2011-Music Year in Review

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about all of the new music I heard in 2011. At first I was disappointed that I couldn’t even come up with a “Top 5” for the year and was leaning toward calling it a bad year for music. Then I started reflecting on the three albums that were my favorites and based on those albums alone, I’d call the year a success. There were some let downs and a few records I just didn’t get to yet, but overall I’m happy with some great releases this past year.

Top 3 albums released in 2011:

Foo Fighters-Wasting Light 

              

Released in April, Wasting Light lives up to the hype and viral marketing that preceded it. Prior to this album, I considered myself a casual fan of the Foo Fighters at best. I never disliked them per se, but I never really got into an entire album of theirs. Wasting Light changed that in a definitive way as I can say that there isn’t one song on the record I don’t like. The best track on the album is actually the closer “Walk” which shows a big progression in song writing for the Foo Fighters. It’s also a great peek into what the rest of the album sounds like. Wasting Light is the type of album you can play straight through and be surprised by album cuts you may not listen to regularly and be reminded that those songs are just as good as others you may listen to more often.  Deeper cuts like “Dear Rosemary”, “Arlandria” and “A Matter of Time” are all excellent songs that also show a very positive direction for the band. My personal favorites are the aforementioned “Walk” as well as “I Should Have Known” and the incredible opening track “Bridge Burning”. Wasting Light is without a doubt the best album from 2011.

Adele-21

                 

For all the roar and praise Adele’s sophomore effort would go on to receive in 2011, it was released very quietly back in February. When the first single “Rolling in the Deep” hit radio a few weeks later, the record was off and running. 21 is unique to me in that the record company seemed to know what to do with it. When I first heard it back in February, I knew “Rolling…” would be a hit but I didn’t see the label being able to properly promote the rest of the record as singles. Whether it’s due to the monster success of that first single or the fact that the label is doing something right, they have since released several very successful singles from 21. “Someone Like You”, “Rumor Has It” and “Set Fire To The Rain” were all songs getting regular radio play, which came as a pleasant surprise to me. A couple well-handled covers appear on 21 in the way of The Cure’s “Lovesong” and The Steeldrivers “If It Hadn’t Been For Love”. Given the fact that Adele can put soul into just about any track, and the songs from this album have a deep soul in the first place, 21 easily places itself among the best albums released this year.

Rich Robinson-Through A Crooked Sun

                 

In mid-October, Rich Robinson (of The Black Crowes) released his second solo effort. Being a longtime fan of The Black Crowes, I had hope for the record but was a little leery seeing as Rich’s last solo effort (2004’s Paper) was uneven at best. Through A Crooked Sun is one of the best work’s Rich has ever produced, easily standing up to some of his best efforts with The Black Crowes. Kicking off with the southern groove of  “Gone Away”, Through A Crooked Sun takes you through a journey of the many influences and sounds we’re used to from Rich and his main band without ever sounding like a retread or forced in any way. Lyrically, these songs are a high water mark for Rich and I expect that going forward he should and will flex his lyric muscle when The Black Crowes reconvene as a complete group.  If the lyrics of the Fleetwood Mac-ish “ Falling Again” are to be taken at face value, it might be a while before the Crowes re-group though. So many songs could be picked out and considered a highlight. From the chunky groove of “It’s Not Easy” to the willing and able cover of Peter Green’s “Station Man” each track is refreshing to listen to and absorb each and every time. For a sample, check out either “Falling Again” or “Hey Fear”, either track is a great example of the brilliance found all over Through A Crooked Sun.

As I mentioned at the start, I initially looked back and thought 2011 wasn’t a great year for music due to the fact that I couldn’t think of a great number of albums I really liked. But in thinking on it further, I began to realize that those that I do like, I love. I started trying to “rank” my three favorites in my head and realized that I loved two of the three almost equally.  The thing that makes 21 come in second place to Wasting Light is the fact that Wasting Light has more memorable moments on it. In reviewing both records heavily over the past few weeks, I found myself listening to Wasting Light straight through with ease while I was regularly skipping 2-3 tracks on 21. While Wasting Light came out on top for that reason, I found that I was torn between 21 and Through A Crooked Sun put in second place. In the end, I honestly couldn’t decide between the two. So while Wasting Light is my clear favorite, I see both Through A Crooked Sun and 21 on equal footing for second favorite of 2011.

Honorable Mentions From 2011:

Some albums that I listened to a great deal this year but not nearly as much as those listed above were Stone Rollin’ by Raphael Saadiq, Born This Way by Lady GaGa and Kicking & Screaming by Sebastian Bach. Released in April, May and October respectively, all 3 albums are good representations of their genres and the artists themselves but none contain enough songs I found myself going back to so as to refer to it as a “favorite” or “best” album of the year. Of the three, I enjoy Born This Way the most based mostly on the strength of one song; “You & I”.

I would refer to all three albums as “mood albums” when I’m in the mood for soul, Stone Rollin’ would be the first album I grab. While Kicking & Screaming doesn’t break any ground or necessarily bring anything new to the table, it gives me some fresh, catchy metal to bust out when needed.  As I mentioned, Born This Way gets the most play of the three but there’s more to the record than “You & I”. If anything, the album is a little too schizophrenic for my taste. It seems built more as a “singles machine” (which isn’t a surprise) than a record meant to be enjoyed as a whole piece. Tracks like “Government Hooker”, “Electric Chapel, “Marry The Night” and “The Edge of Glory” certainly show that once you put aside the Madonna comparisons and look further than her shock shtick, GaGa has some musical feeling to share.

Disappointments From 2011:

Unfortunately there were a number of albums released this year that just didn’t cut the mustard. I was let down several times this year after the release of several records I’d been looking forward to. The first and probably biggest disappointment for the year was the Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. After years of hype from the industry, the label and the Boys themselves, the record did absolutely nothing for me. Not one track on the album lives up to either the hype or the legacy of the group. Another big disappointment was Build A Rocket Boys! from Elbow as I was looking for them to build on the momentum they’d gained with 2008’s The Seldom Seen Kid. None of the feeling or memorable melodies found on their previous work make an appearance of Build A Rocket Boys!

The second half of the year provided two more let downs in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaboration Watch The Throne and Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger.  I was looking at both of these albums in the same light that I had with Sebastian Bach’s latest album; I wasn’t expecting anything ground breaking or new, but I expected both to at least live up to their past or at least return to it. Watch The Throne gives you not one track that makes you want to give even a second listen. None of the substance (or effort for that matter) found on previous Jay-Z and Kanye albums is present in any of the tracks. I take Kelly Clarkson for what she is but I have a hard time believing that she and her team can’t come up with better songs for her to sing. I realize that the pool of manufactured acts is pretty diluted these days, but I’m shocked that they can’t even give this woman songs that she can at least pretend she enjoys singing. Kelly Clarkson has a fantastic voice which continues to get criminally mis-lent to crap songs with absolutely no feeling behind them whatsoever. Not one track on Stronger is sung with any amount of feeling and I really don’t hold Ms. Clarkson responsible for that. Both of these albums are perfect examples of why people don’t buy records en masse as they used to; big names and catchy hooks aren’t enough to bring fans back. All you have to do is at least put the effort in to give people something to feel and they’ll associate their feelings with a need to support the artist.

