Blogging season, Duck Season, Blogging Season, Duck Season, Duck Season, Blogging Season. BLAM!

 

 

Lets call this Blog a "Summer-y":

Before I get started with my heavy handed opinions mixed with the occasional nostalgia trip that you all hate (yet still read), I want to formally announce that I DO TAKE THE SUMMERS OFF!!!! That was for the 4 people that have inquired about the blog recently. Maybe it is strange of me to take a bloggers vacation each year, but my geek side is especially busy with the family, the garden, the dogs, outdoor activities and the usual work/travel schedule in the hot months of the year. Something has to give.

That is not to say I take a break from being a nerd. This summer I have read 2-1/2 books by Eric Larson, 1 by David McCullough, the new Neil Gaiman and I am actively trying to get started on understanding the insanity of Terry Prachett (a task that is proving extremely difficult).

Beyond that, I am actively writing music again, and after a long hiatus I am pleased to be working with my longtime collaborator, Louie Rice, on some overdue Metal material. It is good for my soul to be back at it. I always felt that we were not quite done yet, and had much more to say, so..... More to come on that later, but I am hopeful that a new LP will be in our not so distant future.

What else? Well, my broseph John Muroski and I have re-connect after years of non-communication, and I was very pleased to catch his (and Mike Russell's) killer band, The Tradesmen, last month here in Pittsburgh. They inspire the blue collar Erie-ite in me to no end. I am in awe of their greatness.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tradesmen/404007310693

Musically, I found myself listening to new stuff by old bands this summer mostly, including the new Megadeth, the new Sabbath, Black Star Riders (aka the re-vamped Thin Lizzy), and Newsted. Ghost BC's latest LP has been in rotation, and (no matter how repetitive) I love the Sister Sin LP: Now and Forever (forgive me for not knowing about it when it was released late last year - I am not always up on the latest European music). It sounds like a modern take on early Crue with Mega-Countdown bridges. It's rad.

Lastly, the break in blogging brought with it new inspiration. Fall 2013 topics may include:

• Self Help: 10 Easy steps to achieving Aerosmith hatred YOU CAN DO IT!!!
• Franchising your old ass busted up band 
• The over saturation of bogus Satanism in silly immature music (and why it's so cool).
• Why Opeth is better than your favorite band
• Two hated millionaire musical dishrags: Bob Rock and Desmond Child, a study in F- Major.

I leave this post with an apology for the break, but a promise that I am not disappeared. Here's to a great Autumn.

The lunatic, is in the blog...

Supertramp...smarter than a speeding bullet.

 

I used to believe that, in order to progress musically, a Supertramp “stage” was necessary to correctly move forward intellectually in regards to music fandom. Back when I made that claim, I was probably looking for meaning in my own existence, and reaching out further then the Metal I grew up on to find myself. That was back in my 20’s. Today I realize that Supertramp, albeit great, is a band that may not necessarily transcend the ages and have the impact on future generations the way it did on me.

I am not saying that I am a ST Fanyboy or anything, but I do give credit where it is due. A few months before my 18^th birthday, I was living with my sister Kerry, who exposed me to several artists outside my box at the time. Kerry was in college then, and her circle became my circle, which ultimately led me to love Supertramp’s Breakfast in America album, which was in heavy rotation with her college buds while visiting our small apartment.

Breakfast in America was over a decade old at that time, but it resonated with my sister’s  educated click more than the grunge movement, which was geared toward the disenfranchised youth of the time. With that in mind, the lyrical intelligence spoke to me way more than the usual Bob Dylan most were claiming to love. Unfortunately for the masses, Supertramp has since been reduced to the dreaded Rock Radio rotation, with daily spinning of the Logical Song mushed between Yes and Journey for your drive at 5 (home from work presumably). Personally for me, that is the kiss of death for many artists I used to love.

Recently, one of my other sisters (Katy) put Supertramp back on my radar. I am trying to get her to walk down the aisle to the Logical Song, and allow me to dress like Spock for the honored role of Best Man at the event.  It has become a running joke for me and her Fiancé, Mike Anderson, and somehow I think we both would like the wedding to be Star Trek themed. Katy, however, has stated “You guys can fuck up the reception all you want, but not my wedding”. So we will be reduced to pointy ears at the after party, which is still pretty cool. Since I am not as thin as I once was, I am now referring to myself as Fat Spock.

