LIVE! | Ron Keel, Brent Muscat & Scotty Griffin from Sin City Sinners: Las Vegas Stripped

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.

Photos Appear Courtesy of Deb Rao

LIVE! | Crashdiet

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer –

November 17, 2011 at Vamp’d in Las Vegas, NV.

One of the hottest bands to emerge out of Sweden metal scene, Crashdiet, graced the shores of the West Coast in their first North American tour. Crashdiet made a special stop in Las Vegas performing at one of the best live music venues in the area Vamp’d on Nov. 17. From the response of the packed house on a Thursday night in Sin City, it is hard to believe it was Sweden’s finest Crashdiet first time to perform in town.

I had the opportunity to talk with the band before the show and they were happy to announce that the glam metal scene is alive and well. They are proud to be a part of the new generation of glam metal bands taking the world by storm. Hot off the heels of performing at the Sweden Rock Festival this past summer, Crashdiet hit the stage at 11:30 P.M. with a vengeance. For one night Sin City rock club Vamp’d was turned into a scene right out of the ’80s Sunset Strip when Metal ruled the scene and boys had long hair and played loud and hard.

Fronted by lead singer Simon Cruz, sporting a New York Dolls shirt, Crashdiet opened the show with “Breakin’ The Chainz.” The band also features Eric Young on drums, Martin Sweet on guitar and bassist Peter London. From the moment Crashdiet hit the stage fists were in the air singing along to every song. Perhaps, the best way to describe Crashdiet’s sound is Guns N’ Roses meets the New York Dolls. Raw and energized, the band played catchy songs full of young angst and aggression!

Drummer Eric Young and bassist Peter London laid down the feverish rhythm section. Guitarist Martin Sweet reminds me of a young Mick Mars. Crashdiet performed crowd favorites such as “Chemical”, “Down With The Dust”, and “Rebel.” My favorite moment occurred at the end of the set when the band performed “Generation Wild”, the title track from their latest release. This song could very well be the anthem of fans from the new metal generation. It has a powerful chorus and called for a moment of deja vu. This song reminded me of hearing “Young Gone Wild” for the first time. It was so refreshing to walk into club and hear a band perform with so much energy. Crashdiet has my vote for breakthrough band of 2011. Stay tuned for exclusive interview with the band.

Crashdiet Set List:
Breakin’ The Chainz
Down With The Dust
So Alive
Riot In Everyone
Bound To Fall
Chemical
Straight Outta Hell
In The Raw
Queen Obscene/69 Shots
Rebel
Generation Wild

Photos appear courtesy of Deb Rao

LIVE! | Night Ranger

by Ron and Don Higgins
Staff Writer

August 3, 2011 at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Night Ranger’s 30th Anniversary tour rocked through Cincinnati, Ohio recently, opening up for rock and roll heavyweights Foreigner and Journey. Unlike the other bands, Night Ranger still features their original lead singers, bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy, and therefore sound exactly like fans remember from their glory days of the 1980s. Founding member, guitarist Brad Gillis, is still with the band as well and doesn’t appear to have aged a bit, either in appearance or musicianship. He’s as sharp as ever and, if anything, laying down even heavier, rocking licks. Rounding out the band is guitarist Joel Hoekstra, who also plays lead guitar in the Broadway hit “Rock of Ages” and recently toured with TSO, and keyboardist Eric Levy.

The night started out with a quick meet-and-greet with the band. Unfortunately, the meeting was very short since it was held before the show and the band had to hit the stage in 20 minutes. However, it was long enough to spend a few minutes chatting with the guys, thanking Brad for the phone interview conducted the day before (transcription coming soon!) and getting the band to autograph the cover of their awesome debut album Dawn Patrol.

Once the meet-and-greet was over, there was just enough time to head back to the front office, grab a photo pass and head right back down to the front of the stage to take some pictures of their killer set. Interestingly, they kicked off their set with “Lay It On Me” from their new album Somewhere in California. It was a bold choice given its relative obscurity but given that it’s one of the best songs on the album (and the heaviest) it was a great choice. People sometimes forget that Night Ranger, although known for some monster ballads, was formed by Ozzy Osbourne’s ex-guitarist. To read a review of this incredible album (rated 9.25 out of 10 by Hardrock Haven), just click here: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2011/night-ranger-somewhere-in-california/.

