Books that Rock: Drinking with Strangers

Post # 210

Butch Walker-Drinking With Strangers: Music Lessons From a Teenage Bullet Belt
When I received a copy of this book, I had not heard anything about it, nor did I know who Butch Walker even was. I read the back cover and found out he's a songwriter/produced for pop artists like Pink and Katy Perry, to which I said 'ho-hum, maybe I'll get to this book a little later...'. When I finally cracked the book open, the dedication caught my eye right away: "... I dedicate this book to Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley." Now, I was MUCH more curious to read this book. Anyone who would dedicate their book to the 4 original members of KISS had already won me over in part by simply being a kindred spirit of the KISS Army ilk. So now I began to read, wondering what the life-story behind this Butch Walker guy was like. I already wished I hadn't waited so long to read this book...

Turns out that Butch Walker was much more of a rocker and metal-head in his past. Like myself, he grew up as part of a generation and culture (small-town America), where the only way to get into music was through listening to the radio and watching MTV music videos (which USED to be on-air daily during prime-time and those couple extra hours between getting home from school and 'uh-oh, Mom and Dad are home!'). His love for rock music grew into the desire to play and write music, and later he yearned to 'make it!' in the music industry.

With mixed blessings and curses, Butch persistently pursued his dream to make it in the music scene. He had a couple not-quite successful bands; the first being the 'hair-band' Southgang, the next was the 'number-band' Marvelous 3. Though neither of these bands led to lasting success, neither did they trap him in America's memory, forever tagged to a passing trend in music. Is his book he describes this as 'Falling backwards up the ladder of success.' A fitting analogy, as each endeavor brought small degrees of larger success.

For Butch Walker, this was a long, slow, and far from steady rise. While he may have had shady record deals, or botched tour promotion strategies, he always seemed to learn from his experiences. Personal hardships have played a role is some of his major set-backs, but he shows remarkable resilience to keep working at his craft through thick and thin. He does not come across as an ego-maniacal Hollywood celeb, but rather a home-town guy you can identify with as he tells his tale.

Whether it's recounting 'dead-dog-sledding' while on tour in China, catching helicopter rides in Hollywood backyards, watching people country line-dancing to Nine Inch Nails, or meeting guitar-god Yngwie Malmsteen years after his heyday, Drinking With Strangers is sure to prove an entertaining read. Some parts of this book are so funny you'd think they were thought up by the likes of some humorous writer, like Christopher Moore. However it's actually non-fiction, hard as it may be to believe at times. As Butch himself reiterates many times, he couldn't make this stuff up if he tried!

Over the years, as he has matured, Butch has learned several valuable lessons from his experiences- both positive and negative, in the music industry. Butch Walker truly has developed a musician's broad appreciation for several genres of music and a personal drive to create music from the heart that has true meaning and doesn't depend on mindless promotion and marketing. His purpose in writing this biography seems to be as a guide for those interested in a career in music. He is putting his experiences out there for others to learn from.

Check out this book, and see how Butch has gotten to where he is. It may prove invaluable to future aspiring musicians.

Lastly, feel free to enjoy this promo clip of the book, including Butch Walker's parody of the 'Reading Rainbow' commercial theme-song: http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/10/19/butch-walker-reading-rainbow/#more-10913

Shop Rock America! (Dark Horses in Heavy Metal Madness)

Post # 209

Hello heavy metal fans! I wanted to take a minute here, while there are still a couple days left to vote in the first half of the Sweet Sixteen of Heavy Metal Madness to remind you that Rock America is a sponsor of this contest. There is a gift card prize for the entry that finishes first in the poll, so let me remind you to keep voting! Even if your favorite picks are eliminated, some of your next-best choices could sway the final results one way or another.

As a way of thanks to Rock America, I will again recommend some of their merchandise from bands in this tournament. This time I've decided to select products from the lowest remaining seeds from each quadrant of the bracket- the Dark Horses in this race. These are the lowest ranked bands that still have a shot at being crowned 'Best Rock/Metal Band Ever'! (Based on popular vote... that means YOU!)

From the Classic Metal/Thrash Block: #7 seed-JUDAS PRIEST

From the Metalcore/Hardcore Block: #5 seed-SYSTEM OF A DOWN

From the Classic Rock/Hair Metal Block: #5 seed KISS

and From the Alternative/Grunge Block: #11 seed FOO FIGHTERS

I hope everybody can find something at Rock America that fits their interest. As a reminder, they are located at Gurnee Mills, and Woodfield shopping malls in the Chicago suburbs. Stop by and check them out today!

Heavy Metal Madness: Second Round Summary, part 2!

Post #208

Back on July 20th, the Heavy Metal Madness 2012 Tournament officially reached the 'Sweet Sixteen', as 8 more bands were eliminated as the second round polls closed. The results for last month's voting were as follows...

Megadeth beat Motorhead 25-11,
Judas Priest upset the #2 seed Slayer 21-14,

Nirvana beat Rob Zombie 21-15,
Alice In Chains dominated Lacuna Coil 30-7,

AC/DC beat Queen 23-14,
Led Zeppelin edged out a close match with Ozzy Osbourne 20-17,

Tool came from behind to beat Bullet for My Valentine 23-12,
and System of a Down won a close match with Korn 18-15.

With these results in the bag, it is now on to the Sweet Sixteen! The first half of this round is now open for voting through August 19th. Cast your votes in the right hand column before then. >>>>>>>>

Now let's reflect a moment on the bands who were just eliminated. Here's a recommended song from each of them:

Motorhead-Overkill

Slayer-South of Heaven

Rob Zombie-American Witch

Lacuna Coil-Trip the Darkness

Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody

Ozzy Osbourne-No More Tears

Bullet for My Valentine-Scream, Aim, Fire

Korn-Another Brick in the Wall

Until the next round summary... Happy Headbanging!

Remember to keep voting....

MAIDEN ENGLAND TOUR 2012: Iron Maiden celebrate '7th Son' anniversary on tour with Alice Cooper

Post #207

(Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper concert review from 7-5-12 at the First Midwest Bank Ampitheater in Tinley Park, IL.)

