Two to Tango?

Now, more on that great Cincinnati metal show I wrote about yesterday.

Joe Leste of Bang Tango fame will also perform with his side project Cock Fight. More information at www.myspace.com/cockfight1973.

Bang Tango formed in Los Angeles in 1987 and was nearly immediately signed to MCA records. Since that time, the band has released albums on the Music for Nations, Shrapnel, and Perris Records labels. Bang Tango's first album Psycho Cafe wasn't huge so they tried again with Dancin' on Coals which was released in 1991. Unfortunately, Bang Tango never amassed huge mainstream success and they were dropped from MCA after Dancin' on Coals.

Vocalist Joe Leste has remained the constant in Bang Tango, despite numerous splits and member changes.

The current incarnation of Bang Tango includes Leste, guitarist Michael Thomas, bassist Lance Eric and drummer Timmy Russell. Recently, Bang Tango released From the Hip. I don't have this album yet, but the tracks are pretty good. You can hear a few samples at  www.myspace.com/bangtango. I really like the guitar sound these guys have going. It's strong and rich, but doesn't overpower the rest of the band.

I'm quite interested in seeing Bang Tango at Rocklahoma. I hear the boys put on a great show, and I'm ready for some excitement!

Side Note: At the turn of the new millennium, Leste formed Beautiful Creatures with guitarists DJ Ashba and Anthony Focx, bassist Kenny Kweens and drummer Glen Sobel. This band had some touring success with KISS and Ozzfest but was quickly dropped from their deal with Warner Brothers. After the label dropped Beautiful Creatures, several members left the band, including DJ Ashba who now collaborates with Nikki Sixx. Ashba was replaced by Alex Grossi (!), who also played with Bang Tango for a short time. Anthony Focx also did a stint with Bang Tango. As noted Timmy Russell is the current drummer for both Bang Tango and Beautiful Creatures.

(Eat) The Crow

Happy weekend, glam fans!

Last night I received a very intriguing Myspace alert from Kenny Ozz, lead singer of Cincinnati based Drugstore Valentine. On Friday, May 18 Kenny and his clan will perform in the 80s Metal Fest along with the hairband tribute Poser and GnR, a tribute to Guns n' Roses.

I love tribute bands.

In addition to these local musicians, C.C. DeVille of Poison will also be there! Everyone knows how I feel about Poison.

You might recall I've written about Drugstore Valentine before. I don't know how he does it, but Kenny seems to catch every rock show in the tri-state area. I've made some disparaging comments about Mr. Ozz in the past, but no more. It's time for me to eat some crow and give credit where it's due. Kenny Ozz is part of the revolution. Yes, he's bringing back glam. Visit them at www.myspace.com/drugstorevalentine.

The lead singer of GnR actually sounds like Axl Rose. For most of us, a tribute band of the classic formation of Guns n' Roses is about as close as we'll ever get to the real thing. It's not like Chinese Democracy is coming out anytime soon. Add them by visiting www.myspace.com/gnrtributebandrocks.

Back to Poser. This tribute band intrigues me much. I gave them a listen, and they're not too bad. Seems they are based in Columbus so I'm a little surprised I've never heard of them before. Perhaps the best thing about Poser is they feature "American Hairband" by Tuff on their Myspace page. Add Poser by visiting them at www.myspace.com/bighairband.

I love the song "American Hairband" in a very big way. For some crappy reason, the song isn't available through iTunes, but it is the featured track on the Myspace home of Bring Back Glam! For this reason - and to celebrate my new affection for Kenny Ozz and Drugstore Valentine - "American Hairband" is our official song obsession for the week.

Here's a pretty cool video montage of some really great bands set to "American Hairband."

I'm In Love with My Car

I want a Porsche.

Not just any Porsche, but Paul Stanley's Porsche. This morning, Blabbermouth ran an alert about a Sioux Falls auto dealer that is selling Stanley's 1988 Porsche 928 S4 for under $20,000.

This, dear readers, would be one glam ride. The auto dealer has proof of Stanley's former ownership, including a document that shows the car was registered under Paul Stanley (real name Stanley Eisen) and insured by the KISS company. Plus, this smart dealer is pairing the title with a Paul Stanley trading card.

According to the dealer Stanley "ditched" the car in Iowa, was traded to Billion Automotive and sold to the present dealer.

Quite frankly I don't care how the car made its way to Sioux Falls. As long as there's a certificate of authenticity (COA), I'm good.

Now, I just need to find 20 grand and convince the glam rock husband how hot I'll look while driving down the road in Paul Stanley's Porsche.

Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps.

 

Jaded and Louder

Did you know that Sweden is 4,254 miles or 3,697 nautical miles from Ohio? So many great glam bands are popping up all over Sweden.

One of those bands is Babylon Bombs. The band is based in Stockholm and is signed to the Smilodon Records label.

Babylon Bombs formed back in 2001. For some reason, band members only go by first names. As such, Dani sings and plays guitar, Jon also plays guitar and Marty plays bass. The creature known as Swaint plays drums.

Their debut album, Cracked Wide Open & Bruised features tracks like "Let's Roll" and "Superstar." Their next album, Doin' You Nasty features the tracks "Jaded" and "Louder." Both are singles, and the band has produced videos in support of these tracks. I highly recommend this new glam band. They've got a great, sleazy sound and the looks to boot. Hear music samples at www.babylonbombs.net or www.myspace.com/babylonbombs.

Here's a video for "Hometown Hero" from the album Doin' You Nasty:

In other Swedish glam news, Vains of Jenna frontman Lizzy DeVine has issued a Myspace alert, asking for cash. Here's the note:

"I'm sick and tired of asking my parents and my girlfriend for money all the time. 'Cause they always help me out.
So if you have some extra dollars on your credit card and you want to get rid of it. Give it to me!
This is not a joke, do not reply! Rock on. Thank you, Lizzy."

