Hanoi Rocks ~ Two Steps From The Move (album review) ... Two steps from glam!

Style: glam, hard rock, Finnish
Label: Epic
Year: 1984
Home: Finland (disbanded)

Members: Michael Monroe ~ vocals/saxophone
Nasty Suicide, Andy McCoy ~ guitar/b. vocals
Razzle ~ drums/b. vocals
Sam Yaffa ~ bass/b. vocals

Guest: Bob Ezrin ~ keyboards/percussion/b. vocals

I got to meeting former HR/New York Dolls/Joan Jett bassist Sami Yaffa earlier this year when I filmed a couple private living room rehearsals he did with New Yorker songwriter/guitarist Uncle Bob NYC & Television drummer Billy Ficca just before going back on tour with former HR bandmate Michael Monroe. Yaffa kept turning to me cracking jokes as I seemed to be the only one in the room relaxed enough to be receptive. I'll confess that until that time I'd never paid much attention to HR. Only until I knew I was going to film the rehearsal did I listen to anything by them & research their legacy. In a way it was good because I wasn't drooling on him for an autograph, which I didn't get though I still have the video footage, albeit there's probably no better way to suddenly being introduced to someone's music then by meeting them. Discovering guitarist Al Pitrelli came the same way when he was waiting for me in a bar having chatted on e-mail. Yaffa & Pitrelli are such lowkey modest guys & very friendly that its hard to not want to then check out their music. Drummer Ficca is probably the most unassuming drummer I've ever met & I've since gone back for a listen of Television too. The funny thing is that by not hearing their music, whether Television or HR, I've also missed their legacies & seeing their influence. These are influences not to be ignored. Television was the first & probably most artistic CBGB's band while HR influenced all the 80's bands I love & going back to them I suddenly see how imitative of HR they are visually & musically. I still call Motley Crue a favorite band but I suddenly see how luck has as much to do with musical success & popularity as anything. By the time HR got to Two Steps From The Move, planned to be their breakthrough album but became their anti-climactic final before everything fell apart in a history you can read on wikipedia, HR had actually gone through more musical changes than one might expect for a relatively short career, from Ramones-esque rock to straight 70's glam that included recruiting as producers Mott The Hoople's Dale Buffin Griffin & Overend Watts. Never being much of a glam fan beyond Bowie & Bolan I wasn't able to really dig HR on first listen. I'm also a confessed non-fan of the Ramones & the punk scene. HR turns in a good updated glam sound, no doubt, but it just isn't my thing. But, Two Steps From The Move brings it all together & smooths out some of the rough spots & when it's said that this was going to be their breakthrough album it's hard not to believe. I've finally found an HR I can listen to repeatedly ... & I'd pretty much not bothered looking anymore having been bored by some comprehensive greatest hits collections. On one hand it feels less imitative than the previous albums, though that also has something to do with famed producer Bob Ezrin of Lou Reed, Alice Cooper & countless others coming into the picture as producer, musician & co-songwriter. While some bands hate producers, with some good reasons over the history of music, a good producer builds up & focuses a band & gives them a distinct personality & is a near member of the band by honor & necessity. Ezrin has a reputation for home runs & doesn't disappoint here. Though, by the time Ezrin gets to HR they were already on the path to success & major international fame having already become the template for the L.A. hair metal glam rock scene. The scene already knew about them but this album was going to put them on the map for everyone everywhere, much in the same way that Desmond Child was called in by Alice Cooper to create Trash after a decade off the charts in a drunken stupor. If only drummer Razzle hadn't died in a car crash leading to bassist Sami Yaffa resigning ... to be followed by the band soon calling it a day & going their separate ways & giving up the crown they were destined to wear. Of course, I would have liked to have asked Yaffa about these days, but I was cool & kept my comments only to the new music. He's probably dwelled in the past too much. The kings of the scene vanished overnight & the imitators Motley Crue, Poison & later Guns N Roses took over. The debt to HR has never really been repaid or recognized by many in the music scene. Thankfully frontman Michael Monroe's current comeback, even if he does now look like an old woman with too much eyeshadow, is turning out some great music loved by fans, peers & critics. If you want to know the buzz on HR & like me are not a glam fan I'd recommend avoiding the greatest hits compilations & go straight for Two Steps From The Move. Perhaps, even, I should have started here & not ended here as there's no place to go but backwards now or live albums or discovering the solo work of the guys. But, this is such a great album it's all I need to feel like I'm fully enjoying HR. This album still has the fun pop glam sound, as recorded previously, both lyrically & musically (for example "Don't You Ever Leave Me", "Boiler (Me Boiler N' Me)"), as singing songs of teaching high school is certainly pop (i.e. "High School") & Michael Monroe's playing the saxophone certainly recalls Bowie, while there's definitely a T-Rex influence (i.e. "I Can't Get It", "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"), which makes one want to go back & check out the oft ignored Marc Bolan who went head to head with Bowie in terms of popularity much like it was the Stones vs the Beatles. There's also a bit of an 80's new wave or synthesizer touch putting a contemporary spanner into the nostalgia with some great twin guitar work (i.e. "Underwater World", "Futurama") that is surely courtesy of Ezrin since he had his ear to the ground. The weakest track also opens the album, a cover of Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Up Around The Bend". It's catchy but not as creative as what follows. It's the old cheap trick of throwing on a cover to get listeners & showing how creative you can sound when really the cover is the least creative & most restrictive musically. Compare it to the single "Don't You Ever Leave Me" & cheap the trick is becomes obvious. "Cutting corners" that ends the album could also very well have been a single & certainly "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" if things had been carried that far for the band. The later is also the title of a Green Day song, no relation. Also noticeable on this album is that Michael Monroe isn't trying to slur out his words like he's in the Ramones nor sounding quite as sleazy as previous releases. He reigns in the vocals for what is actually a better & less forced performance. While I might have met just the lowly bass player the rhythm section of HR deserves mention. HR turn in some great melodic songs but the rhythm section often holds it together if not driving the song while the guitars are just along for the ride. Yaffa & Razzle also refrain from cluttering up the low end. After hearing this one can only wonder why a drummer would want to fill up the air with double bass drumming. Actually, there's no clutter on any level, much in the same way that Quiet Riot was uncluttered or Randy Rhoads era Ozzy. Check out Yaffa on "High School" for some great little bass fill-ins or "Underwater World" where Yaffa & Razzle keep it all together, or Razzle on "Million Miles Away" for some fun cowbell. Cowbell is cool. If anything really hurts the album it's some weak lyrics & topics that sound like they were from the Archies playbook. Sugar coated fun. Even when Alice Cooper sang "School's Out" or "I'm 18" it had more guts lyrically. But, the weak lyrics keep it all fun. It's not as in your face as the later L.A. stuff nor aiming for anything but fun music. No social criticism here. One can only imagine what it would have been like if HR had taken the rock crown they were aiming for. L.A. would be far different & maybe Americans would take more interest in the international music scene. Without hesitance, if you haven't already, fill in your musical scrapbook with HR as it's only two steps...

Distorted Harmony ~ Utopia (album review) ... Welcome to this dream!

Style: progressive, heavy metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2012
Home: Tel Aviv, Israel

Members: Misha Soukhinin ~ vocals
Guy Landau ~ guitars
Yoav Efron ~ keyboards
Iggy Jalapeno ~ bass
Yogev Gabay ~ drums

