July 2017

Loud N’ Lima Brings Music Icons to The Fans

Bret Michaels at Loud N " Lima 2017 — Bret Michaels at Loud N ” Lima 2017

Lima, Ohio -The unique location of Allen County Fairgrounds played host to a veritable who’s who of musical icons over the weekend to the delight and surprise of many of fans .The list of artists was to numerous to repeat but we did our best to catch the feel and vibe of this wonderful event.The inaugural Loud N’ Lima proved to be a success with the fans so much in that organizers Jake Bame and Eric Schaaf vowed to bring it back next year. I have to be honest was it perfect? , no it was not , no event is and it will have growing pains ,this was after all their first festival and no one can depend on the weather in Ohio so muddy it was .

I got to the show late just in time to catch Dee Snyder , formerly of Twisted Sister who’s dedication to the American way of life for ” Were Not Gonna Take It ” was awe inspiring.

Steel Panther continued to prove why they are a draw and just a lot of fun to be around , except live the kids at home it an adult only show !

The only 90’s artist on the line up 3 Doors Down , who played some great songs and thanked just about everyone on the planet !

The rain came Saturday and so did the mud but the music continued , with the Bullet Boys opening the festival .The highlight of Saturday for me was the amazing Steelheart who I have never seen before and I was able to see them perform the songs from the movie ” Rock Star ” one of my favorite albums .The whole band was amazing but to be honest I am biased because Lizzy Borden’s bassist Marten Anderson was handling bass duties that day and the band sounded super tight .

I slipped over to the side stage and watched the very talented band “Kevlar ” tear it up . This band should have been on the main stage , they are that talented.

I really got a kick out of seeing Lita Ford perform as I am huge “Runaways” fan. I was fortunate enough to be at a private party in California a few years ago where I saw her and Ronnie Montrose play together .She is a true class act .

The big headliner Saturday night was none other then Bret Michaels a fan favorite and all around nice guy.This man goes out of his was to use his celebrity to help people and we salute him.

Sunday came and the day dried up and the rain held off .The Metal Gods were at work. The first band on the bill that morning was Love N” Revenge , great pipes on that singer and a sold band , hope to see them again.

Troy live on stage , what a great smile !

Next up was Troy ,I was not familiar with this band but they proved a welcome addition to this mornings set.

To close out the festivities the organizers brought out the big guns .Mr Vince Neal of Motley Crue , who played a lot of his former bands songs to the delight of many in the crowd .His backup band was most of Slaughter and that put a huge smile on my face as Dana Strum is one of the best bassists in music today.

So was it a successful festival? To paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi ” it all depends on our point of view” So from the point of view of a fan, yes it was , great music , good food and a safe environment and a place to camp all made this a rewarding experience .I really hope to be back next year and see what they can do with the gloves off , time to rock ladies and gentleman .

Photo of the day -Bret Michaels at Loud N’ Lima

Bret Michaels performing and making that fan connection at the inaugural Loud N’ Lima Festival over the weekend .

Photo of the day -GWAR at the APMA Awards Show Red Carpet

GWAR at the APMA Awards Show Red Carpet 2017 Cleveland Ohio

DSC07501 copy aa advertsing final

RIP Chester Bennington of Linkin Park

Chester Bennington at an RNC Event last summer

It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Chester Bennington of the famed rock group Linkin Park . I only had one opportunity to meet him last summer when we were both at an event for the RNC last summer .I found him to be fun albeit a little intoxicated but was pleasant with out any attitude ,He will be missed . RIP Chester may you rock forever.

Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017)^[1] was an American singer and songwriter best known as the frontman for the rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead singer for Dead by Sunrise and fronted Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015.

Bennington first gained prominence as a vocalist following the release of Linkin Park’s debut album, Hybrid Theory, in 2000, which became a commercial success. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005, making it the best-selling debut album of the decade, as well as one of the few albums to ever hit that many sales.^[2] Linkin Park’s following studio albums, Meteora (2003), Minutes to Midnight (2007), A Thousand Suns (2010), Living Things (2012), The Hunting Party (2014), and One More Light (2017) continued the band’s success.

