Know before you go!

On a recent trip to NYC; notice I said trip cause I am no longer there; I was fortunate enough to see Corey Taylor do a completely acoustic solo performance. This was to be a night of half spoken word and readings from his NY Times Bestseller : "7 Deadly Sins", as well as an all out acoustic set of Stone Sour and Slipknot songs. A calming evening, and a departure from the madness that particularly ensues at a typical show of the two for a mentioned bands, of which Taylor is the front man for both. Somehow I don't think everyone got the memo. Actually there were clearly a few people who had no idea of what they were going to.

Within minutes of the spoken word piece some were yelling for Corey to stop talking and start playing. There were murmurs in the crowd that they did not pay to hear some sappiness or humor spewing from Corey's mouth.  And when he did finally play some were even yelling that he needed to "plug it in" and "scream for us". However our fearless leader did not disappoint and even invited a few hecklers on the stage to fight and if they interrupted him one more time then he would gladly come down there. However this is really not the point of the rant here; the point is that before you go you should know what you are getting into; don't go to the dentist to get your ass checked!

For die hard Slipknot fans this probably was not the way they wanted to see Corey. Stone Sour fans probably had an easier time digesting these shows simply because the overall nature of Stone Sour is a bit more subdued. However the tour was pushed and promoted properly by all parties. Before I went I knew what I was getting into; why did not some of the others?

Corey Taylor : Highline Ballroom

I have in my lifetime been dragged to a couple of shows that I would rather not repeat in writing here, however for more or less they were pop artists. I knew what to expect going into these show. What I could expect for the age, type, dress, attitude of the crowd; and in all instances I was prepared. I knew that there would be no mosh pits; no head banging, no overall theme of a sea of black t shirts. However I did know that there would be, screaming teens, brighter colors, and tears! (I will never understand pop music) Point is that I went in with a different attitude than I would have if I was going to let's say a Anthrax show. At the end of all of this is that preparing mentally for what and who you are going to see will change your perspective of the show. Being prepared for those "pop" shows made them more bearable for me and the party I went with.

The point is that we should all look to the knowledge that G.I. Joe would impart before the end of every cartoon: "KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE"

You Fail !

I am in the process of making a move outside of NYC. I think of the simple joys that I would be enjoying; driving again, blasting the radio at decibels that would blow the blue hair out of her car next to me at the stop light, hearing new music. Yet my radio has failed me. Oh my radio works, just not my DJ. He is failing on an epic scale on bringin a smile to my face on these sunny Florida days.

Radio was once the end all, be all medium to get new music to the masses, yet I am not hearing new music from my rock stations. Without fail ever time I get into the car I can bet; almost guarnatee that I will hear three bands. Guns & Roses, Metallica, Nirvana are staples on an hourly basis, and why? Nirvana; well we all know how I feel about that band, Guns & Roses great two first albums but there is no remains of an original lineup anymore; hence to me they are not even G&R anymore. Metallica, well we all love them and they do put out releveant music however don't "Britney Spears" them to me.

Play me something new; something that I have not heard. Don't play me a Puddle of Mudd song that is 10 years old, play something off their new album, impress me. DJ's are doing a huge disservice to bands old and new by not putting the new stuff on the air, hell I will even settle for different stuff. We complain that digital downloads are killing the industry, however it starts with the DJ. You keep playing me the same songs over and over again how am I supposed to know that there is a new POP Evil album out. How will I ever know that the new Five Finger Death Punch album is just sick unless you don't do some introduction. You are failing me rock DJ.

It makes me even wonder if they are even into the music. Radio stations usually have a new music hour which resides on Friday night at midnight. 1 hour! Really? Come on. 24 hours in a day; for god's sake at least give one hour a day.

That's it that is all I have to say about that!

Our brother to the north is kicking our butt!

There has been a recent influx on hard rock and heavy metal acts coming out of Canada; and they are not all that bad. Which begs the question; is there better A&R in Canada for such acts, or are there better artists coming out of Canada?

Roadrunner Records reigns supreme in Canada. If you take a look at their line up it is evident to see that they have a main focus on hard rock / metal, and a lot of them are from up north. So are other primary hard rock labels such as Eleven Seven not sending folks up to the great white north? It seems as so, but who knows.

What I do know is this; for the last few months I have had 3 artists in heavy play rotation all from Canada. Theory of a Deadman, Danko Jones, and Hail the Villain. Although all not new to the scene, they have all put out stellar albums that deserve a listen too. When I dig even deeper into my iTunes library I see RUSH , and Three Days Grace; both hailing from Canada. Is it that our brother to the north holds more of a blue collar mentality than we do? Or am I a Canuck at heart? I really hope that it is not the latter.

