Never say die

The passing of a loved one tears at us and often is a difficult thing to move on from. When a member of our favorite band dies we as fans often suffer two losses; the loss the musician and the loss of our band. Throughout the years music has lost some talented souls, and through those years the future of the bands they left behind we uncertain. Some of them pressed on and found new talent; but every now and then the loss of the member is too much strain on the dynamic of the band, and things can not go on.

The choice of the band continuing on is not reliant on the position the deceased held in the band. Sure if your lead singer dies and they were as charismatic as someone like a Jim Morrison, or Shannon Hoon, the replacement is darn near impossible. However in both of these cases these bands have carried on. I am sure that you are rolling your eyes right now and saying; "The Doors ended after MOJO died. Vahle you idiot". And you would be correct if you felt that The Doors were Jim, Ray, John and Robby. But the remaining Doors members have played shows after Jim's death with different front men. (Many many many years later) In fact if you can dig it up they actually played with Patrick Monahan (Train) a few times, as well as, rock legend Ian Astbury (The Cult).  So it is still The Doors with a different guy singing right?

Depending on how you answer this question is really what will determine your view on this. If you say yes then I agree with you. If you say no then I agree with you as well. For those of you say yes it is still The Doors because Robby, Ray and John were still there and they used The Doors moniker; then I get why you say yes. The core is still there and the bands name did not change. If you say heck no; when Jim died the original line up died and so they are not the true Doors; then I get it as well. It truly is a circular debate.

Here is how I look at it.  Did they create new music after the loss of said band member? If they have, then I hold true that they are still the band by the name the once were. If they do not make new music; then to me they only have someone, playing cover, for the lost band-mate. So in that sense; as much as I agree that Ian Astbury singing with The Doors was great; it still was not The Doors. Ian sang with them; but they were never The Doors. Bands like Alice in Chains, AC/DC, Blind Melon, Lynyrd Skynyrd all to me were bands that truely moved on after thier loss. They all made new music with a new band-mate.

Produce your own fate

What goes into a great band? The obvious is a great front-man with a creative and talented crew of musicainas to back him up. But what makes a great album?

Producers are the unsung hero of the music community. They are the driving force that we never see on stage, hear about in lyrics, or in a beat that make a great band put out with a great album.  What really is their role; here is a brief description provided by wikipedia.

A Record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the production of an artist's CD. The Producer, has many roles that include, but are not limited to, coaching the musicians, controlling the recording sessions, gathering the ideas of the product, and supervising the final production through mixing and mastering. Over the latter half of the 20th Century, producers have also taken on a wider entrepreneurial role.

Notice they mentioned coaching the musicians. This is key into really getting a band to put out their best in a recording session. Their are many greats in the producing arena, however when it comes to the hard rock  &  the metal community there is one man that really stands out in my mind as the best in coaching. That man is Bob Rock. I am probably showing a little bit of favoritism because of his work with Motley Crue and Metallica; however Bob Rock has proven to be able to work with the most difficult situations, and the most difficult rock bands, and he does it when they are at their worst.

By no means no means am I saying that he is the best at all of his job duties as a producer. Mutt Lange deserves major credit for all the work he did with two bands after major tragedies.  Mutt was able to put AC/DC back together after the death of Bon Scott and make the integration of Brian Johnson seem effortless on Back in Black. His work on Hysteria for Def Leppard after Rick Allen lost his arm is a feat as well. However, Bob Rock still stands out in my mind because Bob was dealing more with personalities than the loss of a member from a death or accident. And when I say personalities i mean, sex drugs and rock and roll. The situations that Mutt dealt with were bands that were trying to heal; not destroy.

Hands down though if we had to look at the best producer out there; across all genre's of music; across all disciplines;  I think that most of us would agree that it is Rick Rubin. How could you not?

The three producers that I have mentioned have put out some of the most infulential and greatest rock albums of the past 30 years. I think that they deserve a little time in the spotlight. Show em some love!

We all have a little Ripper Owens in us

One of my favorite movies of all time has been on HBO a lot lately; Rock Star. I love it for many reasons; it has a killer soundtrack, it incorporates real rock stars into the script, and it plays on a dream that all music lovers have; to one day sing in our favorite band.