In regards to Iron Maiden's music, I was late to discover them. 1995 was the first time I actually started to buy some of their albums on CD. Although The X Factor was the newest release at the time, the first studio album I collected was Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. That album was the one that planted the seed of Iron Maiden fandom in me, and I have always enjoyed listening to it. Many songs were instant favorites of mine, while others grew on me over the years.

Seventh Son was Iron Maiden's first 'concept album', and it told an intriguing tale of prophecy, fate, psychic power, corruption, and the classic struggle between good and evil. It is based on the mythology that a seventh son of a seventh son would be born with great psychic powers. When writing music for this album, Iron Maiden's bassist Steve Harris was inspired by Orson Scott Card's novel Seventh Son, which deals with the same concept.

Why all this talk about Seventh Son? Because on the Maiden England tour, Maiden decided to pay tribute to this album; resurrecting or re-inventing many of the stage sets, props, and imagery from the Seventh Son tour. They played a set list that also focused primarily on songs from that tour and the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album, making for the most unique and memorable 'nostalgia tour' I've seen yet!

Not to be overlooked, Alice Cooper was the opening act, and he also filled his stage show with some of his classic props, accessories, and role-playing to interpret many of the lyrics. Always a theatrical rock performer, Alice Cooper made a perfect pairing with Iron Maiden on this exciting night of classic heavy metal.

As the sun was beginning to set, and the crowd was buzzing in the early July heat, the stage became the focal point as sound began to roll out of the speakers. However there were no guitars or drums... yet. The sound that welcomed us to this night of gruesome and theatrical heavy metal was a snippet of spoken dialog. It was taken form Alice's 'Welcome to My Nightmare' album, and it proved to be the intro to 'The Black Widow'.

Now, 'The Black Widow' was a pretty obscure track to kick of a show, and I was loving it, but then it got even better. As Alice began to sing, he raised his arms to reveal he actually had 8 arms! (Actually, it was 6 prop-arms, but they were strung like a marionette's arms so that their movements synchronized with Alice's real arms.) What a cool stage-effect to start the show! Next song was the title-track from the Brutal Planet album, perhaps the heaviest song Alice has ever recorded. It seemed he was hand-picking songs for a metal audience tonight.

Alice proceeded to offer a variety of his best-known hits from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. A memorable moment came when he performed 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' with a live boa constrictor 'round his neck, and for proper context, he change a line to 'My snake bit me on the leg today...' There was also a giant Frankenstein's Monster that came out on stage during 'Feed My Frankenstein'. There was a spotlight guitar solo, featuring Orianthi, who now plays lead guitar in Alice's band. She was phenomenal, but that's to be expected from a prodigy such as she.

The most shocking portion of Alice's show, both for song selection, and theatrics, was when he played 'Wicked Young Man'- a song with lyrics that deal with the psychological mind-set of school shootings. As the antagonist of the song, Alice was apprehended by 3 skeletal figures at the end of the song, placed in a guillotine, and decapitated! While this transpired, the band faded into the song 'I Love the Dead'.

When Alice returned to the stage a few minutes later, it was to perform the anthem 'School's Out'. It got the crowd going again, and back into the spirit of rock n' roll, rebellion, and empowerment. The band even gave the song a unique twist, as they shifted gears and played a refrain from Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2' in the middle of the song. All-in-all it was a fantastic set, and Iron Maiden was still to come...

Once the stage was changed over, and the anticipation was again becoming tangible, the UFO classic 'Doctor Doctor' began to play over the PA; the tell-tale sign that Maiden were nearly ready to hit the stage...

"Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win. Seven holy paths to hell and your trip begins..."
The spoken intro of Iron Maiden's classic album washed over a hushed crowd. The same crowd soon began to invigorate as the tempo and energy of 'Moonchild' soon reached full speed. While the band was firing on all cylinders, Bruce made his energetic entrance, running to center stage right as he started singing the first lyrics of the song. Iron Maiden were off and running (literally in Bruce's case), and we were in for a truly special night of epic heavy metal!

'Can I Play with Madness' was the next song, another selection from Seventh Son, and I was again being taken back in my mind to the first time I heard Iron Maiden's music. This song has always been one of my favorites! After that, the set-list slipped into a collection of songs mainly focusing on pre-Seventh Son-era material, with the exception of 'Afraid to Shoot Strangers' from Fear of the Dark. I was into this show like no other. I was living in the moment, even if that moment was 25 years ago. I felt like I was getting a rare opportunity to hear what Maiden were like back in the days before I had even become a fan of theirs. This was an opportunity you don't get with every band you see these days. Maiden were giving me that chance.

Some lesser played songs like 'The Prisoner' and 'Phantom of the Opera' were dusted off and played to perfection. Other classics like 'The Trooper' and '2 Minutes to Midnight' were simply too good to be omitted, and though the band has probably played them thousands of times, they still played them with enthusiasm and 110% effort. Sure, I was lucky enough to have seen Iron Maiden 2 summers ago, but there were people in the audience seeing this band for the first time, and they would not be let down! True to form, Bruce carried a battle-tattered Union Jack flag during the aforementioned 'The Trooper'. At one point he dangled the flag back and forth over guitarist Janick Gers' head during his guitar solo.

This was already an excellent show, but for me it was about to get even better. The stage lighting dimmed, parts of the stage-set shifted around, and a huge pipe-organ was raised of the right side of the stage as the song I had been looking forward to hearing live for 25 years began to play: 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'. This song, which tells most of the story behind the concept album, is over 9 minutes long. It is hard to fit such a long song into a set list when you could probably play 2 other songs in its place. Hence its perpetual absence from live shows since the first time Iron Maiden toured in support of Seventh Son...

