LIVE! | Candlebox with Elephant Mountain, Sugar Red Drive & ACIDIC
May 21, 2012 by Publisher
by Sara McCarthy
Staff Writer –
May 10, 2012 at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY
The Westcott Theater hosted a night of pure rock and roll Thursday night, featuring Candlebox. The group made a stop on their tour bringing with them Sugar Red Drive and Acidic.
Starting off the night was Elephant Mountain, a local band formed in 2009 by Joe Altier and Brian “Slider” Azzoto formerly of Brand New Sin. Elephant Mountain took the stage right around 8:00 and proceeded to set the standard for the night’s performances. This was their first show in many months, and although there might have been a few loose points, these guys truly delivered. With an amazing voice and a stage presence meant for much larger venues than The Westcott, Altier grabbed your attention and kept it right up front on the band. John Hanus, lead guitar stood off to the side on stage right, somewhat out of the spotlight, but showing his skill on his chosen instrument. At certain points during solos, you could almost see his fingers in your head as they danced across the strings.
The band played a seven-song set and just before the song “Pray” Altier let the audience know that this song holds a special meaning to him. Considering the passion in which he sang with, he wasn’t just paying us lip service. Elephant Mountain delivers unadulterated rock and roll, and watching them onstage the band that kept coming to mind is Government Mule. Given the opportunity, they would have just gone off on an adventure of improvisation and pure musical magic.
http://www.elephant-mountain.com
Set List:
Born Before My Time
North of Nowhere
No Other
Out of My Head
Pray
Words With Friends
I’m Done
Candlebox, who gained popularity in the early nineties and still receive regular airplay, brought their tour to Syracuse, in support of their album Love Stories and Other Musings.
They ripped into their first song “Bitches Brewin” from their 2008 release Into The Sun, and followed with “Don’t You,” all the while giving the crowd an idea of what was to come. A very tight, well rehearsed, fun and energetic performance. Kevin Martin proved that his vocal ability is still as strong as it was when the band first hit it big. He obviously takes care of his voice and was all over the stage, playing up to the crowd.
The band has matured as musicians over the years and you would never know that bassist Adam Kury wasn’t part of the original lineup. They were like a well-oiled machine, playing off of each other and having a great time doing it. Songs from their new album, “She Come Over Me” and “Believe In It,” were well received by the fans. In fact at one point, a pair of female audience members were so passionate about the music, they decided they needed to pummel each other. This prompted Martin to stop the show, remind the ladies that they were supposed to be having fun, and asked them to stop. They were past listening and security had to step in to remove the brawling babes.
The music continued and when the deep bluesy rifts and screaming high notes of “Change” filled the room, the crowd went insane, screaming and jumping up and down. The night was filled with a balanced mix of new songs and past hits, although “Lucy” was not played. The fans were energetic and the band appeared to have a blast. It was a great night of music all across the board and Syracuse is looking forward to Candlebox’s next stop here.
Set List:
Bitches Brewin’
Simple Lessons
Don’t You
Believe in It
Underneath it All
Change
Blossom
She Come Over Me
Breathe Me In
Arrow
Stand
Turn Your Heart Around
Sweet Summertime
Miss You
Cover Me
Far Behind
You
Links:
Sugar Red Drive- http://www.sugarreddrive.com
ACIDIC- http://www.acidicband.com
Candlebox 2012 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | Black Sabbath in Birmingham
May 20, 2012 by Publisher
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –
May 19, 2012 at O2 Academy in Birmingham, UK
Black Sabbath’s hugely anticipated homecoming reunion gig was somewhat marred by Bill Ward’s absence and the internet palaver which preceded it, but in the end the show didn’t turn into a riot, a rally in support of Ward (as predicted by some) or a nasty stance against the substitute drummer Tommy Clufetos.
“If you go extra fucking crazy for this one, we’ll carry on,” Ozzy said to the audience before the band launched into “Children of the Grave”, the next-to-last song of the set. And, apparently, was pleased enough with Birmingham’s response, rewarding the crowd with “Paranoid” which followed straight after – the last number of the show.
