As I sit here pondering my 100th post it comes to me. Why I do what I do. There are some extremely wonderful bands out there that really have no outlet to be heard. Why is this? What can be done? How can they be heard? By us the bloggers and internet radio hosts, the internet video shows. We can can herald their cause. By us telling our peers, sharing their music on our sites, telling our friends, going to their live shows, posting their videos, and taking the time to interview them and hear what THEY have to say. I come to know a lot of these bands and they are hard working, genuine people. They usually are barely scraping by by selling their merch. I try to buy their stuff at every turn. Corporate radio and TV might not support them but WE will.
One other thing I am passionate about is not losing touch with music of the past. As with newer bands, there is really no outlet for a lot of bands from the past. So much great music has been made already. But when their marketability starts to lack they are cast away for the next big thing. By listening to these bands we keep them alive. As with the younger bands we need to support them in the same way and NOT LET THEM GET LOST!
I will leave you with this and go now to enjoy my birthday evening. ROCK N’ ROLL WILL SURVIVE!!!
Death Alley Motor Cult brings metal back to where it belongs, to the forefront of radio. Start with a dose of blistering guitar work, a thunderous rhythm section, growling vocals and you have an idea what Death Alley Motor Cult is all about. Check out “American Nightmare”:
In a flash of bright, colorful, iridescent light The Electric Boa don’t just remind you of all things rock, they ARE all things rock – now, yesterday and tomorrow. Here is “Horse” live:
I have loved this band since I found them. In the process of spreading the word I have bought several of their CDs and passed them along to friends. Here is my favorite track:
a couple of years ago a friend told me about this band. I have liked them ever since. Blues based straight up Rock N’ Roll have kept this band in my ears. They made a breakthrough with the 2011 release of “Pressure & Time”. They have just released “Head Down” on 09/17/12 I recommend you grab it. Here is their new video for “Keep On Swinging”:
This is another band recommended to me by a friend. They are new to me but a definite like. Heavy DOOM and hard charging music makes this band a worthwhile listen. Check out “Coven of Cain” and let me know what you think!:
from their bio: Abiotic is an American progressive, technical death metal band from Miami, Florida that has recently signed to Metal Blade Records. The five-piece group consists of vocalist Ray Jimenez, bassist Alex Vazquez, drummer Andres Hurtado and guitarists Matt Mendez and Johnathan Matos. The band has released two singles and a seven song studio EP entitled ‘A Universal Plague’. “Vermosapien”, the second track on the EP, has recently been featured on the quintet’s first music video, directed by Dan Drescher.Abiotic is agressive, melodic, technical and musical, to say the least. They’ve been compared to bands like The Faceless and Veil of Maya. Mixing technical riffs, brutal break downs, and solos that will leave you breathless, makes this five-piece assault an act that fans won’t ever want to miss. Here is “Vermosapien”:
I got to see these guys a few weeks ago. Great band, very tight, awesome stage performance and great guys to talk to. I see great hings with this young band. They out on the road and earning their stripes! Here is their new video for “tWIST3D l0V3 sTORY” :
So I just love this band period! Getting out, getting done with pure Rock N’ Roll music. Bringing the fun back into Rock but at the same time ready to kick your ass at the drop of hat. Thanks guys! Here’s “KISS Tried To Kill Me” :
I have a deep seated love for southern rock. I grew up listening to old school country and hippie rock. Southern Rock was a natural progression for me. I found Blackberry Smoke recently and new immediately I would like them. With bands like them Southern Rock and its legacy will stay true. Here is “Ain’t Much Left Of Me” :
I heard this band on satellite radio one day and had to know more. What I found is a band whose attitude is “What you see is what you get”. No frills, groove laden Rock N’ Roll. This band sees regular play in my rotation. Here’s the KILLER track “Brother Go On”:
On a recent trip to Los Angeles I was fortunate enough to meet and hang out a bit with Dronika members Eduardo and Carlos. We got to hang out and watch some great live music at the Whisky. Dronika is a new band that I have been lucky enough to witness growing. They have included me in sharing their growth and development. They are currently working on their debut release. Pay attention and don’t miss out when their CD drops! Here’s a taste:
We got ROCK LEGEND Phil Soussan to get with us on some questions. You know him from his stellar bass playing and songwriting with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Johnny Hallyday and John Waite, as well as a membership in Beggars & Thieves. Soussan has also played in bands featuring Jimmy Page, Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter and Richie Kotzen. Let’s check out his interview:
I am thankful to my mother for being instrumental in exposing me to various forms of music. Was there someone who opened your ears to music?