But tonight was the exception to the rule. On a tour designed to revisit this specific album, the title track became the centerpiece of the concert. 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' is a progressive metal masterpiece, often overlooked in favor of other progressive songs Maiden have written over the years. 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' comes to mind as perhaps the 'Critics' Choice' among Iron Maiden's collection of 'epic' songs. However, the way 'Seventh Son...' ties together the story line for a concept album makes it well worth exhibiting live in concert. What made the experience even more memorable was the giant Eddie, designed after the Seventh Son album cover, complete with the unborn 'Seventh Son', struggling within the placenta during the performance.

The next song was also from Seventh Son: 'The Clairvoyant'. This is another personal favorite, and my appreciation for hearing so many tracks from this classic album was beyond measure. I may have missed the last couple 'nostalgia' tours from Iron Maiden, where they've revisited other 'classic' tours from their past, but I'm so glad I caught this one. In many ways, it has brought my Iron Maiden listening experience full-circle.

The band's performance was top-notch throughout the entire concert. Weather they were playing the vintage classics, the deep tracks, or some fan-favorites, they performed them with near perfect precision. The current 3-guitarist line-up of Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers is always a treat to behold, and on this night they brought new life to a previously dormant section of Iron Maiden's classic past. They also played 'Fear of the Dark' as another post-Seventh Son fan favorite. They closed the main set with the song 'Iron Maiden', but as one would expect, they returned for an encore- which included 'The Evil That Men Do', as one last track from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

"Seven are your burning fires... Seven your desires."

Setlists:
ALICE COOPER
-The Black Widow
-Brutal Planet
-I'm 18
-No More Mr. Nice Guy (with Boa Constrictor)
-Hey Stoopid
-Orianthi Guitar Solo
-Billion Dollar Babies
-Feed My Frankenstein
-Poison
-Wicked Young Man
-I Love the Dead
-School's Out

IRON MAIDEN
-Moonchild
-Can I Play With Madness
-The Prisoner
-2 Minutes to Midnight
-Afraid to Shoot Strangers
-The Trooper
-The Number of the Beast
-Phantom of the Opera
-Run to the Hills
-Wasted Years
-Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
-The Clairvoyant
-Fear of the Dark
-Iron Maiden
---encore---
-Aces High
-The Evil That Men Do
-Running Free

(Photos courtesy of JP Soule of DEADMANSWAKE)

Judas Priest: The 70's

Post #206
It is clear that heavy metal music has its roots in the late-60's and early-70's. However, it is truly the 70's where the course of metal music as a genre found its footing and began to branch down different paths of development. One of the most crucial bands in establishing metal's stronghold is Judas Priest. They had two very talented guitarists in KK Downing and Glen Tipton, but even more significant was their one-of-a-kind vocalist- Rob Halford. Halford had a vocal range of about 4 octaves, which is among the widest vocal ranges in metal music. Very early in their career, Judas Priest began making the most of these coveted talents, and helped launch a new era for the heavy metal genre which is still going strong today.

Priest released their debut album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974. Compared to most of the rest of their albums, this one is a little rough around the edges. Perhaps a bit before Priest would truly find their signature sound, this is still an interesting recording. Here you'll find a band existing somewhere between psychedelic rock and the heavy-blues rock from which metal would soon sprout.

My top picks from Rocka Rolla:
-One for the Road
-Rocka Rolla
-Cheater (on the compact disc this is part of medley also featuring- Winter, Deep Freeze, and Winter Retreat)
-Diamonds and Rust (an early version of their Joan Baez cover that would also appear on the Sin After Sin album a few years later, this song was added as a bonus track after remastering in the 80's)

With their second album in '76, Priest delivered a true classic. Sad Wings of Destiny still stands the test of time as a crucial album in the early landscape of heavy metal. No less than 4 tracks from this album have become concert set-list favorites over the years: 'Victim of Changes', 'The Ripper', 'Tyrant' and 'Genocide'. This is the album where Judas Priest really began to find their signature sound.

Sad Wings of Destiny is more than a keystone album for Judas Priest, it has been a major influence to the entire heavy metal genre since its release. Many of today's prominent metal bands still refer to Sad Wings when recounting the days when they discovered a love for heavy music. Particularly thrash metal owes a great deal to this album, for it's where many of the key elements of thrash were first revealed.

My picks from Sad Wings...
-Victim of Changes
-The Ripper
-Deceiver
-Tyrant
-Genocide
-Island of Domination

1977's Sin After Sin was Priest's first album for CBS Records (which would morph into Columbia Records in due time). With support from the record company Judas Priest by now were able to tour in the US, broadening their audience significantly. More importantly, they were carving their own niche as songwriters and had truly begun to pave a significant road for Heavy Metal music. One fact that illustrates this album's significance might be that thrash titan Slayer chose to cover the song 'Dissident Aggressor' from this album. It remains a concert favorite for both bands.

My Picks from Sin After Sin:
-Sinner
-Diamonds and Rust (The famous Joan Baez cover)
-Starbreaker
-Last Rose of Summer (This song shows the softer side of Judas Priest as well as any song they've ever written. Clean, melodic ballad showcases Halford's true vocal talent as well. Perhaps the last song by Priest that really sounds more psychedelic rock than metal.)
-Dissident Aggressor

BONUS TRACKS:
-Race With the Devil
-Jawbreaker (Live)

Stained Class was released in 1978, and this is the album I have come to call my favorite among Judas Priest's work from the 70's. I rank it among my top-5 favorite albums from Priest overall. This album again features many songs that get repeated inclusion in concert set lists and compilation albums. 'Exciter' and 'Stained Class' being the heavier offerings on this album, but to my ears, the most memorable song here is 'Beyond the Realms of Death'.

'Beyond the Realms of Death' was the most unique song Priest had recorded by this point in their career. Primarily driven by melodic guitar phrases, and a somber minor-key tone, the chorus kicks into a heavy riff, and Halford's voice converts from soft vocal melodies to more aggressive screams. This song has even been referenced by Metallica as being a key to their pursuit of the clean/heavy/clean song structures they developed in the mid-80's.

