Our staff of columnists and photojournalists look back and share highlights from their time working with Hardrock Haven.
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Chris A. – Senior Photojournalist: As a Senior Photojournalist for www.hardrockhaven.net I’ve had access to amazing incredible events, like 70000 Tons of Metal, Rock On The Range and much more. However, my personal highlight was having the opportunity to hang out and meet Alice Cooper. Alice is the guy who turned me on to rock ‘n’ roll, and because of my work as a music photographer, I was able to have a few moments to chat and take a photo with my personal favorite rock star. Rock ‘n’ F’n Roll!
I’m a big fan of legendary guitarist/singer/songwriter, Steve Lukather. The guy wrote huge hits for Toto and has done around 2,000 sessions with everyone from Michael Jackson to Paul McCartney.
I was lucky enough to interview him for HRH, and his publicist instructed me to call Steve – Luke to his friends – at his home in Los Angeles. I did at the scheduled time, but Luke didn’t know I was calling. He was so nice and accommodating that we talked for more than a half hour. It wasn’t even an interview, more like a conversation. A great HRH moment. And Steve said I can call him Luke from now on.
And, of course, meeting the ever-charming and one of my all-time favorite guitarists, Scott Gorham! He really is one of the coolest guys in rock! But most of all, I had a real good time seeing their awesome show! It was an amazing night, during which Lizzy proved, once again, that the old magic is still there and they still are one of the finest live bands!
Our other greatest moment was getting the opportunity to review Jon Anderson’s 2011 solo release Survival & Other Stories. Not only did his label send an actual CD with a jewel case instead of the standard digital download, but they arranged a phone interview for us with this musical legend. Although we’ve interviewed many musical artists throughout the years, getting to talk on the phone with one of the founding members of prog-legends YES would be a highlight in any music lover’s life. The fact that he was as gracious and sincere as you would expect him to be made it a truly unforgettable moment. Although there have been many great Hardrock Haven moments, these are two that stand out and we look forward to many more. (Hard) Rock On!
So there have many amazing moments.
But I think the best moment so far was taking my son to see a rock band that he likes, The Darkness. The show was at the Uptown Theater in downtown Kansas City, which is one of those old theaters from the ‘20s and features amazing architecture, which he also loves. Being an all-ages show allowed me to take him into an environment that will be closed to him, for the most part, until he turns 21. Since a lot of the great hard rock and metal bands nowadays have returned to the club-bar scene, it’s difficult for younger fans to see the bands they love.
The Darkness lived up to the hype and put on a professional stage show, complete with their bombast music. The band was in fine form and rocked the Uptown Theater and the fans in attendance. In this smaller venue, the vibe was intimate, as you felt you could reach out and touch the band. My son, not quite acclimated to the etiquette of rock fans, was able to sit back in his theater seat and experience it the way a rock concert should be seen and heard. I believe it was an amazing experience for him, as he left with smile on his face.
P.S.
We have taken both are children to see KISS, and my son stated, and I quote, “I liked the performances of both bands equally.”
Standing in the pit, realizing that I was shooting the musicians that I idolized as a teenager was a very surreal moment for me. Motorhead, Slayer and, of course, Anthrax showed that they haven’t lost anything over the years and, indeed, know how to put on amazing shows and grab a new generation of rockers.
Anthrax’s lead vocalist Joey Belladonna lives in my area, so, overall, it was just seriously cool.
Whether it’s Ron Keel sending us photos on stage in Europe with Hardrock Haven on his chest: Seeing Biloxi playing Rocklahoma on stage promoting Hardrock Haven, when Mark Allen Lanoue rocked a Hardrock Haven shirt or Paisty Jenny ripping it up at Dakota Rockfest waving the Hardrock Haven flag. Tony Mills is wearing a Hardrock Haven hoodie on the “drop scripts” page too.
These artists help legitimize the decade of work we all have put in at Hardrock Haven.
I was in high school during the early years and in college when Somewhere In Time and Powerslave came out. I didn’t find them until their fourth album, Piece Of Mind – and to this day I find myself writing it that way in my non-music-related work instead of the proper “peace” of mind. I liked everything about the band, from their music to their image to the cool Iron Maiden font to Derek Riggs’ fabulous album covers. I still occasionally find myself staring at all the details buried in the Somewhere In Time cover art or making a list of the nicknames given to old IM producer Martin Birch.
