One Meeting, One Chance

Right now, MasterCard is running a promotion called "Roots of Rock." Maybe you've seen the commercials that feature the music of Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton and Kenny Chesney. Anyway, the crux of the matter is that MasterCard is offering a chance to travel to the places where either Jon Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton or Kenny Chesney got their musical start. You'll also get to meet your selected rocker...which brings me to today's article: if you could meet anyone in the music industry - and yes, they must be alive - who would it be, and why?

Talk about a complicated question. First let me say that of the above choices for the MasterCard promotion, I would select Eric Clapton. I mean, he was in Cream. 

Back to my question.

Heather and I had a debate about this last night. It's hard to choose just one person, so you don't want to make a mistake with your meeting of a lifetime. A lot of musicians are very open to meeting fans, so I'd want someone completely obtuse. Someone so famous it makes my head spin just thinking about the possibility of a meeting. At first, I threw out names like Paul McCartney and Robert Plant. I mean, when you mention those names, you're talking about musicians in a league of their own. Problem is, they are not Glam. 

There's no rule in the book that says my meeting of a lifetime must be Glam  - I just think it makes more sense. After all, I know a lot of people might get excited to meet Yo Yo Ma or Miley Cryus or Garth Brooks. It's all relative and what you love I suppose.

So, the debate continues and Heather says she might want to meet Slash. No, I don't just choose Nikki Sixx by default. I'm pretty confident Nikki and I will have a face to face meeting someday soon. After all, we've already spoke over telephone so I'm almost there! Then, as if the clouds parted and skies turned blue, it dawns on Heather that the perfect person to meet is Axl Rose.

Of course the meeting must be with Axl Rose.

Can you imagine the material I could glean from just ten minutes in a room alone with Axl? I could drill him on all things Guns n' Roses - and demand to know when the real lineup will (if ever) play together again. I'd ask him if he feels any responsibility toward Steven Adler's addictions and demons. I'd also want to know if he really is best friends forever with Sebastian Bach. Oh, can you imagine? I get excited just thinking about it all. Of course, I probably have a better chance getting struck by lightning than meeting Axl. Talk about a recluse. Still, a girl can dream.

Breaking News: Kix added to Rock the Bayou

My new favorite band Kix have just been added to Rock the Bayou. The festival takes place next month in Houston, Texas.

Kix will play Monday, September 1  right before Twisted Sister and Bret Michaels. The band was confirmed less than 24 hours ago.

Remember, I'll be at this festival, so stop by and say hello if you're also in the crowd. Go to www.rockthebayou.com for more information.

Keep On, Keeping On

Today is Mick Jagger's birthday. It suddenly dawned on me that he was born in 1943 - and that means he's in his mid sixties! Moreover, he's still rocking with the Rolling Stones.

Truth be told, I'm not a giant Rolling Stones fan but I appreciate and respect their position - and importance - in the rock world. This article isn't about the Rolling Stones or even Jagger himself - it is about longevity.

How long will our favorite Glam bands tour?

I've had a lot of people (recently) say to me "I'll spend the money on these shows now because I don't know how much longer these bands will be around." Point taken. I love Motley Crue. You know this. I didn't see their debut at the Starwood in the early 80s. You also know this. Nikki Sixx is old enough to basically be my dad. Ok, you know this too - so, how long will our favorites keep on, keeping on?

I've written before that I hate fake farewell tours. KISS is a great example of the faux goodbye. In life, you're either in or you're out. That pretty much applies to every scenario you could encounter. So, how long will Motley Crue (or Poison, Aerosmith, Kix, L.A. Guns...) keep performing live.

Some bands face different situations. Tracii Guns' new version of LA Guns features members in a broad range of ages. Poison is all original members, as is Motley Crue. When you start a career in 1981 and the year is 2008, you're probably starting to look toward retirement.

Will my life end when my favorites retire? It's possible.

The issue isn't necessarily the end of live shows or the possibility of new music - it's the ending of an era - but would the music end? I don't think so. I would argue that Glam will remain relevant ten, twenty - even thirty years from now.

Think about that: you, listening to Glam in the year 2030. Will we have personal flying machines by then? I doubt it, but who knows. One thing I can guarantee: diehard music fans like you and me will  remain...and we'll still be debating the merits of Girls, Girls, Girls versus Look What the Cat Dragged In.

Whoa, what a ramble. You can tell I'm tired. I spent the day wandering the streets of Philadelphia  and I'm worn out.  Yes,  Eric, Heather and I saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and took a carriage ride to see the sights. I'll have pictures on Myspace soon.

Going to Philly...

I'm off to Philadelphia today. Yes, the city of brotherly love. The Liberty Bell. Cinderella...and tomorrow night - George Michael.

