They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well circumstances led me to pick up a camera in September of 2012. I have since spent a lot of time learning and will always be learning to understand the art of photography. I have put a selection of my shots up on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/117375233@N02/ I would dig it if you checked them out and gave some feedback. Any feedback is appreciated as we can only learn from it. – the Hellion
The Vegas strip had nothing on the Sunset Strip when it came to rock ‘n’ roll, and a new multi-media show is bringing that experience to the stage in a special sneak preview. LET IT RAWK will debut in the Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 18 at 9pm PST.
LET IT RAWK is a loud, colorful, energetic and interactive experience of the hair metal era on LA’s Sunset Strip. The showroom and stage will be infused with the sights and energy of a legendary rock club. Performed by guys who were there, shaping the scene, the show’s playlist includes the greatest hits from the ‘80s and early ‘90s. From Warrant to Motley Crue the best anthems will be performed in all the glory of the day. And hits from the LET IT RAWK band’s careers are highlights.
The LET IT RAWK band is the real deal. It’s fronted by Black “N Blue and ex-Warrant vocalist Jaime St. James. Guitarist Oz Fox is in the platinum-selling Christian glam rock band, Stryper. Dokken’s Sean McNabb has played bass for other Kings of The Sunset Strip including Great White and Quiet Riot. Drummer Brent Fitz from Slash And The Conspirators will be slamming the skins. Brent has also played for Vince Neil and Alice Cooper. The band will also feature floating members, such as Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister and Bullet Boys original drummer Jimmy D’Anda. The anchor of the band is LET IT RAWK’s creator and producer, Stacey Blades.
Stacey’s ten years with L.A. Guns cemented him as a must-watch guitar player, and his final record with the band, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, earned him critical acclaim for his exceptional fretwork. He left the band last year to pursue his other projects, including LET IT RAWK. “I have been diligently working on this project since last March, and am super stoked to be sharing the stage with such awesome guys and talented musicians. The show will be playing a few times a month here in Vegas and then be doing casino shows nationally, LET IT RAWK! See you out there!”
LET IT RAWK debuts in the Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station and Casino, 4949 North Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, on Saturday, January 18 at 9pm PST. General admission tickets are $21. VIP meet-and-greet upgrades will be available soon. Tickets are available athttp://www.ticketmaster.com/event/17004B798ED17265.
it’s loud, it’s sleazy, it’s RAWK N’ ROLL!!!
the Hellion
Dario Seixas taking aim at 2013!
I was lucky enough to have caught Great White Featuring Jack Russell recently in Farmington, New Mexico. As usual, Jack put on an outstanding performance. What was very cool was the band itself, featuring Derrick Pontier on drums, Matthew Johnson on guitars, Robby Lochner on guitars, and Dario Seixas on bass. The band itself was tight and clean, true professionals at their craft.
Dario and Robby TCOB!
I managed to get a hold of Dario on the phone for an audio interview. Great guy, great stage presence, and great friend and supporter to Mr. Jack Russell. Give it a listen right here:
FARMINGTON NM- After a grueling 4 hour drive (and a few u-turns) we found the venue (thanks to Jonene for driving!). We found a sweet parking spot and walked around the building and WOW!!! There was quite a line waiting to get in to see the AWESOME Jack Russell’s Great White!
We ultimately got into the venue (we were on the guest list thanks to Jack and his management Valerie Ince) and were pleasantly surprised. The venue was surprisingly well put together. The sound system was pumping out some killer rock n’ roll, lights were well placed and had good effect, the stage was set in a good place with views from most places in the bar.
The place continued to fill up and the mood was ripe for a great rock n’ roll show. The crowd was patient and enjoyed the music as they waited for the show to begin.
DIRTNAP
http://www.facebook.com/Hellazonamusicgroup
To be completely honest I had never heard of Dirtnap prior tot his show. WOW! They took the stage hard and got the crowd fired up and ready. Reminiscent of the sleaze bands from the glory days of the Hollywood Strip, Dirtnap brought it. People gravitated quickly to the stage and fed their energy to the band. Dirtnap is: Vocals- John Dame, Guitar- Darren Mc Kee, Drums- Troy Yahraes, Bass- Joe Nutt. The band threw Twinkies to the crowd (due to the demise of Hostess, and I got it from a very reliable source “Jonene” that the band bought a copious amount of them) who literally “ate them up”. The bands dirty, sleazy, nasty rock n’ roll brought a huge smile to my face and took me back tot he glory days of Rock!