Some of you may not know that this movie is based on a true story; not line for line however it holds a pretty accurate account of what happen to a guy named Tim Owens. Affectionately known in the industry now as Ripper; Tim was some dude in Akron, Ohio who had a Judas Priest tribute band. A salesman by day, Tim would go through the motions, but at night he would don his best Robert Halford get up, and take the stage to become Ripper.

When Halford left Judas Priest the fate of the band was unknown. Rob Halford has one of those voices that you cant just find on the street; he is known as, "Metal God" for a reason. Through fans videos, and the luck that a Priest member walked in the door one night at a club in Ohio, and saw a man named Tim Owens on the stage singing just as powerful as Halford; the replacement was found.

This is a bitter sweet situation for any true fan that loves a particular band.  As a fan want you want nothing more than your band to keep cranking out songs that you love. On the other hand it gives you what you always wanted; the chance to be in that band. Ripper suffered the fate of not lasting long in Priest, and as a true gentleman, when Halford reunited with Priest he stepped aside. He has not been forgotten though; in fact he works with the best in the business to this day.

We emulate our favorite front-men, guitarists, and drummers in a wondering of what it would be like to be in their shoes. But when the time comes would we really be prepared for the call? I'd love to sing for Papa Roach or Buckcherry; however I know that I am no Jacoby Shaddix, or Josh Todd.

Buy me that!

Today back in 1997 Ben and Jerry's launched the wonderful flavor Phish Food; a tribute to the best damn band that has ever come out of Vermont. It is flat out delicious; a combination of chocolate ice cream with gooey marshmallow, caramel swirls & fudge fish. Which brings us to the topic of marketing. How far is too far? Granted Phish as a band did not put this idea into the boys heads at B&J, so this is probably not the best example; so lets move to one that is. Coffins. KISS has a coffin among other outrageous branded materials; such as condoms, snow-globes, bookends, lunch boxes and it goes on, and on, and on. Gene Simmons has raped us all with the branding of that damn band. 

It all started with the concert t-shirt. A novel idea to purchase at the concert of the band you were seeing to 1) remember the show and 2) support the band by wearing post concert, and let the rest of the world know that you were there, and you are a fan damn nit. I was never a concert t-shirt kind of guy. I always feared being "that guy"; you know the guy who wears the t-shirt of the band that they are going to see to the show. (Hopefully someone got that obscure PCU reference) I don't think that buying a t-shirt is a bad way to support your band; however once it goes past that point of purchasing just a t-shirt, you might want to check yourself into band rehab.

KISS, and few other bands have taken band merch to a level that to me is just unacceptable. PHISH is even a little guilty. To me it seems like the purpose of them making music was lost in the fact that they could make a little more money by putting their name on some shit piece of product. They became musicians to make music; not to pimp stuff.

Any band that refers to themselves as a brand should get out of the business.

Not your average white band...

I just learned that Living Colour is playing a show near me; thinking about hearing Corey Glover's vocals again live is something I am looking forward to! Think about the loss we would have had if he had followed big brother onto a fulfilling acting career; granted he was in Platoon, and maybe I should not say that big brother Danny Glover is an accomplished actor. Back to the subject; I am a huge fan of the band and it makes me happy that Vernon Reid and co., are taking the stage again to promote their new album; "The Chair in the Doorway".

Living Colour stands out in my mind for many reason's; they are Grammy winners; I have seen them 7 times; Vernon Reid is an insane guitarist, Corey Glover's vocals are moving.... the list goes on..... One thing that is beyond obvious is that they transcended the color barrier. The notion that only red - neck white dudes created hard rock and heavy metal was demystified. They are not alone in this plight; guys like Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Lajone Witherspoon (Sevendust), Doug Pinnick (Kings X), and of course Johnny Allen Hendrix (aka Jimi Hendrix). If you have not heard of these guys then you are missing out. I could talk for days about Angelo's energy and stage presence; Corey and Lajone's vocal talents; Doug's bass playing and Jimi, well Jimi is in a league of his own.


But the question begs to be asked; Why are there not more black artists in the rock genre's? I am open to hearing your opinion....but I think that the time is come where we see more of them. Hell, rap has Eminem.