Back to Supertramp, in the days before internet supremacy, most of the artist info available was largely word of mouth. With that stated, I never put much time into learning about the Supertramp story beyond the songs, and I was surprised to learn that one of the main songwriters/vocalist, Roger Hodgson , dismissed himself from the band 5 years after their hugely successful Breakfast in America became #1 in the charts across the world. The band subsequently stopped playing his material live. This included the songs: “Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home" and "It's Raining Again", which took the piss right out of the once massively popular touring band.

They have never reunited with Roger, which is weird to me in this day and age of endless reunion tours and constant marketing of past hits that supports so many aging musicians of today. That said Roger does occasionally tour as a solo artist. Supertramp also hits the road now and again, actually playing some of Roger’s material these days. Blame it on the almighty dollar.

 

This blog usually includes YouTube videos. It is sad that finding any music from Supertramp with Roger on Vocals is impossible. I am sure there were more than a few suits involved in making that a reality. It’s like trying to find a Prince song (not gonna happen). There are, however plenty of clips of Roger singing the songs he penned for Supertramp, so I leave you with one of my favorites.

Last Week...Paul, Chris and the Hall....

Let’s talk about Last week….

I saw the full R&R Hall of Fame 2013 Ceremony, and it was great. It pains me to say that, really it does. I spend a ton of time bashing them, but they actually gave props to fallen heroes in bands they don’t recognize. In particular, they actually said goodbye to Jon Lord (Deep Purple) and Bob Welch ((Fleetwood Mac – Solo Artist (read: welching out on a legacy – previous blog)) in a video tribute to fallen stars. I have to say it was very classy.

BUT…. Why the hell Deep Purple is not carved in every hall of your dumb house is amazing to me you stupid hall of fame. I digress… I guess you have to go with the devil you know and they finally got Rush right. I could have lived without Alex flubbing the acceptance speech, but hey, I‘ll take it even though I was embarrassed for him.

Along with the HBO Hall of Fame coverage, I went and saw Paul McCartney and Wings “Rockshow” at the I-Max in Pittsburgh Mills. It was awesome and I was very impressed with the re-master/re-release of the film.

I blog about the Beatles from time to time, but I do love me some Wings. Not everybody would go to the theater to see a show like that from 1976, but given the opportunity, I’m there. I forgave the studio overdubs about 5 minutes in, and just sat back and enjoyed it for what it was. I am sure it will be out on DVD very soon, and it is worth the price, so check it out.

Beyond that, I saw Soundgarden last Sunday. I love them, but I will not spend another dollar on Chris Cornell. I saw him last year at Carnegie Music Hall, and it was not great. I loved hearing Sunshower live, but I actually left early out of boredom after that. The Soundgarden show could have been better if they would just realize that they could benefit from actually playing hits and not deep cuts… That hurts to say, but they have an amazing catalog of songs we actually know. Just an observation, so take it for what it is.

Was it a good music nerd week? Yes it was!!! I hope that they all work out like that going forward. On the immediate radar is Frank Turner at Smalls, BARONESS at Smalls (so stoked), and Peter Frampton/Robert Cray at Stage AE.

If you actually read my blog, thank you… I know that my opinion is not always the most unbiased, but 2300+ views is not bad for a music nerd from Western PA.  Feel free to leave feedback.

Walking in Memphis.

Q. What do Elvis and Nago have in common?

A. We both have small houses.

I had some downtime this week between meetings while in Memphis. Consequently I found myself twiddling thumb and unwilling to stare at a hotel wall any longer. In an effort to keep occupied I rented a car and went to Graceland. I mean, why not? I am not a huge fan of Elvis or anything, but I understand that without him, my favorite band (The Beatles) never would have greased their hair and started playing Rock ‘n Roll. They all drank a steady diet of Elvis Kool-Aid, so certainly I could offer up one afternoon to my hero's hero. It only seemed right.

Is Elvis the King of R&R? I know it to be true that perception is reality, so why not? He was a cool alternative to the Light Jazz scene my grandparents dug, and he really did bring black music to the white popular culture of the day. He was puppy dog dangerous enough to break through to the kids, and also probably the first tabloid star (save the royal family). My generation listened to Slayer and Prince. In comparison, Elvis’s controversial gyrations were about as dangerous as chewing too much Big League Chew, but parents hating their kids music had to start somewhere.

