Tag: Enuff Znuff
1 Three Bands Added To The Monster’s of Rock Cruise
The Monsters of Rock Cruise has added three bands to its 2013 Voyage. Bang Tango, The London Quireboys, and Rhino Bucket join a jam packed lineup which has KIX, Tesla, Lita Ford, Y&T, Great White, Dangerous Toys, Nelson, Loudness, Lynch Mob, TNT, L.A. Guns, JSRG, KEEL, Helix, Faster Pussycat, Enuff Z’Nuff, XYZ, Femme Fatale, Black N’ Blue, Alcatrazz and more.
The Monsters of Rock Cruise takes place March 16th – 20th, 2013.
Check out the Monsters of Rock Cruise website to book your cabin now!
6 Enuff Z’nuff at the M3 Rock Festival
I ended up missing the two cover bands to start off the M3 Rock Festival Friday Night. The band that started it all for me in 2012 was Enuff Z’nuff. It is hard to believe that with the M3 having its fourth annual music festival that Enuff Z’nuff hasn’t been part of this event yet. The band was the first major act to take the stage last Friday Night at M3, and I thought they did a great job. Enuff Z’nuff featured Donnie Vie on Vocals, Chip Z’nuff on Bass, Randi Scott on Drums, and Tory Stoffregen on Guitar. To start off the show, Enuff Z’nuff performed their song “Heaven and Hell” from their 1991 album Strength. I thought Donnie’s vocals were a little rough at first, but he got better as Enuff Z’nuff’s show progressed. The rest of the set was rounded out by Enuff Z’nuff favorites “Fly High Michelle”, “New Thing” and an extremely cool cover of the Beatles “Come Together”, as well as some of the band’s lesser known songs “Kitty”, “Baby Loves You”, “We’re All Alright”, “High”, and “There Goes My Heart”, This is the first time I have seen Enuff Z’nuff live, and I thought they were very good. I would have loved to have heard some more songs off of their latest album Dissonance. They did play “High” and that was pretty cool. I hope the band will be invited back for another M3 appearance (maybe they will play “Little Indian Angel” next time around). I truly enjoyed their performance, and thought this was a pretty good way to start off the 2012 M3 Rock Festival.
A fan filmed video for “New Thing” can be seen below!
1 Set Times Announced for the M3 Rock Festival
The set times have been announced for the 4th Annual M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD. Check below for bands and start times. Good Tickets are still available for the M3 Rock Festival at this link.
2 Enuff Z’Nuff Announce U.S. Tour Dates
Chicago rockers Enuff Z’ Nuff have announced the following tour dates for 2011-2012 starting on Dec 2nd in Janesville WI.
Enuff Z’ Nuff (who’s current lineup includes original founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z’Nuff) has also announced that they will be releasing a best of anthology next year, it will include all of the bands best known songs including Fly High Michelle, New Thing and Baby Loves You as well as over 20 previously unreleased tracks.
Enuff Z’ Nuff Tour Dates are as follows:
12/2/11 – The Back Bar – Janesville, WI
12/3/11 – Tailgators – Bolingbrook, IL
12/4/11 – Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
12/9/11 – The Rock House – West Greenwich, RI
12/10/11 – Club Loaded / Ollie’s Point – Amityville, NY
12/16/11 – The Hub – Fargo, Nd. – W/ Bang Tango and Slaughter
1/26/12 – TBA
1/27/12 – Backstage Bar – Tacoma, WA
1/28/12 – Studio 7 – Seattle, WA
2/8/12 – Red Devil Lounge – San Francisco, CA
2/9/12 – Whisky A Go Go – West Hollywood,CA
2/10/12 – TBA
2/11/12 – Count’s vamped – Las Vegas, NV
For more information, please visit www.enuffznuff.com.
0 Enuff Z’nuff – Dissonance (2010)
Ever since I first heard Enuff Z’nuff was giving away copies of their latest album Dissonance at Rocklahoma in 2008, I have been trying to get my hands on a copy. While I never tracked down one of the original versions, I was glad to find that the 2010 version released by Rock Candy Records in the UK has a few songs that were not on the original CD.