Other notes of significance on Stained Class: It is the first album to feature Les Binks on drums. Binks also is credited as co-writing the aforementioned 'Beyond the Realms of Death' with Halford. It is also the first album to feature the now-classic Judas Priest logo. The album artwork (by Roslav Szaybo), seems to depict the famous head-injury suffered by Phineas Gage in 1848, although the angle of the rod-through-the-head is a little bit off.

My top picks from Stained Class:
-Exciter
-Stained Class
-Saints in Hell
-Beyond the Realms of Death (DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!)
-Heroes End

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fire Burns Below
-Better By You, Better Than Me (Live)

1979 brought Hell Bent for Leather to the metal masses. Judas Priest were growing in popularity with each release at this point. This album is a great example of the band maintaining their grip with accessible, radio-friendly heavy rock, as it contains a few songs that are best described as anthems, while still pushing the edge of heavy metal. 'Rock Forever' and 'Take on the World' are those anthem type of songs. Conversely they still had several songs on the cutting edge of heavy metal, like 'Hell Bent for Leather' and 'Running Wild'. Keep in mind, however, that this was the 1970's, and the only way to achieve success was through radio air-play, so music couldn't get as aggressive as it can today and still survive.

Overall, the direction of this album would be right on par with much of the material Priest would write throughout the 80's, making Hell Bent for Leather a true classic of heavy metal.



My favorite tracks from Hell Bent for Leather:
-Delivering the Goods
-Rock Forever
-Hell Bent for Leather
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) (A cover of a Fleetwood Mac song, and Priest make this one their own as well as they did on 'Diamonds and Rust')
-Running Wild
-Before the Dawn (Again, I recommend the softest track on the album. I can't help enjoying a band that maintains their versatility through the years.)

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fight For Your Life
-Riding on the Wind (Live)

By 1979, Judas Priest had been touring the world with growing success for well over 2 years. They chose to close the decade with a live album documenting their well earned status as one of the best new heavy metal bands in the world. Unleashed in the East was that album, and it remains one of the best live albums by any metal band in the 70's.

When the Judas Priest albums were remastered in 2001, 4 bonus tracks were adding to this release. Also recorded live from the same tour, these extra tracks make this album and even greater masterpiece.

My top picks from Unleashed in the East:
-Exciter
-Sinner
-The Ripper
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)
-Genocide

BONUS TRACKS:
-Rock Forever
-Delivering the Goods
-Hell Bent for Leather
-Starbreaker

Remembering Jon Lord (1941-2012)

Post # 205

Today, the world of Heavy Metal music, Rock N' Roll, and music in general, lost an iconic musician. Jon Lord, keyboardist for Deep Purple, passed away. He was 71 years old. His career in Heavy Metal spanned nearly 5 decades. The music he created or helped create is beyond measure. The bands he played in, or worked with, all feel this loss today. Rest In Peace Jon Lord. Fans of your music everywhere are thinking of you today!


Here's one of my favorite songs featuring Jon Lord on keyboards:


Who Cares-Out Of My Mind

Heavy Metal Madness-Second Round Summary: Part 1

Post #204
With the second round of Heavy Metal Madness, the choices got tougher, the votes got closer, and all-in-all the excitement multiplied as more bands were ultimately eliminated from this competition. As the polls closed, 8 more bands got one step closer to the championship of heavy metal.

Here's how the first half of the 'Sweet Sixteen' was decided...
In the Thrash/Classic Metal bracket:
METALLICA beat ANTHRAX 39-7
and IRON MAIDEN beat PANTERA 30-15
This sets up next month's match between Maiden and Metallica, one that I think might just determine the eventual champion, but the only way to know for sure is to keep voting...

In the Alternative/Grunge bracket:
FOO FIGHTERS beat RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 23-18
and SOUNDGARDEN upset PEARL JAM 23-20
...Two very tight matches right up to the end!

In the Classic Rock bracket:
BLACK SABBATH dominated RUSH 35-9
and KISS (#5 seed) beat MOTLEY CRUE (#4 seed) 30-12, a close match in seeding, but an upset nonetheless.

And finally, in the Hardcore/ Death Metal bracket:
DISTURBED beat NIGHTWISH 26-12
and AVENGED SEVENFOLD beat KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 25-13


The second half of this round is underway now! Keep the votes coming, and check back later to see who has advanced.
The first half of the Sweet Sixteen round begins on July 20th!

My suggested songs for those bands eliminated this past month:
Anthrax-I'm Alive
Pantera-Mouth For War
Rage Against The Machine-Bulls on Parade
Pearl Jam-Spin the Black Circle
Rush-Working Man
Motley Crue-Dr. Feelgood
Nightwish-Nemo
Killswitch Engage-The End Of Heartache

Happy Headbanging...

Rock Bottom Remainders at ALA 2012 (6-23-12)

"It's Past Our Bedtime Tour" -Anaheim, CA
Post #203
On June 23rd, 2012, at the ALA (American Library Association) Annual Convention, history was made as a unique band gave their final performance together. The band was called The Rock Bottom Remainders. Their legacy: the greatest rock band ever comprised of best-selling authors. (Perhaps it's more accurate to call them the greatest writers ever to form a rock band?) You heard me right: award-winning, best-selling, chart-topping novelists, writers, authors who at one point in the early 90's were drawn together and asked if they would play in a rock band together. The idea was proposed by publishing consultant/author Kathi Kamen Goldmark, and embraced with enthusiasm by the various writers whom thence became a part-time rock band. They have played together over the years, raising money for charity. Tonight was no exception, benefiting the ProQuest Scholarship, though this night was to be their final performance together.

The evening began to unfold as hundreds of librarians and convention-goers proceeded to the top floor of the convention center. We gathered in the main ballroom, where the stage was set to capture a farewell performance unlike any other in the history of Rock n' Roll music. I count myself as VERY lucky to have been among this crowd, another of a long list of benefits of being married to a wonderful librarian. My legs may have been tired from hours of walking the convention floor and gathering books, but I still chose the standing-room-only portion of the floor for this one-of-a-kind concert. Dozens of other librarians were packing the open space right up to the front of the stage. Whatever stereotypes you may have in your mind about librarians, forget 'em. This crowd was buzzing with energy, and you could feel the anticipation building up by the second. This crowd knew the significance of the rock show that was about to unfold.

