I’ve been spending a lot of time with Led Zeppelin lately. I have been listening to their albums with a new ear. With an 184 mile commute round trip I have the time. My focus has been on different aspects of their albums with each listen. From Led Zeppelin to Coda a new appreciation has grown within me for a band that has been a part of my life for a very long time. I mean how many of us used to draw the four symbols on everything we had?
The production and engineering on these albums was way ahead of the time. There is a magical depth to the music Led Zeppelin gave us. The lyrical content combined with the music expands the mind and transports us to worlds far from the ordinary world.
Led Zeppelin took us from blues to hard rock to reggae, sometimes on the same record. I often hear traces of them in many other bands throughout the years.
Thank you for the journeys Robert, Jimmy, John, and Bonzo for the friendship and joys you have given me.
Ahhh keyboards in rock music. I have always been a fan of keyboards in rock n’ roll, I mean John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin, John Lord in Deep Purple, Rick Wakeman in Yes, Freddie Mercury in Queen, the list goes on and on. And then on December 21st 1983, a day that lives on in infamy to me, Van Halen released the single “Jump”, wait…what just happened? My hard rock driven guitar band released a song with a sickly poppy sounding keyboard in it? If you can’t tell I was sorely disappointed in the boys. People were labeling the song as “pop rock” or “synthrock”, I was aghast a this. I eventually overcame my lament and forgave Van Halen for this travesty (again this is my opinion).
Today on my commute home I heard “Jump” on the radio (no I still don’t like it) and thought to myself I wonder what others think about keyboards in hard rock and heavy metal. I know bands like Sonata Artica, Kamelot, and Nightwish use them, but what are your thoughts?
Some bands take themselves far too serious, and then there is Throw The Temple. Music should be fun and full of life and Throw The Temple understands that concept. Here a the Hellion Rocks we were allowed a sneak peek at their new video for “We Got It Goin’ “. This band gets it, they really get it. The video is fun and lighthearted and the song is catchy stays in your head long after the video is over. Throw The Temple is a band on the rise with the future WIDE open. Be sure and stayed tuned for the official release of this very cool video from Throw The Temple as well as their new CD, we’ll be sure to keep you all in the loop. There also might be and incredible announcement involving the Hellion Rocks and Throw The Temple!!!
There are songs that you have heard a million times and you can’t take them anymore (Post about those songs another time), and those that remain eternally epic. This is my list of those songs I consider most epic.
10. “Tombs Ov Oblivion” – Crowned By Fire
9. “Back In The Saddle” – Aerosmith
8. “Breakin’ Down” – Skid Row
7. “More Than A Feeling” – Boston
6. “Now I’m Here” – Queen
5. “Dance The Night Away” – Van Halen
4. “River Of Deceit” – Mad Season
3. “No Quarter” – Led Zeppelin
2. “Love To Love” – UFO
1. “Spirits In The Night” – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
These are the ten top songs which I could listen to over and over without them wearing out on me. I guess of I were to make a Hellion Rocks greatest hits CD these would be the ten songs that would make the cut for me. Why these ten songs? They each represent to me musical craft at its best. I can listen to these and be carried away on musical adventures in faraway lands. I encourage your feedback and responses with your own definitive top ten list.
Las Vegas-based shock rockers I.D.S.F.A. – winners of the 2011 “Best Shock Rock” and 2013 “Best of Vegas” Vegas Rocks Magazine Awards – released their first full-length self-titled album in 2013, including tracks about revenge, death, mayhem, zombies and all things gruesome. Pairing the audio with a chaotic live show featuring drum beating zombies, an 8-foot anti-aircraft gun, washed up sea creatures from the Japan tsunami and other surprises, the group has amassed an assembly of fans who are rabid for what’s coming next!
The group aims to continue the carnage with their upcoming concept project Bodies In The Basement, which will include a new album, as well as short film and live, interactive performance aspects. In addition, the new music will feature an overhauled sound and demented new vocalist, Knuckletooth. In celebration of the upcoming release, the band is paying homage to their main musical and theatrical inspiration, GWAR, as well as late vocalist Dave Brockie, with a new track “The Genius That Was Oderus”.
The track can be streamed here via the band’s official YouTube page: https://youtu.be/pUWkKKzpoiU. Fans can also download the track viaAmazon now, or receive the track as a hard copy single (only 100 signed, numbered copies available) by donating to the IndieGoGo campaign below. Please note that this track is only available via single and will not be part of the Bodies In The Basement album.
