LIVE! | Ron Keel, Brent Muscat & Scotty Griffin from Sin City Sinners: Las Vegas Stripped
February 11, 2012 by Publisher
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer –
February 3, 2012 at Club Fortune in Henderson, NV
Since I moved to Las Vegas a year ago Valentine’s Day, there is one thing that I have noticed tremendously. Vegas has a very tight knit musical community. One of the main reasons that the singer songwriter community is thriving is due to musicians like ’80s rock veteran Ron Keel and Brent Muscat keeping the music alive in clubs all over town.
Last Friday night, I went to Ron Keel’s Las Vegas Stripped show at Club Fortune in Henderson. There were many singer songwriters there and featured act were Brent Muscat and Scotty Griffin from the very popular Sin City Sinners. Before the feature act took the stage singer/songwriters had an opportunity to perform three songs. It was great to be able to perform three songs off of my latest songs from my CD, The Looking Glass in front of such an enthusiastic audience. Between performers singer Ron Keel performed songs from Keel and a few of his favorite cover tunes. Ron has an incredible voice and his talent is outstanding. Other performers who stood out were blues singer Bud Mickle that performed his new song, “Just Leave Me The Bottle.”
I was looking forward to hearing feature act Brent Muscat and Scotty Griffin form the Sin City Sinners perform acoustically. This was sure a magical treat indeed. Brent and Scotty took the stage a little after 9 P.M. They were joined onstage by Ron Keel and performed four songs, opening with “Because The Night.” It was so heartwarming hearing Brent talk about his time with Faster Pussycat and opening for Kiss. The band performed a riveting version of “Hard Luck Woman”, but the magic didn’t end there. Fans were treated to a great rockin’ version of Faster Pussycat’s “House Of Pain.” The set ended with the song “Sin City.” Brent said when he moved to Las Vegas from LA he wanted to do something different. 
He wanted to start a rock and roll community. An event like this would never happen in Los Angeles. It would cost 20 dollars to park and get into the venue. Brent said he was just happy to be able to play music. He spoke candidly of being a cancer survivor and being cancer free for five years. Brent has done so much to keep the music alive in the clubs.
A true song stands on its own acoustically. It was great hearing Brent, Scotty, and Ron at Las Vegas Stripped. Be sure to check out www.ronkeel.com for upcoming Las Vegas Stripped shows. Next one is slated at Club Fortune on Feb. 17. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Ron Keel.
LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 4
by Chris A.
Staff Writer –
Sailing Back To Reality and Insanity: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 4
The shadows from the low eastern sun crossed the deck as day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal kicked off with Megora performing at 10 a.m. Thursday on the pool deck. The final band, which closed the cruise, was God Dethroned, whose set was schedule to wrap up at 3 a.m. the following day. Literally four hours later, the ship coasted back into its berth in Miami. Day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal was filled with incredible bands, a lot of relaxation and soaking in the atmosphere of an incredible experience.
Merchandise lines for the cruise and the individual bands were crushingly long as metal heads sought souvenirs from an incredible week of music and
adventure. Knowing that this was the final day of live music prompted everyone to get in as much fun, drinking and head banging as possible. The cruise soon would be over, and it would be back to the real world.
Day Four Bands Include: Megora, Atheist, Alestorm, Virgin Steele, Sapiency, Diamond Plate, Eluveitie, Tristania, Therion, Riot, Pretty Maids, Orphaned Land, Coroner, Hammerfall, In Extremo, Dark Funeral, Amorphis, Venom, Whiplash, Channel Zero, Over Kill, Edguy, Suffocation, Candlemass, God Dethroned.
70,000 Tons of Metal Day 4 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 3
February 1, 2012 by Publisher
by Chris A.
Staff Writer –
A Trip to Hell: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 3
The Cayman Islands
On Wednesday, the heavy metal sailors woke up to find the ship slipping into its anchoring position off the coast of the Grand Cayman Islands. Small tenders soon shuttled several hundred black-clad tourists from the ship to the docks, where we passed through an almost invisible customs inspection. On the island, the metal heads were greeted by an assortment of tours, food, shopping and activities.
