There is a new American Idol…enough about that. The highlight of the show for myself and many others was to see Bret Michaels alive and well performing “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn” live with contestant Casey James. When the lights went up on Bret’s side of the stage it wasn’t so much a surprise that he was standing there since it was part way through the song and the original artist coming part way is common practice during an Idol finale. The anticipation of seeing Bret standing there was great considering what he has gone through recently. Everyone had heard about what he had gone through. Seeing his face gave it a real feeling, knowing he could have easily been gone not long ago.

In the last two months Bret has been hospitalized for a massive brain hemorrhage in April and then again for a warning stroke/hole in his heart (Paten Foramen Ovale) in May. When the lights hit Bret during the performance it was like you could see a love for life on his face. It was a goose bump moment over here.

MusicWife pointed out a story on USWeekly.com where Bret points out that the Doctors did not know he was doing the show…

“The doctors, I didn’t tell them I was going to do this,” he told UsMagazine.com. “I never told them I was coming here. They’re going to find out in a few minutes!” As for his family, “I may not have told them, either,” he added.

“Here’s the thing,” he added, “they have not said everything’s OK. I’m running about 75 percent realistically, physically, but in my soul and my heart, I feel great. “I needed to do this tonight, just to come here,” said Michaels, who told Us that he was first approached to perform on the Idol finale months ago before he got sick.

Source: US Weekly

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Other than the fact that these guys are playing around with a bunch of kids it is growing on me. The more I listen to the tune the more I want to hear it, leading me back to eMusic to download the track for free off the Saudades De Rock album. Download it FREE HERE!

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I remember sitting in Study Hall in 1988 and settling an argument as to if AC/DC was coming to the area. I was the walking tour date listings in our High School. Granted, I was getting some of my info from the issue of Rolling Stone that everyone had access to in the library. My sources went deeper though…Hit Parader, Circus, Metal Edge. Anyway, the answer was no.

Why the flashback? I have been meaning to mention this site for a while. Last night I followed one of the emails I get back to WolfGang’s Vault to listen to some classic B.B. King that is on sale for $4.00. I tell ya, live music is such a visual thing, but there are some shows on there that are so crisp and clear from decades ago that it’s like flashing back to being there…even if you were not catching shows yet. For example, there is an awesome Aerosmith show live from Central Park in 1975 that makes me flash back to the times I seen them in the 80s.

I know times are fast these days, but I have a tip that will put a smile on your face. Look through the vault, find an band that appeals to you, put on some headphones, and close your eyes. treat yourself to a little flashback.

Check it out and leave some gems you found in the vault in the comments!

To give you a little taste, some  “Walk this Way” from Central Park 1975 when Joe Perry decided that the talk box should not be used for “Sweet Emotion” alone…

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If you ask a group of people to name a Hair Band you may get a variety of answers. You may also get an argument. I watched such an argument recently on the Facebook page of the local rock station. The question? Is Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” a Hair Band song? You could see the discussion evolve quickly from the song itself to the definition of what a Hairband is and if Ozzy himself fit in there. He had once said that Motley Crue was not a fit for the Hair Band block. The Crue?

How do you define Hair Band? Bands that have that label are also often labeled Hard Rock, Glam, Heavy Metal, Arena Rock or Guitar Rock as well. It’s really harder than one might think to look at one band and answer if they were/are a Hair Band. Let’s have a look at some of the elements of a Hair Band and try and come up with a definition…

• Hair and makeup. Do you measure the hair in length or height? It can go both ways, of course. Makeup is not mandatory, but is encouraged.
• The clothes. From leather to ripped up t-shirts and panty hose on the arms. Scarves and robes.
• Guitars. Power chord verses and ripping solos, right? From many of the bands that have come and gone, the guitarist is the one you can still see in the magazines on the newsstands.
• The show. Hair Bands were selling out arenas around the world with big stage, pyro, and the light shows. It only took one halfway decent headliner to bring one or two more bands with them to sell out a show. They were so plenty that even in middle of nowhere Iowa you easily had one or more big shows to choose from a month.
• The songs. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll tend to be the lead subjects. Can’t forget the mandatory (usually track four) power ballad.
• The frontman. Most Hair Bands have the charismatic frontman that is the most recognizable figure. May or may not have a tumultuous relationship with the guitarist.

The most important element may be time frame. In the early 80s to early 90s there was a movement that took bands from the clubs on the The Sunset Strip in Hollywood and unleashed them on the rest of the world. While there were already bands that fit some of the above elements (KISS, Van Halen, Aerosmith…), during this movement is when it exploded and more hairbands were born, either from conception or established bands adding hairspray, makeup and glitter. This is where the waters get murky…

The term Hair Band was not used to describe the music during the time of it’s popularity, the label was applied when looking back from the Grunge era of the 90s. Some bands can be looked at as a Hair Band while others may cause disagreement. It is easy to look at a band that emerged during the era, like Twisted Sister, Poison, Warrant or Skid Row, and call them a Hair Band yet today. What about the bands that were around previously, but then embraced the elements during that period? How about the bands that arrived then, but are still around today?