Additional: Daniel Markovich ~ saxophone

Israel's DH have churned out a prog-metal album that opens with the mysteriously titled "Kono Yume", until one finds out it means "This Dream" in Japanese. But, with the other songs being "Breathe", "Obsession", "Blue", "Unfair" & "Utopia" there is a bit of mystery to the surroundings & DH are certainly looking to create a dreamy ride. "Kono Yume" opens with acoustic piano arpeggios soon joined by contrasting soft strings light in the mix before guitars chime in making a symphonic crescendo, then it all turns into more traditional sounding riffing & soloing leading back into moments of piano & acoustic guitar as a light voice whispers in. "Kono Yume" is an eight minute technical powerhouse opening that casually moves from bit to bit with just enough repetition so it all gels together as a single unit yet still crosses both soft & heavy moments with equal skill. Actually, it's impossible to describe the sound of DH, as its really impossible to describe prog-rock whatever the band, but those who know the career of vocalist Lana Lane or her keyboard playing spouse Erik Norlander will find similarities in arrangements & flow. Though some might also call up the heavier end of the prog spectrum via Ayreon. There's also hints of Dream Theater but without the overly indulgent instrumental parts. This firmly sits in the modern age of prog-metal. The five tracks that follow follow the same instrumentation of acoustic & electric guitars & pianos with symphonic backgrounds that do have similarities but also their own individual twists. "Breathe" is a diving guitar rocker that even includes a heavy bass solo that turns into a guitar minefield, literally it sounds like a soldier running through a minefield like in a movie where one knows the soldier will be safe but the explosions are going off every second. DH constructs a sound that is aiming for the same thing prog forefathers Yes aimed for - sound like an orchestra but without the strings. Yes, the guitars may riff & solo but the end result is something where the whole is supposed to be stronger than the pieces. With all but one song lasting an average of eight minutes this might technically be an EP based on song count but its far from being short on music. The title track is over twelve minutes. It doesn't feel like all the songs are eight minutes on their own, but taken in a single listen the songs aren't always distinctive enough & do blend into each other making it feel the hour plus that it is. Some shorter songs would be a nice break from the length & give the individuality back that's lost in a straight through listen. There's a delightful inclusion of a saxophone in "Unfair" which might be a rarity in a prog-rock song. Sadly, one of the reasons the songs lose their individuality in a full listen is because all the songs come to feel like they're in the same mood. There's a general emotional seriousness with an under-developed emotional palette. After numerous listens I found it a bit of a struggle to connect with the album on an emotional level as its a bit of a serious affair.

Henry Lee Summer ~ I've Got Everything (album review) ... I wish I had a girl like HLS sings!

(Click on heading to visit official website.)
Style: Americana, country-rock, folk-rock
Label: CBS
Year: 1989
Home: Indiana

Members: Henry Lee Summer ~ vocals/keyboards/guitar
Mike Organ ~ drums
Rick Benick, Jimmy Rip, Mike Wanchic ~ guitar
Leigh Foxx, Graham Maby, Toby Myers ~ bass
Mimi Mapes, Chrystal Taliefero, Georgia Jones, Kim Fleming, Vicki Hampton, Ross Fleming III ~ b. vocals

Additional: John Cascella ~ keyboards/saxophone
Flip Miller ~ trombone
Paul Yinger ~ trumpet
Lisa Germano ~ violin
Michael Read ~ keyboards
Sheila Lawrence ~ b. vocals

I consider HLS the under-dog of the Americana heartland musical genre spearheaded by John Cougar Mellencamp & later Melissa Ethridge with Bruce Springsteen doing the city version. Culling also from Indiana like Mellencamp HLS released two indie albums before hitting MTV with the infectious folksy pop hit "I Wish I Had A Girl" from his self-titled major label debut. I'll confess that this is a favorite song of mine to suddenly break out into song with & its nearly impossible to get out of my head once in there. I've even been caught dancing around the living room singing along. Though his debut had some modest success for many people it was too imitative of early Mellencamp, while in the long-term photos of HLS's mullet, now gone, has probably had more talk about it then his music. It's a shame, as the debut is a great album not to be casually overlooked by anyone who likes heartland rock. I find it hard not enjoy HLS. His music not just gets me dancing but inspires me to dig up more Americana wondering why I don't listen to it more often. He has a lighter touch lyrically than Mellencamp, focusing on love songs instead of social commentary, & isn't pushing the genre in any new directions, but HLS creates completely unpretentious music that is aiming for lots of fun & easily makes a bullseye. Sadly, his career would take a turn to awkward & overly polished hard rock with a twist of Michael Bolton in an attempt to get more chart hits & appeal to a wider audience. The result has its moments & luckily only lasted a single album. By the time HLS realized the mistake & tried to reverse gears, or at least straddle both worlds, it was too late as his fanbase was just not big enough nationally to get him over the hurdle. Today he gigs numerous nights a week around Indiana doing cover songs & originals & I can only hope enjoying a second chance at trying to pay the rent through music & being creative after a career of ups & downs. If you enjoy his debut the follow-up I've Got Everything is its twin even down to sharing five musicians. Other than adding a gusty R&B choir that gives a bit of a gospel shout it's not that much different from the previous release, staying safe musically & even spurring the minor hit "Hey Baby". Much like the debut it's low on surprises & just straight ahead heartland rock at its best with a few electric guitars & keyboards thrown in for good measure. Though, HLS does push his singing much farther here instilling an energy into the affair not present earlier albums. He even has less of the sandpaper feeling that some have criticized his voice as having. While the debut has the bigger singles this album just might be the better recommendation to hear HLS's voice at its finest. Further, there's really no weak tracks on the album. The MTV single "Hey Baby" could have easily been followed-up with a numerous other similar sounding songs if the promotional machine had been in top gear & his popularly more, including the must hear vocal rocker "My Turn Train". The thing with HLS albums is that while there tends to only be a few singles per album they aren't that much different from what bumpers them & one could easily be exchanged for another. HLS albums are not about standout singles but just one rolling great rock'n'roll affair that just grows & grows in energy. The only real weak track might be the synthesizer & funk bass heavy 80's soft rocker "Don't Leave" that predicts where HLS was slowly moving musically. It's not bad, but HLS can do better. At least he pours his heart out through his voice pulling the song up from its blandness. To his credit, even during the later hard rock days, HLS has always penned most of his own songs & his skills as a songwriter are top notch. He very well could have written music for other artists ... or maybe, he's not just great but he sings his heart out & thus makes a simple lyric sound exciting. Opener "Treat Her Like A Lady" is the only non HLS track on the album & though it great is only a tease of what follows. HLS also is responsible for his own arrangements & this album finds him getting more comfortable in the studio. Unlike the debut where he only sang here he plays guitar & keyboards. He also turns in two piano heavy songs (i.e. "Something Is Missing, "What's A Poor Boy To Do") that provide a nice break because otherwise the energy just builds up & up over the album where its very possible one's head might explode when before the album is finished. HLS sings like he's having the time of his life & the feeling is undoubtedly infectious. Let it infect you.

John Nicole (aka John Schneider) ~ Breathing You (album review) ... John's happy life!

(Click on heading to visit official website.)
Style: pop, country
Label: Mind Of Music, Inc.
Year: 2011
Home: Virginia

Members: John Nicole ~ vocals/keyboards

Additional: Scott Harlan ~ guitar/bass
Dave Sharp, Tom Walker, Bill Vasso ~ guitars
Seth Kibel ~ saxophone/clarinet/flute
Karen Chisholm ~ cello
Susan Jones ~ violin/viola
Andy Hamburger ~ drums
Daryl Davis ~ piano
Laura Baron, Karen Oliver ~ b. vocals

