New Tattoo

I've been on the fence about Crashdiet for awhile now. I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into a band that had no lead singer. You see, frontman Dave Lepard died a year ago. This past weekend, the remaining members of Crashdiet announced his replacement: H Olliver Twisted.

If you're unfamiliar, Crashdiet is a Swedish glam rock sensation (I need to move to Sweden)!

Their album, Rest in Sleaze has garnered great reviews and helped the band gain a pretty good fan base. H. Olliver Twisted will split his time between Crashdiet and his other band, Reckless Love.  If you'd like to hear some audio samples, head over to www.crashdiet.org.

Crashdiet is making waves in the glam movement.  They are the only sleaze rock band in over a decade to land a major label deal, signing with Universal.  I say, rock on!

 

Say You, Say Me

What is it about cover albums?

Last year, Def Leppard released Yeah! a widely popular cover album, featuring 1970s glam hits. The most popular single off the 2006 release is "20^th Century Boy," originally recorded by T. Rex.  Most critics praised the release just like die-hard DL fans.

This reaction to a cover album is pretty rare. On their “official” MySpace page, Poison recently announced plans to record a cover album and asked fans to submit song suggestions. Some of the ideas are halfway decent, others are completely inane. Take, for instance, “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Are you kidding me?

It gets worse. One nut job thinks Bret Michaels and company should cover Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. Isn’t that missing the whole point? That’s still a better suggestion than Poison singing Ozzy Osbourne’s hit “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”

Apparently, the album is going to drop in late spring. Considering how long it typically takes to produce a quality album, that doesn’t give C.C. DeVille much time to learn the tablature to “Free Bird.”

Jesus.

Originally, glam bands recorded a cover song so record executives could get a good indication of a bands respective skill level and marketability. Take, for instance, Motley Crue’s cover of the Brownsville Station classic “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” or even David Lee Roth’s “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody.” Both songs were released as singles and featured big budget videos that had a ton of rotation on MTV. Now, it seems record labels are regaling big name acts like Poison to b-level products just to make a quick buck. Maybe I’m missing something, but I thought the whole point of becoming a famous band was to have the ability to sing and write original songs. Apparently not.

Have no fear. When the new Poison album drops, your glam mistress will be first in line ready with cash and a witty pen to review the disc. I can only hope Capitol is providing Poison with a healthy advance and promise of a big marketing campaign.

For the Love of Money

If you're so inclined, visit my new store at http://www.cafepress.com/bringbackglam
Wear a shirt to a show and spread the movement. Together, we can bring back glam!

Been So Afraid of Fame?

There's no point in mincing words. I love American Idol. In fact, I'm an American Idol addict. I watch every show, and TiVo is set to record every bad note and mean comment. During last week's premiere episodes, I couldn't help but wonder why so many contestants (upwards of 1 million people auditioned for this season) avoided glam? After all, the 1980s were the heyday of the so-called "power ballad!"  Why is it that these seemingly normal Americans would rather audition for THE talent competition of a lifetime to such stellar tunes as "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls or "Kiss" by Prince. Not that there's anything wrong with either song, except that they are incredibly difficult to sing, let alone perform a cappella. I simply can't believe that the teens, many of which are tone deaf, would rather place all their eggs in the basket of modern pop instead of trying to stay on key with "Home Sweet Home" or "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Perhaps I'm crazy, but during the two-night premiere special, I only counted one song that is quasi-glam: Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing." This song comes close, but it's not really glam and, again, incredibly hard to sing. At any rate, the person who attempted the number 1 single didn't make it through to Hollywood and was basically humiliated by the judges.

I'm not saying that glam should intersect with pop hell, but I do think a little exposure on the highest rated television show in America would do a lot to bring back glam.

To Live and Die in L.A.

 We have some  MÖTLEY CRÜE news today, kids.

If you're around Los Angeles today, you can get an autograph from Nikki Sixx or Mick Mars. That's because the pair will be at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show. Mick will sign autographs at the Marshall booth, while Nikki will make the rounds at several booths, including Dean Markley, Basson and Ovation.

Also, over at www.vinceneil.net there's a complete listing of tour stops for the CRÜE frontman. You can see Vince at one of these locations:

Mar. 10 - Owensboro, KY - Executive Inn Expo Center
Mar. 23 - Libertyville, IL - Austin's Saloon
Mar. 24 - Fountain Hills, AZ - Ft. McDowell Resort And Casino
Mar. 28 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney University
Mar. 29 - Melbourne, Australia - The Palace
Mar. 30 - Brisbane, Australia - The Arena

Apr. 01 - Perth, Australia - The Capital
Apr. 04 - Honolulu, HI - Pipeline
Apr. 14 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Halifax Forum
Apr. 22 - Redding, CA - Win River Casino

Vince has an all-star backup band including bassist Dana Strum (Slaughter, Vinnie Vincent Invasion), guitarist Jeff Blando (Slaughter), and drummer Will Hunt (Tommy Lee, Dark New Day). Yes, if you think the name Will Hunt sounds familiar, you're right. During the Carnival of Sins Tour Tommy Lee hurt his wrist, and Will Hunt jumped on the kit and saved the day.

While Neil's side projects possibly keep him out of trouble, this news isn't all good. It's looking more and doubtful that MÖTLEY CRÜE will release a new album this year, and even if they did, they wouldn't have the energy to tour in support of a new disc. That, and the fact that the CRÜE has saturated the tour market.

More information at www.motley.com Learn it. Love it. Worship the CRÜE.

 

Arcade Fire

Blogging is an interesting social experiment. Most days I have no idea what I'll write about when I wake up. Usually by ten,  I've selected a topic. Last night, a friend and co-worker reminded me of a band I haven't thought of in a long, long time.

Stephen Pearcy started Arcade when he left RATT in the mid-nineties. Pearcy teamed up with ex-Cinderella drummer Fred Coury, and added Donny Syracuse on guitar and Michael Andrews on bass. They also invited former Sea Hags guitarist Frankie Wilsex  join the fun.  Together, the  musicians landed a major label deal with Epic and recorded two albums. Unfortunately, the big label deal didn't come with big label support and Arcade failed to develop a huge following.

Right now, you can purchase Calm Before the Storm on iTunes for under ten bucks. The album is, essentially, an amalgamation of both Arcade albums. Pearcy wanted to name the band's debut release Calm Before the Storm, but settled on a self-titled debut.  

I saw Fred Coury perform live with Cinderella over the summer when the band teamed up with Poison for the joint "20th Anniversary" tour. It was great fun, but about 110 degrees and I was worried that my husband and I would melt if we moved, let alone dance.

Let Me Be Your...Animal!

A special award for Tesla frontman Jeff Keith. The Animal Rescue Foundation presented the glam rocker with the Evie Award for work related to animal charities. Keith said the award is the most special he's ever received.

Tesla recently completed work on a cover album of their favorite 1970s songs. An April release date is planned.

The band is planning a short tour to support their sixth studio release. The first three scheduled dates are:

2/22/2007 - Kewadin Casino - Sault Sainte Marie, MI
2/24/2007 - Route 66 Casino - Albuquerque, NM
4/21/2007 - Pima County Fair - Tucson, AZ

A lot of glam fans regard Tesla as a highly underrated band. While most bands of the era used synthesizers to distort their sound, Tesla stayed true to rock with just guitars and drums. In fact, Jeff Keith says that the band didn't even use Pro Tools while recording their latest cover album, therefore giving the disc a "live" sound.

"Love Song" from the Great Radio Controversy remains Tesla's most famous song. If you turn on a classic rock radio station and wait awhile I guarantee you'll hear the hit.