts will be albums of cover songs. However, nothing tops the Kiss My Ass album put out by KISS a few years ago (an album that was simply other bands covering KISS classics...an example of KISS getting paid for doing next to nothing). In my opinion, a cover album is nothing more than a band taking a lazy approach to putting out a new product and it is always done under the guise of "paying tribute to the songs and music that influenced their careers."

Let's be honest...an album of covers is a cop out. The most difficult aspect of creating an album is removed from the equation, as there is no 'writing' involved. Now, this becomes a much more stream-lined approach to putting a product out. The bands simply have to walk into the studio and recreate works that others have already made famous. Sure, some artists will make some creative changes to the songs, but ultimately, the framework already exists. I am not against a band putting one or two cover songs on an album. In small doses, I think that it can definitely enhance an album. But, an entire album's worth of songs (or two in the case of L.A. Guns) not written by the band is just not something I am interested in, and I have to believe that overall, most fans agree with me. Sure, you may buy the album when it is released and you may initially think it is 'cool,' but after a month or so, do you really keep listening to it? How many of you listened to the Poison'd album this week? My guess is not many. Really, would you rather hear Grand Funk Railroad sing "We're An American Band" or Poison? To me the answer is clear, and that is most people want to hear songs performed by the bands that wrote them. In this regard, my hat goes off to RATT, who just put out an album of all original songs that were written in the true spirit of the songs that initially made them famous. They could have taken the easy route and recorded some classic rock songs, but instead they put some time and effort in and made an album that their fans will appreciate and enjoy. I will take Stephen Pearcy's goofy lyrics (i.e. "Rock steady/ your lost weekend/ I'm ready for big fun") over another re-recorded version of "Rock n Roll All Nite" any day.

So, what do you think? Are you sick of the cover album cop-out?

The Best 'I Want Action' Clip Ever...and Does Heavy Metal Have an Age Requirement?

Recently, I've had more than one person come up against me, saying I possibly couldn't truly love glam because I didn't live it.

"You're too young!" is the constant refrain.

At first, I laughed it off. Now, I'm just annoyed.

How dare people put an age requirement on fans of any type of music? Just because I wasn't on the Strip to see Poison party at the Rainbow in 1987 doesn't mean I can't truly love and appreciate the band. In fact, I'd argue saying a person is "too young" for this and "too old" for that is bigotry. Isn't the point of music to bring people together? This really has my hackles up. I don't even have much more to say on the subject, except love whatever form of music you choose - no matter your age. And don't judge others, based on age or taste. That's just ignorant.

Now, all that said, here's the most awesome video of Poison I have ever seen. "I Want Action" from around 1987 (in Ibiza maybe?). The performance is bonkers. There's a crazy pool party in the middle of the show, too. And look at the hair! In all honesty, this is maybe the best live glam clip I've ever seen. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find it!

'Festival Express:' Can We Talk Real Classic Rock?

Last night, the documentary channel was airing Festival Express featuring awesome acts like The Flying Burrito Brothers, Janis Joplin, The Band, The Grateful Dead and more. The film centers around the 1970 Canadian train tour of those acts.

Now, that's a tour! And the tickets were like $13!

The documentary kept flashing between performances and there were interviews, too. Now, I know The Flying Burrito Brothers are not Glam, but Gram Parsons was in the band for awhile...which makes me think of The Byrds [Festival Express doesn't feature Parsons. I *think* he left the Flying Burrito Brothers a month prior]. Parsons was in that band for a hot minute, too (along with a lot of other guys). I love The Byrds. Basically, all 60s protest music! And really, if not for The Band and The Dead, there might not have been Aerosmith...and eventually Motley Crue.

Levon Helm is the drummer for The Band and I got to see him last summer open for The Black Crowes. That was awesome and the crowd was going nuts! I always liked the song "The Weight"

Now the Byrds are awesome. Famous to be sure, but never as big as their due. Perhaps that was because of all the lineup changes?

There's a funny part of Festival Express that shows many of the musicians - including Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia - sort of stoned into outer space. The musicians are trying to sing but it's sort of a debacle. The footage is a little grainy - I love that someone way back when had the forethought to tape the music history. Festival Express is available on DVD. Maybe you've seen it - but it was completely new to me. Here's the trailer:

Now, I came to the party too late to experience the 60s and 70s first-hand. I wasn't on the Sunset Strip for the Glam 80s, either! I did, however, get to experience the grunge 90s by wearing some ugly flannel to school once in awhile. I think I got shortchanged! Now, I know some of you are younger like me...but some of you - and you know who you are - experienced the music of the 60s and 70s firsthand. Perhaps you'd love to weigh-in and share some stories?

Kix, 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah' in HD from M3 Festival

While I was clicking around YouTube last night I came across some awesome clips of various bands playing the M3 festival last Saturday. When I came across this Kix clip of "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" I just had to post. The sound is great! It looks like the clip was shot from about the third row and the video is very stable. If you didn't get a chance to catch the M3 fest, watch and enjoy. If you were there, click and remember the fun.

Ozzy Osbourne, 'Scream:' The Bring Back Glam! Album Review

Ozzy Osbourne recently released Scream, his 10th studio album. The album features Gus G. on guitars but there are places that sound just like former player Zakk Wylde.

The album opens with "Let It Die" -- perhaps one of my favorite tracks on the album. There's a lot of energy on this song and I do like the guitar work here. I also like Ozzy's voice and the lyrics. "Let Me Hear You Scream" is also good, but the more I listen to it, I swear Ozzy's voice has been mixed to death by ProTools. The song is super commercial (think "No More Tears") and therefore sounds slick as ice.

At this point, the album sort of goes into "depressive, introspective mode." There's a lot of lyrics about death or dying or end of the road. Downtrodden themes to be sure -- but then Ozzy seems to pick up the pace, countering the sad messages with an urging to live life. The song "Life Won't Wait" is a good example of this.

"Soul Sucker" has some good guitar work but I did listen to the song six times in a row and could not repeat the lyrics back so that isn't a great sign. I think "Let Me Hear You Scream" and "Let It Die" are far more memorable.

If you like piano, you might like "I Want It More." This is one of those somber songs but I kept going back to it, meaning there's something there beyond a dark blue message. The arrangement is good and I like Ozzy's vocal tone here, too. 

The album ends with "I Love You All" which sort of freaked me out: the way it is written, it's almost as if Ozzy is signing off for good. Sure, he could go into retirement fair and square...but he's the prince of darkness. Surely he's got a few more albums under his belt?

So, is Scream a masterpiece? No. But it is a strong record and metal fans will likely enjoy most of the tunes. Well worth a few bucks for some new music.

Fuel Replaces Hinder on Thunder Mountain Rockfest Bill

Modern rock band Fuel will replace Hinder as the headline act on Saturday, July 10 at the Thunder Mountain Rockfest. Hinder is canceling all July shows.

"Having a band cancel just weeks before a show is never ideal," said festival manager Corey Hanson. "Thankfully, we were able to book Fuel as a headliner very quickly. We know the band is a great addition to the festival."

The rest of Thunder Mountain Rockfest's schedule remains unchanged and will feature classic and modern rock acts, including Kix, Great White, Cavo and Night Ranger.

Thunder Mountain Rockfest is a three-day rock music festival located just north of Sawyer, North Dakota (14 miles southeast of Minot). Tickets are still available online at www.rockdakota.com.