Let’s have a look at the Ozzy argument above. Ozzy was around with Black Sabbath and then solo before the onslaught from The Strip. With The Ultimate Sin, Ozzy was on board with the Hairband gig (See “Shot in the Dark” and “The Ultimate Sin”). It was during this time that the Tribute to Randy Rhoads album was released and the Hairband Ozzy was spliced in with footage from the studio with Randy for the video. This was also the time that the song “Crazy Train” received most of it’s popularity.

Is the solution to accept that certain bands have Hairband eras of their own? Let’s use KISS as an example. Members of the KISS Army may shout out loud that they were around before the Hair Band era and still around long after, therefore they are NOT a Hair Band. Look at the videos from the Asylum album like  ”Tears are Falling” and “Uh! All Night” and tell me that if that was the first time you seen them you wouldn’t think they were a hair band. On the other hand, you may get fans that argue KISS were the first Hair Band.

There may not be a band that came from the era that has more of a legitimate place in music almost thirty years later than Bon Jovi. Don’t be mistaken kids, Bon Jovi were one of the Hair Band pioneers. They did not come off the strip, but they were showing it from day one (Runaway) through the time they, and Hairbandism, were at their height (Living on a Prayer). Now, would you look at them and think Hairband today (We Weren’t Born to Follow)? Those of us that know them from that era might, what about those that are seeing them for the first time?

It gets even more confusing when you have those that define it just as hard rock and hair. At this point bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest get thrown into the fold. Should mention here that Judas Priest, in all their might, tried to fit into the era with work like “Parental Guidance.” Guns and Roses fits the elements above, including era.

Have we come to a conclusion? If I were asked myself how to define it, it would be more of the album/songs of the era rather than the band themselves. There are bands that would still carry the name, I guess those would be those that did not have significant careers after the early 90s and found their only stardom during that time. Of course if they are still dressing the part…

How about you? What is your definition? Are there some elements we are still missing? Throw down some comments, maybe we can come up with a definition that is more clear.

Some videos of some of the mentioned bands and songs…

Title

Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin Video

Runtime

3:43

Views

60,380

Title

Crazy train Official Music Video

Runtime

4:08

Views

110,992

Title

TUFF "American Hair Band" - 80s Metal

Runtime

4:22

Views

517,801

Title

Kiss - Uh! All Night

Runtime

3:49

Views

96,831

Title

Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator

Runtime

5:43

Views

704,045

Title

Ozzy Osbourne Shot In The Dark

Runtime

4:21

Views

328,214

Title

Kiss - Tears Are Falling

Runtime

3:46

Views

172,061

Title

Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer

Runtime

4:09

Views

13,018,176

Title

Bon Jovi - Runaway

Runtime

4:19

Views

4,838,053

Title

Wasted Years Official Iron Maiden Music Video

Runtime

5:01

Views

357,899

Title

Van Halen - Hot For Teacher (HQ music video)

Runtime

5:34

Views

86,849

Title

Judas Priest - Parental Guidance

Runtime

3:14

Views

136,098

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Dokken 2/20/10 Dubuque, IA

Hard Rock from the 80′s invaded the Mississippi Moon Bar in Dubuque, IA when Firehouse opened for Dokken. More than twenty years later people are still trying to slam bands like these. Some people never liked the music, some think they have out grown it…until the music starts.

I have to admit I was kind of hoping Dokken was the opening band so I could leave if I felt like it during Firehouse…until the music started. Firehouse opened the show sounding just like they would on CD. These guys are so clear you may think they are playing with a backing track…except they are from the era when live shows were all about playing the music live and not choreography.

The band made a point more than once during the show to thank the crowd for still coming out after all these years. They pointed out that September 11th of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of when their first album was released.

“All She Wrote” got people’s toes tapping. “Shake and Tumble” got some fists in the air. “Reach for the Sky” got a good reception. There was an on stage marriage proposal and slow dance to “Love of a Lifetime.” The crowd was in 100% by the time “Don’t Treat Me Bad” was belted out to close the set.

Another successful stop in Dubuque for Firehouse.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Dokken. I have seen them several times over the years. In fact, next month will be 25 years since I seen them just a 1/2 mile from where this show is open for KISS. Things change over the years. One time they left after four songs opening for Aerosmith. The last time I had seen them with the original members when they reunited for the Dysfunctional tour Don stormed off the stage for two songs right at the start of the show.One thing I did know was that my two favorite members, George Lynch and Jeff Pilson were not going to be there as they are no longer with the band.

They opened with the “Unchain the Night” intro and then kicked it into “Just Got Lucky.”  Don may as well have pulled up a chair for the first couple of songs. He looked pretty bored and at this point I’m still wondering how the show is going to go.

We were a few songs in before the guy behind me that had been yelling “GEORGE! GEEEOOOOORGE!” finally realized George Lynch was not on stage. The new guitarist is Jon Levin and I have to say if you are not looking at him you may not notice it is him instead of George playing. He stepped in really well and was really a high point of the show.

