Who's That Guy Next To Ace?

I don't know what to think of this picture. There he is, Ace Frehley, standing right next to the guy who gets up on stage and pretends to be him every night in the cover band currently calling itself KISS. The band was given an award at the VH1 Honors Show the other night. In addition to KISS, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Queen were also honored.

I'm glad Ace was there since he is a big part of why the band was being honored. Where was Peter Criss, I wonder?

Tag: Kiss

Redd Kross Reunion??

Redd Kross have announced a one-off reunion show at Los Angeles' Red Cat Theater on July 1st. As far as I know this is the first time Redd Kross has performed since their break-up in 1998. No word on who will be in the band besides Jeff and Steven McDonald -- the two founding members. The band's website, Redd Kross.com, promises more details soon.

Tag: Redd Kross

The Fags Dropped From Warner Bros

Sadly, it has been made official. Detroit rock band The Fags have announced on their MySpace blog that they were dropped by Sire/Warner Bros. I pretty much knew this was coming. The band's CD, Light Em Up, was scheduled to be released in July of 2005.

When the band was in Omaha last June, singer/guitarist John Speck played me the CD in the van while I interviewed him for my radio show. At that time, Speck said that the label had delayed the release of the CD until the beginning of 2006 for marketing purposes. Then it was delayed until Spring, and now it is being shelved by Warners. Well, fuck them. The band now says the CD will be released by Texas indie label, Idol Records. Idol released the band's debut EP, The Fags.

Until the CD is released, The Fags have placed four songs from the album on its MySpace page. Fans of Cheap Trick-style hard power-pop should check it out.

Tag: Fags

This is Why The Replacements Matter

The Replacements are about to release their first career-spanning "best of" CD, Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements, next month. I wanted to show you where it all began for this phenomenal band. This video features three songs recorded in 1981 in Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry bar. Bassist Tommy Stinson (now in Guns N Roses) was only 12 years old at the time of this video. This is rock.

Tag: replacements

M.I.A. Denied Entry Into the US

According to Pitchforkmedia, British (via Sri Lanka) pop star M.I.A. has been denied entry to the United States. She was due to come to America to record her second album with producer Timbaland. She posted the following message on her MySpace page:

"THEY TRY SHUT MY DOOR!

Roger roger do you here me over!!!!
the U.S immigration wont let me in!!!!!
i was mennu work with timber startin this week, but now im doin a Akon "im locked out they wont let me in" im locked out! they wont let me in! Now Im strictly making my album outside the borders!!!! so il see you all one day, for now ill keep reportin from the sidelines
to my people who walk wiv me in the America, dont forget we got the internet! Spread the word! or come get me!!!!!! ill be in my bird flu lab in china! liming and drinkin tiger beer with my pet turtel. I love everyone for the support, now i need it more. ill stay up spread out else where."

Apparently, M.I.A.'s lawyers are already on the case.

Tag: M.I.A.

Tonight's Must See Show: Minus the Bear and Criteria

Quick note about a potentially awesome show tonight in Omaha. Seattle's Minus the Bear is playing tonight at Sokol Underground. MTB plays a unique form of progressive indie rock. They have gotten some positive attention because of their strange song titles, also. Hear some of their music on MTB's MySpace page.

MTB plays tonight with local favorites, Criteria plus two other bands: Russian Circles and The Lovekill. Tickets are $12 at the door.

Tag: Minus the Bear

Axl Rose Vs. Tommy Hilfiger Round One

(NY Post) May 20, 2006 -- Tommy Hilfiger really showed his "Appetite for Destruction" yesterday when he pummeled Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose in a dispute over a VIP table at Rosario Dawson's birthday party, sources said.

The midnight turf battle erupted when Axl moved Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink in the banquette area of The Plumm nightclub on West 14th Street - where the "Rent" actress was celebrating her 27th birthday.

A densely packed crowd of celebs - including Lenny Kravitz and Kid Rock - had ringside seats to the battle.

The feisty fashionista was acting all gangsta, hitting Axl with a flurry of punches, one that landed under Rose's eye.

"First [Axl and Tommy] were sitting. Then they were pulling on each other . . . It got so out of control," said a shocked witness.

As the punch-up escalated, Hilfiger introduced Rose to some "November Pain" with a blow to the cheek. Club guards quickly tried to separate the men.

"A bunch of security ran over - but Tommy would not back down. He was just out to take him down," the witness said.

"Kid Rock got trampled by people running over. It was unbelievable."

Eventually, the designer's own bodyguard pulled him out of the club.

Yesterday, club owner Noel Ashman pointed the finger at Hilfiger: "Axl was a gentleman and had the good sense not to retaliate, as he would have done some serious damage to Hilfiger."

Rose said the attack was unprovoked, in an interview with The Post in his dressing room.

