South Texas Rock Fest

If you don't care for the Rocklahoma 2008 line-up there is an alternative: the South Texas Rock Fest.

The San Antonio-based event is three days and features some great Glam bands. It is sponsored by Miller-Lite and Harley-Davidson.

Confirmed bands for the South Texas Rock Fest are:

Bang Tango, House of Lords, Stephen Pearcy, Jackyl, Helix, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse, Y&T, Queensryche, Dokken, Skid Row, Pretty Boy Floyd, Mad Margritt and more. Evidently there are several bands still to be announced...

Did I mention the South Texas Rock Fest is the exact same weekend as Rocklahoma? Exactly - it is July 11-13. Talk about a bummer. If the festivals were different weekends, I would go to both.

Here's something else you need to know: tickets for the South Texas Rock Fest go on sale today. V.I.P. seats are just $250 bucks and include beer and food. Here's the caveat: there are only 100 V.I.P. seats - so you better act fast. Camping is free with a paid ticket.

Just look at what you get with your V.I.P. ticket:

• VIP identification badge.
• Event T-shirt.
• Prime VIP seating on the stage.
• Private VIP tent with lounging sofas.
• Several VIP Receptions with food and drink.
• A meal all three evenings along with hors d'oeuvres all day.
• Meet & Greets with the bands when available.
• Massage therapist.
• VIP Games.
• Men or women's VIP gift.
• Private Party in the VIP lounge after the show.
• Free Beer, Sodas, Water, Red Bull

If funds are tight (and they always are in my household!) you can get a three day general admission pass for just $75. That's a deal.

For more information or to buy tickets, click here.

***What do you think of this festival competing with Rocklahoma? I think the promoters are brave to say the least.

Givin' Yourself Away

One of RATT's most underrated - and exquisite songs - is "Givin' Yourself Away." There was never a video for this song - until now.

Metal Sludge is down a lot these days, but every once in awhile I still get on and see what fellow rock fans are saying. Much to my surprise I found someone had discovered the lost video of "Givin' Yourself Away."

The song is featured on the Detonator album - definitely one of the band's best efforts. RATT released Detonator in 1990 and the album also features "Shame, Shame, Shame" and "One Step Away."

"Givin' Yourself Away" has always been one of my favorite RATT songs. The video is such a great find - it isn't slick and it shows the band toward the end of their prime era. For that reason, watching the clip is a little bittersweet. This video also shows just a few shots of a very happy Robbin Crosby.  

Here is the clip. Please watch and enjoy. I can't wait for your comments.

After the Rain

I believe I have found the single MOST Glam photo of the entire genre. Look at the hair! The clothes! The glowing chests! The hair! The guitar! The hair!

Seriously, though, I dare you to discover a more Glam photo. Nelson get a bad rap and people bitch and moan about their music, but one thing is for sure: those little twin boys had blonde locks so divine even Goldilocks was jealous. It's too bad both brothers hacked off their hair in an attempt to look "modern."

Oh yeah: I went to The Nelson Brothers Online and noticed the boys are selling merchandise. No big deal except you can buy shirts: one says Team Gunnar and the other Team Matthew.  My only quandary is how do I wear both shirts at one time without looking bulky? Tisk, tisk.

Happy Easter Glam fans!

Nitro Is Bonkers

By now you probably know that Glam queen Lita Ford will play during this summer's Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. According to a press release, Ms. Ford hasn't performed live...in 15 years! Lita has kids with husband Jim Gillette. You might know that name...from Nitro.

What if Nitro played Rocklahoma? Good night, can you imagine? Talk about...nutty.

I wonder if ol' Jim can still hit the highest of the high notes? You know, some say he has a vocal range of six octaves (I think four is more realistic). At any rate, that's pretty impressive if you ask me.  

Nitro had some bonkers videos back in the day - the guitarist playing the four-neck axe...Jim breaking wine glasses with his screams...and the hair.

Seriously, Jim had better hair than Lita during the Sunset Strip days. I mean, 1) it was way more bleached and 2) it was so much fuller. I bet he used really expensive shampoo to get that kind of body and bounce out of everyday tresses.

Do you think Jim and Lita ever jam at home? You know, she grabs her six string, he grabs a microphone and they see how long it takes to shatter every piece of crystal in the house? Good times. I wonder if their kids can scream - er - sing like daddy?

Here's one of those bonkers videos I mentioned above: "Long Way from Home." The video girl looks familiar to me. I wonder if she's the blonde chick in Winger's "Headed for a Heartbreak" clip?

Don't Touch That Dial

Why is it always special to hear a song by a favorite band on the radio? I mean, if they are a favorite, you most likely own the song in question that is playing, right? Still, I guess it's a little magical to think that thousands (millions?) are listening and enjoying the exact same song at the exact same time.

Mass communication really changed the music business. Can you imagine a world without radio - let alone television? I've only had my satellite radio for a few weeks now and I have now idea how I went a lifetime without such a convenience.