I reviewed some months back Happy Life, the debut of a 60 year old marketing executive who found himself suddenly out of work, out of a girlfriend & also nearly out of hope who decided to make the best of his time & his frustrations. The result was a homespun funky protest song "Can't Get A Job", with the coda line "Everything will be okay." This spun into a debut that I compared to a hip new Tom Jones album or the solo albums of Queen's Roger Taylor but with a bit of country twang, some tongue-in-cheek humor & simple uncliched love songs. It was a debut hard not to enjoy or really find fault with. The success of that first endeavor spurred JN into a new career, with the motto "music of love", as a performing & recording artist, doing music video production & making soundtrack music. One might say that not just did JN find the second career he needed but also discovered his inner child. Or, more properly, re-discovered the inner fun child after having it stifled away in the confines of a suit & tie for many decades. Breathing You is JN's second release & has developed beyond, but with the same instrumentation, the previous outing's Taylor-esque pop of piano, guitar & strings against subtle bubbling dance beats, which one critic has wonderfully described as "sophisticated pop". It's still pop but just a bit more sophisticated & wide open musically. He also keeps some of the casual tongue-in-cheek humor setting it right up against more serious love songs. This second album also finds JN putting away the protest & focusing on love nearly exclusively. Relaxed is a key word for the music of JN & though it may sound cliché, this is an album you give to a lover on Valentine's Day. You're not going to wonder if he or she is going to like it or get the message. Breathing You, for no apparent reason other than they fit the mood, pulls over a handful of tracks from JN's debut (i.e. "Together Forever", "It Ain't All Up To You", "Feel You In My Arms", "I Do Love You (Go Away)", "Dance With Me", "Happy Life") which makes for about a third of the album old songs. But, these are all such delights, many I pointed out in my previous review, that no one will mind the repetition. Though, at seventeen songs at mostly slow tempos the album does feel a bit long at it gets past the dozen mark, so the inclusion may not really be necessary in hindsight. While the opener "Together Forever" may have been on Happy Life, a track that I mentioned as one of the best, it almost has a better home here as its lyrics are more in line with the theme of Breathing You & thus works as a perfect welcome: "I'm doing the laundry/washing sheets & pillow cases/I clean the house/about an hour ago/I put away the dishes/& I made myself some soup/& I sat on the couch/& thought of you/we were made to be together forever". But, focusing on the new songs & letting the past review speak for the others, this is an album of love songs which includes the quirky standout violin piano single "I Don't Play Piano". It might remind some of Elton John's "Your Song" or George Harrison's "This Song" as it takes the same approach of talking about the composition, though it ties together not being able to play the piano with not deserving a particular lover, but somehow they both work out ... or maybe they don't. It's really only a handful of songs that come across as comedic but they do tend to stand out as some of the most memorable. "I Don't Play Piano" also shows the growth in JN's music. The electronic-esque pop drum beats still exist but he's taken a less keyboard/guitar oriented approach along with arrangements that aren't so cluttered with layers of sound. The new music is airy ... breathing more ... it's more piano oriented with some bits of country & blues guitar, saxophone, strings & all sorts of bubbling sounds & low-key beats as JN develops out his musical palette, including even a Hawaiian sounding instrumental with "Curacao Blue". All it with his distinctive casual breathy voice that lends an intimate air to the experience. With this album JN also introduces into his recording catalog some covers including Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love", a bluesy take so much more ethereal & relaxing than the shout it out original, & a surprisingly soft rendition of Gerry & The Pacemakers' "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". For those comparing the two albums the difference between the new & old songs will probably be obvious. Everyone else will just enjoy the diversity of music. & most folks will probably just think JN has created a nice album of love songs & follow his lead of doing something with your time instead of languishing in hopeless misery. Actually, I can support his endeavor. I started Roman Midnight Music after leaving a decent paying job, not by choice, working as a college president's assistant. She didn't like people who didn't always say yes & even told me once that me thinking made the world a worse place. I was one of many who left before finally she was told to go, in a cast of just desserts. But, the economy suddenly crashed & hundreds of resumes later I was wasting time & energy & thus decided to do something in the music world that I was dreaming about for decades, let alone to prove to my ex-boss how wrong she was. This blog soon followed as earning outreach & three years later ... 

Alhana ~ Tundertanc (album review) ... Hungarian thunder!

(Click on heading for official website.)
Style: symphonic metal, power metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2005
Home: Budapest, Hungary

Members: Balazs Bessenyei, Peter Pihokker ~ guitars
Zsuszi Parej ~ vocals
Andras Siegl ~ bass
Zoltan Siegl ~ drums

Additional: Marton Kovacs ~ guitar
Tamas Hidvegi ~ keyboards

Alhana previously released three demo EPs, five of the eleven tracks here carried over from those EPs (i.e. "Magus", "Csillagszello", "Alomvilag", "A Zafir Egen Tul", "Az Utolso Bard"), but for the most part their first & only full length only sounds like cliched symphonic rock but just done in Hungarian. If they were looking for commercial success on the world-wide scale of Hungarian metalheads Tundertanc has some potential as it certainly fits the mold, for non-Hungarian speakers the language can be a bit rough to digest lacking softer tones, but in terms of individuality Alhana wasn't doing anything particularly interesting or individual & they fit the mold too much. But, this is an improvement over the demos as the multiple songs allow them to develop out their sound more & get some of that much needed individuality. The demos are even more imitative sounding. Sadly, the result is probably not enough for producers' ears as Alhana would split up in 2009 never getting any major label release nor going into the studio again to see where they could go next. Formed in 2002 with three members from the band Tuzmadar, who continues to record & perform, Alhana is interesting if for no other reason than to see the imitative quality of foreign bands by a group of musicians looking to do their own thing. It also shows how a band has a lot of ideas & really just needs a helping hand to strengthen & tighten it up. The least interesting & non-workable part of the band is the imitation, here being the guitars. They thrash away rhythmically & boringly. Underneath them is a drummer going to town on the double bass drum attempting to boost up a very non-heavy rhythm section. Perhaps its the production but there's no low-end here & thus the drummer seems to be carried away in the moment with his own song while the rest of the band is either floating or riffing. Too much powers & the guitars aren't doing anything to compliment it. Riffing does not always make magic. Also being a weak feature is the female lead singer singing in the cliched style of unenthused quasi-operatic metal. It's not that her voice is bad, very much not so, but she doesn't have a tone that makes her sound any different than her English peers. Actually, there is much more inflection in her voice & a bit of a range that goes from higher notes, though not so many, to a whisper (i.e. "Kisertet") that is quite interesting at times. In another band she'd find a better fit where she could be a stronger presence. Or, at least, in another band the music might be pushing her up & giving her something interesting instead of sounding like they are limiting her. What does work & gives everything an extra splash is the heavy use of the keyboards, who even take solos before the guitars, that float back & forth from the background to the lead. It's not just the droning symphonic synthesizer but much more a prog-metal approach where they might be the most important instrument in terms of carrying the music forward through an array of sounds (for example, "Elj Ugy", "A Zafir Egen Tul"). The keyboardsare the main feature that actually reflects the title Tundertanc which means fairy dance. The keyboards dance delightfully across the album. It's just a shame they have to carry the album. The good songs show a band trying to move symphonic metal forward with their own personality, but the problem is not all the members of the band are moving forward at the same time. There is some glimmering moments. "Szamuzott Angyal" has a lovely dual acoustic guitar opening calling up folk songs but it's anti-climactic with the thrashing guitars following killing everything. If they'd kept the guitars throughout the result would have been stronger. The only thing that continues to sound folk-like is the keyboard marking out the chord changes & the melody line & taking the main solo. This problem is solved by "Az Utolso Bard" & the very gentle un-metal "Kisertet" that copy the acoustic opening & keeps it going through the the song, but sadly now it sounds imitative next to the earlier lackluster moment.

Trey Green (aka The Hang) ~ The Awesomeness (album review) ... It was late, he was tired, these are the songs!

Style: pop rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Trey Green ~ vocals/piano
Jeff Norberg, John Konesky ~ guitar
John Spiker, Frank Gagliardi ~ bass
Brooks Wackerman, Kevin Hupp, Jamie Douglass ~ drums
Dan Rowe, Charlotte Kendrick ~ b. vocals

Getting a bit of notice for one's song titles can't hurt when enticing potential listeners ... examples here being "Totally Awesome", "It Was Late, I Was Tired", "Bill Murray, Philosopher", "The Honest Lullaby", "That Really Was Stupid", "The Shepherd's Pie Song" & "The Gay Pirate Song" for starters. It also doesn't hurt that Kyle Gass of Tenacious D gets a thank you in the album for advice on the lifestyle of a particular pirate & Tenacioius D for the studio space ... one assumes sans pirates but potentially with Bill Murray. Nor does it hurt the band consists of members of Bad Religion & the Tenacious D band, though musically its rock light & heavily relaxed acoustic guitars with a steady backbeat & nothing like these two groups. The key to getting people interested in a band is to get them in the door. The awesome TG has easily done that without trying. But, do you stay for the party? As long as one is having a good time at the party ... & you're probably thinking that, given the hints so far, you're either going to have a good time with TG or end up blowing beer out of your nose in embarrassing laughter, at TG not with TG, as you sneak out the room. Surprise, the beer doesn't go anywhere you don't want it to. This isn't really a comedy album. It's more a fun album of primarily acoustic alt rock with some witty lyrics of the Tenacious D sort versus in your face Spinal Tap. Its joking but not a joke. It's funny but just as much fun rock. An example is "Blew A Kiss" about a girl from Peru, "she's pretty tall but so am I", who he liked when they were just kids. It's more than the cliché 'I like her' songs but instead the un-cliched I liked her "back in the day ... now she's in magazines & all the rage I wish she wouldn't doctor her age" from "Blew A Kiss". This is followed by a collection of fun, sometimes witty but not in that distracting or annoyingly forced way or over-played to the detriment of the music, songs covering "trouble in some fancy packaging" (i.e. "Criminal"), to talking about being a new dad & looking forward to the future when "you'll only get A's & B's ... & play a mean lead guitar ... you'll make up for the nerd I was" (i.e. "The Honest Lullaby"), to wanting to rock out "when MTV was still about the music" with name checked details of the 80's rock scene cause "there's nothing like a heavy metal solo" with the ending plea "can't the ones that are still alive start a school & teach ... how to solo" (i.e. "I Wanna Rock'N'Roll") to what Bill Murray said in the movie 'Groundhog Day' (i.e. "Bill Murray, Philosopher') , to a song hailing Shepherd's Pie (i.e. "The Shepherd's Pie Song") to the stand out piano ballad (i.e. "The Piano Song (Feelings)") about the difficulty of writing a love song in the "I'm gonna act like I really care of what I sing, gonna pour my heart & soul into some random words that just don't mean a thing ... this song is moving right along & I'm pretty sure eventually I'm gonna have to raise my voice ... I'm gonna hold on this last chord for way too long." Some in between song studio babble reminds us that even when TG & co are being more serious than not ... or more Bad Company than the Big D ... this is all about having fun. As for the pirate song ... what do you expect, it's a pirate song! To tour The Awesomeness TG put together a live band, taking the role of rhythm guitarist/vocalist, that has since morphed into The Hang including drummer Jamie Douglass from the album & new faces Jon 'Sos' Sosin on guitar & Nick Campbell on bass. Under this new moniker TG & company have lots of new music on way.