After introducing the crowd to their impressive new music, they switched to familiar territory with their hit ballad “Sing Me Away” from their first album. The crowd joined in on the familiar chorus as they prepared themselves for a long evening of singing along to the soundtrack of their lives. Surprisingly, their third song wasn’t even one of their own songs! It may seem strange for such a well established band to play a cover song when playing such a short set but given that the song was “High Enough”, the massive hit by Jack’s other “supergroup” band Damn Yankees, it’s really not too surprising. This song made it all the way to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 back in 1990 so the crowd was certainly familiar with it. More group singing ensued. Playing the vocal part of Tommy Shaw was Kelly and filling the shoes of the Motor City Madman was Brad, who is certainly a capable fill-in for The Nuge.

At the midpoint of their set, they played one of their biggest hits “When You Close Your Eyes” from their platinum selling Midnight Madness. This was followed up by their first big video hit “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”, which enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV during its early years. Even today it’s hard to hear this song without picturing Jack standing on railroad tracks!

Finally, they played the song everyone was waiting for, their biggest hit “Sister Christian.” This song continues to show up on compilation disks, frequently mislabeled as a “Power Ballad,” and is definitely a fan favorite. Kelly walked out from behind his drum kit with sticks in hand and began leading the crowd as if he were a symphony orchestra conductor. Fortunately, his voice was in fine shape and their rendition of this iconic song didn’t disappoint. Sometimes his voice can be a little shaky due to overuse from singing night after night but on this night he sounded perfect. At this point, the crowd was in a state of rock and roll bliss and fully ready to welcome the night’s next to acts. However, Night Ranger weren’t quite finished yet. A stage hand brought out a large American flag and, joining in the patriotic spirit, both Brad and Joel played red, white and blue guitars as they finished up their set with their popular rocker, “(You Can Still) Rock in America.”

Overall, they put on a high energy show, they looked great, they played great, and they sounded great. Just as important, they appeared to really be having fun on stage. This is a band that is celebrating their 30th anniversary and yet they played with the swagger and vigor of guys half their age. They’ve been around the proverbial block and are clearly happy with the current state of their careers in 2011. They could spend all of their time looking backwards but instead seem to be more interested with enjoying the present and moving into the future with their best new material in years.

The only downside to their show was the short set list. With three bands, the opening act is always going to have a limited set but as well as they were playing it would’ve been nice to hear them play more. Only getting to hear them tear through seven awesome songs merely whets the appetite to see them play a full show. If you get a chance to see them on this current tour with legendary acts like Foreigner and Journey, run, don’t walk to your nearest ticket agent. After all, you can see these three amazing bands for as cheap as $30, which is an incredible deal. On this particular summer night, it was nice to see that three classic bands could still pull in nearly 20,000 fans and prove that you CAN still rock in America!

Photos appear courtesy of Ron and Don Higgins

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Live!

November 19th, 2009 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to get into the Holiday Spirit than listening to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Every Christmas season, TSO comes to the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. This year I thought it was time to check out the rave reviews that I have been hearing about the Holiday mega-event. Prior to the event, it was announced that the TSO concert was sold out. It was no surprise with the caliber of musicians that are featured in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. There are two different touring entourages for the East and West Coast event. The East Coast entourage is listed below.

Some of the musical guests included ex-Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery who was featured on guitar along with Alex Skolnick of Testament. James Lewis was on vocals and Jeff Plate from Machines of Grace and ex-Savatage was one of the featured drummers. Plus an amazing orchestra led by featured violinist Anna Phoebe.

The evening started out with a Narrator, who set the stage for Christmas Eve. In which the stated was the most magical night of the year. The event featured a state of the art sound system dynamic pyro, lasers, flash pods, snow, and magnificent lightning. The arena was lit up like a Christmas tree. The music was overwhelmingly beautiful as the first part of the show consisted of Christmas Carols. The spirit and true meaning of Christmas was displayed with great passion, as the musician played and sang every note with much conviction.

Part two of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert consisted of selections from their latest album Night Castle. After the concert, there was a meet and greet, and I had the to talk opportunity with drummer Jeff Plate. Plate commented about the tour and new Night Castle album, ”The shows have been full. We’ve have had some very great and excited audiences. We had our fingers crossed this year knowing the people are having some difficulties. Non-the less the venues have been full. The new Night Castle CD is out. Which I am sure has generated some more interest in and brought some newer people into the audience. So far so good. The show is once again way over the top. They have added some more production. They have changed some things; the show is certainly different than last year and much better in many respects.”