 

Here’s what shocked me: Graceland’s main house is relatively small for a Kings mansion. Seriously, I know people with kitchens that make his look like it belongs in a single wide trailer. It’s just not that big. He had a bar and pool table in his basement, but in my town, a lot of people have the same. Elvis owned several TV’s, but so does everybody I know, so no big deal there either. I can say with 100% certainty that none of my acquaintances have a wall fountain in their jungle room though.

 

 

 

 

The Elvster bought into the 70’s like nobody’s business. Shag carpets, dark drapes, fabric covered ceilings and hardwood tongue & groove abound. I am sure all of his comforts were top luxury during his residency on this estate, and in his defense, the property surrounding the house was very impressive.

 

With all of the above stated it really is a tourist trap. Across the street from the mansion you can tour his planes (which were super cool) and visit all of the Elvis novelty shops complete with souvenirs galore. I purchased 5 postcards and 2 books of matches, spending a whopping $2.97 including tax on memorabilia. I fully intend to mail the postcards when I get back home. I am hanging on the fat Elvis meets President Nixon card though. I find it funny.

 

 

Musically, I like fat Elvis. His band was twangy and had a sound all its own, plus they fit the 70’s decade like a glove. Steven Tyler wishes he had the swag of the fat man back then. I digress…

I hope to find myself with nothing to do in London so I can mess with traffic on Abby Road, but it’s not likely this year. However, I will be back in Memphis soon, and if I again find myself with disposable hours I will visit Sun Studios, Gibson Custom Shop, and Stax. Beleedat!

One final note: Westboro Baptist Church is planning an Elvis protest at Graceland this Friday. God hates Elvis? It's a shame they weren't there the day I was, for you might have seen me on the news throwing postcards and matchbooks at them. Losers.

Deuteronomy 4:42

That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:

When I was 12, Slayer was scary to me. That was some real demonic shit right there. It was blistering fast, by far the fastest of the Thrash bands in the day. It was poorly produced, which I knew back then as I struggled to hear any bass guitar in the mix, but man they were awesome.

Who doesn't remember the first time they heard Hell Awaits? It was then, and remains today, one of the best, if not the best, Metal openers ever. Da da da.

My bro Hinkle really loved Slayer. He was a huge fan. He would spend hours playing any Slayer riff he could muster on his crappy little one knob Charvel which plugged into a Boss Metal Zone pedal and amplified through a 1x12 bass amp. It was cool. We would practice Slayer riffage all day. I was still attempting to play drums back then, and asking me to play anything from Slayer was equal to asking me to break dance. It was above my pay grade, so we just stuck with the basics. The main drum pattern in Seasons in the Abyss was 4/4 easy (minus the fills), so we rocked that mostly. We even kicked around starting a thrash band. Jason Blake, who went on to sing for Domicile MK1, would scream his face off trying to sound like Tom Araya. We sucked bad, but it was fun. We called ourselves “Cheap Whore”.

Chris was not the only Slayer fanatic in my circle. John Muroski and I would write entire verses about dog food to the tune of Angel of Death. Kibbles and Bits, march through the kitchen to the bowl...Infamous, Supper, KIBBLES AND BITS! We used to make ourselves cry with laughter writing the silliest shit you could imagine. I never laughed so hard in my life. I miss that dude sometimes. If you see him, tell him I said ‘sup.

I have written about the Clash of the Titans before: how a bunch of high school kids piled into vans and headed out to see Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. The sad part is, it remains the one and only time I have seen Slayer.  I took them for granted. I figured I would see them again eventually.

I was talking with an old friend yesterday morning that went with me to the Titans show. He too never saw Slayer again after that show. He said that it was ok though, as it punctuated that period of his life and he can look back fondly on it. I am adopting that mindset as my own (thanks Seth).

It has been a week since we all learned the news of Jeff Hanneman’s death. It is an unbelievable story. A weird spider bite  in 2011 that caused necrotizing fasciitis, a Slayer fan Doctor that recognized the venom for what it was, a constant state of recovery and therapy that kept Jeff off the road and unable to play. A brief appearance at the Big Four, then not much news at all…. He was recovering, or so we all thought.

In the end it was liver failure that killed him.  It's safe to assume that the spider bite was the cause. He was 49. Not gonna lie, when I heard, I welled up. It took the wind out of my sails for a moment.