Not that the crowd was welcoming “Children of the Grave” with more enthusiasm than it gave to other old-time anthems such as “War Pigs”, “Electric Funeral” or “Iron Man”. From the very start Birmingham’s response to the set comprised exclusively of the band’s early-days hits was that of singing along, moshing, crowd surfing and generally going nuts for the home-grown idols who have for eternity defined their home town as the birth place of metal.
There are many – some would say way too may – notes from those early Sabbath songs that Ozzy can’t hit these days, but whatever was lacking in terms of vocal delivery was partially made up by his warm, affable stage presence. It takes a small venue like the 4000-capacity Birmingham O2 to fully appreciate Ozzy’s charisma and sincerity – the way he talks to the audience and genuinely cares about everyone having a good time, his body language, and the tone of his banter. Or maybe it takes a homecoming show to touch those strings in the soul of the King of Darkness, who often talks – as he did tonight – about being proud of being a Brummie.
The substitute drummer Clufetos not once was introduced to the audience, but was given a solo slot (in fact, longer than the one given to Geezer Butler) which drew a mixed reaction from the crowd given the details of Bill Ward’s non-participation which appeared on his web site a few days before the show. Given that Clufetos plays in Ozzy’s band, it’s easy to imagine that substituting Ward was an offer he could not refuse, and to their credit of the crowd treated him with respect.
By contrast – and understandably – Ozzy asked for attention and applause to be given to Tony Iommi many times, at one point falling on his knees before Iron Man during his lead on “Dirty Women”. This solo indeed one of high points of the show, the flight of Iommi’s eloquent, intelligent impro as compelling as the best of his studio work.
And when Ozzy sang in unison with Iommi’s guitar as on “Electric Funeral”, the sound was pure magic, the whopping immediacy of the song still giving you goosebumps, no matter if you were a seasoned fan or a fresh recruit. And speaking of fresh recruits, there were plenty of those in the crowd – children and grandchildren of die-hard fans sat next to their fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers. The 10- or 15-year-olds may not know what extraordinary conviction and inspiration it took to write those tunes 45 years ago at the time when flower power and mystical East-meets-West excursions were de rigueur on the music scene, but they surely appreciated what they were hearing – first-hand and unobscured by the nostalgic glasses of history.
And at the end of the day this is what tonight’s show was all about that – the songs that have not only stood the test of time but have become the indelible part of the Western culture. It was also about the tenacity and dedication of the guitar player, the drive and the erudition of the bass player, and the candor of the singer. The three men on stage weren’t the same men who wrote the songs they played this evening, but there are times when bands grow so big the old adage “the show must go on” becomes less of a choice and more of an imperative.
Set List:
1. Into the Void
2. Under the Sun
3. Snowblind
4. War Pigs
5. Wheels of Confusion
6. Electric Funeral
7. Black Sabbath
8. The Wizard
9. Behind the Wall of Sleep
10. N.I.B
11. Fairies Wear Boots
12. Tomorrow’s Dream
13. Sweet Leaf
14. Symptom of the Universe (instrumental)
15. Drum solo
16. Iron Man
17. Dirty Women
18. Children of the Grave
19. Paranoid (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro)
LIVE! | Rise Against with A Day To Remember & Title Fight
May 17, 2012 by Publisher
by Sara McCarthy
Staff Writer –
May 7, 2012 at New York State Fairgrounds Chevy Court in New York, NY
On a very wet and dreary Tuesday night, Rise Against brought their tour to Syracuse, NY. Despite the horrendous weather, a crowd of about 4,000 descended on the New York State Fairgrounds, it takes more than a day of torrential rain to stop Syracuse rockers from attending the first outdoor show of the year.
Title Fight, hailing from Kingston, PA started playing at 6:00, which was the same time the gates were opened. This scheduling snafu prevented a lot of audience members from seeing the band perform. Formed in 2003, the band lists Blink 182 as a major influence and that is apparent in their music. A grinding mix of punk and hardcore, Title Fight gave an energetic performance and truly seemed to enjoy themselves on stage. Their last album Shed was released in May 2011 under Side One Dummy Records and recently announced their plans to enter the studio this summer and release their new record in September 2012.