Music From 2011 I Still Need To Get To:

There were plenty of releases this year that I just haven’t given a proper listen to. As the early part of the year tends to me slow for new music releases, I’m looking forward to digging into them very soon. I cannot comment on the content of the follow albums as of yet, but I’m sure I’ll get to post something on them in early 2012. Here’s what I’ll be getting to very soon:

Florence + The Machine-Ceremonials

The Black Keys-El Camino

Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds-Self Titled

Mr. Big-What If…

Loaded-The Taking

Miranda Lambert-Four The Record

Robin Thicke-Love After War

Music Outlook For 2012:

There haven’t been a lot of big announcements yet for 2012 with only one solid release date I know of from Van Halen and even that was just announced on December 26^th. If the current forecasts are to be believed, on February 7^th we will see the first album of new material from Van Halen featuring David Lee Roth on lead vocals since 1983’s 1984. Hopefully a more solid schedule starts taking form soon but for now albums are promised in 2012 from Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Slash, Shinedown, Pearl Jam and Culture Club.

The Soundgarden and Black Sabbath albums are “reunion” projects but the first to be full length studio material from their classic, most respected lineups. Both acts have milked the “reunion bit” to a certain extent through live releases, tours and compilations so it may be exciting to get new material from each. Slash’s next solo album has potential as long as it avoids the genre-hoping, wanna-be-Santana pitfalls of his first release. Pearl Jam is looking to revitalize their career after having spent the past year celebrating their 20^th anniversary with a new studio album. Culture Club also has the potential to hit new heights when they release a reunion record later this year. Their last release, Don’t Mind If I Do from 1999 wasn’t even released in the US for a number of reasons so it will be interesting to see how things turn out this time.

Recap:

If nothing else, 2011 provided me with 3 albums that I’m certain I’ll be listening to on 2021, 2031 and so on. If I’m lucky, one or more of the albums I haven’t listened to yet from the year will have the potential to add themselves to that list.  While there were some disappointments from my perspective, none of those releases gave me reason to give up on any of the artists. I believe that all of them will be back with stronger releases in the future, or at least I’m hoping so.

I’m looking toward 2012 with a good optimism for music. Both for the albums I know are on their way and those I haven’t heard about yet. I’m certain that throughout the year, I’ll hear new artists and new sounds that will continue to give me hope for the future of recorded music as Wasting Light, Through A Crooked Sun and 21 did this year.

My 3 City GN'R Experience

Guns N' Roses: the topic of a lot of discussion and debate. Axl Rose has a very well deserved "love or hate" relationship with music fans. In the years since their major label debut Appetite For Destruction, I do not believe I've ever encountered a music fan who doesn't have strong feelings one way or the other on Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses. As I've made clear in prior posts, I fall into the category of die hard GN'R fan. I was very excited to hear that they were finally returning to the US for a full blown tour for the first time since 2006 and in turn, the first since the worldwide, long awaited 2008 release of Chinese Democracy.

As soon as the dates nearest to me were announced, I set out on a plan to see the most shows I could withing driving distance. My thinking is this; you just never know with GN'R/Axl Rose how long the silence is going to last in between tours. So if they're coming near me a few times, why not ensure I see as many shows as I can? My original plan was to see the show on November 15th at the Allstate Arena in Chicago followed by the December 1st show at The Palace of Auburn Hills, north of Detroit. However, the plan was happily changed to include a 3rd and final show at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio on December 7th. One of our follow bloggers (Mike Downing) lives near the Allstate Arena in Chicago so he offered us a place to stay as well as experiencing the concert with us.

Stacey and myself made our way to the Chicago area early on the 15th, met up with Mike and began our day of music appreciation. As the day was drawing to a close, we made our way to the Allstate Arena. We witnessed only a few moments of opening act Adelita's Way as they did not hold our interest for long. Guns N' Roses made their way to the stage at 11pm, far earlier than years prior and far earlier than most people at the show will want to recall years from now. After the lights went out, the theme from Dexter (the hit Showtime series) blared over the PA. At the finish, all screen went red and the ominous intro to Chinese Democracy's title cut took over. New(est) guitarist DJ Ashba made his way to the top center of the stage and let loose with the opening riff, after which the band kicked in and exploded on stage.

Mike took some excellent pictures throughout the night and I'll only use a couple here in the event that Mike gets to writing his own review one day (where's it at Mike??) and wants to use his own pics. The picture on the right is that of DJ Ashba knocking out the chords to Chinese Democracy just prior to some large fireworks going off and the appearance of the rest of the band. GN'R opening with show with the title cut from Chinese Democracy says a lot to me. The album wasn't considered a "hit" by any means at least in the US so to open with the title cut speaks to the level of confidence the band and Axl have in the material they worked on for so long. It's a bold move, one which I applaud heavily.

Next up was arguably one of their biggest hits; Welcome To The Jungle during which Axl Rose gave a direct answer to anyone with the question "Can he still sing?" If you watch the YouTube video above, you'll get your answer; a definite "YES". Axl Rose is 49 years old and has somehow found a way to sound consistently better than he did when he was first trying to bring GN'R back on the Video Music Awards at the age of 38 in 2002. I'm not sure how it's possible but it's definitely inarguable as evidenced by this video (In the interest of full disclosure, this YouTube video was shot by another concert goer, not myself)

Another rumor dismissed early in the performance was the media's recent need to pass around stories that Axl Rose was considerably over weight. As pictured here with guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, one can easily see that there's no truth whatsoever to the rumor/media hype. Axl and the rest of Guns N' Roses were in excellent form both musically and physically. One thing that I found of interest and particularly surprising given my own prior concert experiences with Guns N' Roses; Axl was in a GREAT mood throughout the entire show. He was joking with band mates, the crowd and stage personal throughout the entire show. Pointing out crowd members, smiling at their home made shirts or signs, telling stories from the road, etc. This was a much happier guy than I'd ever seen on stage with Guns N' Roses.

GN'R played for just short of 3 hours, trying to work in as many hits and fan favorites as possible, also giving each member a chance to shine on their own during the course of the show. The set list for November 15th at the Allstate Arena is as follows:

Intro (Dexter Theme)
Chinese Democracy
Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Sorry
Riff Raff (AC/DC Cover)
Estranged
Better
Richard Fortus Guitar Solo (James Bond Theme)
Live and Let Die (Wings Cover)
This I Love
Rocket Queen
My Generation (featuring Tommy Stinson on vocals)
Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (Baba O'Riley)
Street of Dreams
You Could Be Mine
DJ Ashba Guitar Solo (Mi Amor)
Sweet Child O' Mine
Axl Rose Piano Solo (Another Brick In The Wall / Someone Saved My Life Tonight)
November Rain
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal Guitar Solo (Pink Panther Theme)
Don't Cry
Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC Cover)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan Cover)
Nightrain

Encore:
Madagascar
Shackler's Revenge
Patience
Band Jam "Happy Birthday Chris Pitman"
Paradise City
After the show, we were afforded the opportunity to meet some of the band. We spoke with Dizzy Reed (the bands long time keyboard player) and their drummer Frank Ferrer along with catching quick glimpses of a few other members as they passed in and out of the room. Several members seemed in a hurry or occupied with something/someone else so we chose not to bother anyone who didn't seem to have a free moment. Even though Dizzy had quite a few family members waiting for him, he still took a few moments to chat with us and take pictures which was very nice of him.