Through all of that craziness and enthusiasm of those years, the one thing I never expected to do was to one day take my son to see Iron Maiden play, but now we’ve been to their last three U.S. tours together. He just turned 18, and when we got the tickets for this tour he said, “Great – these are the Maiden songs that I grew up on.” He loves the classics (although, in his perception, anything recorded before 2000 is eligible to be a classic), but the newer of the albums are the ones he waited for in the store. Not only did I take my son to the show, but I also to my wife and nephew and brought them into the Iron Maiden family.
I’m obviously not the only one who feels this way. We saw many other families, and the crowd made it truly an all-ages show. There was a man in his late 40s bringing his 10-to-11-year-old son (in a Maiden shirt) through the turnstiles, and a few older guys sitting with what had to be there grandkids: What other bands really can pull this off? Scorpions – definitely, and Judas Priest to some extent, but nobody does it like Maiden.
THANK YOU Iron Maiden! Thank you not only for creating such an amazing (and still growing) musical legacy, but also for not selling out to the commercial forces out there and staying true to the musical styles you help create. Most of all though, thanks for the good memories from all those years ago and for giving me a chance create some new ones with my own family.
Up The Irons!
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Alissa Ordabai – Senior Columnist: My Richie Kotzen assignment on Oct. 8, 2009, became one of the biggest highlights, not only of my time with Hardrock Haven, but of my career. A torch-bearer of a tradition, which has its roots in the ’60s, Kotzen puts up dynamite performances, bolstered by virtuosic technique, emotional depth and a phenomenal gift for improvisation. Our interview that day in London turned out just as interesting and as volatile as his music. He spoke candidly about his career and shared dead-on insights into the nature of musicianship. But some questions he didn’t like and made doubly sure I understood it, proving, yet again, that temperament remains temperament – whether on stage or off. Still, shooting his set from the side of the stage at London’s Underworld club later that day became one of my most memorable experiences. Seeing such a tremendous force of nature unraveling just a few feet away from you makes you feel truly privileged. And that night, Richie Kotzen was a man inspired, completely transfixing the audience, taking us all outside of our everyday realities on a magical, hypnotic journey. The chops, the tunes and the all-out extensive improvisations blew away the crowd. The main propellant; however, remained his absolute sincerity and his urgent wish to connect and to be understood. You can’t put a price on such occasions, especially nowadays, when spontaneous creativity unfolding in real time in front of a live audience becomes increasingly hard to come by. The concert was sold out, and those who couldn’t get in stood outside on the street, trying to catch snippets of what was going on inside. The only other time when I saw this happening was when Aerosmith played at London’s Hard Rock Café in 2007. But interviewing them and watching them play wasn’t nearly as exciting.
With the current addition of the guitarist of DJ Ashba, the lineup has come full circle. Also, I have to mention that Dizzy Reed on keyboards was amazing. Axl has assembled stellar musicians.
The band hit the stage at midnight and performed until 3 a.m. It was a night full of nostalgia and so many hits that have survived the test of time. Kicking the show off with “Welcome To The Jungle” to the encore of “Paradise City,” the show was full of relentless energy, as Axl Rose proved he still is one of the greatest performers of all time.
From the great moments of “Civil War” to his great rendition of Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” the momentum never stopped. It’s nights like this that keep metal alive.
Stay tuned to Hardrock Haven for more great moments in Metal in 2013.
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Elsie Roymans – Photojournalist: Capturing the Scorpions at a sold out Vorst Nationaal here in Belgium! Awesome show and awesome audience, and getting a featured story on HRH was the cherry on the pie!
Brian Sims – Photographer: I was introduced to HRH through Sara … I haven’t been with HRH long, but my greatest moments so far was when John sent me an email saying he would be happy to have me as a photojournalist and when I saw my bio appear on the HRH website.
Sherry Thomas – Columnist: My favorite experience so far is discovering new music that I have reviewed for Hardrock Haven. This has given me a chance to hear and love new bands that I wouldn’t have listened to before. I hope to have more great experiences in the future.