Something, Something, Something Dark Side

Just thought I'd see if this works. Who knows since it's my first time trying to embed something. Anyway, I love The Family Guy and I love Star Wars so it stands to reason that I would like their take on it. I hope this works.

Been a long time.......

Well, I haven't done much posting at all for a myriad of reasons but it's high time I got back on the horse and started writing again. So with a (hopefully) renewed vigor here goes. Last night my friends band Rant played again at the Dragons Lair in Tulsa. What made it different this time was that there was a guy there doing a webcast of the show. Head on over to this link http://www.jukezoo.com/videos/id_394/title_Metal-Show-Dragon’s-Lair-11-21-09/ and you'll see what it was like. There were 3 bands and Rant played first and were on for over an hour. Skip ahead to about 12:20 and they start playing. The show was filled with technical difficulties (like a broken bass string if you can imagine) but they soldiered on and had fun. See if you can pick out the few cover songs that they did. The next band was screamo and nothing against them but it's just not my cup of tea. The music was good but I just can't handle those vocals. I didn't stick around for the 3rd band since I had to get up and teach Sunday School the next day but you can see for yourself what they were like. A word of warning, there is some adult language used by the singer/guitarist in his stage patter. Enjoy.

And now for Journey

Now here's some shots of Journey, I wasn't very close, the zoom on my camera is just really good! I went with my wife and met 4 people that I work with and then afterwards saw my best friends wife and daughter. His wife said Arnel is even better this year than he was last year since he's more confidant and sure of himself and this rock star stuff isn't brand new to him anymore either.

Journey and Night Ranger 8/5/09

Journey and opening act Night Ranger rocked the BOK Center last night in Tulsa. This marked the 3rd time I have seen Journey (and the 3rd singer I've seen them with to boot) and the 2nd time I've seen Night Ranger. It was a treat to hear Arnel Pineda singing and to watch the show he put on. He was a whirling dervish of energy throughout the night. Here's 5 shots from Night Ranger:

Why the long delay?

It's been a long time but I do have some good reasons for not posting. Of course I won't say right now what they are but perhaps later I'll be able to explain why I haven't been around. Too much drama and not enough time in my life is the easy way to get around it for now.

I'll be going to see Journey and Night Ranger next month and will have a concert review and if I'm lucky I'll also get to see Billy Squier the following night. I've skipped some shows that I really wanted to see but in the end I feel it's for the best. Since it's after 4AM I'm heading off to bed for now.

Music happenings in Tulsa

Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted. I've started several stories but just haven't felt satisfied with them and I need to go back and re-do them. The problem is finding the time to do so. Since I have a few minutes I thought I'd post a few musical happenings.

First up is my friends band Rant. They are playing their 3rd show this Saturday at the Dragons Lair which is on 11th street between Sheridan and Harvard. You might say they are in their musical residency there. Once they've done a few more shows (and recorded a demo) perhaps they can start getting a few more gigs in other clubs. If you're in the area you should check them out. They flat out rock and there isn't any other band around that I know of that sounds like them. That's a good thing.

In March I had posted about a street punk band called Street Dogs whom I like very much that were going to be playing in Oklahoma City. Well the day before the show I got a speeding ticket and the day of I felt like crap and ended up not making the drive. I felt pretty crummy about missing the chance to see them and The Righs who were opening up but such goes life. Well now I've been given a reprieve. Street Dogs are playing at The Marquee in Tulsa on Thursday May 21st and I will be at this show. Expect some good old street punk music with a Celtic angle and expect to have a good time. I know I will.

July brings us Dfest (diversity) and they've got some great bands lined up. It's held July 24th-25th and this year the headliner will be The Black Crows. Some of the other groups playing will we Ozomatli, Gogel Bordello, Dub Trio, Citizen Cope, Blue October and a ton more. Go to www.dfest.com for more info. There'll be a lot of local bands there and I'm thinking ahead to next year to see if Rant can get on the bill. The group I most want to see and never thought would come to Tulsa is Ozomatli. In their own words their music is "a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga-- has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A." All I know is I like them a lot and will be there and so should you.

Aerosmith and ZZ Top will be at the BOK in July as well but I've seen both of them in their prime so I won't be going to this one.

In August it seems like it's the busy month to be especially if you like 80s music. I'm hearing that on August 5th Journey will be playing at the BOK. No word on an opening act but really, does it matter? I've seen them with Steve Perry and Steve Augieri singing and now I get to hear them with Arnel Pineda. The very next day Billy Squier will be at the River Spirit casino and I have to find a way to see both of these shows. It must happen. Rod Stewart is playing at the BOK, The Steve Miller band will be at the The SpiritBank Event Center just south of Tulsa in the suburb of Bixby. Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick will be at the BOK closer to the end of the month.