As seen here, I was also able to get a picture with Frank Ferrer. Frank is Guns N' Roses drummer and possibly one of the nicest people I've ever met in music. It's apparent from the way he plays the GN'R classics as well as the newer material that he appreciates and adores all of it. He seems to play from a stand point of "What would I want to hear?". Some parts of the GN'R classics are played note for note to the original album versions while other parts have Franks on feeling thrown in. Each thing he changes doesn't seem to be done from a "look what I can do better!" stand point. The changes he makes are only there to enhance or add to the song and that's exactly what he accomplishes. Frank allowed me a few moments to discuss a few of the things he plays differently and he appreciated the fact that it was noticed. Frank came off to me as a fan of music trying to make sure that people were getting their money's worth and you just can't ask for more than that in my opinion.

We left the Allstate Arena shortly after 5am, dropped Mike off back at home and headed back from Detroit knowing that in a few short weeks, we'd be doing the whole thing all over again in our own home town. For the December 1st show at The Palace of Auburn Hills, I'd been able to round up quite a few folks to come along. Some long time friends who'd never seen Guns N' Roses live opted in for an afternoon of music, cocktails and preparation for the show.The show was once again stellar and truth be told, the best of the 3 that I saw in person on this tour. Friends that attended with me were blown away not only by Axl's voice but also the work, dedication and showmanship on the part of the entire band. Several friends remarked that Richard Fortus stood out from the guitarist as their favorite. His effortless playing of almost every guitar style in the book and tireless dedication to putting on a show was very much appreciated by those who had never seen Guns N' Roses live prior.

The set list same songs were played in Detroit as in Chicago but in a slightly different order finding the song Better (a highlight from Chinese Democracy) played near the end of the night to the delight of many concert goers hoping to hear the song live. The set list was as follows:

Intro (Dexter Theme)
Chinese Democracy
Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Sorry
Shackler's Revenge
Estranged
Rocket Queen
Richard Fortus Guitar Solo (James Bond Theme)
Live And Let Die
This I Love
Sonic Reducer (featuring Tommy Stinson on vocals)
Band Introductions
Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (Baba O'Riley)
Street Of Dreams
You Could Be Mine
DJ Ashba Guitar Solo (Mi Amor)
Sweet Child O' Mine
Jam (Another Brick In The Wall: Part 2)
Axl Piano Solo (Someone Saved My Life Tonight/Yellow Brick Road)
November Rain
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo (Pink Panther Theme)
Don't Cry
Whole Lotta Rosie
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Jam
Nightrain

Encore:
Jam
Madagascar
Better
Riff Raff
Jam
Patience
Jam
Paradise City


The YouTube video below (again, not one I took myself) is one of their biggest hits: Sweet Child O' Mine, performed once again about half way through the show.

After the show, we were again afforded the opportunity to meet up with several band members. This time we met and spent time with Ron Thal as well as DJ Ashba along with quick conversations once again with Dizzy Reed and Frank Ferrer.

 The attached pictures are of Stacey with DJ Ashba as well as myself with him followed by myself and Ron Thal. Every member we talked with was a pleasure and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Not something you'd expect from members of a high profile rock group, certainly not one where they'd just worked extremely hard to put on a 3 hour show and most certainly not the experience I've had many times in the past with members of other large rock outfits.These guys know that they have something to prove and they're out to do it. DJ Ashba in particular has mentioned in several recent interviews that he is well aware of the past shadows he's playing under and he views it as a labor or love to work out from behind them.

After we parted ways with the band, we again found ourselves leaving the venue between 4 and 5am to hit the road home. At this point, I was under the impression that my GN'R experience was over for 2011 and I was extremely happy with all aspects of it.

A few days later in Nashville, GN'R fans got quite a pleasant surprise when the band added Civil War to it's set for the first time since 1993 and the for the first time with any member of this line up save for Dizzy Reed who played on the original track as well as the accompanying Use Your Illusion Tour and each tour since. I checked the tour dates after hearing Civil War had been added to see if Stacey and I could possible fit in one more trip to see the show that now included one of my all time favorites. I saw that within a few days, the band would be in Youngstown Ohio and set up a plan to make it to that show. We were able to arrange our schedules so that we made it to Youngstown and into the venue just a few moments before opening act Black Label Society went on stage. Being a big Zakk Wylde fan, having his band open for GN'R was a great added bonus.

As we'd seen at the previous two shows, a short change over occurred after BLS finished their set and around 10:50pm the lights went out followed by the Dexter theme and Chinese Democracy for the opening number. The set list was very similar to Detroit, except that Civil War was played once again, for only the second time in 18 years. I was also happy to see/hear that the second AC/DC cover, Riff Raff was dropped from the set for this show. I assume the choice was made to make room for Civil War which takes up a lengthy 7+ minutes in the set. The set list for Youngstown was as follows:

Intro (Dexter Theme)
Chinese Democracy
Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Sorry
Shackler's Revenge
Estranged
Rocket Queen
Richard Fortus Guitar Solo (007 Theme)
Live And Let Die
This I Love
Civil War
Sonic Reducer (Tommy on Lead Vocal)
Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (Baba O'Riley)
Street Of Dreams
You Could Be Mine
DJ Ashba Guitar Solo (Ballad Of Death)
Sweet Child O' Mine
Jam (The Lemon Song/Another Brick In The Wall: Part 2)
Axl Rose Piano Solo (Gran Torino/Someone Saved My Life Tonight/Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)
November Rain
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo (Pink Panther)
Don't Cry
Whole Lotta Rosie
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Nightrain

Encore:
Madagascar
Better
Patience
Paradise City


No matter what the reason, I was glad to hear them leave only the one, more crowd friendly AC/DC cover in the set and play one of their own biggest hits in lieu of the other cover.The addition of Civil War made this show very unique but as I mentioned, the overall performance of the entire band was best in Detroit. Axl's singing was one notch better in both Chicago and Detroit with Detroit being the best. The overall vibe between the band and the crowd seemed a little better in Detroit than either Chicago or Youngstown in my opinion as well. Here's a YouTube video (once more, not shot be me) of that evening's performance of Civil War:

After the show, we made the most of our final opportunity to meet with the band. This time we were able to meet with Richard Fortus as well as get pictures with him. We also spoke with DJ Ashba for a few moments ending the night by hanging with Ron Thal once again. It was very cool getting to meet Richard Fortus since I'd seen him live with Guns N' Roses for almost a decade now. I was able to pass on the compliments from my Detroit friends to him and he seemed very appreciative of their thoughts For a guy who really puts a ton of energy into the show and his performance, he almost seemed shy and timid during time with him backstage.