A Day To Remember was next on the bill for the night. An already rowdy crowd went ballistic when band members took the stage. The band opened with “The Downfall of Us All,” and crew members threw dozens of large beach balls out to the crowd. For about five minutes it wasn’t safe to be a bystander, you never knew when you might get beaned with a wayward ball! Ripping through each song, this band held nothing back and neither did the kids in the audience. Fist pumping and singing right along; there was a constant stream of crowd surfers coming off the front of the crowd. At one point, just before playing “Homesick”, Vocalist Jeremy McKinnon crawled inside a huge transparent blow-up hamster ball, rolled off of the stage and ran/rolled all over the top of the crowd. Each successive song brought more energy and a larger response from the crowd, and a few different times it appeared as if the barriers in front of the stage were not going to hold. Finishing up their dynamic set with “The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle,” this group of guys from Ocala, FL left the crowd wanting more and primed for Rise Against.
Set List:
The Downfall of Us All
A Shot in the Dark
I’m Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?
My Life For Hire
All Signs Point To Lauderdale
2nd Sucks
You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic
It’s Complicated
Homesick
Better Off This Way
Have Faith In Me
All I Want
The Plot to Bomb The Panhandle
The set for Rise Against featured five vertical rectangular video screens, evenly spaced across the stage. These screens lit up, showing movie scenes and dialogue taken from “The Shameless Opportunist” in Catch-22. As the intro concluded, band members took the stage, and opened their set with “Survivor Guilt.” The momentum started by A Day To Remember was continued by Rise Against, band members were all over the stage, playing it up for each section of the crowd. When they broke into “Help Is On The Way,” the video screens played clips of demonstrations and the clashes that can break out at these events. The main part of the set was finished up with “Prayer Of The Refugee” which drove the crowd insane; they started surging forward and once again called into question the stability of the barriers. Things cooled down a bit when vocalist Tim McIlrath brought out an acoustic guitar and played both “Audience Of One” and ‘Swing Life Away.” At this point in the evening, the rain started once again, drenching everyone in the area. The crowd stayed strong and when the opening strains of “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” started, the started jumping and screaming. This song deals with the problem of homophobia in today’s society and how it is affecting our children, with an increase in suicide rates. This is a band not afraid of serious and unsavory topics.
Rise Against put on an amazing show that left the audience satisfied that they got their fill of rock on a wet Tuesday night. As the thousands of people filed out of the exit gates, members of PETA stood handing out fliers, as Rise Against are active supporters of the controversial animal rights organization.
Set List:
Survivor Guilt
Ready To Fall
Collapse (Post-Amerika)
The Good Left Undone
Broken English
Help Is On The Way
Disparity By Design
Drones
Re-Education (Through Labor)
Blood To Bleed
Satellite
Paper Wings
Prayer Of The Refugee
Acoustic:
Audience Of One
Swing Life Away
Make It Stop (September’s Children)
Give It All
Encore:
Midnight Hands
The Strength To Go On
Savior
Rise Against & A Day To Remember 2012 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | KC Rockfest 2012
May 15, 2012 by Publisher
by Shawna Luehring
Staff Writer –
May 12, 2012 at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO
The annual tradition started and carried on by the Kansas City radio station 98.9 the Rock moves into its 20th year. Celebrating the anniversary with 55,000+ fans at this year’s event was featured headliner Shinedown, Slash with Myles Kennedy, Five Finger Death Punch, Hellyeah, Volbeat and many more.
Like past shows, the artists split the time performing on two stages: Monster Energy Stage and the Jeremiah Weed Stage. Fifteen bands performed and delivered 12 hours of music at the largest one-day music festival in the U.S. Except for a little rain during Adelitas Way’s set and a brief power outage that caused Chevell to cut its set short and Slash to perform with no stage lighting, the concert was uneventful when compared with shows from the last few years.
Highlights of the concert included the debut of Denmark’s Volbeat, whose first appearance in Kansas City brought the crowd to their feet, and Hellyeah, dubbed “America’s heavy metal supergroup,” closed out the second stage with some serious hard rock. With such as a large crowd on hand, the promoters added large, enhanced HD video screens on each side of the Monster Energy, and the Jeremiah Weed stage was larger this year, standing a towering 10 feet tall.