Phil: Yes, my Mom used to play the radio all day and sing along to songs. I was bought a kid record player at about 4 years old, and I used to sit in front of it changing records and singing along. About that time, my Mom’s musical cousins – two brothers who played just about every instrument, bought me a real 1/4 size acoustic guitar. The rest is history!
When was it that you decided to learn music? Were you formally educated or self-taught?
Phil: Both. I was self-taught on the guitar, melodicas, recorders – anything that made a sound! At about 8 I started taking proper recorder lessons and at 11 began classical violin and music theory studies.
I think all of us at one time cranked up some music and played air guitar to our heroes music, what were some of the bands you jumped around in your bedroom to?
Phil: The Carpenters… NOT!! David Bowie, T-Rex, Sweet, Slade, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Move, Wizzard, the Yardbirds, the Stones and of course the Beatles – all of these the first time round!
What were some of your early bands experiences? Did you take any lessons learned from those experiences and they are still relevant to you today?
Phil: I had a lot of American friends growing up in London and they placed a lot of importance on the quality of sound and their technique, compared to UK musicians that were not very polished. I started to practise a lot by watching in the mirror and I was able to see my technical faults better. I knew how it should look. I still do this today.
I’ve talked to a lot of musicians who have been “starstruck” by other musicians, has that ever happened to you?
Phil: Very few times… when I first had a chance to meet Jimmy Page, once I got to know him the familiarity kicked in and we became friends.
If there was any performer alive or not you could work with who would that be?
Phil: Elvis during the Sun Sessions era, Hendrix, Zeppelin during the LZ III years.
I love the idea of one-off “supergroup” projects, what would your ideal project be?
Phil: Big Noize with Sebastian Bach!
Is there a singular moment in your musical career that you are most proud of?
Phil: Walking on to the Stage at Wichita for my first US gig with Ozzy, and at Donnington in 1986.
I love your solo work and have a copy of “NO PROTECTION” can you tell us about the CD?
Phil: Thank you! I played and recorded virtually all the instruments on the record. I wanted to do a record where I performed and arranged the entire record. I first heard McCartney do it with “Maybe I’m Amazed” and I wanted to try the challenge of doing it myself. It was tough but I learned so much about imagining arrangements in my head. Some people think it’s because you want to be able to control everything, but it’s not. I think I wanted to do it is because I wanted to really get inside of music, from every perspective. And it was very difficult to do. But when you come through it, you are a better musician for it: you understand arrangements better, you understand all the instruments better. It takes four times as long to change one part, and I don’t have three other guys to say, “Hey, let’s change this”. I had to change it, record it, change that, record this, and then listen and realize, “No, it’s not working. I think I’ll do something else”. But what I got out of it was a sense in my head that, when I hear an idea now, I can imagine exactly how it should be arranged. And that’s something that I was not doing very well before. So it’s an amazing exercise. My last album “Vibrate” was fun to do but it was what I would call a compilation, a compilation meaning songs one written there, one written here, one written there, and every song put together into a collection written over a long period of time. This album was written at one time from beginning to end, all songs written around the same time, and there’s a thread of continuity that goes through it. As I started recording it, I was in my studio and I started coming up with arrangements.The record itself is really a snapshot of my life at the moment, at a point where I had to go through a lot of realizations and changes in the you cannot stop life from taking its course.
Here is “Free My Soul” from NO PROTECTION:
Are you still involved with the Grammy’s and how did that come about?
