Initials Only, Please

Have you ever given any thought to bands that go by nothing but initials? There are bands that have regular names that prefer to shorten to initials. And don't forget the bands that had initial names that used to stand for something...but then evolved into nothing over time. Plus, some bands have names that "may or may not" have a secret meaning.

Let's break it down, starting with bands that have regular names...but usually shorten to just initials. You know, Stone Temple Pilots (STP) or Guns n' Roses (GnR).

What about Y&T? In the beginning, the California rockers were known as Yesterday and Today. Overtime, the name just became Y&T - no acronym needed, thank you very much.

Then there are the punks: True Sounds of Liberty or T.S.O.L.

What about W.A.S.P.? It may or may not stand for "We Are Sexual Perverts." Then KISS (which I believe was never meant to be an acronym, but others disagree) may or may not stand for "Kids In Satan's Service" (or other similar sayings).

Some other "initial" bands are, of course, R.E.M., XYZ, UFO, AC/DC, ELO...and many, many more.

I always thought one of the hardest parts about being in a serious band would be picking the name. The wrong name can kill a band. After all, you need a cool name that works for marketing purposes and looks awesome on T-shirts.

I suppose we should make this a game, right? How many metal bands can you name by their initials alone?

Something like A7X = Avenged Sevenfold or SOAD = SYSTEM OF A DOWN

So, Go! How many bands can you name that predominantly go by initials?

Buy This Record: Niki Barr Band 'Radar Radio'

If you've been on the past two Shiprocked cruises, then you know the Niki Barr Band. If you're from Baltimore, then you know the Niki Barr Band. If you've paid close attention to this website in the past, you know the Niki Barr Band. Well, the Niki Barr Band has a new album and I dig it - a lot. The record is called Radar Radio and it features 10 tracks.

My favorite songs on Radar Radio are "Surrender," "Miles Away" and "Enemy." See, if you are not familiar with Niki Barr you should know she sounds a lot like Joan Jett. Yes, she's just that good. Another thing you need to know about Radar Radio is that it is awesomely heavy toward the guitars. No, I don't mean heavy in the death metal sense of the word - I mean heavy in the "damn-right-we know-how-to-play-our-axes" sense.

Don't be fooled: just because the band is fronted by a diminutive woman doesn't mean they don't rock - and hard. I listened to Radar Radio during my entire workday recently...and the music really helped pass the time!

The album is worth a few of your bucks - and it is available on Amazon.

Remembering...Mike Starr with Steel Panther

Former Alice in Chains bass player Mike Starr was found dead yesterday. We all know he fought his demons - he even went public with them on Celebrity Rehab. Some call Alice in Chains grunge. I maintain they are a metal band - and always were.

Whatever the case, Starr went the way of so many musicians before him - such a waste. Let's remember him Glam style...on stage with Steel Panther!

See what fellow musicians had to say about Starr's death.

Metal Dad Moment: Iron Maiden In Australia - Live Review

As reported on these very pages, I saw Iron Maiden three times in Texas late in 2010. Those shows were great, because they played almost all songs from the last four albums, and I got to hear a lot of obscure songs like "Paschendale" and "No More Lies." However, while I bought tickets from the fan club the moment Australian dates were announced, I was a bit concerned, as this was to be my daughter's first Maiden show, and I was sure she'd expect to hear some older songs. So, I was pleased to see that amongst the five songs from the new album, and three songs from recent albums, they were playing favorites like "The Trooper" and "2 Minutes to Midnight." My seats secured, we headed to Melbourne.

I had checked beforehand and the Soundwave site specifically said cameras were allowed, and the fan club was also saying the same thing, but on the night, security made me check in my cheap point and shoot camera, which is why there's no photos in this review. The venue was quite small, Michael Buble was playing at the venue Maiden played for the Somewhere Back in Time tour. Bruce made a few sarcastic comments, but I notice that Maiden finished at 10:30 and the Buble fans got out at 11:00.

The show starts with the video for "The Final Frontier," which feels very disjointed, for "Doctor Doctor" to segue in to a video was very anticlimactic. Once the tail end of the song came around, the band came on, and this ran in to "El Dorado."I really like "El Dorado," I have ever since hearing it live in Texas last year. The show flowed on very well from that, with new songs like "Coming Home" and the epic "Where the Wild Winds Blow" fitting in well with the older songs. I think it's a testament to how revelant this band remains that the new songs are not flat spots in the show, and that the fans know the new songs as well as the old, or at least, close.