As mentioned previously, we wrapped up our evening/morning by conversing with Ron Thal for a few moments longer before letting him go so he could make his way around to everyone else. I can't stress enough how nice all of these guys were to us and it's compounded even further when you think about the 3+ hours they just worked prior to meeting with fans. The show is of course the end game of days of travel prior, sound checks, all sorts of business related GN'R affairs and everything else they get thrown their way. So to have an encounter with many different members in 3 different cities and have each of them make time for us, take pictures and have great discussions with us amazed us.

If you're reading this in an area that GN'R hasn't been to yet, I can't stress enough that you should see this show. You can go to www.bumblefoot.com for the most accurate, complete listing of the remaining dates on the tour. They'll be winding through the western US up until New Year's week when they'll play two dates at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. For those interested, I have complete audio recordings of all 3 shows we went to, 2 of which I recorded myself. They give you an accurate document of the show and include more than a few moments that will make you a believer in what the Guns N' Roses of 2011 is capable of.

It's been an amazing few weeks for this music fan. To be able to catch the last of the great front men, giving some of the best performances he ever has 3 times in the matter of a few weeks was incredible. To get to witness the current Guns N' Roses line up, which in my opinion is the best over all line up to ever tour under the name, tearing through 3 blistering shows clocking in at just under 3 hours each, was something I'm still in disbelief about. This is all before you consider the rare experience we were afforded not once but three times to meet and speak with the band. To the persons responsible for affording myself and friends that experience, I cannot thank you enough. It's rare when you find an artist or band of any stature who really looks to connect with their fans and I can tell you that the current line up of Guns N' Roses has more than a few members who are constantly looking to do so and follow through big time. So once again, I say THANK YOU to those who made it all possible.

If you'd like to share your own opinions on Guns N' Roses, feel free to visit a fantastic fan forum at:

www.gnrevolution.com

All opinions are welcome as are discussions on all eras of Guns N' Roses.

If you're interested in audio recordings of Chicago, Detroit, Youngstown or all three, please do not hesitate to contact me at russtcb@hotmail.com . Concert recordings are meant to be shared for free and with anyone interested and I'm more than happy to help in that area. Any questions, comments or generally banter about these shows, our experience or GN'R in general is welcomed in the comments section below.

Guns N' Roses- Live at the Allstate Arena, November 15, 2011:
4.5 out of 5 stars

Guns N' Roses- Live at The Palace of Auburn Hills, December 1, 2011:
5 out of 5 stars

Guns N' Roses- Live at the Covelli Centre, December 7, 2011:
4 out of 5 stars

Has Technology and Social Media Ruined the Concert Experience?

It certainly hasn't enhanced it...

I attended the Warren Haynes show in Chicago last week. It was in a small theater, and to make even more intimate the balcony was closed. So, anywhere in the place was a great "seat" and the crowd was 300-400 people tops. A great opportunity to see one of the best guitar players on the planet in a setting that only makes it even more amazing.

As the show got started, I started to notice the amount of cameras, iPhones, BlackBerrys, and smart phones glowing in the crowd all recording poor quality (for the most part) cell phone video. I also couldn't ignore the flash photography that would occur from time to time. As the band Dada asked in their song Information Undertow "Do people still hold lighters in the crowd?" This wasn't a case of the cell phone being the new lighter, it was people trying to "capture" their experience. I found it incredibly distracting, and disrespectful to the fans and the artist.

What happended to just watching the show? Engaging in the artist and the performance that you paid good money to see? Not to watch it through an LCD screen from several hundred feet away. I've been guilty of it as well, and don't view the pictures that often. Now, I understand people with prime seats, capturing a moment that may or may not ever happen again. It's the people half way back with their cell phones recording video. What exactly are they going to do with the content? Spend the effort and time to post Blackberry video footage on YouTube? Show all their friends who weren't fortunate to go? "gather around my Blackberry everybody!" Post it on social media sites and share with the masses? Perhaps...

Roger Waters made comment of this from his Wall tour this past fall. I think WE all want to see this show on Blu-Ray at some point. A professionally shot and mixed Hi-Def version. He hesitated to film it due to the fact that were so many phones and cameras in the crowd. The 2 shows that have been recorded had extremely strict policies. So, hopefully we'll see it in our living rooms the way HE intended to be. Not the douchebag with the iPhone. I have seen Russ' AMAZING pictures he took at this show! Front row, with a high-zoom camera is a little different. Those are considered art in my book.

I remember an episode of What's Happening!! From 1976 or 1977. The guys had the Doobie Brothers perform at that old High School. Rerun got involved with some criminals, and had to "bootleg" the concert. He had a cassette recorder in his jacket, and it fell out while he was dancing. A cassette recorder. Now not only we can audio record (with some bands blessings no less) we can video record it too. They were in the front row, so prime location to "bootleg". Bootlegging was something of myth when I was growing up. You paid big money for bootlegs.

I am also guilty of this. I've taken my fair share of pictures at concerts thanks primarily to the fact they let you bring cameras in. Good for the artists and the venues to acknowledge the fact that cameras have got smaller and phones can take pretty good pictures. I guess the one thing I have to say if that I'm aware it might distracting. In smaller venues especially... it adds up considering the smaller venues allow for the better photos and video. I've never been in video recording much of anything... ever. So, maybe I don't get that aspect of it.

My point to my rants are just be aware. Be conscious of your surroundings, and those around you. LCD screens are bright in dark theaters and arenas, so it can distract from the concert experience. Maybe not yours, but the guy behind you who paid the money NOT to see your LCD screen all night.

Most importantly... Put down the cell phone, or the camera. Put your hands in the air and enjoy the fucking moment! Bring home the memories, not the footage. Raise your lighter in the air! Nothing makes the concert experience more meaningful than what's in your ears and your heart!

-Mike

Rock isn't dead: The two best albums of 2011

I really don't like writing reviews, how do you judge art? What I love you may hate and so on. However, I read every week or so that rock is dead yet two of the best albums of the year or rock records and since one was never reviewed (I was surprised Russ, lol) and the other will probably be ignored after the first week sales because the band is not mainstream made me want to write something. So if you have these records, congrats! If not I hope you check them out soon.

Foo Fighters- Wasting Light

Back in April we got the latest Foo Fighters album. They may be the most consistent band out there right now. I have been a fan since the first song I heard from the first album "For The Cows", their sense of humor mixed with their rock knowledge is hard to beat.

The album kicks off with "Bridges Burning" a hard, melodic song that gets everything off to a great start then we get to the first single "Rope" a great song with a super catchy Foo type chorus. The only "mistake" of a song may be "White Limo". It's a scream fest which was the first thing most people heard off the record because the Foos released a promo video (featuring a limo driving Lemmy) for it just before the album release.

The record is kind of a typical Foo record in the way that if you took out the heavy drums and loud guitars every song would be pop gems accept they seem way more focused this time. I would love to tell you the stand out tracks, but the whole album is stand out, even White Limo is worth the listen just for the change of pace. If I had to pick a favorite it would probably have to be the closing track "Walk"




This was by far the best record of the year in my opinion, until....