Monster Energy Stage (Main):
Adelitas Way
Rev Theory
Theory of a Deadman
Chevelle
Slash (and Myles Kennedy)
Five Finger Death Punch
Shinedown
Jeremiah Weed Stage (Second):
Black Oxygen
New Medicine
Art of Dying
Cavo
Trivium
Black Stone Cherry
Volbeat
Hellyeah
KC Rockfest 2012 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | Dokken at the Rainbow
May 11, 2012 by Publisher
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer –
April 15, 2012 at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood, CA
The legendary Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood celebrated its 40th Anniversary on April 15. The Rainbow first opened its doors in 1972. Over the years, the eclectic venue was a haven for many a celebrity to congregate. Many of Hollywood’s top celebrities and rock stars have passed through the popular club during the heyday of metal including Motley Crue, Poison, Dokken, and Ratt. On this special Anniversary tonight’s A-list was no exception. Doors were slated to open at 5 p.m. with many bands set to take the stage including Hurricane and Pretty Boy Floyd.
Driving from Las Vegas to West Hollywood was no easy feat during Vegas’s Spring break. Traffic was backed up for miles along the desert highway. I finally arrived at the club in time for DOKKEN to take the stage at 11 p.m.
DOKKEN first got their start playing on Sunset Strip back in the heyday of metal. Tonight’s audience was a mixture of old and young. It was exciting to see some of the new fans seeing the band for the first time and some old familiar faces backstage. The event took place in the back of the Rainbow and Roxy parking lot. A built up stage and a couple of spotlights were the only stage props. The emphasis was clearly on the music tonight and not the gimmick. DOKKEN took full control of the audience opening with “Just Got Lucky.” The line-up featured Don Dokken on vocals, Sean Mcnabb on bass, Jon Levin, on guitar, and filling in for Mick Brown was drummer Brian Tichy. Although the line-up has changed since the heyday without George Lynch and Jeff Pilson the band still kicks ass.
Don Dokken reminisced onstage about being a 23-year-old kid opening for Van Halen and Quiet Riot at the Whiskey A – Go-Go and said it seemed like only yesterday. Dokken only got to play a 30-minute set and decided to stick to the heavy format belting out such hits as “Into The Fire”, “Kiss Of Death”, and “Tooth And Nail” and ending the set with the sing along to “In My Dreams.”
After the concert, I spoke to Don regarding the special event. He told me that he was happy to be part of the special Rainbow event and it was a lot of fun. Tonight’s concert was all about nostalgia. For a moment, we all had the opportunity to recapture the magic of the ’80s. Although I must say, after living in Vegas for a while now and being used to having venues open till 4 a.m., they do roll up the Red Carpet pretty early at 2 a.m. in LA. After the concert, many rockers invaded the famous Rainbow including Chas West, Carlos Cavaza, Alex Grossi, and Scottie Griffin.
At the Dokken table, I had the opportunity to discuss the upcoming Dokken album Broken Bones with Don. When I asked about the evolution of Dokken and if the new CD will resemble the classic Dokken album Tooth And Nail this is what he had to say, “I don’t know, it’s not done yet. I write what comes from the heart, I don’t believe in writing music trying to repeat what you’ve already done. I understand what the fans want but as an artist I see no point in painting the same picture over and over. Our label hates me to say that and I’m sure the fans too. So we’re walking a tightrope trying to keep everybody happy without selling out. I would hope that our fans have grown with us. When I sing it sounds like Dokken but as time passes I see the world differently so obviously it affects my lyrics. I have been asked to write songs like we did in the ’80s but if the Beatles just kept writing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ would they have lasted? That is the million-dollar question. So we are trying to strike a balance.”
“What can I say Broken Bones is very up-tempo. I haven’t written the ballad yet. It will be the last song I write for this CD. It will probably be a power ballad. I’ve had some crazy stuff and people pass through my life lately. So I’ve got plenty of thoughts to put to pen!”
Be sure to check out Dokken at M3 on May 12. Hardrock Haven will be on hand to cover the festival.
LIVE! | Hornet, Wired Desire and Meansteed
by Robert Thompson
Guest Writer –
April 26, 2012 at at The Intrepid Fox in London, U.K.
