Remembering Ronnie James Dio

What can you say about Ronnie James Dio?

After the news broke of his death yesterday, I honestly felt a little numb. I clicked around on many websites, reading comment after comment by upset fans. Most were all two sentences of less, thanking Dio for the lifetime of music. Beyond that, everyone seemed shocked.

I was (am) shocked myself. I knew full well Dio was fighting stomach cancer. I kept up on the news and knew that he was through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. For whatever reason, I believed the PR hype that Dio was getting better, continuing to fight and would one day return to the road. I guess I believed the spin because I wanted it to be true. I never got to see Dio live. I kept thinking "Next time."

Now there is no next time.

It's true: cancer is a bitch. That's a crass statement, but it's to the point. The disease strikes the rich and poor alike and yes, not everyone dies from the disease. When celebrities die of cancer, a spotlight is once again shined on the disease -- maybe some researcher, somewhere will somehow find a cure. Until then we wait.

Dio's music will live on forever and generations from now will be able to hear his powerful voice. In fact, I'd argue Dio had the single best voice in metal. However it happened, Dio was able to keep his voice in top form until the end, hitting soaring notes with ease and generally singing every other vocalist under the table. Of course, he was too polite to say anything bad about those lesser vocalists. 

I first became a Dio fan after watching the documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. I was absolutely enthralled with the Dio part and his fancy house, his explanation of "creating" the devil horns and his cat.

If you're paying attention, you know by now I came to Dio late. After all, Dio wasn't Glam - he was all metal, all the time. This isn't to say I didn't know of him and didn't watch his various videos back in the day. I certainly enjoyed his music and never flipped from MTV when "Rainbow in the Dark" came up in the rotation. Still, I needed that special connection I felt after the documentary to really get into Dio's music.

So, here we are. I feel sad and empty and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it. It's just another reminder that our favorite musicians are getting older and we need to remember to catch them live whenever we have the chance.

Some of my favorite Dio songs:

Ronnie James Dio Dies

From Ronnie James Dio's official Facebook page. The post below was submitted by Ronnie's wife, Wendy Dio:

"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

I'll have more on this news tomorrow. I need to process this one for awhile first. So sad. For those not following the story, Dio was battling stomach cancer and was seemingly doing better.

Get ShipRocked For Free At Rocklahoma!

Are you joining me on Shiprocked this November? If you're planning on attending Rocklahoma, this is a good deal: you can enter to win a free cruise! I love free stuff. I never win anything...but still...I love free stuff.

From my friends at ShipRocked:

Festival season is upon us, and your ShipRocked crew will be making the rounds...plus we're bringing along some kick ass prizes! First up on the agenda is our annual visit to Pryor, Oklahoma, for the latest installment of Rocklahoma! Throughout Memorial Day Weekend (May 28-30), we'll be on site registering fans for the chance to GET SHIPROCKED FOR FREE!

Just drop by our booth and sign up to win a trip for two on-board the cruise this November! One winner and a guest will receive round-trip coach airfare to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a hotel room at the luxurious Harbor Beach Marriot Resort & Spa the night before we sail, and a free Oceanview stateroom onboard ShipRocked, the ultimate rock and roll vacation and backstage pass! We'll draw and announce the winner from the stage on Sunday night, right before our very own Tesla rocks the house!

Established in 2007 as a classic-rock destination festival, Rocklahoma organizers focused on revamping the 2010 event to encompass a much broader mix of classic, current and up-and-coming rock artists. "The new vision for Rocklahoma is to draw a much wider rock audience by exploring more sides of the genre," commented Joe Litvag, Senior Vice-President of AEG Live and executive consultant to the Rocklahoma organizers.

The Rocklahoma 2010 Lineup Includes:
Friday: Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Janus, Adelitas Way and The Veer Union
Saturday: ZZ Top, CINDERELLA, Saliva, Fuel, Shamen's Harvest, Brookroyal, Burn Halo and Like a Storm
Sunday: TESLA, Chevelle, Theory of a Deadman, Sevendust, Aranda, Lacuna Coil and Taddy Porter

Three-day passes start at only $95 and are on-sale exclusively at Rocklahoma.com. Camping add-ons, VIP packages, and seat upgrades are available. For a full list of amenities, including VIP camping spots, reserved concert seating, and unlimited, all-inclusive food and drink, please visit Rocklahoma.com.

Book a cabin on Shiprocked now by visiting the official festival website.

Glam T-shirt Giveaway from Mr. Cloud!

I love a good retro tee (I mean, who doesn't?) so when the owner of Mr. Cloud, an awesome shirt company, approached me about a giveaway, how could I resist?

Mr. Cloud has retro styles along with music designs. Some of the bands/artists available include Freddie Mercury, Slash, The Who, The Beatles, Motorhead and tons more. Naturally, I've selected the Guns n' Roses Appetite for Destruction shirt for this giveaway. Wanna win? All you need to do is send an email to allyson@bringbackglam.com with "GNR shirt" in the subject line. Any email without that subject will be discarded. Please include your legal name and shipping address in the email as well. Anyone from anywhere is welcome to enter. Please enter by Wednesday, May 19 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen at random. If you're selected, you will be able to designate your size. Your emails will not be sold or given to a third party. Good luck, my dear readers! I wish I could enter. I don't own a GnR shirt!