 

RIP Jeff. Thank you my brother.

MAIDEN BLOG #1!!!! (RIP Clive Burr)

Iron Maiden. Integrity.

To this day, there is no band like Maiden. No matter what, Maiden soldiers on with ferocity. They have seen ups and downs. They have seen some line-up changes. Through it all their core sound never waivers, and I have yet to hear anyone really rip it off successfully.

Facts:

• The founder/bass player runs Maiden with a Iron Fist.
• Their singer is a mad genius.
• They have too many guitar players, but they are all brilliant.
• Adrian Smith is a mutafuckin wizard.

Writing about Maiden is difficult. What points would you hit? I could write 6 Maiden blogs today, and still not even scratch the surface. For this particular blog and in honor of Clive Burr (who died on March 12th, 2013) I am going to focus on early Maiden.

32 years after Maiden fired vocalist Paul DiAnno, there is still debate about the voice of Maiden. The average Joe not exposed to Maiden doesn't realize or care about the significance of Paul's departure, or that Bruce Dickenson is not the original vocalist. However, because of the change, Maiden went on to become one of the top 3 Heavy Metal bands of all time. These bands have earned the love of the fans to the point of us refering to them by their last names only: Maiden, Priest, & Sabbath (with all due respect to Purple and Zep), like old friends.

The material Iron Maiden releases with Bruce to this day continues to define true Heavy Metal. Bedloved is an understatement globally.

Lesser known are the original players that helped craft the sound of Maiden.
Dennis Stratton - Guitar: Iron Maiden - 1980

Clive Burr - Drums: Iron Maiden - 1980
                                   Killers - 1981
                                   Number of the Beast - 1982

I still own an original Killers on vinyl. It is in plastic now, but I remember every nick and pop like it is part of the production. If I hear Murders in the Rue Morgue, I expect to hear heavy scratches in the intro, and to this day it is weird not hearing them. One of my favorite parts of this production is the drumming. Clive is a badass in his use of open high-hat and cymbals abound. His snare fills are simple but tasty given the tempo this barn burner is keeping.

Maiden singer, Bruce Dickenson compared Clive to Ian Paice. Dickens is quoted (by Wiki) saying:

 "Clive was the best drummer the band ever had. That's not taking anything away from [present drummer] Nicko. Technically, Nicko's probably a far more competent drummer than Clive. It's just that Clive had this incredible feel, and you can't learn that, and I regret that he wasn't given more time to try and sort himself out."

The story of Clive's departure from Maiden in December of 1982 following the Beast on the Road tour goes grey from there. The band says Clive's excess was the issue. Clive says he left the tour to bury his father who had died back in England, Nicko was brought in to fill some dates and Clive never felt like part of the band thereafter.

Band politics are what they are. I have seen the worst of it, and I have been the "too much excess" guy from time to time as well. There is some weird shit that goes down between musicians after they leave the practice room/stage. It is competitive by nature, which sucks, but unfortunately it's fact.

Maiden soldiered on without Clive.

Nicko McBrain has been a part of the landscape for so long now that Clive's contribution to Maiden is somewhat overlooked. Just remember: the intro, timing and fills on Run to the Hills and the entire Number of the Beast LP is Clive's work.

Clive Burr was diagnosed with MS in 1994, which eventually left him unable to drum and ultimately wheelchair bound. The following is taken from his wiki page:

 Burr was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the treatment of which left him deeply in debt. Iron Maiden staged a series of charity concerts and were involved in the founding of the Clive Burr MS Trust Fund. Burr used a wheelchair because of his condition.

He was also the patron of Clive Aid, a charity formed in 2004. Clive Aid has continued to raise awareness and funds for various cancer and multiple sclerosis programs around the world through the staging of rock events.Burr attended many of these events.

Burr died in his sleep on 12 March 2013. He was 56.

Clive is no longer a prisoner. RIP and Thank you.

For more info on Clive, his legacy and his battle:
http://archive.classicrockmagazine.com/view/february-2011/32/when-drummer-clive-burr-was-ousted-from-iron-maide

Now I spend my time looking all around, for a nerd thats nowhere to be found.


Now playing:
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (best modern era Maiden LP hands down - and one of my favs)

The great Hair Metal debacle.

