There are bands that have been around for years, kept the same original lineup, and continued to make great music without any internal changes or turmoil. But this doesn’t seem to be the norm in the rock music world. Instead, bands are more than likely to change band members, change their image or even change their names as they grow and develop as an artistic unit. Chicago based Vintage Blue is just such a band.
South Carolina native Adam Cross makes waves with his debut album Sirens. The singer, guitarist and songwriter brings a high-level of intensity to his music, all while maintaining a strong pop sensibility that digs the hooks in deep right from the opening track. With a penchant for knowing just the right effect for each track, as well as when to use the electric guitar, acoustic guitar or a mixture of both, Cross keeps listener’s guessing as to what’s coming next, while engaging their musical curiosity at the same time. Sirensis a strong debut for Cross, one that is sure to set the stage for a bright career to come.
Throughout the history of music, artists across the board have drawn upon personal experience to inspire their songwriting. Whether it be tales of love won and lost, dealing with personal demons or experiences growing up in an interesting family, songwriters will often dig into their personal past when looking for new inspiration. Singer and songwriter Jeremy Schonfeld is an artist with a personal story to tell and he does so with powerful emotional drive and first-rate musicianship on his latest work Iron and Coal.
It’s a bold and yet entirely appropriate move to offer listeners a taste of what they can expect to spend their money on, given the instant-gratification considerations of modern-day digital distribution. And so it’s a calculated risk very likely to pay off for Reznor not only in regards to sales but the critical acclaim he has become long-accustomed to as he enters a new age of artistic relevance.
As a lifelong Rush fan and a nascent (“wanna-be”) drummer, it was with no small level of excitement that I popped in the new Neil Peart instructional DVD, Taking Center Stage. With a track listing comprised of Rush’s 2010/2011 “Time Machine” tour set list, which featured the entire Moving Pictures album, this release is a fulfillment of many Rush fans’ long-held wishes, as it offers a chance to see what Peart is actually doing on many classic Rush songs.
Alice Cooper is back with his wicked rock unleashed again on his new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Cooper vamps with producer, Bob Ezrin, who produced the original 1975 Welcome To My Nightmarealbum, and the coupling of spirits works its magic once more on the new Nightmare II. Alice also called on a fellow Michigan guitar legend, Dick Wagner, who collaborated on the original album, to work his six-string magic. And let’s not forget the monster axe master Steve “The Deacon” Hunter who, along with Wagner, still cranks out some of the best surly rock you’ll ever hear.
The ‘70s saw Tommy Keene do a stint as drummer in Blue Steel, a band that also featured Nils Lofgren’s brother Michael. He changed to guitar for a convincing jaunt with The Razz. He’s been churning out quality solo albums since the early ‘80s, adding to an impressive discography of timeless rock and roll, heavy laden with guitar oriented chordal arrangements and tasteful melodies.
Few artists bring back fine memories of days gone by coupled with new songs that keep shows edgy and lively. Enter Stevie Nicks, the legendary songwriter and vocalist with Fleetwood Mac and a major solo artist in her own right who put on a fine Saturday night show for her fans at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia on September 3, 2011.
Meatloaf had to be “well done” while performing at Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning at Solberg Airport in NJ on one of the hottest summer days this past Sunday. Dress in black from head-to-toe, the 63 year old singer hit the stage at 4:00 pm with his 7 piece band, including guitarists Paul Crook and Randy Flowers. When most people were looking for shade or dousing themselves with water, Meat was cooking on the sun-drenched stage and rockin’ out.
Milwaukee’s Summerfest is huge. So big it has 11 stages. So gigantic it runs for 11 days. So gargantuan that it is (and Guinness World Records confirms) the world’s largest music festival. Not America’s largest, the entire world. To cover such an event is a challenge, especially considering GI photographer Faraz Chaudry and I could only make two of the eleven festival days, but in those two days we caught a hell of a lot of kick-ass music. While some acts, like the Wildbirds and Me Talk Pretty, disappointed, plenty of others picked up their slack and gave great performances.