The first band member/author to come onto the stage was Roy Blount, Jr. He then introduced the rest of the band, one by one. Over a dozen well-known authors and 2 professional musicians (Josh Kelly on drums and Erasmo Paolo on saxophone) filled the stage and prepared to rock the joint. In no particular order, the authors in the band were (to the best of my recollection) as follows: Stephen King, Mitch Albom, Greg Iles, Ridley Pearson, Dave Barry, Sam Barry, James McBride, Amy Tan, Matt Groening, Mary Karr, and Scott Turow. Other guest singers and musicians included Janine Sabino, Kathleen Enright, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and original member of The Byrds- Roger McGuinn. (There may have been a couple other Remainders or Remainderettes whose names I can't recall, and if so, I apologize. By all means feel free to notify me of any other names I should mention. This blog is not beyond the power of revision ;-) )

Josh Kelly clicked his drum sticks in the air to set the tempo, and the next thing we knew the House was A-Rockin' (literally and figuratively, as they opened with Stevie Ray Vaughan's '89 classic, 'The House Is Rockin'). The crowd got into it immediately, jumping up and down in time with the music. The opening song was an all-out jam. Everybody on-stage was singing the lyrics and/or playing their instruments and giving their all. Next they hit us with an appropriate, literary-themed song- 'Paperback Writer' by The Beatles. Again this song was vocals-by-committee, as various authors took turns singing the verses, while numerous background singers filled in all of The Beatles' catchy, 4-part harmonies right on cue.

The Rock Bottom Remainders carried on with their set, giving us a healthy dose of rock n' roll classics from the 50's and 60's. They had a great sense of showmanship as well. Every member of the band had a unique personality, and a charisma they brought to the stage. Many times they incorporated a skit to act out some of the lyrical themes. Scott Turow was introduced while wearing a hot-pink wig. Roy Blount Jr. was sporting a Blues Brothers-esque black hat and shades. Stephen King was wearing a Boston Red Sox t-shirt ('Of course!' I thought to myself.), but a closed look revealed it to be a Gilead Gunslingers shirt, in the style of the Red Sox logo. Also, where the baseball team's logo has a pair of red socks, in their place were two revolvers (with sandalwood grips I'm willing to bet). Matt Groening periodically put on rubber Halloween masks of various Simpson's characters. But perhaps the most flamboyant stage presence was owned by Amy Tan.

Amy was The Rock Bottom Remainders' answer for Lady Gaga. She wore a blond wig, leopard-print blouse, tight leather pants, leather boots, and a pair of shades. She had been limited to background and harmony vocals for the first several songs, but when her turn came for lead vocals, she took her stage presence to a whole new level. She went back-stage for a second, and then returned with a leather whip and tight leopard print pants. Then the descending bass-line of a familiar song began to play... Next thing we knew, Amy Tan was playing the roll of a dominatrix while she sang lead vocals on the Nancy Sinatra hit 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin''. This was far from what one might expect from the author of The Joy Luck Club, but it just goes to show there is often more to a writer than meets the eye! My favorite part was when she turned to the crowd and said, "You've heard of '50 Shades of Grey'? This is 100 shades of TAN!", and then proceeded to whip the back-sides of all the guys in the band.

A few songs later the concert shifted gears again, as Roger McGuinn of The Byrds came onto the stage and joined the band for a portion of the show. They played several classic Byrds hits back-to-back, and it almost felt like we were at a real Byrds concert for a while. Eventually Roger did step back from the spotlight and the revolving door for lead vocalist resumed. He left the stage for quite a while, but would return later in the evening, helping out on rhythm or lead guitar as needed.

Another highlight of the evening was when Mitch Albom got out from behind his keyboard to play the role of front man. What's more is that he chose to do so in a memorable fashion. He had gone back stage and returned after a wardrobe change. He reemerged as 'The King'. That's right, he did his best Elvis Presley impersonation, complete with the Elvis wig and sunglasses! They played a couple Elvis tunes, 'Teddy Bear' and 'Jailhouse Rock'. Mitch hammed it up for all he was worth, and the crowd loved it. His wife, Janine Sabino, one of the Remainderettes, even joined him for a couple duets.

Scott Turow took the lead vocals on the Del Shannon hit 'Runaway'. On this performance Turow proved to be perhaps the best singer among this group of writers, hitting the high notes with surprising accuracy. This was followed by a 'comic relief' segment of the show, as Greg Iles played his original song 'I'm a Big Best-Seller, Baby'- a classic blues song with a tongue-in-cheek criticism of some fads and trends in the industry. The '50 Shades of Gray vs 100 shades of Tan' joke was reiterated here. After that, Amy Tan again took the lead on the song 'Leader of the Pack'. Her husband, Lou DeMattei, even came onto the stage, dressed like a biker, to play the role opposite Tan as 'The Leader of the Pack'. Dave Barry followed this up with his original, humorous song 'Proofreading Woman', which again featured many jokes and witty lyrics about the publishing industry.

The band was really having a great fun-loving time upon the stage, giving this final performance their best effort. They were living it up to the fullest. However the mood was about to turn to a more serious subject...

I previously mentioned that the whole idea for the Rock Bottom Remainders came from Kathi Kamen Goldmark. She was a participating member of the band as well. However, Kathi died of breast cancer on May 24, 2012, a mere month before this performance. It was a devastating blow to everyone in the band. It was a more significant tragedy for Sam Barry, her husband, and Dave Barry, her brother-in-law. Kathi herself was really looking forward to this show. She wanted it to happen. To honor her, and pay tribute to her and her vision, The Remainders pulled together and saw this event through to the end.