I have been a fan of Enuff Z’nuff for a long time, and when I found out that former Ozzy Osbourne & Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee was handing the guitar duties on Dissonance, I knew I had to find a copy.
The title track “Dissonance” starts off the album in fine fashion. This is a heavier Enuff Z’nuff tune that has a 70’s hard rock vibe in the vein of KISS & Alice Cooper. It is a cool tune to start the album with.
I thought “Fine Line” was just an ok tune, but there moments when Jake E. Lee flashes his skills on guitar that makes me change my mind. I wish he would break loose more often on Dissonance.
It disappoints me to know that very few radio stations will play a cool song like “Rollaway”. This song has a cool, almost Beatle-esque vibe to it. “High” is one of the heavier numbers on Dissonance. The chorus on “High” reminds me a lot of the Beatles “Day Tripper”. It is much different lyrically, but has a similar style.
Enuff Z’nuff is from Blue Island, Il, just south of the Windy City. Their tune “Chicago” is a pretty cool ode to the city they love.
One of my absolute favorites on Dissonance is the song “Code Red”, which is only available on the Rock Candy records version of the CD. This song sounds like a blend of Enuff Z’nuff and Motley Crue. It super catchy, and if they did a radio edit, this song could easily be a hit single for E’nuff Z’nuff.
The cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” is kind of cool, but does not surpass the original version of tune. The Enuff Z’nuff version is heavier, and Jake E. Lee shreds on this song towards the end. Very Cool!
If I have any complaints about Dissonance, it is the editing job that the folks at Rock Candy did. The song titles were completely jumbled up from what was listed on the back of the CD. Aside from that, I have found Dissonance is a very enjoyable CD from Enuff Z’nuff.
It never ceases to amaze me how great the song writing duo of Donnie Vie and Chip Z’nuff is. The songs on Dissonance are well written, and get in your head. The music on this CD is great. Jake E. Lee shows some flashes of brilliance, but mostly plays within the context of the songs. In my opinion, Dissonance is a must own disc for all Enuff Z’nuff fans and is a CD that should be checked out by everyone else.
Oddly enough this CD was released in Japan, and the UK, and still has not had an official U.S. Release. Hopefully, a smart U.S. label will pick this up, and distribute it. Until then, you can purchase the digital downloads of Dissonance at Amazon and iTunes, and the CD’s through the Rock Candy Records store on Ebay.
You can hear the songs “Lazy Dazy” and “Dissonance” on myspace. Check ’em out!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Dissonance
2. Fine Line
3. Lazy Dazy
4. Rollaway
5. High
6. Altered States
7. Playground
8. Sometimes
9. Joni Lynn
10. Chicago
11. Code Red
12. When Doves Cry
13. Run For Your Life
Enuff Z’nuff is:
Donnie Vie – Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Chip Z’nuff – Vocals, Bass, Guitar, B3
Jake E. Lee – Lead Guitar
Vinnie Castaldo – Drums
0 Enuff Znuff’s “Dissonance” Gets a Japanese Release
Hey EZN friends! Time for an update? Well where do we start? First of all ‘Dissonance’! The cd got its Japanese release recently! Check out the artwork…
Here’s the tracklisting…
1. Dissonance
2. Fine Line
3. Lazy Day
4. Roll Away
5. High
6. Altered States
7. Playground
8. Sometimes (Japanese bonus)
9. Joni Lynn
10. Chicago
11. When Doves Cry (Japanese bonus)
The packaging is up to the usual Japanese standards including lyrics/sticker/obi strip and does our guys proud! If you don’t already have the limited US release, or can’t wait for the OFFICIAL US/European/Rest of the World release you can order this Japanese version at www.cdjapan.co.jp (or to save you even MORE clicks http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICP-1365 ). These guys are RELIABLE and the shipping time has proved to be PDQ!!! I can’t recommend this Japanese release ENUFF!
0 Live Video – Enuff Z’nuff – Come Together
Enuff Z’nuff have posted a fan taken live video of them performing The Beatles classic, “Come Together”. Check it out below!