Each band member brought to the stage their own unique character. I found this to be extremely cool as they put a great effort into bringing the crowd an entertaining show. Let’s check them out:
John Dame
John is the mastermind of the chaotic circus of Dirtnap. The Ringleader of this band of hooligans if you will, he leads the crowd into the madness.
Joe Nutt
Joe handles the bottom end and has that devil-may-care mischievous air about him. I bet if you hang out with him some sort of shenanigans would ensue.
Darren McKee
Darren is the guy who gets lost in his music, we all know the guy (in fact, I am one) who when music is on there is no talking to him.
Troy Yahraes
Troy is well…the drummer and we ALL know about drummers right? Awesome guy and keeps the beat to a T!
Thanks to Dirtnap for delivering an AWESOME set and getting out and supporting a class act like Jack Russell’s Great White!
http://www.facebook.com/jack.russell.1232?ref=ts&fref=ts
I was personally excited to see Jack and crew in action again. EVERY time I have seen Jack perform in the past he has been spot on. This show was no exception. The band was tight, the crowd was right, and the songs were KILLER! I know Jack is a stickler for perfection and it shows.
Jack Russell pre-show
Jack has assembled a stellar bunch of players to support his iconic vocals. I know this discussion has come up on many levels (even here on the blog) about band members revolving in and out of bands but in my humble opinion, Jack Russell is THE embodiment of GREAT WHITE! I mean no disrespect to other performers who have made an admirable attempt at covering Jacks’ vocal work but there is only ONE Jack Russell. Let’s get into the band:
Jack Russell – lead vocals, percussion
Matthew Johnson – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Derrick Pontier – drums, percussion
Robby Lochner – lead guitar, backing vocals
Dario Seixas- bass guitar, backing vocals
The hits came played and sang to perfection, plus we were treated to selections from Jack’s solo releases, and a special song sung by Matthew Johnson. This song led to a surreal moment in the evening for me. during the song Jack was sitting on the stage near me and became totally lost in the song. Closing his eyes and mouthing the words and clapping his hands in rhythm. I reached for my camera and stopped, I decided that I wanted to keep this moment for myself and hold it special in my heart. Sorry all, it was that magical to me. The crowd cheered on as song after song hit them. Jack has put himself in great company with this group of musicians. Matthew and Robby held down the guitar duties to perfection, no sour notes, clean, nice tone, and they played off of each other flawlessly. Dario owned every inch of the stage with both his bass playing and his showmanship, complimenting Jack by engaging the crowd and drawing them even deeper into the performance a great add to the crew. Derrick kept everyone in time and held the beat like clockwork, a solid drummer backing a solid outfit. The evening culminated with “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” which brought the crowd to the brink of insanity with joy. There were some scary moments when I thought the crowd was going to end up on the the stage but it all worked out. A great show indeed!
Jack is Back indeed! I HIGHLY recommend getting out and seeing the show if they come anywhere near you. Thanks to Dirtnap, Jack Russel and crew for an outstanding night of glorious Rock N’ Roll!!!
the Hellion
We all know the story a band member or members are kicked out/left on their own and now there are two bands claiming rights to the name. Great White, LA Guns, Faster Pussycat, Creedence Clearwater Revival/Revisited, Queensryche, are just a few bands that have run into this situation.
I have a few opinions on this. I feel that if the band has an iconic vocalist who has a distinct voice it becomes hard to carry on as a band when said vocalist is fired or leaves. On the other hand if a guitarist defines the sound of a band people seem to buy into a replacement vocalist.
So what should be done? Should both bands abandon the name? Should they both use the name and tour causing confusion? I know a lot has to do with the business end of things so there’s that. There’s no easy answer to this one.
What are your thoughts on this?
the Hellion Rocks 