Bassist Travesty comments, “We wrote “The Genius That Was Oderus” in memoriam of one of the most influential musicians to us. We have attended GWAR shows since we were teenagers. Oderus showed us that you can mix music, horror, gore and theatrics into one. He is the reason that I.D.S.F.A. is the band that is today. We wanted to show our appreciation to everything Oderus did in the Shock Rock scene and we figured what better way to do that than in song – the way he would appreciate the most. He Will Be Missed, So Raise Your Fist!”
As mentioned above, the Bodies In The Basement full musical and theatrical production is almost complete, but I.D.S.F.A. is reaching out to their fans to help finalize the process! The band is hosting an IndieGoGo campaign with the goal of funding the upcoming three-part production, which if reached, will include live performances that include interactive personifications of each track’s concept, in addition to live airings of an accompanying short film in segments between tracks.
As for the album portion of the project, I.D.S.F.A. plans to present the same short film broken up between tracks on their actual album (the concept is for fans to experience the album via multimedia player to hear tracks and view the short film in segments between each track, in sequence).
The short film concept will follow the story of one victim and their journey through the macabre world of I.D.S.F.A. This film, combined with the album and live aspect of Bodies In The Basement, will take the audience through the horrors one might experience if “Chosen” by I.D.S.F.A.Who are “The Chosen”, you ask? To understand that, one must understand who I.D.S.F.A. are at their core.
Drummer Dr. Skum tells the tale, “We’re a group of miscreants who met in hell many lifetimes ago, eventually becoming one of the most popular and influential bands in the underworld. After getting carried away at an after party one night, we happened to roofie Satan with a dose of our own concocted drug called “Demon Puss” and things got… X-rated. After that fateful night, we were banished to the Town Of EEV-Ville, a town located 66.6 miles south of hell. This is the place where the ones who are too evil for hell are sent. Once we arrived in the town of EEV-Ville, we got a bit of cabin fever and decided to get busy, forming what is now known as The Dept. Of Death. The Dept.’s mission is to tour the world and spread our infection to all! Once infected, those will then follow alongside the Dept. on their tirade of Death. Those infected are called “The Chosen” and they will not stop till death has reached every corner of the globe! *evil laugh*”
The Bodies In The Basement IndieGoGo campaign will feature some great incentives, such as two incredible custom I.D.S.F.A. guitars by Evolution Guitars. These guitars feature a new innovative guitar design with interchangeable face plates and are valued between $1400-1800 each. These will be available for a discounted price via the IndieGoGo campaign with a $1000 donation. You will be given the opportunity to work personally with the design team and customize your guitar with them – truly be one of a kind! Learn more about Evolution Guitars here:https://www.theevolutionguitar.com/
Other incentives include a limited-to-100-copies hard copy of the “The Genius That Was Oderus” single (mentioned above), drum sticks, custom skateboards, and more.
I.D.S.F.A. is endorsed/sponsored by Evolution Guitars, SIT strings, Zombie Apocalypse Vodka, and Clayton Picks, and have performed with groups such as Mushroomhead, D.R.I., Anvil, Spineshank, and more.
MICHAEL MONROE, Celebrated Rock ‘N’ Roller, To Release
Blackout States On October 16 Via Spinefarm Records
(New York, N.Y.): MICHAEL MONROE-hugely influential front man, force of nature, multi-instrumentalist and revered rock ‘n’ roll icon-will release a new studio album, Blackout States, on Friday, October 16 via Spinefarm Records.
This 13-track outing was produced by Chips Kiesbye (Hellacopters, Nomads) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and mixed by Petri Majuri in Helsinki, Finland.
It is the follow-up to Horns and Halos, a Finnish chart-topper in 2013.
With Blackout States, MONROE‘s current touring and recording outfit, comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-Hanoi Rocks/New York Dolls), guitarist Steve Conte (ex-New York Dolls/Company of Wolves), guitarist Rich Jones (ex-Black Halos/Amen), and drummer Karl Rockfist (ex-Chelsea Smiles/Danzig), provided strong creative support for a groundbreaking artist whose reputation continues to flourish. Many of rock’s most noted performers, including Dave Grohl and Slash, have cited MONROE‘s unwavering drive and three-decade-plus career as a genuine source of inspiration.
Indeed, when Slash headlines the Ice Hall in Helsinki on May 28, MONROE will be the invited “Special Guest,” opening the show in front of thousands of fans; after that, he heads across to London to play the Camden Rocks Festival on May 30.
This one-off UK appearance at Camden Proud will be filmed by celebrated videographer/photographer Ville Juurikkala as part of the video for the first single from Blackout States.