10 An Update from Enuff Znuff’s Donnie Vie
I’ll start by saying my name is Donnie Vie,you most likely would remeber me as the red haired lipstick big mouthed,drugged up pretty boy,that sings like the beatles,from the “new thing” or “fly high michelle” mtv videos back in 1989-90.I am and have been the singer songwriter producer for the band Enuff Znuff for the last 20 years.we are a power pop band that revolves around melodies and catchy hooks.Much to the likes of (dare I say The beatles)aerosmith,led zepplin,rolling stones,squeeze,elvis costello..Since 1985 when myself along with Chip Znuff(whom i also named,hahaha)put the band together with various different members,Gino Martino,Bo Pallacard(1st version) then Derek Frigo(r.i.p)Vikki Foxx(R.I.H{rot in hell haha}) then Ricky parent(R.I.p) and John Monaco(O.p.p)and now Randy Scott and Tori, though the new record “Dissonance” features Vinnie Castaldo on drums and Jake E Lee on lead guitar.
The band has released 13 studio albums,two greatest hits,two live records and A home video.as a solo artist I have released one studio album, a home dvd that comes with a 6 song cd,a reunion album from a concert where after not playing together for 15 years, Derek frigo, Vikki Foxx and myself played a short set at the cat club and taped and filmed it.Then I released an accoustic performance of the second ezn album”strength” titled “Extra strength” and a ton of demos and other accoustically performed versions of a lot of the favorite
Ezn and DV songs at my website”DonnieVie.com. Most of these critically aclaimed albums and songs unfortunately flew under the radar and got lost in the shuffle with the decline of the 80s metal hairband era. Though I do agree that most of those bands were musically retarded,and had nothing to offer musical history except for damn good time, Enuff znuff was nothing like those bands,except for,and if i do say so myself,the best looking of the glam bands.We had the worst possible luck when it came to guidance and business from our first manager,(who was a rich coked up frustrated musician,that got carried away with controlling and manipulating, financially and creatively,the band ,and basically offered us ability to survive and get off the streets,along with fancy limos,guitars,recording facilities,and all the drugs we could consume for our souls.)to being used as a pawn in a political label power battle between presidents of Atlantic records and its sister label Atco records.Atco was a big 70s label that took a 10 year hiedouse, to be
reopened in the late 80s by Derek Shullman (discovered Bon Jovi) and a super team that he hand picked of all the best in the biz. He signed The Rembrandts (theme from friends tv show), new ACDC (thunderstruck) a few big black artists, and a couple of other really good bands that fell off the face of the earth as a result of this occurance.
To be brief, Enuff Znuff was being geared up to be the Beatles of the 90s,came out of the box with back to back #1 Mtv hits, The “hot band of Rolling stone magazine”, a favorite of radio shock jock Howard Stern and David Letterman, and pretty much found our selves hailed by all of the great bands we grew up loving like
Kiss, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Paul McCartney, Heart etc…you name it ,they loved us. Hell we had the look of the world, great musicianship, catchy melodic power pop hooks,and lead vocals and harmonies that were compared to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.It all started out like a dream,but turned quickly into a nightmare. We were out touring and selling out everywhere for a while, not to mention heavily induldging in the whole sex DRUGS and rocknroll lifestyle. We were on the cover of all the magazines I was the pinup centerfold singer,we did every Tv show around,went on every radio station in US, Japan, UK etc…and walked in front of the line and given the Vip treatment at all the cool clubs, til with a blink of an eye fell off the charts as quick as we came on. The actual true story (that hasnt been told in print till this day) is,the owner of Atlantic/Atco was grooming our president at Atco to take over running atlantic itself(that was run by a president that saturated the music business with any and every hair metal band that had any following at all,with no concern for talent or good songs,it was just churn em out,make some more money or write em off at tax time) So when this became obvious,he promised the same radio aor guy that would toot up the program directors to get us and other bands air play,the presidency of Atco( which was conveniently merging with east west records at the time) to put our president out of business. Which he did and became,and later admitted to my face drunk and coked up at a party. He said,”I loved you guys and it was
nothing personal, but you guys going huge would have made the difference, and that wasn’t going to be allowed. “NOTHING PERSONAL”that’s a fucking laugh, cause it sure personally affected me and my bands lives and careers. In fact it affected music period. Once we wizened up and dumped the makeup and spandex, we really would have probably been the biggest thing in the world, over Guns and Roses, and
Nirvana. When the band was firing on all cylinders nothing could touch us and no one( regardless of musical preference) could resist us.