Oh yeah if you are in NYC around March 2; I highly recommend you getting a ticket for the Living Colour at Carnegie Hall.

The girls are alright

Rock & Roll, especially hard rock and metal, has never been flushed with women vocalists, let alone bands. The stereotype that rock and roll is a boys club perpetuates well.

With the recent hoopla at Sundance over "The Runaways" movie, I thought that I would pay a some respects to other women rockers that have done it well and those who are doing it well. I don't want to sit here and give shout outs to women who I think have stellar rock vocals like, Lacey Mosley (Flyleaf), or Hayley Williams (Paramore), or Amy Lee; but rather I would like to talk about the way that women rock vocalists are viewed different that your prototypical pop princess.

Don't get me wrong, women in rock bands are still drooled over by the boys in the band and in the audience, however there seems to be less pressure on them to keep up a certain image. There seems to be more and more worry over women in pop music whom started their careers before their 18th birthday and how they transition into being an adult singer. Christina Aguilera probably did it the most abruptly in the pop community, with her DIRTY phase. Not a day goes by where there is not an article about some Mickey Mouse Club Alum taking pictures, that don't put her in lets just say; the most holiest of ways. They are under constant scrutiny from the public eye about their image; and part of me feels a little bad.

Why do the women of rock not feel this pressure? Is it because they are less attractive, or not as in the spotlight? This is a rhetorical question. No one, especially me can provide an accurate answer. My opinion is simply that leading women of rock and metal bands have a different on-stage persona, which translates us to thinking that their off-stage persona is the same. Simply stated: DON'T MESS WITH THEM.

This leads me back to my original thought on why I wanted to write this piece tonight; The Runaways. These girls were tough. They ate up men and spit them out; partied like hardened rock stars; and yet when they formed back in 1975, all of them were under the age of 18. They were left to their own devices, and handled themselves with less than admirable grace of that of young ladies. They all grew into adulthood while in a public light; granted this was many years ago; however I do credit them for setting the standards of women in rock. Simply stated again: DON'T MESS WITH THEM.

It seems to be working for Hayley Williams, who was only 15 when she took the stage, and has not had to deal with the pressuring of what her image should be.

Sorry man you got to go... or do you....

When is it the right time for conflicting artists to server ties with one another. Steven Tyler's rumble with the rest of Aerosmith has been going on for weeks and the crossfire has gotten out of control, and frankly confusing. Is he in or is he out? Is he suing or is he not? Is Paul Rodgers or Sammy Hagar going to sing, "Love in and elevator" to me now? The most vocal in the break up has been the other half of the TOXIC TWINS; Joy Perry. He had made it abundantly clear that Tyler was out in prior weeks, however new news has surfaced that Tyler is still in and is on what he calls "a vacation".

This is not a new story with Perry and Tyler. This shit has been going on for years. But the amazing thing is that throughout it all they have remained together. Honestly they have really been through hell. So why is it that they have not said; done, and done? And why have other tumultuous relationships in other bands have made them call it quits? I believe it is the damn magic that those two put out in the studio.

I love a good fight like the next guy, but I don't like it when it endangers something that I love, and I happen to love all of the early Aerosmith albums, and even would go as far as say like the majority of them after Permanent Vacation.

In the long run I hope that it works out for the two of them. I do not want to see another front-man for Aerosmith; it wouldn't be right. I would not go as far as Tyler saying, "I am Aerosmith", however I would not want to hear another tone behind that microphone.

I paid to hear you sing not preach

I would like to touch upon a comment that Brian Johnson from AC/DC made last week, and he is getting a good amount of flack for it. It is in regards to U2's front-man BONO, and his never ending need to bring poverty and world affairs to light.

"I don't tell everybody they should give money — they can't afford it. When I was a working man, I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry, mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done."

I couldn't agree more with this. Don't get me wrong, I believe in donating one's money and one's time to charitable organizations; and I believe that Brian does too, however some artists just take it too far. Frankly some of us are not in the position to give a little extra money or time when we can't even handle our own bills, more importantly our own country's needs. I don't want to pay for a $100 dollar ticket to hear some self righteous front-man give us a speech about others in need. I am in need; I am in need for an environment that will help me forget about my problems; that is why I am at the damn concert! We want / need entertainment to help us escape from the bad around us; not be reminded of it. Use your celebrity for good; I get that; just don't make me pay for you to do it.