Bret Michaels ~ Custom Built (album review) ... Custom built for pop stardom post-rock stardom!

Style: country-rock, glam rock
Label: Poor Boy Records
Year: 2011
Home: Arizona

Members: Bret Michaels ~ vocals
n/a ~ other instruments

Guest: Miley Cyrus ~ backing vocals

The first of singer BM's four solo albums to have a charting single ... but don't expect the big hair hard rock of his former gig Poison. Actually, if you've been paying attention to his well-orchestrated comeback there's no hint of Poison, even figuratively speaking. The venom is gone while what remains of the L.A. glam should not be this imitative & bland from someone who was once in the front of the scene. But, well-orchestrated is the keyword. Authenticity is not. Poison is long gone & in his mind he never stopped being a superstar, even if nowadays most people only remember Poison for a few hits & being imitative of Motley Crue with extra big hair, so therefore he should be doing what superstars do & not the nostalgia music circuit. There's no nostalgia here. What is it that superstars do today? They're on tv! BM has rekindled his career not as a music superstar but as a tv star who happens to do music, but with 'America Idol' & all its spin-offs that seems to be what everyone does. He's already appeared on 'Celebrity Apprentice 3', 'Nashville Star', 'America's Got Talent' & has his own shows 'Bret Michael: Life As I Know It' & 'Rock Of Love'. Those that grew up with BM in the 80's may have tuned in a few times to see their guy return, but probably tuned out when they saw it was the same face but different scene. 80's rockers who remain 80's rockers aren't interested in being anything but what they are & certainly not 00's rockers. What remained, sadly, ended up being suburbia Christian America that watches a lot of tv ... & buys a lot of stuff including music. There's a reason this album has charted as BM found a niche & a new audience & has recreated himself to their interests. Which means it's not L.A. but Nashville. BM has largely become a country balladeer. The problem is he's about as much as a country singer as Jewel & she has even more of a small town image from out of the way Alaska than he does ... it's a way to stay alive, stay relevant, make a living, be famous ... it just lacks any soul or feeling of being real. At least Ted Nugent really is a country boy even when he was a bad boy. I'd like to see BM go out hunting & talk about Republicans & being a good Christian, which he may already do even if his history states otherwise. This isn't a dive on Christians or Republicans, some of my best friends are both, but it's a far different scene than L.A. party time. Some people dig BM's new attitude. That's cool. Really. It's not a bad look. It's just not great music. In a way I hope those people who like it will just go back in time to the good days & check out Poison. This is for those who think Kid Rock is a great rocker & prefer the later decade of Bon Jovi over the early days. Actually, it sounds a lot like later era Bon Jovi. It's commercially slick, a bit of country-flavored Americana, not the Springsteen/Mellencamp Americana genre, & very safe & very middle America middle class. The troops in Iraq reference in at least one set of lyrics is definitely aiming for middle America versus the L.A. sleaze scene where going to war is something to decry not give tears of hope for. But, Bon Jovi is still a relevant band even if those of us who remember the first time around think differently. I give them & BM kudos for finding a way to return & be relevant to a new generation. I just hope ... Though, really, BM has always had a bit of country in his vocabulary. The problem is here he redoes the classic "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a straight country song. It's lost its personality & sounds tongue-in-cheek maudlin. What's worse is that this horrible remake already appeared on his earlier Freedom Of Sound album & now gets reissued here. It's one of a three tracks pulled over from the earlier album with a remix of a fourth track, while another track comes from the earlier "A Letter From Death Row." Repeating tracks is nothing but a marketing scheme & belays the well-orchestrated approach as its obviously an album built around the latest reality tv show. Thus, Custom Built is really just an EP in disguise. As for that EP there's a few country rock songs, more country pop than Johnny Cash county folk ... "Riding Against The Wind" even gets a fake heartland accent ... rotating with some imitative sounding sleaze rock. The best songs are the country ballads for the main reason that the country songs feature heart-felt lyrics while the hard rock distorted guitar outings have the most shallow cliched sex lyrics one can get, such as "it's just sex so let's just fuck ... even try to get your name right" from the workable "Lie To Me". The feeling coming across is that BM is totally obvious of the strides that sleaze rock has taken over the years to be something more than bad love songs. Or, maybe he wants to continue the stereotype that rock has nothing to say while country music has a story to tell. It's too bad he has to pander to this line of thinking as obviously he can write good songs whatever the style. One of the more interesting inclusions on Custom Built, if the title itself doesn't belay well-orchestrated, is a cover of Sublime's "What I Got" with a beatbox opening over acoustic guitars in a strange synthesis. But, it rocks harder than anything else on the album when the electric guitars chug in. While if Sublime doesn't reach the new generation than a song with Miley Cyrus doing backing vocals certainly will. It's probably one of the more interesting tracks only hurt by the fact that a non-Cyrus acoustic demo version is included which is obvious filler. As for filler there's a club mix of "Go That Far" showing both BM's desperation to reach everyone, though I've never seen Poison as being good for gay nightclub dance floors, while also giving a compilation appeal to this new release. It's ironic that it's thus the first solo release to have a chart-topping single when its such a marketing scheme in disguise. BM has become a heavy balladeer picking up what made "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" so interesting decades ago but leaving the soul & authenticity behind. What's worse is there's so many of his peers that have also made a comeback but with the music everyone loves them for & the accolades are overwhelming. BM is playing the tv game, good for him for getting the gig, but it's also a fickle audience. Once reality shows are over he'll be over, but 80's rock fans never grow up.

Mortiis ~ Soul In A Hole (DVD review) ... Music in a hole!

Style: industrial, heavy metal, live
Label: Earache
Year: 2005
Home: Norway

Concert location: The Ocean, London
Year Recorded: 2004
Length: 120 minutes
Bonus Features: tv commercial, electronic press kit, band interviews, photo gallery, music videos of "Parasite Girl", "Mental Maestrom (Implode)", "The Grudge", "Decadent & Desperate (Absentia)"

Members: Mortiis ~ vocals
Levi Gawron, Asmund Sveinunggard ~ guitars
Leo Troy ~ drums
n/a ~ backing vocalist/keyboards