We could open for any one from metallica to John cougar mellencamp(in fact we did), hit the stage to skeptical faces and left it with the place going nuts. Well to make a long story short,we filed a bankruptcy to get out of our 8 record 13 million dollar deal with Time Warner (we showed them huh?) then had a brief run with Clive Davis at Arista who loved my voice and my songwriting, unfortunately couldn’t do anything with the rest of the band or the heavier side of us which was the rest of the band,so we were given a release from our deal after a little ego chess game with our then manager Herbie Herbert (Journey ,Mr. Big)and Clive only with our lives as the pieces. I was still young, naive,and trusted that everyone was willing to give what I was giving, which was my life, blood sweat and mostly tears. No one it turned out was willing to give shit,it was all about what they could get out of it.That has never been a factor for me when it came to making the music and the message it would put out. To the point of, here I am in my early 40s, broke, divorced, second guessing my abilities and debating if this is even the path I still wish to travel. On the bright side, I have just now finally found out what love is and what life is truly all about.So back to the facts.After flushing Time Warner and then Clive Davis (the single most influential record exec in the history of music), It was a big step down into the world of Indie labels and finally not really dealing with labels anymore at all. This world is a much more depressing, slower paced and less glorious place than that of the majors and everyone kissing your ass and giving you what ever you want, just to be affiliated. The whole process much more resembles work and cost money ya don’t have and promises nothing more than keeping a little hope alive.
Unless you are me, and the next block of inspiration overcomes you and brings with it the next chapter of songs that are still better and have grown since the last batch or record. And that is where I am now. Just got back into Enuff Znuff after a 8 year break( to regenerate the love for it and to repair all the damage done mentally and physically from all the years of basically killing myself for the cause). Just to find the whole mess exactly in the state I left it in,only older,and the name more ground into the carpet with the remaining members deciding to try to squeeze every last drop of life out of the name and reputation by continuing on performing mediocre vibeless shows opening for anything for whatever minute amounts of money offered (like block parties and local fairs just like Spinal Tap. The problem being , I forgot how there is still no one with a clue or potential taking charge,or running the business side of things, the dying music industry has become more dead and impossible to find a way into. Basically its hopeless and you have to appreciate the things that you’ve done and the places youve been, the people youve met and the lives that youve touched with what you created out of thin air. Hell I was an abused child with no family, money or support, and made it to number one on MTV despite all the odds, distractions, and bad luck that came our way. Anyways, til this whole shithouse goes up in flames, and deservingly so,,,,,I’ll still be making great music, in fact Ive already started the ball rolling on a new solo record for next year, if anyone is interested, you can check it all out at DonnieVie.com. No big budgets, or fancy bells and whistles,,,,just great songs, and killer pipes!!!! You can check out the complete Enuff Znuff discography at EnuffZnuff.com
2 Enuff Z’nuff Posts New Track Featuring Jake E. Lee
ENUFF Z’NUFF have updated their MySpace page to stream the new track ‘High’, featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE/BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee.
Check out ‘High’ at this location. The track will be included on the band’s forthcoming new album, Dissonance, due out later this year.
According to Chip Z’nuff, The new album is done, shooting for a release this fall. We hope to have a special edition for sale at Rocklahoma. We decided to call this one “Album of the Year” and some of the songs titles include ” Dissonance ,” ” Lazy Dazy.” “Altered States,” “High,” “Fine Line,” and “Chicago”. It features Donnie Vie, Chip Z’nuff, Jake E Lee and Vinnie Castaldo. More details to follow.
0 Dokken returns to Rocklahoma
DOKKEN are confirmed to perform at Rocklahoma 2008 which is taking place July 10th – 13th in Pryor, Oklahoma – they will perform on the 10th.
Rocklahoma’s lineup on the Main Stage is now as follows:
Thursday, July 10th: (Pre Party for those who have bought three day tickets) BRET MICHAELS, SEBASTIAN BACH, DOKKEN, L.A. GUNS featuring Tracii Guns, ENUFF Z’ NUFF, VAIN, HOUSE OF LORDS and JET BOY.