Anthrax-Worship Music

This album is a heavier album and what I think Metallica would had liked to have sounded like with "St. Anger". This band has never got it's due because they never seemed to get a label push over the years. The reunion with the singer from their best known line up, Joey Belladonna sounds fresh. Their older records with him suffered from bad production... Not this time though, the album comes right at you. The album starts off with a intro piece called "Worship" then "Earth On Hell", both good tracks but then really picks up with "The Devil You Know" and doesn't stop til the end of the album, each song after "Devil" is strong.

Once again... There are so many strong tracks that it is hard to pick one, but if I had to it would be "In The End" a tribute to Ronnie James Dio and Dimebag Darrell

Anthrax - In the End by Ricardoseelig on Mixcloud

This is the metal album of the year easily and with the only other major release coming being Metallica and Lou Reed's "Lulu" I don't see this losing it's ranking (Have you heard anything off "Lulu"? Yikes!)

Both albums are truly great. If I had to choose one it may be "Wasting Light" but it'd be a very tough choice. Like I said earlier... If you haven't heard one or both records, do yourself a favor and get them soon. Both are worth the money and time

CONCERT REVIEW: Garth Brooks, Live at the Encore Theater-Las Vegas

Garth Brooks-Live at Encore Theater, Las Vegas

September 23, 10:30pm show

When you enter the Encore Theater it’s almost surprising how small it is. A 1500 seat show room in Las Vegas is usually reserved for flavor of the month acts, one off performances by a current artist or a game show/Vegas show of some sort. As we entered the room, it was almost hard to believe that one of the most successful entertainers in the history of music was going to take the stage shortly. Another revelation that occurs is this; everything you’ve heard is true. For months I’d heard that this show was “Garth, a guitar and a light” which is contrary to every performance Garth Brooks is known for, but when you enter, there is it; a guitar and a light and of course, no Garth just yet.

At exactly 10:30pm the house lights went down followed by a short taped introduction, followed by Garth Brooks literally running from side stage to grab his guitar. Dressed in an un-tucked, grey button down shirt, blue jeans, work boots and a ball cap he enjoyed the massive ovation from the small crowd. When it seemed everyone had calmed down, an occasional shout would happen from somewhere in the crowd, and Garth would acknowledge it as has he was getting his guitar and mic ready. He laughed a little and said “The 10:30 show, the drinkers, this should be good”

With no song introduction, he launched into his classic “Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old” followed by a monologue on how he’d planned for these shows to go. He spoke about how the song prior was released in 1989 but that his music heritage went back to the 1960s. He said he would be going back to the 60s and walking us through his musical life influences from his mom, dad and the rest of his family until we all arrived back at 1989. Each story he told whether it was about his parents, an artist or a song was conveyed passion and a genuine feeling. The stories would lead to covers of songs that had an influence on him and the cover would sometimes lead to a hit of his own that had been influenced by the cover he’d just played.

When preparing for this review, I struggled with how much detail to include about the set list. In the end, I decided to just give one example to make clear how cool the show is. That way it doesn’t spoil the whole show for those interested in attending but still gives a good idea of the format. An example that comes to mind is when he started talking about how different parts of the country were producing very different types of music in the 70s. He talked about how living in Oklahoma, they would hear all these sounds from the rest of the country and it would go over better with some of his family than others. He said his mom and brothers were open to all of it while his father was far more reserved and believed in only two artists (there’s a funny joke that goes along with this that’s a regular part of the show, so I won’t spoil it here). He brought up the subject of Bob Seger and how Bob was a story teller who’s music was the type that made you think he was talking to only you.

He covered three songs by Bob Seger to make his point about how storytelling from different parts of the country affected him. The third Seger cover was “Turn The Page” which Garth sang the first verse and chorus from then continued strumming the chords while explaining how thankful he was for other artists’ influence. He talked about how the Seger song sounded like the open road and a tired superstar, but to him, those chords and tone sounded different. He then segued into “The Thunder Rolls” which was just excellent seeing as he even included the last “controversial” verse. So hopefully you get the picture of how the night went from the above example because that’s roughly how the first hour of the show went. If I listed off some or most of the songs he covered during that portion of the show, you might actually be in disbelief that Garth Brooks had covered them. And I should make clear that he covered these songs well. There was no tongue in cheek business (save for a funny story about hard to understand lyrics) or any sort of feeling that he’d included certain songs because they were a hit or they would get the best reaction.

As we wondering through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s we arrived back at 1989 as promised. He played a couple of his early classics slowly progressing through the early 90s. After he’d knocked a couple of his biggest hits out of the way, he brought the house lights up to interact with and take requests from the audience. Although the overall idea is cool, I thought it was even cooler that he seemed to take a genuine interest in each person, talking with them for more than a few minutes. He could easily said “What’s your name and request?” then just launched into the requested song, but he took a few minutes to have a real interaction with each person he talked too. Another cool thing is that he told a story for each requested song instead of just going into the cut. Again, it was a nice touch that made the audience feel even closer to the superstar. One of the audience members had flown in from Egypt for the show and requested a song from the Ropin’ The Wind album that Garth seemed surprised by. He explained that he hadn’t performed that particular song in at least a decade but that he couldn’t say no seeing as the fan had traveled so far. After playing around with the chords for a few minutes, he seemed confident and launched into the song, nailing it perfectly.

During this section of the show, an audience member requested “any spiritual or gospel song”. Garth explained that he hasn’t really ever recorded a song that would qualify in a straightforward fashion of “spiritual or gospel” but that he’d included little things in the lyrics of many of his songs that eluded to the subject. He said that he’d always toyed around with the idea of doing an entire album but that he’d felt it’d been done better in the past by other artists and that he’d only be deluding what’s already out there. As he was explaining this, he remembered that he and Steve Wariner had written a full spiritual song that had never been recorded. He went on to say that he didn’t think it had ever been recorded or performed live but that if he could remember most of it he would perform it. Before playing the song he explained that so far he hadn’t seen any of his show on YouTube and that he’d hoped it stayed that way in the future. He reminded the audience that we hadn’t been searched for recording devices upon entering and that was because he trusted us not to record and share the show on the internet. This is one of the many reasons why you do not see any pictures of video clips included in this review. Having said that, he recalled and played the song which received an excellent ovation.

After a few requests and interactions, he returned to performing songs he’d selected. He seemed humble and “real” throughout the entire performance. He included another song from the Ropin’ The Wind album not before assuring us that he was terrible at playing the guitar on it. He explained that he chose to include it in the regular set because he know that even though he couldn’t play it right, it was a big enough hit that people would request it anyway. So when he played it, he would just stop playing guitar on the parts he couldn’t play and let his voice carry the song. It was a really cool touch and something I don’t think many artists would’ve attempted.

He played only one more cover which was near the end of the show. It was a “classic rock sing-a-long” tune that got the entire theater shouting at the top of their lungs. This lead him into a story about always wanting to be an artist who had that one song that everyone on Earth knows and can sing. He then said that he felt beyond blessed to have accomplished that and asked that the entire audience stand, put their arms around each other and sing along if they happened to know it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which of his hits he closed with, but again I don’t want to name it here. If you’re interested in spoilers, feel free to leave a comment on this review with your email address and I’ll give you all the details you’d like.