At this point of the show, Dave explained this situation to the audience. He got choked up toward the end of his speech, and we in the audience could see the tears welling up in his eyes. I thought back to some close friends and family members of my own who have had breast cancer recently. Some have beaten the disease, and others lost their battle with it. I tried to imagine what it must be like to perform live music in front of an audience, so close on the heels of a personal tragedy so close to the heart. I couldn't do it. I can't imagine how Sam and Dave managed to pull it off. I looked up at both of them and felt an intense mix of respect, sympathy, and admiration for them both. The entire show was dedicated to her memory. They even brought out Kathi's guitar and propped it up on the front of the stage, so a part of her was up there with them.

Roger McGuinn stepped to the mic, and they proceeded to play 'Turn! Turn! Turn!', a song whose lyrics speak for themselves. They played a couple other songs that were more serious and a bit somber at times. You could feel the emotion throughout the room as writers, librarians, readers, musicians, fans and friends all turned their minds towards a truly wonderful and inspiring woman with the remarkable vision to pull this band together. Sam Barry and Dave Barry put so much heart into their playing on harmonica and guitar, respectively, that they would fit in perfectly with another Sam and Dave of more musical significance. This was a performance of a lifetime. A crowning achievement, and a fitting farewell to a most unique collection of talent.

To remember the kind of humor that Kathi had, Kathy Enright performed a song that they had written together, 'Older Than Him (The Slut Song)'. This was a truly funny, slow-tempo, country-rock number about an older woman in a bar lusting over an attractive younger man. It roused plenty of laughter from the audience, and you could feel the mood lightening once again.

Then, to really get things back on track, Stephen King led the way on vocals for the up-beat 'Bird's the Word'. It was a surreal experience to look up at the master of horror, the writer of some of my favorite books, stuttering out the lyrics, "Papa-oom-mow-mow, oom mow mow..." A little out of context maybe, but it put smiles back on everyone's faces. After that song they took a bow and strolled off the stage...

...But true to form, just like real rock stars, they came back out for an encore a few minutes later. They gave us 3 more songs to rock out to: 'Wild Thing', 'Louie, Louie', and 'GLORIA'. I'll never forget how full of energy the room was. The crowd was possessed with a hybrid of Rock N' Roll Pneumonia and Boogie-Woogie-Blues. The floor was vibrating with the rhythm of several hundred librarians hopping up and down to the music. I let loose myself and did a bit of headbanging (go figure, huh?)

When the final song came to a close, they gave the audience a final farewell. Guitar picks, drum sticks, frisbees and kazoos were tossed into the crowd. Then it was time. It was, after all, 'Past Their Bedtime'. The Rock Bottom Remainders walked off the stage for the last time. 'Just a cover band?' you may ask. Not like this. Never before. And perhaps never again... Writers; sharing a love of music, sharing in friendship among themselves, sharing a love for reading, all in the name of Rock and Roll.

On behalf of the attendees of ALA 2012, we thank you all!

The Band:

Mitch Albom-Keyboards/Vocals

Dave Barry-Lead Guitar/Vocals

Sam Barry-Harmonica/Vocals

Roy Blount, Jr.-MC/Backing Vocals

Lou DeMattei-'Leader of the Pack'

Kathleen Enright-Vocals

Matt Groening-Cowbell/Backing Vocals

Greg Iles-Lead Guitar/Vocals
Mary Karr-Backing Vocals

Josh Kelly-Drums/Vocals

Stephen King-Rhythm Guitar/Vocals

James McBride-Sax/Vocals

Roger McGuinn-Guitar/Vocals

Erasmo Paolo-Sax/Vocals

Ridley Pearson-Bass/Vocals

Janine Sabino-Tambourine/Vocals

Amy Tan-Whip/Vocals

Scott Turow-Vocals

The Setlist (Lead vocalist indicated where appropriate):
(You'll find a couple of the songs below are linked to youtube videos that have been uploaded since the show. These will give you a glimpse of this historic performance. The event sponsors did have cameras filming the show, so perhaps there will be an official DVD coming soon...?  We can hope!)

-The House is Rockin'

-Paperback Writer

-634-5789 (Janine Sabino)

-Midnight Hour

-Hey Little Girl (King)

-Believer (Albom/Sabino)

-These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Tan)

-Hey Baby (I Wanna Know If You'll Be My Girl) (Turow)

-Suzie Q (King)

-Mr. Tambourine Man (McGuinn)

-I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better (McGuinn)

-My Back Pages (McGuinn)

-You Ain't Going Nowhere (Pearson/McGuinn)

-Rock This Town (Paolo)

-Nobody's Fault But Mine (S. Barry)

-(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear (Albom-as Elvis)

-Jailhouse Rock (Albom-as Elvis)

-Da Doo Ron Ron (Sabino)

-Runaway (Turow)

-I'm a Big Best-Seller, Baby (Iles)

-Leader of the Pack (Tan)

-Proofreading Woman (D. Barry)

-Muskrat Sally (Kelly)

-Turn! Turn! Turn! (McGuinn)

-May The Road Rise (McGuinn)

-Older Than Him (The Slut Song) (Kathi and Kathy's song-Kathleen Enright)

-Keep Me In Your Heart (Pearson)

-Bird's the Word (Sufrin' Bird) (King)

-------

(encore)

-Wild Thing (Turow)

-Louie, Louie

-Gloria (D. Barry)

Recommended Reading:

Mitch Albom-The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie

Dave Barry-Dave Barry Turns 50, Peter and the Starcatchers (w/ Ridley Pearson)

Sam Barry-How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons

Roy Blount, Jr.-Roy Blount's Book of Southern Humor

Matt Groening-The Huge Book of Hell

Greg Iles-The Devil's Punchbowl
Mary Karr-The Liars' Club

Stephen King-The Dark Tower Series, The Stand, Needful Things

James McBride-The Color of Water

Ridley Pearson-The Art of Deception, Peter and the Starcatchers (w/ Dave Barry)

Amy Tan-The Joy Luck Club, Saving Fish from Drowning

Scott Turow-Presumed Innocent, The Burden of Proof

I collected many photos throughout the show, and there were too many good ones to post them all within the review above. So here's a special treat: a slide-show of all the extra pics! Check out all the different shots of The Rock Bottom Remainders!