This comes in the wake of the largest earthquake this world has ever known, and the Haitian relief efforts are all abound. The million dollar question has always been; "Where does all this money go?". In a perfect world it would all go to the desired charity, however it saddens me that Haiti's own native son, Wyclef Jean's organization; Yele Haiti; is under investigation for misappropriation of funds. The fact of the matter is that funds from event's such as the relief concert, do not go to where they are supposed to go.

Artist should be there to entertain and entertain only, especially when I am there paying for it. If I am not paying for it then donate your time off camera. That broadcast concert was free for everyone to watch; and free publicity for any high-level artist to come off as a good guy; giving us all that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Do good things like no one is going to give you credit for it like the rest of us BONO.

Super-groups

Being that Super Bowl weekend is upon us I thought that I would touch upon the subject of super-groups. Of course there is folk lore that back in 1956, on this day, that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis all convened in Sun Studios for a jam session, becoming "The Million Dollar Quartet". The dates of this magical day are not verifiable, however today is given as one of the possible dates. The super-group was born.

I am torn on how I feel about super-groups. There have been some really good ones in the past; specifically Led Zeppelin. Yes I said Led Zeppelin! Some may not know this but after endless changes in, The Yardbirds; Led Zeppelin was born; and without a change in line up. In fact come to think of it Jimmy Page had a nasty habit of being in super-groups: The Honeydrippers, Led Zeppelin, and The Firm.

On the other hand though I feel that a super-group is just a bad idea. The chemistry that a band has when they are trying to make it is lost. There is no more struggle and frankly you already know that the best stuff was written. Vinnie Paul said it best (something to this effect), "....after your third album you know that all your best stuff is pretty much gone...". "You have years to write those first three albums, but after you have done those, the studio will always be barking at you to do it faster and better."

Some of my favorite artists are guilty of creating a super group, and I have never-ever been into their super-group as much as I was into their original band. Prime example is our dear friend Maynard James Keenan. I am a huge Tool fan; A Perfect Circle, eh not so much.

I am open to hearing what maybe your own super-group line-up. Frankly I don't have one. Oh wait I think that I just had a moment of clarity...... I don't like super-groups........ besides Zeppelin! :)

Feb 2 1979 - Death of a showman

On this date 31 years ago the bass player from the Sex Pistols; Sid Vicious: real name Simon John Ritche, was found dead of an apparent overdose; he was 21. I am not going to divulge into conspiracy theories that he was murdered by his girlfriend, but rather talk about his legacy.

Sid will not be remembered for his bass playing, but for his antics. When one thinks about the Sex Pistols they tend not to think about top notch musical talent. They think about the craziness that they caused. Bar fights, heroin and attitude is more what the Pistols represented. Now, I only have seen old vintage video's of their concerts, but from what I can see they put on a hell of a show. Sure it sounded like crap, but one did not go to see them because they wanted to hear a symphony. They went to go see what Sid would do.

Another punk icon known more for his on stage antics would be GG Allin; born Jesus Christ Allin. GG took it to a different level. Consistently saying to crowds that he was going to kill him-self on stage; GG would cut, defecate and piss all over the stage. As disgusting as this all is; he still had a dedicated fan base.

Both of these gentleman had a following; not for their musical prowess; but more for their showmanship. Their antics drew more of a crowd than their ability to play their instruments; begging the question on why they were in a band and not in the circus.

Ask yourself the question; "How important is your favorite bands front-man?". Neither of these guys were backed by a solid band; and I don't care what anyone says about John Lydon; he was not the front man for the Pistols. This being said they both drew crowds based on their behavior and through time actually got people into their music. Job well done indeed. Posing the never ending question on does one need to have talent to make it in the music business; or is showmanship more important?

Just look at Britney Spears.

Grammys shun live award for Metal and Hard Rock

I am going to keep this short. Grammy's suck there is no doubt about that if you are a hard rock / metal fan. I want to thank Eddie Trunk for getting this up on his site:

Both Judas Priest And AC/DC Win Grammy Awards | Rock News | Eddie Trunk

Now if we can only get the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to get their heads out of their asses.