After he finished, I looked at the time and noticed that the show (scheduled for 90 minutes) had run 2 hours and 20 minutes. To be honest it felt like it was maybe 30 minutes long tops, that’s how fast it went by. The show was engaging, enlightening and most of all extremely entertaining. There’s a reason that Garth Brooks is consider one of the world’s greatest entertainers. No one’s ever accused him of “relying” on the huge stadium productions of his 1990s tours, but if anyone ever thought that, they need only sit through this show once to see their error.

This show is only scheduled a couple of weekends a month with shows at 8 and 10:30pm on scheduled Friday’s and Saturday’s. If you’re going to be in the Las Vegas area at any time in the next 4 years the show is scheduled to run, I cannot recommend enough that you see this show. To anyone who truly loves any genre of music, I believe it would be impossible for you not to love every moment of this show. This is one of the few true music superstars left on the planet and he’s putting an amazing show out there that anyone can enjoy.

Garth Brooks Live At The Encore Theater, Las Vegas:

10 out of 10

9/11 and the healing power of music

Today is the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as most people in the U.S. know. I wanted to take a second to reflect about it and the following days.

I will never forget that day (as most won't). I was working the closing shift at the Southfield, MI Best Buy at the time. I woke up and did the normal thing I always do, turn on the PC to read Emails and news, turn on the radio to Drew & Mike on WRIF for background noise and started the shower. As I'm bumbling around I hear Mike say something like "WOAH... ANOTHER ONE HIT A BUILDING!! THIS IS AN ATTACK!!" And I stopped what I was doing and paid attention to the radio, quickly signing into the PC and something I rarely did in those type of days, turned on the TV. I saw the replay of the 2nd plane, the PC finally fired up and there was all the news and speculation and I was just frozen and consumed by what I was seeing and hearing. This went on for a few hours...

I took my shower and called work to see what was going on there as Southfield is close to Dearborn which has a large Arabic community. The first person I got was Amanda at the front security podium and she was obviously (and understandably) freaking out. "I'm so sacred right now" she told me, "There is a rumor they may attack the Detroit area" Of course those rumors were in every major city. I told her to move away from the front podium to be safe and to get me Tony, the GM. Tony told me he was waiting for word and to come in, so I did. An hour later we were all sent home. The whole day just had a quiet feel to it, which was odd for all the chaos going around.

I was working in the audio department at the time and Best Buy still let us play our own stations at the time. And what I started to notice was a dramatic increase of requests, all of the most patriotic stuff of course, but WRIF is a rock station and rock isn't really known for patriotism, it's known more for the party. Yet this day I heard 2 songs requested over and over again. Both were remixed songs that included responders calls and people crying for their loved ones. One was Styx's "Show Me The Way" off their forgotten by then record "Edge Of The Century" and the other was Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" Neither were rock songs but I hand it to WRIF for turning a blind eye to that and helping people heal.

One of the first things done after the shock wore off a little was SNL... And what was the first thing they did? Played music. Paul Simon's "The Boxer" while several firefighters and policemen stood on the other stage, covered in dust from ground zero, Rudy Guillianni was also there. It was a touching moment. Next was a huge concert where the event even moved Paul McCartney to write a song and preform it. The country was really coming together as one. I kind of miss that part of the tragedy.

A year or so later we had albums coming out inspired by the tragedy. My two faves are Springsteen's "The Rising" and Bon Jovi's "Bounce", both albums are some of their stronger works in their later years.

It's amazing to me that when everything is down and everything is chaos we turn to music to help and find common ground. It's why all these guys write here and it will always be this way.

Thank God

2011: The Music Year So Far

2010 was quite a year in music for me and 2011 hasn't been too shabby so far. I meant to write a post like this back in early July but it slipped my mind and here we are at the beginning of September! Before I know it, it'll be December and I'll be prepping for a Year In Review post!

So far this year I've seen quite a few excellent concerts. If I had to pick one as "the best so far" I'd have to go with Adele wsg Plan B at the Royal Oak Music Theater a few months back. It was refreshing to catch a truly great opening act in Plan B. If you have never heard of Plan B, you really should take a listen. The latest album is called "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" and it's quite good. You can locate it on any number of streaming sites to give them a try.

Adele was nothing short of fantastic live in concert. Her band was tight, her vocals were amazing and she had an interesting stage presence that you don't see much anymore. During each song, you could tell she was really feeling what she was singing. The most interesting part was when she would really let her attitude fly on a song like "Rumor Has It" but then turn all shy again the most the song was over and the applause started. It was interesting but most of all it was genuine. You could tell that this wasn't some act just to garner more applause (I'm looking at YOU Taylor Swift...).

New music this year has been so so. I was looking forward to the new Beastie Boys album but it let me down in more than a few ways. I've listened to it a couple of times at the most but there's been nothing drawing me back to it. Hands down the best record released so far in 2011 is Wasting Light by Foo Fighters. It's easily their best work and by far the best rock album released this year. That record together with Adele's 21 are probably my two favorite overall releases so far.

We've also lost some immense talent thus far. Jani Lane and Amy Winehouse seem to have both succumbed to their respective demons which is sad for many reasons. I'm sure 2012 will bring the usual bombarding of unreleased material from at least the Winehouse camp. Jani Lane was prepping many new songs for a solo project and I do hope we get to hear those tracks. I don't expect that release to be near as high profile but I certainly hope it gets some attention.

The rest of 2011 holds some cool things for me musically. I'm very much looking forward to the new album "Kicking & Screaming" from Sebastian Bach. A new solo album from Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes) is due in October along with a solo tour that I'll be attending. I'm also excited to report that I'll be seeing the one and only Garth Brooks in concert at the Encore in fabulous Las Vegas on September 23. As soon as I return from Sin City, I'll be writing up a review of the event. I'm also hearing the Guns N' Roses will be starting a US Tour in Miami in the end of October. I would imagine they'll make their way to Detroit by the end of November or the beginning of December. Needless to say, I'll be attending. If you want to check out GN'R live prior to the US Tour, you can see them at www.youtube.com/rockinrio near the beginning of October. They're known for putting on quite a special show each time they've appeared at the Rock In Rio festival and I'm assuming this time won't be any different.

What did I miss? What concerts did YOU see this year that I should've? What new albums did YOU check out that I should? Did you discover or re-discover an artist this year? TELL US ABOUT IT! Log in and leave a comment below, let's get some music discussion going!

Why the F*@K Would You Listen to Rap Anymore?

I am a man of many hatreds. When Russ asked me to write a lil' sumn-sumn about music from time to time, I thought about all the things I wanted to say about music. Then I realized that a lot of what I have to say is about what's wrong with music. Like I am the only person that knows how music should be. So I decided I wouldn't be that guy. You know, the guy that tells you that this generation of kids is screwed up, how music doesn't mean what it used to. The back-in-my-day guy. The kids-don't-know-real-music guy. Basically, the get-off-my-lawn guy. I used to hate that guy. But what if that guy is right? Is being a bitterman justifiable when your bitterness is tangible? Or does that just make you a hater?