“There are several songs on there which come from the old days and the old Savatage catalog. One of them is “Believe,” which we actually started doing this song live last year finally when the CD was finished. There is another snippet of the old “Prelude to Madness” is now called “Mountain.” It is an instrumental piece. There are certainly other instrumental parts and pieces from some old Savatage stuff that has made its way into the TSO music.”

TSO East Coast Line-up
Robert Kinkel – Keyboard, Music Director
Luci Butler – Keyboards
Chris Caffery – Guitar
Alex Skolnick – Guitar
Johnny Lee Middleton – Bass
Anna Phoebe – Violin
Jeff Plate – Drums
Bryan Hicks – Narrator
Steve Broderick – Vocals
Rob Evan – Vocals
Alexa Goddard – Vocals
Tim Hockenberry – Vocals
Jodi Katz – Vocals
Danielle Landherr – Vocals
James Lewis – Vocals
Jay Pierce – Vocals
Valentina Porter – Vocals

Photos by Deb Rao

Judas Priest Live!

July 7, 2009 with Whitesnake at Comcast Center in Mansfield, Ma.

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

Judas Priest is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their 1980 hit album British Steel and performing the album in its entirety. The British Steel Tour featuring Judas Priest and Whitesnake with opening act Pop Evil rolled into the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass. on July 7.

Judas Priest is one of the first British bands that spearheaded the British Invasion into the U.S. As the curtain donning steel factories and the logo The British Steel Tour fell to the stage, die-hard Judas Priest fans were on their feet in anticipation of the Metal Gods that once ruled the charts in the 1980′s. Judas Priest hit the stage at 9:30 P.M. performing a 90 – minute set that did not disappoint. The band sounded tight and at the top of their game.

Rob Halford was in great shape dressed in black leather and sunglasses, as he spun circles around the stage, unleashing his powerful vocals to such hits as “Breaking The Law,” and “Living After Midnight.” The green laser show was spectacular and the lighting was very bright and illuminating.

Guitarist Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing shredded out the classic hits with a vengeance. I last saw Judas Priest last summer with Heaven and Hell at the Mohegan and tonight’s performance seemed more exhilarating. Maybe it was the aura of being at an outdoors arena Priest show, but you could tell the band was really into performing “British Steel” live. Halford was very active onstage and gave a stellar performance.

Highlights of the set were “The Ripper” and “Victim Of Changes” and the new song “Prophecy.” Judas Priest ended the night with “You Got Another Thing Coming”.

Judas Priest Set List:
Rapid Fire
Metal Gods
Breaking The Law
Grinder
United
You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise
Living After Midnight
The Rage
Steeler
The Ripper
Prophecy
Rock Hard Ride Free
Victim Of Changes

Encore:
Freewheel Burning
Diamonds And Rust
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’

Opening act Whitesnake hit the stage at 8 P.M. performing a 60 – minute set of all of their classic hits. Although the cast of characters has changed since the heyday of the band Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich held down the fort with their amazing guitar duos.

Opening with “Bad Boys,” Whitesnake took the metal crowd down memory lane performing all of the MTV hits. The bluesy vocals of David Coverdale sounded good, as the band launched into “Fool For Your Lovin”, and “Slow And Easy.”

Singer David Coverdale remarked, “Here we are in Massachusetts on this lovely night. Thank God the rain stopped.” Actually the only disappointment tonight was the weather factor that kept many fans away as flood warnings were posted earlier due to severe thunderstorms that embraced the area.

Do you remember when guitar solos ruled the ’80s? Well, tonight in Mansfield, guitarists Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich wowed the crowd with their dueling guitar mastery before the song “Crying In The Rain”. Also the band has New England roots, as Providence native bassist Uriah Duffy performed with the band.

Highlight of the Whitesnake set was the singalong to “Here I Go Again” and “In The Still Of The Night”.

Bad Boys
Fool For Your Lovin’
Love Ain’t No Stranger
Slow And Easy
Lay Down Your Love
Guitar solos from Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich
Crying In The Rain
Is This Love
Give Me All Your Love
Here I Go Again
Still Of The Night

Photos courtesy of Deb Rao

Johnny A. Live!