Phil: Yes, I am Vice President. I have been a member for many years and about 6 years ago a put myself on the ballot to run as a Governor, which I did. I wanted to find a way to give back to the musical community and the Grammys was the best way. I became involved in advocacy issues, fund-raisers for MusiCares and education issues. I wanted to do something for MusiCares as they were the entity that did so much for by best friend Randy Castillo when he became so ill.
What does the future hold for you? New recordings, touring, etc….?
Phil: All of the above, We just got back from doing a festival in Bulgaria with Big Noize and we had a change of singer from Joe Lynn Turner to Sebastian Bach; it was awesome and we are now looking to book more shows with this line up. I really want to do more shows out of the Los Angeles area with my solo band doing material from this new album and some of my other hits written for other artists, but it is proving difficult to tie down local promoters as most of the agents are closed off to new projects. Maybe I shall try to approach local venues myself.
If you were asked to give a lecture to musicians looking to start their careers, what advice would you have for them?
Phil: Ask yourself if this is really what you want to do and if it is then go for it, never say die and never give up.
What era appeals to you the most and why is that?
Phil: The era before digital music – I loved making records and selling records was the way in which we made our money. Today everyone feels that music should be free and it has become such a s challenge to be able to pay your bills and continue making music for people with no income. It is not as if recording equipment manufacturers give you free equipment!
Being a veteran of the music industry what are your thoughts of the sate of things today?
Phil: We are getting back in to the T-Shirt business. We use music to invite people to a gig and if you sell them merchandise then you walk away from the deal with some income. If not then you come up zero.
If we were hanging out and I plugged your MP3 player into my stereo would I be surprised at what was on it?
Phil: Just a varied assortment of music.
This last one is open, tell us anything you want to:
Phil: Listen to my record, enjoy the songs and if you like them please join my mailing list at www.philsoussan.com and write! I try to reply to everyone as much as I can. Please follow me on Twitter at @philsoussan and although I have a Facebook “page” I am not on Facebook anymore – I hate Facebook as I don’t know anyone on it who is not made miserable/ jealous or had their friendships and relationships compromised… and I want to make people feel good – My music makes people feel good!
Thanks so much for considering this. I know there are some questions you have answered a million times over the years, I’m just hoping to bring them to a new audience!
Phil: You’re welcome! Rock on!
Let me know if you are tied in to any local promoters or radio stations and perhaps I can arrange to come out to NM and do some shows!
Phil
Thanks Phil!
I am gonna leave you with Phil’s version of the classic “Shot In The Dark”:
I sat on the porch one mid morning talking with Rick from Shotgun Rebellion. We found we were kindred spirits on a lot of things. As we talked, I felt a bond developing with Rick and knew we would remain friends for a long time. Let’s get to know Rick (guitars/vocals), Jon (bass), Jared (drums), and Steve (guitars) from Shotgun Rebellion.
Hey guys, let’s open a cold one and find out about the origins of Shotgun Rebellion. How did all of this start?
Jon: “As Rick was playing with a band called Kill the Silence and I was with Echofist, our paths had crossed a few times. Over the next two years we’d swap emails back and forth discussing various shows and what all was going on in the Oklahoma music scene. When Echofist separated, the vocalist and I started a new project. Although I enjoyed what we were doing, there was just something missing. So I decided to put the word out that I was looking to do a side project that had a little bit more balls to it so to say. Well, Rick just happened to be online and within about twenty minutes of me posting a notice he called me. As the issues within KTS grew, what was originally just a side project and a chance for Rick and I to work together, begin to evolve into the full-time ride. We thought for a short time about just bringing me in on bass and revamping the lineup for KTS, but after thinking it over we decided to go with our own identity as Shotgun Rebellion.”
As I was listening to the tracks you sent me I hear elements of country music in your songs. What were some of your country influences?
Rick: Not really what you would call traditional country. But more of an Outlaw country and Southern Rock like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank jr. and Willy nelson were more of an influence to me along with blues.
Tying into the previous question I also hear metal in your songs, where did the metal influx come from?