Well, I'm both. What makes it worse, is that I hate that I'm right. Not all the time, but I especially hate when I'm right about the destruction of the things I love. Like when the Verve broke up. Or when At The Drive In broke up. Or when the MotherScratchin' Bulls eliminated my Bad Boys in 4 games in the last Eastern Conference Finals that Zeke, Joe D, and Laimbeer would ever participate in. Now add to that list the destruction of hip-hop.

See, the rap game has been under siege for years. Rap has closely mirrored the meteoric rise of computers and the internet in the 90's. Once it proved that it was commercially, and therefore financially viable in the mid 90's, it was only a matter of time before the effects of big business stripped from it everything that gave it soul. Now look at it. After 15 years of assembly line rap production, replete with regurgitated misogyny, doctorate-level knowledge of narcotics, and idle threats from wanna-be thugs, rap has completely lost its edge. When is the last time you heard a rap song that had an original thought? An original beat? An original concept? When was the last time you you winced from the realness of the lyrics? Or felt compassion after hearing the criminal's side of the story through rap? (On a side note, I completely remove The Roots from this argument. That group is the antithesis of everything negative that I say about hip-hop in this blog entry.)

So, the question is why the f*@k would I listen to rap anymore? Why would anyone, when the radio waves are saturated with unimaginative drivel? I hear songs now and I feel disconnected from the genre. Maybe it's that I'm 36 years old with a steady job, a family to be responsible for, and obligations like bills and taxes. I think that we as music lovers forget that music is a medium of the moment; it's only relevant to the feeling of the artist at the time the artist feels it. Ice Cube railed against all things caucasian in his first album Amerikkka's Most Wanted and his collaboration with Da Lench Mob on Guerillas In Tha Mist. A quick listen through either album and you can hear the most hateful, dark, xenophobic language in any album. At the time, it was dangerous. Dangerous because it exhibited not hatred for whites, but the underlying feeling of helplessness against forces out of your control. Seeing the "American Dream" all around you and not being given the tools to obtain it. Being defenseless against a system built to strip you down and make you conform to ideas, lifestyles, and cultures foreign to anything you've experienced. But that was the way Ice Cube felt in 1992. That is not the Ice Cube of 2011. In a quiet moment, away from cameras and voice recorders, I'm willing to bet that even Ice Cube would admit that his lyrics were the bullshit babblings of an ignorant twenty-something. The same establishment he raged against is all of a sudden his ally. He has been lucky enough to see certain breaks and favorable situations while simultaneously working hard to make sure he was in the right place at the right time with the right skills to take advantage of it all. While complaining about never seeing the American Dream, he was realizing it. Now, much like Ice-T, he enjoys a career greater than he ever imagined by leaving behind the things he did to start his career. You know, my kids, until this year, had no clue where Ice Cube got his start. They only know him as a movie star! Damn, I'm old!

In the 80's and 90's rappers at least tried to stand for something, however uninformed they might be. Rap served as the megaphone and the mirror for young, black America. In rap, we saw how other blacks lived throughout the nation. we stood in awe at our similarities and took pride in our differences. Rap was an audible black bulletin board. A place were we could discuss why we were what we were and where we should be headed. Quite often our pontifications on what it meant to be young and black ranged from narrow minded (Paris), to do-you-even-know-or-believe-what-you're-saying (Digable Planets, X-Clan, Camp Lo). But rappers at least wrestled with expressing their varying realities of life in America. Rap was always evolving; finding ways to better itself through sharper lyrics, more innovative sampling, even live instrumentation and singing.

Now, rap is stuck on stupid. Everything is party rap. The formula is simple: take some kid that is barely literate and borderline retarded, let him/her spew forth nonsensical gibberish for a catchy hook, insert generic synthesized beat and/or autotune, purchase airtime and advertisements. Wash, rinse, remix. The artists are too stupid to realize that they are dooming themselves to one-hit wonder status because they never developed a sound or style all their own. This is most desirable to record companies, because rappers aren't capable of sustaining their meteoric success, and thus never have leverage to get bigger contracts based on a consistent track record. Of course Jay-Z and Kanye seem to defy this logic, but they are exceptions to the rule. They provide the bell curve that everyone else gets graded up on.

So tell me, why do you listen to rap anymore? I still listen because I know where to go to get the good stuff. I haven't listened to the radio for an entire song in approximately 8 months. Don't need to. But every once in a while I'll test the waters and let the fm tuner do its thing, only to be disappointed to hear horseshit flow freely from my speakers. However, the further hip-hop slides away from anything worthwhile, the harder it gets to justify the effort it takes to wade through the pile of manure in order to get a smidgen of gold.

3 artists I'm listening to now:

Jay Rock - Follow Me Home - 4 stars

Phonte - Charity Starts At Home - 4 stars

9th Wonder - The Wonder Years - 4.5 stars

Jani Lane 1964-2011

Jani Lane 1964-2011

Last night we got another story of rock n roll tragedy. Jani Lane was another star musician who lived a life in the tabloids as much as he did on stage and though he always seemed like a nice guy to fans he never seemed to be able to overcome his many demons. My feelings on Jani vary in many ways... I hated Warrant's first record but still saw them live 6 times because they opened for everyone in the late 80s, I thought the record was bland and very "paint by numbers" though it was a big hit, I became a fan after the 2nd single on the 2nd record "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which was followed up by the equally good "I Saw Red", Two songs that lyrically different and had a musical emotion that was rarely found in that day. Then I became angry at the industry because of this band as they put out 3 great records that no one heard because they weren't the cool band anymore and the industry can only push one style of music and at that time it was grunge. Then I lost some respect when Jani left Warrant to be a solo artist. Why? Because when you are the chief song writer then you have no need to leave... The band is your sound and a solo record will most likely be indistinguishable. Then he became another 80s reality show guy, that group of 80s stars that showed up on all the "I'm fat and on drugs" shows that VH1 got popular on recently and to many he became a punchline.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on Warrant's early years. If you recognize the man then you know about the first two records. They put out singles that were very pop oriented and safe and sold millions and toured a lot. That's the story. More interesting is the next three records. The band put out some great music at that time and Jani was the reason.

Warrant's 3rd record was "Dog Eat Dog" The record went gold, it did OK. They had a hit with

"Machine Gun" but they went from arena's to theaters. I had seen them at the Fox in Detroit with some good friends and Jani had a rep of going into the crowd and singing, this time he grabbed my buddy Eric to do a verse of a cover of "We're An American Band" and Eric was star struck as one of his heroes was standing there with his arm around him goading him into singing a song with him! Here is a guy who sings in his own band and he can't say a word... Frozen... And still loving it! We still talk about that night and I doubt Eric will ever forget it. This was early on in the tour for "Dog Eat Dog" and later we would read (and see) how the record company just forgot this great record and they were not going to promote it at all. The record was heavier for Warrant and really stretched the band. They were dropped soon after the tour.

Eric and Jani

Their next release was "Ultraphobic". It was a dark record as far as lyrics were concerned, but it was another good record. Songs like "Undertow", Followed", "Family Picnic" and "Stronger Now"were certainly not the happy hair band type songs that made them big. Another tour, but now it's the club scene. But Jani didn't care. He still went out to the crowd and in Detroit he started breaking out his Barry Sanders story (his favorite running back he would say from the stage). We also saw the beginning of another tradition... Jani would sit down with a guitar on a stool with a cigarette in his moth and no lighter. From the stage he would ask the audience for a light and be pelted buy hundreds of them, lol. Years later it would seem a little cheesy, but looking back now it was all in good fun. I hope Jani wasn't too hurt, lol.