It's finally (well, almost) time for my George Michael concert. I feel like I've had the tickets for months (OK, I have).

Traveling to Philadelphia makes me think about Cinderella. It's truly devastating that Tom Keifer blew a vocal chord, thus canceling the summer tour with Warrant. I always thought Cinderella's unique sound was directly correlated to their home city. The eastern grit added an element to their Glam tunes, truly unmatched by any other band of the classic era.

I've always believed that cities have lives of their own - the streets are living entities. You can tell a lot about a person by their hometown - and no, it's not all stereotypical. Yes, New Yorkers tend to like life a little quicker and goodness knows the pace is slow in southern Ohio.

Musicians can - and often - reflect their hometowns in their songs. Twisted Sister have always proudly waved the flag of New York and we all know that Sunset Strip Glam bands are proud of both Los Angeles and California. There are other bands: just the other day, Jason McMaster proved he's still a proud Texan.

Back to Philadelphia. This long weekend will be my fist visit to the historic city. I love American history, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the sights. I plan to stand on line for the Liberty Bell tour and to see Independence Hall.

While I travel, watch this Cinderella video: "Heartbreak Station" live in Detroit, Michigan. Happy Friday Glam fans!

Tonight You Rock

Obviously, I'm all about the Glam. I mean, I spend a giant portion of my life listening to classic Glam bands and searching for new talent. Sometimes, talent comes knocking at your door - or website.

Glam fans, I want to point out something very important here: never ever discount the power of the Internet. Sure, there are some creeps out there - but through the Internet, I've met some really great and talented people. Thanks to this website, forums, Myspace and more, I've made some actual friends that I can lean on in life.

Back to talent (and friendship). If you come here often, you probably know the poster named Valentine (or, Joel Valenti). Well, Valentine can sing. Really sing. He's got some pipes. He also fronted the San Fransciso Glam band Tonight You Rock (T.Y.R. for short). I've referenced Tonight You Rock in the past - but now, you seriously need to pay attention. The reason? T.Y.R. are about to (re)release some classic cuts through Retrospect Records.

You'll be able to read the first full length album review here. Valentine has promised me a copy of the advanced disc. Better yet, he's already passed along a lot of the songs to me and I swear, they are fabulous.

Regular readers know I don't just hand out praise to any band. I write about bands I truly enjoy - and Tonight You Rock is one of those bands. You can preview one of the songs below. My husband helped me create the video for "Are You Lonely" by taking classic Tonight You Rock pictures and setting them to music. Wasn't our Valentine hot? (hint: he's the blond guy!)

By the way, a band is not defined by a lead singer alone. The classic lineup of TYR: Gregg Michaels (guitar), Kevin St. James (drums) and Dave Hayes (bass).

Read a little more about the band on their official Myspace. *Note: it doesn't seem that Valentine has posted the remastered cuts yet on the Myspace page. That will happen soon I'm sure.

Jason McMaster: The Bring Back Glam! Interview

Jason McMaster stays busy with both Dangerous Toys and Broken Teeth. In fact, both bands will play next month's  Rock the Bayou festival. Jason recently spoke with Bring Back Glam! about Rock the Bayou, why he thinks Glam has "nothing to do with real rock n' roll" and the benefits of not being based in Los Angeles. Transcription follows.

Bring Back Glam: You are playing Rock the Bayou twice - with Dangerous Toys and Broken Teeth. Can you share sets for each band at the festival?  

Jason McMaster: Pretty much the whole first [Dangerous Toys] album, and most of Hellacious Acres.

BBG!: How long ago were you asked to play Rock the Bayou?

JM: A month ago.

BBG!:  How do you feel about all the AC/DC comparisons to Broken Teeth? Do you embrace them at this point?

JM: The ‘Teeth started out to sound like AC/DC’s lost demos or something.. was the whole idea. It was to be a one time studio project CD put on by Perris Records. It [Broken Teeth] snowballed and here we are, a touring band with going on five CDs. The bands that condone three chord simple and institutionalized rock n’ roll bands that have made a career out of one note bass lines and screaming demon frontmen and punk and metal influenced over blues riffs, is definitely what the ‘Teeth are doing. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel, just trying to get more people to respect the original wheel made by bands like AC/DC, Motorhead, Rose Tattoo and the like.

BBG!: Mike Watson has diabetes. You recently had to cancel some shows because of his health. How is Mike doing now?

JM: Mike is great. He has had the diabetes problem his whole life - this is not a new thing. He toured with the [Dangerous] ‘Toys forever and a day without a problem with it as long as he had his meds. Lots of rockers out on the road with diabetes. Dangerous Toys only canceled one date because of the flare up Mike had. It has been reset for November 8 in Austin, Texas at the Red Eyed Fly.