It seems to me that over the last couple of years, the '80's hair metal bashing has somewhat subsided in popular culture. I dare say that I hear more and more of it's influence in modern rock, especially when discussing the "flavor of the day" bands like Asking Alexandra, who covered 2 Skid Row songs on the Life Gone Wild EP.

This is probably a natural progression, as just about all music nerds look back at the '70's disco craze with rose colored glasses these days, which was not even close to the case for a very long time after the "Disco Sucks" era of the early 80's.

Today, big Hair Metal festivals like Rocklahoma continue to prove that the genre is not forgotten. Poison still draws big numbers during their annual romps, and whether or not Bon Jovi admits it now, he was a Hair Metal king from 1984 through 1991. Same with Def Leppard and other bands that continue to draw (larger than club) crowds.

Beg your pardon miss, but you fancied those blokes as bloody wankers, didn't you? Cheerio!

Despite the fans, Hair Metal is still absolutely ignored and shunned by the elite rock media, hipsters and rock snobs abound. It is all residual damage from the implosion of a scene that was rampant with PG promises of a rockin' good time and dreamy fairy tale love. To them, Hair Metal's death was a mercy killing. As a rock snob myself, I partially lean that way these days.

I admit openly that I was caught up in this trend during it's heyday. Mostly because I became a pre-teen at the height of it (I turned 12 in 1986). However, Metal fans at the time were not as complex as today. I could like Motley and Metallica, and no one would bat an eye. Eventually Metal became something harder on the street level, and hair metal became all about the female fans.

With that in mind I can say that we as kids loved Thrash Metal (Megadeth), loved Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden) and liked Hair Metal (Dokken). It was not equal in value because we recognized cock rock for what it was. However the lines were not as clear as they are today in hindsight. Even the mighty Judas Priest fell victim to the trend.

Judas Priest in 1986



Somewhere along the way the Heavy definitely took a back seat to the Hair. Big corporate money began pumping out sub-par bands just to make a buck, which was sad. I did not understand it myself at the time. How anyone could call a band like Danger Danger "Metal" was beyond me. It was crappy pop music with a guitar solo.

By the early '90's, the trend became so diluted that it was hard to find anything heavy about it at all. My mind needed much more then the fluff of what Chest Hair Metal had to offer. Even the greats of the early '80's succumbed to the allure of big corporate ca$h.

Motley Crue 1983:

Motley Crue 1989:

It took 6 years to transform Motley from Hanoi Rocks evil little brother into Styx's sissy little cousin.
 

We all know the story from here: along comes Grunge and goodbye Hair. Heavy Metal retreated to the underground to lick it's wounds save the mighty Pantera from Texas. Pantera (themselves a reformed Hair band) showed metal fans the way, and no one looked back for many years. It was a time of expansion for the aging teens of the '80's, as all bets were officially off. I personally soaked up music like a sponge from all genres. I was always a metalhead, but it took me a few years to discover how good Metal had gotten from being underground (ie: Nevermore, Iced Earth etc...)

There again, the lines were not as clear at the time. Alice in Chains were a Metal band, right? Soundgarden sounded like Zep-Sabbath, and Cinderella became southern rock.

Nowadays I view it all with the wisdom of an old dude and the benefit of hindsight. I can separate the great Metal Cheese of the early 80's from the Marshmallow Fluff of the early '90's. I understand that Firehouse had as much to do with killing this genre as Grunge did. Somehow these dudes lost their way and ditched the devil for chest hair. For the record: Love of a Lifetime is a horrible song.

But I still scratch my head about how we went from this in 1980:

 

To this in 1990: 

It had something to do with LA and Aquanet, or so we are told.

Much of the popular music of that genre is still taboo to my ears, but when Ratt's Lay It Down shows up on my XM, I crank it. Same with anything off of Skid Row's Slave to Grind. I have never wavered in my love for Twisted Sister and if Dirty Look's Cool From the Wire were on my I-pod, I would play it right now.

In conclusion, I am finding that I am softening to parts of genre that I left for dead years ago. I can't promise that I will ever be able to not vomit when Danger Danger comes on the radio, but I will once again leave room in my playlist for Tom Keifer. If he can still write tunes, then why not?

 

More than nerds..... is all you have to do to make it real.

Currently Playing:

Michale Graves - Vagabond LP

Jason Newstead - Metal EP

CCR - Cosmo's Factory

Cancer Bats - Bat Sabbath/Bastards of Reality