The singer said Hilfiger may have been angry because he'd been told to move to make room for Rose and his entourage.

Rose described Hilfiger as "foaming at the mouth."

When Rose took the stage a few minutes later to perform the song "You're Crazy," he dedicated it "to my good friend Tommy Hilfiger."

Kid Rock, wearing a black-brimmed hat and smoking a cigar, took his fellow rocker's side, and explained that Hilfiger was upset because he is way further down on the fame food chain.

The hierarchy, according to Kid Rock, begins with mere mortals and works its way up to sports stars.

"After that it's movie stars, then rock stars, then Michael Jordan." Hilfiger is somewhere between a mere mortal and a sports star in this ranking.

Lenny Kravitz seemed to side with Hilfiger, and also fled the club soon after Hilfiger got the heave-ho.

Hilfiger's peeps would not comment yesterday.

Tag: axl rose

You Wanted the Best...

First there was The Beatles, then there was KISS. Just felt like posting this here.

Tag: KISS

Two Posthumous Releases From Luna

Criminally underappreciated 90s alt-rockers Luna broke up last year after 10 years and seven albums. Rhino Records will release The Best of Luna CD and a concert DVD called Tell Me Do You Miss Me on June 20. If you are a fan of Velvet Underground-inspired pop music and you haven't heard Luna, you may want to try out this "best of." If you would like to see a trailer for the DVD, click here.

Luna began as a solo vehicle for Galaxie 500's Dean Wareham, but Wareham had a hard time meeting the rather high expectations of fans of that legendary group. For my money, Luna was a better band. They were all better musicians, and I think Wareham's songs and voice were more suited to Luna. I think I am in the minority on that one, though.

Tag: Luna

This Saturday on Rollins

This Saturday night, IFC's Henry Rollins Show will feature an interview with comedian Eddie Izzard, and a musical performance by Death Cab For Cutie.

Tag: Rollins

The Rise and Fall of Ratt (Remember When...)

I caught the premiere of Ratt: Behind the Music last night. Being a teenager in the mid 80s, I was already pretty familiar with the band, and their story. Well, at least part of the story. Like all good Behind the Music episodes, Ratt's was filled with firsthand accounts of the band's rise from nothing to the top of the Billboard charts -- and its slow descent into an artifact of the "hair metal" era.

The real shocker of the episode was the decline of guitarist Robbin Crosby. Crosby had helped form the band with singer Stephen Pearcy in the early 80s, but by the time the band had "made it" as an international supergroup, his role had been minimzied. Apparently this caused him a lot of embarrassment and hurt (must have been hard to realize this while surrounded by dozens of groupies more than willing to do whatever he wanted and all those millions of dollars), so he started taking heroin to "ease the pain" and soon found himself a full-blown addict.

His story is one of the sadder ones. His addiction eventually affected his on-stage performances, causing him to be fired by the band. Shortly thereafter, his Playboy Playmate wife (Laurie Carr) left him. By 1994, he had contracted HIV from an infected needle and was living in a one room shack in a bad part of Los Angeles. Crosby gave his final interview in 1999. He was overweight, talked very slowly, and seemed almost on the verge of tears when talking about his fall from grace. Apparently, he had a series of other health problems and was living in a hospice. He died in 2002 from an overdose. His former bandmates hadn't seen him in years.

After wtaching that episode I logged onto Napster and listened to some Ratt. Some of it seemed a little dated and corny, but for the most part, I liked it.

Tag: Behind the Music

'Ratt: Behind The Music' Premieres Tonight

Tonight is the premiere of Ratt's Behind the Music episode on VH1. The Behind the Music show is almost always great whether you like the artist or not. When I was 14, no one was cooler than Ratt in my opinion. I loved those guys! Sure, I grew out of that stuff; but whenever I hear "Round and Round" or "Lay It Down" or one of the other Ratt hits, it always puts a smile on my face.

Their BTM should be especially interesting due to all the drama that has surrounded the band. You know: the sex, the drugs, the groupies, the firings, the successes, the failures, etc, etc. The episode premieres tonight at 9 ET.

Here is VH1's blurb about the show:

Ratt grabbed a decade of decadence by the tail, but their legendary excess came back to bite them -- it cost them their career, and, in the case of guitarist Robbin Crosby, his life. This special edition of Behind the Music contains exclusive behind the scenes footage of the band, as well as an never before seen interview with Robbin Crosby, conducted three years before his death. In the beginning, band crawled up from the Sunset Strip's hair metal scene in the early `80s scene to record a fistful of multiplatinum albums and fill arenas around the globe.

Throughout the `80s, Ratt -- vocalist Stephen Pearcy, guitarists Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer -- were the toast of pop metal, thanks to the 1984 breakout hit Round and Round, whose video became an MTV staple. As the band became arena headliners, they turned all of America into their personal playground. Backstage, there was an endless procession of Jack Daniels, cocaine, pot, and young women willing to do anything to be near their heavy metal heroes.