Friday, July 11th: TRIUMPH, EXTREME, LITA FORD, NIGHT RANGER, LIVING COLOUR, KINGDOM COME, ARMORED SAINT, XYZ.
Saturday, July 12th: CINDERELLA, WARRANT, KIX, LYNCH MOB, TRIXTER, BLACK N BLUE, TORA TORA, EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE, PRETTY BOY FLOYD
Sunday, July 13tth: TESLA, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, ZEBRA, AXE and three more acts tba.
Two side stages adjacent to the main stage feature over twenty-eight regional artists on each stage.
The Retrospect Records stage includes the following bands: JESTER, SIDEKIXX, PAIR-A-DICE, FRONT RUNNER, TOMMY HAD A VISION, VALOR, GYPSY BLUE, WHITEFOXX, BLUE TIGER, WILD AUGUST, MESSANG, PAUL SHORTINO, MARIAH, WARRYOR, BAD CANDY, LORRAINE, NASTY NASTY, REAL STEEL, CUTTLASS, VYPER, MASS, BAD CANDY, ONEY, STRIKEFORCE, HERAZZ, RECKLESS, HEARTLESS, RON KEEL, WARRYOR and ALIBI.
On the Tri-Label Group stage has: ASPHALT VALENTINE, AZRAEL’S BANE, BONESHAKER, COCKPIT, DANGEROUS INC., DEATHRIDERS (NEIL TURBIN), DIRTY PENNY, DRIVE A, EXIT 27, GODS OF KANSAS, GYPSY PISTOLEROS, KARNEVIL (DARIO LORINA), KRUCIBLE (featuring Lance King), LIPSTICK MAGAZINE, MINDFLOW, ODIN, ORDER OF NINE, POWND, SACRED DAWN, SEX DPT., SHADOWSIDE, SWEET F.A., THE JAKALS, TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION, WARMACHINE.
Courtesy of Bravewords.com
18 My Take on Rocklahoma 2008!
Is Rocklahoma 2008 a big music nostalgia fest? Absolutely! Would I want to attend? Yes, without question.
Many of the bands in this 4 day music extravaganza haven’t released any new tunes in years. Would I still want to see them perform? No question about it.
Here is the Thursday Lineup:
LA Guns featuring Tracii Guns
Enuff Z’Nuff
Vain
House of Lords
Jet Boy
Bret Michaels (headliner)
Enuff Z’Nuff
Vain
House of Lords
Jet Boy
Bret Michaels (headliner)
Looking at the list of acts above, this lineup may not excite a lot of people, but I would still like to see it. I love Tracii Guns, but I make no bones about it, that I prefer the Phil Lewis version of this band. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see their set.
Chip Z’Nuff mentioned in the Rocklahoma that a new Enuff Z’nuff album is on the way with Jake E. Lee on guitar. I am not sure if Jake E. Lee will be with them at Rocklahoma, but if so, this is a show not to be missed.
I haven’t ever seen Vain live, but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I would be happy to check them out.
House of Lords is still putting out new music, and has a new CD that will hit stores in a couple of weeks. Their last album, World Upside Down was quite good. James Christian is a very good singer, and the band features the talent of axe slinger Jimi Bell. Count me in!
I had the pleasure of seeing Jetboy live in Columbus (See this article for the concert review with videos). The band was excellent alive. I wouldn’t miss this their set for anything.
Tracii Guns mentioned in the Rocklahoma press conference that he hated opening for these guys, as they used to blow him off the stage. Jetboy was originally signed to MCA, and as with most acts on that label, never got the proper support they deserved. They are going to open up a lot of eyes at Rocklahoma.
Bret Michaels mentioned at the press conference that this will be a big show with pyro etc when he closes out on Thursday night. It sounds as if he wants to make this every bit of fun as a Poison show. He also mentioned that a special area will be set up where you can meet him in person, get an autograph, and a picture, and talk music with him. With Rock of Love being the #1 show on cable televison, there will be a lot of people waiting in line to meet Bret, without question. I don’t know much of his solo music, so I can’t say if his solo set is something I would want to check out. I will likely check out his solo disc that is supposed to hit in June.