A Dream Theater Mix-Tape: A Blast from the Past...

Post #202
The year was 1997. At that time Dream Theater's newest album was Falling Into Infinity. I had only discovered Dream Theater a year and a half before, but I already considered myself a die-hard fan. I had collected all their albums on CD, and felt it was a good time to make my own 'Best of Dream Theater' mix-tape. (Yes 1997 was still in the era of mix-tapes; any music fan had tons of these.) I just couldn't wait for them to release a Greatest Hits album...

Nowadays we call them playlists on our handy, portable electronic music-playing devices that hold thousands of songs. Back in '97 though, what people did was record their favorite songs from their CD collection onto a blank cassette tape (or perhaps burn songs on to a CDR, but if you couldn't afford a newer model computer- or any computer- you were stuck with what your dual-cassette CD boom box could do.) Everybody's car had cassette players back then, at least if you were a college kid on a working-class campus. So a mix-tape was a handy, portable, personalized collection of you favorite songs.

For Dream Theater, who are famous for writing very long songs, often exceeding 10 minutes, I needed the 'top-of-the-line' from what blank cassettes had to offer: a 120 minute, TDK, Heavy-Bass Performance, CD BASS cassette. Note that this IS a longer playing time than you can get out of a CDR in music format (80 minutes).

So here is my first 'Best of Dream Theater' music mix, featuring songs from their first 4 full-length albums (When Dream And Day Unite, Images And Words, Awake, Falling Into Infinity), and their EP- A Change of Seasons:

(Side A)
-A Change of Seasons
-A Fortune in Lies
-Lie
-Surrounded
-You Not Me
-Space-Dye Vest
-Hollow Years

(Side B)
-Burning My Soul
-Pull Me Under
-6:00
-Metropolis-Part I
-Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
-New Millennium
-Caught in a Web
-Take Away My Pain
-Another Day

Avariel-The Dawn (2010)

Post #201
Although they have disbanded recently, under amicable terms, to pursue other ventures in life and music, Avariel were an impressive symphonic-metal band while they lasted. I even had the pleasure to see this Boston-based quintet live when they made their way to Chicago for Dame-Nation 2011. You may remember from my review of the show where they were the closing act. They even featured a top-notch cover of Metallica's 'No Leaf Clover'.

I've always thought the best metal music is that which combines harsh and brutal elements with melodic and beautiful ones. Avariel fit that criteria perfectly. Their guitar parts are often thrash-inspired, sometimes progressive-metal, sometimes melodic. They bring keyboards into the mix, making 'symphonic metal' perhaps the best label for their sound. Singer Shannon Kelly's vocal style is on par with several iconic female metal singers, like Evanescence's Amy Lee, Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabia, or Epica's Simone Simons. 

Their self-produced album, The Dawn, is a solid collection of symphonic metal music. If you like bands like Symphony X, Nightwish, Epica, or Savatage, then you should enjoy Avariel as well. Let me walk you through their album and then see if you agree...

The Dawn's opening song, 'Bleed', begins with a killer-heavy riff. Then Shannon adds her operatic voice to the mix and reveals Avariel's dynamic sound. A touch of blast-beat drumming in moderation makes this song a perfect opener for what proves to be a great album. 'Tunnel's Light' is quite different; a softer, slower song with the verses being driven almost exclusively by the rhythm section. Guitars and keys come in at the choruses to provide a fuller sound. The third track, 'Emotionless' is a dark ballad, and features a good keyboard solo.

'Victim', the album's fourth track, is perhaps where Avariel reveal their dark side. This is a fast-paced, aggressive song. Vocally, Avariel add a new element here as well, as guitarist Scott McDonald provides death-metal style singing, contrasting Shannon's pretty voice.

The next two songs, 'Still' and 'Especially Alone', revert back to a softer feel again. 'Still' is a somber sounding gothic ballad, while 'Especially Alone' is more of a traditional ballad, primarily featuring piano to carry the song. Lyrically it includes the line "...Waiting for the Dawn", making it almost like the unofficial title-track for this album. Of all the songs on this CD, 'Especially Alone' is the one I can compare most directly to Evanescence. If you're a fan of theirs, then you should check out this song in particular.

'In Heaven' is one of my favorites. I am tempted to call it the best song on The Dawn. Stylistically it may be a bit of a departure from the other songs on the album, but it's built upon a heavy guitar riff that strikes me as such a classic, I'm again transported back to the glory days of thrash metal. Avariel simply make this song rock!

'Dark Harbor' has a keyboard intro that sets a scary tone, it sounds like it came straight out of a horror movie, and the rest of the song is top-notch gothic metal.

The final track: 'Phoenix'. Here's Avariel's most ambitious song yet. An epic, progressive, symphonic metal masterpeice. Nearly 12 minutes long, this is melancholic, symphonic heavy metal at its best. From a melodic piano melody at the beginning, it goes through a few key changes where the band expands upon a few different song segments and progressions. A few minutes of instrumental jams tie the different phases of this song together, and by the end you find it has come full circle. A perfect climax of a well-written independent debut!

My top recommended songs from The Dawn:
-Bleed
-Victim (Metalheads, try this one first!)
-Especially Alone
-In Heaven (My personal favorite by Avariel)
-Phoenix

Although Avariel disbanded in early 2012, you can still find their music at the following sites:
http://www.facebook.com/AvarielBostonUSA
http://www.myspace.com/avarielmusic

Wishdoom-Helepolis (2011)

Post #200
European power metal is a growing genre at the moment. There are dozens of bands out there to be discovered if you like the style of metal that includes DragonForce, Savatage, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, etc... In the last several years, one particular indie-label out of Italy has been signing bands that follow the influences of some of those artists: Metal On Metal Records. One band from this label that has caught my ear is Wishdoom. Wishdoom are a band from Greece, delivering their style of power/doom metal with a passion. Today I'll look at their debut release from last year, Helepolis.