Moving through more classics like “The Hunter” and “Into the Fire” you can see Don is lightening up. He says that they can play “Dream Warriors” for us since they are taking a couple weeks off….because it isn’t easy to sing. He said it playful but you can tell the guy doesn’t have the chops he used to. Understandable. There have been a lot of screeching high notes come out over the years, it has to catch up some time. The band played this tune pretty tight.

My fears of listening to what might sound like a Dokken cover band have vanished for the most part by the time they hit tunes like “Breaking the Chains” and “It’s Not Love.” Don is having fun now. A playful story leads into “Too High to Fly” and a Jon Levin guitar solo. A good old fashioned guitar solo! By the way, he did some justice to “Kiss of Death” as well!

They did play a new tune that rocked but I can’t say I caught the name of it. I will be looking for it though. “When Heaven Comes Down” and “Tooth and Nail” rocked the die hard Dokken fans. Everyone got in on the closer, “In My Dreams.”

Often when going to one of these shows there will be memories that come back with each song. Remember back to the parties and the time you bought a certain tape. This show was different though. Both of these bands have significant places edged in my memory along with one of my oldest friends who passed away recently.

Jammie Dodds and I used to pound out those Dokken songs for hours in his bedroom on guitars in High School. When we were 19 we took off  to Daytona Beach, Florida. Somewhere along the way in Alabama he bought the first Firehouse cassette and it never left the tape deck in the car. It became the sound track to our trip.

At the start of the song “Alone Again” Don Dokken says, “It’s like being in High School, huh? When Mom and Dad paid all the bills…” I remember Jammie telling his Dad once… “I don’t want to work hard now and have fun when I’m old. I want to have fun now.” He did have fun.

Both of these bands thanked the audience several times for giving them a chance to still be doing this 20 plus years later. I would like to thank both bands for giving me three hours of good memories of my late friend Jammie.

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Joining Ratt for the Infestation, the first album in ten years, is former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo. Ratt wanted to get back to the double guitar attack that they had in the days with Warren DeMartini and Robin Crosby. More on the new Ratt later. For now, here is the first single. Comments? What do you think?

If it doesn’t start click on the starting of the bar.

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Upon arrival you are hit with a big search box. Enter the desired band name here and you will get a playlist suggested music playlist with various similar artists (but more of the searched artist), a list of the links to the searched band’s videos on YouTube that you can add to the playlist and more tunes from the similar artists you can add to the playlist.

A search for Ratt came up with a live concert video of “Round and Round” and a playlist including AC/DC, Guns and Roses, Skid Row, Motley Crue, and Great White.  There were more artists like Poison, Faster Pussycat, and L.A. Guns over in the related artists.

Remember when I mentioned it wasn’t as slick as Pandora Radio? Well, it isn’t as pretty. There is the same element of surprise when you wait to see what the next song will be. There are some things that are better. Like control over which songs are in the playlist (you can eliminate a tune by throwing a quick click on a box) once it is formed. As far as I can tell it is not going to tell you at some point in the month that you used up your listens for that time period.

Overall I think it is something I will use when I’m in the mood for a certain music (The Joe Bonamassa search results were interesting).

I raise a Zippo lighter to Mashable for bringing this to my attention. \m/

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The intention of this post was to not only show you the video but to give you a little back ground on the artist. That information is not easy to come by so what I will share is some of his Bio on iLike.com (while you are there hit the I like Button)…

I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. I worked in a goldsmith shop and an auction company growing up. I came up at the feet of honest to God mountain people singing bluegrass music about dying and losing lovers. My dad told me stories about our family killing people, killing each other and the generalities that go along with a family of bootlegers, preachers and splintered women. I didn’t think it was fashionable to talk about those things and then one day the apostles of suburbia began making up songs about how cool it was, then took it to the people and sang it to ‘em. – I don’t know about that. These are my stories, I try to be as honest as a liar and a thief knows how to be, I hope you find some threads of truth in here.

Linkage:
Vote for the video!
Official Band Website
Matt King on MySpace

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From the IMA site:

Discover an eclectic mix of self-released & independent label talent culled from six continents. The Independent Music Awards celebrates artists that follow their own muse – with over 250 Nominees there’s plenty to please the most discerning music fans.

So do your part to support independent music. Listen, discover & champion your favorites.

It’s easy to get lost going through the different categories and artists. I have already found several bands whose material I have downloaded and will later give a quick profile on MusicLee Inclined. Go check it out and if you find something oters should hear please leave it in the comments or post it on our Facebook page.

Links:

Independent Music Awards

Nominees:Once here you can check out the different categories, join in the fun and register and vote.

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From his website…

This is my first solo record. I’m head over heels about it. Everything was recorded in Austin, TX at my house. Download it, burn it, put it on in your car or on your home stereo and turn it up loud.

You can preview the songs right on the landing page of the link above. I have to say that the first thing I thought of as the title track started playing was how much I miss living in Austin, Texas.

Check him out at MySpace and Facebook.

I learned of this at Mashable.com’s Free Music Monday..check that out too!

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