SR: Sabbath, Zeppelin, Van Halen, Dokken, Wasp, Down, Pantera, Corrosion of conformity, Megadeth, BLS, Anything Ozzy, Motorhead and Pride & Glory Just to name a few.
As I have gotten to know about I have heard you guys referred to as “Outlaw Metal” what can you tell us about that?
Rick: Well I grew up in southern Oklahoma and my parents and grand parents always listened to country, Outlaw country, Southern Rock as well as Classic Rock. My dad Ronnie taught me to play at a young age, he cut my teeth on Southern Rock and Outlaw country tunes along with blues and classic rock songs. So on my own I was listening to Wasp, anything Ozzy, Van Halen and all that era’s Metal and hard rock songs. So I was taking the licks my dad taught me and trying to learn how to play the stuff I liked. About that time I met a Guitarist named Steve Parnell we formed a band in the late 80s early 90s even then Steve was a accomplished Guitarist he started teaching me a lot more of what was going on in Metal then. We’ve since added him to the line up of “Shotgun Rebellion” in the past year, you can hear his lead work on our songs such as “Emperor’s clothes and Killed by love”. So this half Outlaw country/Southern rock meets Metal/hard rock is just a natural thing for me. So we just coined the term “Outlaw Metal” to describe our sound.
Tell me about the writing process. I can imagine you all putting on some David Allen Coe and then some BLS, drinking a few and going from there. How do you guys go about writing new material?
Jon: “As awriter, anything can inspire you and that creative spark can hit at anytime, I’m always coming up with lyrics. I’ll send them to Rick, who is constantly working out something on his guitar. When he finds something that fits, he’ll record it and bounce it back to me. Or he’ll come up with some lyrics on his own and call me saying he’s sending a new track. Either way, once we have that first blueprint of a song, we all will start adding in our own little touches.”
It’s obvious you have a lot of classical influences, what are some of the newer bands that are catching your attention?
SR: Eye Empire, DevilDriver, Kill Devil Hill, Down and there’s a new southern rock band called Blackberry Smoke I like a lot.
You have shared the stage with some great bands, does any particular show stand out?
Jon: “Every show we do with Texas Hippie stands out just because they are brothers in arms, we’ve gotten to know those guys pretty good and are fun to work with. But as for me one show that really stands out was when we played with Warbeast, Forte, and Rev Jones at the Coca-Cola Center in Oklahoma City. We had honestly only been together as Shotgun Rebellion for a about a month, and as far as the crowd knew we came out of nowhere. Over the next few weeks, we received messages from fans and even the promoter who told us we had the set of the night, and that was only our second show after that first practice six weeks before.”
Rick: Sharing the stage with George Lynch twice when we opened for Lynch Mob was a big deal for me. I grew up in the late 80s as a teen and he was a big influence on my playing
What are the musical backgrounds of you guys? Any formal musical instruction? Rick: I was taught to play guitar from my dad.There was alway instruments around the house if you didn’t play you wasn’t from my family. So it was just the way I was raised.
Jon : “I graduated from the Art Institute in Dallas with a degree in Music Business.”
I have been having fun reading the responses fro others with this question. Is there any music that you listen to that would surprise us? I happen to like the Bee Gees myself…. Rick: I sometimes listen to Motown soul and a lot of blues. Jon: “I listen to just about everything. Whether its country, metal, blues, pop, jazz, or even Christian artists; I’m always hearing rhythms or lyrics that hit me and inspire me. I take that bit of inspiration and use it, then send it off to Rick who puts his own stamp onto it with what he’s been listening to and that is where that SGR blend comes from.”
If you had a chance to speak to a crowd of musicians trying to enter into the music industry what advice would you give them? SR: Stick to your guns and don’t be fake, what I mean is play and write from the heart don’t just be what you think other people want to hear. If you do that it’ll come out fake so Stick to your guns and play what you feel.