This live concert catches Norwegian industrial band touring their release The Grudge during what they call Era 3 of the band ... most bands have eras charting out the changes in their music but Mortiis actually makes a point of including it as a part of the promotional materials as, according to the bonus interview with the frontman also named Mortiis, each era brings different types of fans. The band is famed for their frontman & only constant member, though some might say Mortiis refers to him & not a band, who always wears a goblin mask/make-up the band has gone. But, this is not the typical shock rock one has come to except from similarly heavy make-up'd bands such as Kiss, Cradle Of Filth, Slipknot, Gwar or Marilyn Manson & except for the make-up there is little musically to tie Mortiis to these groups. This is angry like Slipknot but not theatrical like the un-angry Kiss or comedic like Gwar or even shocking like Manson. Further, as the concert shows, the make-up doesn't land as the foundation of a stage set such as Alice Cooper might do. Actually, musically this point in Mortiis's musical timeline might be acquainted to some of Nine Inch Nails. Frontman Mortiis has created for The Grudge thrashy guitar based industrial, sans solos or pyrotechnics, where most of the melody is on the shoulder of the keyboards & vocals but in turn giving the songs a bit of a sober melancholy nature, at least on this recording, than what one might expect. It doesn't feel as hard as one might expect. It paints them into a unique niche in the shock rock field. In some way, it's more akin to watching the slow industrial of Gary Numan that's more hypnotic than just wild head-banging. Sadly, the compositions might be better relayed at the hands of a better singer as its just average singing going from screaming to quasi-talking & whispering while the guitars churn out nearly identical riffs that without the keyboard would have little to differentiate them. Mortiis's decrying of guitar pyrotechnics is a limiting factor that brings on additional comparisons to Cradle Of Filth that also sounds like the same song repeated over & over to unfamiliar ears. While his performance is just jumping around on stage slamming around, versus the theatrics of normal shock rock. But, as Mortiis says in the bonus interview the mask is just a habit & thus shouldn't be how one perceives the music, except people will. But, in their defense, to get the full range of musical diversity one should look at the full career of Mortiis. While this may not be the most interesting live band, with bad sound quality not helping, there is a bit of a desire to investigate them in a studio setting for comparison & to see them in a controlled musical environment where more of the nuances can be felt. Thus, at least it succeeds on some level to do something. Behind the scenes clowning around footage from the band is cut briefly in between the songs for little effect & of little necessity other then to break up the momentum of the show. For those unfamiliar with the band Mortiis started out as a bassist for black metallers Emperor & was influential in the early Viking Metal scene that brought together slashing metal guitars with synthesizer melodies based on Norwegian folksongs. At 18 years old he left Mortiis to go solo with his self-titled group debuting with an album of electronic instruments hinting more at goth than anything. While Soul In A Hole is marked as Era 3 in hindsight it became the start of Era 4 as it would show an expansion into more of a band than a solo project & would be a culmination of thundering black metal & electronic influences. Bonus footage includes uninteresting professional promo material & two interviews with frontman Mortiis that includes one that's soundbites in costume & another extensive interview that's honest, deep, less flashy & out of make-up & worth watching if you're a fan of the band. Those who find the concert uninteresting should watch the interview to get a new perspective of this angry young man. Includes music videos of four songs though they all fall into the Nine Inch Nails mode focusing on the frontman & aren't particularly flashy though "Mental Maestrom (Implode)" features an interesting Phantom of the Opera-esque juxtaposition of characters if an under-developed narrative while "Decadent & Desperate (Absentia)" features Mortiis arguing with himself in & out of make-up, which probably has never been done by a costumed shock rocker. The videos & interview give me pause to give the band better kudos than the concert.

Primus ~ Miscellaneous Debris (EP) (album review) ... Song structure debris!

Style: experimental, avant-garde, covers, tribute
Label: Interscope
Year: 1992
Home: San Francisco, California

Members: Les Claypool ~ bass/vocals
Larry LaLonde ~ guitars/synthesizer
Tim Alexander ~ drums

For all the albums folks usually mention when recommending the the bizarre Zappa-esque experimental rock frontier of Primus, directed by ringmaster bass master Les Claypool, this EP tends to not be the first off the tongue, eclipsed behind Pork Soda, Sailing The Seas Of Cheese or Tales From The Punch Bowl. Though, it could be because these are more interesting names to say than the less odd Miscellaneous Debris & that this is only a covers album of a meager five songs. But, what a covers album this is to recommend. Many critics even call this a great introduction to the band, which is an extremely rare recommendation for a covers outings. Though, it may not be that great as it doesn't reflect Claypool's weird often disorienting arrangements, but it certainly is worth the newcomer checking out due to its listenability & avant-garde interpretations. Though, while it may not have the quirky arrangements that Primus's original material studio albums do such arrangements are often the more difficult part of a Primus listening experience. Songs sometimes come across as odd piecemeal rambles or jams, not cohesive units. This EP is only cohesive units without losing a touch of the difficult strangeness ... actually, it does hone in some of the weirdness for the sake of retaining the pre-determined song structures, but doesn't lose the Primus sound or magic. Even if you don't know the songs in question you'll probably know a couple of the artists & will enjoy the comparisons that will for the most part excite you. Even if you don't consider this the best of Primus there's no way you won't appreciate the end result. If one wasn't familiar with the songs I'd challenge them to name the original artists ... if they even dare as this is 100% Primus & thus sounds like nobody except Primus. For those not wanting to be embarrassed the cheat sheet is: Peter Gabriel, XTC, the Residents, the Meters & Pink Floyd. But, expect nothing sounding like this amazing range of bands reinterpreted. Reinterpreted is the key word as Primus has digested all the songs & churned them out with a whole new spirit where the bass upfront & vocals off-kilter. Personally, if I was Peter Gabriel I'd be calling up Claypool to play on my next album or re-record more old songs from my catalog or do a whole album with me. Even playing others music Claypool still manages to reinterpret the sound of the bass bringing awe to any who listen. Even a normal bassline has a different feel, while the rest of the band still weaves around him leaving the rhythm & melody in his over-capable hands. Pink Floyd has never sounded so heavy. The only weak moment is the less than minute long instrumental by the Meters where Claypool plays some lead basslines & there's more focus on the funky guitar. It's the only non-cohesive under-developed sounding bit. It's a bit of a throwaway that sounds out of place for Primus. The EP Rhinoplasty followed in 1998 as a quasi-sequel, filling in time between albums, featuring more covers & live tracks including more Peter Gabriel & XTC plus the Police, Metallica, Stanley Clarke & Jerry Reed. This follow-up might be the only Primus album not to get high reviews & basically only because the format was already done by the band.

Soft Cell ~ Live In Milan (DVD review) ... Tainted live!

Style: pop rock, electronica, live
Label: Eagle Vision
Year: 2001
Home: England

Concert location: Milan, Italy
Year Recorded: 2001
Length: 105 minutes
Bonus Features: 20 minute interview with band

Members: Mark Almond ~ vocals/percussion/rhythm guitar/theremin
Dave Ball ~ synthesizer

Everybody knows the 80's synth-pop gay/straight duo SC due to their sex-charged chart topper "Tainted Love". The fame of that song would bring their career to a close after only three albums, while peers Erasure & the Pet Shop Boys kept going, only for the duo to reunite for a new album & tour in 2001. This DVD catches them in absolute top form on that tour in looks, sound & a new set of songs that fit snuggly with the old ones. Some might decry the fact that it's not the early days but these guys are far better performers today while the modern light show, think Gary Numan, is perfect for them. Leather jacketed vocalist & de facto frontman Mark Almond comes on hitting a synth drum hesitantly almost like he's a little kid on stage for the first time, with a big grin & short blond hair that knocks the years off the 44 year old face, before pounding out a steady beat against Dave Bell's keyboard workings leading into the hit "Memorabilia", before abandoning the drums for the microphone. The grin never fades & he really looks like he's 18 years old, tattooed arms & all, as the camera flashes the heavily middle aged male audience singing the lyrics like they're also 18 again. It's an intimate performance drawing from the influence of raves where the energy is super high as if its one body not a band & an audience. Almond dances around on the stage like he's in his living room dancing out mini-stories, just here intricately choreographed (i.e. "Heat", "Monoculture", "Baby Doll", "Martin") while the older looking, though actually younger, but certainly more serious looking Bell is in the shadows pumping out multitudes of electronic layers & only noticeably smiling when Almond plays the Theremin during "The Art Of Falling Apart". The venue is small & intimate & packed to the gills & one can imagine the early days of SC back in a small gay club with the same energy & excitement. It's those small gay clubs where Madonna got her inspiration, as "Vogue" comes right from those clubs, & one can see why. The music is fun, the beat steady & hidden under Almond's grin is some very personal lyrics of anxiety & frustration that are far more revealing that "Tainted Love" would ever let on would come from SC (for example, "Monoculture", "Divided Soul", "Youth", "Best Way To Kill", "The Art Of Falling Apart" "Baby Doll"). Almond may not have the strongest voice but his young looks & almost common sounding voice is part of his appeal. It's easy to see yourself on that stage having as much fun as him ... or if you're gay to see yourself with him on that stage, as the audience calls out as he pulls his t-shirt out to show his skinny abs. Further, the dancing & mannerisms, though a bit reminiscent of Mick Jagger today, is no different than what one might find at a packed gay bar on a Saturday night ... basically, SC is one of us ... that's the secret of SC. While the songs have far more depth than most of what's on the radio. If you only know the few hits of SC or the early 80's visuals or interested in rave culture, this video cannot be missed. A cute scene comes where roses are bounced up to the stage & Almond cuts his finger on a thorn & though makes a Christ joke ends up licking it as the song starts. Nothing like pain for one's work. Bonus footage includes an interview with both Ball & Almond where they discuss the origins of SC & the early days, the music that influenced them & what they wanted to do with their original music & what did happen right to the present. A really insightful & jovial narrative that's also very honest & objective. Fascinating hearing them call SC as Northern Soul meets Kraftwerk with a bit of Dusty Springfield, seeing Almond's face tweaks at the word bootleg & Almond embarrassingly revealing being inspired, in every way, by the S&M scene. 