The 3rd record was "Belly To Belly" and it has my favorite song by Warrant "Letter To A Friend". It was an angry record lyrically but still very good. It had strong songs like "Indian Giver", "In The End" and "A.Y.M.". The band was still playing clubs and they still had good crowds coming out, and the crowd was into the newer songs as much as the hits. We got the Barry Sanders story, we got the lighter barrage, we got Jani in the crowd and we got a fun show. But there were some signs of tension as guitar techs were yelled at from stage and at times Jani did look angry. It was the beginning of the end.

After that you saw Jani on "Celebrity Fit Club" were he really seemed to make an impression on people as a sweet guy with problems, after that was all the rumors... He was too drunk to preform, too much a mess... I didn't see any of his solo shows, but I heard the stories and it was sad. I have heard he was going through a lot at the end.... The loss of his band, a divorce and a parent dying. He even lashed out (Regrettably) at one of his biggest hits saying he regretted being the Cherry Pie guy. He later retracted the statement but it obviously bothered him to some extent.

I know this look like a Warrant post more then a Jani Lane post, but Jani was Warrant, period. The saddest thing to me is that most of his best music still goes unheard because the band wasn't trendy enough so most people only know 3 or 4 songs of 2 records and it's not fair. Jani deserved better then to be a hair band, reality celeb punchline.

I'm going to add 2 songs that you should check out from their later work. two of my favorite under appreciated tunes

"Man.... You REALLY need to hear this band!!"

I think we all have a few bands that we feel we found and bugged our friends and anyone else who'd listen to hear them. My next article will be on one of the bands that never made it, the Galactic Cowboys, but this is about the ones that did and the excitement of feeling you changed someones listening life.

My first "Discovery" was Bon Jovi. Now I know everyone know them as a cheesy hair band/adult contemporary band, but before that they were a hard working rock band from New Jersey. I first heard them on a late night video show on local PBS when I saw "Runaway" and the hook was so strong that it just had to be a hit... It wasn't. Sure, it's well known for them now, but at the time, not so much. Then they released the much better "7800 degrees Fahrenheit" which may have actually done worse. I was telling everyone about these guys and playing them constantly getting one of my best friends to become a big fan (which he still is). Then came the big record "Slippery When Wet" and they were everywhere! They followed up with 2 more huge records but then made the darker "These Days" record (their best by the way) and all of a sudden I found myself trying to tell people about this band again as everyone seemed to have lost interest. It took a few solo albums and changes of music styles, but the band has been back for years, but I was one of the first...

My second band I found before all my friends (and a lot of the world) was Guns n Roses. I was one of the few that saw the one airing on Mtv of the video of "Welcome To The Jungle" and went out that day and bought the cassette. That guitar riff still sends chills up my spine! I listened to it over and over (which was not a great idea in the cassette age, lol) and then playing that for anyone in any situation where I had the chance to hit "play" on the boombox. But the song that I told people that was going to be huge was "Sweet Child O' Mine" before it was even a single. It wasn't even my favorite song on the album (Rocket Queen, Jungle or Paradise City fought it out for fave) but I knew it was catchy as hell and had another unique guitar sound. Within a month and a half or so everyone was talking GnR and within a year they were the biggest band on the planet, but I was one of the first...

My third time was Extreme. I remember seeing TV ads for the movie "Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure" and hearing this crazy guitar going on underneath it all, but never could hear the singer and the band wasn't credited. One day I just happened to hear on one of our no defunct rock radio stations in Detroit the song and the DJ actually saying the name of the band and the song (I miss those days) as Extreme and the song was "Play With Me" and once again, off to Harmony House I go! What a great album! Full of great guitar playing and unusual lyrics for a "hair metal" band and I couldn't wait for the second record. I had a lot of friends listening, but not buying the first Extreme, but "Pornograffitti changed that... Especially "More Than Words". The album was big and the song was bigger, in fact it held a record for most returned album for some time because some people (mostly of an older variety, haha) would buy it for "More Than Words" and find a very hard rocking rest of the disc that had a lot of adult themes. They followed that up with the great "III Sides To Every Story" which had a couple minor hits, then they went in a dark different direction with "Waiting For The Punchline" which didn't do well at all. Then out of the blue Gary Cherone (singer) is signed on to sing with Van Halen and Nuno Bettencourt (guitar) is doing side projects. They broke up, but in 2008 they reunited with "Saudades De Rock". I never saw them get bigger then theater tours, in fact we saw them at the beginning of the "Pornograffitti" tour at a tiny club in Detroit called "The Ritz with Alice In Chains Opening, but I won't take credit for exposing my friends to them as they were there and we didn't even notice the band til later that year, "Man In The Box" was big and that's when we noticed we saw them and no one even knew, lol.

What bands have you found and forced upon your friends til they finally saw the light? Let me know... I'd love to check them out!

The 27 club

The death of Amy Winehouse has brought the dreaded "27 club" back into the lexicon. Let's get out of the way first... It's a club, not a curse. If it were a curse there would be a lot more dead. The reason for the "curse" talk is that in general most people claim Robert Johnson was the first member after going to the crossroads and making a deal with the devil to become a great bluesman and traded his soul and that many have done this after him and mate with his same fate. Problem with the theory is that the biggest star to be associated with this deal (at least in my opinion) is Jimmy Page, and he's still kicking around. Also the fame but unusual deaths of stars much bigger then those in the club, but at a much older age (Elvis & Lennon come to mind) makes the idea of a curse seem silly to me.

However one can't deny the coincidence of the age of all these musicians or the impact that a majority of them had. The poster childs of the club are Brian Jones, the founder of The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, influential female blues singer, Jimi Hendrix, considered by many the greatest guitar player ever, Jim Morrison, lead singer for The Doors and Kurt Cobain, leader of Nirvana. It's hard to say at this time if Amy Winehouse deserves to be on that list, but she did join the club none the less.

So how does this happen? My personal opinion.... Too much, too young. Maybe that's too easy, but imagine having the world at your feet and more money then you can ever know what to do with and you aren't even 30! And to top it off... No one will dare tell you "No". You are still immature yet you need to make decisions that would stress out an experienced CEO. Band members, road crews, record labels, agents, managers and fans are now depending on you and just a few years ago maybe you were flipping burgers... It's gotta be insane. So you turn to drugs and partying to release the stress, after all... This is what you know, you are too young to understand that you have all the power to tell everyone to just slow down for your own good, heck... You're young... You will live forever!!

I fear we will see this much more often in this TMZ society. The press adds even more pressure to an already volatile situation and it seems our young stars can't fart without a thousand cameras catching it. I see Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan heading down these paths and I'm sure there is more to come. Maybe next time we see a sad pathetic, falling down drunk or stoned star, instead of laughing at them or instead of the courts sending them to jail for 2 hours we take this serious and help them and stop enabling them.