Don't get me wrong, the US hard rock / metal scene is still very strong; however when it comes to A&R it seems the bands are doing most of the work. Case in point; Black Veil Brides and their use of social media to gain attention. They were not discovered in a club, or in some dive bar; they were discovered on YOUTUBE. Now I am sure that there are plenty of A&R guys running around looking at acts, but in the same token it bothers me that more crappy pop artists are getting signed than hard rock acts. Is it that labels are so driven by what makes them money rather than what is talent? (That is a rhetorical question; we all know the answer.)

Maybe it is just that we bled the LA scene so bad in the late 80's and early 90's that we have given up and just figured the scene was perpetually dead. Maybe Canada just has more hard rock / metal in their blood. As I said before who knows. I do know that Canada is pumping out new acts in these genre and I wish that the US would show a little more effort.

Size Matters!

Don't kid yourself no matter what anyone says; size does matter! I am talking about the size of the venue of course. (Get your mind out of the gutter my dear friends)

Last week was a banner week for me. I was lucky enough to see two of my favorite bands; Sevendust at Starland Ballroom, and Staind at Best Buy Theater. Both shows were amazing; however what made them even better was that they were at smaller, more intimate venues. Probably the most interesting thing about my experiences last week was that I gave up BIG 4 tickets on the 14th to go see Sevendust instead. Now I am sure that most of you think that I am nuts for passing up such a show but I need you to listen to my argument.

Sevendust @ Starland

I love Metallica, love me some Anthrax, and of course Megadeth, and I would love to see all of them again soon, however just not at Yankee Stadium. First and foremost the acoustics in a venues such as Yankee Stadium, or any other stadium for that matter is just flat out horrible. The sound just goes into the air; nothing to bounce off of. Sound travels in waves and when it has a smaller distance to travel, it of course is going to sound louder, and cleaner.

Second; I have no desire to watch my shows on a big screen, or with binoculars. I enjoy being able to see my acts up close and personal; not so say that I run to the front either. I just want to feel like I can scream out the famous lines "PLAY SOME SKYNARD MAN", and that there is that minute possibility that they might abide.

Stiand @ Best Buy

Lastly when I go to a show I dont want to feel cheated. I did my time at festivals when I was younger. They are great for seeing multiple bands at one time for 45 min sets. With the BIG 4 I know that I would not get to hear songs that I would have probably heard if I had seen each act individually. Smaller headlining shows allow the artists to dig deeper into their catalog; and to me that is what makes a show special. That one song that you have never heard live before all of the sudden ringing in your ears.

So when given the chance to see one of your top bands in a smaller venue, I say jump all over it. Even if you have to go the extra distance.

Step away from the typewriter Mr Hagar!

Songs have the ability to tell great great stories. The songwriters behind those great lyrics though should not always write books. Case in point, Sammy Hagar with his latest book "RED".  Now don't get me wrong I love me some Sammy; either in his solo effort, or with Van Halen, oh heck I will even say I like some Montrose songs. However in his attempt to tell his compelling story in "RED" he simply fails. The book is long winded and confusing and frankly in the begining flat out boring.

This is not to say that all musicians can not sit behind the typewriter. I have been doing a lot of reading lately; on what you may ask? Some of my favorite music men have been putting out books lately. Some are epic fails like Sammy's some are pure genius.

This all started about 2 months ago. I tend to dive into topics when it comes to books. Awhile back it was social drug culture, then I read like crazy on VooDoo, and then WWII. Now it is musicians and their stories, and it all started with Nikki Sixx's "Herion Diaries" (I was actually ashamed to say that it took me so long to read it). Now granted I read "The Dirt" as any good Motley Crue fan should, however I am diving deep recently. Here are some of the gems that I would say go out and read.

First and foremost a must read is Nikki Sixx's "This is Gonna Hurt". More than just a book, it highlights some of Nikki's great photography, and becomes a little heart wrenching when he talks about Kat Von D.  Second on the list is Scott Weiland;s "Not Dead and Not For Sale". Written almost in diary form, very honest, very very honest and an easy read. And the last must read, and I mean MUST read is Corey Taylor's "7 Deadly Sins". The man is brilliant, part story of his life, part commentary, part comedy classic (his rant on movie theater nachos is classic).

Others that get notable mention is Tommy Lee's "Tommyland", Steven Adler's "My Appetite for Destruction" (not finished that one yet), Vince Neil "Tattoo's and Tequila".

Everyone has a story to tell, you, me, Sammy; however not all of us should write a book about our lives. Throughout all these books mentioned there is no common thread. I think that the perception that all rockstars come from jaded messed up backgrounds is a grave misunderstanding.

I encourage you to check some of these books out of you are into the scene or want to learn more about these artists.