It was another rainy day in London and yet again I was soaked through by the torrential downfall which has been April and with no work tonight I was finally free again on a Thursday evening wondering what to do with myself and I could only think of one thing I wanted to do, take a trip down to see Hornet live at The Intrepid Fox (one of London’s best rock and metal venues) to catch a night full of intense rock and roll. Tonight the Hornet boys whom are packing some seriously strong venom in their sting are accompanied and supported by London’s lethal toxin of Meansteed and Brighton’s Wired Desire.
The night was kicked off by the energetic Meansteed and right off the bat I knew things were going to get exciting because within the first half of their opening song I can’t see the lead singers face due to his excessive head banging. Their sound was classic and reminiscent of Airbourne; fast and loud with long tasty riffs, that being said Meansteed did chuck in a little bit of a retro trash look. The talent came from Matty Dorkings on guitar and lead vocals, Alison Curry on guitar, Pablo Gomez on bass and Adam Sutcliffe on drums. I have to admit Meansteed’s performance was very enjoyable, exciting and I couldn’t help but feel engrossed by their energy especially after seeing Matty Dorkings go into a trance of a guitar solo, covering the whole stage. The band got the audience pumped, livened and readied for tonight’s main act, Hornet.
After Meansteed had blasted the room to pieces we were greeted by Wired Desire who had a very controlled and professional set, but not too much that they lost their raw emotive connection with the crowd. Overall Wired Desire’s songs were catchy and had good rhythm with a mixture of tempos which is nice to hear. The band consists of Peter Comerford on vocals, who had strong melodic vocals in the vein of Alterbridge’s Myles Kennedy, Jam on guitar, Rawden Enever on bass and Nathan James the powerhouse on drums. It was a good tight set all round aside from a lack of on stage lunacy, shall I say, which I witnessed from Meansteed but then again you can’t all be the same but with that being said it was a solid show and tonight the crowd loved it, I loved it.
As Wired Desire’s set came to an end the band had to clear the stage and make way because the heavy swarm of fans were tightly nested around the room for the buzzing anticipation of Hornet. By now the night had reached the point that we were all waiting for with everyone clutching their drinks tight in their hands readied and waiting for the massive sting that was about to hit the room. It wasn’t long now until Hornet were due to hit the stage and whilst waiting for the band I overheard someone saying “Watch your footing when they start, shits gonna go mental”. Hornet burst onto the stage and frontman Joe Thompson took control of the venue and within seconds of their first song “Down To The Bone” there was a mad frenzy. The advice I heard before the band kicked off was spot on since a crazy mosh pit started up in a flash. Hornet’s following has been growing and growing since the first time I witnessed them back in November with their original extravagance and passion as strong as ever, it’s exactly the kind of blazing show you would expect from a genuine rock and roll band! The group is made up of brothers Joe Thompson as mentioned on vocals, Max Thompson who sends out some serious vibes on bass (who I share the same surname as but not related to!), Tollef Rikje-Pearson on shredding lead guitar and last but not least Alex Burt who steers the ship from the back on drums.
Hornet’s set as always gained a strong emotive connection with the audience with the willingness to be as raucous and energetic as possible but without it ever compromising their professionalism which is always a good sign for a band. They played a strong setlist including fan favourites such as “Second Hand Smoke”, “State of Emergency”, “Out of Control” and my personal favourite “Sweet Lips”. The band has a barrage of strong riffs, mean bass lines and powerful punk vocals and if that wasn’t enough Hornet always backup their performance with a wild stage presence, the best example being where guitarist Tollef Rikje-Pearson takes to the floor upon frontman Joe Thompson’s shoulders whilst tearing into a mean solo, this coming in as one of the highlights of their performance but not to forget the well articulated interaction between all the band members across the stage. All the guys in Hornet have a great look too that suits their brand of rock ‘n’ roll as well as the nice contrast in the music between the instruments and vocals.