As with Horns and Halos, the new recordings see MONROE both toasting the future and honoring the past, occasionally giving the nod to glam punk pioneers, Hanoi Rocks, the group with which he forged his name in the early-to mid-’80s.
Says MONROE, “I’m extremely excited about our new album, Blackout States. It has all the ingredients of a perfect rock ‘n’ roll record: strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all clichés, delivered with a punky, ballsy attitude by a killer band. I highly recommend Blackout States to anyone who’s even a little bit interested in what real, authentic, high energy
rock ‘n’ roll at its best sounds like today.”
MONROE has a number of festival appearances locked into place for the spring and summer, with further international touring plans to be announced shortly.
Michael Monroe and Hanoi Rocks was very influential to the “Hair Metal” bands of the 80’s. I have always been a fan of the music and style of Hanoi Rocks. I am glad to see Michael still living the dream and making great music.
With all of the news of racial/social/political unrest as of late it has caused me to reflect on things, and I have come to the conclusion it is all because of you.
You have the choice to not hit your child or your spouse. Sure you might have grown up in a home where domestic violence was the norm (I myself witnessed my mother beaten by my stepfather and I was at the end of a few myself), and yet I choose to respect my wife and children. I choose to not follow that path.
You have the choice not to sexually abuse others. Again, I knew people who were abused by people they trusted and yet they grew up and made choices to help others that were being abused.
You have the choice to not abuse alcohol. Again I have firsthand experience with alcoholism in the home. This is a devastating problem int he country today. I have again made the choice to stay away from that lifestyle.
You have the choice to not abuse drugs. Once more, I have experienced this in my home as a child. This is another choice I am proud to have made in staying away.
You have the choice to obey the law and not run from the police. I am saddened to see all of the death and destruction in the news today regarding this issue. Think of how many would still be alive if they had just obeyed the law and the police. I say again, you have the ability to choose the right thing.
There is only one race, the human race. We are all brethren and should not be afraid to embrace each other publicly and claim our love for one another. We could achieve miracles then.
I used to enjoy listening to the radio. Now it’s just a jukebox with the selector buttons broken so we hear the same songs over and over. While I enjoy all forms of music, I predominantly listen to Rock N’ Roll. Recently one of my favorite long time radio stations, KZRR 94 Rock, was assimilated by the collective known as iHeartRadio. This assimilation has brought with it inane commercials for iHeartRadio advertising artists and events that have NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GENRE OF ROCK N’ ROLL!!! I also tried out their streaming of 94 Rock while I was out of state for three months. With their streaming they have something called “Fast Tracks” which turn out to be an abbreviated version of a song…wait, WHAT? PLAY THE WHOLE SONG!!!! Here’s another idea for iHeartRadio, how about playing some of the new artists trying to break through? I mean as much as I love the artists that do get play, there are many others out there.
I get the feeling that iHeartRadio is actually trying to kill off live radio and music as well. Just the other day another station that I listened to, 104.1 The Edge, dismissed its long running morning show personalities. This dismissal has led to an out-crying of support for said personalities. The reason was given as “restructuring” of the radio station…sigh.
I think we need REAL radio stations back with REAL DJ’s who played the music that they loved and had some control over it. I mean think about how many bands you were turned on to by a DJ.
I say now go home iHeartRadio you are not welcome anymore.
Andy The Kid Releases Pendulum Cover “The Island” Lyric Video Featuring Aaron Nordstrom Of Gemini Syndrome
Andy The Kid has released a lyric video for his cover of Pendulum’s track “The Island” which features Aaron Nordstrom from Gemini Syndrome on guest vocals. The track is from Andy The Kid’s new EP entitled “Linchpin” which is out now! The EP also features guest performances from Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward), Jimmy Trigger (We Are the Riot), and Toby Rand (Juke Kartel).
Watch Andy The Kid “The Island” (Official Lyric Video) below:
Writing and recording this EP has been a cathartic experience that has put a big fat exclamation mark on what has been a tumultuous journey since moving to the States…It was extremely important to put a cover on the record that showcased Australian music, and I’ve loved Pendulum for many years, just knowing they’re Australian makes me very proud and inspired…The video was an extremely fun experience. It was shot in one take, with two iphones, 2 Stage Ninja Scorpion phone holders and with $10 in my pocket. It took a fair bit of coordination, but I feel like it turned out great. Gone are the days where I feel thousands have to be spent on video production. The technology to achieve visual media is at our finger tips, and it just takes a little initiative to learn. – Andy The Kid
the Hellion Rocks 