Bennington formed his own band, Dead by Sunrise, as a side project in 2005. The band’s debut album, Out of Ashes, was released on October 13, 2009. He worked on new material with Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 to release the EP High Rise on October 8, 2013 via their own record label, Play Pen. Bennington has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader (No. 46).

Bennington died of an apparent suicide by hanging at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California; an employee discovered his body around 9 a.m. PDT on July 20, 2017.^[47]^[48] Shinoda confirmed his death on Twitter, writing, “Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”^[49] Bennington’s death occurred on what would have been Chris Cornell‘s 53rd birthday.^[50] Cornell, who was a close friend of Bennington, had also committed suicide by hanging two months prior.^[50] Bennington sang Leonard Cohen‘s song “Hallelujah” at Cornell’s funeral.^[50] He was also the godfather of Cornell’s son, Christopher.^[50

Photo of the day -Favor Flav at NAP 2017

Hip Hop Legend and Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee appeared at Nudes A Poppin 2017 in Roselawn ,Indiana over the weekend.

William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959),^[2] better known by his stage name Flavor Flav (/ˈfleɪvər ˌfleɪv/), is an American musician, rapper, actor, television personality, and comedian who rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy.^[3] He is also known for popularizing the role of the hype man^[4] and for yelling “Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” and “Flavor Flav!” during performances.^[3]^[5] After falling out of the public eye for a number of years, Flav reappeared as the star of several VH1 reality series, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.

novak law

Warped Tour Spotlight-Sick Of It All

Sick of It All ,Live on stage at Warped Tour

I have to be honest , I have never heard ” Sick Of It All “but I have heard about them . I heard a snipped of a song here and there and maybe a rumor about what a great show I missed over the years but I never saw them . Yes I like punk ,always have, big time fan of hard core acts like NYC’s ” Pro-Pain “and Chicago’s ” Rights of The Accused ” and even early punk like Adam Ant ( yes he was punk before he pop/ new romantic style ) .So I was exited to see them perform at Warped Tour this year and early in the day at that !

The band exploded on the stage like a missile going off, unleashing the pure punk arsenal at their disposal.The energy could cut you like a knife bit instead the ground vibrated your body from the sounds of the bass and drums. Not to be out done the guitar and vocals assaulted your every sense . This was a killer show ! A huge smile went across my face and didnt leave for their entire set .Guitarist Pete Koller was almost always airborne and was a visual spectacle to watch.This is why these guys are legends .

Here is some background about Sick Of It All .

Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1986^[1]^[2] in Queens, New York.^[3]^[4] The band’s current lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on vocals and lead guitar respectively, Craig Setari on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. Sick of It All is considered to be a major part of the New York hardcore scene,^[5] and has sold half a million records worldwide.

Though their 1989 debut album Blood, Sweat and No Tears was a moderate success, Sick of It All did not achieve commercial success until later albums. After the release of their second album Just Look Around in 1992, East West Records saw the band’s potential and signed them in 1993. Sick of It All’s third and major label debut album, Scratch the Surface, was released in 1994 to critical acclaim, and included the singles “Scratch the Surface” and “Step Down” (the video for the latter single would also be featured in the 1995 Beavis and Butt-head episode “Premature Evacuation”). Their 1997 follow-up Built to Last was also highly acclaimed. Despite the success of Built to Last, Sick of It All was dropped from East West and signed to Fat Wreck Chords in 1998, who released the band’s next three albums before being dropped from the label in 2005, when they signed to Abacus Records, a subsidiary of Century Media. This label released their eighth studio album Death to Tyrants in 2006 to positive reviews (Abacus eventually went out of business, though Sick of It All would remain on Century Media, which released the band’s next three albums). Sick of It All’s latest album, The Last Act of Defiance, was released on September 30, 2014.

DSC07501 copy aa advertsing final

CKY DEBUT “REPLACEABLE” MUSIC VIDEO EXCLUSIVELY VIA LOUDWIRE

CKY (Chad I Ginsburg, Jess Margera and Matt Deis) have debuted a brand new music video today titled “Replaceable” exclusively via LOUDWIRE. Directed by Produced/Directed by JOFFco, this is the second music video we’ve seen from their all new LP The Phoenix.