The bands connection to the audience is giving them huge likeability as frontman Joe Thompson is constantly referencing to the crowd as if everyone here tonight is friends which I couldn’t help but feel makes them all the more likeable and this is all whilst they’re melting your face off with their high octane music. Once again Hornet breaks the barrier in terms of entertainment and stringent determinism. I’ve enjoyed them so much each time I’ve witnessed them and I will continue to for the foreseeable future. It was a fantastic show with a large turnout with everyone seeming to love it as much as I did. After Hornet finished the crowd cheered for more and instead of one encore the crowd tonight got two and with Roadrunner Records closing offices around the world some people kept saying rock and roll is dead but with bands like Hornet on the scene there isn’t an end in sight! I’m highly anticipating their following gig on the 28th of June which is back at The Intrepid Fox and with a second to none live show… I won’t be surprised to see a few more people added to the hive.
Photos Appear Courtesy of William Adams
LIVE! | Shinedown with Art of Dying and Adelitas Way
May 5, 2012 by Publisher
by Sara McCarthy
Staff Writer –
April 22, 2012 at Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, PA
The Avalanche tour made a stop in Scranton Sunday night, nearing the end of a month-long trek across the country. Shinedown, supporting their latest CD Amaryllis, which was released on March 27, headlined the show.
Art of Dying was the first band to take the stage. Hailing from Canada, this young band was the first act signed by Intoxication, the record label started by Disturbed’s David Draiman and Dan Donegan. Having the support of their label and working with Producer Howard Benson, the band released their second album, Vices and Virtues in 2011. Continuing to tour and promote their album, front-man Johnny Hetherington’s vocals were on fire, while fellow band members tore through their half hour set, giving the audience a great example of the raw energy and talent that they have built a reputation for.
Set List:
Straight Across My Mind
Whole World’s Crazy
Raining
Get Thru This
Sorry
Die trying
After a quick set change, Adelitas Way gave Scranton a taste of their musical offerings from Home School Valedictorian, their second studio release. The CD, still making headway on the charts, has released four singles, the latest being “Alive.” Starting their set off with “The Collapse” got the crowd pumped and ready for “Dirty Little Things” and “Hurt.” Robert Zakaryan showed off his considerable talent and is obviously growing quite comfortable in his role as lead guitarist. This band was able to pack a lot of punch into their seven track set list, ending their time with “Invincible,” which the crowd gladly sang along to.
Set List:
Dirty Little Thing
Hurt
Alive
Cage The Beast
Criticize
Sick
Invincible
Shinedown released their first studio album since 2008 on March 27, 2012, entitled Amaryllis. The tracks contained within are filled with brutal honesty and deal with difficult topics, delivered in a gritty rock-n-roll format. Tonight front-man Brent Smith and band mates delivered a spectacular example of why this band hit the rock scene with a vengeance and hasn’t slowed down since.
The first three songs of their set “Sound of Madness”, “Diamond Eyes” followed by “Enemies” (off their new album) had the crowd wild and surging toward the front barriers to the stage. When you have as many wildly popular singles as Shinedown does it is easy to please the crowd just by playing your old hits. The group did a great job of balancing the desires of the crowd with the band’s need to showcase their new work. Even though it has been less than a month since the release of Amaryllis, when new tracks were played audience members could be seen singing right along to “Enemies” and “Nowhere Kids.” The final song in their full set was “.45” off of their first album Leave a Whisper.
The encore began with “Bully,” a track that has received a lot of media attention recently due to it being the title track for the documentary by the same name. Tackling a serious topic that is pervasive in our society today, the documentary’s distributor has been fighting to have the “R” rating removed from the project. The Motion Picture Association of America assigned the rating due to foul language in the film. All of the controversy surrounding the film and it’s accompanying song has had a positive effect on both sides and at certain times the audience’s voice threatened to overwhelm Smith’s vocals. Following “Bully” was their cover of “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Second Chance” and their first single ever “Fly From the Inside.”
Shinedown has continued to demonstrate why they are so popular and able to dominate every show they play. These guys deliver an energy filled, heartfelt, entertaining performance and if you have not had the chance to see them live, I suggest you do your best to make that happen.
Set List:
Sound of Madness
Diamond Eyes
Enemies
If You Only Knew
Save Me
Devour
Nowhere Kids
The Crow and The Butterfly
Unity
Amaryllis
Adrenaline
.45
Encore:
Bully
Simple Man
Second Chance
Fly From the Inside
Shinedown with Art of Dying and Adelitas Way 2012 Photo Gallery
Photos Appear Courtesy of Sara McCarthy
LIVE! | The Blueberries
April 19, 2012 by Publisher
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –
April 5, 2012 at Purple Turtle in London, U.K.