I saw several fathers with sons and daughters far younger than my 14 year old daughter. Bruce introduces "Blood Brothers" (a song I don't much care for, to be honest), with a speech about the "family of Maiden," and it is good to see the banner being passed, and kids getting in to their parents music. I never considered Demis Roussos as a musical direction I would follow, and I wonder what other forms of music have this sort of inter generational longevity.

Much as I love the new songs, nothing much beats Bruce waving the tattered flag for "The Trooper," which was a definite highlight. The show wound up with the predictable "Fear of the Dark/Iron Maiden" and then the encore with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" near the end of the show. In the US, they had an animated devil during "Number of the Beast," but they did not bring it this time, which I thought was odd. I wondered if they did that to avoid issues in Singapore and South Korea, places they are playing for the first time on this round. Either way, it was no great loss, just odd to see they brought the whole stage bar that.

Of course, the Eddie during "Iron Maiden" looks more like the Predator, but it's still a central part of any Maiden show, and fun to see Janick 'wrestle' with him and for him to 'play' guitar. The final song of all is "Running Free," and while that was an extended breakdown/sing along in the US, Bruce seemed to try to start it in Melbourne and then give up on it. No matter, they gave us two hours, and put on a great show.

Afterward, we actually passed Dave in the street, and I didn't notice until I was told... after he was gone. A photo of my daughter with Dave would have made the night, but I decided not to run after him. He'd worked hard enough for the night. Our friend who was with us did meet Janick in the street and chat with him, so I guess it just was his night, and not ours. Nevertheless, my eighth ever Maiden show was definitely a lot of fun. Throwing the horns next to your teenage daughter while you both scream "Maiden!" is a proud moment for any metal dad.


Triangles Everywhere

The other day, my friend Sean came to visit and brought me a little present: the Gary Moore record Corridors of Power. And when I say record, I mean it: vinyl. So I'm looking over the record and I say "What was with all the triangles in the 80s?"

Boom.

Sean and my husband both looked at me with wide eyes. They knew I'd found an awesome topic for this blog.

Seriously, what is with all the damn triangles? Half of the 80s logos were made out of triangles - or at least looked like them. A few of Gary's covers featured triangles. Def Leppard most certainly used triangles (think of the D's in their name for starters)...not to mention the blatant triangle on Hysteria. Then there is Stryper. The classic Stryper discs mostly use triangles...but even the more recent Murder By Pride features a man sitting in a way to resemble a triangle. Iron Maiden uses a triangle shape to form the "O" in Iron...ditto for the “A” and “D” in Maiden. The cover of Motley's Shout at the Devil is a pentagram: a lot of triangles surrounded by a circle.

Van Halen's Best of Both Worlds uses Eddie Van Halen's famed red, white and black stripes to form triangles.  Heck the Van Halen logo itself looks like a long triangle. If you want to get modern, the cover of the Chickenfoot debut is a squared-in peace sign which forms...you guessed it...triangles.

For Stryper, the triangles make sense. Upright triangles are said to represent divinity. Others have said the way a triangle points even represents gender: an upright triangle is male while the inverse is female. A Star of David is both upright and inverse triangles put together...and on and on.

Maybe the most iconic use of a triangle on an album cover is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. So simple, yet it says so much. Maybe the bands we love meant nothing by their triangles although I suspect this is not the case. Triangles are a strong shape, literally indicating three sides to every story. Why do you think so many bands - especially rock bands - gravitated toward triangles?

Rock USA Festival Announced, KISS to Headline

I think I misjudged the upcoming summer concert and festival season. Up until about three weeks ago, I was fairly convinced it was going to be a mediocre tour summer at best. Then, all sorts of tour announcements started happening like Motley/Poison, Def Leppard/Heart, Alison Krauss and Union Station (don't hate)...and the fests keep popping up everywhere! Now, there's another fest to tell you about...and one of the headliners is KISS! Holy Glam! Buckcherry and Journey are on the bill as well! There are also still a lot of TBA slots meaning more good bands to come. The new fest is called Rock USA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The event is slated for July 14, 15, 16 meaning it will be hot. Thing is, the promoters are apparently nuts because this three day event is cheap. Like, you can get a three-day pass for under $60. It costs more to see KISS solo. See below for full festival information and ticket prices.

I'm buying a lottery ticket this week. I need more money to fund my music and festival obsession!

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KISS, JOURNEY & DAUGHTRY TO HEADLINE ROCK USA!