July 3, 2009 Taffy’s, Eaton, OH.

by Chris A.
Staff Writer

Many in the crowd at the sold out Johnny A. performance at Taffys in Eaton, Ohio had no idea whom or what they were about to see and hear as Boston’s tone-monster guitarist stepped forward. 90 Minutes later it was all over and Johnny A., supported by his exceptional band, left the crowd shaking their heads in awe at the incredible performance they had just witnessed.

In less than two hours, the namesake of the Gibson Custom Shop Johnny A. Signature model guitar had created another army of fans. Signed to Steve Vai’s guitar-god heavy label “Favored Nations,” Johnny A. is acknowledged as one of the finest guitarists to ever plug in. Influenced by the likes of Hendrix, Beck, Bloomfield and others, his talent, touch, soul and ability to extract incredibly emotive tone from his instrument and gear is legend among savvy guitar players and “in-the-know” music lovers.

A true contemporary of guys like Stevie Ray Vaughn, he’s worked with and shared the stage with guys like Peter Wolfe, BB King, Aerosmith and Eric Clapton. Seated on his trademark stool playing a trans black model of his signature Gibson guitar, he wowed and the Taffys crowd with original compositions like “Two Wheel Horse” and “Tex Critter”. His ability to merge the diversities of rock, jazz, blues, country and rockabilly into a single entity and then “JA” them together with his shimmering Bigsby vibrato, well, it never fails to impress and is the essence of the “Johnny A. sound.”

During his performance of his original composition, the soulful blues filled “Krea Gata,” he demonstrated what dynamics in music are all about. Taking his guitar from a quiet, mournful pitch he slowly built up to a crescendo of sound that was moving and crushing in its intensity. Sophisticated in their appreciation for fine music, the Taffys audience rewarded the musicians with rapt attention and enthusiastic exclamations of approval. Supported by two exceptional musicians, drummer Ron Stewart and bassist Jesse Bastos, Johnny A., knows he can cut loose and let it rip with these two professionals behind him.

From aesthetically pleasing original compositions to outstanding, imaginative covers of Beatles classics through his show ending “Jimi Jam”, (Mr. A’s tip of the hat to the late, great Jimi Hendrix,) one could easily argue that he is one of the most talented individuals to pick up the iconic instrument we call the guitar. Johnny A. is currently on tour in the United States and if you love guitar music this is the guy you need to know. You can learn more about this incredible guitarist, his music and his gear at www.johnnya.com

You can also find video and information about Johnny A. on YouTube.

Def Leppard Live!

June 30, 2009 with Poison & Cheap Trick at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Ma.

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

One of the most anticipated tours of the summer Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick rolled into the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass. Tuesday night performing to a near capacity crowd. The audience spanned a generation, as families brought their children to see the two legendary ’80s metal bands that are still at the top of their game today.

Kicking off the nights festivities at 6:45 P.M., Cheap Trick hit the stage for a colorful set, as guitarist Rick Nielsen dressed in a pink suit and 5-neck yellow plaid guitar cranked out the catchy riffs of “I Want You To Want Me”, and “Surrender”. Singer Robin Zander sporting a white hat was in good voice. Highlight of the Cheap Trick set was their hit ballad “The Flame.”

Rock of Love’s Bret Michaels and his band Poison hit the stage at 8 P.M. performing a 60-minute set of pure infectious pop. Opening with “Look What The Cat Dragged In,” Poison delivered a high-energized punch featuring Bret Michaels in pretty good voice for having suffered from the major Tony Awards incident a few weeks ago.

Highlights of the Poison set were the acoustic laden,” Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, and acoustic “Something To Believe In” in which Bret Michaels dedicated this song to the Armed Forces. Also the bluesy intro featuring Michaels on harmonica and C.C. Deville playing the blues was a fan favorite on “Mama Don’t Dance.”

Bret Michaels commented,” Poison has been coming to Boston for the past 22 years. Every year just keeps getting better and better. I am a rock and roll fan too. Every night I get to sit on the side of the stage and listen to Cheap Trick and Def Leppard. I want to thank Def Leppard for letting us be a part of this tour.”

Every Summer for the past nine years, since the Power To The People Tour, I have been coming to see Poison perform. I have to say this year, the band’s performance seemed to be re-energized. Although, the set list was the same, Poison had everyone one their feet and ready to rock.