Keeping in step with the perpetually changing underground rock scene, the famous Purple Turtle bar in London’s Camden Town is now hosting a radically different breed of rock star candidates compared to 5 or even 2 years ago. Jumpy nu-metalheads of the turn of the millennium are obviously ancient history now, but also gone are the sleazy glam metal revivalists of who flooded the place from 2003 to 2008, and even the blues-rock traditionalists of some 2 years ago are now nowhere to be seen. Enter bands like the Blueberries – a pan-European outfit barely out of their teens who came to London from their native countries of Greece, France, and Spain, hooked up with some local aspirants, and are now bidding to conquer the European capital of rock with their mix bag of styles ranging from classic rock to punk.
A heady, at times rudderless mixture of simplistic guitar, dancing drums, neat bass, and the front man who channels echoes of Keith Relf, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison through the distortions and transfiguration’s of the time continuum, the biggest draw of this act is still not their well-picked influences, but how these boys use them to convey modern-day realities. Unabashed by their uncomplicated chops and the transparency of their sources, they still – amazingly – are coming through fresh and original, at times brazenly artless, at times deliberately minimalist, and at times swaggeringly crafty when they hit the right balance between the simple musicianship, the catchy tune-craft and the audacious message.
A lot of what the Blueberries do is propelled by the early Sixties British rock (from the drummer’s Keith Moon-esque swaggering flamboyance to the singer’s shouty vocals a la Keith Relf), as well as to punk with all the clangy riffing and repeat-until-you-drop rhythms. But the instantly recognizable references help more than they hinder, flinging the door wide open for an as diverse an audience as possible. Plus despite all the nods to the past there is still something about the Blueberries which defies classification – their own brand of unselfconscious insolence so organic and natural, you keep wondering if it’s not the next generation of rock stars starting at you from the PT’s compact stage when they launch with footloose abandon into one tune after another – a mix of the old, the timeless, and the personal delivered with the biggest “don’t-give-a-damn” attitude this side of la Manche. You can write it down to the band’s young age, but it also could well be the sound of a new generation which is just starting to spread its wings.
Photos appear courtesy of Alissa Ordabai
LIVE! | Hornet, The Burning Crows & Black State Highway
April 3, 2012 by Publisher
by Jimmy Millard
Guest Writer –
March 29, 2012 at THE INTREPID FOX, SOHO, UK
It was Thursday night and I and a few mates decided to head down town for the Hornet show with support from The Burning Crows and Black State Highway at The Intrepid Fox. After reading a live review from last months show online and watching the band’s videos on their website I was excited to see their thundering show right in front of me for my own two eyes. My original plan was to drink round the corner beforehand for a few quick pints until three girls in Hornet T-shirts approached us in the street handing out flyers for the gig (which we were already going to) and managed to convince us to head straight to the venue for drinks and a good time… so we strolled up to The Intrepid Fox, one of London’s best rock bars, grabbed some drinks and walked upstairs to wait for the first band of the night Black State Highway.
Black State Highway ripped into a powerful classic rock onslaught reminiscent of Led Zeppelin topped with a modern southern rock twinge. Lead vocalist Liva Steinberga had a strong domineering rock voice which was refreshing to hear as girl vocalists in rock bands tend to go for the Hayley Williams look and sound which I find very cliché but not these guys! It was a very tight set from Black State Highway with some very skilled musicians, however for me the visual performance wasn’t very exciting but I do think the music did the talking very much so for these guys and the more this band plays live the further I think they will go. They are definitely worth watching live, so go check them out.
More and more people were entering the venue and things were starting to heat up (literally) with the anticipation building strong for the current talk of the town Hornet. Tonight’s main support act came in strong with The Burning Crows and I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer, I had heard good things. The Burning Crows took to the stage and quickly livened things up with their high energy rock ‘n’ roll. Played hard and well these guys gave off an overall sound of Steel Panther (minus the jokes) meets Ratt with hints of ‘DC. Vocalist/Guitarist Whippz did a stellar job to liven the ever building crowd up between songs and the whole band kept the music on lock down with drummer Chris Chapman, Bassist Will Lockett and guitarist Lance Daniels. The band claim they spent innumerable hours on the road, playing countless shows to master their craft and it really does show. Check these guys out as they went down a treat!
