It's August: Let's Have a Party!

I cannot believe it's August - the last full month of summer. I feel like my favorite season is just flying by and before you know it, the weather  will be snowy and cold. August is a huge month for me this year, as I have lots of activities planned including many concerts. Later this month I'll see Poison/Dokken/Sebastian Bach, Crue Fest, Def Leppard with Billy Idol and head to Rock the Bayou in Houston, Texas. I also celebrate a birthday and my husband turns 30 (yikes!) All these fun events make me feel like having a party. What's a party without good music? Here are my choices for the best Glam party songs of all time (in no particular order):

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - Kix
Nothin' But a Good Time - Poison
Sticky Sweet - Motley Crue
Dance - RATT
Party All Night- Quiet Riot
I Wanna Rock- Twisted Sister
Living After Midnight - Judas Priest
Unchained - Van Halen
All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hopple
Barracuda - Heart

This one is hard because Glam artists are known for fun music. I suppose it would be just as easy to list entire party albums. I say Open Up and Say...Ahh! takes the cake for the number one party album of all time, followed by Back in Black.

***What are your favorite rockin' party tunes?

While I was writing this, I came across the video for "Party All Night" by Quiet Riot. I haven't seen this clip in years.

Rock the Bayou Ticket Prices Increase Tomorrow!

Today is the last day you can get tickets for Rock the Bayou at the early bird rate.

That's $99 for general admission. Tomorrow, the price for GA jumps to $125. VIP tickets are $250 each.

I'll be at Rock the Bayou down in Houston, Texas. The line-up looks pretty great with bands like Kix, Sammy Hagar and Alice Cooper! There are side stages as well, meaning more than 100 acts are set to perform over the course of the festival.

You can buy your tickets at www.rockthebayou.com

If you decide to go to the festival, please send me an email so we can meet.

You Should Know empYrios By Now...

My favorite progressive Metal band has a new album due in September. empYrios will release The Glorious Sickness through Scarlet records.

If you've been coming around here for awhile, you might remember me mentioning empYrios in passing from time to time. I discovered the band through writing for Metal Express Radio. In fact, I think my empYrios review was just about the second thing I wrote for the Internet radio station. Anyway, I decided it was high time more Glam fans knew the joys of empYrios.

empYrios are:

Simone Mularoni - guitars
Silvio Mancini - vocals
Simone Bertozzi - bass
Dario Ciccioni - drums

The band's debut is … And The Rest Is Silence. I firmly believe empYrios sound like a new Iron Maiden. Seriously! … And The Rest Is Silence is an amazingly strong album. I remember listening to it on the way to the airport before flying to Rocklahoma 2007 - so that means I've been coming back to this disc for a full year now! It is very rare that a new band strikes me that well: if I keep listening for a year, then I've basically signed on as a fan for life.

Yes, Silvio Mancini has an accent. After all, these are Italians. Still, the music is heavy and beautiful. 

The longest track on the album is “Eal.” This is also the album's high point - and my favorite song by the band. “Eal" is a ballad in the true sense of the word -- the lyrics are at once brooding and catchy. Like watching a Greek tragedy in under seven minutes, “Eal” utilizes the basic concepts behind great story telling to illustrate the suffering of one man’s life. As the music begins with a hopeful soar, the choral backing creates an extra layer of sound that makes the track richer. As the “story” progresses, Mancini’s vocal intonation changes as does the speed of the music. By the fifth minute of the “Eal,” the acoustic portions are replaced again with whining electric guitars, serving as a cathartic point in the “story.” What begins as a whisper of an orchestral event ends with big band influences and true Metal harmonies. In short, “Eal” is a modern masterpiece.

When I was clicking around Myspace and learned that The Glorious Sickness was due so soon, I got really excited. I just think empYrios are one of those rare bands that will only get better with time.

Listen to songs at Myspace. You can also purchase … And The Rest Is Silence via iTunes.

Peep Show Sure are Glam

I first heard the Scotland-based band Peep Show on Glamnation Vol. 3 (and yes, I owe Metal Express Radio a review of that disc. I'm getting there!) and I was instantly impressed.

Peep Show sound like a mix of early Motley Crue and later W.A.S.P. The sound is melodic with an edge and it's all good.

So, just who the hell is in Peep Show? Johnny Gunn (vocals), Rusty Gill (guitar). Kenni Black (bass) and Charlie DeVille (drums). I haven't spoken with the band, but I'm sure these are Glam stage names. I also have to wonder if Charlie is a big fan of Poison? I digress.