Strangely enough, most of the bands on the Friday schedule, I have not seen live. For them to all be on the same bill together is quite cool. I wouldn’t want to miss one band on the Friday night line up.
Friday:
XYZ
Armored Saint
Kingdom Come
Night Ranger
TBA
Triumph
Extreme
XYZ
Armored Saint
Kingdom Come
Night Ranger
TBA
Triumph
Extreme
XYZ was quite similar to Dokken. Terry Ilous said that this will be the first time the band has played together is several years. It should be an interesting set, and it will good to hear some of their tunes again.
Armored Saint is easily the heaviest band on the main stage for the entire 4 day event, and is a no miss act, in my opinion. Their CD, Symbol of Salvation, is still one of my favorites.
Kingdom Come always took a lot of crap for being a Led Zeppelin clone when they first came out. Nonetheless I like their first two CD’s, but I haven’t cared for their more recent material. I am not sure what the lineup will be for this show. I am guessing it will be Lenny Wolf and a bunch of hired hands. I will have to see what I can find out on this one. I have low expectations for this part of the show.
There are plenty of Night Ranger songs that I have enjoyed over the years. They put out a new CD in 2007, which I still haven’t checked out yet. Jack Blades, Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy are a very talented group. I wouldn’t dare miss this set.
Triumph and Extreme are co-headlining Friday night. This is one of the few appearances that Triumph is making
in 2008. Rik Emmett always puts on a good show. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.
Extreme is back together again with Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, and Pat Badger. They are working on new
material for a 2008 release. I would be happy to see Nuno play live, in any capacity. I am glad to see him return to the band that made him famous.
There is also one band that has not been announced for Friday. I am not sure who this will be, but the lineup is already a solid one.
The Saturday Lineup has a lot of question marks for me, but could turn out to be a solid day of rock.
Saturday:
Pretty Boy Floyd
Every Mothers Nightmare
Tora Tora
Black N Blue
Trixter
Kix
Warrant featuring Jani Lane
Cinderella
Pretty Boy Floyd
Every Mothers Nightmare
Tora Tora
Black N Blue
Trixter
Kix
Warrant featuring Jani Lane
Cinderella
My understanding is that Pretty Boy Floyd has completely reunited. This isn’t the watered down version of the band that Steve Summers has been on the road with. If so, then this would be kind of cool to see.
Every Mother’s Nightmare is a complete wild card. The singer, Rick Ruhl, and drummer Jim Phipps are the only remaining members. I like their bluesy Memphis rock, and would like to check them out.
Tora Tora on the other hand is a complete band reunion. I love their two CD’s Surprise Attack, and Wild America.
I have seen them live but it has easily been 18 years ago. They were great then, so I would imagine a solid show by this group. Hopefully their unreleased CD will see the light of day after this.
I never had the opportunity to see Black N’ Blue live, but I have all of their CD’s and would certainly want to check them out. Jamie St. James was pretty good on the last Warrant CD. I don’t know what the lineup will be for this show, but I doubt that Tommy Thayer will be part of it. Gene Simmons owns him now.
I have to admit that I have never been a Trixter fan. I always looked at this band as the New Kids on the Block
with guitars. I thought their music was a little thin back in the day, and seeing them live won’t change my opinion.
I have always liked Kix, and I have seen them live a few times. I have also seen Steve Whiteman’s other band,
Funny Money (which sounds exactly like Kix). It would be cool to hear some Kix tunes live again.
I saw Jani Lane solo in 2007, and he sounded great. I am happy that Warrant is back together again in a full reunion. I have seen them live a few times, and they always put on a good show.
Cinderella is also a band that has always put on an excellent show, each and every time I have seen them. Tom Keifer’s voice is the only thing that is a question mark about this show. The band has been off for a couple of years so I am hopeful that Tom’s voice is back to full strength.
The Sunday lineup is interesting, especially with two times slots still opened. One of these slots is heavily rumored to be Motley Crue. I am not sure of the other one, but wouldn’t be shocked to see Danger Danger get the other slot.