Steve Hackett ~ Highly Strung (album review) ... Group therapy with Genesis guitar wiz!

Style: prog-rock, pop rock
Label: Charisma Records
Year: 1982
Home: England

Members: Steve Hackett ~ guitars/vocals/harmonica
Nick Magnus, John Acock ~ keyboards
Chris Lawrence ~ contrabass
Ian Mosley ~ drums

Additional: Nigel Warren-Green ~ cello

British prog-based guitarist SH really needs no introduction. He might not be as flashy as some of his guitar peers, nor have the chart hits nor get credit he deserves but his lush guitar work as an early member of Genesis, joining them on their third release & staying through five more, & later alongside Steve Howe with GTR is nothing to be embarrassed about. For those not familiar with the Peter Gabriel days of Genesis that's a loss that should be rectified. One of the problems with SH's career & reputation is a regular focus on solo work & minimal commercially focused band work, outside of GTR & Genesis SH has only recorded as a member of Quiet World predating both these ventures, while the chart hits are but one - "Cell 151" in Britain only - thus limiting his audience exposure to a new generation. But, he's really no different than the prolific but lacking chart hits careers of peers Rick Wakeman, Howe, Jon Anderson or on the other side of the ocean Lou Reed, John Cale, Phil Keaggy, Dire Straits, Boz Skaggs & countless others. Chart success should not be how one ultimately judges an musician ... as in that case Lou Reed must certainly be a non-entity in the music business. Thus, it's largely forgotten that SH is one of the first to experiment with guitar tapping that would be a staple of Eddie Van Halen, along with being an exponent of the same picking technique that Yngmie Malmsteen would use as his respective cornerstone. Both these guys would surely pay compliments to SH, though sadly those who have come after probably haven't heard him. & it's hard to say that's he's a musician of past glories as with 24 studio albums as of 2011 he's had a larger, & potentially musically more diverse output, than not just any of his peers but also his students. His forays into Brazilian rhythms & nylon string classical guitar have also shown him to be always growing & far from stuck in the past. But, with such a catalog where does one start? Actually, just about anywhere as much of his catalog gets positive reviews, including both live & studio albums. The early days are firmly prog while the later tends to be more plaintive classical influenced. The pre-GTR Highly Strung is often recommended as one of the best starting points, standing in the middle of both styles. It's only fault might be that it stands a bit too much in the middle of the 80's too as its a bit too MTV pop with now dated sounding keyboards. Highly Strung, truth be told, may not even be SH's best musically & its certainly not the most experimental or exploratory, but has a strong set of polished songs that span an array of styles from pop (i.e. "Cell 151", "Walking Through Walls") to prog (i.e. "Camino Royale", "Weightless", "Group Therapy"), even sounding like a bit like a lite version of the Rabin led Yes with some Rick Wakeman-esque harpsichord (i.e. "Give It Away") & with a a bit of King Crimson prog (i.e. "Hackett To Pieces"), to classically tinged (i.e. "Always Somewhere Else", "India Rubber Man"). Being a guitarist first its surprising how many few songs are instrumentals (i.e. "Always Somewhere Else", "Group Therapy", "Hackett To Pieces"), though with a lot of bland forgettable lyrics of the prog genre quality, in his workable tenor, there are a handful of songs that could probably be improved if given an instrumental workout. It should be said that this is not a hard rock album & for the new generation where wild guitar solos rule it may not even be that interesting as a guitar album. This stands in that weird place of slow rock guitar more on the pop end that's more that's more plaintive than flashy, more lush in both feeling & playing style than much of what dominated the music scene at the time & since. Though, the album does open & close with a straight on prog-influenced rock number, both co-written with keyboardist John Acock & foreshadowing GTR but without the commercial feel ... but its a bit of a deception of what lies between the bookends. This might not be the best album to discover SH the guitarist but its a good place to discover SH the composer. In an interesting inclusion "India Rubber Man" includes SH on his first instrument - the harmonica - as the entire song is only synthesizers & keyboards with no guitar for a somber moment that is probably as close to Genesis as this album gets.

OT-musicboy ~ jump over (a fence of electric sound) (album review) ... If only there was a gate in the fence!

Style: folk rock, alt rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: Greece

Members: OT-musicboy ~ guitars/bass/drums/vocals
Noukas Sotiris ~ piano/drums/b. vocals

Additional: Hypnelia, Rebecca "Becky Blue" Perhanidou ~ b. vocals

What if Ian Astbury of the Cult/The Doors Of the 21st Century was fronting an early plaintive R.E.M.? This was the first thing that came to mind when I put on this debut solo release from OT-musicboy. The next thought was how enjoyable this is from the first note to the last & before the first song is even over. A mix of folksy acoustic (i.e. "Did You Tell Your Mother") that transitions back & forth effortlessly & unnoticeably to electronic alt rock of the R.E.M. musical end of the underground (i.e. "You Knew") or perhaps more akin to Bob Mould (for example, "Dance (With The Musicboy)"). Over it is a deep voice intoning calmly true prose-poetry with the same vibe of Ian Astbury singing with the Doors (for example, "You knew", "Rock N' Roll Gun", "1000 Screamin' Monkeys", "Lonely"). It's an unsettling concoction for no other reason than it really doesn't sound like any other music out there, while music shouldn't be this enjoyable & soothing so quickly. It's hard to struggle against enjoying this modest release. There's even a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun with backing vocals & singing about largely non-sensical fun topics (for example, "Sun In The City"). For all the ways I'm describing, & thus raving about, this little treasure you might be surprised you've never heard of OT-musicboy before. That's because he's based in Greece, though born in Austria. But, don't let the ocean stop you from checking this out, as with the internet there is no boundaries & it'll be well worth binging for. It's a delightful indie release that really sounds original & unique, what so many bands claim but don't fulfill, with all the cliched sounds & lyrics far far away, or at least feeling like they are. Though, it should be mentioned that for a album where the focus feels more on the vocals than the guitar "Jump Over" opens with a nearly one minute wannabe David Gilmour solo that sits out of place on the album before going into a bluesy little instrumental, providing a fun moment before for the final song. I would skip the opening & go right to the drum beat. While the opening is slightly repeated as a bridge, I'd just leave it as a bridge. The album does conclude with the unnecessary dance club version of "Dance (With The Musicboy)". The original is a glam styled rocker that's pretty danceable & too close in feel to make an alternative version necessary.

The 99% ~ Occupy Bellingham: Local Artists Songs Of Protest, Rebellion & Hope (comp) (album review) ... And, the result is?

Style: folk, alt rock, ska, comedy, protest, rap, experimental
Label: self-released
Year: 2011
Home: Bellingham, Washington