But the partying would eventually tear the band apart. Vocalist Stephen Pearcy's excessive boozing alienated the rest of the band and affected his performances - while onstage, he often forgot what city he was in. While DeMartini, Cloucier and Blotzer channeled their anger at their singer, Robbin Crosby was quietly wasting away. By 1985, he'd begun a debilitating heroin addiction that would lead to his ouster from the band in 1990. Already in a spiral, Crosby would get more bad news in 1994 - he was diagnosed as HIV positive. The diagnosis triggering a physical and emotional free-fall that would in 2002 result in his death from a fatal heroin overdose. Ratt: Behind The Music reveals the bands harrowing journey, from the beginning to the end and back to the newest beginnings for the surviving band members.

I will say one thing about my metal past that is (arguably) better than my indie rock present: groupies. The quantity and quality of slutty women that at metal concerts is much higher than that of a Death Cab For Cutie show, I'll tell you that. You won't find anyone dressed like the girl above.

Tag: Ratt

Koufax Wrap-Up; Atmosphere Is Tonight!

Quick wrap-up on the Koufax show from last night. Very anemic crowd -- about 30 or 40 people -- but Koufax was received well. The show had started at 8, so when I arrived around 10, Koufax was just about to start. I recognized most of the songs from the Hard Times Are In Fashion CD, and they did a cover of Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" which was nice to hear. There might have only been a few of us that appreciated the cover, but we appreciated it a lot. I took off before headliner Drag The River began. I wanted to save my energy for tonight's Atmosphere show.

I've seen Minneapolis rap group Atmosphere twice in the last year, and they were amazing both times (the first was famously blogged about here). The show is already sold out, so if you don't have a ticket, you're SOL. I'm not sure why, but tickets for this show sold better than they did last Fall when Atmosphere was playing upstairs in the big room. They downsized this time around, and the show still sells more tickets. Omaha is weird.

Opening the show are Brother Ali, Los Nativos, and Mac Lethal. Last year at Atmosphere's show I got punched in the face -- let's see what happens this year!

Tag: Koufax Tag: Atmosphere

Tonight's Must See Show: Koufax

The title "Best Band You've Never Heard" has been given to a number of bands over the years. I'm adding Koufax to that list. The band is perhaps known to some because they feature the former rhythm section of the Get Up Kids. If that doesn't mean much to you, then how about this quote from the website Eleven Elephants about their "mixing ELO synths with the power pop witticisms of Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson and the breathless heart of punk." Sounds pretty cool, eh? Hope so.

The band will perform tonight in Omaha at Sokol Underground along with Drag The River, Cordero, and An Iris Pattern. Tickets are $8.

If you want to get a taste of what Koufax sounds like, here is an mp3 of my favorite track from the band's newest CD, Hard Times Are In Fashion.

Koufax - "Why Bother at All" (mp3)

Tag: Koufax

Tonight on Rollins

Tonight on IFC's The Henry Rollins Show, Henry's guest will be actor Jeff Bridges. The musical guest is Ben Harper. Rollins is on at 10 PM ET/9 CT on Independent Film Channel.

Tag: Henry Rollins

New Replacements Collection Available For Pre-order

Rhino Records is now taking adavnce orders for the new Replacements collection, Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements. There are song snippets on Rhino's page, including the two, new songs. Here is the blurb for the CD:

Led by ace singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg, ragged Minneapolis rockers The Replacements are arguably the most iconic band of the 1980s underground. Over the course of seven studio albums and some pretty outta-hand live shows, they charted an evolution from sloppy, booze-fueled garage rock to some of the most emotionally engaging booze-fueled garage rock in a generation.

This single-disc set is the first-ever collection to represent both the band's Twin/Tone and Sire/Reprise eras. It gathers signature 20 tracks, including two brand new songs recorded in Minneapolis over Christmas 2005: "Message To The Boys" and "Pool & Dive."

Tag: Replacements

Top 10 Metal Songs of All-Time?

VH1 has declared May to be "Metal Month," and so far all week, the cable music channel has been counting down the "Top 40 Metal Songs of All Time." The countdown ends tonight. Metal radio station KNAC got tipped off to the Top 10, and have already published it. Sorry to be a spoiler, but here it is:



10. MOTÖRHEAD - 'Ace Of Spades' (1980)
9. OZZY OSBOURNE - 'Crazy Train' (1980)
8. SLAYER - 'Raining Blood' (1986)
7. IRON MAIDEN - 'The Number Of The Beast' (1982)
6. KISS - 'Detroit Rock City' (1976)
5. JUDAS PRIEST - 'You've Got Another Thing Coming' (1982)
4. AC/DC - 'Back In Black' (1980)
3. METALLICA - 'Master Of Puppets' (1986)
2. GUNS N' ROSES - 'Welcome To The Jungle' (1987)
1. BLACK SABBATH - 'Iron Man' (1971)

No real issues with any of the bands chosen. I like all of those songs, but am surprised at which songs made the cut. Sabbath's "Paranoid" seems like a better choice, as does "Run to the Hills" from Iron Maiden. I was just glad to see KISS included since they frequently get overlooked in things like this.