Sunday:
Axe
Beautiful Creatures
Zebra
Lynch Mob
TBA
Tesla
TBA
Axe
Beautiful Creatures
Zebra
Lynch Mob
TBA
Tesla
TBA
I doubt a lot of people are going to know Axe. I know the band, but I wouldn’t go out of my to see them play live. I like their tune Rock and Roll Party In the Streets, but that is about it.
Beautiful Creatures have released a couple of CD’s in this decade which is more than a lot of the bands in this music festival can say. Seeing them on the roster has me getting out my CD’s by them again. I would certainly want to check them out.
Zebra is a darkhorse in this lineup. I haven’t seen them live, but I am quite familiar with their music. This could be a good show.
Lynch Mob now features Oni Logan on vocals, Marco Mendoza on bass, Tommy Aldridge on drums, and of course George Lynch on guitar. I saw half of this band perform with Whitesnake, and would love to see this lineup in action. Tommy Aldridge is an animal on the drums, and George Lynch needs no introductions. I am interested in hearing his new Scorpion Tales album, but this is a Scorpions cover album. This is quite odd, considering that he hasn’t ever been in the band.
Tesla is the must see band on the Sunday bill. I have seen Tesla twice in the last year, and they were excellent both times. They will easily be the best band on the Sunday lineup (amongst those that have been announced so far.)
The side stages at Rocklahoma has a bunch of darkhorses, and bands that may surprise you.
The lineups look like this:
The Retrospect Records stage includes the following bands: Jester, Sidekixx, air-A-Dice, Front Runner, Tommy Had a Vision, Valor, Gypsy Blue, Whitefoxx, Blue Tiger, Wild August, Messang, Paul Shortino, Mariah, Warryor, Bad Candy,
Lorraine, Nasty Nasty, Real Steel, Cuttlass, Vyper, Mass, Bad Candy, Oney, Strikeforce, Herazz, Reckless, Heartless, Ron Keel, Warryor and Alibi.
I am not familar with most of the bands on the Retrospect stage, aside from: Mariah, Mass, Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, Nasty Nasty and Strikeforce. I would certainly like to
check out some of these acts, although none of these were bands were ever considered A-Listers.
The other stage has Texas Hippie Coalition, Karnevil featuring Dario Lorina, Dirty Penny, Crooked X, Gypsy Pistoleros, Sweet FA, Banshee, Gods of Kansas, Lipstick Magazine, Pownd, Shadowside, Mindflow, Warmachine, Asphalt Valentine, and Krucible featuring Lance King.
The interesting thing about Stage 3 is most of these are all up and coming bands.18 year old Dario Lorina is an amazing guitar player. Look him up on you tube and watch this kid play. He is very good. Karnevil is his new band. I don’t know much about them, but with Lorina on the six string, they will be interesting.
Dirty Penny is one of the better new glam bands out there. They aren’t very original, but their new CD is pretty good.
The Gypsy Pistoleros close out Friday Night on stage three, and they are the must see band in Rocklahoma. The Flamenco twist on their upbeat glam tunes is certainly one that I would like to see.
Sweet FA is the late 80’s/early 90’s hard rock band that reunited in 2007. Their new CD, The Lost Tapes is quite good. I have seen this band live, and I know they are pretty good.
Banshee is another must see band on stage three. They are one of the heavier acts on this stage. If you haven’t heard any of their music, I recommend checking them out. They will surprise you for sure.
Gods of Kansas is a newer band that is starting to make some waves. They are currently playing a bunch of live shows all over the U.S.
Pownd is a newer heavy metal band that is located 2.5 hours down the road from me in Richmond, Kentucky.
Their newest CD is highly rated across the web. I will be reviewing this one soon.
Shadowside and Asphalt Valentine are two of Chavis Records newer bands. Shadowside has one cd out, and one
on the way. Asphalt Valentine is a hard rocking band from Atlanta, GA. Their debut will be released within
the next couple of months. (I will also be checking them out locally in two weeks).
I don’t know the other acts on this stage (Crooked X, Lipstick Magazine, Mindflow, Warmachine, and Krucible) but I will be exploring these bands in the months to come.
As a whole….Rocklahoma offers plenty of Nostalgia, but also a slew of NEW bands trying to make it in the music world. The addition of two more stages in 2008 greatly improves this event over the 2007 show.