Mood altering tunes

I am actually going to get personal on this post. I have not written in ages and I apologize to you, but more to myself. I find this process somewhat therapeutic, as it gives me some sort of creative outlet. Long gone are my days of drawing and painting, and my poetry days are behind me as well, so this might be my last outlet; just to write. I have my ups and downs like the majority of us do, however there has always been one thing that has had the ability to take me away from my head; music. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.

I have been in a funk for the last few days and could not put my finger on it; only to then realize that I have not been listening to music as much. You see for me I live and breathe music; I listen more than I watch; I listen more than I read. Often I get flak for the music I listen to; however I am drawn to the artists that I listen to mostly because I relate to them lyrically. I get what they are talking about; or rather have those same feelings. I am not a dark person; but I embrace my dark corners.

So what I was thinking in this post that I could highlight some songs that make me feel like I am not so alone; a play list if you will, one that makes me feel not alone, and change my mood. So here we go.

ALTERBRIDGE: I know it hurts, SIXX AM: This is gonna hurt, THREE DAYS GRACE: One X, PAPA ROACH: Time is running out, AVENGED 7X: Afterlife, BUCKCHERRY: Fallout, HAIL THE VILLAIN: Glad to be, JOSH TODD: Straight jacket, LINKIN PARK: Faint, PAPA ROACH: Not listening,

And these are just a few. I know that some of you look at the titles of those songs and think that Vahle is depressed. Please don't; I am happy as hell. I had to stop with just those few because the list is so long. There are even albums that I could mention. But the reason why I am so happy is because I have a companion in music. So what is my point in all of this?

Music as I have said before in this blog is meant to move us in many ways. More importantly we all listen to music for different reasons. Some to dance, some to cry, some to smile. Most importantly is not to judge people for their taste in music. I listen to stuff that some people would shudder at.

So put down that remote, that book and go change you mood with some good tunes. Thanks for reading this rant.

Support your community

Being a hard rock / metal fan in NYC is tough. Believe it or not, the mecca for all culture is lacking a hard rock / metal community. So when I ran into Eddie Trunk and Don Jaimison at a recent Buckcherry show I had the opportunity to pick their brain about the decision to keep their VH1 "That Metal Show" out on the west coast, instead of keeping it in NYC where there is a need for a stronger community.

Eddie's answer was short and to the point: "..all the talent resides out there..", and Don, well he showed a little remorse and danced around the answer.

Eddie is right; the talent on Sunset far exceeds the talent that resides in NYC; however this is even more of a reason to keep it in NYC.  You see going to a hard rock show in the city there is always a crowd however the majority of that crowd takes the train into the city from their respective points. Long Island, NJ, and CT are more represedted at those shows than the true NYC residents. I dont mind that these folks come in from other parts of the Tri-state area to see the show; it's is just that they leave. So that means they take their love and attidude for the music back to their respective homes and leave me and a few others with the Lady Gaga lovers here in the city.

This means no culture is left here in the city. Granted there are a few of us who live in the city who live for this music, however we are few and far between. There are too few hard rock clubs in a city of 8 million. There are not even smaller local acts that we can go see on a regular basis; and lastly there is not the attitude that comes along with it.

It is a scene that is lacking in the city and frankly at the end of it all; I am sick of going to shows by myself because I can't find others to go with. I bet you if I had some Lady  Gaga tickets people would be climbing all over me; but Stone Sour tickets; not so much.

Get some manners!

At the tender age of which I am; I have had the ability to attend many concerts, of many different bands and styles. On Friday night of this past month I attended a much anticipated show of Sevendust, Korn and Disturbed; what I got was not was not a full pleasurable experience. This had nothing to do with the bands, the acoustics, or the venue; it had to do with the fans. I have been to many concerts of this level of intensity; I've had my nose broken at a TOOL concert; been punched in the face at a Social Distortion concert; yada yada; yada yada; the list goes on. But this crowd took the cake.

When did throwing half drank beers into a crowd become acceptable? When did teenage rage transfer to a higher rate in girls than in boys? And since when did picking fights with the soberest guy in the crowd (me) start?

Unfortunately this was not the first show where I have seen the half drank beers thrown; the first time was at a Third Eye Blind concert in AC; and even at that show I had to put a group of idiot Jersey pseudo guidos in their place for starting some crap with me. It has started to make me wonder where all these peoples manners are?

Concerts, and music for that matter are for relaxing; forgetting about everyday worries and having a good time. Whether that be tossing around in the pit, or laying low in the background doing your little dance. Why ruin someone else's good time just to be a dick?

For Christs sake drink your beer; and keep the fights to the parking lot (where it might actually happen, cause all of us know that nothing really materializes at a show).

One final note about all of this; Sevendust blew my mind and I am looking forward to seeing them again soon. I am headed to a Hinder show, as well as a Buckcherry at separate times in Feburary. If you are reading this and going; please behave!