Next on stage was Hornet the band that both my friends and I had been waiting for and from the reaction of the room that’s what everyone had really been waiting for all night. By now the room was packed out and it was ridiculously hot, however Hornet burst onto the stage and opened with ‘Down To The Bone’ which had a real thumping guitar riff. Hornet went wild from start to finish and the crowd matched them jumping up and down, screaming and cheering all night long. One thing I loved was mid set when Joe Thompson took out his camera and asked the crowd to raise their hands in the air and scream ‘HORNET’ whilst he took a picture. What a great idea and something I’ve never seen before at any gig.
Thunderous Bassist, Max Thompson kept it tough and tight with Drummer, Alex Burt who was hitting hard and heavy and kept the groove down impeccably which allowed guitarist, Tollef Rikje-Pearson to play riffs and solo to his hearts desire and together with vocalist and frontman Joe Thompson they ruled the stage. There was some fantastic songs in Hornet’s set and I enjoyed them all but my particular favorites were ‘Drive On’ and ‘Under Pressure’ they had huge hooks and chorus’ and are real sing-a-long songs. It’s a shame the band don’t have an album out yet as I desperately wanted to buy one that night but for now their three track EP will do.
As we know all good things come to an end and after a hot and sweaty 45 minutes Hornet played their final song ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Riot’ and brought their set to a impactful close. Brothers Max and Joe Thompson along with Alex Burt and Tollef Rikje-Pearson came to the front of the stage and bowed as their strong and loyal fan base shouted for an encore which the band then preceded to play. Their final song allowed their fans to mosh and go mad once more before the end of the night.
After a superb night I’m already prepared for the next Hornet show at The Intrepid Fox with two other great bands Wasted Sinners and Four Wheel Drive on Thursday 26th April 2012. Make note people the yellow and black army are invading. See you at the front!
LIVE! | Van Mclain and the Movers
March 31, 2012 by Publisher
by Gary Dean
Staff Writer –
March 23, 2012 at Harrahs Voodoo Lounge in Kansas City, MO
Van Mclain, singer, songwriter and guitartist for Shooting Star, kicked off his new solo project, “Van and the Movers,” at The VooDoo Lounge, in Kansas City on March 23. Van and other members of legendary bands Shooting Star and Unidos played several numbers from his first solo CD, New Blue.
After listening to some sample songs on vanmclain.com, I settled in expecting a blues concert, but what I got was a rockin’ good show. Mclain has said what a departure this would be for him, playing guitar and singing lead the entire show, but he made it look effortless.
The fun and excitement emanating from Van and “The Movers” was very apparent. The group comprises Shooting Star band-mates Steve Thomas on drums and Dennis Laffoon on keyboards with Unidos, a three-piece horn section, a percussionist and two beautiful female back-up singers.
For many, the four Shooting Star songs were the highlight, but crowd favorites turned out to be “I Wanna Rock,” “Voodoo In Your Hoodoo,” “You’re Going Down,” and “Tailbone Jones,” which was written by Steve Werner.
There was a hush in the crowd as fans listened to the emotional “You’ll Be There For Me,” Mclain commented that this was his first time pretending to be James Taylor.
If you get a chance to view the DVD from the show, you may find yourself ready to petition Mclain on VanMclain.com to bring the Movers to your town and experience this show live for yourself. Having seen Shooting Star many times, this was a refreshing change that took one back to times remembered, and this was a time to remember.
Band:
Van Mclain – Vocals,Guitar
Dennis Laffoon – Keyboard
Steve Thomas – Drums
Ricky Carter, Mark Stafford, and Crayge Lindesay – Horns
Lope Munoz – Percussion
Tenesha Rochelle and Erica Baker Vocals
Set List:
Push it away
Nobody left but me
We’ve got history
Breakout
You’ll be there
Temptation
I wanna rock
Tailbone Jones
Waiting on your fire
Keyboard intro
Voodoo in your Hoodoo
You’re going down
Last Chance
Save your money
You’ve got what I need