I can only hope that I will be able to make the trek there for this show. I can’t imagine missing this event!
6 Monster Ballads Xmas – (Release Year – 2007)
Before 2006, the only band hard rock fans had to turn to at Christmas Time for harder edged X-mas music was Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
In 2006, Twisted Sister released their Christmas Album, and now in 2007, the fine folks at Razor & Tie Records have released a Christmas Compilation CD with some of the biggest stars of the 80’s Hard Rock Era.
Monster Ballads XMas is a tasty feast of reworked Christmas classics, and a song with a unique twist from Danger Danger. Every song on this disc is highly enjoyable, at least until you get to Faster Pussycat’s Silent Night, which is awful.
If you need a disc to get you in the mood for the holiday season, this is the one to pick up. There are only 23 shopping days left before X-Mas. Don’t miss out on this record!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Jingle Bells – Skid Row
2. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) – Winger
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Jani Lane Of Warrant
4. I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Twisted Sister with Lita Ford
5. White Christmas – Queensryche
6. Run Rudolph Run – L.A. Guns
7. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Firehouse
8. Naughty Naughty Christmas – Danger Danger
9. Blue Christmas – Tom Keifer of Cinderella
10. Jingle Bell Rock – Nelson
11. Silent Night – Faster Pussycat
12. Twelve Days of Christmas – Dokken
13. Happy Holiday – Enuff Z’Nuff
14. Winter Wonderland – Stryper
15. Christmas Love – Billy Idol
18 ENUFF Z’NUFF Drummer Ricky Parent Dies
ENUFF Z’NUFF drummer Ricky Parent passed away yesterday (Saturday, October 27) after a long battle with cancer.
According to antiMUSIC, Ricky Parent was born in Passaic, New Jersey. His spent his childhood in New Jersey and New York before he headed to Los Angeles to follow his rock n’ roll dream. Ricky was just five years old when realized his love for the drums. One day he was in the yard playing football when he heard a marching band playing down the street. Mesmerized by the sound he found himself following it to discover what was creating that beat. Once he found out, he was hooked and like many young aspiring drummers he first turned to the ready made drum set in any household; pots and pans. Seeing the young drummer in the making he was giving his first drum set, a Mickey Mouse toy set which fueled his dream for a short while before he destroyed it. He then graduated to a Del Ray set that was covered in black contact paper but had cymbals and a snare. From there he pursued his passion with a vengeance, learning his craft from a combination of lessons, drum clinics, but primarily learning from records and songs on the radio.
“My main influence is probably John Bonham,” Ricky wrote on his Myspace page. “But I’ve gone through a bunch of phases from jazz Buddy Rich, Tony Williams, etc. progressive rock Terry Bozzio, Simon Phillips to Ringo to Ansley Dunbar, etc pretty much listened with an open mind soaking up what I admired and working it into my own.”
Like many of his generation when the time came to follow his muse in rock n’ roll he headed to Los Angeles. He was quickly established as world-class drummer and got his first high profile gig with WAR & PEACE, a band fronted by Jeff Pilson after he left DOKKEN that also featured Tommy Henricksen (P.O.L.) and Russ Parrish (HALFORD, FIGHT). The band was short-lived and disbanded after grunge revolution made it hard for them to get noticed. When Vince Neil left MÖTLEY CRÜE, Ricky was called on to lay down some drum tracks for Vince’s solo project. Ironically, Neil would soon hire away ENUFF Z’NUFF drummer Vikki Foxx.
At the time Ricky was playing in a jam band with Paul Gilbert and when word went out that ENUFF Z’NUFF were looking for a new drummer, Gilbert and Mike Varney the head of WAR & PEACE’s label Shrapnel Records, recommended Ricky to the band. He soon after relocated to the band’s home base of Chicago becoming an official member in 1992 where he was a mainstay of the group on stage and in the studio until 2004 when he took a leave of absence after being diagnosed with cancer.
Over the years Ricky was involved in other bands and projects including a brief stint with Alice Cooper as well as playing with Sass Jordan and Tod Howarth (FREHLEY’S COMET).
It’s a sad night at the Hard Rock Hideout. My Condolences to the Parent Family.
Hard Rock Hideout 