Let’s have some “Devils Home Brew”:
There you have it, Shotgun Rebellion in the raw.
the Hellion
UPDATE: Catch Shotgun Rebellion on Bleach Bangs Radio tomorrow night (09/18/2012)
There have been some pretty cool bands that were made up for movies. Let’s take a look at some of the bands that would have been cool if they were real.
STEEL DRAGON
The movie “Rock Star” from 2001 gave us one of the coolest bands that never was.
Mark Wahlberg as Chris “Izzy” Cole (Lead vocals)
Dominic West as Kirk Cuddy (Rhythm Guitar)
Jason Bonham as A.C. (Drums)
Zakk Wylde as Ghode (Lead Guitar)
Jeff Pilson as Jörgen (Bass)
This was the film lineup on screen. The actual music from “Steel Dragon” was pretty cool. with songs such as “Livin’ the Life”, “Blood Pollution”, “Stand Up”, “Wasted Generation” written by greats such as; Steve Plunkett, Peter Beckett, Twiggy Ramirez, Sammy Hagar, and Desmond Child, A.Allen, J. Allen to covers of “We All Die Young” (Miljenko Matijevic, Kenny Kanowski) by Steelheart and “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Ronnie James Dio, Richie Blackmore) by Rainbow. This is definitely one of my favorite bands that never was. Here’s “Blood Pollution”:
STILLWATER
“Almost Famous” from 2000 gave us the band Stillwater. This was a 70’s band that I wish would have been.
Peter Frampton
Mike McCready
Jon Bayless
Ben Smith
Gordon Kennedy
Marti Frederiksen – vocals
Were the magic behind the band. Nancy Wilson wrote the song “Fever Dog ” which we can see right here:
THE WONDERS
” That Thing You Do! ” from 1996 is a movie I can’t pass up. From the mind of Tom Hanks this is the tale of a band in the 60’s and their rise to fame and their meteoric fall from it. The movie features original music by Tom Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, Rick Elias, Scott Rogness, Mike Piccirillo, Gary Goetzman and Howard Shore. Here’s the title track:
Where does Jake Delling Le Bas come from? I heard you were from Ireland? Jake: Well I was born here in the U.S.A and lived here until I was 8 years old. But after that my family moved over to Ireland and that’s where I spent some very important years of my life almost 14 years in total. So I grew up in the west of Ireland and that’s where I really feel like I come from. But it is nice to be back living here in the states again.
Who was it that introduced you to music? Jake: That one for me is a really tough question I don’t really have a single person who one day showed me some music and it changed my life forever. I just have memories of very pivotal moments over the years when different people have shown me different things that really changed my music listening. Between my Mother, friends in school, some friends of my Dad and who knows who else a lot of people have helped me through the years.
What kind of music was your earliest memories? Jake: But if your asking what kind of music it was I do have a very early memory of my Mother giving me the Pearl Jam album Ten when I was around 11 or 12. I don’t even think she listened to Pearl Jam I think she just found it one day and gave it to me. But that was a pretty big deal that got me started more than anything I ever listened too before that.
Were you interested in other instruments? How did you find your way to the drum kit? Jake: I always wanted to play an instrument since I can remember. We always had guitars and things around the house because my Dad plays a little bit. I even got given a bright white electric guitar of some random make when I was really young that sat around for years. I tried learning it a little bit as I grew up but the guitar never really drew me in. And then in school I had some friends that wanted to start a band but they had no drummer. And I will never forget my friend Owen said to me one day ” Man if you started playing drums it would really help me out” I always liked the drums and that was the reason to just go and do it. So I was 13 or 14 when I got my first kit and never looked back after that. It was a great decision as far as I’m concerned!!
I have seen some drummers out there playing some massive kits. Some of them are so big you lose the drummer in them. One of the things I love about you is the fact you play a small kit. Why do you do so?
Jake: A philosophy I have always loved in that simple is better. And that same thing applies to my drums. Growing up I was a huge punk fan and I still am but one of the things about punk is simplicity and no bullshit. That’s what I do with my drums I don’t see any reason to have 50 drums and 80 cymbals. For some guys a giant kit works and some guys make it work. But at the same time some don’t! I just figure if you can’t do what you need to with a very minimal set up then you have no business using a complicated set up. So I just like to keep it simple and make the most out of a small set up.