During the six hours we had on shore, popular activities included taking tours, such as “Hell,” a small town on the island that featured strange rock formations like demons from Hell. Our crowd fit right in, and Hell apparently was quite a popular destination. Also high on the list were the Rum Cake Factories. which offered generous samples of flavored rum and rum cakes. Before long, everyone on the island was smiling. For many, the only place to go was Seven Mile Beach, where you could hang out on the white sand or snorkel off the shores with stingrays. Others opted for a turtle hatchery, where sea turtles were hatched and eventually released into the Caribbean Sea.
Booze, food and jewelry also beckoned the visitors from more than 50 nations. With four cruise ships in the harbor, the long-haired, black-clad heavy metal sailors attracted great attention. Perhaps the image that best sums up the guests from the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruse to the Caymans is the photo of the young man on the beach, flashing metal in front of a “666” that was made out of rocks in the sugary-white, warm sand.
After a day on the island, it was party time on the boat. Bands took to the stages starting at 6 p.m. with Overkill performing on the pool stage, and the day closed out with Tankard at 4:45 a.m. The following day.
Day 3 bands included: Overkill, Pestilence, Stratovarius, Annihilator, Crowbar, Exciter, Nightwish, Children of Bodom, My Dying Bride, Vicious Rumors, Kamelot, Kataklysm, Moonsorrw, Samael and Tankard.
70,000 Tons of Metal Day 3 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 2
by Chris A.
Staff Writer –
A Sea of Blood: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 2
Steaming toward the southwest, with the coast of Cuba visible on the horizon, Day 2 of 70000 Tons of Metal resumed with abandon. For the next 18 hours, there would be a nonstop assault of metal on the ship’s three stages, with 27 bands scheduled to perform. At 10 a.m., with temperatures approaching 80 degrees on the main pool stage, the first band of the day would be old-school thrashers Whiplash with Crowbar set to close the day’s action at 4:15 a.m. the following day.
It was a day of head banging, drinking and running around the ship as the 2,000 fans went from venue to venue, navigating the narrow corridors with pits stops at the bar and casino. Catching all the bands was impossible, of course, but the atmosphere, beautiful weather and the utter variety of bands kept a smile on everyone’s face. Day 2 was nothing short of kick ass.
Day No. 2 performers included: Whiplash, Megora, God Dethroned, Diamond Plate, Exciter, Spiency, Orphaned Land, Tankard, Suffocation, Pretty Maids, Atheist, Kamelot, Stradivarius, Amorphis, In Extremo, Therion, Kataklysm, Annihilator, Children of Bodom, Virgin Steele, Venom, Riot, Hammerfall, Pestilence, My Dying Bride, Dark Funeral and Crowbar.
70,000 Tons of Metal Day 2 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 1
by Chris A.
Staff Writer –
Rocking the Boat: The 70,000 Tons of Metal Day One
As the ship pushed away from its berth and headed into the Caribbean sea, amps were powered up, lights dimmed, and the heavy metal sailors started to fill the various on-board venues. By 6:30 p.m., the first bands kicked off the cruise.
With multiple artists performing on multiple stages, fans and photographers had to carefully review the schedule to catch their favorite bands. The main deck of the ship had been converted into an outdoor venue, while additional performance venues were set up for other bands on below decks.
Day No. 1 performers included: Alestorm, Grave Digger, Tristania, Coroner, Moonsorrow, Cannibal Corpse, Nightwish, Samael, Candlemass, Vicious Rumors, Edguy, Eluveitie, Channel Zero and Massacre. Day one music ended at 4 a.m. the following day.
70,000 Tons of Metal Day 1 Photo Gallery
LIVE! | Anthrax
January 27, 2012 by Publisher
by Jay Villain
Staff Writer –
January 26, 2012 at Midland Theater in Kansas City, MO
Anthrax live at the Midland theater in Kansas City, Missouri was a unique performance and definitely a night to remember. The audience welcomed the return of vocalist Joey Belladonna with open arms but unfortunately, Scott Ian one of the founding members of Anthrax was absent, so guitar players from both Testament and Death Angel stepped in.
Anthrax is back and as strong as ever. They opened the show with “Earth On Hell” and “Fight ‘em ‘Til You Can’t,” both tracks coming from their latest CD entitled Worship Music. Their set list included 13 songs total, 5 songs from their latest CD and 8 classics from their past. Old and tired? Not even close! This band has more fire and energy than most of the younger newer bands today.