After the concert Bret Michaels hosted a Bret Michaels after-party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston.

Poison Set List:
Look At What The Cat Dragged In
I Want Action
Something To Believe In
Mama Don’t Dance
CC Solo
Unskinny Bop
Rikki drum solo
Every Rose
Talk Dirty To Me

Encore:
Nothing But A Good Time

At 9:30 P.M. one of the most popular bands of the metal genre Def Leppard took the stage with a vengeance. The Def Leppard stage show featured spectacular lighting, a video screen that almost spanned the entire stage, and a catwalk in which every member walk down to showcase their talent. The video screen launched photos of the band from past to present spanning their illustrious career in music.

Singer Joe Elliot owned the stage, with his powerful vocals. Opening with “Rock!Rock!Till You Drop,” the band was surely there to rock unleashing hit after hit to the capacity crowd. Fueled by the extradonairy guitar work of Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, highlights of the set would include the acoustic performance of “Two Steps Behind,” “Bringing On The Heartbreak”, and new song “Nine Lives.”

The show didn’t end there. Def Leppard packed a powerful end of night punch with “Hysteria,” “Animal,” and “Rock Of Ages.” For one night music fans got to re-live the heyday of their youth with songs that have outlasted the test of time and everyone had nothing but a good time!

Def Leppard Set List:
Rock!Rock!Till You Drop
Rocket
Let’s Get Rocked
Foolin
Too Late
Nine Lives
Rock On
Two Steps Behind
Bringing On The Heartbreak
Hysteria
Animal
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock Of Ages

Photos courtesy of Deb Rao

King’s X Live!

June 16, 2009 The Riot Room, Kansas City, Mo.

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Orange Sky opened the evening with a blistering set of music that comprises a multitude of musical elements from hard rock, soft rock, punk and reggae which is ground into a metallic presentation. The band is led by lead vocalist and guitarist Nigel Rojas, rhythm guitarist Joel Beazer, bassist Nicholas Rojas, keyboardist Richard Hall, and drummer Obasi Springer.

Touring in support of their latest studio album Dat Iz Voodoo on StarCity records, Orange Sky took the stage and for nearly an hour they held the attention of the crowd. Not being overly familiar with the band was not a hindrance to enjoying the energetic music.

Hailing from Trinidad, the Caribbean band had no trouble connecting with the audience. Their free spirited energy certainly was absorbed by the crowd. The band was more than generous with their time before and after their set. They mingled with the crowd, signed autographs and took pictures with eager fans.

Check them out on the web:
www.theorangesky.com
www.starcityrecording.com

Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor, and Jerry Gaskill are the three parts that equal the whole that is King’s X. Their return to Kansas City was witnessed by a packed house. From the time that the band took the stage the demeanor of Pinnick was the focal point, as technical difficulties with his monitors distracted and you could say enraged him. Giving a bit of a tongue lashing to the “sound guys” the show moved forward but throughout the set Pinnick remained disgruntled.

Can’t say what Pinnick was hearing but the soulfulness and bluesy grit of his voice was dynamic as ever. The Beatle-esque harmony vocals are the pinnacle of the band’s sound and King’s X more than delivered in the live setting. The trio can be measured against some rock’s better known bands made up of only three members, such as Rush or Triumph, as King’s X delivers a wall of sound that fills up any venue.

It is amazing to see Pinnick play the bass guitar as aggressively as he does and then add in his ability to sing so flawlessly. It’s pure magic. Ty Tabor is no slouch on guitar or vocals either. His unique guitar style joins with Pinnick bass lines and Gaskill’s percussion and builds out the music of the uniquely progressive band.

Touring in support of their recent release XV the band performed their “hits” as well as fan favorites. In all including the encore’s King’s X performed fifteen songs. They certainly extended some songs into longer jams as on the classic “Over My Head.” Or the closer “Born to be Loved” which seemed as if it was always on the verge of stopping but carried on.

King’s X put on a great live show. And after the show the were gracious enough to hang out and meet fans, sign autographs and take photos.

Set List:
Groove
Alright
Pleades
Move
What Is This
Black Flag
Germany
Pray
Dogman
Go Tell Somebody
Summerland
Looking For Love
Head

Encore:
It’s Love
Born To Be Loved

Photo Gallery

Pictures courtesy of John Kindred & Gary Dean Ash