“The video for ‘Replaceable’ captures just how ridiculous the whole process of making a music video is,” says the band. “And how bands have so many bad ideas pitched to them so we figured we put a bunch of them into one video. It’s a comical look about our hunt to find an average director to shoot a decent music video and the struggle that ensued. Enjoy!”

The band initially released the “Replaceable” single last month exclusively via SIRIUSXM’s OCTANE channel, “Head For A Breakdown” via CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND and “Days Of Self Destruction” (Feat. Brent Hinds) before that. Both can be streamed below.

CKY released The Phoenix on June 16, 2017 via eOne Music. The all new LP is the first release since the band put out Carver City in 2009. The album was engineered and mixed at Rancho De La Luna, the highly regarded recording studio in Joshua Tree, CA.

The cover art for The Phoenix was completed by chandelier maker and artist Adam Wallacavage. The band commissioned Wallacavage to create a one of a kind piece for the cover.

The band is currently on 2017 Vans Warped Tour. This is the band’s first time returning to the Warped Tour since 2000. Before that, CKY finished a highly successful thirteen show run of the UK, most of which were sold out.

Chad I Ginsburg, the band’s guitarist and singer, steps into the frontman role with charisma, charm, and bravado, confidently delivering a diverse performance as he claims a position that was clearly rightfully his to own.

He’s joined in enduring partnership and musical and personal chemistry by fellow CKY cofounder, Jess Margera, the drummer whose extracurricular work in projects like The Company Band (with guys from Clutch and Fireball Ministry) expanded CKY’s horizons as much as Ginsburg’s solo work has as well. The duo returned to their primary project refreshed and reenergized, with bassist Matt Deis (ex-All That Remains), who first joined CKY in 2005.

Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and Deftones have all personally invited CKY on tour, cementing a legacy as a hard-charging live act. CKY built a worldwide fanbase of dedicated acolytes, friends, and supporters, lovingly dubbed the CKY Alliance, with a broader group of musicians, athletes, and other creative types in the CKY family, both literally and figuratively.

“We’re grown adults now with an eagle-eye perspective on who we are, what we do, and how to do it right,” Ginsburg declares, with matter-of-fact certainty. “None of us are out there in the clouds. We’re pretty well-grounded people that have an honest perspective on where we’re at.”
CKY are: Chad I Ginsburg – Jess Margera – Matt Deis

Rob Zombie Crushes Cleveland’s House of Blues

Cleveland ,Ohio – The artist known as Rob Zombie bulldozed his way into Northern Ohio last night and fans came far and wide to see him . This was a bittersweet show for me as in my youth an acquaintance of mine Phil Buerstatte (1967-2013) used to play drums for White Zombie who I originally met while his was with Last Crack .I was first introduced to Rob Zombie /White Zombie while they were the opening band for the Pantera /Trouble/White Zombie in 1992 and I immediately thought damn these guys rock ! I saw them a year later with Pantera and Megadeth in 1993 and was again blown away . So to say last nights performance brought back memories is an understatement .

The crowd was packed to the rafters last night with not an empty seat in the house. In all actuality it was just short of insane the amount of people that turned out for this Wednesday evening show with fans chanting Z-O-M-B-I-E in anticipation. The clock struck 9 pm and with a flash and fury Rob Zombie entered the stage and the venue went ballistic and the fans knew every word to every song .The staff at House of Blues outdid themselves with safety and courtesy for the fans.

My favorites on the set were ” Thunder Kiss’65 ” More Human Than Human ” and “Dragula” along with ” Living Dead Girl ”

The band was tight well practiced and talented .The current line up is Rob Zombie , John 5 ,Piggy D and Ginger Fish .John 5 is one of the best guitarists I have ever seen and he literally commanded the stage and that is no small feat when you are sharing it with Rob Zombie .

To learn more about the tour check out http://www.robzombie.com

Photo of the day – Avatar !!!

Avatar front-man Johannes Eckerstrom on stage in Cleveland Ohio this last week .

Photo of the day ! Rob Zombie

The director, horror film buff, musical icon and all around modern day DaVinci made a stop into Cleveland tonight and we were on hand to witness they force known as Rob Zombie . Please enjoy this preview .