If you have satellite radio, then you know you get a digital display of the song title and artist name right in your car - I love that! Anyway, I was listening to a CD on my way to work when I noticed that The Boneyard was playing Danger Danger. I have Danger Danger on CD and my iPod - and I had both in my car! Still, I stopped the CD I was previously enjoying and clicked on the radio. Suddenly, my car was filled with the happy sounds of "Bang Bang."

At that exact moment, millions of other Glam fans enjoyed a collective smile - it's very special to hear Danger Danger on the radio - even if you have to pay a premium to enjoy the experience.

Remember way back before Internet and satellite radio and you had to wait through commercials? Stations in the 80s and 90s were much better about playing more songs per hour. As broadcasting costs continue to spike, expect to hear even more ads on your traditional dial.  

Anyway, I remember listening to the radio when I would go somewhere in the car with my parents. I was young and addicted to MTV - so I could literally name every song and band that hit the air waves as long as the genre was rock or pop. I even remember one time when the Cincinnati-based DJ misnamed the title of a Poison song and I went a little berserk. The DJ said "That was Poison with your Momma don't Jive and your Daddy don't boogie." I corrected the mistake out loud, and my mom said it was just the same as saying "Your Momma Don't Dance." Thank you, but it was not the same! Still, I was listening to that song at the exact same time as thousands of other Poison fans. I was so inspired I went straight home and popped in my tape of Open Up and Say...Ah! I'll call that cyclical marketing.

Would you stop what you're doing just to listen to a favorite song on your FM dial? 

Queeny Blast Pop

There is some good Glam news straight off the Sunset Strip today. My friend Gerry Gittleson tells me that the band Queeny Blast Pop is back - with a new record contract. The band just signed with Retrospect Records. I am going to assume that the band will play Retrospect's stage at Rocklahoma - but that is only a hunch, so don't quote me on that one!

Anyway, Gerry managed Queeny Blast Pop back in the day. If looking at a picture doesn't confirm the band's Glamness, then the fact that Lesli Sanders - also of Pretty Boy Floyd - formed Queeny Blast Pop should confirm the Glam goodness.  The new self-titled album of old material (the band only released demos - not an actual album) will feature these songs:

1. Forever
2. Somethin' They Don't Know
3. I Know What You're Thinkin'
4. So Kid
5. Crazy
6. Keep On Fallin' For You
7. The Last Time (Live)
8. The Blue Song (Live)

Gittleson swears up and down Queeny Blast Pop is one of the best Glam bands he's ever heard. People - he loves Glam as much as we do!  

Yes, Queeny Blast Pop has a Myspace page so you can check out some of the tunes in advance of the album release. Just click here to listen. Here's a clip of the band back in the day. The song is "I Know What You're Thinkin'"

Push Come to Shove

Life is short isn't it? You never quite know what will happen from one day to the next. Yesterday was troubling. I don't want to go into details, but I was clearly reminded about mortality and the fragility of human life. More importantly, I was reminded to live. You'll notice "live" is italicized for rhetorical emphasis. Remember, simply going through the motions isn't living - that is just existing. To live, we have to chase dreams, take risks, go our own way.

Those risks are not always easy and usually not popular.

I think musicians can teach us a lot about risk. I mean, who lives a more dangerous life than a rock musician? They leave their homes, their families, their jobs...to move across the country and chase a nearly unattainable dream.

Being a writer is nearly as unattainable. Sigh.

I guess that means I need to try a little harder. After all, everyone stared at Motley Crue the first few times they walked down the Sunset Strip in their leather pants and stacked hair. No one is staring now. These days, everyone wishes they had a quarter of Motley's success - both musically and financially.

Have you ever considered a world without Glam? I mean really consider this. What if the Sunset Strip scene never existed? What if there was no Motley Crue, W.A.S.P., RATT, Poison. Can you imagine? Those bands started because at least one person took a crazy risk. They refused to live their life the conventional way.

Sometimes I worry that I am never satisfied with the mundane because maybe I push myself too hard. Of course, if people didn't push themselves we wouldn't have the Internet, iTunes or commercial air travel.

It's sad that money seems to be the one issue that stands in the way of dreams. Let's say money is no object. I'll go one further: let's say you win the lottery today - and now you're an instant millionaire. Would you use that money to pursue a dream?

If I won the lottery today, I would quit my job to build a media empire. That empire would include a record label, magazine, an online presence (duh!) and maybe a cup cake shop. I could tell you more about the cup cakes...but then I would have to kill you.

So, time is up. Tell me your dream. I bet you a dollar to a cup cake, it's music related.

Since this is my website, I feel like posting some random videos that have nothing to do with today's topic. I just happen to be in a Bullet For My Valentine sort of mood.

Here's a clip of the song "Say Goodnight." It's on the new release Scream, Aim, Fire

Now, here's "Waking the Demon." This is another favorite.

Remember when I originally posted about Bullet's Glam roots? I used the song "Hearts Burst Into Fire" as my example. The band now has an official video to support that track. Watch it. Learn it. Love it.