None of us can predict the future but it is fun to guess what tomorrow holds. It's especially fun to think up what will happen in the world of music in 2011. Here are my top five predictions for music next year:
1. Concert ticket prices will fall slightly but the cost of merchandise will soar higher.
2. M3 rock festival will expand to two days.
3. A random Glam band will reunite and rock us all. Autograph anyone?
4. The new SIXX:AM album will be amazing but the music press and other hipsters will completely
ignore the record.
5. Whitesnake will play Rocklahoma, but the rest of the fest will be programmed modern.
Bonus: Steven Tyler will be awesome on Ameican Idol and we'll all be shocked.
First there was the Honda commercial featuring music from Judas Priest. Now, Bret Michaels of our beloved Poison is shilling the new 2011 Ford Explorer. There are no words.
Whatever you believe, I hope you're having a great day wherever you are in the world. I find few holiday songs palatable but Enuff Z'nuff created an amazing tune with "Happy Holiday" from the album Peach Fuzz. Enjoy.
Axl Rose sent a “thank you” Tweet to fans yesterday. I don't know why, but the content strikes me as odd. There's nothing particularly riveting in the Tweet. I guess it just doesn't sound like “Axl” to me. Then again, he recently granted (a softball) interview to a reporter overseas. While that interview didn't result in any real news, maybe it signals a more approachable Axl Rose, which is nice. Here's the Tweet:
“I'd like to thank all our fans for coming out to the shows over the last year all over the world!! Was great to see you n' to be able to perform for you!!
I'd like to thank our fans on the web, the fan sites, n' all our fans on Twitter, Facebook n' Myspace.
I'd like to thank the band, their families, The Sebastian Bach Band, Danko Jones, Murder Dolls, Korn, Imperial State Electric, Julianna Down, Gum X, Mucc, their crews, the TPB's, Duff, our crew, production, staging, lights, sound, pyro, video, management, our business n' legal team, my family n' friends, the promoter's, agents, catering, security, the shot girlz, drivers, our travel agents n' the staffs at our hotels, trucking, airlines, flight crews, airport security, bus n' transportation companies, everyone who chose to say or write a nice word about us, the venues n' their staffs n' security, the countries, cities n' Customs all over the world, club owners, their staffs, club promoters, sponsors n' all of our friends around the globe who helped make things happen!!
I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas n' Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah n' a great Holiday Season to everyone!!
And from everyone with Guns N' Roses: All the best to you n' your's!!
The British band is everything that is right with Glam: big hooks, big songs, big hair!
I don't know why we don't talk about them much here. I suppose they had a bit of a troubled beginning trying to get off the ground, but they did eventually sign to RCA...and then a slew of other labels. The band has released quite a few records, gone on hiatus, come back again and apparently we will see a new Shy record in 2011.
I wonder why we never see Shy on any of the 80s festival rosters? The 1987 album Excess All Areas is fantastic and I think Shy would go over well at a big rock show.
Here's the band's biggest hit, “Break Down the Walls.” The guitar riffs remind me of Pyromania -era Def Leppard.
Avenged Sevenfold, 'Nightmare' via Warner Bros. For the first time, the annual Bring Back Glam! “best of” list was compiled as a team effort instead of just based on my opinion. Since 2010 saw the addition of two writers to this site - Christian Graus and Brian Carvell - it's only fitting they get to weigh in with their favorites of the year.
Please note, this list is not all Glam. It's just rock, heavily weighted toward metal bands in general. There was simply too much good Metal in 2010 to restrict this list to only Glam.
So here's the list:
10. 'The Heart' by Jimmy Gnecco – selected by Brian Carvell 09. 'The Final Frontier' by Iron Maiden – selected by Christian Graus 08. 'Blood of the Nations' by Accept – selected by Christian Graus
What does Christian say about Blood of the Nations? This:
“This whole album is classic metal... where real song writing happens instead of just layer after layer of super heavy riffs and growly vocals, as is so common nowadays. Accept have shown they have a lot of good music still in them. If you love traditional heavy metal, then you need this CD, and you should also check out their live show, which is killer."
07. 'Slash' by Slash (and friends) – selected by Christian Graus and Allyson Crawford 06. 'My Darkest Days' by My Darkest Days – selected by Allyson Crawford 05. 'Sting in the Tail' by Scorpions – selected by Allyson Crawford 04. 'Fever' by Bullet For My Valentine – selected by Allyson Crawford 03. 'Infestation' by RATT – selected by Brian Carvell and Allyson Crawford 02. 'Cold Day Memory' by Sevendust – selected by Brian Carvell and Allyson Crawford
What does Brian say about Cold Day Memory? This:
"The collective mind of Sevendust has the ability think in time signatures and syncopation that is far and away ahead of their peers, and this album is pinnacle-to-date of their ability to deliver amazing songs. Cold Day Memory is, by far, the strongest effort to date from a tragically under-appreciated band that consistently excels, both in the studio and as a live act."
01. 'Nightmare' by Avenged Sevenfold – selected by Christian Graus and Allyson Crawford
So how did I determine Avenged Sevenfold deserved the top spot? Easy. There are three albums on this list I personally returned to over and over: My Darkest Days, Cold Day Memory and Nightmare. It was nearly a toss-up for me when it came to Sevendust and Avenged Sevenfold: both bands put on great live shows and Sevendust's live show was my single favorite memory from this year's Shiprocked cruise. That said, the loss of A7X drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan was just too big to ignore. Avenged Sevenfold is simply an amazing metal band. For those that disagree or say they are “kiddie metal” - you're not paying attention. Their songs are technically amazing and the talent undeniable. The guitar solos are something straight out of the 1980s – true talent. While so many modern bands eschew guitar solos, Avenged Sevenfold embraces them. On Nightmare, the listener travels on a roller-coaster of emotions on the dark side of life. While the future of Avenged Sevenfold is in question – the band doesn't have a permanent drummer at this point – one thing is for certain: the band has arrived. Give them some due.
What are your favorite albums of 2010?
In case you are wondering, my favorite song of the year is "Porn Star Dancing" from My Darkest Days. It's just too fun to ignore!
Want more "best of" lists? Check out the fine blogs below. All will be revealing their picks for the best of 2010 within the next few days!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 12:01AM 