The stage design was a direct reflection from the artwork on the Worship Music CD. Including the two bass drums, there were 5 inverted pentagrams surrounding the band. Unless it’s a coincidence, considering a pentagram is a 5 pointed star it’s actually quite brilliant. The sound was very good and all instruments were audible even when Charlie Benante’s double bass drums kicked into high gear, all of the musicians are in fact at the top of their game; there are no weak links in this chain. Anthrax still has what it takes to continue being a standard setting, metal thrashing band for many years to come.
The night was a complete success due to the genuine camaraderie between fellow musicians. Music is not a sport nor is it a competition, like some unimaginative scripted reality TV shows would have us believe. Anthrax, Testament and Death Angel lead by example, they show what it means to work as a team when all involved share common goals. “The show must go on,” is a common phrase in show business and what these three bands did together is something that should not go unrecognized. They did it to help out one of their own, they did it for metal, but more importantly they did it for the fans.
Set List:
1. Earth On Hell
2. Fight ‘em Til You Can’t
3. Caught In A Mosh
4. Antisocial
5. I’m Alive
6. The Devil You Know
7. Indians
8. In The End
9. Got The Time
10. Medusa
Encore:
11. Madhouse
12. Metal Thrashing Mad
13. I am The Law
LIVE! | Anthrax & Testament
January 23, 2012 by Publisher
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer –
January 23, 2012 at House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV
The second leg of the Anthrax/Testament Tour kicked off on Sunday, Jan. 23 in Las Vegas at the House of Blues. What better way to end a long day of NFL football playoffs then with a little headbanging from what promises to be one of the hottest tours of the new year.
It was my first time at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas and tonight’s show was sold out. I arrived at the venue just in time for Testament at 7:15 P.M. Let the mosh pits begin shall we? Chuck Billy got the crowd warmed up for Anthrax. He appeared to be in a really good mood announcing that The Giants beat San Francisco as the band opened with “The Preacher.” Chuck encouraged the mayhem to begin as Testament performed “Into The Pit.” Other highlights of the shortened set included “Over The Wall.” It was exciting to see guitarist Alex Sholnick perform with Testament. Last time I saw him perform was with Trans Siberian Orchestra two years ago. Quite the heavy metal difference.
Anticipation filled the air, as Anthrax was about to take the stage. It was my first time seeing them with Joey Belladonna and what a magical head banging thrashing night transpired. Opening with new tracks “Earth On Hell”, and “Fight’ Em Till You Can’t”, Anthrax destroyed with their heavy metal assault. The new music was performed with perfection. Joey Belladonna embraced the audience captivating with every word. Guitarist Scott Ian unleashed the brutal riffs on “Caught In A Mosh” and the punk rock song “Antisocial.”
The audience was in their moshing glory singing along to every song on “Indians.” New single” I’m Alive” was ever so ferocious performed live. Perhaps the most touching moment occurred when Joey Belladonna dedicated the song” In The End” to two of the greatest human beings to walk the planet, Dimebag and Ronnie James Dio. “Got The Time” sizzled with its quirky punk sway. Anthrax returned to the stage for three encores and Joey Belladonna thanked the audience for a great start to the tour and screamed,” Metal is not dead.” From the look upon the audiences faces, Anthrax came to Vegas to destroy and perform some of the best new metal the band has ever written, Be sure to check out Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel coming to a city near you! For tour dates visit www.anthrax.com.
Thanks to Julie Arkenstone and Heidi Ellen Robinson-Fitzgerald for letting Hardrock Haven cover opening night of the tour in Vegas.
Anthrax Set List:
Earth On Hell
Fight’ Em Till You Can’t
Caught In A Mosh
Antisocial
I’m Alive
The Devil You Know
Indians
In The End
Got The Time
N.F.L
Encore
Madhouse
Metal Thrashing Mad
I Am The Law
LIVE! | Chickenfoot
January 16, 2012 by Publisher
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer
January 14, 2012 at Brixton Academy in London, United Kingdom
This was Chickenfoot’s second ever show in London, the band having played here previously in June 2009. During between-the-songs banter Sammy Hagar shared that the band loves coming to the UK, while for him personally the experience is made even more enjoyable through his appreciation of the English ale. The 2000-seater theater Brixton Academy was close to full house, and the reception given to the band – heartfelt, although not quite nearing full-on ecstatic welcome crowds at the same venue are capable of giving to other Americans luminaries – even those who don’t wear the “supergroup” badge.