Helepolis is a solid power metal effort by Whisdoom. The primary formula for their songs is heavy, mid-tempo guitar riffs, clean and wailing vocals, a somber or melancholic tone, omnipresent keyboards backing most of the songs, and melodic electric guitar solos. If I were to compare their sound to other bands I'm familiar with, I might use names like Queensryche, Fates Warning, or even Dream Theater. Wishdoom do show elements of progressive metal, but they primarily focus on traditional song-structures featuring themes of fantasy, medieval battles and mythology.

From my perspective of classic and thrash-oriented metal, I really enjoyed listening to Helepolis. I hope you take a minute to listen to them as well. You can buy their CD or download this album through Metal-On-Metal Records' website, Century Media, or CDBaby.

My recommended tracks from Helepolis:
-Helepolis
-Crystal World (On parts of this one, I can really hear some influence from traditional thrash almost like early Metallica)
-My Wish Your Doom
-Guardians of Steel (On this track in particular, Wishdoom experiment a little with a couple different guitar tones. They blend together well, and help give a new dimension to their sound.)
-Screaming Blade
-Wishdoom (This is an instrumental track. It features a piano intro which sets a somber tone with it's minor key tone, then the guitars come in and you're treated to a 5-minute jam of quality, traditional heavy metal!)

Van Halen- A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

Post #199
Earlier this year the legendary Van Halen released their first full-length album since 1998. This looong awaited album also sees the return of original vocalist David Lee Roth, and the debut of Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's son) on bass guitar. I noticed that it had arrived in my local library's AV section, so I checked it out to hear for myself what Van Halen had been working on for 14 years...

A Different Kind Of Truth has been so long in the making, that I almost think of it as another 'Chinese Democracy', as in how can it possibly live up to the growing expectations that have built up over the years? Weather you consider VH's last album with Roth (1984), Hagar (Balance), or even their '98 album with Gary Cherone (3), they all leave a high standard to live up to. (OK, maybe I'm the only one who thinks highly of the '3' album, but still...)

So, how did my expectations hold up? Actually, not too bad! This album may not be the best ever from VH, but it was not the terrible let-down I had feared. Honestly, I owe most of those fears to the first single, 'Tattoo'. That song did nothing for me- I found it to be the pinnacle of mediocrity. However, the rest of the album picks up quite a bit as you let it play...

The 2nd track, 'She's the Woman', is a bit better, but where Van Halen really grabbed me was on the 3rd track, 'You and Your Blues'. This song finally displayed one of those intricate riff-structures, and crisp tonality that I could believe came from Eddie Van Halen. This is also one of several tracks that almost seem surreal to me as I listen to it, for the guitar tone sounds like Hagar-era material, but with Dave on vocals it almost catches me off-guard. This subtle, new combination of previous elements is a big reason I find A Different Kind of Truth to be such a redeeming listening experience.

There are times when the vibe on this album can't help but be compared to the 'classic' Roth-era material, and rightly so! Sometimes it really does feel like the good-ole days of Van Halen again. However, it's not usually a good thing for any band to stagnate in their own past for too long, and there are enough instances of new and modern sounding passages on this album for me to finally have faith in Van Halen once again. I just hope their next album will not take another 14 years to make.

And now I'll leave you with my recommended tracks:
-You and Your Blues (This is the song that I think is the best example of Van Halen living in the now.)
-China Town (One of the faster-tempo numbers on this album...)
-Blood and Fire (There's some part of this song that I think sounds like White Lion's 'Going Home Tonight', but check it out and decide for yourself...)
-As Is (Drum intro for this one, followed by heavy guitars, which quickly give way to some much faster fretwork that is evidence of Eddie Van Halen living up to his name...)
-Outta Space
-Stay Frosty (This one seems at times like it's trying to imitate the vibe from 'Ice Cream Man', and it comes pretty close. A type of song we've not heard from Van Halen for a long time...)

Heavy Metal Madness First Round Summary: Part Four

Post # 198

On May 19th, the last segment of the first round of Heavy Metal Madness came to a close, and once again there were some unexpected upsets, and tight races for these bands to make it to the next round.

For the Metalcore Block:

Tool beat Death by a comfortable margin of 39-11,

Bullet For My Valentine upset Opeth 26-19,

System of a Down narrowly escaped being upset by Amon Amarth, as they clung to a 31-25 lead at the end of voting.

...and Korn had the most convincing upset of the month knocking off the #4 seed, Shadows Fall 34-13.

In the Classic Rock Block:

Queen upset Guns N' Roses 31-18,

AC/DC topped the Scorpions 35-14,

Ozzy bested Van Halen 37-9,

and Led Zeppelin overcame Jimi Hendrix 34-14.

As the early pattern of voting has unfolded, it seems that the magic number for a 'safe' amount of votes to push a band into the next round is 30. In the closest races, the most votes collected by a losing band was 29 (Godsmack). Will this rule-of-thumb hold true for the rest of this tournament? Only time will tell...

With the first round now concluded, the matches are only going to get tougher. Fans will have a harder time deciding who to vote for. Those who's first choice of a Champion is now eliminated have the freedom to vote for another band in their place. At this point, many of your predictions can be thrown out the window. I know several of mine have been defenestrated.

So, now is the time to follow more closely than ever! Already, the second round is underway, and more upsets are brewing, while other favorites dominate. Inevitably, more face-offs will come down to a close decision. Help those bands whom you prefer by sharing this blog with your friends, and call for more fans of heavy metal music to cast their votes, and make their opinion count!

Now, as I have done before, I leave you with some of my favorite suggested tracks from those bands now eliminated from Heavy Metal Madness:
Death-Open Casket
Opeth-The Drapery Falls
Amon Amarth-Fate of Norns
Shadows Fall-Forevermore
Guns N' Roses-Welcome to the Jungle
Scorpions-Alien Nation
Van Halen-Source of Infection
Jimi Hendrix-Manic Depression