I have to ask you about this. Who gave you the nickname “Irish Thunder”? Jake: Well that one came from a man you know, Mr. Adam Joad or the Appalachian Apostle as he is known. Adam is quite the man for nick names I think he loves giving them out. I was barely in the band before he slapped the nick name Irish Thunder on me. It’s a good one though I’ll take that all day long.
I love sharing new music with friends that I know will appreciate it. One of those bands is “Ghost”, I know you enjoy the band how come? Jake: So many reasons!! I have you to thank for giving me that CD that one was in my ears everyday for a few months after I got that. But what they do is so awesome to me. They want to sing about the devil but do it in the catchiest way possible with awesome riffs, you can’t beat that. And the whole hiding the identity thing is a nice touch. They are just a great band doing something different, its awesome.
Besides “Ghost”, what other new music are you listening to? Jake: I go through a kinds of different phases of different music. Lately its been a lot of bluegrass a band called Split Lip Rayfield I’ve been listening to a lot lately. My boys in Gypsyhawk just released their new album so I’ve been rocking that one, those dudes rule. I just came across a band recently called Larry and His Flask its some pretty cool stuff worth checking out.
Your fan base are called “Hell Riders” what does that mean to you? Jake: The Hell Riders are why we do what we do. When we first started going out there and touring and really showing people who Scattered Hamlet are the response we got from people meant everything to us. And then Hell Rider chapters starting popping up around the country it was amazing for us and now we meet people who are proud to call themselves Hell Riders. And that for me is incredible. To have people who connect with your music that much and take pride in being a part of it I can’t ask for anything more. Hell Riders for me make me want to go out on the road as often as I can to meet every one of them. Hell Riders!!!!
If you were asked to contribute to a book on the music industry, what advice would you give to a new musician? Jake: PRACTICE! That’s the biggest thing you have to practice your instrument if you ever want to do anything. Practice often and practice hard. Also go out and play with people don’t sit in you garage and be too afraid to go out and play with people you learn more playing with other people than you ever will sitting at home alone. And lastly if you think this is something you really want to do then prepare yourself for sacrifice it takes a lot of sacrifice. But also prepare yourself for fun I wouldn’t trade this for anything else.
I have heard some “interesting” music coming from the “Hell Rider” van, what’s other surprises would I hear if I looked through your musical selection? Jake: Haha that’s a scaryquestion probably lots of things! As music fans we all love a lot of things, things we wouldn’t expect. Me I have no problem bustin out Lionel Ritchie’s greatest hits anyone who disagrees can suck it. Hulk Hogan and his Wrestling Boot Band is another favourite to listen to on the road. I even have some good old Limp Bizkit on there but that’s mostly there because myself and Adam like to listen to it on the road and break down how lyrically retarded Fred Durst really is. If you didn’t know he is very retarded. It helps pass the time while we drive.
Given the current state of flux it’s in what do you think of the music industry these day? Jake: That’s the big Question for a lot of people these days. It’s a tough place out there for a band a REAL band that is, it’s an extremely tough place. I was at a music festival last weekend and there were many different kinds of music there but one thing that drove me crazy is that on a huge stage in front of thousands of people there were 2 guys up there one using a DJ setup and another barely playing drums. It was horrible, the dude was just singing using autotune. But people were loving it!!! Going crazy for it! Even though there was not much real talent being used up there. So that’s what REAL bands have to compete with now and its a sad state of affairs. Technology is replacing talent its disgraceful. But the thing I always remember is that if I still love real music and REAL bands then there are others out there too. People like Hell Riders and all real music fans as long as these people are out there the REAL bands will always have a chance it just takes some damn hard work. Oh and talent although for some people the talent part isn’t necessary if you have autotune haha!
Check out the talented Jake Delling Le Bas in the band Scattered Hamlet!
the Hellion Rocks 