Follow Bring Back Glam! on Twitter @bringbackglam

Blackwater James, 'Blackwater James' -- The Bring Back Glam! Album Review

Want some new music in your life? Try Nashville's own Blackwater James. The band released its self-titled debut April 10, 2009. As you would expect, the band has true southern-rock roots. In short, Blackwater James rocks.

The band self-produced the disc, making the entire project D.I.Y. But what about the songs? The tracklist:

All Fired Up
Midnight Train
Scandalize
Roses & Rain
Taste
Stand Up
Stone Cold
Sick Generation
Wake Me
Rock Steady
8 Letters Gone

I really like "Midnight Train." The guitar solo work is cool and the vocals by Christopher James really gel with the tune. James' voice is somewhere between Josh Todd of Buckcherry and Chad Cherry of The Last Vegas. Make no mistake, Blackwater James is a modern act, but there are throwback elements to the tunes. There's a breakdown in the middle of "Midnight Train" that reminds me of 1976ish Aerosmith. 

"Wake Me" is a ballad that sort of sounds like a completely different band. I mean this is a positive way - it's rare for bands today to create a diversified sound. "Wake Me" is very commercial - think Daughtry and you've got it.

Moving through the disc, "Roses & Rain" utilizes some country guitar elements before launching into a traditional rock assault. Guitarist Deanna Passarella has a lot of talent. I love that Blackwater James has a woman in such an important role!

Blackwater James is one of the strongest debut albums I've come across in a long time. You can buy the disc through Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes. Buy it - this album fits well within any Glam catalog.

New Buckcherry Album Release Date: 'All Night Long' Out August 3rd

Here's some news on the new Buckcherry record All Night Long, courtesy of 10th Street Entertainment.

(New York, NY) – Hard rockers Buckcherry’s brand new album ALL NIGHT LONG is now set for an August 3rd release in North America via original independent label, Eleven Seven Music. The band is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on the record with producers Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Fuel) and guitarist/songwriter Keith Nelson. The first single from the new album, also entitled “All Night Long,” will make its video premiere on Yahoo! on May 17th, the same day the top down summer anthem will be delivered to radio at the active rock, mainstream rock and alternative formats.

As a thank you to their fans, Buckcherry recently offered the new single “All Night Long” as a free download on their website www.buckcherry.com and via Twitter and Facebook. The response was so overwhelming that Twitter had to temporarily shut down the free download because the requests overloaded the system. Tens of thousands of hits were felt on the new single in the first two days it was made available. Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd commented, “Our fans are rad and we send them props for helping to overload Twitter! We are really proud of the new songs and can’t wait for everyone to hear the album.” Radio has also embraced “All Night Long” from the free download, with early airplay in major markets such as Chicago, Detroit, Seattle and Phoenix.

In other Buckcherry news, frontman Josh Todd guest-starred on the FOX’s hit show “Bones” last month. Buckcherry will soon hit the road in North America to play select dates. Please see below for the itinerary.

In their more than decade-long career, multi-platinum artists Buckcherry have established themselves as a definitive hard rock band with a massive presence at radio. Hits such as “Lit Up,” “Crazy Bitch,” and “Sorry” have propelled the band’s sales to more than 3 million albums worldwide and have garnered Buckcherry two Grammy Nominations. Their most recent album, 2008’s BLACK BUTTERFLY, earned the band their first-ever Top Ten Billboard album debut, with the album coming in at #8. BLACK BUTTERFLY was deemed the “Album Of The Year” by Entertainment Weekly and “Best Rock Album” by iTunes.


Buckcherry on tour:

MAY
28 Pryor,OK Rocklahoma/Pryor Creek Music
29 St. Albert, AB Rainmaker Rodeo

JUNE
16 Valentine, NE Rosebud Casino
18 Cedar Falls, IA Ticketcrusher Ampitheater
19 Burlington, IA Burlington Steamboat Days
23 Brookings, SD Swiftel Center
26 Green River, WY Stratton Myer’s Park

JULY
3 Greeley, CO Greeley Independence Stampede
15 Walker, MN Moondance Jam
17 Red Lodge, MT Beartooth Rally
29 Minot, ND North Dakota State Fair

AUGUST
7 Winnipeg, MB Rock On The Range Canada
9 Sturgis, SD Buffalo Chip Campground
14 Madison, WI Willow Island
28 Grand Junction, CO Rock Jam

For updated tour dates as they’re announced and more information please visit:
www.buckcherry.com

Dirty Penny to Tour Europe in September 2010

If you're in the UK (or just want to travel there) - consider checking out Dirty Penny. The glamsters are heading over there in the fall but they need your help. If you have some connections, use the email addresses below. Here's the update:

Message from Dirty Penny

Attn: European Dirty Penny Fans - The time has come. The wait is over. We are coming. Dirty Penny will touch down in the UK on September 1 to start their first ever European tour. For over a year now we have been throwing around ideas on how to across the Atlantic and come play for you guys. Well the wait is over. We got sick of talking about it so instead were going to make this happen on our own.

For all European booking inquires please contact jahan@fourteen39.net. For UK booking inquires please contact raz.white@rocketmail.com or jahan@fourteen39.net. We consider this trip open ended, we are going to try and play as many countries as we can so if you know of any bars/clubs/live venues that would allow us to play please contact us immediately. We're doing this completely D.I.Y. so any help is greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

Spanky Savage, Tyno Vincent, Binge Daniels, Jonny Prynce