I'm sure there will be more good music coming our way, I've heard that Slaid Cleaves is coming in December and that Blue Oyster Cult will be at the Tulsa State Fair so I've got that to look forward to. Don't know anything about any of the bands I've mentioned? Just leave a comment or look them up on the web. Maybe we'll see each other at some of these shows. Now if only the Judas Priest/Whitesnake and the Blondie/Pat Benatar tours would stop in town as well. Then there's always Devo and.......I could keep going on for hours about this but since i have to get up tomorrow and cut the grass I guess I'll just go to bed.

Top 10 Hair Metal Tracks from Stuck In The 80s

Sean and Steve from over at the Stuck In The 80s podcast http://blogs.tampabay.com/80s just did a hair metal show which really seemed like it would never happen. You see Steve is known for not liking very much hair metal at all but he finally succumbed to overwhelming fan pressure (and maybe Sean's hover dance) and gave us what we want. I thought I'd comment on their choices but I want to let it be known that I understand that these are their personal choices and that mine might differ. Being different doesn't make it wrong. So here we go.

First off I need to say that their definition of what they were looking at for hair metal and some of what they chose were a bit contradictory. They wanted the L.A. Sunset Strip, West Hollywood vibe which means that Poison, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, AC/DC and Metallica do not fit in their category. Now I never considered Bon Jovi to be hair metal myself. They were close but not quite there musically. I'd put them down as a hard rock/melodic band. Ac/DC and Metallica really don't need any comments as there is no way you can consider either of them to be hair metal. Metallica was thrash and AC/DC is/was hard rock bordering on metal, but not hair metal at all. Def Leppard are very close but have changed styles many times over the years. When tehy started out I would say that they were metal but then morphed into a hard rock band and then into a slick, poppy rock band. Lastly we have Poison. To me they are the epitome of hair metal however many people state that they were not a true Sunset Sunset Strip kind of band so I guess I can see their point. You'll see what I mean as we go along.

First we have Sean's top 5:

1. Motley Crue "Same Old Situation" This is not even close to my favorite but then again it's not my list is it? Motley are clearly in the criteria listed above and are one of the most well known bands from the era.

2. Twisted Sister "I Wanna Rock" No problems with the song but Twisted Sister are definately not a Sunset Strip sounding band.

3. Skid Row "Youth Gone Wild" Another East Coast band that doesn't seem to match the criteria but it is a great song. Sebastian Bach can really whail but he's become almost as much of a reality show whore as Bret Michaels.

4. Cinderella "Don't Know What You've Got (Til' It's Gone)" Another band that didn't have the prerequisite sound, theirs was more of a bluesy metal type. They were from Philly but in order to get their dream the label made them get rid of their drummer and guitarist. IN recent years vocalist Tom Kiefer has had numerous throat problems which has held the band back from touring.

5. Ratt "Lay It Down" Great song from a great L.A. band. I saw them at Rocklahoma 2007 and vocalist Steven Pearcy sounded horrible but supposedly he sounds better now. The band sounded amazing.

Now we have Steve's top 5:

1. Motley Crue "Home Sweet Home" No complaints here. One of the best hair metal ballads out there.

2. Vixen "Edge Of A Broken Heart" I liked this song at the time it came out. The idea of attractive females who could really play their instruments was an exciting one. Hey, I was young and horny, forgive me. The band of course imploded and now has regrouped with one original member.

3. Whitesnake "Here I Go Again" A British band that doesn't seem to meet the criteria but really they were the definition of hair metal in the mid to late 80s. It was mentioned on the podcast that there was a different version of this song on their greatest hits release. It was horrible to say the least. Most of the guitar was taken out and replaced by even more cheesy synthesizers. I recommend you stay away from it.

4. Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford "If I Close My Eyes Forever" This ballad partially meets the criteria and was a huge hit for this unique pair. Ozzy did go kind of glam in the 80s and Lita definintely was hair metal. She came out of retirement last year for Rocklahoma and is now toruing again. Ozzy recently put out a very good cd titled "Black Rain" but his tv career has severely hurt his legacy.

5. Kiss "Lick It Up" I completely agree with the inclusion of this song. I was never much of a fan of Kiss but after they took off the makeup (and put on a different kind) they went hair metal in a big way. I can remember getting this cassette and then driving to a regional fraternity meeting (think Animal House in Oklahoma) in Oklahoma City with 3 of my pledge class brothers. We played this song almost the entire way down there. I'm actually surprised we didn't break the rewind button.

Sean also mentioned on the podcast that so-called country artist Carrie Underwood likes to do cover versions of hair metal songs. Now I've heard several of them and while she isn't as bad as Celine Dion I have to say I don't care for her cover attempts at all. It's her Pat Boone like vocal cleansing in her delivery that just turns me off musically. I can only hope and pray that she'll stop soon. There was also a discussion about female metal and Steve posed the question of whether Joan Jett could be included as hair metal and I have to emphatically say NO to that! In my opinion Joan Jett's music is more of a bar rock but it isn't metallic at all, not even light metal. So there is my review and added comments. Take them for what you will and remember it's just my opinion. Don't get worked up over it.