The band has a self-released album called Out for Blood. I don't have a copy or I would have reviewed it by now. From what I can tell on the official Peep Show Myspace page, the songs are quite promising. Of the few selections, I really enjoy "Turn It Up" and "I Want You."

My friend Joe says he's heard rumblings that Johnny Gunn could be in chats with Crashdiet. You might recall Olliver Twisted just parted ways with the Swedish band. I must admit Johnny Gunn sounds a lot like Dave Lepard, the late original singer of Crashdiet. Perhaps I should dig around and investigate that a bit more, eh? (Martin Sweet and Peter London of Crashdiet apparently helped with Out for Blood).

Peep Show is just another example of how the current state of the music industry is in the toilet. The quartet is pretty talented, have good songs and are attractive - which does help sell albums. Yet, Peep Show remain unsigned. I'm not sure how much longer a lot of these new Glam bands can last without some form of sustainable income. At the end of the day, baby gotta eat.

Click here for more information.

Here's Peep Show live

Photo credit: Monkeytwizzle Photography

Make Rock History

The members of Motley Crue are making a big announcement at the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles tomorrow. The announcement is to launch a contest for musicians to live out their fantasies of fame and fortune.

The announcement is at noon - and if you're in the area, I think you can go right to the Guitar Center and see the band.

AC/DC Get Ready for the Road!

AC/DC are going to tour - so count me in for sure! According to Blabbermouth, the big tour starts in October.  The tour will coincide with the release of the new album Black Ice. 

I'm not sure it's possible to top Back in Black, but I hope Black Ice is just as good. Back in Black was released in 1980 and has since sold something like 22 million copies. That makes Back in Black one of the best selling albums of all time.   It's even still a top seller on Amazon.com when it comes to classic rock.

I can't really listen to "You Shook Me All Night Long" anymore because radio ruined it for me, but every other track on Back in Black is still golden. My favorite song on Back in Black is "Rock and Roll  Ain't Noise Pollution."

I wonder how long AC/DC will play during the Black Ice tour? Even more pressing - who will get the honor of being the opening act? I imagine that opening for AC/DC could be a career defining moment for an up and coming band. Hell, it could be big for an established band.

Since this is a full fledged world tour, I'm hoping AC/DC play at least two shows in Ohio. I like traveling to other states to see shows, but the money well is just about dry. Of course, AC/DC won't be hitting the U.S.A. for quite a few months, so there is time to save.

Here's AC/DC performing "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" live in 1996.

Experience(s) of a Lifetime

How do you define an experience of a lifetime?

I suppose there are different categories: weddings, births, landing a career- defining role. There are special events like proms and concerts. Sometimes "experience of a lifetime" is just a phrase. If you checked-in to Bring Back Glam! over the weekend, then you probably know that I was in Philadelphia to see George Michael. That concert was 13 years in the making for me - and yes, it was an experience of a lifetime.

You notice I didn't use the quantifier "the." After all, there is no way any of us can possibly know the single event that will define an entire lifetime. That's decided by someone else, much older, much wiser, much more important.

Thirteen years is a long time to wait for anything, let alone a concert.

My love for George Michael is pretty bizarre considering I spend 99% of my time listening to Glam or Metal. That other 1% is reserved for George. I don't like much pop music and I can't stand rap but I've listened to George for years and years. I can remember listening to his music while writing papers when I was an undergraduate. I did the same when I was a graduate student. I've listened to George through my headphones at each of my frustrating, "real-world" jobs.

Finally seeing George Michael in concert Saturday night was an experience of a lifetime - a truly magical experience. Perhaps one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I was actually *nervous * for George before the concert. Yes, I'm one of the few that still get a stomach flutter when the lights gown down and the band starts to play, signaling the start of the show. All those years of expectations are a lot for anyone to live up to - how could George be as good as I imagined? I don't have an answer, but he was - and that's the point. Sometimes, things we wait the better part of a lifetime for disappoint us - then, in rare instances, our expectations are met - and surpassed.

I love concerts where my expectations are exceeded. Quite frankly, it doesn't happen very often. Van Halen met (but did not exceed) my expectations on the recent reunion tour. Kix more than exceeded my expectations at Rocklahoma. I love that rare moment when the artist and crowd become one.

Now that I've achieved my goal of seeing George Michael in concert, I need to look ahead to other life experiences. Top of the list is (naturally) Sweden Rock Festival as well as catching AC/DC live. I imagine watching AC/DC live is sort of like talking directly into the ear of God - if she exists.

**Tell me: what is the longest you've waited to see an artist/band in concert?