Bands include Ken Stringfellow

Dana Lyons

Pirates R Us

Police Teeth

The Dt's

Boris Budd & The Waterboarders

Keaton Collective

Sher Vadinska

Yogoman Burning Band

Porch Party

Sugar Sugar Sugar

Bob Paltrow

Jan Peters & The Monday Night Project
The Loyal Sinners

Black Eyes & Neck Ties

Kit Nelson

Kris Orlowski

Mostafa

Tim Mechling

stabbin hobo

The Red Umbrellas

Biagio Biondolillo

DJ Einstein

Snug Harbor

Clambake

1985

Jesse Morrow
Enders of Ozone

Reverend Mathew

Acorn Project

The Offshoots

Neptune Skyline

bandZandt

Average Mammal

This massive protest album brings together 34 artists/bands from the small town of Bellingham, Washington, a must watch community of vibrant & new music from across the spectrum that has churned out onto the national scene Dana Lyons, the Posies, Morbid Angel founder Trey Azagthoth, Chris Riffle, Death Cab For Cutie & countless other bands that have glowing west coast reputations. Bellingham is a town known for its protests over the decades ... partially spurred by the dominating presence of the liberal university on the hill, also spurred by the isolated location allowing a bit more personal freedom for the unsocially minded, while the town is the last major stop on the way from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada that has been a stop off for beatniks, hippies & was even under the radar as a potential target on 9/11. Ironically, it's motto is 'the city of subdued excitement'. In the recent Wall Street based 99% movement Bellingham may have had more stand-ups against the police & protests than Manhattan, the home of the movement, & certainly has sparked community wide attention while in Manhattan the past social upheavals are now just part of another day of old news. Bringing the spirit of protest to an album this collection, credited to the 99%, it includes a few famous faces such as Ken Stringfellow of Big Star/Posies/R.E.M. & acoustic guitarist-songwriter Dana Lyons who became internationally famous for his comical vegetarian anthem "Cows With Guns". Alongside these two is an array of more regionally & locally musicians that span the musical spectrum from new & old styles of folk (i.e. Sher Vadinska, Tim Mechling, Porch Party, The Red Umbrellas, Biagio Biondolillo, 1985, Kit Nelson, Kris Orlowski, Jan Peters & the Monday Night Project, Reverend Mathew) & Americana bluesy rock (i.e. The DT's, The Loyal Sinners, Jesse Morrow, bandZandt, The Offshoots, Acorn Project) to retro surf (i.e. Clambake), alt rock bands spanning the genre(i.e. Police Teeth, Neptune Skyline, Enders Of Ozone, Black Eyes & Neck Ties, Sugar Sugar Sugar), shoe-gazing prog (i.e. Keaton Collective) to funk (i.e. Average Mammal, Snug Harbor), ska (i.e. Yogoman Burning Band), hip-hop (i.e. Mostafa) & trip-hop (i.e. DJ Einstein). In terms of diversity the collection deserves kudos & it surprisingly flows fairly well with an easy stride, though due to both the musical diversity & the number of artists this can be a bit much for a single listen. In its favor is the fact that it stays mostly away from typical in your face rock aiming instead mostly for the alt rock/blues rock/folk sound that dominates the Bellingham scene leaving the large jazz scene or more experimental or thrashy rock for another protest outing. If there is any disruption it comes in a few poorly recorded live tracks later & a few alt rock bands whose near screaming is unlistenable next to tighter neater folk harmonies, particularly when the vocals are obscured & thus obscuring the message of protest, & one instrumental that has no lyrics or any particular protest feel that is completely out of place. If nothing else this is a wonderful introduction, though far from comprehensive, to a little post-grunge town in the Pacific Northwest that truly could be one of the most important music spots in the region for new talent. & don't worry about too many obscure local references as they are few. For those curious Ken Stringfellow turns in a slow & moody "Everybody Is A Fucking Liar" with only voice & acoustic piano, in the same vein as the Posies, though for those unfamiliar with his band it'll sound more like a moment of cussing just to get attention. Pirates R Us open the album the accordion/violin pirate-esque sea shanty "Sam Walton's Blues" showing this is not going to be a normal listening experience as in this one song is humor, social protest a la such lines as "the streets run red with the blood of rich ... I can steal millions with just a laptop while you're stuck on ship swabbing the deck ... i'd rather be a pirate than a snooty corporate bitch", & no holds bar of what music is going to be featured. It's a great welcome to the show. There's a few comedic folksy rock groups of the same tongue-in-cheek vein as Pirates R Us, including Boris Budd & The Waterboarders, also the producer of the album, with "Conglomeratocracy". Budd & co create intimate music of the coffee house culture & compared to some of the more alt rock songs is a breath of fresh air with its carefully composed lyrics for a listening crowd versus shouts of profanity for a drunken crowd. Cover artist Bob Partlow also turns in a comedic "Stick It", while the always enjoyable king of musical satire Dana Lyons turns in the "WTO Disco" bringing the Bee Gees up to date with Weird Al-esque delight. Stabbin Hobo's "The Last Crusade" is a dark & ethereal hip-hop against an acoustic guitar background with the chorus "We pay for gas" that is some of the more interesting musical fusion on the album. Traditionally, folk music has always been the music of protest a la Guthrie, Dylan, Baez, etc. to be later taken up with hippie groups like Jefferson Airplane, & folks-esque Country Joe McDonald, Richie Havens, before heavy metal became the music of angst. But, folk still remains the standard of the protest song as the vocals are the focus over the music. Though, perhaps its the plethora of folk music in our culture but the comedic songs here seem to jump out of the mix the fastest & have the biggest impact re the message & might be the future of protest music ... hitting home with laughter. While the few funk bands come in second place, albeit only because there's less funk than comedy in this collection. As this collection is about a message the message needs to be mentioned. According to the press release this album "salutes & celebrates the 99% in their pursuit of equality, which is the one word that summarizes the different, viable & important issues that people are working through by using the power of peaceful gatherings & demonstrations, fostering education & awareness." It's hard to say if all of this is in here musically or lyrically, while some songs don't feel that much like social protest songs ... but just the fact that all these musicians gave their permission to be included is enough. They've got solidarity if not in the message then in the desire to be a part of the message. Further, this album has been released on bandcamp "free for the 99% ... it costs $1,000,000 for the 1%."

Katya ~ Rock Lives! (album review) ... The power of rock!

Style: hard rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2011
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Katya ~ vocals/guitars/keyboards/effects

Additional: Brent Wroten ~ drums
Shoop, Maurice Verloop ~ bass

Guests: Paulo Gustavo, Adam Cohen ~ bass
Stephen Perkins, Gonzo Sandoval ~ drums
Jerry Peterson ~ saxophone
David Campbell, John Philip Shenale ~ string arrangements
Eliza James ~ violin

Rock chicks with electric guitars ... an exotic looking Russian blooded rock chick with Betty Page bangs, cleavage & a guitar. Does anyone pay any attention to the guitar? On an album you have no choice. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Katya knows how to look hot in the photo sessions ... & on 'America's Got Talent' & VH1's 'Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp' of which she's a cast member & having her video for "Laying In My Bed" as the opening sequence of MTV's 'Damage Control' & she even has her own clothing line ... but also rocks out with a great album dispelling any rumors that chicks with guitars shouldn't waste their time trying. The simply titled Rock Lives! is Katya's debut & comes out with a bang in many ways. Besides being mixed by one of the top names in the field, Bernie Grundman, whose credits include everyone from Michael Jackson to Leonard Cohen, on the album is an array of lesser known names with great resumes that include work with Jane's Addiction, Armored Saint, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Graham Bonnet, Tori Amos & even Burt Bacharach. But, for all the star-studded glamor Katya is no tv producer's creation. She started learning classical piano & having voice lessons at age 5, only to be soon consumed by the guitar & songwriting. Now in her album debut we see the result of this childhood of music. Rock Lives! opens with the cry of "Rock lives" followed by guitars winding up & moving into the opening declaration "The Power Of Rock & Roll" that's a bit of Joan Jett riffing guitars & rock cries ... with lots of echo on the vocals to give it extra punch. This is followed by a highly polished electrified rolling version of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" with squeaky guitar bits & solo. It may not have the bluesy luster of Janis's iconic version but after two songs Katya has set the scene letting us know she's here for a fun rocking time without too much pretention & is going to take advantage of whatever is at her side whether its all-start players or studio effects & polish. Though, at this revelation she surprises the listener with an acoustic somber love ballad with strings, "Plugged In", that has more in common with Alanis Morissette & the 90's female singer-songwriter scene. Thus, Katya isn't so much about just a non-stop rock party but also about paying something of a tribute to those musicians she grew up with, let alone not letting the listener get too comfortable or the music too predictable. This more subdued style continues slowly building up over a couple songs (i.e. "Like A Dream (A Love Story)", "We Never Say Goodbye") in a dreamy path showing the value of album song order & climaxing with a guitar that reaches the highest notes in a solo & a chorus of overdubbed vocals that sounds like classic Heart. Though the problem with Rock Lives! is that the ballads have the strongest lyrics while the more straight forward rock songs are basic throw away lyrics declaring the cliched wonders of rock'n'roll that are essentially foundations for showing off Katya's guitar playing, which is top notch both on rhythm & lead & countless overdubs. It's a bit of a lyrical contrast that sometimes feels jarring, such as going from "I've a little ditty you can rock to baby/you gotta rock that roll/you gotta rock that roll" in "JLY" to "Hey sister/where're you going tonight/are you feeling lonely/I think you lost your fight" in the string/acoustic guitar ballad "Hey Sister" to "Laying In My Bed" with its Ani DeFranco-esque "Ice cube I like you/I remember my mother hubbard/having a heart attack when I shaved my head ... I was a Munster living with the Brady Bunch/i have no other other than I'm not the only crazy one." As for the guests, as the album is a guitar focused one & on which Katya handles all the duties the guests get a bit under-noticed. It's not like she brought a bunch of guitar soloists but instead a top notch often funky rhythm section & some string arrangers. One doesn't tend to pay attention to bass players so much. Bonus tracks are included of acoustic versions of three ballads. "Like A Dream (A Love Song)" is given an acoustic piano workout that is soft, lovely & to leave it off would be a horror as its luscious. It's the strongest of the three bonus & really the only one that is essential. "Plugged In", "Hey Sister" are given acoustic guitar workouts, sands the full band & thus are more just stripped down versions, but they give the album a ballad heavy feel & aren't different enough to really need to be included. Luckily, its the ballads that are the strongest lyrics & singing by Katya & showing her at her most diverse.

