Go watch the world premiere of the video for "Flatline" by Duff McKagan's Loaded over on Noisecreep. Duff McKagan's Loaded will release Sick next month and play Rock on the Range in May. It was just announced that the band will also support Motley Crue on some upcoming European dates.
Well, what are you waiting on? Go over to Noisecreep! Comment my friends while you're there. They need love too.
Remember Nasty Idols? The 1980s Swedish Glam band is back with brand new disc. Some of their tunes actually got some traction back in the day, with many of their videos landing on Headbanger's Ball.
The Nasty Idols have changed members a lot since 1987. No matter. The current lineup sounds great and the new album kicks ass. Preview the new tunes here.
The celebration of ANTHRAX's 25th anniversary is about to begin in earnest, as ANTHRAX, recognized as one of the founders of thrash metal, with worldwide sales in excess of ten million copies, will bring its brand of New York metal to Oklahoma when it kicks off the third annual, four-day Rocklahoma festival set for July 9-12 in Pryor, Oklahoma. ANTHRAX will headline the festival's July 9 opening night.
"We want to start the HEAVY DAY at Rocklahoma," said ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, "and after we play nothing but heavy f%#*ing metal, Oklahoma will never be the same."
ANTHRAX's Rocklahoma festival appearance will be in support of the band's first new studio album in six years, "Worship Music", scheduled for a summer release, and the May 12 release of the limited edition, three-record vinyl reissue of the band's first album, "Fistful of Metal", which originally came out twenty-five years ago. "Worship Music" will mark the studio debut of new singer Dan Nelson who joins long-time members Benante and Scott Ian (rhythm guitar), Frank Bello (bass) and Rob Caggiano (lead guitar).
The Rocklahoma festival will be ANTHRAX's only North American concert appearance until they launch their own major trek here later this year. The Rocklahoma organizers will announce the full July 9 talent lineup next week.
Think of this: in the 70s and Glam heyday of the 80s, disc jockeys helped break bands. In fact, back in ye olden days of yore, a DJ would be known to actually hold a physical record in her hot little hands. She could flip the record...and determine if an A or B side would be a hit! In that sense, DJs in big markets really did break bands. In the magical time before Clear Channel owned the broadcast industry, these mythical DJ-like creatures could play pretty much whatever they wanted...as long as they stayed in format. Sometimes these brave souls even - gasp - broke format for the love of music!
Now, everything in broadcasting - both radio and television - is automated. A DJ tapes a song intro four hours before it airs. The introductions become MP3s and are loaded into an audio vault of sorts. The computer can either randomly select songs or is listed by priority by whatever the station manager deems important to air. When I worked at a radio station, the song computer was set up to prioritize based on requests and numbers of plays. So, if a song is on four times a morning...it would soon be on six and so forth.
Without a human actually listening to the tracks before spinning - what's the point of a DJ anyway? Most of us have satellite radio. Once in a while, those jocks tell a cute story and intro a block of ten tunes. This might help break the monotony - but they are not discovering new music.
I want to bring back the days when a disc jockey could decide the "single" was less impressive than the B side. Fun fact: did you know that "Get It While It's Hot" by Kix was actually an A side? "Don't Close Your Eyes" was the B side. You guessed it: some DJs across the land flipped the record...and the power ballad eventually became Kix's most famous song.
Now, this article should not be misconstrued. I don't want you thinking I love DJ chatter - because I don't. I hate it. But I do wish disc jockeys had a little power to find great, new tunes. It seems Internet radio is really gaining ground - but still has a long way to go to outpace the popularity of more traditional radio format. Perhaps I'm wrong, but someone trapped in a car for a few hours really is a captive audience. This is where music fans are made.
Everyone knows my favorite band is Aerosmith. In America, there are few bands as iconic - and important - to stadium rock than Aerosmith.
I've been waiting on a new tour for a few years now. Dates are *finally* starting to leak. It seems Aerosmith are playing Cincinnati on August 30 at Riverbend Music Center. Support is listed as ZZ Top. Now, notice I said "leak" - the date isn't confirmed or anything, so don't plan a vacation around the show. That said, I have a beef over tour support.
I have nothing against ZZ Top. In fact, I'm sure they are going to be awesome. My question is, really, why do certain bands even bother with support?
In my mind, there are just a few bands that don't need to take support on the road. Those bands would be Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, AC/DC and Bob Dylan. Why can't bands like this - each with a massive catalog - get on stage and rock out for two hours and call it a night? I know when I go to a regular show, I'm paying the giant ticket price for the headliner - not support. Now, I'm not dissing support here. I just don't see why Aerosmith or Maiden or whoever even bothers. Yeah, Motley Crue has Crue Fest to attract a younger fan base...but do the same rules apply for Aerosmith? I'm not so sure.
Every band wants to remain relevant and hip. At some point, though, this comes at a cost to the fans. I would much rather hear two hours of classic Aerosmith than 90 minutes of awesomeness plus five songs from a support band.
Oh, and while I'm talking about Aerosmith - if they wanted to jump on the bandwagon and do an entire classic album all the way through - I'd choose Rocks. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Here's a hella-old clip of my beloved Aerosmith performing "Mama Kin" way back in 1977. The clip is so delicious, I was giddy for a few minutes after watching for the first time. If you're a vintage Aerosmith fan, get ready. This is the good stuff.
I'm giving away a copy of the fabulous new Queensryche album American Soldier. That's right: I said fabulous. I've had the album for about a week now...and it's been on regular iPod rotation. I have every confidence you'll love it too. Put it this way: American Soldier should have come right after Empire. The disc truly sounds like classic 'Ryche and that's a great thing.
Friday, I spoke with Queensryche front man Geoff Tate about American Solider, giving back to our enlisted men and women and about playing aboard Shiprocked. You'll be able to read that interview very soon on Noisecreep. For now, business at hand: I have one spare copy of American Soldier to give away to one loyal Bring Back Glam! reader. The album doesn't even hit stores until next Tuesday, so if you win - you'll be beating the release date!
To enter, send me an email to allyson@bringbackglam.com. Please put "American Soldier" in the subject line. Any email without those two words in the subject line will be discarded. Include your legal name and mailing address with your entry. Any emails that fail to do this will also be discarded. You have until Wednesday, March 25 at 11:59 ET to enter. Anyone can enter, but only those in the United States will receive the disc before Tuesday's official release date.Good luck.
You can watch the video for "If I Were King" from American Soldier by clicking here.
Friday, March 27, 2009 at 10:10AM 