Under this note is a Visa icon to donate. I am assuming the donation goes through PayPal. I found this both amusing and sad. Vains of Jenna perform club shows nearly every night. This is their job as professional musicians. Someday they might be rich, or they might never hit it big. Do I suggest you send Lizzy a "charitable" donation? No, absolutely not. Instead I suggest you buy a copy of Lit Up/Let Down. Just click on the link and add to your Amazon cart. Even better, see Vains of Jenna live. Tickets are usually around ten bucks and well worth the cash. The band is playing two shows this weekend in southern California, including the Cat Club in Hollywood. Check them out!

Lightning Strikes Again

Dear glam readers, I had several nightmares last night. I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say my job was a common theme.

This, naturally, left me thinking about Dokken's "Dream Warriors" from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors. For some reason, the song is not featured on the movie soundtrack but it was released as a single featuring the B-side "Back for the Attack."

Did you know that Dokken is working on a new album? The disc is tentatively titled Lightning Strikes Again. Frontman Don Dokken says the album is going to "be better than ever." He also acknowledges the struggle glam artists face when trying to garner promotion. Dokken also says the new disc will feature a heavier, more progressive sound with dark songs. In a recent interview, Dokken also addressed the seemingly never-ending feud with guitarist George Lynch. Says Don "I could never play with George. We don't get along and we never did get along. So what is the point? I don't have to tour for money. We have made our careers and our money. Now we do it for fun and if it's not fun then I don't want to do it."

Lightning Strikes Again should be released in September.

Do you know the history of Dokken? Formed back in 1977, the first incarnation of the band featured Don Dokken on vocals, plus guitarist George Lynch, drummer Mick Brown and bassist Juan Croucier.

Of course, Juan left Dokken in 1982 to make his name with RATT. He was replaced with Jeff Pilson. In 1984, Dokken released Tooth and Nail. By 1986, Dokken was touring with the Scorpions and had recorded another album. Of course, things fell apart in 1988 as the fighting between Don and George boiled over. The band officially broke up, but later reformed. Wash, rinse, repeat and now it's been a decade since George Lynch officially left Dokken.

The current incarnation of Dokken features Don on vocals, guitarist Jon Levin, bassist Barry Sparks, and drummer Mick Brown.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the new album. Dokken gets a bad rap and I'm willing to give new material a fair shot. So sue me.

Set the Night on Fire

I'm in the mood for some Pretty Boy Floyd.

The band formed in Hollywood back in 1987, featuring an assorted mix of characters such as Steve "Sex" Summers and Kristy "Krash" Majors. Those, dear readers, are some glam names!

PBF is best known for their album Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz, which featured the singles "Rock n' Roll (Set the Night on Fire)" and "I Wanna Be With You." Originally signed to MCA, PBF has also released albums on Cleopatra and Deadline Records. Pretty Boy Floyd also contributed to movie soundtracks including The Karate Kid, Part III.

Music can be a contentious business and in-fighting eventually tore Pretty Boy Floyd apart. After Kristy Krash Majors left PBF, he formed the band Beautiful Creatures featuring members of other glam bands and guitarist DJ Ashba, who now collaborates with Nikki Sixx.

Of course, reunions are en vogue and Pretty Boy Floyd reunited in the mid-nineties and released Porn Stars.

Kristy Majors recently released a solo disc Sex, Drugs 'N' Rock N Roll, and you can hear some of those tracks at www.myspace.com/kristymajors. Majors and Summers are fighting again, and that's a shame. They really make a great team.

Check out this video from the band's heyday:

Now to the second part of today's blog -- the postmodern part. When I was in graduate school my focus was rhetoric, especially postmodern styles. Last night I was clicking around YouTube and I found, perhaps, the most postmodern video ever made.

The Peppermint Creeps are a modern horror-glam band. You can hear a few samples of their music at www.myspace.com/peppermintcreepsband. Warning! The Peppermint Creeps do not sound like Poison, RATT or Motley Crue. Now, the video below is the Peppermint Creeps performing as Pretty Boy Floyd, singing Motley Crue's "Live Wire."

Still with me?

Joining the Peppermint Creeps on stage is none other than Steve Summers of Pretty Boy Floyd, performing at the legendary Whisky a Go Go. The audio isn't so great, but that's not the point. I think a lot of us forget just how great glam bands are at supporting each other. Back in the day, bands turned out in full force to watch other musicians on the Strip. There was a true sense of camaraderie and it was pretty common for musicians to live together, play together, date the same women and fight for money together.

Ah, where have all the good times gone?

Rewritten History

It's not uncommon for movies these days to have alternate endings, especially for special DVD releases.

What about songs with alternate...beginnings?

Yesterday, I was listening to my re-mastered disc of Motley Crue's Too Fast for Love. Originally, the title track "Too Fast for Love" featured a slow, ballad like beginning with Vince Neil opining about being young and careless. This original version appeared on the Leathur records release of Too Fast for Love, which Motley self-produced and distributed. After the band signed with Elektra, the album was re-mixed and the slow intro dropped.

I like the original version better.

Why is it that labels feel the need to mess with an artist's original vision? I highly doubt leaving the 15 second intro on the Elektra release would have harmed initial sales. Now, Too Fast for Love is regarded as a glam classic, and for good reason.

The boys in Motley Crue were desperate and poor when they landed their Elektra deal. This bare beginning allowed the quartet to produce songs with honest, raw lyrics.

Everything doesn't have to be mixed and over-dubbed to perfection to fuel album sales.

Does your favorite song have an alternate beginning or ending?