Speaking of which, if the “super” in the “supergroup” has anything to do with outstanding instrumental skill, then Chickenfoot is perhaps the greatest of them all. Guitar guru Joe Satriani and equally adept in high-tech fretboard wizardry Michael Anthony on the bass, along with ueber-drummer Chad Smith are each an awe-inspiring force on their own right. How well they interact with each other in the format of this outfit is, however, another matter. While Anthony and Smith gel so tightly and to such an formidable effect – which they have demonstrated with a jaw-dropping bass-driven intro to “Turnin’ Left” – there are also times when Satriani’s leads are coming through as slightly too alien in the context of such simplistic songwriting as this band’s.
On the biggest standouts of the evening, such as “Big Foot” and “Something Going Wrong” his leads sprang seamlessly from the song to a spectacular effect, showing how mammoth riffs and laconic, powerful leads can turn a simple song into an anthem. But at other times, as on “Alright Alright” and “Soap on a Rope” it felt that the song and the solos were conceived in a very different headspace – Satch probably taking the inspiration from the privacy of his own inner continuum, while the song itself was following the well-trodden path of the generic hard rock songwriting.
And songwriting is another aspect of this band which stops it from being truly great. There were gems during the show such as “Big Foot” with its inspired riff and huge space-rocking presence, and “Sexy Little Thing” with its deliciously layered sound and folkish songwriting tapping into the vibes of Led Zeppelin III. But much of the other material ranged from predictable to downright unfinished demo-quality songwriting – especially with such songs as “Alright Alright” and “Up Next”.
Toward the end of the show Hagar assured the audience that Chickenfoot is a purely non-commercial project and that they aren’t in it for the money, but simply love the music that they play. While in case of Hagar this sounds plausible, it is up to Satriani’s fans to decide if a musician of such sophisticated tastes and such vast musical knowledge finds genuine pleasure in such simple tune-craft. But then again, simple pleasures are at times the hardest to allow yourself, and most of us would never know what enjoyment and pleasure really mean to those who know it all and who in the past have achieved everything they aimed at.
Set List:
1. Lighten Up
2. Alright Alright
3. Big Foot
4. Sexy Little Thing
5. Soap on a Rope
6. Up Next
7. My Kinda Girl
8. Down the Drain
9. Three and a Half Letters
10. Something Going Wrong
11. Turnin’ Left
12. Future in the Past
Encore:
1. Different Devil
2. Oh Yeah
3. Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover)
LIVE! | Hotel Diablo
January 13, 2012 by Publisher
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer –
January 13, 2012 at Vampd in Las Vegas, NV
Every once in a blue moon a band comes along and makes you take notice. Newly formed California based band Hotel Diablo is comprised of veteran musicians Alex Grossi (Quiet Riot), Rick Stitch (Ladyjack ex- Adlers Appetite) and bassist Mike Duda and drummer Mike Dupke of Wasp. Hotel Diablo has just released a 6-song effort produced by Gilby Clarke and can be streamed at www.thehoteldiablo.com
Hotel Diablo made their Las Vegas debut at Vampd on Jan. 13. It was a pretty impressive turnout for the newly formed band. Opening with “Taken,” Hotel Diablo have what it takes for super stardom. The band cranks out infectious riffs and catchy lyrics. Guitarist Alex Grossi was very impressive with his spartan guitar riffs and melodic overtones.
You may remember vocalist Rick Stitch from his stint with Adlers Appetite. Rick reminds me of a young Axl Rose with a set of pipes that have a huge vocal range and draws you right in with his electrifying melodic tone. Hotel Diablo have a very modern sound with a punk twist hard rock twist. They remind me of GNR meets Shinedown. The band writes lyrics from the heart and makes you stop and Listen!
The rhythm section of Mike Duda and Mike Dupke hold down the pulverizing beat. Highlights of the set included the heartfelt “What You Do To Me”, and the foot stomping “Psycho, California.” Which is my pick for their first single.
It was refreshing to hear lyrics that make you feel and guitar melodies tangled in a web of emotion. Be sure to check out Hotel Diablo In Concert. Hardrock Haven is always proud to introduce new talent taking the industry by storm.
Hotel Diablo Set List:
Taken
All These Years
Trigger
What You Do to Me
What I’ve become
Set It Off
Bury You
Wicked Lines
Wonderwall (oasis cover)
Psycho, California