TAKING IT TO THE EDGE. Starshow Presents has just announced KISS, JOURNEY and DAUGHTRY are booked to headline a $2.5 million dollar talent lineup at Rock USA, July 14-16 at Oshkosh, City Of Events.

Rock USA will brand itself as 'Solid Rock. No Limits.' and will present an incredibly broad mix of world-class rockstars in an effort to kick up the festival experience. We intend to break a few rules and we intend to get downright aggressive about it. Count on it… we will take it to the edge. If it's kickass festival stuff… it belongs at Rock USA!

MEGASTAR TALENT LINEUP. Rock USA will present Kiss, Journey, Daughtry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buckcherry, Cheap Trick, Hollywood Undead, Puddle Of Mudd, Korn and more to be announced.

BIG EVENT. DISCOUNT TICKETS. The biggest news yet is Rock USA's aggressive ticket marketing concept. We are going to give you three outrageous days of world-class rock at discount prices. We know the money doesn't come easy and it's tough out there. You shouldn't have to pay through the nose for tickets! Our goal is to present major league rock at the lowest festival prices on the street. At Rock USA you are going to get more and pay less!

ROCK USA ON-SALE. At 9:00 am on Saturday, March 26, Rock USA will go on sale with a $59 festival ticket… all three days for $59. That's $70 off the gate price! The Rock USA Supersale lasts for one week only! Limited Up-Front VIP, Reserved and Campsites while they last.

TICKETS: CHARGE-BY-PHONE:

Local 920 882-4949 or Toll Free 1-800-326-SHOW (7469)

BOX OFFICE: STARSHOW TICKET CENTER: 2065 American Drive, Neenah

THE ROCK EVENT. On July 14 - 16, 2011, Rock USA at Oshkosh will open its gates to one of the nation's biggest annual rock festivals ever. This is your event… the big one… the one you cannot miss!

For All My Musician Readers - Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands

Is everyone glad it is the weekend? I know I am...not that it really means rest. I have a ton of work to do, including writing some articles for both this site and Noisecreep. Plus, I'd love to tackle organizing my CDs - a huge task.

I know I have a lot of really great, loyal readers who are musicians trying to get a break. Well, maybe a contest would help. There's a very big battle of the bands coming up, sponsored by Ernie Ball. There's a website below where you may upload all your information, so submitting your work looks to be fairly easy. If you win, you get a lot of money and a slot on the Vans Warped Tour. Sure, that's not exactly a Glam package...but imagine the exposure! Read the info below and good luck. If you enter, send me an email so I can track your progress!

Coachella, CA – March 2nd, 2011 – Ernie Ball Inc., the world’s premier string and accessory manufacturer, today announced the launch of its 15th annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands. In the largest and longest-running unsigned artist competition of its kind, Ernie Ball will give talented, undiscovered artists worldwide a platform to play live on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour and win a 3-song EP with multi-platinum producer Matt Squire, in addition to an incredible prize package which includes a $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree.

Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands is entering its 15th year of providing a platform for thousands of undiscovered bands to get mainstream exposure. The competition continues to transform Ernie Ball Music Man’s legacy of encouraging growth, quality and opportunity in music by supporting unsung talent.
To enter the competition, bands can sign up at www.BattleoftheBands.com and upload music and create their artist profiles, beginning today. The deadline to submit music is June 1st, at which time a panel of judges will select the bands that show the most promise, focusing on musicianship and song writing, and will offer them an opportunity to perform live on Vans Warped Tour 2011. There are four slots at each stop on the tour. In 2010, 186 bands were chosen to perform on the tour, selected from almost 16,000 entries, and 2011 promises to be even bigger.

Ernie Ball’s panel of expert judges will also review each show on the tour, selecting the top four from across the country to compete in Hollywood at the Vans Warped Tour official after party taking place at the end of 2011. After playing for celebrity judges and a who’s who of music industry legends, America’s best undiscovered band will take home an exclusive prize package and the title of “2011 Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands Champion”.

The Grand Prize Package Includes:

• $15,000 Shopping Spree at Guitar Center
• 3-Song EP with producer Matt Squire
• 2-Week Slot on Vans Warped Tour 2012
• One year of paid TuneCore service
• Custom Atticus Apparel Package & Custom Vans Shoes
• Select Music Man instruments
• Ernie Ball Guitar and Bass Strings

For more information on Battle of the Bands, including stories behind recent competitions, visit www.BattleoftheBands.com.