Tag: Heavy Metal

In True Mats Form, Westerberg Blows Off Radio Interview

Just caught the Replacements interview on the Jim Rome Show a few minutes ago. I missed the first few minutes, but I did catch the premiere of the first new Replacements song since 1991's All Shook Down album. The song, "Message to the Boys," was decent. It sounded pretty much like the later Replacements songs, and Paul Westerberg's early solo material.

Both bassist Tommy Stinson and singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg were supposed to do the interview, but Westerberg blew it off. The interviewer, Jim Rome, said he was pretty pissed about that, but he went ahead and interviewed Stinson solo.

Not too much in terms of new information in the interview. The new, "best of" CD will be out June 13, but there are no plans for anything beyond that. Stinson is a member of Guns N Roses, and that band is about to embark on an international tour.

Tag: Replacements

Giant Drag Is Anything But...

Despite lead singer Annie Hardy being one of the strangest frontwomen in all of rock, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Giant Drag last night at Sokol Underground. First off, if Ms. Hardy weighs more than 80 lbs soaking wet, I would be shocked. Her guitar looked like it weighed as much as she did! Nevertheless, she was more than able to handle that guitar and sing her quirky, indie pop songs without incident. Yesterday, I described the band as a "more rockin' Blake Babies." That is a pretty good description, but a local music columnist compared them to Madder Rose -- that might be even better.

The band is a two-piece -- Hardy on guitar and vocals, and Micah Calabrese on drums and synth -- and sounded surprisingly full without a bass player. Hardy told a lot of jokes between songs. Her high-pitched, little girl voice, and drugged out delivery made her seem like a female Emo Phillips. Giant Drag's songs feature a darker sense of humor than typical Emo Phillips fare, as evidenced by song titles like "My Dick Sux" and "You Fuck Like My Dad."

I thought they were great, and I was totally impressed by the the drummers ability to play his drums and keyboards at the same time. That has to be difficult.

The band's new album, Hearts and Unicorns, is available now and worth checking out.

The first opener, The Joggers, were pretty interesting. I missed the beginning of the set, but I did catch them doing a Yes cover. Can't remember the name of the song, but I was never a big Yes fan to begin with. Still, it was different to hear an indie band doing a progressive rock cover song. They were totally able to pull it off, too. The band's original material was pretty disjointed and hard to follow. I liked it, but didn't love it.

I ditched out before headliner Pretty Girls Make Graves began. I was beat, and coming off being sick for a few days. Most of the crowd stayed, however. In that crowd were most of the guys from The Faint, Orenda Fink (of Azure Ray) and a couple of guys from Cursive.

Here is a track from Giant Drag so you'll know what they really sound like.

Giant Drag - "Kevin Is Gay" (mp3)

Tag: Giant Drag

Replacements' Paul and Tommy On 'Jim Rome Show' May 4

Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson will be interviewed on the Jim Rome radio program on Thursday 5/4 of this week and premiere their new single from the new retrospective cd, etc...

You can stream The Jim Rome Show from AM 570 (L.A)

http://www.am570radio.com/pages/streaming.html

The show starts @12:05 pm EST till 3:00 pm EST.

Apparently Rome is a huge Replacements fan.
Tag: Replacements

Tonight's Must See Show: Pretty Girls Make Graves and Giant Drag

Too bad it's a Tuesday because there is an excellent show tonight in Omaha that should be seen by everyone. Seattle's Pretty Girls Make Graves hit Sokol Underground tonight along with LA's Giant Drag and The Joggers. All three bands are worth seeing, and have great new CDs out. Seeing as how I am still a bit under the weather, I may just stay through Giant Drag. They remind me of a more rockin' Blake Babies. You can stream Giant Drag's two CDs here. Tickets are $10.

Tag: indie

Don't Miss The Henry Rollins Show

I gotta give it up to Henry Rollins for his excellent new show on Independent Film Channel (IFC). I first heard about it because of an appearance by Kimberly Kane (her appearance was pretty weak actually), and I have been watching it ever since. He gets very interesting people to interview, and has great musical guests. Last night's show featured an interview with Bill Maher, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was the musical guest.

Say what you want about Rollins as an artist, but his new TV show is worth viewing. If you get IFC, the new episodes air Saturday nights at 9 PM CST.

Tag: Rollins