BBG!:  Do you have an update on the new Dangerous Toys album? Will it still be called XX as rumored?

JM: A live DVD is to be released when I can find the money and the time to get it out. It is supposed to have a CD in it as well.  The CD will just be audio from the same show. CD for the car -  DVD for the house. Rock n’ roll down the road, or while you fly the sofa. I have no new info and no release date for that. I am doing it all myself, so don’t hold your breath.

BBG!:  Do you think starting in Texas instead of Los Angeles hindered Dangerous Toys?

JM: We pulled off more cool shit than a lot of L.A. bands, and we have never had to move to L.A. or N.Y. We did it all from Texas! The L.A. bands that are from L.A. did great, and then there are a lot of people that lived in the “boonies:” midwest or wherever, that felt like they had to move to L.A. to get a record deal back then. It paid off for some, and a lot of bands broke up and moved back home when it didn’t work out. Either way, we were seated right here at home.

BBG!: I lump Dangerous Toys into the Glam category only because of the time your albums were released. Do you consider Dangerous Toys - and Broken Teeth - Glam bands?

JM: Hell no! More like dirty rock n’ roll can save your soul. Cock rock I prefer over the term hair metal. The ripped shirt and big hair eyeliner rock, whatever you want to call it, Glam, was more worried of the way it looked instead of sounded. Bands were getting deals off of their clothes at one point. Girls were buying records because the boys looked like girls. The shock of that point made them take money out of their purse and lay it on the counter. I never - at any point - have thought that my music couldn’t survive without some cool clothes and a certain look. It is rock n’ roll, plain simple and loud! all my influences show. In my opinion, Glam has nothing to do with what I call real rock n’ roll.

BBG!: Who are some of your main influences?

JM: Queen, Kiss, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Rush, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Metallica, Raven, Diamondhead, Venom, Slayer, Iron Maiden.  It is never ending.

BBG!: What is your current take on the music industry? Also, your opinion of all the 80s revival festivals that are popping-up all over the USA?

JM: The music industry is a do it yourself industry. It is, as well, a digital industry. The days of a record deal are over for real rock n’ roll. You are better off pushing your stuff online, at iTunes, on Myspace, etc. You make a lot more money doing it that way. Gas prices are keeping bands from touring, so these festivals are a great opportunity for bands to just do a few of those every summer, and play regionally near where they live until those summer festivals happen again. With a [record] deal, if you’re young and lucky (because it seems real rock doesn’t get a major record deal unless your like 20 years old), you can use tour support to pay for your fuel to tour. It hasn’t kept bands from touring, but they have to double and triple up on one bus and that’s a bit cramped. A lot of things have changed, and it’s ‘gonna get worse before it gets better.

Photo credit: www.jasonmcmaster.net

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/dangeroustoys3000

The Ones that Got Away

The other day, Bring Back Glam! reader George posted a couple topic ideas for this site. I think both ideas he posted are phenomenal, but I especially enjoy the topic of the ones that got away. No, we're not talking about dates here - we're talking about concerts.

I think just about everyone has a concert or two they've skipped for whatever reason. Sometimes the concert comes and goes and that's about the end of it - and then other times, missing a certain show creates a lingering sense of longing that will never be satisfied.

A couple years ago, Motley Crue and Aerosmith teamed up for the Route of All Evil tour. You would think - considering Aerosmith and Motley Crue are my favorite bands - that I was in the front row for at least two of these shows. Nope,  I never saw a single stop on this tour. When the Route of All Evil tour swept through Ohio, Heather was sick and my work schedule was switched upside down as a result. Please remember that in 2006, Heather and I were both working at the same television station. In fact, this is how we met. Anyway, Heather was an overnight producer and I was dayside. Anyone that has worked in a television station knows that the graveyard shift is the hardest to fill. When Heather was out for her operation, I got the overnight shift for six weeks. This meant no shows during that time...and yes, that included the Route of All Evil tour. I was happy to help Heather cover her shift - in fact, she would call in the middle of the night and we would chat quite a lot. I've always regretted not seeing the double headline bill of Aerosmith and Motley Crue. No, my life didn't end because I missed this tour - but I do think it had a profound impact on me as a music fan. If you've read this website for any number of days, you know I am fanatical about concerts. I try not to miss a single show. I wasn't as rigid about this in the past - but after missing Route of All Evil, it sort of dawned on me that life is finite and we better do as much as we can to live it up!

So...what are your shows that got away and why?

While you write, here's Aerosmith performing "Back in the Saddle" on the Route of All Evil tour.