Hughes/Thrall ~ Hughes/Thrall (aka debut) (album review) ... Hugely enthralling!

Style: hard rock
Label: Epic
Year: 1981
Home: n/a

Members: Glenn Hughes ~ bass/vocals
Pat Thrall ~ guitar/guitar synthesizer

Additional: Peter Schless ~ keyboards
Frankie Banali, Gary Ferguson, Gary Mallaber ~ drums

Pumping 80's synth keyboards ... sometimes it works & spawns a whole new style, i.e prog & new wave, sometimes it's an unnecessary clutter that turns what could be some great solid rock into some heavily dated sounding AOR rock. This somewhat forgotten release by H/T is marred only by the over emphasis on the keyboards ... & guitar synthesizer, which isn't much better. Considering half of H/T is a guitarist one expects more than melody lines dominated by synth guitar with the actual guitar buried in the mix by a producer who knows better, i.e. Andy Johns of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Free, etc., leaving too much emphasis on the instruments that shouldn't be emphasized. Albeit, the bass & amazing vocal foray are really what charges & drives the album & even more so with this mix. For bassist/singer Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, & now the popular Black Country Communion, & guitarist Pat Thrall from the Pat Travers band & Al Di Meola this pairing came at an opportune moment personally & musically. Thrall had yet to cash in on his growing name recognition while Hughes had spent five years languishing in drugs & depression following a single solo album & the death of his bandmate Tommy Bolin. The time was ripe for both of them to break free of their chains, while their respective styles & background make it a union full of potential for some interesting hard rock. The fact that the potential didn't pay off in the long-run as probably hoped is just more sad than anything & isn't necessarily anything but a cloudy reflection of the music. In the short run it's quite delightful in a sneak up on you sort of why. Months of rehearsal & songwriting went into creating this release with a keyboardist & trio of drummers including Frankie Banali of future Quiet Riot. Given the participants the resu;t is a surprisingly low key unglamorous affair ... its even hard to call this rock guitar album but instead feels like a radio friendly somewhat pop rock album. It feels almost as if Thrall isn't quite sure of himself & is erring on the side of caution instead of hanging loose, turning in little pieces instead of any heavy riffs, & trying to sound like what's on the scene than having any sound of his own. Hughes is out front with his bass steadily thumping away & really making the songs what they are. While it's hard to believe he was out of music for awhile as his vocals are amazingly great & in top form & stretched out in many different direction sounding like so many of his influences. His tuneful screams, a la Graham Bonnet, are particularly delightful (i.e. "I Got Your Number"). Check out the vocals on "The Look In Your Eye" & "Muscle & Blood" & the David Lee Roth-esque "First Step Of Love" & finally understand what the buzz around him is about. Sadly, the lyrics aren't anything particularly special beyond average rock prose. On first listen many will probably find Hughes/Thrall an uninteresting release, if not a bit too Asia-esque or of the era. I did. It's far from exciting ... or at least takes a few listens to get there. It doesn't match expectations but that might be its selling point. It comes from a different direction & thus has nothing to live up to because the expectations don't apply. It's one of those releases that seeps under your skin on repeated listens & the hard rockers (for example, "Muscle & Blood") suddenly rock harder & it'll be quickly obvious that there's absolutely no filler among the nine songs. It's tight & will leave one wanting more. For fan of Hughes singing or those wanting an introduction to him this release should not be missed. Thrall has done better, but his playing here has been compared to Allan Holdsworth while others have said this is the same vein that Billy Idol would tap into. Potentially. Demos were made for a follow-up but were scrapped due to bad sales & the pair split after a short tour with Santana & Ratt. Another attempt at follow-up was started in 1997, but in 2008 Hughes withdrew from the project saying a decade was too long for any musical project & would return to the scene with the outstanding all star Black Country Communion.

Wendy O. Williams ~ WOW (album review) ... Never argue with a chick with a chainsaw in a bikini!

Style: hard rock
Label: Plasmatics Media
Year: 1984
Home: New York

Members: Wendy O. Williams ~ vocals
Michael Ray, Micki Free ~ guitars
Mitch Weissman ~ piano
Gene Simmons ~ bass/b. vocals

Guests: Eric Carr, T.C. Tolliver ~ drums
Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Wes Beech ~ guitar

When folks talk about the music of W.O.W. its usually her work with the 70's punk outfit the Plasmatics. But, some of us are appreciative of the experiment but not so much the music & recommend live videos of the Plasmatics but W.O.W.'s later solo hard rock. It's not just because I prefer hard rock over punk, but while the Plasmatics might have the better visuals the hard rock is far more user friendly listenable music. For those who have only heard the Plasmatics this may be a surprise listen. WOW presents a very different frontwoman along with more tame, more commercial & tighter arrangements under her. The hard rock present here might be the best arranged & produced music of her career but its not the most inspired or original, either compared to the Plasmatics or other rock bands of the time. I'm reminded of the bland end of Joan Jett with a bit of Patti Smith punk in your face effrontery. It's certainly New York edgy in that vague thing called a New York sound. Certainly, W.O.W. might be the best face of punk rock & should be up there with the Sex Pistols. If she was still alive she might be. She certainly was far more talented & her later vegetarian activism shows a caring heart beyond just social rebellion. Many might see her as a performance gimmick, re: cutting guitars in half on stage with a chainsaw wearing next to nothing, but WOW should show differently. WOW should show that given the opportunity she was interested in doing more & being more than a one gimmick wonder. WOW is the first of two solo releases following the break-up of the Plasmatics. Most noteworthy about this album is that in the producer's chair is Kiss songwriter/bassist/vocalist & general social beast Gene Simmons in his first non-Kiss production role. Simmons spotted W.O.W. hosting a heavy metal video show & had been enamored of her attitude, not too dissimilar from Kiss's early years to shock & rock, & took the Plasmatics along as an opening act. Simmons writes a lot of the songs here ... wherein lies the problem. Simmons might be known for many things, good & bad, but not necessarily as one of rock's great songwriters. Kiss is full of clichés, unmemorable songs & weak anthem rock of little depth. For all the hits there's also a lot of blandness held together with the sheer energy of the band. He brings that cliché, no depth anthem blandness to WOW. W.O.W. is a very socially minded performer but is singing songs with the least amount of social awareness of her career. At many times the result even sounds too close to Kiss, particularly in the backing vocal chorus approach typical of the Kiss attack. "It's My Life" was even co-written with Kiss frontman Paul Stanley. But, there's a enjoyable factor in here. It may not be as outlandish or avant-garde as the Plazmatics but their outlandishness ruled over listenability. So many of the songs are typical of the era but for lack of creativity they are perfectly constructed ... wondering if Simmons is a good imitator or a good creator. It helps that for once W.O.W. has some skilled musicians behind her including the rest of Kiss with Eric Carr, Paul Stanley & Ace Frehley ... though for good measure former Plasmatics T.C. Tolliver & Wes Beech are brought in for cameos. The Plasmatics were never able to go beyond sloppy even though at times their experimentation was well worth hearing. Simmons could be the potential man to take things to the next level but he doesn't mold the music to W.O.W. Though, the problem may also be that Simmons wasn't exactly a big league successful producer for anyone outside Kiss & thus he isn't used to thinking outside the box. Today he might create a very different album that is much closer to W.O.W.'s vision than a female fronted Kiss. Though, while the music may fail on some level W.O.W. actually is pulled up by it & does her best singing, considering she's not really a singer & can use a little push & prod which Simmons gives her to his credit as a producer if not a songwriter. Its worth hearing where she takes her voice. "Thief In the Night" is a surprise with some whispered singing totally out of form for W.O.W. that gets taken up a notch with the oddly named "Opus in Cm7" that features singing in a strained voice. One wouldn't even recognize W.O.W. particularly given the piano background of this later song. Thus, on some level, WOW is as experimental as the Plasmatics, just going in different directions, so for those hesitant to listen because it's not the Plasmatics it just takes a change in perspective of what experimental means. Those who like the Plasmatics probably won't like WOW, for all valid reasons, but those who want the more listener friendly W.O.W. this is a good starting point. If one really wants the best of W.O.W. then create your own comp album drawing from a little bit of everything from her entire career. It's a box set long overdue. Of note is a line in "Bump & Grind" where W.O.W. sings "Do you want to fucking grind with me?". The answer undoubtedly is yes. It's hard to say no to a nearly naked woman holding a chainsaw.